Guild Wars 2

@Nova Stiker

The game is just messy.
Customization… the traits setup, it is workable, skill trees tied to attributes, random pick and choose traits that could affect anything.. that’s fine, just VERY sloppy.
(sloppy customization makes balancing much more tedious)

Ideally traits would have been far more streamlined, tier one would have a certain kind of trait (like they all are condi defense), tier two a different sort, exc. exc.
When things are exceedingly similar, balance is much easier.

There is a reason why on duel servers necros are allowed to start with 20% life force.

So i agree, but the 2 second delay on leaving ds kittenes me off more…

I disagree about there being so much customization. I believe it’s fine.

The problem is it’s in the wrong system. It works for a single player RPG, not an MMO

Traits’ problem is they simply affect to much, making them hard to balance. If you want to balance traits, you need more wiggle room.

The current trait system has to go.

For an MMO, there are limitless possibilities that traits can affect skills. You can have a trait system for every skill.

For example, say you can only pick 1 or 2 traits per skill:
Whirlwind Attack: Whirl in a target’s direction, slashing foes along your path.

• Increase range by 100
• Reduce range to 0, no longer evades, cripple foes on hit.
• Gain Might for every foe you hit (max 5 stacks, lasts 5 seconds)
• Reduce recharge by 2 seconds
• Increase the damage by 10%
• Gain Vigor if you successfully evaded, (5 seconds)

Look at all that WIGGLE room. Look at how much is available to balance!

• Increase range by 100<- too strong? Reduce range increase to 80
• Gain Vigor if you successfully evaded, (5 seconds)<- too good? Changed to: gain 20 endurance if you successfully evaded.
• Reduce recharge by 2 seconds<- not useful? Increased to 3 seconds.
  .

Now lets look at the current trait system!

• Diamond Skin: Conditions cannot be applied to you when your health is above the threshold.
  Balance that. Go ahead, don’t make it to strong that it counters to well and don’t make it too weak so it’s not useless.

Yes, you’re right, GW1 had a vastly larger variety of viable builds (and an exponentially larger number of possible builds), but EVERY lvl 20 character of EVERY class had 480HP!

Nope. Dervishes had 505 HP. Yes, it was on an armor but it was NOT an armor bonus.
A lot of builds and a lot of useless skills. Mending wishes to remind you.
Oh, don’t get me started on skills specifically designed for farming. I’m looking at you Shadow Form.

Huh. This is a great post and I agree with it. It’s something I’ve always thought about and this has helped me expand my thought on it.

Originally I just thought “Hey remove most of the customization cause it’s making balance way to hard, take the direction WoW did!”. Thing is people love tons of customization. I even think it’s fun it just has bad consequences.

Now my thoughts are “Put a ton of customization in but make the customization not affect the game very much.” It’s almost like you are fooling the playerbase into customizing their character but really it’s not a lot.

I think ArenaNet really did want to allow every class to be able to do almost everything with very small amounts of things you can’t do. Maybe they didn’t think about how hard this would actually be to balance things.

So lets say 100% would be a class being able to do everything there is in a game and 0% is a class being able to do nothing in the game.

As it is every class is probably able to do 80%(ballpark) of everything in the game(how well they do it is another subject). This makes it INSANELY hard to balance.

The lower the % gets below 80% the easier it is. We can’t deny that 0 customization would be super easy to balance, but something like 25% or below in customization would be easy enough to balance and still allow players to do the customization that we like.

After that is achieved create the illusion that there is tons of customization(but in reality you are only editing 25% of your class) by spreading it across many things, gw2 has already done this. Runes/trinkets/sigils/traits. It’s just that the customization at this point is too high of a %.

Let’s be real though. ArenaNet realizes they can’t make every single build viable across all classes. The thing most of us are frustrated about is that they have made the un-fun builds(the ones that basically ignore everything this games combat system is about) some of the best ones and left the most fun builds that play perfectly into the games combat system (elementalist, shatter mesmer, etc) alone to die to these atrocious builds that make the game a bore.

Balance is really nice, but having a fun game is 10x better.

Anyways, great post, +1d.

Obvious easy fixes for this game:

• A ready button. Game doesn’t start until everyone press Ready. Returns people to the lobby if fewer than 10 people press ready in 30 seconds.
• Play a sound when the dialog pops up.

Medium term fixes:

• A report button that works. Each 7 reports from the same match count as a dishonor.
• Grey out the HP bar portion to display how much future condition damage will take.
• A test realm

Changes that can get more revenues for ANet:

• A gem store item that makes all the enemy displayed as Human on your screen.
• An announcer soundpack
• A new tab that people can save their build and allows to switch builds when out of combat.

Plug: if you like this suggestion, check out my other one:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/pvp/pvp/The-Root-Problem-or-How-to-Balance-PvP/first#post3633033

P.S: this is likely will be my last suggestion for gw2. I hope it get some response from the dev. Frankly, they did a good job with this game, especially the server side programmers. The combat is one of the best for MMO. The PvE side has excellent dynamic story. I love this game; but the balancing issues is draining my patience (and I’m sure I’m not the only one). ANet needs a fundamental overhaul on how it does balancing. It’s a sad fact that although you may do a lot of things right, customers will leave just because of a bad issue (in their eyes). It’s like you have a great restaurant with world class cuisines, but you serve the customers with broken chairs everyday. Some will learn to sit on the table and enjoy the food; some will lose patience and leave.

Maybe try something new, instead of following the old process that has been proven doesn’t work?
http://blog.codinghorror.com/complaint-driven-development/

Your Game My Rules.5324:

AlKTN.3742:

Just remind this : “GW2 PvP is made for ESPORT”.

I hope you remember (anet staff) [WM], [DF], [rawr], [KMD], [KvZ] etcetcetc so much nice guilds and their legendary’s GvG.

Wtf is [KvZ] doing in this list?

Oh snap! Pretty epic to promote own guilds as legendary.

I do feel bad for the devs (particularly Justin), but as it has been said; this frustration is justified. It isn’t short sighted if it is in hindsight. We have been waiting forever for simple additions or changes. There are plenty of posts with great advice and ideas on how to fix it. The issues have been stated over and over – passive play, condition/aoe/cc spam, matchmaking, overall lack of balance, new game modes!!!!!

And yet over the last 9 months with countless posts describing issues and giving suggestions of what to change, we havent gotten anything. Just add a 2v2 or 3v3 deathmatch already. You dont even need to make a new map, just play on sections of the maps you have. We have waited for a long time for pve rewards we dont want and nothing else has changed. I understand these things take some time, and I dont necessarily think transparency or communication is the problem. The issue is that if you wait a year to put in one balance patch, you are inevitably going to fail. There is too much hype when you wait that long, and there is no way you will be able to live up to it. Destroy the current meta or start doing monthly balance changes to keep the meta on its toes.

been waiting to use this

Have fun waiting for Godot. He’ll be coming soon™, promise.

I tried approaching it once… It immediately insta killed me with a large bat and its finisher was the anet symbol…

Allie Murdock.8152:

FYI, we don’t think it’s balanced. That’s why we’re still balancing it.

The OP actually makes a good point, though. For this particular feature build, we have not shared much about what’s going on, we get that. Don’t mistake that with we’re not doing much, though.

Thanks for the feedback

Can I ask why everything with the next change has been so hush-hush? We had so much great communication before the Dec 10th patch, it’s kind of a shame to be left in the dark now…

After achieving such greatness, formally r2, I now stand the 4th best player in the nOrth American continent. What do I hope to achieve now? THATS RIGHT SUMMER CAMPS!!! Coming to you this summer,Blackpacks Summer Spectacular Skill Camp…… registration and sign up ends 4/10/14 and its filing up quick!!!!! With notable counselors as Davinci, Master Blinxo, And Doyourbestbear how could you NOT get better!! The schedule goes as follows M-F. 8am -7pm. Camp Activities are as follows…
8am- 9am. Meet the team/ bunk assignments
9am-11am. How to not random dodge with special guest Countless!
11am-1130am. Special safety demonstration by Sataarcoeny, “How to Stay with the group at Disneyland”
1130am-1230pm. How to position yourself in a teamfight with HIBA!!!
1230pm-2pm. Special Skill Session, How to use keybinds with StunningStyles
2pm-4pm. How to play bunker guard well with Doyourbestbear!!
4pm-7pm. How to rotate quickly and effectively with Team vVv

Samhayn.2385:

If I shaved once every three to four months…..

more on topic, maintaining this new patch cycle and only doing minor changes to class balance doesn’t seem like it will work out very well. Especially if you don’t have a test server or at least dialogue about coming changes.

If the balance patches are so infrequent, you cannot maintain a “shaving” philosophy. Let’s take a look at where we are currently. It will close to 8+ months, since the last major patch, and when the feature patch is released. With the pacing being this slow, this feature patch will have to have MAJOR changes to professions. You’re talking about huge changes that would essentially be equal to that of a major content patch/expansion from other MMO’s (being that’s what they wanted to mirror). So far, those “previews” are not major changes.

I honestly believe the balance devs truly think this game is very balanced w/ regards to pvp and they secretly just wait to see us “counter the new meta”

Spirit rangers op? Nah, give it 3 months and the pvp’ers will figure out how to counter it. Necro op? Let’s remove 1 bleed stack and wait for them to figure out how to counter it. Warrior OP? Nah let’s give it 8 months and if they’re still OP at that point in time we will knock nerf heal sig by 8%…. maybe…

Honestly I’d rather see the oppossite happening. I’d love to see weekly changes that drastically effect the meta. Force us to adapt to new changes (See: FLUXES FROM GW1). Don’t force us to play the same stale meta on the same stale maps in the same stale game mode for 2 years. The only reason metas are even changing is because people are so bored of the current system and playing the same class X,XXX matches in a row.

Hey all!

SO! I wanted to try and get an updated list of teams in Spvp, whether they be fully competitive (i.e. Esl weekly or tourneys) or casual.

This will help not only other teams to potentially gain scrim partners, but also show how many active teams we currently have out there. I would appreciate any and all teams putting there info here.

So the format is:

Team Name and [TAG]:
Main Contact:
EU or NA server:
Complete roster?:

Also in the complete roster option insert yes or looking for____ this will help to potentially fill up a team spot if your looking. I realise there is a LFT forum but this may help also. If you do find members pls add an edit note to your post in the future.

Thanks all.

Jebro

Well the game have a lot more chances to succed :P

But dont worry , i havent forget you !
Each night i raise my glass of Tsipouro (pressed-grape wine) in the air , while praying to Dionysus to cut my real lifepoints by half and floorish your govt bonds !

You paid for it, you’re holding it, but it will only mature in 10 years.
Potential yields are very high, but the chance you get your investment back is miniscule.

Truth be told.

Kinda funny, except some builds are “gun,” which counter just about all of rock, scissors, and paper!

I was gonna post something too but Thedenofsin.7340 and manveruppd.7601 already covered my exact same points, in a beautiful and constructive way, something that 4 months ago I would have been able to write, but not anymore due to the “rot” getting to me.

However, I would like to add the fact that I do understand a little how it is dealing with this. Having worked in costumer service for a few years I can relate with being blamed for everything even when there is nothing you can do, or any way the problem can be related to you. But you have to understand our frustration;

CDI feel like giant venting threads made to appease the plebs.
Repeatedly we are told the “forums are a small minority” yet you keep saying that our feedback is important, that we have implemented changes. Well, I dont see it that way, call me cynic but I believe the “changes” we as a community passed on the game are no more than your own ideas which we also came up with at some point.

We feel like toddlers, with overprotective, overshadowing and condescending granparents. “Thats nice, dear”.

Problems which have been talked about, suggested solutions, but nothing has been done around (as noted by the previous thread);

-Spamming conditions (low CD, high damage, nearly unconterable)
-AI spam (I came to play PvP, not PvE)
-Stealth spam, blind spam, backstab spam, teleport spam. Nobody enjoys laying agaisnt thieves, nobody. Most people reroll thieves out of neccessity (see the last 3 pro mesmer players who did it, 1 ele)
-Elementalists being the underdog of the game, since basically ever.
-Powercreep
-Warriors faceslam
-Elementalists, elementalist, elementalists.

W/e the case, this thread will probably go unnoticed and will definitely probably have no effect whatsoever except to “vent” fumes from the community.

Hey my name is Ventari, currently r10 teamque leaderboards!

And I am rly scared looking at the dhuumfire change, a trait that was unblockable, not able to be blinded, and dodged now is all of it which will make it totally useless, so nobody would use it anymore, but then you lose 30% condi duration because you wouldn’t take the trait anymore which makes the fears tick only one time because they don’t last 2s anymore which means like 50% dmg nerf to fear dmg as well while not having the bleedings because they got nerfed….don’t know why, they have never been the problem, so either make sure to give back the weakness without bleeding stacks when u enter deathshroud or increase the bleeding stacks on the weapon skills again but don’t change the necro that way you said it in “ready up”. It will destroy the class completely.
And why do you implement a trait, then nerf it, then nerf bleeding stacks and now nerf the trait again without increasing the bleedings??
Idea: Make fear a stun so it is not affected by the condi duration to deny fearchains but still have a counter to berserker stance, AR and Diamond skill. to my mind totally brainless traits and utilities, thx!!
Otherwise I will leave the game like everbody else did, it is not funny anymore how the balance gets destroyed and they destroy a class after another.

+1 for this
/15 chars

The base damage of conditions is way too high. If it scales more with the attribute condition damage, builds which are now too strong because they run zerker amulett and still do most dmg with bleedings and burning beside the other damage (every kind of warri etc.) would be more balanced. It shouldn’t be a buff for condi classes, because the damage should stay the same, only the base damage gets reduced a lot.

The attachement is a screenshot from a duel with a longbow/axe warri with soldiers amulett!

Warri in his current state and Ranger are now in the meta for more than a year and still nothing changed beside little dmg nerfes? Where is the hotfix for
-) Rez Spirit? Heals more than it should haha ye cause it has been meta only for some days right??
-) Berserker stance, why andrenalin gain AND condi immunity, so even if you get condis on the warri afterwards he has enough adrenalin to remove them??? No counterplay to berserker stance beside running around like a kitten to survive and then attack again
-) Condition base damage? The base damage of every condition in this game is far too high and even zerker builds do a lot of pressure with burning. It is not as if a condi necro does the same pressure with direct damage?? And there are more than 1000000posts about this already
-) Condi necro fearchain?? Still exists? Reduce the fear duration a bit or remove dhuumfire completly. Necro doesn’t need burning. He needs his old bleeding stacks back and DON’T nerf burning without giving all the bleed stacks back. You will see a necro putting all the bleeds on the warri and sometimes burning if he hits dhuumfire properly, and the warri will still be full HP. Remember my words!
-) Ranger pet damage? Still doesn’t scale with rangers power enough so even tanky condi rangers do 4-5k crits with the drake f.e
AND MUCH MORE TO DO, but there won’t even be some easy hotixes for existinf BUGS in march

And best of all:
-) Automated Response
-) Diamond Skin
-) The current Condition Warri!!!????

What is this?? You wanted a counter to necro, and if warri wasn’t enough you implement this Really? Everbody fought against it even eles, so much about you take feedback seriously before you implement skills and traits hahah

Necro is screwed vs everyone after dhuumfire nerf. Because it lost:
2 bleeds on weaking shroud
1 bleed on grasping
1 bleed on mark of blood
1 bleed on mark of evasion
Nerf to chill of death
Putrid mark nerf – only xfer 3 conditions
17% nerf to terror damage
Terror moved to master trait
Corrupt boon only corrupts 5 conditions
1 bleed on Enfeebling blood (maybe ??) + it gives less weakness by far now

Really necro has a ton of nerfs to make way for dhuumfire which they now make useless! That leaves necro way way way way underpowered vs things like new ele signet, AR, healing turret, healing signet and thief evasion. Necro will be worst class imo.