Guild Wars 2

Oh man. I’m so tempted. . . .

Einlanzer.1627:

No. Expansions are really important for the longevity of an MMO, and their decision not to do them and instead focus on living world updates for 3 years kitten near killed the game.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the content drought that followed did more to ‘kill the game’ than almost monthly Living World updates ever did.

But that may be just me.

Why no mounts? While the waypoints make it moot, it’s much simpler: server overload.

There’s a reason our minis disappear when the server population is at a certain point. Mounts would make it even worse. Could you imagine the outcry if they removed mounts when the population reached a certain point? Thus . . . no mounts.

Server strain is the answer.

Anyone who knows anything about public relations knows how it works in the real world. We call it damage control. And given how things went recently, ANet certainly doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire.

So they had a ‘parting of the ways’ as they say. I know because I did this last week. Terminated a contract with a client. We both said publically that he decided to pursue other interests at this time. And I wished him the best of luck.

Sound familiar?

Again, no, it’s not concrete evidence, but those of us with common sense can read between the lines.

It is what it is, and that’s the last I’ll say about that. We’ve derailed the thread enough.

So let me try to put it back on track: With the recent patch, things are much better in the Deep Jungle to include Dragon Stand. Better loot drops and the like. And with the daily win reward there, hopefully more interest will be included too.

I’m very happy so far. Hopefully, it will draw back some of the population and then some.

ionix.9054:

The community in this game is something else… Now we cry when we’re given free kitten.

Amazing.

Pretty much. I actually saw people complaining in VB tonight about how the mobs were no longer hard enough and they were getting too much loot . . . if you can believe that.

Personally, I’m more than happy with these changes so far. Hope it’s a preview of things to come.

ImTasty.2163:

Ardenwolfe.8590:

ImTasty.2163:

I think Vayne got his source from the same place people get their numbers for “a majority of people are leaving”, “HoT has disappointed a large portion of the community”, and other post claiming that large portions of the community are disappointed/frustrated with something.

You can’t have it both ways, you know. But, since you don’t like current opinion on the forums as proof, I can provide reviews, YouTube videos, and other media with our former peers’ reasonings for leaving to play something else if you like?

That said, not too many MMOs go free-to-play when they’re bursting with population, sales and success either.

Just saying.

Oh you mean reviews like this
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/guild-wars-2-heart-of-thorns

or this
http://www.tentonhammer.com/articles/guild-wars-2-review

or youtube videos like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86rFkmmUwk

with all of those links being majority positive with some negative.

I can continue to provide more links but I think this is sufficient. While I more inclined to believe reviews done by big name companies, youtubers mean nothing to me because you can find videos of people either praising or bashing the game, just depends on where you look. As for our “peers” reasons for leaving, well lets just say after the claims were made that Wildstar was going to kill this game, I’ve stopped listening to our “peers” as a form of reasonable opinion. And don’t get me started on our “peers” reading comprehension.

Also many MMOs that go free to play are followed by both an increase and stabilization of the population which is never a bad thing. Even the gw2 pop went up after it went free to play.

Just saying.

Yes, because the game director leaves a very successful game the same year he releases the game’s first expansion because it’s such a success. Not to mention the CEO having to take over and look for a new person to fill the slot in the interim and then announciing the gutting of future legendaries to focus on Living World and the upcoming expansion. All the while people all over the web, in majority, say they are leaving or less than happy with the game.

But nooooo . . . the game is just fine.

Really?

We’re seriously having this discussion? I may not be Sherlock, but I know clues when I see them. I suggest you come out of the sand and do the same.

By the way, repeating my last line, in an attempt to be cute or clever? It doesn’t work. In debating circles, we call that parroting. It means you cannot come up with anything substantial of your own, recognize someone else’s words are better, and then try to use it against them in some attempt at one-upmanship.

Most recognize this for what it is: one who uses this tactic ignores the fact that their arguments have been falsified (usually over and over), and hope that their audience is unaware.

Sadly, for you, I am aware.

Might want to brush up on that if you want me to take you seriously . . . which quite frankly hasn’t happened so far.

But in case it’s TLDR, the picture below sums up what I think of your counterpoints so far:

Decided to pass on it this year, but maybe next time. Glad they did it regardless. A lot of people have been asking for SAB for a while.

Yeah, that achievement screwed me because I only have one character. And I’m not going through all the motions with another just for that one achievement.

Maybe one day they’ll make it accessible in another way.

I only have this issue with shooter-style games where you have to rotate the camera a lot. That was a big issue for me in Black Desert Online as well as Elder Scroll Online.

Are you rotating the screen a lot more? I know I had to do this to navigate those tunnels in Tangled Depths and land or glide to reach some key areas.

That might be the issue, but I’m no doctor.

The Greyhawk.9107:

Ardenwolfe.8590:

Personally, I think the Scarlet storyline was awesome. The destruction of Lion’s Arch was epic. And the effects on the world were entertaining with each episode.

But, even if you hated it, it’s better than what’s happening now . . . which is a lot of nothing.

There’s a difference between the storyline of LS1, and the character Scarlet Briar herself. Overall, its Briar whom has the greater share of our collective ire.

That’s a fair point. +1

I work in publishing. And I can tell you from a novelist and editor’s standpoint, it’s rushed. Because the public expected a novel or epic. Instead, they got a novella at best and a short story at worst. Maybe even micro fiction depending on your viewpoint.

If ANet advertised and released it as a short story, then no . . . it’s not rushed. But they released it as a full-blown epic. And that’s the issue: expectation.

When I ask readers to buy a novel for 20-40 dollars, they expect a certain amount of pages or word count. When they buy a novella or short story, they expect to pay 5-10 dollars.

And that’s the problem with the story in Heart of Thorns: it lacks meat.

Players paid 50-100 dollars for a novella when they expected a sweeping epic on a grand scale.

I’m not saying Heart of Thorns didn’t have its moments, but let me say this: I play casual. But, in less than a month, I finished all the storyline in the expansion. I know some did it in less than a week.

That’s not a lot of bang for your buck by any means for an expansion . . . especially if you paid top dollar for it.

Again, expectations were not met, and it rubbed a lot of players raw.

ImTasty.2163:

I think Vayne got his source from the same place people get their numbers for “a majority of people are leaving”, “HoT has disappointed a large portion of the community”, and other post claiming that large portions of the community are disappointed/frustrated with something.

You can’t have it both ways, you know. But, since you don’t like current opinion on the forums as proof, I can provide reviews, YouTube videos, and other media with our former peers’ reasonings for leaving to play something else if you like?

That said, not too many MMOs go free-to-play when they’re bursting with population, sales and success either.

Just saying.

Well said, Substance. +1 And pretty spot-on.

Personally, I think the Scarlet storyline was awesome. The destruction of Lion’s Arch was epic. And the effects on the world were entertaining with each episode.

But, even if you hated it, it’s better than what’s happening now . . . which is a lot of nothing.

There’s a good chance there will be some changes akin to what they did in Orr. But, for now, it’s pure speculation.

We don’t know yet.

I edited my answer, but to be clear: The core game perks that you paid for will remain the same. The cost variance is for the perks in Heart of Thorns . . . not the Core game. Thus the various costs.

Those perks, like the glider for example, are part of the more expensive package.

So, no, you don’t have to ‘re-buy’ the most expensive version to keep your Core Game perks. The costs are for the new perks in the expansion only.

1. You’re not ‘re-buying’ the core game. It’s just included in the expansion.

2. Yes, you stay at Ultimate Edition with all the perks that version includes. There is no ‘downgrading’ per se. The perks for Hearts of Thorns are why the cost varies.

3. As far as getting hacked, they have a new system that should all but prevent it now if you follow the instruction. You even get a mini out of it when you’re done.

Hope this helped.

When it stops making money. Keep in mind, like you said, Guild Wars 1 is still up and running. Given that circumstance, I’ll guess no time soon.

Why? Because I’d rather keep my money and sanity. That’s why.

Or we could just read the front page of this forum, but who am I to argue semantics?

It postpones the complaining.

Thought the same, Dubstax.

Pretty much.

DaShi.1368:

Vayne.8563:

That said, many people love the modremoth fight. Crashing bugs aside, this is really popular content. Maybe you have to do it a couple of times to understand what’s going on, or maybe you just don’t like it, but I don’t believe you’re in a huge majority there. That’s a fun fight.

Really? How many? Can you cite a source for this “huge majority?” Because I’ve seen nothing but complaints about it here. So if you have other information, please share.

The ‘huge majority’ left the game to play something else. But I don’t have a source to back that up either. Just experience, reviews, forum posts, complaints from other sources, avid fans like Wooden Potatoes saying they’re about ready to leave or have left, a cliff drop in views with live web events, empty maps, empty guilds, empty friends lists, and the CEO saying they’re going in another direction to the point where they’ve dropped legendaries to focus on Living World and expansion content.

Just that. But I don’t have a source either. I’m sure the ‘huge majority’ is just in love with the direction the game is going.

Aren’t you?

Wrathmagik means it’s a radical shift from the way the core game played. Just because something is easy for you does not make it so for everyone else. Some of the responses read like his observation is a personal insult or something.

Calm down.

Yes, I also soloed everything in HoT. But I am not unaware that it was a literal nightmare for other players who could not.

It’s Orr on crack before the nerf to the minions. And, if I had to guess, that’s coming for HoT too this spring.

Hardly hype. But saying the Heart of Thorns maps will get some kind of overhaul is a safe bet.

I found it’s best to wait and see. Speculation tends to lead to disappointment.

Let’s be clear about something and not split hairs:

DragOneve.2359:

I’ve been seeing some rangers camped on a mob spawn letting their pet kill enemies for them, is this considered a form of botting? I know the players are AFK cause they have been there for a couple of hours.

The question is not that the pet is killing anything without assistance from the ranger. The question is the pet is killing without the player even being at the keyboard . . . for hours.

And this was the answer:

Michael Henninger.7451:

This is allowed behavior; as it was designed to function that way.

However. . . .

Michael Henninger.7451:

EphemeralWallaby.7643:

Tl;dr intentional mechanics that allow pet kills to give experience and loot =/= permission to afk farm.

This is absolutely correct.

If your pets are doing the killing and your mastery is doing the looting; you’re okay as far as GMs are concerned. This does not mean design can’t/won’t/should/shouldn’t update the system as it works today.

If this is the case, your original answer is misleading, and you should clarify and correct it because more than a few have or will read only that answer and nothing else.

How casual it is . . . or was.

Is it the end? It depends on who you ask. Right now, I’m one of those people who log in, do my dailies, and then log right back out to play something else.

Does that mean the game is dying?

In my book, that will be true when I, and many others, stop logging in at all. But, for now, we’re bored because we have nothing to do that interests us.

That will change when new updates and Living World returns. But, again for right now, there’s not much reason to stay in game for anything besides the dailies.

Hopefully, that will change come July or sooner.

This is true. Most people just want it for the unique look. Unless you’re a hardcore, min-maxer, 3-5 points ain’t making a world of difference.

Yes, but I based my answer around Living World updates the like. If not for that, the answer would be no. It’s a huge reason I quit WoW all those years ago. Once you get to a certain level, there’s not much more to do other than raid, farm, etc.

As a casual with limited time, that wasn’t my cup of java. Guild Wars 2 kept me interested longer than any MMO because of its constant updates.

And, after the ‘expansion’, here we are.

Given recent developments, I must say no.

Surbrus.6942:

Seems like most people replying to this thread are not answering the question “why don’t you raid?”, but “why don’t you pug?”

Pugs are completely different than guild or friend groups. Pugs even have different motivations much of the time.

tl;dr: don’t pug

Actually, most of us did, but then it dissolved into this nonsense. Please note the posters who are doing it, their obvious agenda, and you’ll no longer wonder why it went there. . . .

He’s so dreamy. . . .

I get this error multiple times per day. It’s a holdover from the first year . . . when the Trading Post crashed repeatedly because it couldn’t handle all the sales.

I suspect it isn’t going to be fixed any time soon given its history.

The answer depends on your playstyle.

The Ventari Ele.5812:

lol, I remember when HoT was announced and they were giving us a little details on what was coming.

A lot of us were asking where is all the content?! Surely this isnt it
And as usual the fanboys all rose up saying Anet wouldnt give us all the details, there was obviously a tonne more in the expansion, and other things would be released throughout the year.

Now that they know there isnt any more stuff, they only thing these fanboys can say now is “either buy it or dont buy it”

I still wouldnt call HoT a half an expansion, call it what it is, DLC! A small update charged at unreasonable prices!

Bam. +1

I suspect, if Ohoni was a lead marketer for Guild Wars 2, the game wouldn’t be in the state it’s in. That said, he’s offering his opinion based on his experience. And he’s been extremely civil about it. If you disagree, that’s fine.

But there’s no need for your snark.

Again, you’re having a bad run. And I mean a really bad run. It happens.

Tigaseye.2047:

I don’t really mind if games release content as an xpac, or bit by bit, I just want it to be non-rushed, quality content and available to as many people as possible.

This. The moment I saw the release date on the ‘expansion’, I knew it would be a limited rush job. And despite the white knights desperate to say it was more than four maps . . . it was four maps.

Don’t give us that ‘another level means another map’ nonsense.

I don’t mind an expansion. But I do mind a half-baked, unfinished, untested mess plagued with bugs and then beaten to death with nerfs because it was not properly tested in order to make some undisclosed deadline.

Do we really need expansions?

No, but certain persons screamed to high heaven for them in the first place . . . and here we are . . . those persons no longer around, interest at an all-time low, and the population held together thanks to free-to-play.

Not the scenario anyone envisioned a year or so ago.

No, it’s just random, and you’ve had a bad run. I got two things of booze today. One yesterday. But two snowflakes prior to that. Again . . . just random.

Absolutely not.

It depends on what is attacking you. In most cases, yes, toughness is useful. But if it’s condition damage? No. Effects like burning and poison bypass toughness and go straight to your hit points.

This is a big reason many take vitality over toughness.

Aeolus.3615:

The investment in toughness is not good, pve does not it much and on WvW anything over 3k-3.2k is lost sacrifice in all stats, the trade to bet on defense stats is awfull compared if player boost for damage outout mostly.

Best defense is kill target, faster than he kills you.

Again, depends on the mob. Against basic mobs, this might be true. Against champions and boss level mobs, not so much. I’ll even include decked out players in this equation. In the long-term, stats like toughness, vitality, and/or healing can make a world of difference . . . especially in a long fight.

Remember, your damage ain’t squat if you’re dead.

DeceiverX.8361:

One word:

Elitism.

And this is why the game, which prospered so much at launch, didn’t feature any kind of “elite” or arbitrarily “difficult” content. And also part of why, HoT, an expansion featured as pleasing the “hardcore” crowd has failed in the eyes of a bulk majority of players when looking at sheer numbers.

Strictly speaking, not many people care. And those that do are likely too exclusive to not care about anyone not involved in their personal affairs.

This. Give this poster a prize.

Must agree. Seen this in action in a very specific spot in Tangled Depths. It’s my understanding that the mechanic the ranger used, namely ‘Guard’, changed to prevent this behavior.

However, there are basic workarounds . . . which I will not discuss.

Surely, AFK farming is not allowed. Being AFK, for hours, while your pet auto attacks and you auto-loot is definitely not intended in my book. Being a ranger, I don’t want to see a return of the ranger-bot farmers that so plagued the game that first year.

Yeah . . . I bought that and like it, but I still want flames. Something Mad King-ish.

Something on fire with flames and smoke trailing. Maybe make the bat wings on fire.

Nothing for sure until Living World Season 3 comes out. Like Celtic Lady said . . . sometime around July . . . barring more delays.