Guild Wars 2

rapthorne.7345:

Ettanin.8271:

Still, dropping “Lv 80 only” is out of question because below level 80 it’s likely you are missing essential skills and/or traits for your planned playstyle.

Why is enabling people to play dungeons of their level range out of the question?

I should not have to be level 80 to run level 35/50 dungeons, plain and simple

Because Anet designed dungeons that’s clearly meant for level 80s. Even many first time level 80s have trouble clearing dungeon such as AC and CM. You are being carried if you are under leveled.

I don’t mind taking one under leveled player but more than that, it makes a significant difference.

ProtoGunner.4953:

It’s kinda ridiculous. WoW has a system since about 10 years that one is the leader of the group (marked with a crown). The leader can’t be kicked, if the leader leaves however, someone else receives the leadership. They should do somehting like this.

This is what we asked for minus the crown, but got the kitten up version that is here. DON’T ask Anet for anything.

No it is not true. I was just on a level five toon. There was a tutorial about dodging, maybe that is what unlocks it.

I don’t think anyone here is actually complaining about pressing the 1 button over and over. It’s rather the fact it takes no skill to do that. It delays the combat training. Despite the simplicity of the buttons itself, the combos, utilities of each button, Area of effect… It all takes time to learn.

It’s not an article but more like a blurb. And it’s commenting on the reaction of the community towards the features update. Not really the same thing as a bad review of the game it self but more of an observation by the writer/reporter.

Minami Kaori.2548:

Does the Perm hair kit still drop from the BL chest? How do we know when it’s possible for it to drop?

As someone who loves to change char hairs every 2-3 weeks, having something like that would help me so much :/ Currently I longingly look at my characters with different hairstyles only on the change screen, then have to cancel out

I think I spent the most on the hair style kits :/ I even put it on alts who I ended up deleting so gems down the flush. I didn’t even know about the total make up kits till recently O.O

Hi, I am in for one of the runs. Thanks!

Have a guard and a mesmer fully geared.

Congrats! Beautiful collection.

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

layzoe.6035:

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

layzoe.6035:

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

The changes aren’t designed for young or old players. As it has been said, all of them can get their hands on much more difficult games, as long as they are in NA/EU. I don’t think it’s an age issue, but more a cultural issue. This game is not anymore for NA/EU players, it’s for Asiatics players. I have nothing against asiatic people, I’m sure they are as smart and nice people as NA/EU, but it seems they have different culture of MMO, and this game is now tagerted to them.
Maybe they should have shut down NA/EU servers, and they will probably do so sooner or later. For now we are lucky, the game is still available in English and 5 different European languages, but if you plan to continue playing this game maybe you should consider learning Chineese or Korean.

Before you make very inaccurate and ludicrous statements which borders on racism.. you should read this, “Why Gamers in Asia are the World’s Best E Sport Athletes” Taken from the article: Hardcore games, ubiquitous tech, and Asia’s economic rise helped the PC trounce consoles to become the dominant pro gaming platform.

Racism ? really ? As I said I have nothing gainst asiatic people, and actually asiatic doesn’t mean anything, since they are a lot of different countries/cultures in Asia.
I know how good they are at e-sport, and as I said they are as smart as NA/EU people (and as nice too, maybe more). But it has been said officialy that most of theses changes are designed for China market.

I don’t think it’s racism to say that people around the world have different cultures. Some people likes to eat insects, some people prefers to eat cats or dogs, some people prefer to eat cow or chicken, and personnaly, last week i ate frogs. Who is wrong, who is right ? No one, we have all ours ways, and it’s fine. But if someone start to put insects in my daily salad, I will not like, but I can understand some people will. If I want to eat the same salad everyday, I will have to learn a different cultures, and be used to it. Or I could eat another salad, it’s up to me. But I don’t think there is anything racist in my salad…

The major complaint of the new leveling system is the dumbing down aspect of it. And you mentioned in your post that this was done for the Asian based players. It’s not hard to come to the conclusion given taking these two ideas. If I didn’t correctly understand your original post, then my apologies.

Well English is not my primary language so I should probably apologize to not being very intelligible due to my poor english skills.
I think what we may percieve as “dumbing down” could be perceived differently in a different culture. The question is will NA/EU players accept to change their culture to adapt to this new version of gw2 ?

Oh your English is fine.. it was my misunderstanding Seems to be a problem already. Maybe if it was introduced from the start, it wouldn’t have been but seems retroactive now.

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

It’s also because Anet only focuses on metrics instead of on the people who actually take the time to come here and give feedback.

I think that’s normal for most businesses. Most gaming forums are filled with complaints (not just GW2 forums) because the people who go usually have some sort of complaint.. and hence the reason why they are there. Also, most average gamers wouldn’t hang out a forum either. Forum posters are always the minority.

This is actually one of the more civilized community. Most posters seem very well educated and articulate.

So far I haven’t seen, “you noob, just uninstall” insults and such.

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

layzoe.6035:

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

The changes aren’t designed for young or old players. As it has been said, all of them can get their hands on much more difficult games, as long as they are in NA/EU. I don’t think it’s an age issue, but more a cultural issue. This game is not anymore for NA/EU players, it’s for Asiatics players. I have nothing against asiatic people, I’m sure they are as smart and nice people as NA/EU, but it seems they have different culture of MMO, and this game is now tagerted to them.
Maybe they should have shut down NA/EU servers, and they will probably do so sooner or later. For now we are lucky, the game is still available in English and 5 different European languages, but if you plan to continue playing this game maybe you should consider learning Chineese or Korean.

Before you make very inaccurate and ludicrous statements which borders on racism.. you should read this, “Why Gamers in Asia are the World’s Best E Sport Athletes” Taken from the article: Hardcore games, ubiquitous tech, and Asia’s economic rise helped the PC trounce consoles to become the dominant pro gaming platform.

Racism ? really ? As I said I have nothing gainst asiatic people, and actually asiatic doesn’t mean anything, since they are a lot of different countries/cultures in Asia.
I know how good they are at e-sport, and as I said they are as smart as NA/EU people (and as nice too, maybe more). But it has been said officialy that most of theses changes are designed for China market.

I don’t think it’s racism to say that people around the world have different cultures. Some people likes to eat insects, some people prefers to eat cats or dogs, some people prefer to eat cow or chicken, and personnaly, last week i ate frogs. Who is wrong, who is right ? No one, we have all ours ways, and it’s fine. But if someone start to put insects in my daily salad, I will not like, but I can understand some people will. If I want to eat the same salad everyday, I will have to learn a different cultures, and be used to it. Or I could eat another salad, it’s up to me. But I don’t think there is anything racist in my salad…

The major complaint of the new leveling system is the dumbing down aspect of it. And you mentioned in your post that this was done for the Asian based players. It’s not hard to come to the conclusion given taking these two ideas. If I didn’t correctly understand your original post, then my apologies.

Acinonyx Rex.8609:

The changes aren’t designed for young or old players. As it has been said, all of them can get their hands on much more difficult games, as long as they are in NA/EU. I don’t think it’s an age issue, but more a cultural issue. This game is not anymore for NA/EU players, it’s for Asiatics players. I have nothing against asiatic people, I’m sure they are as smart and nice people as NA/EU, but it seems they have different culture of MMO, and this game is now tagerted to them.
Maybe they should have shut down NA/EU servers, and they will probably do so sooner or later. For now we are lucky, the game is still available in English and 5 different European languages, but if you plan to continue playing this game maybe you should consider learning Chineese or Korean.

Before you make very inaccurate and ludicrous statements which borders on racism.. you should read this, “Why Gamers in Asia are the World’s Best E Sport Athletes” Taken from the article: Hardcore games, ubiquitous tech, and Asia’s economic rise helped the PC trounce consoles to become the dominant pro gaming platform.

I made the artificer one last night and upgraded it to elegant.. They are super cute. I did see an infusion slot, so maybe in the future.. we can upgrade them to ascended? The easiest way to obtain a backpack for sure and I love how you can pick the stats.

TheAgedGnome.7520:

layzoe.6035:

Solitaire.3680:

I would hazard to guess there are more new generation players that want things spoon fed rather then the old schoolers.. and I know plenty of over 40 players who have only gotten better at games and don’t mind the work to figure stuff out.

That’s not really true. The younger generation can pick up a game instantly and speed through impressively. I know because most of my gamer friends fit into that age range. It is the older player base that needs the spoon feeding and hand holding.

Most e-sport pros retire in their later 20’s because their reflexes and decision making ability diminish around that time. My six year old can pick up a game without any tutorial, gaming is definitely for the younger generation. I am just trying to live out my glory days still.

I believe gw2 is pandering to the older generation with the money? Because there is no hard mode in this game. Been a gamer all my life, grew up with four brothers. Played console and various mmo. Even playing moba which is the most competitive, the hardest part of this game for me is movement control and skipping Arah trash mob.

Bwaahaahaaa!!! We older folks past the half-century mark have been playing video games since Pong was first introduced. We’ve learned more and seen more change and adapted more longer than kids today have been alive.

These patch changes are a direct insult to our decades of experience as gamers. This patch doesn’t cater to old folks, that’s for kitten sure.

Well I am 36 so I can say that I am of the older generation of gamers. I guess that’s true that older players are more adaptable and patient. However, I still remember when RS came out with eoc, so many players were upset and could not adapt at all. This is prob one of the oldest mmo out there. To the point that that they made old school RS that has the graphics that was around 1997. Sort of like playing with Atari I guess.

It’s probably insult to all gamers, old and young, veterans and new players. Encouraging new players to spam 1 is not really beneficial to this community.

Solitaire.3680:

I would hazard to guess there are more new generation players that want things spoon fed rather then the old schoolers.. and I know plenty of over 40 players who have only gotten better at games and don’t mind the work to figure stuff out.

That’s not really true. The younger generation can pick up a game instantly and speed through impressively. I know because most of my gamer friends fit into that age range. It is the older player base that needs the spoon feeding and hand holding.

Most e-sport pros retire in their later 20’s because their reflexes and decision making ability diminish around that time. My six year old can pick up a game without any tutorial, gaming is definitely for the younger generation. I am just trying to live out my glory days still.

I believe gw2 is pandering to the older generation with the money? Because there is no hard mode in this game. Been a gamer all my life, grew up with four brothers. Played console and various mmo. Even playing moba which is the most competitive, the hardest part of this game for me is movement control and skipping Arah trash mob.

I think you will enjoy being 80 more. I did… I am more relaxed about leveling the other lower toons I have but yes I knew I wanted to enjoy all the things that I only could do at max level. Now just slowly gear up your first 80 and explore different ways of playing this game… But like others said, updates are few and in between so take it slow.

There’s dungeons, fractals, temple events, dry top which all requires you to be 80. WvW is not fun when you are under leveled. Tried it and got owned.

Dungeons and fractals technically you can do at lower level but joining a group will be difficult. I don’t feel I missed anything. Mapping is currently 82% which I took the time after I maxed. got the DM title and the ascended backpack. Tequati, Jormag, other boss events require high level toon.

I was lucky tho was in a small guild with awesome guild mates and my best friend came back to play with me.

Why it took me that long to get to 80, a week and my 2nd toon too. Isn’t this play how I want?

You have more options at 80, join a social guild.

But there are so many things that GW2 does right. The combat system is amazing. It’s like owning a Ferrari but playing in goat cart. The reason I come back despite the fact that no one plays with me anymore (they have already moved onto D3) is because I do think gw2 is special and has the potential to BE the mmo.

Yup… This. I support the games I play. I have spent a lot of money in gem store buying armor skins and hair style kits… Ect ect. Enough gems that I could have bought a legendary at its current price with cash. In return, the content we have been given is not better than some f2p updates. I am done supporting this game. If an expansion pack comes out; I may purchase it. But that’s it.

Me too, I will run fractals with anyone who needs it for the back piece.

Aerinndis.2730:

When I saw the requirements for a backpack, I took a deep breath and thought, maybe I may not do this one. But once I had made the first one and then the second, I decided, what the heck, this could be something interesting to at least try. It took some planning regarding the materials and some I had to refine which is also something I had never done before.

I had not tried fractals or dungeons up to this point and had no plans on even trying until Mawdrey. I read up on the fractals in the wiki and on other sites and tried to be careful about picking groups for fractals and looked for ones that said everyone welcome or for noobs etc. and I found good groups and some really great people. Once we did get the bugged Cliffside but everyone was a good sport on that run.

Ninetynine percent of this is simply putting the effort and thought into completing the tasks to get to the end goal. I did learned some things from the folk I did them with and that makes it a plus as well. I actually had a good time doing fractals, though I doubt it would be something that would be a regular event for me, who knows I could change my mind on that one, lol…

All in all I liked that there was a lot of variety and we had to do a thing or two outside the box to get this piece. I never expected easy. What I hated the most was the Foxfire gathering for me which was a pain. The upside to that, though, was going through areas collecting higher level mats which I will use for other things now. Also I am helping hubby where I can because not all his crafting levels are high enough to make the plant food or the pot.

It doesn’t look like Mawdrey is going away anytime soon so anyone should be able to craft this if they desire and take their time doing it. No one is making us do this nor did I feel it was unreasonable in any aspect. It was a bit frightening to start fractals especially when you hear the horror stories about some groups. But once I started I realized if you are right up front that you may be new or not done this one before etc. and if the group wants someone experienced, don’t take it personal, just say your byes and look for another group.

I wish this is the mentality that the players had. It is about trying new things. Five fractal runs is not a lot and there are lots of people who will help someone new if you are willing to put in the effort. Or Forrest Gumping through fractals with all newbies can be an experience. The back piece is optional. I decided not to bother with it as I am happy with the back pieces that I do have. There are things I don’t enjoy doing in game which I suffer through for the rewards or not persue it without an expectation of the reward being given to me.

nexxe.7081:

Malkavian.4516:

While your love for the game is admirable, it’s not like you HAVE to get it. Don’t want it? do something else.

It gets tiring seeing this argument thrown around. It fails on so many levels.

Yes, it’s optional, but it’s also an “end-game reward” that was released for the latest content, the Living Story. If they are going to release rewards that require grind and massive gold sinks, how is this different than WoW?

In WoW, raid gear is also optional, but if you don’t want to raid, then your choices of gameplay are severely limited to PvP, achievements, etc. Ironically, this was one of the reasons GW2 players hated WoW, and they are now telling others to do something else besides “raid” (end-game content).

At least in WoW though, they release content for all playstyles in huge updates, such as dungeons, pvp gear, battle pets, etc. This doesn’t happen in GW2, except for new achievements associated to the Living Story. The Living Story is limiting to one experience of the game. It’s not at all tied to WvW, or SPvP, or dungeons.

In GW2, the Living Story is their main form of content. If players don’t feel enticed to earn the rewards from it, then their options are limited to old content, with nothing new to do. There wasn’t anything added to SPvP or WvW, dungeons, etc., to their new content updates. To be fair though, their last update in Dry Top added new ambrite weapons along with kites and other rewards, but even these were locked behind a multi-step RNG process.

So yes, it’s optional, but at what cost? By dsienfranchising a segment of the playberbase from their major rewards?

Ok, I don’t play WOW but have tons of friends who did/do. Doesn’t these massive expansions come with a price? I just remember few friends buying them. I do agree; these living stories are so bland and haphazard. If I was a game developer; I wouldn’t call these their baby or project worth mentioning. It just feels all clunky and lackluster. I was so visibly moved by the Season 1’s ending and to return to this… I don’t even feel like it is the same game anymore.

Labjax.2465:

Well after reviewing the list of ascended backpieces on the wiki, now I get it. I guess ascended backpieces are mainly supposed to be a fractal-centered item.

Perhaps the issue here is not the ascended part itself, but the access to the skins. Tbh, I couldn’t care less about getting the minor stat increase if I’m not going to be doing fractals, but I love unlocking skins.

Here’s a suggestion: Give us a version of this backpiece (ascended level) that is skin only and can be obtained through various kinds of currency. Heck, make it another forge recipe if you want. And then be the coolest people ever and do this with a bunch of other fractal-component backpieces as well. #WardrobeForever :P

I am not sure if you are being serious or trolling.. so you want the reward without doing the actual work?

“Oh the content is too hard.. "

“Don’t worry we can buy it with gold!” current state of GW2.

gg

I am not advocating the veterans rewards. I am pointing out the rewards you gave as examples does not really fall under it since it is accessible to everyone. The discussion is how other games have used such rewards to lure veteran players back into the game.

Personally, I think the reward system is fine and happy with it. I mean the achievement chests and laurels and the rewards we are speaking of in this thread. The content and the reward scale however is sorely lacking but I guess that’s another discussion.

That is the conclusion that I am coming up with by reading this thread and some others here. I don’t think there is a hard end game content; not the type that would keep a player logging in daily for years and keep coming back for more. It seems majority of the players left want fluff and content with that; the wardrobe changes, the mini pet, the appearances and gem store items.

The reward system is broken as the hardest content reward which you can spend hours in the game is the same as you would get at a world boss; just add in a gold or two. I suppose that GW2’s lack of gear and vertical progression made the game reach its ceiling. After thinking it over, I realized that the game lacks depth. It is as someone as put it on another thread about a gem store which I think perfectly suits the description of this game, “cosmetic and playful”. And there is nothing wrong with that but the lack of challenges left in this game have made most of the hardcore player base leave; some only returning periodically for the updated content.

If the current living stories are any indication; they waited in vain.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

layzoe.6035:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

This game offers a lot to veterans in the form of daily/monthly rewards and achievement points. You’re given free permanent and temporary boosts, gold, and even gems. You get laurels which you can convert into gold or spend on cosmetics or toys.

GW2 might not have a perfect model. But it does (roughly) follow the model outlined in the OP, while holding true to the core philosophy of the game: cooperative, pay-once/play-forever, and a cash shop that offers only cosmetic/playful benefits or minor boosters.

But those same benefits are offered to new players so it’s not really the same as veterans only benefits I do agree that the best part of the gem store is that it only offers cosmetic or slight boosts in game.. but then you can also convert the gems into gold to purchase the BiS gear too.

Not to mention the actual new playable content is mediocre at best which can be completed within an hour or so. So no, it’s not really play forever.. not if you want a game with substance.

I don’t understand. Do you expect a game company to offer rewards to someone who paid once in 2012, but not offer them eventually to someone who started in 2014? Plus, strictly speaking, GW2’s rewards aren’t ever available to new players; gem rewards aren’t offered until 5,000 AP, a milestone that should be sufficient to call the player a veteran.

I’m also confused by your definition of pay-once/play-forever. The fact that you (and others) might not relish the game today doesn’t change the fact that you aren’t paying. And you still won’t pay if/when ANet does add the content or features that encourages you to return. You paid once; you can play until they shut down the servers without spending another dime.

No, I was differentiating the veterans only rewards which would only be available to older players. The rewards you speak of are available to all players old and new should the player reach that milestone. Laurels again is available to all, not just the veterans so it is not an incentive. For example, I have a friend who started in beta but my AP is higher than his because my game time is more than his, I started playing last October. He is the veteran due to his start date.

I am quite certain that any game paid or not would have substantial updated content. No gamer likes to rehash the same content over and over. Even f2p offers that so to say that b2p resolves the game any obligation of offering updated content is moot. And update was part of the deal of purchasing the game. The content they are offering one is worse than some f2p updates…. So I don’t feel the game makers are on par with the agreements made their player base.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

This game offers a lot to veterans in the form of daily/monthly rewards and achievement points. You’re given free permanent and temporary boosts, gold, and even gems. You get laurels which you can convert into gold or spend on cosmetics or toys.

GW2 might not have a perfect model. But it does (roughly) follow the model outlined in the OP, while holding true to the core philosophy of the game: cooperative, pay-once/play-forever, and a cash shop that offers only cosmetic/playful benefits or minor boosters.

But those same benefits are offered to new players so it’s not really the same as veterans only benefits I do agree that the best part of the gem store is that it only offers cosmetic or slight boosts in game.. but then you can also convert the gems into gold to purchase the BiS gear too.

Not to mention the actual new playable content is mediocre at best which can be completed within an hour or so. So no, it’s not really play forever.. not if you want a game with substance.

cosmetic/playful seems to define this game currently exception of fractals/dungeons.. which would be just as boring/repetitive to veterans who have been here since beta.

Kysin.6349:

Pretty much exactly what I do, sometimes I even listen to an audio-book. I find it relaxing honestly.

Surprisingly yes, once I figured out everything.. it was easy peasy and nice break from other tasks. Did you really get the perm hair changer? So jelly!

Mhm… Obal’s guide is the bestest. It taught me a lot about being a guardian. I also watched some DnT videos.. one by Nike are pretty good.. Obal’s too.

I am going to say also try the sceptor/focus and greatsword. That’s what I have been using lately.. sword/f is great too but for bosses with big boxes, sceptor works well and plus you can kite. If one thing to remember as a new guard, Wall of Reflection is your friend. You can’t go wrong with WoR. Stand Your Ground is a great stability, retreat.. purging flames.. those are the utilities I use the most. I would also trait your F2 to condi cleanse since a lot of the dungeons have condi effects.

You can also pull the mob to you by using your gs 5 and use that as crowd control.. then 2 and 4 on gs.. your health is very low and it’s pretty easy to get downed if you run the glass cannon build. Don’t get discouraged if you tend to fall a lot at first. And don’t get overwhelmed. Learning everything about a guard takes time. It’s a very valuable profession that can be rewarding.

Windsagio.1340:

Legendary’s being buyable is certainly a weird variation, but it’s not so bizarre at the current price point. To buy one you’re easily taking as much work as to farm out the parts, it’s just some of it might be RL work. Either way the barrier is still there (imo)

My take is that something that is supposedly the best item you can have in game should also have an intrinsic value in itself. For many gamers, the personal achievement comes with playing the most difficult content and mastering it. Having a reward for that achievement is part of it and the BiS should be a reflection of that. Since this is what we are discussing- the end game content, they way we envision it.

My hope is that if GW2 introduces new sets of legendary, that it’s not tradeable nor can a player purchase it. And the end game content does need a lot of rework, an expansion pack. So many of my friends left GW2, I am pretty much the only one left out of my group of gamer friends because I still have hope for this game. But it’s starting to fade slowly…

Also almost all the hardest bosses can be beat with an exotic weapon or even a rare.. which makes it pointless to go for a higher tier weapon except only for the skin itself. The Gigantic Lupicus which is probably the hardest boss you can beat in this game currently only requires the two weapons aforementioned. In other mmos, the weapon progression is used to beat the more elite level bosses which gave certain drops even if it was random.. still the coveted items could only be obtained by beating the certain bosses. This is how players obtained bragging rights because everyone who saw the certain weapon/cape/whatnot knew that the player achieved it with time and skill; not money.

It is also sad the BiS weapon is something anyone can buy.. I didn’t understand this concept when I first started playing GW2. I still don’t understand it and it’s even more apparent now. For anyone to have the ability to acquire a “legendary” the supposed BiS weapon without playing a single aspect of content cheapens it to me. As others said, there is absolutely nothing legendary about it.. just a pretty skin to admire.

Fractals drop them pretty frequently and it’s much better than killing the same mobs over and over. Temple events are good as others said. I also started with the clovers and those give t6 mat if the MF doesn’t give you a clover.. that’s another way to getting them.

Tried the karka and arctodus and I didn’t feel that it was a very efficient use of my time. The drop rate and the sheer boredom of it made me give it up rather quickly.

Windsagio.1340:

We’re all MMO players here after all, and that’s been the mode.

I don’t get that sense from reading some of the things on this thread. I am assuming that for some, this is their first mmo.

To say that this game is grindy is funny. The only time I ever felt it was a grind was running fractals over and over for the Prototype Fractal Capacitor.

F2 is also a good condi cleanser if traited. I usually pop that when there’s a lot of condi effects in the group. F3 is the one that I only use as last resort after everything else has been exhausted.

Ah well.. I needed one last ticket scrap to get a BL Chaos skin.. so I did the key farming yesterday for few hours and it’s actually not a bad way to pass time. I did get the last scrap and got the gs skin to put in the bank. It’s currently @ 100 g I think so I feel that it was worth while.

I sort of found it relaxing. Played some techno music while I was doing the runs. Wish I had known about this sooner since I am sure it will get nerfed in features patch.

I rarely see a good guardian.. sorry Last night, did few dungeon runs and I was a mesmer instead of my main guard. Arah had rotation of few guards as they came and left the instance. I am like.. WoR is your friend.. none on them popped it even once. Even after I said that with whirling wrath it can work as a condi cleanser which we need in Arah.

I never use strength in numbers tho; there are far more useful utilities like retreat, WoR and such. Spamming virtue is a guardian job tho, well the F1 at least

You can try running dungeons and throwing in the exotic weapons that you get with the tokens instead of spending the gold. Using the stone as the 4th slot seems to give a better chance, this is what I gather from browsing the forum. There are threads about it if you plan on using the MF.

Also try the dry top and get the clay pot recipe. If you have artifice 400 you can craft those and make a nice profit. Make sure to join lfg with tier 4 and above.. do the events around the area.. the ls will get you some more geodes. You can probably do this whenever you are online using the lfg. I would say to play the game again.. do map completion if you haven’t finished, the temple events, have fun and who knows, maybe the precurser will drop as luck. But save in the meantime.

The system they have in place at the moment is not reward veterans but punish them if they don’t log in for the living stories by making the players pay 200 diamonds for each missing episode. Not sure who came up with that system. But then most P2P mmos need the monthly subscription to keep it running which is why they offer incentive to players to return to collect such items, badges, and veteran rewards. GW2 needs the gem shop hence they seem more focused on players who play currently and purchase the gems.

The priority seems to be to those who play the game.. and obtaining new player base. League of Legends is the most generous to its players but it only works for them because of the massive amount of player base they have.. it is not a business model that any economist would suggest; however, I have been reading that despite decline of game sale itself (GW2)… the company did reasonably well through the gem store.

Harny.6012:

layzoe.6035:

It’s a bit disheartening to see so many people running around with a legendary without even the map completion star to their name

I stoped reading from this point.
Wardrobe.
My level 2 guardian immediately had sunrise, be cause I love that weapon.

This is exactly why the whole having a legendary as BiS is a joke. I stopped reading when I got to.. my level 2 guardian.

GW2 lacks true grinding.. grinding can involve years of repetitive action..

yes, there is farming which can be done in various ways.. but it’s not the same grinding that people here are referring to in regards to other mmos. The grind of GW2 here is laughable.. really. Try the other mmo of NCSoft, the Korean one.. then you will understand the term grind.

I agree the reward system is a little broken.. I never played WoW and I doubt I will ever play it so it’s not about that.. I just want a long term goal to work towards that someone else can’t get if the said person has enough money to obtain it. After all, the brag rights should come with being able to play to game or known as a “skilled player”. Meaning the player actually played the game itself and mastered the content.

There are so many things that GW2 does right.. the landscape is breathtaking.. there’s so many ways to enjoy the game.. pvp, gvg, pve but something is missing. I can’t exactly put my finger on it.

TA Aetherpath needs better rewards.. not a random sheer dumb luck of obtaining the skin.. a weapon set that can only be obtained by collecting certain amount of tokens that can be obtained by doing this path. Something like that.. sort of like the Chaotic weapon set from RS. Now that’s old school grind fest mmo.. but it still works.. people still play it after 13 years of existence.

Maybe the problem is the fact that there is no grinding factor other than for a legendary. In other mmos, you can spend years to grind for an exclusive item that is obtainable by playing the game. Even flipping was a method used to get this coveted item, not to purchase the item outright.. Here, unfortunately you can buy the most exclusive if you have enough money. It’s a bit disheartening to see so many people running around with a legendary without even the map completion star to their name. I think it detracts from the those hardcore gamers who grind.. even for years for the most exclusive items that game can offer. What’s the point when someone who played a game for a week can buy it with real life currency? My hope is that the next set of legendaries if they are in the works can not be tradeable nor can you purchase them.

Second, there isn’t a very hard core end game model that would keep someone’s attention here exclusively for a long time. The dungeons were abandoned by the developers with no extensive updates planned in the future.

That being said, I still love this game. But it’s not the only game I play. It doesn’t have enough content for me to log in every single day. I haven’t even reached a year yet and my total play time hour is just reaching 1000 on all characters.

The dusk is not 2000 g. It is more 1300-1400 gold. Also, the price it is listed at currently is not necessarily the price it sells for…

I don’t think the precurser prices will rise as dramatically as it has in the last few months. It was after the skin feature where it unlocked on all character that made it the price it is today. I remember thinking the price of precurser was outrageous at 800g; leave for few months to come back to the price it is now. Don’t give up hope. It may take you a year or more but really, after the legendary… What other long term goal is there to do?

Try flipping with the limited time you do have or craft some profitable items if your level is high enough in addition to farming. The laurels give you t6 mat which you can sell to get more gold. Even tho it is a time gated item, you can always get the ascended items later after you get your precurser. The good news is that there are other profitable ways to make gold now besides running dungeon. Try to be creative in finding it.

laharl.8435:

layzoe.6035:

hey guys! I am baaaack :P

Anyone wants to run COE with me? I have exp on path 1.. Path 2 and 3; I ran few times but a bit rusty. Looking for peeps to run with! I am zerked out, ect ect. Add me xD

Arah.. yus, ready to tackle this one again. I prefer voice on Arah just because it’s easier.. done all the paths once looong time ago with the bestest mentors but yeah I forgot the paths already. Sorry :/ I am already in the guild.. just reaching out <3

Hey layzoe, I’ve been playing (very) casually again lately. Maybe we can run Arah together and figure it out sometime.

Heeey Laharl! Good to see you back. Sure that sounds awesome. Pugged path 2 just for fun and it all came back. The Golem is still there. Haha… I will be on the lookout for you then.

hey guys! I am baaaack :P

Anyone wants to run COE with me? I have exp on path 1.. Path 2 and 3; I ran few times but a bit rusty. Looking for peeps to run with! I am zerked out, ect ect. Add me xD

Arah.. yus, ready to tackle this one again. I prefer voice on Arah just because it’s easier.. done all the paths once looong time ago with the bestest mentors but yeah I forgot the paths already. Sorry :/ I am already in the guild.. just reaching out <3

Honestly for the amount of money you are going to spend, I would personally go for the one you think looks the best. No reason to have a backpack you don’t like unless you intend on hiding it. Don’t forget that you can use the skins on multiple characters. I crafted the Light of Dwayna and it was worth every gold I dumped into it. I also have the ascended beta capitator which technically doesn’t cost anything but time. I would only suggest that route if you like fractals because it is a lot of grinding for it.

I did cooking on my human Mesmer to level her from level 4 to 14. I did use two crafting booster. I had some ingredients already in my inventory and that really helped. I will probably power level my other lower level toons unless the cooking prices go up. I do save my karma though; it is much easier to make back the gold more so than karma.

deSade.9437:

Sundar.1735:

Because in most cases, taking 5 warriors IS the most efficient way to play, especially in PUG’s. Maybe 4 warriors and 1 guard/mes/ele/thief, depending on the content you are doing. But damage wise nothing beats 5 wars.

Whaaat. Aha. Seems like pugs are still stuck with the “meta” of almost 1 year ago.
/laugh

Well, it does take time for information to trickle down unless you have the resource on hand to gain it I am pretty certain that most pugs don’t visit the dungeon forum. These specialized type of info such as meta are obtainable by doing research which most do not bother with unless it becomes common knowledge.