Guild Wars 2

RP harkens back to the roots of RPGs, always has my respect as long as it doesn’t mean weirdo running about in panties

When I signed up for this game almost 6 months ago, I struggled to understand the concept of legendary weapons. Why would anyone put forth all that effort (not to mention the expense!) for a fancy skin? It doesn’t even offer a statistical advantage of any kind (My WoW-brain basically imploded when I heard this.)!

Fast-forward many many hours of GW2 play time and I’m getting close to completing my first legendary (Quip! See? It even matters enough to have a name!). Why would I put myself through this?

Well, it turns out that I met some good people here to go along with some pretty solid gameplay. At that point I found that I actually wanted a reason to continue spending time here. That is simultaneously why I get frustrated with the content drought, why I craft legendaries, and also, I think, why some people have a hard time leaving these games when they no longer enjoy them.

Of course I have the option of not playing if I can’t find a reason to play (i.e. lack of content). But I wouldn’t say that I don’t enjoy the game. I just find myself unmotivated to play it without a meaningful (to me) objective, if you see the distinction.

That’s what I was missing when I first encountered the concept of legendary weapons. The quest for a legendary weapon isn’t just about the skin or the bragging rights. It provides the motivation to play the game.

A game can be great, but if it doesn’t offer something new and of interest to you, sooner or later it becomes a good game that you no longer play.

Do you really blame people for sticking around to complain about a game like that? It’s a shame, you know. Great game. Just wish I wanted to play it. If legendary crafting is anything, it’s a lengthy goal to pursue that fills that “motivation gap” nicely for players who are otherwise inclined to enjoy GW2. So it was for me, and I doubt this will be my last legendary.

JaddynnStarr.5201:

I think its funny in that quote that O’Brien says 1000 hours of play isn’t considered grinding. No one can play for a thousand hours and just naturally acquire what is needed to make a legendary. It takes playing very specific content over and over again to get said craft items.

second issue is with someone saying the cost to craft nevermore pre is 1100 gold? that person is smoking dope. To buy every item even at lowest offer prices is well over 2000 gold. Hell, the amalgamated gemstone alone is 600+gold for just ONE of the items! The only way your doing it for under 1200 gold is if you are waiting months to make the ascended mats and GRIND AB for the lost hero chests for the amalgamated gemstone.

This game is ALL about the grind… no if ands or butts.

And what does the Nevermore gives you in terms of power over an Ascended? Oh, right! Nothing!

100% optional content you put yourself through only if you want. Other than that, you can just play the game hiwever you want and just generate money to buy it a few pieces at a time, unless you want it as soon as possible and limit yourself to the most optimal grind spots.

coso.9173:

The same attitude happened when they made the base game free, when HoT was released, countless topics talking about how they felt betrayed by Anet because they paid for it, and now people would get it for free. Like if that made the years they played before totally worthless.

Like I said it’s an ongoing attitude, I just cited the tribal as another example. I personally don’t feel cheated by changes in MMOs, specially considering how much they actually change.

Now, for the last time, I UNDERSTAND that some people prefer the shinies t stay for those who played GW1 only. I personally prefer not to be asked to play another game to get things in a game I actually play, and I feel like things change all the time, so even if they said they would keep them GW1 exclusive, it nwouldn’t shock or disappoint me if they changed it.

That is all, you don’t have to agree with me.

But you don’t understand that the method of getting them is by playing GW1. They are a thank you for playing GW1. Not a thank you for playing GW2. The Tha k you for playing GW2 was the Royal Guard outfit. You could only have it if you played GW2 before it was added. Anyone after that dose not get it. That too was a loyalty thing. You seem to not understand this.

I don’t even have any of the Hall of Monument skins or items, and I probably never will, but I don’t think it’s right to make it easier to obtain. These items are COMPLETELY OPTIONAL
You don’t NEED an armor or weapon skin. When you see someone wearing them, you know exactly how and where they got it from. You know the work they put in.
Theres hundreds of other skins to choose from, and they get only a handful of skins, let them have it. They deserve it.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

coso.9173:

“I just came to have fun and I’m feeling so attacked right now…” XD
ok guys, it’s just my own point of view you do’t have to agree with it.
It’s just that the attitude of wanting to stay exclusive bothers me in general. The same thing happened in the topic about the Tribal set and other things in the past too.
The attitude of “I don’t want people to get it, or get it with less effort than me, because then I’m less special”.

The tribal set isn’t exactly the same because it was impossible to get at all. In that case the people saying don’t bring it back were definitely being exclusive.

The people in this thread aren’t being exclusive. They’re saying it’s available and all you need to do to get it is to do the content that provides it.

Yea, as I recall, they just wanted the skin to return. Even if it was put on the PvP reward track since it was originally a PvP skin.

coso.9173:

“I just came to have fun and I’m feeling so attacked right now…” XD
ok guys, it’s just my own point of view you do’t have to agree with it.
It’s just that the attitude of wanting to stay exclusive bothers me in general. The same thing happened in the topic about the Tribal set and other things in the past too.
The attitude of “I don’t want people to get it, or get it with less effort than me, because then I’m less special”.

We wouldn’t feel less special, we would feel betrayed if just anyone got it after being promised that only those that did the content would get it. It’s not a special snowflake thing. I guess there is no way of helping you understand.

I don’t think it is just your opinion here. I believe it is a sense of self-entitlement.

coso.9173:

“I just came to have fun and I’m feeling so attacked right now…” XD
ok guys, it’s just my own point of view you do’t have to agree with it.
It’s just that the attitude of wanting to stay exclusive bothers me in general. The same thing happened in the topic about the Tribal set and other things in the past too.
The attitude of “I don’t want people to get it, or get it with less effort than me, because then I’m less special”.

The tribal set isn’t exactly the same because it was impossible to get at all. In that case the people saying don’t bring it back were definitely being exclusive.

The people in this thread aren’t being exclusive. They’re saying it’s available and all you need to do to get it is to do the content that provides it.

coso.9173:

I don’t want the skins.

Oh really?….

coso.9173:

I would love to be able to get all the shinies of a game by playing that game and not another one. So I understand the OP in that.

coso.9173:

the elitist concept is “if you want this, then spend money”
I’m a firm believer anything in GW2 should be obtainable by playing the game, and not by spending more money.
If someone has to actually buy GW1 then he is forced to spend money, that is why I am against it.
Like I said I understandthje feeling, but it is still elitism. If I buy a pair of expensive jeans, and the next week they’re on sale, am I going to be mad at the people who got them for less money/effort that I did? I don’t think so. Specially if they go on sale years after I got them in the first place.

That is not the definition of elitist. The dictionary definition and one that most people understand as elitist is: a person having, thought to have, or professing superior intellect or talent, power, wealth, or membership in the upper echelons of society”

GW1 players with the HoM rewards do not feel that they are any of those things. The do however feel they actually earned the rewards and are grateful that ANet is keeping their promise to make them exclusive to them. I think that is the problem, you keep mistaking “elitist” for “exclusive”.

And your analogy is flawed. It isn’t a spending money thing. It is a pride in achievement thing. If you retire after 40 years with a company and they give you a Rolex watch as a reward for loyalty and service and announce with your retirement gift that they are giving everyone in the company a Rolex right now because they don’t want them to feel left out because you got one, how would you feel? Your loyalty and devotion gift wouldn’t mean much would it? Heck even Timmy the kid they hired yesterday to clean bathrooms twice a week got one. Really makes your retirement reward meaningful doesn’t it?

coso.9173:

It is not unreasonable, but not fool proof either.
Is someone who never spent a dime on the game after buying it, and started playing after HoT, and just got GW1 to get the fancy stuff for GW2 more loyal, than a player who started to play GW2 at the beginning and has spent maybe hudreds of dollars on costumes and stuff, but doesn’t want to try GW1?

No it doesn’t make them more loyal, but it does make them people who follow the rules of the game to get what they want. Those people who spent all that money and then think they are entitled to other things without doing the work or want some easier way to get it are egotistically and wrongfully entitled, not loyal.

coso.9173:

I’m just curious why people even care. It’s not the first time a gaming company backtracks on something they said before.

So that makes it right?!?!?! Seriously? We should just let companies do this to us? SMDH

coso.9173:

No, others getting it easier doesn’t remove the feeling of satisfaction, it is not retroactive, I know what I had to endure to get it. I know I earned it my way, the hard way. others getting it easier don’t take away that from me at all. I don’t get that line of thinking.
There are thousands of things that are made easier with time, in GW2, in games, in life. ALL the time. If I got upset each time it happened, I would go crazy.

Well, maybe in this you are a bit self-actualized. However, many people rightfully don’t feel as you do. When this happens to them they feel invalidated. Their self-worth is stomped on. How do you not get that?

I think it comes down to you not caring about how others feel as long as you get what you want.

coso.9173:

okay, bigger boobs, as long as male charcters get to choose a big butt too then.

I think we all should get to choose a bigger butt, why do we have to be so flat….

I would have some sympathy for this thread if it weren’t possible to get the rewards anymore, but since GW1 is still running, does have plenty of people playing it – including guilds and people who will help you; I have to disagree.

I never played GW1, my husband did and because of him I bought GW2, he played GW1 for years but didnt really tick a lot of the HoM boxes and so I think I only got up to around the 5th tier.

I spend a lot of time being a cry baby because I wanted some of the skins (specifically the dwayna gloves), and one day decided to do something about it – I bought the core game and all the expansions – it took me a few weeks, some kind donations from other players who had duplicate minis etc. but I now have all the items unlocked and I enjoyed myself while doing it – meeting all the legends like Jora was amazing and it made me appreciate more of GW2.

They will never make these items available by any other means, so I would suggest players who want them approach with some positively and earn them in the game that founded the game they enjoy so much.

Bellatrixa.3546:

I want an option for massive boobs. Because I have them IRL so I’d like to be able to properly represent myself in game. I feel that the current options are discriminatory to those of us who have been amply blessed in the chest department and I’d like more armour options to show them off.

I second that! Not all of us are teeny tiny scrawny curveless stick figures and dress like nuns, let us be how we are in real life with body shape AND armor/outfit styles, please.

Then I am afraid we are too different to understand each other. Even though I would bet a lot that you are in fact not that different, and you’d feel the foolness if the same happened to you, but for the sake of keeping a good atmosphere, I will assume that you tell the truth. You therefore become the 1%.

coso.9173:

The feeling I will never understand is: " I earned this, so I dont want others to have it with less work". I couldnt care less if others have it, it is not going to take away what I did to earn it. They are taking nothing away from me. I dont need to go around showing off what I got. Im just happy I got it.
I remember the core game went free after a few months after I got it, and I couldnt understand why were people angry at it. I kniw we paid for it, so what? Things change and they will keep on chaning all the time.
That is the elitist way of thinking Im refering to.

So imagine tomorrow you want a legendary. Let’s say Astralaria or Nevermore. You spend litterally months grinding so you can afford the comps. You finally have your weapon, you are so happy. The next day, Anet announces that you can now have the same legendary through a simple 10mins quest and a few golds. How would you feel?

And yes, that would totally remove what you’ve done to obtain it. The feeling of satisfaction, hell joy and happiness, to have the reward that you were aiming for, when you knew you’d kitten blood to have it, but you still made it. That feeling would be removed, you’d feel fooled instead. And you’d be a fool.

The feeling I never understand is: “why should I bother earning my things like everyone else and cannot get them effortlessly?”
People who don’t get the feeling of achievement are just lazy slackers, and laziness is not rewarded in real life, nor should it be in a game.

It is like everything else in gw2: you want something? Come and get it! Nothing prevents you from doing it but yourself! Why HoM would be different from everything else in that regard? Is there any good reason? Can someone tell me? You don’t want to spend €15? So it comes down to that, it’s the only argument? Are you kidding me? We have been ranting over 3 pages because you don’t want to spend €15?

coso.9173:

I don’t want the skins. They’re n ot my cup of tea to be honest. and I barely have enough time to play GW2 to start another game now.
I’m just curious why people even care. It’s not the first time a gaming company backtracks on something they said before.

I care because I like GW2. Hits to credibility can damage peoples’ faith in a gaming company. Anet has already taken some such hits. It does not need more.

Also, there does not seem to be that much of a payoff for ANet on this issue. I might feel differently if there were huge numbers of players who might pay Anet a boat-load of cash to get access to these skins. However, I very much doubt that to be the case.

coso.9173:

So if people don’t care about showing off the skins or whatever they have, and think that othrs having the items doesn’t devaluate their own items or how they earned them, then why they care at all? How does it hurt you that others can get the items for less work/money?

The point is that they were designed to be exclusive to those who earned them in GW1. How does it help the community as a whole to make them available to those who choose not to play GW1?

Using the logic, “how does it hurt veterans if new players can get items for less work/money”, why shouldn’t the cost of everything be reduced? Give twice as many PvP potions for dailies and require half as many to finish a reward track. Reduce the token cost of every item in the game. Reduce the XP cost for masteries and give new player 50 free mastery points.

Part of the reason is that we as humans attach value in part to how difficult it is to acquire stuff — if it’s too easy, we don’t value it as much. Sure, that should not matter, but it does.

Another part is that the success of MMOs depends a lot on player loyalty — if folks stop playing, there’s no “massive” in the MMO and the game suffers. If the game company does too many things that make veterans feel under appreciated, the game suffers. (And we’ve seen that with something as simple as the cancellation of 12 legendaries, which affects a relatively narrow fraction of the community, but one that happens to include intensely loyal players.) ANet’s blown a lot of social capital on some questionable decisions — they can’t afford to arbitrarily change too many things too often.

Finally, why should ANet make these skins available to folks that don’t play GW1? There are so many skins available in the game — how is anyone hurt that a few aren’t as easily available?

tl;dr we all want more stuff, but that’s not a good enough reason to change how loyalty rewards work.

Darknicrofia.2604:

Bellatrixa.3546:

Andraus.3874:

It used to be celebrated in a sense through dragon bash. But that isn’t happening apparently. And yes there were fireworks.

From what I can gather from Wiki, Dragon Bash had more in common with the Dragon Festival in GW1 (which had Canthan lore based reasoning and roots) than any holiday outside of the game.

Having said that, I’d love to see more regular festival events in GW2. Helps break up the waits for new story content. I’d have thought that with Current Events (pun intended), Dragon Bash would have been a great thing to bring back this year seeing as how it was meant to be about laughing in the face of the danger of the dragons. Would have been a great morale boost for those under Jennah as well as the Pact.

The dragon festival is based on the lunar calendar new year, an Asian, more specifically, Chinese celebration.

I think you are confusing different events. The dragon bash happened in mid June to July in 2013

coso.9173:

It is not unreasonable, but not fool proof either.
Is someone who never spent a dime on the game after buying it, and started playing after HoT, and just got GW1 to get the fancy stuff for GW2 more loyal, than a player who started to play GW2 at the beginning and has spent maybe hudreds of dollars on costumes and stuff, but doesn’t want to try GW1?

The loyalty I am referring to is between Anet and players, and being told that the rewards would never be available by another means.

Not sure how that is not sinking in. They said “never” as in not available by any other means other than earning them like many players that wanted the skins have done. It is still available to do so, and it doesn’t look like that is changing.

If you want the skins then you have to do what every one else that has them has done. Not wanting to, or being to lazy to or whatever the case may be… that is on that person, and entirely their decision, and not Anet’s or the ones that do have the skins problem.

You want feedback from a GW2 only player? Ok!

I knew about GW1. I wasn’t interested, despite a WoW friend pushing it. Probably because the videos at the time were low rez and it didn’t look terribly amazing to me. That same friend gushed about GW2 once it was announced. I looked at videos of that, dev statements and interviews, and was very quickly hooked. GW2 was everything I wanted in an MMO, and then some. I couldn’t wait!

ANet announced that GW1 players would get these rewards. I considered it and said nope. At that time I was heartily sick of the WoW daily grind and looking forward to something that would free me from that and it was obvious the HoM rewards would take significant grinding in a game that still did not appeal to me.

A while later, deeply invested in GW2, I realized some of my guildies were spending a night a week questing and RPing in GW1. I did like the HoM skins. So I figured ok, I’ll give it a shot. I bought GW1 (all of it) and blindly followed my friends around blindly spamming mesmer spells without much of a clue what I was doing or having time to read the dialogues that might have explained it. It wasn’t fun, but I did see some of the lore and did get a few HoM points, enough that I now have basic heritage armor.

And then the prime mover of these GW1 nights had a baby and she hasn’t done much in either game since, and I felt no need to pursue more HoM points even though I’d have liked a few more skins.

Do I want the skins available via GW2 gameplay? HELL no. They are specific rewards to people who spent (or spend) the time in GW1, they are a thank you for doing that, for having been there in the early days, plus they are promised to stay that way. And they remain available even to brand new players of the franchise, as a bonus that didn’t need to be offered any more than the reserved GW1 names continue to be offered now to linked accounts (to be clear, they aren’t).

I had and have the same opportunity as anyone else to grind HoM, and imo that is the only way I should ever get those skins.

There you go, a non-GW1-vet who disagrees with the OP.

Loyalty. We were told the rewards would NEVER be available by any other means, so is it unreasonable to EXPECT THAT?

Animism.9803:

I actually just thought about the possibility of adding more realism into the story. Sexism and chauvinistic behaviors. This isn’t meant to resemble a modern society, and is somewhat an ‘older’ fantasy world. It’s just a random example of how the story doesn’t feel very realistic. It’s not meant to encourage it, just like adding a couple lesbians into the story for effect doesn’t encourage behaviour, it is just a game after all.

Err, there IS sexism and chauvanistic behavior. Are you forgetting how the Flame Legion have enslaved their women and use them as maids, cooks, and sex slaves? Or how the Sons of Svanir insult you if you’re playing a female in your personal story, refuse to allow women to join their ranks, and constantly talk about how weak and nagging women are?

In fact the literal fight for equal rights was a big part of the Charr civil war and why the other Legions are fighting the Flame Legion right now.

Also keep in mind that just because their technology is in an older epoch than ours does not necessarily mean they are culturally behind us as well. Our modern world has never had to deal with entirely different species trying to wipe us out (humans tried to wipe out the charr then the charr tried in kind), nor have we been pushed near extinction by massive dragons that can wipe out entire kingdoms in a day.

In a world where the apocalypse has been on our collective doorstep for the last two hundred years and in which entirely different species have been trying to literally eat us for the last thousand years, doesn’t it make sense that we stopped caring about what parts you have between your legs when deciding who is the most capable for a job?

Not to mention humanity had real, physical gods who shaped all of human culture. If Balthazar himself told me it was okay for women to fight I wouldn’t argue.

Atypical characters like those are rare because they are rarely done right. Many developers will shy away from things they don’t think they can present the way they want. And since not everyone knows someone they could ask or have the resources to find or pay someone to ask (or don’t even think about asking), the result is a lower representation of those characters.

When developers try to force such things, they’ll be done bad, and people will notice . Like how badly the writing was in the latest Baldur’s Gate revival expansions. The developers echoed the words of some retrograde bigots as an excuse, but most of the disgruntled customers didn’t really care about that, but about how badly writted and unnaturally presented they were, and the countless bugs lowering the quality of the game.

On the other hand, In GW2, things like the relationship between Marjory and Kasmeer, Sya and other small details less people notice presented openly or just hinted, are put before the players so casually and naturally that you never see such reactions.

The complains are always on the sore spots, like how some people don’t like certain aspects of the personal story, specially compared with the living story chapters that are usually considered to be better, or the nonsensical changes done to the story along NPE.

As for GW2, in my eyes Makeover kits are part of the lore since the addition of the Anatomical Engineer in GW1. So I wish Sya should have used that instead illusions. Why bothering with mesmer illusions if you can make real permanent changes with asura science perfected over 250 years with experiments on unknowing humans who not only volunteered to test it, but even funded the research?

Blood Red Arachnid.2493:

Well, you’re trying to work out the logic of something that is all about feelings. Those two generally don’t go hand in hand.

Anyway, unless I am mistaken, the Total Makeover Kit is lore approved. You can magically and instantly change your entire character’s physical existence, sans the actual race of your character (though is that a lore limitation or just a mechanic limitation?). It is a wonder how anyone can be trans in Tyria when you aren’t tied to the physical body you were born in, in any sense. Maybe Sya is too poor to afford the gems.

Mesmers are illusionists and hypnotists, so Sya’s form is actually an illusion. There isn’t a physical morph there. Also, last I checked, syvlari are technically aesexual, so their physical bodies are of about as much consequence as their hair color (or leaf color… something like that). Though this wouldn’t prevent a sylvari from eventually adopting the notion that lets them feel like they were born in the wrong body later in life. The total makeover kit still exists in that regard, too.

So as far as I can tell, Sya is in the game not for any sort of in-game purpose, but to win points on a socio-political scoreboard in real life.

See ya next week everybody!

Well mind you even post transition a trans person is still trans. So Tyria has trans people rich or poor. They might just not advertise it so to speak. Sya is very open about it. A lot of trans people IRL are not so it begs the idea that might be similar in Tyria. Even if they had transition tools at a young age. Transgender simply means that they identify with a gender in opposition to what they were assigned at birth.

Also as far as I know as I have been told by multiple sources the Sylvari are NOT asexual. Instead they have sex parts they just don’t reproduce sexually. But they still can have sex as their form is apparently based on humans.

First of all, sorry that none of my answers are canon, just how I view the game and the lore. With that said, though…

But I’m curious can mesmer permanently shapeshift or does she only craft illusions to make her appear as her appearance has changed but has not actually?

There are a couple of hints that mesmers CAN change things physically. The best known example is the mesmer portal, which can be proven to actually move the people that use it (physical change of location). More to the point, however, there is a story segment (Order of Whispers related) where if you make the right choice, a charr winds up mesmered to look like a human. It could be just an illusion, save that the charr complains that it’s hard to walk without a tail. If it was just an illusion, there would be no such problem, so it’s an actual, physical transformation.

I’m also curious as magic is a thing in Gw2 can transgender characters in theory have magical transitional procedures, kind of how there is medical (Technological) surgeries available for transgender characters in real life?

I’d say the above answers this as well. It may take a lot of work to make such a spell stick, both repeated rituals/castings and expensive spell components, but it should be possible. In fact, I’d say the makeover kits are an actual in-lore item, and consist of limited transformation potions and such components. An expensive item, to be sure, but not an unreasonable one to have in the game. Sya being a mesmer herself, however, means she can likely do most of the work herself given time, and readjust details as needed.

Also considering Sylvari. Are all sylvari guaranteed to be born in sex that would allign with their identity since because they are “born” they simply exist as spirits in the dream? Or could they be transgender too like other races born sexually?

Due to some of the stuff in HoT, I think that a sylvari’s form is somewhat dictated by their mental state and self image. So, it would make sense that they’d be born with a shape that mostly matches their mind. However, not all sylvari start with a strong gender identity, and all of them experience new things after emerging from the Dream. It’s quite possible for their gender identity to change as they learn more and discover how the rest of the world views the gender issue, just as a young child may not care about what gender they are, but it becomes very important to them as they grow older.

Sogradde.8016:

coso.9173:

the amout of people that don’t have any idea about what they’re talking trying to pass as soe sort of expert on the topic is saddening.
I guess what they say is true, “the problem with closed minds is that they come with open mouths.”
your hairdresser wouldn’t even be able to mention his husband if it were not for all the advances in lgbt (a.k.a human) rights.
Do you think those rights were won because of people casually mentioning their husbands? or by people actively looking to fight for a more equal society?

I guess you have looked at the video I’ve embedded in my post. Is that how you picture “fighting for equal rights”?

I highly doubt that’s what he or she means. That video is highly disturbing and the kind of thing that needs to be stomped out. Children should never be sexualized in that manner period.

On a different note, while I hate tumblr and do feel it’s a cesspool of hatred and bigotry in its own right, I don’t think that’s what Anet is doing here. Nothing wrong with having a trans npc. Now if Anet goes all tumblr on us and makes a catkin transdogkin plutokin ranger npc then we’ve got serious issues.

I generally take the attitude that the Pact Commander is not necessarily present at every open-world event. Our power level relative to the opposition is clearly lower in the open world compared to story instances, and I think there are some times in the open world where we’re essentially playing a random Pact soldier rather than the dragon-slaying Commander. On the other hand, the Pact Commander will need to rest sometime, and that will likely occur in places that are relatively safe.

When it comes to Verdant Brink, I think the Pale Reavers, Pact Camp, and Noble Ledges events all happen in the first full day after the crash. The Itzel instance feels like a first contact, so I suspect helping the Itzel in the open world comes afterwards. Finally, the Mordrem camp in the west seems fairly well-established, and Eir mentions that they’ve been there for “days”, so I suspect the Blighting Tree event chain doesn’t happen until afterwards. On the other hand, their relatively healthy condition indicates that they probably haven’t been starved for too long. The end of the final instance in VB shows the PC and team leaving for Auric Basin.

In the Auric Basin case, the PC is told to take the egg directly to Tarir. Again, meeting Ruka feels like a first contact event, while in the open world we see the Pact cooperating with the Exalted, so the attacks on Tarir probably don’t start until after the egg is delivered.

In the case of Tangled Depths, this is possibly the hardest map to navigate ArenaNet has ever done, particularly the first time you’re there, so I’ve banked in some time to account for travel. The meta event feels like it couldn’t have started until after the Rata Novus instance, and also feels like the preparations could take more than one day.

Dragon’s Stand feels like it all happens in the same day. The instances feel like they’d be back-to-back (Bitter Harvest ends with the PCs in hot pursuit of the tendril that dragged off Trahearne) and it may only be ArenaNet being merciful that leads to them being split into two instances. The Pact assault in the meta-event provides cover for the PC and company to do their thing.

With this in mind, here’s my proposed timeline:

Day 1: The Pact Fleet is shot down. The PC enters Verdant Brink close to nightfall.

Day 2: The Pale Reaver, Noble Ledges, and Pact Camp chains occur while the PC is performing their investigations.

Day 3: The PC meets with the Itzel and helps defend their village.

Day 4: The PC follows Rytlock and Braham’s trail, culminating in hitting the Mordrem prison camp. The Itzel village is attacked again during the night – the Itzel hide, but their food stocks are destroyed.

Day 5: The Itzel and Blighting Tree event chains occur – the destruction of the Blighting Tree likely stabilising the Pact’s position in Verdant Brink. The PC pushes into Auric Basin, recovers the egg, and delivers it to Tarir.

Day 6: The PC follows Taimi’s trail to the final Auric Basin instance, before moving on to Tangled Depths. Mordrem attacks begin on Tarir.

Day 7: The PC has their first encounter with the chak. The group splits up, one following the Mordrem caravan, the PC heading to Tehu Nuhoch.

Day 8: Taimi and the PC find Rata Novus.

Day 9: The PC returns to the northwestern Order of Whispers camp to pick up Rox’s trail. The Pact forces in Tangled Depths begin preparations for blasting into Dragon’s Stand.

Day 10: The PC follows Rox’s trail into Dragon’s Stand. The Pact Forces blow kitten into Dragon’s Stand.

Day 11: The PC and company rescue Logan and Zojja and push on to kill Mordremoth through Trahearne, while the Pact keeps Mordremoth distracted by the assault on the Mouth of Mordremoth.

You could probably shave off a few days if you were so inclined, or extend it out a bit by assuming that the Pact Commander spends more time hanging around helping with meta-events. However, I’d probably say it’s reasonable that it would have been no less than a week, no more than three.

I have suggested this before, and I still want it. Give the functionality to Copper/Silver fed (at the very least) salvage kits to right click them and toggle between “Salvage Runes/Sigils” or “Delete Runes/Sigils”. If you select Delete, you will get a little icon, similar to how a item gets when it is damaged/broken to notify you that it’s selected. You could also get an extra string of warning when using a kit that is selected “Delete” when salvaging Exotics+, as you may really not mean to delete runes from those.

A better suggestion!!!

Make all Minor, Major and Superior Sigils SALVAGABLE into Dust

Minor Sigil salvaged = Chance to obtain Tier 1-3 Dust
Major Sigil salvaged = Chance to obtain Tier 4-5 Dust
Superior Sigil salvaged = Guaranteed Tier 6 Dust

this way would become especially the Sigils of all tiers more valuable, because if you have no use for a sigil, then you know at least, you can make something useful in form of materials (dust) out of it … and especialyl the sigils that have nearly to no value would receive then more value based on the values of the dust that you can get out of the sigils when you salvage them …

Means, all for example Tier 6 sigils that have currently no value, because the sigils are so useless, no butt wants them ever worth like only maybe 1 silver or so would then suddenly have at least the worth of the Tier 6 dust you could get out of that sigil, when you salvage it …

Option 1, you feel like you must farm something over and over all or fall behind the power curve/ be disadvantaged , e.g wow etc. If you feel like you MUST do a thing and you dont enjoy it then thats a grind.

Option 2, you do not fall behind any form of curve if you dont farm a thing, incentive is therefore personal desire. You therefore choose to farm for things that you like, this is not a grind, its a long term goal. I.e GW2 skins.

vesica tempestas.1563:

Option 1, you feel like you must farm something over and over all or fall behind the power curve/ be disadvantaged , e.g wow etc. If you feel like you MUST do a thing and you dont enjoy it then thats a grind.

Option 2, you do not fall behind any form of curve if you dont farm a thing, incentive is therefore personal desire. You therefore choose to farm for things that you like, this is not a grind, its a long term goal. I.e GW2 skins

The main problem is that many players have been trained by sub-based games (like WoW) to view all MMOs as Option 1. Therefore they consider Ascended/Legendary/Culture Tier 3/whatever is rarest or most expensive to be mandatory whether it’s needed or not. Then complain that they are “forced” to get these things, when in fact the only person forcing that player is himself. Because this attitude is basic to their concept of MMOs, they are blind to the contradiction and unable to separate their compulsions from the game design.

For additional irony, once these goals are obtained in GW2, there is no gear reset or additional tier coming to begin the process over again (at least before raids/Legendary armor gave them a new long-term goal). So these players tend to quit the game soon after because they are bored without anything to work for.