Guild Wars 2

I’ve heard and read a lot of salt about the newer DBLs and I’ve also heard and read from a lot of people who really enjoy them.

I personally enjoy the aesthetics and variety DBL provides, but it is a bit of a maze. I’ve seen feedback suggesting a weekly map rotation between DBL and ABL. I like this decision, though I suspect it will create a split: those who like ABL will play on ABL week, then abstain from playing when its not.

Nevertheless, this may still be a good solution until a new BL map is created to address concerns about both maps (if such a development plan is being considered).

John Smith.4610:

Wanze.8410:

Are there still Mystic Forge Recipes/items that havent been discovered yet that are not recipe sheets for food feasts/pots/trays or recipe sheets for satchels/boxes of armor?

Does Zommoros still have some secrets up his djinny sleeve?

Yes.

The Guild Wars 2 Experience: “Yo dawg, I heard you liked RNG, so I put some RNG in your RNG so you can gamble while you gamble!”

Predictions: Developers will misquote the vast majority of players and say Warrior mobility is fine. Some wording was changed on their abilities and Healing Signet passive was buffed (now removes all conditions on active, grants stability, knocks down target, and makes the Warrior immune to all damage for 12 seconds). Added a trait that allows all Active abilities on Signets to be Passive.

The remainder of the podcast will be talking about Thief nerfs, including the return of the 4 second Reveal across all game-modes.

#nerfwarriors

The balls, they have been tripped!

Epic thread for the win!

Awesome video! A lot of close calls and “oh kitten” moments. Loved it! See you on the flipside in T1!

My guardian uses potassium with her magic. Water only makes it worse. >:)

Yeah, Science, kittens!

Lishtenbird.2814:

DON’T PANIC!

Fixed.

I am not looking forward to a year of their dialogue… and I used to really like Kasmeer and Majory. :\

X T D.6458:

The main theme is finishing through stealth, not about thieves, was only using them as an example. Basically I am saying, I would like to see finishers treated as an actual channled skill by in game mechanics.

And what we’re saying is that is against the current concept of the game. Just as a knock back counters a stomp, so too does stealth. A player should not get a free pass to finish a kill just because they initiated it. The game is about dynamics, there needs to be counters to everything in order to make the game engaging and fair.

What you are suggesting is not fair, its selfish. Just because a player is downed doesn’t mean the fight is over – that’s how the game was designed from the beginning! Stealth is a counter to a stomp. It should prevent a stomp just like a knockback. Stomping should not be channeled, nor should it be a guarantee, least downed abilities become completely useless and require redesigns.

I’m not sorry you get denied kills because a player was smart enough to counter with a game mechanic you feel is “unfair.” The fact of the matter is stealth is a legitimate ability and there are other ways to deal with it that the devs have already given you.

X T D.6458:

Please dont use this post to troll and flame, please be constructive.

Now I know your post is just a troll.

There are multiple ways to handle a stealthed downed target, all of which were listed above. Despite your previous argument that one “needs to be in a blob” to AoE a refugged target, that is simply not the case. Your ability to understand basic game mechanics is not my fault, nor is the game “broken.” Stealth is a legitimate counter to your stomp, so deal with it by swinging your weapon in the immediate vicinity and hope to blind luck that you hit something.

Pro Tip: if your auto-attack is rotating through its chain of attacks, you’re successfully hitting a target! Congratulations!

However, if your target manages to be revived, then you’ve been outplayed and the game continues. Welcome to Guild Wars 2!

X T D.6458:

People are replying with oh just aoe the refuge area, its not always possible…

• Step 1: Spam 1.
• Step 2: Spam 2.
• Step 3: Spam 3.
• Step 4: Tuck, roll, cry, cry harder.

Seriously, unless you’re a Scepter+X/Staff mesmer you can spam your 1 ability without a target selected and still hit things. This isn’t WoW, foo! You don’t need a target to swing most of your abilities!

If you fail to get two downed targets by swinging blindly, oh well! See Step 4.

ozmaniandevil.6805:

I use my necro the most, so if I want something just for her it will be axe, warhorn, dagger, or focus (I have the bloody prince staff, which I love). Warrior can also use axe, warhorn. Soooo I’m leaning toward one of those two. Ya, all the usual warhorns are pretty kitteny looking so leaning even more toward that one.

The axe is pretty sweet and one I’ve been considering as well. It has a nice shape and looks really sharp!

The focus is also really nice and I can personally use it on at least three of the characters I play the most (Guardian, Mesmer, Necromancer). Its color and shape also allows it to match well with other weapons. Unfortunately, one doesn’t see their off-hand weapon very often, as the character’s body is usually blocking it from view. :\

I also like dagger and sword, but I have the plant lightsaber Dreamthistle dagger and sword and I can’t bring myself to part from them! <3

I’m torn.

I love reading people’s posts about karma train derailing!

Morfedel, I feel the same about EotM. I’ve seen people berate other people who attempt to defend a keep, tower, or objective. Why? “Because it prevents them from back capping and getting loot!” Its appalling how cruel and despicable greedy people are in EotM!

Nevertheless, you should do what these other people are doing and train wreck the everliving kittens out of those mindless karma zerglings! Seriously, its extremely rewarding: BAGS! BAGS EVERYWHERE! Not to mention extremely satisfying watching people die by the dozen.

If anyone gives you grief (for griefing), just remember this old mantra: “PvP happened.” Edge of the Mist is, after all, a PvP map, so answer PvP with PvP.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WHAT?!

“Hard earned kills.”
“Fairness.”
“Reasonable.”

Please tell me this is a troll thread.

Let’s consider all the ways a TEAM works to support one another when someone goes down, shall we?

• Guardians have the ability to wall off, knock back, or pull people away from attempting a finisher. In particular, one of their traits performs an AoE knockback while attempting to revive a downed player.

• Necromancers can fear away and daze opponents attempting to stomp. Their trait places a fear mark when they attempt to revive.

• Warriors may fear, knock back, or stun opponents attempting to stomp. One of their traits doubles revive speed.

• Mesmers may pull or knock back opponents attempting to stomp.

• Elementalists may knock back opponents attempting to stomp. Their trait doubles the revive speed.

• Rangers may knock back or daze opponents attempting to stomp.

• Thieves may daze or stealth a target attempting to stomp. Their trait stealths a target they are attempting to revive.

As a thief, stealth is a main attribute and iconic ability. If a thief is dropping a Shadow Refuge on teammate about to be stomped, that there is a kitten good thief! The trouble is people recklessly spamming their downed abilities, causing them to be revealed and preventing further stealth. When that happens, you get your “hard earned kill.”

What X T D is suggesting is absurd, because it would affect several downed abilities – such as Mesmer 2 and Thief 3. Why not just take away downed abilities all together? Since you worked “so hard to get a kill,” it simply wouldn’t be “fair” if there was still some fight left in them or, god-forbid, teamwork happening!

Jaxs.5830:

Given how poorly setup your maps are, the fact that it takes you a year is just sad. EotM is a bunch of floating islands, how does that take a year to develop? Seems like your system is flawed.

yanniell.1236:

Yep. Even with just ONE guy, working on it 4 hours a day, 1 year is just too much. It’s like u guys don’t have a GUI-based system and have to code the whole map from scratch…

Said the kids who’ve never once used 3D modeling software, developed a AAA title, or worked for a video game company. You both are going to be very surprised at how a real career works once you stop working at McDonalds or your local movie theater.

Josh Davis.6015:

I think some of the sentiments expressed on the livestream are being misinterpreted – that’s probably on us. So, let’s clear things up! …

Thanks, Josh, for such a quick and honest reply with clarifications!

Carighan.6758:

Actually, I believe Warriors can be easily brought back into line PvP-wise with the following, global change:

• Movement-based abilities which are not ground-marker targeted will not cast if you don’t have a target they can move towards.

Warriors could then engage like no one else. Only fleeing would be quite restricted.

It’d also just be healthier for the game as a whole, IMO.

Which is a great idea and would also put them in line with Guardians, who typically need a target to teleport to (i.e. Sword 2 or Judge’s Intervention).

Alternatively, these abilities can invoke a double cooldown time, a la Ride the Lighting, making it more difficult to flee a fight.

Either way would make the game a healthier experience, because right now, Warriors are no fun to fight.

Roe.3679:

Warriors are capable of all those things, surely. But not all at once. I believe warriors need shaved, too, but as much as I think they need some tweaks, I feel your post was inaccurate.

Inaccurate? Let’s go point-by-point:

deepwinter.9015:

• Warriors have high toughness, high health, and a lot of regeneration (Healing Signet), allowing them to tough it out longer.

Warriors match Necromancers with the highest healthpool in the game, they also wear the heaviest armor type, making them the only class in the game with both of these. Guardian, by comparison, has the lowest healthpool and heavy armor, while the Necromancer has the highest healthpool but wears light armor.

Healing Signet is the most popular healing ability, and can be seen by almost every player in the game. The developers have mentioned in the past (about 6 months ago), that they were looking at addressing the Passive vs. Active on Healing Signet. They have since nerfed the passive healing by 8%, but it continues to be worn by Warriors for its Passive heal – not its active. On top of this, they also have passive healing through Regeneration via Dogged March (more on that later).

deepwinter.9015:

• Warriors have incredible mobility, both into and out of a fight. It is exceptionally difficult to lock down a Warrior who does not wish to engage because of their unparallelled access to swiftness, leaps, rushes, and blocks/immunity.

Greatsword 3 and 5 (weapon, 10 and 20 second cooldown).

Sword 2 (weapon, 8 second cooldown).

Shield 4 (weapon, 25 second cooldown, untraited).

Bullrush (utility, 40 second cooldown, untraited).

Berserker Stance (utility, 60 second cooldown, untraited).

Defy Pain (traited and utility, 60 second cooldown, untraited).

Mobile Strikes (trait, no internal cooldown).

These are the most commonly encountered abilities that Warriors use to engage and disengage combat. Note that the first two are the most commonly encountered ones in WvW and are on significantly low cooldowns. By their own words, the developers stated that a hearty, “sustain damage” dealing class should not be able to leap in and out of combat like a Thief or Mesmer, and yet… there it is! Plain as day.

deepwinter.9015:

• Warriors have both incredible burst AND sustain damage! They can hit hard, lock down a target, and bleed/burn them out over a short or long period of time. (For example: Longbow/Axe+Shield build)

I mentioned a build in this bullet point that has been increasing in popularity in both WvW (roaming) and PvP. The AoE burn from Longbow F1 and the insane burst from Axe F1 give the Warrior a choice between high sustain or high burst. The shield gives the Warrior additional survivability as well as a strong CC/gap-closing mechanic.

Similar builds include a variety of weapons, but many can provide intense burst and long sustainability (especially given the Warriors extraordinarily high health and armor). Couple a Greatsword with a Sword/Warhorn and you have a high mobility, high burst, high sustain class – which is why its the most popular build for WvW roamers.

deepwinter.9015:

• Warriors have access to too much condition counters. Dogged March and Cleansing Ire are a baseline for nearly every Warrior build. What’s worse is that they’re both in the same trait line!

With only 4 points, a Warrior gains access to two of their best Major and two of their best Minor abilities for a PvP encounter. These traits synergize so exceptionally well that its almost unthinkable not to take them! This, again, contradicts what the developers said during the stream.

Everything else they said on the stream was accurate, but when it came to Warriors, it was simply untrue. Their idea of the Warrior is NOT on par with what the community thinks!

I was nodding my head at all of the things Jonathan and Karl said regarding class balance philosophy – until they got to Warriors, then they just fumbled the ball terribly.

During the stream, Jonathan and Karl stressed the idea of “holes in roles.” They spoke about Guardian’s being able to commit to the front line but being unable to disengage. In contrast, Thieves can jump in, do lots of burst damage, and back out because they’re not strong with sustain.

Warriors, however, currently break all of those rules:

• Warriors have high toughness, high health, and a lot of regeneration (Healing Signet), allowing them to tough it out longer.

• Warriors have incredible mobility, both into and out of a fight. It is exceptionally difficult to lock down a Warrior who does not wish to engage because of their unparallelled access to swiftness, leaps, rushes, and blocks/immunity.

• Warriors have both incredible burst AND sustain damage! They can hit hard, lock down a target, and bleed/burn them out over a short or long period of time. (For example: Longbow/Axe+Shield build)

• Warriors have access to too much condition counters. Dogged March and Cleansing Ire are a baseline for nearly every Warrior build. What’s worse is that they’re both in the same trait line!

Jonathan and Karl, you hit the nail on the head with every other class, but you dropped the ball big time on Warriors.

Thank you for the idea to try an emote!

All too often when I’m using Staff 2 while Stunned or being stunned during the cast, I’m rooted to the world. I am unable to move or turn. Additional teleports do not remove the root; only death can restore proper movement.

Note that I do not have Immobilization at any time this has occurred.

Karolis.4261:

Trait should not punish player for playing aggressively.

It never ceases to amaze me how polarized players are. You must be one extreme or the other!

Do I even bother trying to define the difference between “aggressive” and “too aggressive”? Or should I simply allow you to wallow in your own misery while I continue to understand when its time to push and when its time to withdraw?

This “issue” has come up again and again over the past two years. If you’re still struggling with it, perhaps its time to find another class to enjoy. I hear Warrior is a nice Flavor of the Year.

Karolis.4261:

Now count times when it triggered middle CnD or bp+hs cast. In order to use it you must play passively and simply run when you are anywhere near 25% . You can easily get downed while running around like a goose praying for last refuge to pop instead of stealthing up yourself. With thief base HP It can pop even when you are casting CnD while you are at 50% hp for example or even more and get some splash damage. Yes there are times when it saves you when you are already disenaging before you come even close to 25%, but doesn’t change a fact that it does not cooperate with revealed mechanics and removes player choice from the play. Most of SA thieves would take empty spot instead of last refuge anytime.

In WvW (where I run Shadow Arts) when my health gets anywhere near 40%, I begin falling back. I can only count the number of times Last Refuge has triggered when I was revealed on one hand, and those times were because I was playing aggressively and typically got downed.

40% of 17,000 (my average HP in WvW) is 6,800. I typically Backstab for 8,000-9,000, so I know that at 40% I need to get out and heal up. Because of this playstyle, Last Refuge is not a concern for me until I’m in dire straights.

Sure, it’d be real nice if it ignored the Reveal debuff, but I can’t help but think of that as being exploited in some way. It still causes an AoE Blind, and that’s still good if I’m revealed and trying to get away. In your case (it going off while attempting to CnD), then that’s once again me playing too aggressive. I should have gotten out long before then, so its my fault, not the trait’s.

At first I was all: O.o

And then I was all: Oh, wow! That’s incredible!

Here we go again…

Last Refuge has saved my life more times than I can count. When I’m out of cooldowns, out of endurance, low on Initiative, Last Refuge has trigged and helped me escape certain doom and come back for revenge/flee to safety!

As a matter of fact, I was grateful when Last Refuge trigged when two of my friends and I were 3 vs n+1 in EotM. The fight began with 3 v 3 and quickly escalated into us vs. a small zerg. After 15 minutes of fighting, downing players, re-downing players, stomping players, and avoiding the ever increasing odds, I was out of everything. It was Last Refuge that triggered and allowed me to escape unseen behind the Statuary. There I waited for my heal and utilities to be up and reengaged, fighting for another 10 minutes until the friendly zerg arrived.

I’ve played a Thief since launch, its my main. I’ve done every game mode and I love PvP. I consider myself a very good player, capable of 1vMany in WvW and a relentless, situationally-aware opponent in sPvP/tPvP. I simply DO NOT UNDERSTAND why everyone is kittens over Last Refuge!

This is one of my biggest concerns in Anet’s dungeon design. They can’t seem to keep the rules constant.

My issue with the TA Spider boss change is that almost every other spider in the game casts projectiles, save for a handful of exceptions that have melee attacks. When one is training their playerbase to learn simple mechanics, consistency is key. An observant player may realize that every spider’s attack can be reflected back on itself. That player then knows whenever they encounter a spider, they can reflect the damage…

…until you throw a curve ball with a boss spider. Suddenly, the projectile reflect rules don’t apply, and for no apparent reason or explanation! That’s where I have a problem, and there are several instances of the reflect rule being null for no reason. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. At least in PvP there’s no question about whether something will work or not. If its listed as a projectile in the tooltip, it can be reflected – even the Guardian’s staff 2 was fixed to be reflectable! So why is it that so many bosses break the rules of the game at the whim of Anet’s design team?

I think reflects are an amazing mechanic in the game! Defiance buffs and changing the rules on projectiles are not because they essentially limit how a player can play the game.

ronsalon.1967:

I am a Verizon user. I was having major issues. Somone posted this. I took a chance. I used this person’s suggestion. Fixed my issue instantly.

Kilam.4913:
I’m also on Verizon in the NYC area and am experiencing this issue.
Instead of setting up a VPN, try this workaround:
Edit C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts using notepad (run as administrator)
Add this line at the bottom:
174.35.56.164 assetcdn.101.arenanetworks.com

This worked for me and a friend as well (I’m on Verizon, he is not). Thanks for the tip!

I have played WvW and PvE so long that having a 4 second reveal throws me off so bad! I can hardly play a stealth build because my mind is wired for 3 seconds from the rest of the game.

They once had 4 second reveal occur throughout the game, and it was changed because it was detrimental to the Thief’s dagger auto attack rotation. I always assumed it wasn’t changed for sPvP to be “fair,” but now I find it to be a load of crock.

I support unicorngirl.1487’s sentiment that the current mentality for EotM is ridiculous! I intend to form a guild specifically with the intent to defend points, Spectral Wall zerglings into the void, destroy bridges, and cause general mayhem and destruction for any zergling attempting to get a free ride to loot!

Viva la PvP!

Anomaly.7612:

deepwinter.9015:

If by “balanced” one means “Effective Power/Effective Health,” that’s a completely different beast.

Are you talking about 0/6/5/3/0 might stacking? It’s an alright build, but again, I feel the damage isn’t there, and the survivability is alright with P/D. I have a hard time keeping people in my BP AoE, though, so I end up using it a lot of the time for HS stealthing. I’d love some advice on how to maximize the benefits of BP and how to keep people in it for longer.

One should not expect players to stay in their Blackpowder field. A D/P thief uses it for stealthing and situationally for stomps or going toe-to-toe with a less than average melee opponent. This isn’t PvE.

I personally don’t use D/P because I don’t like the playstyle; furthermore, I don’t use the popular new Might Stacking build because I haven’t seen enough math on it. Builds are still in a lot of flux right now. Its a trial and error period as folks figure out what works and what doesn’t. Personally, I’m sticking with my D/D 0/6/6/2/0 build using a mix of Valk/Cav/Zerk gear and Traveler’s runes.

Fafnir.5124:

Cap might also be there to prevent lag so there is that.

This is mostly true. With the way the game is designed and multiple variables updated at near real-time, the AoE cap is there to put less stress on the client and server.

For example, if your Elementalist is channeling a Meteor Shower on a group of enemy players, and they gain Might from a nearby ally, that damage is near-instantly modified with the newly gained Power from Might. In one instance, that’s not bad; multiply that and it becomes a strain on bandwidth and processing power.

Most games only calculate the damage modifier at the start of the cast, but Guild Wars 2 calculates it in near real-time. In that light, the AoE cap makes sense. Unfortunately, from a meta gameplay standpoint, it favors large groups and hinders smaller ones. The only way this could be changed is if the code is streamlined and improved, which is far more difficult than the average gamer understands.

Tom Gore.4035:

Well to be honest in most cases any defeated players will be able to get back into the fight by WPing almost as fast as they are revived after the fight.

This is absolutely untrue! Watch this video (Warning: STRONG LANGUAGE) and tell me if you can run back in the same amount of time it takes for a zerg to revive you from defeated state.

In this video, it takes the enemy team 3-5 seconds to revive a defeated player (we’re not discussing downed players; that’s not the issue). Note that the Green team was fighting on Red’s side of Stonemist Castle. If you can run back from the closest waypoint, let’s assume Green’s Keep as Stonemist is likely contested from the fighting, in under 5 seconds with swiftness I’m reporting you for speed hacking.

Hybrid builds are not on par with focused builds? Dear sir, thou doth jest!

Actually I’m confused by the context we’re discussing here. Are we talking about Structured PvP or World vs World?

If structured, then yes, with the simplification of amulets, hybrids got nerfed – though it could be argued that the meager stats gained from the jewel was laughable.

If WvW, then I assume roaming, in which case if one is a hybrid build, then they’re a Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

If by “balanced” one means “Effective Power/Effective Health,” that’s a completely different beast. Numbers have been adjusted after the Feature Patch. For Thieves, Valkyrie has replaced the Soldiers/Berserker armor and the Valkyrie/Berserker trinkets have been replaced with Cavalier/Berserker. With this particular change, Executioner is replaced with Hidden Strikes due to the lower crit chance. This build is still being testing.

Definitely not suitable for (serious) dungeon runs. If you’re doing it in a PUG, you’re doing a disservice to the group. With friends and guildies, by all means, if they allow you. Its fun to go ham with double pistols, but its certainly not effective. Don’t be “that guy.”

Counter argument: Remove hard-revives from WvW.

Being downed is a central mechanic to Guild Wars 2 due to the lack of resurrection abilities and dedicated healers. To remove this is to remove a core function of the game. However (and this has been argued for a very long time here on the forums), the revival from defeated state would discourage zerging and promote more tactical play.

If players were not allowed to revive their dead teammates, a zerg would be forced to take less risks and not plow headlong into another zerg or arrow cart storm. They could no longer stop to instantly revive their defeated team mates and continue plowing along. Casualties would be a real thing, giving smaller, more coordinated groups, an advantage over sheer numbers.

As someone who was greatly looking forward to EotM as “the roamer’s paradise,” I was greatly disappointed. As others here have pointed out, it turned into a karma-champ train akin to the old days of Orr or the current Frostgorge.

For a roamer or small group, its extremely difficult to achieve any meaningful impact on the map. With fully upgraded doors and tower champs with dungeon-like abilities, these small groups cannot reliably take objectives as easily as the zerg can – who just burn down champs in a matter of seconds.

EotM included new ways to kill your opponents, such as throwing them off the edge or collapsing the bridges under their feet. Unfortunately, breaking bridges is frowned upon by your own team because it “slows down the karma farm.”

Ultimately, EotM failed to deliver as an engaging map for folks looking for a fast-paced WvW experience while waiting for queues or otherwise. Unless you’re a roamer who enjoys killing veteran points or a zergling bursting down champions in a rotation, EotM will not satisfy.

I love my shortbow! Shortbow is awesome! Best utility weapon in the game.

But that’s the thing, its a utility weapon. If you’re trying to use it as a primary weapon, you’re going to have a bad time.

Name aside, loved the gameplay.

I’d like to chime in as a Thief player and say that most of us are pretty scared of Engineers, particularly Perplexity Runed ones. My thief partner is always terrified whenever we I.D. a Perplexity Engi; the condi bombs they can drop can down almost any thief. To counter, I rely on my trusty shortbow and poison fields/cluster bombs to mitigate the Engi’s bombs and conditions.

Condi engies are the more difficult to counter as a thief because they can run Dire stats and not think twice about it. The issues with this stat combination has on the Meta aside, its a very tanky and very hard hitting set. If you enjoy bombs, a pistol, and a shield, this build may be best for you.

Rifle engineers I find few and far between. Those my partner and I do encounter are typically push-overs and lack the damage mitigation a P/Sh Condi Engi does. Its difficult to play but not impossible, especially with a Flamethrower, Knights/Cavalier, and Juggernaut trait.

Thanks for posting this here on the forums, too! Nice summary of the points made.

Bigtony.5089:

@AngelMcCoy
@washednblood @MalchiorDeven They mention the dragon’s roar and about Scarlet trying to arouse a dragon (not awaken one).

Kasmeer: Don’t hold anything back. We’re all ears. You know Scarlet better than any of us. After all, you killed her. So, what’s Taimi talking about?

You: I think all of Tyria heard that dragon’s cry.

Kasmeer: Is that what you think it was? A dragon? Oh, it would make so much sense to think that Scarlet was messing with the dragons.

You: I believe that was her plan all along. Her drill caused one of them to stir.

Kasmeer: Yes, we heard it too. Which one do you think it was? Primordus? Kralkatorrik? Jormag? Do you think one is sleeping beneath Lion’s Arch?

You: No. I think Scarlet disturbed the ley lines, knowing they feed the dragons.

Kasmeer: I don’t understand.

You: The dragons consume magic. The ley lines are currents in an ocean of magic.

Kasmeer: And Scarlet threw a giant rock in that pool, sending ripples out to the dragon. It makes sense. You’re brilliant.

Source.

Sounds an awful like we knew it was a dragon waking up…

BobbyStein.2315:

What are your top three requests?

1. Bring back Jennifer Hale to voice my female sylvari (and all other player character voice actors, if you can spare them)! This coencides with the point made in the OP of having the player character take centerstage. The mute protagonist isn’t as much fun as other games make it out to be.

2. Get to the point of the plot quickly. Don’t play “wait and see” for over 10 months. Give us a clear understanding of what the Season is going to be about from the get-go.

3. Any story given on the website or social media should be told in-game first/simultaneously. For example, Ceara should have been in the game prior to Flame and Frost at Hoelbrak, the Black Citadel, and finally Rata Sum to coincide with the What Scarlet Saw webstory. Finally, she appears as Scarlet Briar and the players go “Wait, she looks like that one NPC!” Shock and awe and boom, dramatic story telling through an MMO medium. Remember that your playerbase is very observant to changes not listed in patch notes. They found Kasmeer and Majory in Kessex Hills long before the Tower of Nightmare patch was even announced.

Can anyone confirm if ArenaNet will be removing Transmutation Crystals/Stones from the game after April 15th?

I.E. will they no longer be rewards for map completion and dailies/monthlies?

Thanks!

You’ll only be able to kill Lupi in 1:38 instead of 1:30. I’m so sorry for you.

Interceptor.2653:

If you’re a Thief who likes large-scale combat in WvW, this sounds like a pretty decent pick, because you have tons of targets to crit on, and long-term sustain is a real issue in these battles.

So for zerg fights. I guess that’s no so bad for that situation. I still wouldn’t use it in a roaming spec, however; but for a 30 v 30+ encounter I can see this being useful.

Would have prefer this trait in another line instead of Critical Strikes. It doesn’t hold a candle to Executioner or even Hidden Killer – not even for “glass builds.” It feels very much like it was intended for casuals and not as a meta-changer.

Would’ve preferred this ending.

4/10

The story was lackluster and failed to deliver a stirring narrative. The content moved at glacial speed despite being released every two weeks. Gamebreaking bugs plagued the entire year and a half right up to the end with Six Minutes to Midnight. The rewards made grand promises but ultimately rewarded the lucky few. There were very few patches which introduced permanent content, which ultimately devastates the longevity of the game.

In the end, The Living Story: Season One failed to live up to expectations and the hype and didn’t provide enough content for players to keep playing Guild Wars 2 for the long term.

VincentDW.9376:

Sigh. I wanted to believe all the times we were told, “just wait until the end to judge, it will get better, we promise!” Well, now it is the end, and now I am judging. Please find a different writer for season 2.

Amen to this. I was in the same “wait till the end to judge” boat as you and I came to the same critique: the writing for this season was bad! Two out of five stars at most.

Living Story: Season One feels like one of those movies where you wish you had two hours of your life back, only its a year and a half you wish you got back. The pace was extremely slow, the plot was convoluted, the characters were passable at best, the delivery and introductions were tragic, and the finale left me feeling apathetic.