Guild Wars 2

I had an idea to improve wvw- instead of having $25,000 and $50,000 prizes for the e-sport no one watches, use that money to pay a dev or two and a few interns for a year and actually spend some money on developing new maps, new mechanics, etc for wvw.

Doing these rules changes through the holiday season doesn’t seem like the best idea to me- but it might pull in a nice pile of pve zerk builds for us to collect loot from so might not be all bad:-)

Dont know what any of you are talking about, but I want stairs + slopes the next playable race 2015. Prepare yourselves.

Vote for best red post update in 2014, Michael Henninger. Mike (can I call you Mike?), you have no idea how in the dark we were and how little we knew about how emails to exploits@ and ingame reports were handled. Thank you for your attention.

edit: and please don’t be afraid to come in here and talk to us. We have been desperate for any dev or support responses about WvW and “wrongdoing” for a long time. You’ve clarified many things for us. You have, honestly, done more for the WvW community by posting in this thread than any CDI or meager update has done in the last year. Bravo.

Thank you Michael for your hard work! It’s really appreciated when we get communication like this, especially for a competitive community like WvW. We might bite sometimes, but they’re love bites! I promise!

I just wish the dev team would poke their heads in now and then too

I unanimously vote Michael Henninger is the most helpful WvW GM of the year.
And I hope it will go into 2015 as well.

PS: w/ a sincere hope that you are not going to disappear like many before you.

Whitematter.5784:

Teach them? I think this is a great part of a MMO is the community and you are kind of preaching to the choir here, anyone who reads the forums probably care enough to learn about this. Next time you see this just let them know in a friendly matter. They will listen, if nothing changes, just kick. I will queue up and join ya!

I tried that at first, it falls on deaf ears.

The type of players I’m talking about probably need their butts wiped for them and need to be fed with a spoon with airplane noises.

Michael Henninger.7451:

3. This one is tricky because we have a strict policy against allowing GMs to make contact in-game outside of a few unique circumstances for reasons of security. I’ll take another review and see if we can help further.

Perhaps a status update every patch/month?

Last month:
512 bugs were stepped on with massive hobnailed boots
256 cobwebs were swept off the servers
128 wvw hackers were terminated with extreme prejudice
64 baby quaggans were arrested for excessive cuteness
32 exploits were tortured into obedience
16 paboos were caught stalking Gaile
8 bots were hog tied and hung in the alley behind the server farm.
4 cupcakes were taken hostage by John Smith
2 captive GMs were released into the wild
1 partidge was placed in a pear tree

We get to see that things were dealt with without you needing to make personal responses to each report in game

Look it at the positive way. No update means no screws up either.

Its a lost cause. If it was just me saying it is a learn to play issue then maybe I’d take a step back and rethink my points and yield. However, there are too many in here, that are veterans with the class, and saying the same thing.

You really need to think before you run head long into a enemy zerg. Plain and simple, most of us in this thread agree. That also holds true for all other classes. Just like they now have to watch their 6 for rangers.

Its a dance. Enjoy it.

Cuchullain.3104:

When you are in a class that takes more damage from retaliation than it dishes out and outnumbered in almost every fight, a mechanic that rewards larger groups over small and rewards mindless zerging over tactics is incredibly frustrating and game-killing to deal with.

Is that even possible? Assume both ranger and target have 2000 power.

Retaliation damage = (198 + 0.075 * 2000) * 2/3 = 232

Longbow damage = (Weapon strength) * Power * (skill-specific coefficient) / (target’s Armor)
Weapon strength = 1000 (exotic longbow)
Barrage coefficient = 0.4
target armor = A
Damage done = 1000 * 2000 * 0.4 / A

Retaliation damage equals damage dealt when:

232 = 1000 * 2000 * 0.4 / A
A = 1000 * 2000 * 0.4 / 232 = 3448 armor

Unless you’re running into berserker builds with 3500 armor, or you’re using longbow (a power weapon) with a condition build, I don’t see how you’re taking more retaliation damage than you’re dishing out.

I actually think that’s one of the best things about retaliation. It’s a game mechanic whose cost/benefit scales with skill coefficient, not just power or armor. Using the above assumptions, and a 2000 armor target:

• RF (0.375 coefficient) nets you 1.62 damage dealt per damage received
• Barrage (0.4) nets you 1.72 damage dealt per damage received
• autoattack (0.9) nets you 3.88 damage dealt per damage received
• Maul (1.5) nets you 6.77 damage dealt per damage received

Retaliation adds a new dimension to combat. It forces you to factor in skill coefficient into your skill selection, rather than straight DPS . More complexity like this is good for the game.

I’d like to remove pve from the game. The ai is terrible and it is breeding garbage players. Anet please remove pve and focus on pvp and WvW. Maybe you’ll have time to make some new types of pvp since you won’t have to spend so much time on the living grindfest.

Your problem is you posted this complaint in the ranger forum so many of us assumed you were wanting veteran rangers to shed some light on how they deal with retal zergs.

All you really want is for people to join in the kitten fest with you. For the record I do agree that retal needs to be changed and the aoe limit sucks. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the fact that they exist.

You can take the good advice that people here have offered, you can build an ac and rain arrows on them to your hearts content, or you can continue being rally bait and killing yourself. It’s your choice.

A little over a year ago some of my friends started playing GW2. They tried explaining the good things about the game and why my husband and I should start playing with them. “Open world dynamic events,” they said. “Living Story,” they said. While it sounded intriguing I wasn’t convinced enough to put down $50 to try another MMO.

Fast forward to the end of September of this year. Husband and I hear about the free trial week and 50% off price. “Why not?” we say and begin downloading.

Within two days I was hooked and we each bought the game. But not because of any of the things my friends had tried to use to convince us to play (though they are pretty good too) – No, I am hooked because of the cosmetics.

Why, oh why, hadn’t my friends ever mentioned the extensive collection of dyes? Or the amazingly detailed and option-rich character creation? Or the wide variety of weapon and armor skins?

Nearly two months later and I am still hooked on this game. My main character is a Sylvari mesmer, all decked out in the Orchid armor set dyed a beautiful deep purple to match her skin, hair, and glow color.

I definitely still have heaps to learn. But I think I am going to be here awhile

Any person just trying to tag as much of zerg as possible isn’t going to like retaliation.

Stop being a greedy lootbag kitten.

Cuchullain.3104:

So in other words, don’t shoot until after you throw traps, run through the zerg, use entangle, then use aoe and rapid fire.

No, that is how I play. But if you honestly expect to live after you spot a enemy zerg stacking you reap what you sow. You know what they are doing ahead of time. Even if you didn’t see them and just found them while roaming, you should know better. That is why they are in a group after all.

I can see where this “strategy” would avoid doing any serious dps while getting you gibbed constantly unless you are in a massive zerg ball that routinely steamrollers smaller groups, at which point retaliation and pretty much everything else doesn’t matter. I am failing to see how you avoid retaliation doing this, other than by not shooting anyone, since it is up near 100 percent of the time against the enemies my always outnumbered server faces.

It isn’t about avoiding retaliation. It is more about knowing when to do what otherwise it is like peeing in the wind, yeah? Mitigation. You are actually better off working your way through the initial contact using your groups stability and other effects rather than going b@lls out. Then swap to your burst and mow them down.

The tactical situation often requires you to shoot at the enemy even when you KNOW they have retaliation up. That so many here don’t seem to get this pretty much disqualifies any opinion they have on ranger play.

See my comment about peeing in the wind. That is what you just described. If you want to use rapid fire when you know retaliation is up, or think it is up, more power to you. I wouldn’t. No more than I’d recommend you bursting when you see wall of reflection up.

But at least you have the honesty to admit you’re a guardian and benefit from the retaliation cheezfest.

Yes, my main is a Guardian but I also play a ranger. So I actually see both sides of your argument. We don’t agree, that is ok. I’m just offering some advise in how I deal with it by not going all in at first engagement. I have found it wiser to roll with the group I’m in then turn and engage or cleanup. It works for me. Maybe not for you.

Retaliation isn’t the problem though just like Rapid Fire isn’t when other classes complain about us Rangers.

Cuchullain.3104:

“Maybe you should play your elementalist then if you are not willing to learn to play your ranger properly?”

Maybe you should troll somewhere else.

Yeah you tell him op. Clearly it is a much better idea to barrage into a retal zerg instead of trying to separate and pick off the back line. I mean yeah you are sacrificing your life but you probably nailed a bunch of them for a few hundred damage each! That contributes way more to the fight then taking out the glassy heavy hitters.

I use the same strategy when someone runs reflection. If I see them pop reflection I immediately rapid fire into them to kill myself because reflection is cheesy and I don’t think it should exist.

Don’t listen to the haters, you know what you are doing. I mean you have probably been maining your ranger for a good solid month since the change to rapid fire, I’m sure you’ve got it mastered.

Cool post.

I would like a large monster in the middle to kill. Like just put justin beiber there?

I’m glad you die by Retaliation. This is coming from my main, a Guardian. In fact, I also find it rather amusing when ignorant Rangers continue to shoot when I have my Wall of Reflection up. Quick JI or Leap and the Ranger is usually dead. Ignorance is bliss my friend but treat it as a learning experience.

My wise crack aside my secondary character is a Ranger so I know how you feel. But since my main is a Guardian I know when to use, and not use, Rapid fire or any burst for that matter when facing some classes or zergs. This, in my opinion, is one key to life or death that we all must learn. I run my Ranger in our zerg and have no issue with it but then again I’m not b@lls out running rapid fire on every cool down. In fact, it is just the opposite.

I run traps and throw them around like skittles falling out of the sky. It helps slow them down while we collide with their zerg and prevents them from turning so we gain a bit distance. One ranger, two, etc. Then after we pass through toss a few more, swap weapon sets, lay down some fire, swap weapons again, toss a trap or two, then entangle, AOE, and then only then, do I use rapid fire. Plenty of low health targets around to nuke with Rapid Fire.

Can’t have everything. Enjoy the RF change. I for one love it and have zero issues with it regardless of what class I’m on.

Out of breath ranger then?

Juba.8406:

Abrilete.1439:

Cool, let’s add more facts to the list:

• Even a small step in the terrain can obstruct it.
• Will hit only one target unless traited, so it may not hit the intended target.
• Won’t hit a thing if you don’t have a target.
• Can be reflected.

hmm so you want a wallhack, an autotarget and an Unblockable Rapid Fire ?

cool.

STRanger.5120:

Juba.8406:

STRanger.5120:

It seems that ppl should try to play the class before making assumptions

Champion Hunter

Well, you have quite a problem then, but not a proffesion problem, if you know what I mean.

my only problem is i cant 1v3 on my ranger yet, 1v2 is easy cake.

jcbroe.4329:

Juba.8406:

jcbroe.4329:

How would you redesign the weapons in this game that have “1 button burst” mechanics, like Warrior Greatsword and Ranger Longbow, to suit where you think gameplay needs to go to be balanced?

dude don’t you even dare to compare 100b to Rapid fire, realms and ages can be fit between the two, 100b feels so Stone Age to this new Rapid fire and it actually requires skill to setup properly.

i don’t have anything against rangers but putting these two skills in the same line is wrong.

…..Wrong tangent?

The design of the weapons is absolutely the exact same. Autoattack, burst skill, and the next 3 skills are mostly utility in function. The amount of setup or actual output is irrelevant. The weapon kits themselves have the same design ideology behind them, and they aren’t the only weapons in the game balanced around the “auto attack, 1 big damage skill, 3 utility functions,” I just cba to list the other weapons with the same exact design philosophy because it’s “another one of those threads.”

The point behind the question remains the same; how many buttons then should I have to press is pressing 1 isn’t acceptable? 2? 5+? etc? Who is determining what level of skill input goes into just pressing more buttons?

Not to mention that while their may be some correlation between the amount of buttons needed to be pressed and the amount of “skill” it takes to do so effectively, they are still independent events and can be largely attributed to other variables since skill means proficiency and the idea doesn’t exist only within the realm of Actions per Minute.

And that’s not even taking into account how subjective the idea of “actions per minute requirement implies difficult and skilled play” really is. I could think that elementalists and engineers are faceroll easy (I do actually, PvP meta thief/mesmer builds rank as the highest skill requirement builds currently imo), even though they have more buttons and skills they can press, so then we’re right back at clashing opinions with no measurable facts to be able support either argument.

Now, if everybody would like to talk warrior balance, that’s another thread entirely. Though I will just say flat out that I think that warriors were over-nerfed, especially in regards to how adrenaline degenerates out of combat so quickly and immediately. There is no reason why the “skill scenario” of a warrior holding their last burst of adrenaline at the end of a fight and then being able to carry that and already have full momentum in a nearby fight doesn’t exist, and it adds a level of play to warrior that otherwise makes the burst mechanic a very linear “start every fight slow and gain momentum” mechanic.

im not talking about the meta Warrior, meta warrior got no use for GS anyway.

if you do want a GS, then you want it mostly for mobility, but if you really want GS to be your main damage then you need to babysit 100b no way around it from trait investment to utilities to positioning and so much hustle to deliver a proper 100b.

compared to my range its just as simple as TAB then 2. with no utility investment at all so i can slot all utilities for just survival, GS warrior cant do that.

Look up at the sky. See that tiny little spec flying high above you? That’s the point that I made, going way over your head. All you saw was “warrior GS” and proceeded to fly off going on about something that nobody here is even discussing.

pdavis.8031:

Eurantien.4632:

THIS JUST IN!!!!! ANET ADDED TERRAIN FOR PLAYERS TO STAND BEHIND TO OBSTRUCT THE INCOMING ARROWS!!!! BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!! THEY ALSO ADDED A DODGE MECHANIC FOR EVERY GLASS SO THEY CAN DODGE IT IF THEY CAN’T GET BEHIND A WALL, TREE, GRAVESTONE, OR WHATEVER!!!

Update: New weapon skills and utilities has just been confirmed. Block and reflect
Update 2: New condition “Blind” has been added, causing any incoming damage to miss during the duration of said condition.

What’s this? Blind wasn’t enough! A new condition “Weakness” has also been thrown in, this condition makes 50% of the arrows glance! pdavis.8031 can you believe this? I certainly can’t! Power rangers might as well be playing with nerf guns now!

I think it’s fine as long as players understand that Gaile is a community manager. She isn’t in charge of class balancing and even admits that she’s not an expert on it. I personally find it refreshing that she’s willing to acknowledge her class preference. As for verbal assaults and claims of bias, let’s face it. People are going to do that any way. I’d rather have a community manager that sounds off on her opinion than one that’s silent in hopes of avoiding ignorant confrontations.

As for the subject at hand, I feel the change is good, however, this is the opinion of an accomplished and sadistic mesmer. I have more reflections than Glint’s lair. I soon acknowledged the new threat and how to better utilize my skills. My reward is enemies that kill themselves for me.

“Too Many” is just all the people who originally wanted to play with a bow but couldn’t because it was terrible.
Want people to use other stuff? Make it not suck too.

As a solo roamer and small scale-dedicated WvW player I am fairly certain if I say that removing white swords will have a negative impact on my having fun in WvW, because removing them will simply get us in less fights. Most people I know are there FOR the fights. They don’t care about the mindless PvDoor, all they care about is their server, their guild and having fun in the form of competitive PvP.

Guild Wars 2 needs more pvp, not less.

Make removing white swords the new outmanned buff, and then keep it for everything else.

This just seems part of the broader trend of making WvW more like EotM. Why do they keep discouraging competition? They want to promote e-sports but their philosophy on competition would make Gandhi want to punch a baby!

Styles.7469:

There doesn’t need to be a test, is the point. The consensus has already expressed it is a bad idea and doesn’t need implementation.

However, here are some points I’ve seen on just a couple pages of this forum thread, and others I’ve heard in game, for improvements and ideas that should happen.

- Improving the server match up and rotations for WvW

- Disallowing players to rez fully downed allies while in combat.

- Disallowing players to rally off of anything other than enemy players in WvW

- Extending Waypoint timers on an attacked objective to keep defenders from “Rez-Rushing”

- Requiring a minimum number of defenders to neutralize the “flip” on an attacked objective’s circle.

- Decreasing the timer to 2:00 (two minutes) on the fully-downed player state in WvW.

- Rewarding Scouts for their time and effort in Scouting objectives.

- Points Per Kill system (other than Bloodlust Buff)

- Disallowing siege to be placed on gates, withing a certain range, that aren’t Rams.

- Disallowing groups of players to destroy a gate below 50% without the use of Siege.

Removing White Swords from objectives being attacked does not fall into a list of “improvements” which need to be made or adjusted for WvW. It is just not a viable change. Again, these are just a few ideas of improvement that could be made which far supersede what Anet, and only Anet, seems to want to prioritize as far as changes and adjustments go.

There are obvious pros and cons for some, and implementation ideas that are needed for others. However, they’re still better than what is obviously a broken idea.

I agree with almost everything here. Well done.

This is what is going to happen during the testing:

New changes, everyone will be all over it. For a while. A short while. People will defend, pay for people to defend, set up defense rotations. Then everyone will again lose interest in defending and we will be back to empty towers and no white swords. Your testing will prove nothing.

I applaud the idea of testing changes for a period of time. Awesome!

It will freshen up WvW. And it will allow Anet to make changes that may be controversial without committing to permanent changes. If the change is bad, they can just not implement it permanently.

I hope to see “test periods” much more often. As far as I’m concerned, they can have them every month. Introduce a new change and see how it goes.

I would love to test a new map this way. They wouldn’t have to spend so much time getting every little tiny thing perfect before releasing it. Just let us test it! We’ll find the bugs.

Zaxares.5419:

a single-stop place where they can see what are the burning issues players want a response about and respond.

The flip side would be what if its a burning question that players want answered but devs don’t want to talk about?

Specifically I’m thinking of Achievement Points in WvW and titles such as the Yak slapper title. The player base long identified that the play time to acquire such a title was something along the lines of playing 24hrs a day for 8 years straight (seriously).

Anyways we were historically told off for bumping posts like that:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/wuv/wuv/A-Note-on-Necroposting-don-t-do-it/first#post4245260
(No red Necros)

So while they may appreciate it on the surface, I think they would dislike it if a question hogged the lime light that they didn’t want to talk about (GvG?).

Meta is for them kazuls.

A true pro dances with the bear. Shake it off, baby.

Was in a 100 man guild last year, it became a 50 maqn guild.. then a 20 man guild.. then a 15 man guild.. then a 10 man guild.. now we have 4 people online for WvW!

I’m not saying anything, but I’m just saying.