Guild Wars 2

Well, as someone who has been playing Guild Wars 2 since August 25, 2012 and who played Guild Wars 1 for years before that, I expect nothing extra for purchasing/pre-purchasing HoT. ArenaNet would be perfectly justified in charging even more for their expansion and offering nothing extra. When you purchased the game, you knew what you were getting, and that is what you got. You are now entitled to nothing. You’ve already gotten more than what you are entitled to. Consider some appreciation.

As for the bonuses you suggested:
Lots of Gems- You are aware that mircro-transactions are ArenaNet’s primary source of income when they are not releasing a game/expansion, right? They are a business after all.
Legendary- What starts off as the most prestigious and most powerful class of weapon freely given out to players who already owned the base game? So much for all that prestige.
Precursor- Let’s be realistic. Those who get this are going to want to go for a legendary for the aforementioned prestige. The thing is, these take an insane amount of materials to craft. The vast majority of the playerbase do not have these on hand and will be forced to turn to the trading post, assuming they have all the coin. This will lead to hyperinflation of the material market; thus harming those who wished to craft legendaries from precursors they had already obtained, other higher level gear of rare, exotic, or ascended quality, and even those who want to craft legendaries with the precursor your insight just got them. What’s that you say, you can also just give them the:
Lots of Materials- Disregarding the aforementioned economy damage, the market would be utterly saturated. You remember the candy corn back from Halloween in 2012 right? Imagine that on steriods with lodestones.

If you don’t like their policies related to the release of HoT, you are free to refrain from purchasing it. Again, you know what is being offered in exchange from your money. Just like last time, you are free to walk away from the table.

Before I begin, allow me to give a little background information about myself. I have been playing since the first beta weekend. My main character is a guardian, and I have a total of six level 80 characters on my account. I have participated to some degree in every single release. Now, without further ado, my review:

I decided that since so many people were whining on forums about the New Player Experience™ I’d see what all the fuss was about. I decided to roll a guardian since it is the class I find most enjoyable, I have the most experience with, and it’s the class I would pick for my first character. As of this writing, I have finished the second story arc with said character. I did not withdraw anything from my bank or buy anything (save a single basic salvage kit). Be warned that some of the following will contain minor spoilers.

Tutorial:
In all honesty, I found the tutorial to be really, really boring. Personally, I find the mace to be a very boring weapon already, and being forced to auto-attack for what seemed to be ten forevers and a day, while whoever was ahead of me took their sweet time killing the earth elemental. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they also only had access to their auto-attack as well. As it is now, there is no reason to kill any extra centaurs.

Level 2-10:
I presume the accelerated leveling was due to the lack of personal story involvement. This was always a great source for low level experience. The item rewards at level up were a nice touch, particularly the aqua breathers. I would suggest a different weapon as a reward for the first level up if for nothing else, just for the sake of variety. I was not fond of being completely powerless underwater until level 8, especially since I seem to be one of the few people who actually enjoys underwater combat to some extent due to the z-axis. I did notice a few attacks with more noticeable telegraphs. I consider that to be a good thing that should lead to an earlier focus on dodging. To be honest, the little arrow pointing at my recharging Shelter wasn’t any help. Being unable to use all of my weapon skills, my virtues, or even a single utility skill seemed like an unnecessary handicap. Being unable to even do a skill challenge seems crippling and causes unneeded backtracking…I’m looking at you Carnie Jeb.

Level 10 Arc:
It was nice doing the entire Arc together for a change, even though I did miss the early experience I had always gotten before. Finishing this arc got me to level 13 and provided a few decent gear upgrades. The Black Lion Chest RNG still seems to hate me though…

Level 13-20:
The lack of skills really becomes apparent here with the advent of more enemies, conditions, etc. The lack of skills even killed me once. “Things are looking a bit rough, time to use skill 8…oh right…” I was glad when level 15 came and I could finally use my second weapon set. The stat and skill point dumps didn’t really make me feel stronger. I was just relieved that I finally had access to them, instead of steadily growing stronger. In my opinion, a set number of levels difference should be a decent indicator of strength regardless of level. To me, the old trait system’s minor and major traits achieved the feeling mentioned in the blog post. “Only 2 more levels and I can get *insert useful looking trait here.” At this level range, I also finished mapping Queensdale.

Level 20 Arc:
My opinions are pretty much the same as with the previous arc, save the Black Lion thing. Although the experience wasn’t as useful. The gear was nicer though.

Post Level 20 Arc:
I ended up getting to level 21. It was quite frustrating not even getting my Virtue of Courage. In addition to the things I mentioned above, there are a few things I feel would help the New Player Experience™. One of the things I would always recommend to new players who wanted more experience was to go to the other races’ newb areas. Even with the first map partially unexplored, this would help new players get to a strength where they can better manage things. With the exception of the arrow that misled some players (which I disabled within minutes of installing the patch), I didn’t notice anything encouraging exploration or cooperation. I think increasing access to the wiki would assist with the lack of information new players often have. Think of the wiki links in GW1. Personally, I’d like to see the ability to click on something pinged in chat and being taken directly the wiki page. I’ve also noticed that the /wiki command seems to be almost completely unknown, even by more experienced players. The GW2 community is the most helpful I have seen in any mmo. It seems a waste to rely on a highly flawed system, rather than to make full use of one of the best resources the game has to offer.

Favorite: Flame and Frost Series
With Flame and Frost, it started slow, but actually allowed time to build up the characters. The enemies also seemed to grow as a threat as the plot went on. The dungeon is without question my favorite plot-related content. The nodes were a nice bonus, as they added to the environment. I was pleased with the mechanics as well. The sealed room with the thermal core was particularly well done. While evadable, the traps were not impossible even for a largely uncoordinated group. The final boss fight is also easily one of my favorites in the entire game. They have a unique mechanic while still allowing some room for error. Besides, I’ve always been a fan of a well done dual boss. (Hint: I wouldn’t mind seeing more. That said, bosses who function very well independently seem to be a nice twist, without relying too heavily on a particular mechanic.) They also seemed to have some personalities, so some background and development would have just added to the experience. Braham’s “Oh, we’re so dead.” line also seems to be a community favorite. It also had Frostbite’s introduction. Frostbite is awesome.

Least Favorite: SAB/SAB:BTS
First of all, I hate jumping puzzles with a fiery passion that burns with the intensity of a thousand exploding suns. That’s not to say I can’t jump. If guild puzzles are any indication, I’m at least above average. I just don’t like them, and as such generally prefer to minimize my involvement with them. I understand that some in the community seem to be obsessed with them, and that is fine. I would just prefer if jumping puzzle influenced content wasn’t so prominent/required with many of the updates. Personally, when I first entered SAB, I was expecting more of a Zelda influenced game. I do enjoy a good boss fight (see above). I’m sure you can imagine my disappointment when instead of an adventure befitting a certain Hylian, I was instead met with a glorified jumping puzzle.

In terms of actual story, Clockwork Chaos would have to take the crown for my least favorite. It just came off as two-weeks of overly steampunk-heavy, grind-based content and Scarlet being…well…Scarlet. I believe I’ve already mentioned her adequately previously in this thread, so I’ll leave it at that.

In regards to the cut scenes, I am largely pleased with how they have been executed. I do think they should all be subtitled, and I’ve noticed what you’ve said on the matter in another thread.

With the impact of the PC, I would have to agree that this a weaker point of the LS. In my opinion, we seem to come off as the hired muscle in most cases. I think a better alternative would be the following types of reactions from an NPC: “Oh [insert exclamation/expletive of choice], this is worse than I thought. Call [character name]”. or perhaps “Good think you were here/came along [character name]. [insert problem here]. Please help us!” As far as actual direct character involvement goes, I personally have no objections to playing a silent protagonist, even in cut scenes that require the PC to speak to NPC’s (think Dragon Age). Further utilizing the personality system in this would just be gravy.

As far as rewards go; the minis, nodes, and titles seem reasonable to me. The skins on the other hand, I feel need some work. Perhaps introduce an NPC like the festival hat guy from GW or a place to put all LS specific items in a designated storage (think pvp locker).

I look forward to seeing what you come up and what you’re truly capable of.

Edit: A few minor points I forgot to mention:
1. I think it would be nice if the LS helped wrap up some of the loose ends from GW lore. Lazarus the Dire is a perfect example.
2. I’m kinda sick of fighting Aetherblades. Scaling back how much Scarlet uses them or having them spam less annoying (not difficult to overcome, just annoying) skills would be greatly appreciated. I’m especially looking at you, packs of Aetherblade Strikers which spam Shocking Aura.
3. It seems like the LS is too reliant on Steampunk-style technology.

I figured I’d wait until I had an opportunity to try out the new content before offering my input. Although I am pleased with many of the features implemented in GW2, both at release and updates, there is still room for improvement. My apologies in advance if any of the following comes off as harsh. That’s not my intention, I’m just honest to a fault and don’t like seeing potential being wasted.

As far as the story format goes, I would have to say that it plays out more like a typical children’s show than shows of a more serious nature. Most seem to have no connection (at least before Scarlet’s advent, but I’ll get to her later) and any conflict is largely resolved with the very same update. Then, with the next update, we have the next villain of the week/evil army of doom rear its ugly head.

I’m not arrogant enough to claim I speak for the entire player-base, but personally I think each update should be a part of a LS arc lasting 2-4 months in most cases. Various festivals, a certain glorified jumping puzzle, and arcs of a more dangerous or imposing nature being notable exceptions of course. This offers more time to show a gradual change, introduce characters, develop characters, etc. I would also prefer updates to lead characters to multiple zones (without using the entire map in most cases) rather than send the zerg into a single zone for a good portion of the two weeks.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with many players who claim that Scarlet comes across as a villain sue. At the same time, she still doesn’t manage to come off as a threat to me. I am Zhaitan’s Bane, Commander of the Pact, Slayer of the Ancient Karka, the Defender of countless innocents across Tyria, Vanquisher of tens of thousands of hostile creatures, and former crab-wrangler. This deranged cabbage is going to have to try much harder if she wants to get under my skin. While I did notice the foreshadowing from Flame and Frost and Mai Trin’s outright use of her name, I get the feeling that is too subtle for most of the player-base. In my opinion, what she needs now is a deeper motive than “Burn! Destroy! Die!”. I find that hidden motives only work well for a character that is strongly implied to have/outright stated that they have them, a character that is largely mysterious, or a character that is largely detached from events either to observe or pull strings behind the scenes as needed.

I would like to see many of the more powerful minions receive more development as well. With the new path of TA, we get a scene with three of her top henchmen in a short story. Those minions are a fairly transparent “the boss said kill them, and she’s strong, so we should kill them without question”. I know you’re capable of better character development for more minor characters, I’ve seen it in both GW and much of the PS of GW2, not to mention a few characters involved with events/event chains. Where are the characters who follow out of a sense of actual loyalty? An urge to fulfill their own goals in the process? A promise made by the big bad in exchange for their service? A lie on part of the big bad in which they would defect if they knew the truth or given the right conditions? Or even reluctantly because they have no other choice?
In short, many just seem flat. I would prefer to face foes I have a little history with, some I can empathize with, or even some that would even make me regret having to kill them, or would upset me if they died to help me against their master.

As far as actual content of a patch goes, I think a reasonable standard (Mind you I don’t know all the specifics of everything involved, so feel free to enlighten us if that is indeed the case. A status update/clarification/explanation is always preferred over not knowing anything/being seemingly ignored in my book.) would be to have say three quests/instances of the arc currently being released (or perhaps a single larger dungeon/dungeon-type instance, the F&F one would be a good example), seeing minor changes in regards to past arcs/future arcs (even freakishly subtle ones), minor skill balances, some bug fixes, and a few quality of life type of changes. Any new zones, skills, events, gear, etc. would always be a welcome addition of course. In regards to the instances, they should be sufficient to provide some character introduction/development. Perhaps even end the arc with a fight against a major henchman only to have them escape and warn you about their master. Ideally each update would end with some resolution, while still leaving you anticipating what is to come.

(Continued)

1. Attracting Players to sPvP

2. Game Modes

3. Build Diversity

1. Zerg Mentality

2. Lack of incentive for server loyalty

3. Potential New Maps

1. Living World (In regards to both story and new content)

2. Boss Fight Mechanics

3. Preferences for certain gear and play-styles (such as berserker stats and zerging) and their effects on the community.