Guild Wars 2

After just advancing into the emerald division after 20-something long games of getting through Amber division, I lost a game because we had a teammate refuse to play. He stayed at home and did nothing. He did not d/c or leave, but he sometimes left home and died while autoattacking the enemy player taking the point. I wouldn’t be too annoyed at this loss if I didn’t lose a pip.

The game is rewarding players who deliberately toss games by making future games easier. When a player comes in with the intent to lose what are the rest of us supposed to do. His loss becomes all of our losses.

Behellagh.1468:

Sounds more like an issue with Comcast in CT or maybe the L3 gateway in Boston. I’m on DSL in CT with Frontier (don’t judge) and it seems fine. As my PingPlotter shows I’m hopping through Virginia, DC and then onto the L3 backbone.

It is not Comcast. A Comcast VPN from Hartford is routed to NYC without going to Boston. Going from NYC to Arenanet is no problem using Comcast.

Bypassing Boston solves the problem, which is clearly with Level 3, and not Comcast.

If you need additional explanation about how this works, let me know.

To Arenanet, someone get to Level 3, and have them fix the issues which seem related to Boston.

Ytlayol.5864:

Just to chime in here, I am from CT and getting level 3 packet loss. Kinda glad that the ping issues I am experiencing isn’t from my end, kinda of a hassle to learn how to fix this stuff myself lol.

If you can VPN to NYC, and bypass whatever mess Boston is going through, it is possible to access Arenanet.

I have done this. Forcing the route to NYC bypasses whatever is wrong.

Behellagh.1468:

pandaexpress.1458:

There is a downdetector site, for Level 3 the webpage is here – https://downdetector.com/status/level3 currently it reports problems in Connecticut and Texas. Assuming Arenanet is in Texas, it could be experiencing problems.

Arenanet are you in or near San Antonio? A second map is here – https://downdetector.com/status/level3/map it appears today (8/17/2015) Level 3 is having some network issues.

So does Guild Wars 2.

https://downdetector.com/status/guild-wars-2

I’m uncertain why you are introducing this into the thread?

Our problem isn’t with Arenanet, but with Level 3.

The downdetector won’t be meaningful for Guildwars 2 servers, when Level 3 is the problem.

There is a downdetector site, for Level 3 the webpage is here – https://downdetector.com/status/level3 currently it reports problems in Connecticut and Texas. Assuming Arenanet is in Texas, it could be experiencing problems.

Arenanet are you in or near San Antonio? A second map is here – https://downdetector.com/status/level3/map it appears today (8/17/2015) Level 3 is having some network issues.

Behellagh.1468:

Since you seem knowledgeable about this I have to point out that routers can be configured to not reply to a ping so you are guaranteed 100% packet loss between the hops from when the packets get on and off of Level 3’s backbone.

Target Name: 64.25.33-80.ncsoft.com
IP: 64.25.33.80
Date/Time: 8/17/2015 7:32:37 PM to 8/17/2015 7:36:52 PM

Hop Sent Err PL% Min Max Avg Host Name / [IP]

4 18 0 0.0 20 51 25 [32.223.104.185]
5 18 0 0.0 19 65 25 ae4—-0.car02.wlfr.ct.frontiernet.net [74.40.71.101]
6 18 0 0.0 30 187 44 ae11—-0.cor01.asbn.va.frontiernet.net [74.40.5.217]
7 18 0 0.0 30 157 42 ae0—-0.cbr01.asbn.va.frontiernet.net [74.40.2.174]
8 18 0 0.0 30 132 39 ae75.edge3.Washington4.Level3.net [4.53.116.45]
9 18 18 100.0 0 0 0 [-]
10 18 18 100.0 0 0 0 [-]
11 18 0 0.0 63 126 79 [4.59.197.34]
12 18 0 0.0 63 98 70 64.25.32-9.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.9]
13 18 0 0.0 63 165 77 64.25.32-26.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.26]
14 18 0 0.0 66 228 92 64.25.32-82.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.82]
15 18 0 0.0 63 204 73 64.25.33-80.ncsoft.com [64.25.33.80]

I don’t see an issue here.

If your connection isn’t dropping, that is good. From Boston, there is no working connection to Arenanet via Level 3. Comcast routes to Level 3 at Boston, once the interchange node accepts the traffic, it’s liable for delivery.

Level 3 isn’t delivering in my case, and it seems to be affecting many users. If it isn’t affecting you, that’s great. It may mean a problem with their Boston node, or with the fiber cables used to connect Boston to Arenanet.

It’s beyond the scope of Comcast or Arenanet to resolve, Level 3 is responsible for delivery of the traffic it accepts.

Yes, but my router can ping via tcp or udp and I can select a non-ping port. I was able to test connectivity with udp port 80 and get traffic results. If you are using Windows or Linux there are options to specify a different port and to use tcp or udp via the command line. I do not know the command or syntax for the Apple OS. However if you are having similar issues, then it may be worth noting you are also connecting to Level 3. They own all the address space that starts with 4 (they own what is called a class A address space).

If it starts with 4, it’s an IP address owned by Level 3.

My router doesn’t permit me to easily copy and paste results. However it provides a lot more information than the tracert command. The failing nodes are at Level 3, not at my ISP (Comcast) or Arenanet.

Level 3 owns the class A address space that starts with IP address 4. If you see 4.xx.xx.xx it’s Level 3. They own all IP addresses that start with 4. If you run a trace route via your router or command line, see if traffic is moving through a node with a 4 at the start, if so, Level 3 is involved. You’ll need to determine if Level 3 is having issues by examining your trace route. My router tells me more, but doesn’t offer an easy way to cut and paste. It indicates high packet loss rates through the level 3 nodes.

I can tell you packets aren’t being delivered to Arenanet from Level 3. My ISP doesn’t matter, as the ISP traces cleanly to Level 3. At level 3, first node listed in my OP fails with 25% packet loss.

Location doesn’t matter, YOUR location isn’t getting the packets handed off by Level 3.

The error code of Guild Wars 2 doesn’t matter, as it’s a high network packet drop rate issue.

Someone should get on the phone to your data center network department, or if you control the network for your servers, someone should contact level 3.

The traced failure looks like this from my windows command line:

4 13 ms 22 ms 12 ms be-22-ar01.chartford.ct.hartford.comcast.net [68.87.182.197]
5 19 ms 19 ms 17 ms he-1-12-0-0-ar01.needham.ma.boston.comcast.net [162.151.53.145]
6 16 ms 15 ms 17 ms 4.68.71.217
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 67 ms 65 ms 65 ms 4.59.197.34
10 56 ms 55 ms 55 ms 64.25.32-9.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.9]
11 56 ms 54 ms 55 ms 64.25.32-26.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.26]
12 58 ms 56 ms 57 ms 64.25.32-82.ncsoft.com [64.25.32.82]
13 55 ms 55 ms 55 ms 64.25.33-80.ncsoft.com [64.25.33.80]

It’s 17 milliseconds to Boston from Hartford, after which Level 3 gets my packets. Level 3 fails to deliver them to your facility.

I assume your servers are in Texas. Level 3 eventually drops almost all packets and my client is disconnected. Ping gets progressively longer over a few seconds.

This isn’t an Arenanet problem, it’s a Level 3 to your Datacenter problem. There shouldn’t be timeouts in the hand off at the exchange in Boston. Level 3 isn’t working properly. Comcast is my provider, but they are delivering to Level 3 in about 17 milliseconds. It’s not a Comcast problem, a Arenanet problem, it is a Level 3 problem.

Arenanet, I have had trouble most of the day with Guild Wars 2, and usually do not.

I used my router to tracert.

There is a failure between Level 3 and your servers.

The trace shows my connection failure starting at the Level 3 node – 4.68.71.217 this is a Level 3 node per Arin WHOIS. Level 3 seems to have a very high packet loss rate (over 25%) going to your data center. Note Level 3 is a company name of a large Internet backbone provider not a code word. Several Level 3 nodes seems to be failing in a cascade. 25% from one, 25% from the next. This eventually causes your servers to drop my connection.

Someone in your network department may want to contact Level 3 or the data center network department where your servers are located and inform them access to your servers in the U.S. is failing due to Level 3 nodes not working properly.

It does not appear to be an Arenanet problem, but instead a problem with Level 3 delivering packets to Arena Net.

The problem I’m reporting is as of 8/17/2015.

Hi,

There isn’t a simple answer. A warrior can do a lot of melee damage. To fight melee, you must be close. On ranged weapons, warriors are weaker. Warriors have a lot of skills, scale well, and have very good armor. Many dungeon or fractal groups, where good equipment drops occur, want only berserker (zerker) geared warriors (or maybe sometimes a single guardian). As such, if you wish high level dungeons or fractals, a warrior will help. A group of well geared warriors, doing melee, can liquefy most bosses in dungeons or fractals. This makes running them faster and easier.

Necromancers are mostly ranged, and are very survivable, but are not great for damage. Necromancer pets which work in PvE, do not work as well in PvP or in Dungeons or Fractals (for the most part). Necromancers really need to know how to use their shadow form, and must trait their shadow form to last longer. I ckittene my Necromancer pets in low level fractals or dungeons, but at higher levels, pets are just about useless.

I have a level 80 of each class, and a warrior is best in groups, particularly with other warriors, however my Necromancer can survive stuff a warrior can’t.

Case in point, running a fractal last night, our warrior died in the Aether blade fractal via shock, as a Necromancer, going into shadow form, I just walked through it, ignoring the puzzle entirely. After I did it, on second though, I could have cast an pet wurm, and just teleported across the whole thing.

If you want to do world exploration, any class will do, probably a Necromancer is a bit easier than most, but any class can do it. I have explored all of Tyria, and have Been there Done That. The first class to run it on was my Necromancer, but it could have been as easily run on any other class.

Play what you like. The damage of a zerking warrior is amazing, but it’s also about enjoying your play. If you don’t enjoy it, try something else. When I feel burned out, my Mesmer is often just fun to play, though it isn’t as strong as a warrior or as survivable as a Necromancer.

Over the past year or so, my crafters have accumulated recipes for materials that are no longer produced in game. Others who enjoy crafting may be in the same boat. Quartz crystals, watchwork sprockets, pristine toxic spores).

I’d like to suggest to the powers that be, that crafting of these items shouldn’t stop due to lack of raw material. A method of finding new material should exist. At the moment, of the various items, the only thing that spawns is pristine toxic spores, and that rarely during events. We used to get several pristine toxic spores for an event, now we seem to get a maximum of one.

As often we require 25 to 250 of these items to make useful stuff, could someone in the game design department please assure us these won’t become orphaned recipes.

I’d suggest these materials be added to the node generator available for purchase with gems. That the price be cut to 400 gems, so people could buy it in game with the 5,000 achievement reward if they didn’t want to pay cash. The spawn rate should be no less than 25 per day, with a chance to get 75-100 for each type. This would assure crafting of year one items could continue perpetually without requiring older instances to be restarted.

The above is a request for action by development staff. The following is a suggestion, not a request. If possible, my suggestion would be that higher level nodes also spawn, not just for metals, but for wood. A single daily set of each node type would be helpful to any casual player.

Thanks all for your help, the achievement is done.

Hi,
I am able to figure out most of the achievements for A Very Merry Wintersday, but not Finders Keepers. Could someone point me in the correct direction? I’m uncertain where to find and how to follow or escort and then retrieve a present. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.