Guild Wars 2

The living world that requires the players to check the forum outside the game and obliges the players to finish repetitive grinding tasks within a short period of time is really an epic suck. The ridiculous 5-year-old little games with low quality cartoon items further made me sick.

These things are totally contrary to the reasons for which I “invested my time” in this game: the flexibility from soloing to grouping anytime anywhere and the dynamic personal story development. I can’t find the current updated contents relaxing or challenging.

I really cannot understand how a good development team got so distracted into these side stories which do not contribute to personal character development or to the main world.

Now I am into the Elder Scrolls V Skyrim, The Witchers 3 Wild Hunt, and Thief Uprising, I think they will be much more entertaining. Honestly, many good stories may occur in Tyria. There can be a master thief story line, there can be a witch’s story line, there can be an ancient magician’s story line that can stay in Tyria for always or recur every week but I just don’t get the concept of these living worlds and childish little games.

I didn’t play for probably more than 6 months. Well I like my tree man in Tyria. If there are good stories written for him, I am sure he will be back to Tyria.

These mini games and short term events for the past half year have turned me completely away from this game. Reading only the news on this forum has spoiled my appetite.

I would prefer to “pay” for a new expansion or the second long personal story rather than waste my time with these dazzling cheesy nonsense.

I really like the gaming concept brought up by anet and I enjoyed playing this game a lot, but what the OP said, I can’t disagree at all.

There is no branching in effect, no choices are to be made to determine your character.

Everyone is the same. Another race, another profession, another choice, no, none of them will change a thing.

/signed.

Duel, 2on2, 1vs3, doesn’t matter.

In the streets, on the bed, or in PvP Arena, doesn’t matter either.

As long as we can choose our rivals.

This also allows players to experiment a lot of things and enhances greatly the fun~

This also leads to a “healthier” social life in game :P

New classes only if they are essential. New races are more plausible since they will definitely bring in new maps and new stories. I like the settings of polar bears for example. They reminded me of Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials. A pity they all look the same.

Perhaps a polar bear born with bony plates or spikes or bumps… but not tattoo or artificial decorations, better not lizardman. No frogman either. They look neither intellectual, nor magical, nor full of strength.

gears have been made very irrelevant to whether you can enjoy the most part of the game content in this game, i believe.

I understand many people may just try to hit lvl 80 asap if there exists such a leveling mechanism. But to me, I did take time progressing very slowly at my own pace because I wanted to appreciate the game content step by step. I knew I would not play a second char and repeat the same game content ever again. At least I don’t find leveling at any rate decreased the fun of the game for me.

I believe if I am lvl 50 or lvl 55, I will not survive against lvl 60 mobs without at least some blue gears.

But with lvl 80, even downscaled to lvl 60, I still can beat lvl 60 mobs without any gear.

OK. I removed all my gears from my level 80 toon. I went to the area where my effective levels are between lvl 59 and lvl 61. I still kill the mobs without any noticeable hindrance.

Oh, I forgot some skills are not even scaling with gears… Even a great part of damages scale with levels….

I am not sure about the scenario presumed by the OP.

Perhaps just let my lvl 80 toon go naked, play in a lvl 1-15 area, and get back to you. My bet is there won’t be any issue.

I’d like to yarr too!!

Perhaps when a turret is overcharged, it shall automatically target your target?

DeadlyNerd,

You made a few nice points. My response in bold as below.

DeadlyNerd.5814:

Someone mentioned the turrets being more like TF2, funny enough I’m playing an engi just the way it is in TF2.

The only thing turrets are currently missing, according to my experience anyway, are :

1. Reduced(more like halved) cooldowns

Agreed. When a turret is picked up, the cool down shall be the time it recovers to full HP. Say originally it needs 20 seconds. The cool down should be at least halved, ie, 10 secs, when picked up with almost full HP.

2. Better looks.

I desire that too.

5. Turrets to target my target.

LOL. Turrets always try to give you more excitements and aim at leveling you up faster :P Seriously, I think this might be a good idea…. hmm, but what about the turrets under attack?

Sundial.9015:

I can almost outrun my grenades when running forward.

Isn’t it a great advantage to us?

To me, it provides with the chances of two three folded attacks.

Anymras.5729:

Other’n that (as I have this compulsion to sign on, have a kitten about Deployable Turrets being broken, and post things of very slightly debatable value every time turrets are mentioned): There’s a lot of potential in the Engineer class. I often hear it described as having a high skill-ceiling, though I’m a little fuzzy on what it means – something something more room for advancement if player possesses skills to pay bills. There’s a lot of ways to generate and take advantage of combo fields (there’s at least two combo fields available to exclusive turret builds, which can potentially be activated repeatedly in a short time (Healing Turret + Thumper Turret: Cleansing Burst -> Thump [Area Healing Finisher] -> Detonate Thumper [Area Healing Finisher] -> Detonate Healing Turret [Area Healing Finisher], if you have some kind of freaky supertiming and the finger speed of a mad pianist, could in theory work, though it probably doesn’t actually let you activate the field that many times in such quick succession; a similar situation exists for Flame Turrets (except with Stealth Fields), and both could be used for longer chains by detonating more turrets in the combo area.)), more than there seems to be for any other class, as far as I know. Would really be nice if they’d just explain them better, or maybe give a more educational tutorial on them, but whatever. Find a place to try ’em out and mess around until you find ones you like.

Anymras,

Do you use 5 turret skills? Do you mind giving me an example as how you run your turret combo build? I am very interested to learn.
Thank you.

Haltus Kain.4578:

I’m a grenade engi myself… Haven’t dabbled much into combo field experimentation – could you post a build focused on combos? I’d love to give it try, but probably wouldn’t come up with noteworthy if left to my own devices xD

I used Light field, Fire field, Smoke field with Projectile and Blast finishers the most.

You can get the fields from Bombs and Elixir Guns.

This can produce AoE might, Burning, Stealth, Blindness, Condition Removal, etc.

There is one sequence of combo effects I like to use, which gives me Might followed by additional burning and two other CC effects.

You can get 100% finishers from several other skills, which may depend upon your own preferred play style.

About grenades and bombs, they are useful, and can be used in different ways.

Grenades can be used as a “bait” to trap in your foes or to distract your foes; it can earn you time to approach to your foes safely or escape. Grenades are not your only weapon. That is the advantage of Engineers and Engineers only.

Bombs as well, if we combine the use of it with other kits. Your foes can only decide which kind of damage he is willing to take, because we are just able to deal out two or three-folded attacks at the same time. Not only can we snare, immobilize, chill, daze, etc but some of the foes also have to get close to us in order to pour their burst upon us.

Besides, for example, the Smoke bombs do not only affect the enemies within its radius but also affect the attacks that go through it.

I just wanted to say at least for me the current kit design is great and useful.

Following the previous post, I would say we have already range 1500, even to 17xx if considered the radius and mortar etc.

It has a low hit rate at such distance, which is reasonable. It’s not heat-seeking or computer aided missiles.

We can of course ask for such a long range weapon, but perhaps there needs to be a sacrifice we are willing to give. For example, such “missile” can reach only 900-1700. It cannot hit closer foes, and if it does get stuck in less than 600, the explosion will hurt ourselves. This is fairer.

Besides, I think range 1500 is probably practically not helpful. What are the skills and techniques can we use to keep such distance?

With a dodge and another second of running, your foes will gain full HP in one second. I guess we will be very likely to waste our time if we want to stay 1500 or farther away from our foes.

Engineers Current Design is GREAT

There are many great ideas proposed here, and it would be great to see our profession is getting more and more “interesting” and fun to play. I DO NOT want it to become STRONGER actually.

There would be a dynamic balance anyway and all professions and mobs shall be adjusted to the same level of strength. So, by proposing new ideas or new elements into this profession, I have by no means any intention to make us STRONGER than the other professions.

What the CHARM in this profession is it reflects more “reality” than other classes. The visual effects are much simpler (less distracting and fatigue-bombarding), but the reality brought in a lot of complexity, which made most kits a situational tool, not all-around tool. While we can use them in the right situation properly, we are actually stronger than we thought. While we persist in using one weapon or one kit, we really become handicapped.

…

Kits Underwater

I feel why on land engineers are so much fun switching between a variety of combos, and allow me to find so many different techniques or skill sequences to play with the mice… but underwater is… a bit monotone…. I don’t really need to or actually am quite unable to produce any interesting combos.

I am sorry I can’t bring up any constructive and concrete idea here. This just need a basic concept redesign perhaps.

It seems to me quite a few kits won’t work well underwater. Kits Refinement (or perhaps some other traits too?) doesn’t seem to work underwater? AoE effects are practically unable to apply, etc…

Gilgamesh.2561:

*

• More sigil choice. We can’t use most sigils because we lack weapon swap. Make it work with kits.

I think one way or another we deserve a better kits mechanism in place of weapon’s.

The best I like are the traits such as Speedy Kits and Kits Refinement etc. I think they are more valuable than weapon’s bonus, but however, that’s not enough to justify the loss of weapon’s stats, sigils and swapping, because we have to use two or three traits to compensate such loss.

I definitely will support the idea to further “refine” the kits, like tier 2 kits, tier 3 kits, or tier 2 refinement, etc.

Re: Sniper

There are actually already such weapons in game. For example, there are a few snipers on a tower in a lvl 50-60 map in the northeast. It does target at people, not ground. The bullet travels with a long duration. It misses very often even the victims do not have a clue that they were aimed at.

Even if it hit and took away more than 50% of HP in one shot, at the distance of 2000, the mob recovered to his full health before the cool down finished. So I wondered what is the use of it?

In reality, the sniper shooter mostly got the chance of one shot. If he fails, he exposes his location. He will get back fired without the mobility to escape. So I think it is fair there would be a price to pay for such a strong weapon, and it would be even more situational than grenades.

Even so, if we form our own nice portfolio of all these kinds of situational kits, we engineers will still be (actually I feel already are) powerful (situationally).

Re: Grenades

I think the current behaviour is really close to reality.
Disadvantages have been elaborated a lot, while with the current ground targeting feature, sometimes I can actually hit the rivals before they can hit me, not because of the distance, but thanks to the obstacles in between.

For example, once I found an angle at which the grenades could pass through a gap between two staircases and hit the mobs badly before he could reach me, once I threw them at the mobs high above on the tower whereas my pistols were blocked by the wall of the tower, etc etc… This might be just very situational but such parabolic flight is irreplaceable by direct lines.

As there will be inevitably a longer duration for such parabolic flight, the grenades will never hit anything if it is people targeting. The foes will just move away in any random direction easily without need to dodge at all. However, while the grenades flying in the air without being tied to the location of the foes, it is more difficult to predict where it will fall. Plus it actually has a radius of explosion. I feel people targeting will make the hit rate even worse, unless we are talking about heat-seeking missiles.

In a sense if the grenades would be thrown automatically in different manners to arrive at the targeted location, if there is an AI to help avoid throwing grenades directly into obstacles, the issues could be greatly improved.

For example, the grenades are rolled over the ground and bounce towards the location. Perhaps other throwing routes would be automatically chosen by such AI to allow grenades to arrive successfully at the targeted ground under many more different situations, rather than got stuck and exploded. For example, in a cramped room, or in a case where we want the grenades to roll into a hole or any other sort of cavity.

Anyway, I think even in reality, the grenades won’t explode upon hitting a wall in the middle, it shall still bounce back to the ground and explode with a delay.

But actually the chance is like 40% (crit rate) * 60%. = 24% for one Sigil. In the case there is a cool down that prevent the OH from proc’ing , so that the second proc is 40% *(1-60%) * 60% ~= 10%, you will have totally 34%, which means proc once every 3 hits. I think this proc rate shall work well with 2 second cd and make bleeding constantly on or even stacking if each bleed lasts like 5 seconds. From 24% to 34%, or from every 4 hits to every 3 hits, is a noticeable difference.

I am not sure.

If you use the same on-kill stacks main hand and off hand, you will gain 2 stacks in one kill. So I will presume MH and OH are calculated separately. Secondly MH doesn’t always proc with priority, not the opposite either. Following the same algorithm, I tend to think the first proc will not exclude the second. So I will bet on 30% + 30% rather than 30% + (1-30%)*30%.

I did use two different crits, one 30% and another 60%, both triggered very often, but I cannot make sure whether they proc on the same crit or not. (Because my Runes happened to have the same proc and my combo finisher produces another:P)

Sorry, Lyuben.

As you described, engie isn’t worth the time playing at all.

Well, I enjoy the game with all the weapons and kits you mentioned. I repetitively use the so-called redundant skills to keep the distance. Likewise, I repetitively use the so-called redundant skills to keep myself secure in melee without moving at all. I hope the status quo not to be changed.

As for me, the design of Engineers is rather great, and I can’t see the problems you saw. I believe you are more experienced than I am and I am sorry that I am unable to help you with your questions. I have squeezed out all that I knew.

Happy gaming,

In the beginning of the game, I pretty like to keep the distance. As for now, I enjoy melee a lot. I feel we do have the options.

Of course, if you have more creative ideas than the current kits, why not? There happens to be another thread discussing this.

If it is about design, I will presume it has nothing to do with necro and any other classes, and it won’t involve any comparison between classes. So let’s forget about other classes, in the case of design, a range from 120 to 1500+ is pretty wide. Isn’t it? I think it makes sense longer distance makes the hit rate lower or damage effectiveness lower, don’t you think so? An extra longer range comes at a price, very reasonable for me.

When I prefer to rezz my team mates or myself, I will tend to use Elixir R. When I prefer to deal more extra damage, I will tend to use Rocket Boots with a kick. I pretty like the fact that I have options.

I actually like the design of Engineers more than other classes.

I like the uniqueness and exception that only engineers have the privilege to. Don’t exchange our rare ability with other common abilities.

Lyuben.2613:

Having a 1500 range does not mean it works at that range.

Grenades and mortar are very slow in their targetting, so are only effective against completely static enemies at that range.

Even PvE bosses move sometimes.

<== Exactly, so that’s why gaming is fun.

Lyuben.2613:

Its not about being able to stay at 1200 range, its about being effective at that.

An engineer with a flamethrower is not rewarded for staying at a 1200 range because he can do kitten all at that range.

A staff necro can hit you with all his skills easily at that range.

In all cases, being able to be at a greater range, is better than being at a shorter range. Since being in melee range of anything, is pretty stupid unless your exclusive goal is to melee. Problem is, engineers don’t have such a long range tool. Neither do thieves I should add, but that’s really their problem.

So you are saying you can’t beat a necro as an engie?

Exactly, that’s why gaming is fun.

Siofra Crumble.2098:

….
Other then that, Engi is perfect the way it stands now in my opinion.
I really feel there is no need for more kits or changes to certain kits.
….
We already have so much diversity and cool tricks up our sleeve.
….

I kinda agree with you:)

But embarrassedly, I still desire some vanity.

nofo.8469:

Legendary Kits
In this case, I’d prefer an upgraded version of current kits. Each kit shall have a legendary version, in which some kit skills may use higher scaling coefficients; some may yield more stacks, some more hits, some longer duration, etc. Or perhaps there is an advanced refinement effect when swapping. This can be more efficient and direct than to adjust the stats.

Why not just have kits scale with weapon and have skins you can apply to your kits much in the same way you would a normal weapon?

As I explained I don’t think it makes sense if kits use or scale with weapon stats, but I am not against it. After all, it is easier to implement.

Besides, an addition effect is more sexier than pure stats. 3 stacks of confusion become 5 stacks. Or, an advanced Super Elixir when swapping to Elixir Gun. Or, 40% projectile finisher. This is more interesting (and I believe more powerful too.)

Lyuben.2613:

And saying that 450 is not melee is not a good point. I wasn’t saying that engineers are exclusively melee in operation, rather, short range. Which is around 600 and under. At that range, gap closers are extremely easy to hit.

I am interested to know what classes can always keep a distance larger than 600 and extremely difficult to get hit?

Please tell me and let’s suggest nerfing it.

Lyuben,

Playing game is more fun

The elixirs are different. Perhaps it would be fun if you try to figure out yourself in game.

As for 1500 range:
- mortar: 1640 ~ 1740
- turret, grenade, etc, up to about 1440 I think

I am not interested in comparing a submarine to a space shuttle. As you pointed out already there are so many other classes that perform so much better in longer range, why shall engineers do the same? Shouldn’t there be a few classes that do something different?

As for the elixirs, they have different uses. I simply don’t see any redundancies or inadequacies as you described. They are differently useful. Perhaps we just find the variety very useful, and we don’t see them all as only a stun breaker. You need nothing but a stun breaker, while we need all the rest. I am sorry that you cannot enjoy playing an engie.

Happy gaming,

Regarding the “melee” issues, when we can cover the distance from 120 to 1500 and are still considered melee, I believe it’s pretty fair most classes throughout this game are melee?

I tend to think at least engies are more a hybrid that can control the distance better than some other classes?

Some of us like to jump in for a few high dmg output and then either jump out or knock the mobs back; while some others will just keep a distance and use ranged weapons. 450 is already a distance, if a distance that can’t be reached by mob is called not melee, then it’s either an exploit or not fun. at least in my eyes.

I like we have many possibilities of skill combinations. We don’t need to use the same stun breakers. They can match other skills or other play styles better. I believe we need them all.

Lyuben.2613:

I just sometimes want the comfort, to get a nice long range weapon… and sit back and let some poor warrior do all the work.

Is that so much to ask for?

Please tell me which class can do that in gw2, in terms of solo? I am not trying to be ironic, I just really don’t know one.

Oh, I forgot that was the reason I don’t play other games.

I don’t go specifically with toughness, but I am kind of capable of standing still in the middle of 3 mobs without strafing around and just bombing them to death before I will ever die. I suppose a toughness build can do it better.

When there are other team members, it shall be easy for an engi to step aside and repeat the AoE conditions and combos too.

Why couldn’t a guardian and a warrior be equipped with bomb kit and elixir kit?

Why shall every class be given what the other classes have and as a result become all the same?

I don’t remember the effect, but if it is 30% on crit for example, you will get 60% for two sigils, i believe, suppose you don’t proc faster than the cool down, say 10 seconds.

So, it might still be better off with two different procs, which may give you two conditions every 10 seconds when you are lucky, and which require two condition removing skills to cure.

Vuh.

Can’t agree more with you.
It’s a pain in the neck. I always use bomb #1.

But I think it makes sense if Burning is applicable to objects in full effect. (And burning shall also be able to spread to objects in the neighborhood.)

I can agree that poison and bleeding etc shall not be applicable to “dead” objects though.

I think conditions do not have only condition damages in them. They are often accompanied by a direct damage and a malicious effect for a period of time. This does make a difference. For example, poison also decreases heal potency by 33%. Tranquilizer dart also gives weakness and combo finisher, in addition to direct damage and bleeding.

Compare the pure damage output doesn’t seem practical, since after all you are using each skill or skill set as a whole, not only the direct damage part or condition damage part.

Secondly I don’t know about how a super tank works in this scenario, but condition damage won’t be mitigated by armour class, protection, glancing, weakness, etc. Condition damage might turn out to be more effective in some situations?

I personally think a mixture of direct damage and condition damage is better, since some rivals might be good at removing conditions, others might be good at armour class, protection, weakening, healing, etc.

Anyone can help me to learn to use the following skills under water?

(1) Super Elixir from Elixir Gun

(2) Elixir R and other AoE beneficial effects

I can’t find a way to benefit from them at all.

Many thanks,

Skins for kits

As the majority of us use kits most of the time in place of regular weapons, I hope we can change the skins of our kits. One cultural set per race, one from dungeon, one from personal story, one from adventure/explorer’s achievements etc.

Re: kits scaling with weapon stats

Personally I feel it makes more sense not to scale with weapon stats since you “unwield” the weapon to hold the flamethrowers and other kits. This said, tool belt skills still scale with weapon stats if you use it when you wield your weapons.

The practical problem in my eyes is that, on the one hand, the current situation does discourage us from getting the legendary weapons, since mostly unwielded and not offering stats and sigils; on the other hand, everybody’s kits are all the same, in terms of cosmetics and in terms of stats.

Legendary Kits

In this case, I’d prefer an upgraded version of current kits. Each kit shall have a legendary version, in which some kit skills may use higher scaling coefficients; some may yield more stacks, some more hits, some longer duration, etc. Or perhaps there is an advanced refinement effect when swapping. This can be more efficient and direct than to adjust the stats.

And yes, it shall have a distinguished appearance.

Perhaps some other people just find the utility of bombs much more valuable than you think, and use bombs completely differently from the way you use them?

I like how a sylvari runs. The way the male tree scratches his “hair” is a bit discouraging though. Perhaps they are timid and shy and inward.

On the otherhand, although my charr is the most handsome among all races, I just couldn’t stand for how it moon jumps in slow motion, not to mention a few hours. It was a great pain to be honest.

I can’t agree more.

The thing is it might look like an overwhelmingly huge task to prepare the story lines five times as large. However, I think it is still possible to manipulate a little bit.

For examples:

phase 1 : race oriented:
5 completely different story lines per race

phase 2:
profession oriented: 7 different professions can be categorised into 3 groups, and hence only 3 story lines are needed

phase 3: race oriented:
it can be one story line (or two story lines interwound), in terms of instances, but however different “dialogues” are implemented into the “same” instances.

phase 4: order/pact oriented:

Just a rough idea in hope that there can be a compromise so that we won’t lost the ties to our own race/profession yet the complexity of the multiple story lines can still be handled by anet’s story writers.

After we have successfully integrated different orders into one pact in the first release of the game, for the future expansions, I hope we can go back to our roots and start our own journey with our own people.

And it allows you more time to trigger combo effects.

you can run away leaving bombs behind you.

you can also strafe in circle leaving bombs around the mobs.

isn’t the delay very helpful?

MRA.4758:

DevonCarlson.7036:

there is no way to re-play your opening cinematic

I’d like to encourage you to consider providing a “replay cinematic” option through the (say) hero panel. By this I mean any cinematic a character has “unlocked”, including the faction choice, dungeon story mode cinematics, and whatever else.

I know that there are more important issues at the moment, but the cinematic’s art style is so well done and GW2 lore is so much fun to watch, so please don’t hide them.

~MRA

I second this idea as well. All the cinematics including personal stories and vistas per say.

I can’t redo a Personal Story like creating a new char. It’s a shame to miss a few of them.

Particularly when the screenshot function is broken and I couldn’t take pictures in combat to memorize the glorious moment I killed some bosses, the cinematic became the last thing I can reserve…