Guild Wars 2

If they ever bring back the Suggestions subforum, I would “suggest” that they make it a category, and divide it into subforums.

Make one for General PvE, one for sPvP, one for WvW, one for Guilds, well, you get the picture.

It was hard to search for a thread on Guild Tools when it was buried under a ton of “I Want” threads that had nothing to do with guilds.

In the meantime, I am willing to try it for a while and see if it works this way.

I like some of the changes.

Having the GW2 Discussion at the top of it’s category is a good thing, as is archiving the old Suggestion forum.

With the Suggestion Forum in particular, we used to say that it was the forum that all good ideas went to die. We rarely saw any feedback, and if it wasn’t a “hot topic” it disappeared in a flurry of “I want (insert thing here) or I /ragequit,” type posts. Having suggestions put in place inside of the subforum for which they pertain is a good idea.

As far as the bad, though, I am still trying to find everything and will post later if I find something I can’t like.

I am on JQ as well, and I don’t see the same thing as you. I have characters all over the map (so to speak) and I see other people in every zone I am in. Yes, some zones are less populated than others, but in general, the Norn lands seem to be more populated than the Human lands. Can’t speak for Asura or Charr, because I don’t play there often.

Wayfarers is easy to level the first 15 levels than Queensdale. As long as you’re not on the champ train, that is. I always see people there. I have met quite a few new friends there.

In the meantime, give me a shout. I play early mornings mostly, but if you’re on when I am, I would be happy to hang with you for a while.

Vayne.8563:

I think Volkon nailed it. When Anet said “our game isn’t about preparing to have fun”, it wasn’t talking about end game gear grind.

It was talking about the grind in most MMOs to get to max level so you could do the cool stuff.

But most of the cool stuff in this game you can do before you hit max level, with the exception of a few max level dungeons. Even Fractals can be run by lower level characters.

There aren’t many games that have dragons like the Shatterer in non-max level zones.

For all the people talking about how Anet promoted this game, when Colin was asked about the comments, he used the Shadow Behemoth as an example of how you don’t prepare to have fun. We have encounters like this in the first zone and throughout the game.

People talk about there not really being an “end game” in Guild Wars 2, and that’s very much part of the philosophy.

So no, it didn’t change, not from what was said in the manifesto anyway.

And Eric Flannum did say there would be things for people to grind for for those who enjoyed that play style. How come no one ever brings that up?

People chose to see vertical progression as something the manifesto talked about. I just watched it. I didn’t see vertical progression.

Hell, vertical progress already existed in the game at launch and no one said a word. Exotic 80th level gear is a tier of gear higher than rare 80th level gear. That’s vertical progression.

So no one can say the game didn’t launch with vertical progression.

Now, Anet did make comments about casually obtaining the highest tier of gear. That’s 100% true.

But that doesn’t have anything to do with the manifesto video. And not one person in this thread has given any evidence that it has.

^ So much this.

If ascended gear had been in the game since day one, nobody would have given it a second thought. People wanted “more” and asked for “it.” They got “it,” and now they’re complaining about the means to get “it.”

There is nothing in this game that is locked if you don’t have ascended gear. Yes, there are things that are immensely easier with it, but if I want to run fractals as high as I possibly can, there is nothing that pops up on my screen that says “Sorry, you don’t have the right gear so you can’t be in here.”

It’s the players that are requiring it. How many LFG have you seen that put restrictions on the players? How many times have you seen “LFG, LVL80 Asc.only?”

Again, it’s not the game that requires it. It’s the players.

oilstorm.1748:

/snip

I mean no disrespect, but your conclusion may or may not be correct.

/endsnip

None taken. As I said in my post, the example of a single six sided die was very much simplified to illustrate the point that just because combination (X) did’t work the first 40 times doesn’t mean that your chances improve the next 40 times you use that exact combination.

I know that the variables are way to complex to definitively say that equation (XYZ) is the best chance of getting what you want.

The things you listed are exactly why we won’t be able to come up with an exact “recipe” to maximize one’s chances.

At least the next arc is the beginning of the end for Scarlet…

Nice trailer.

I was rather impressed at how they kind of tied all the LS chapters together in a neat package. We may not have liked what they did every time, but at least the youtube vid reminded us of what came to pass so far.

Which Asura gate is the one they show broken in the trailer? Maybe LA is on her radar, so to speak?

no.

At least, not until they have a dependable way to go with my friends.

One of my favorite “little things” in the game are the children. No matter where you are, there are kids running around. The most obvious is the snowball fight in Wayfarers, but there are younglings of every race in almost ever town, and they all seem to be playing. Some of them have the most hilarious conversations.

Myth #(whatever): The more you throw in, the better your chance…

Many folks have a misconception of what RNG is an how it works. RNG is getting s a specific result out of (X) possible combinations. So, if one throws in the same exact ingredients, the result is going to be the exact same ratio for each attempt.

(Much Simplified) Example: If you roll a regular 6-sided die, you have the exact same chance (1 in 6) of getting a 4 every time you roll the die. The number you rolled is not removed from the rotation. You have the potential to roll a 4 every time you roll, or never. It’s the same chance on roll #1 as it is on roll #401.

If you extrapolate to the chances of making a precursor, you have the exact same chance of getting one on your first attempt as you do on your 9000th. the odds simply don’t get better the more you try.

I tried sPvP in the beginning. Even had a few of my guildies go with me.

The biggest problem I had at the time was actually getting on the same team as my guildies. The entire sPvP animal was like RA (random arenas) in GW1. In other words, you queue, you get thrown into a match with a team you have never met, and you fight the other side. Sometimes that other side is the people you were originally trying to group with.

I haven’t played since. I’m just not into solo PvP.

@ someone who sPvP’s all the time: Is that the way it still works? I haven’t been there in months.

One of the best was way back in the beginning. A bunch of us (fresh level 30’s) got together and did AC Story mode with no idea where to go and what to do. We didn’t look at a guide, and we didn’t know many who had been inside before.

It took us almost 4 hours to finish, most of the time spent trying to kill Vassar and Ralena (they have since changed the encounter somewhat.)

When we finally finished, we were happy to get the reward, but we were more happy that we somehow survived.

The newness has worn off, and we can do the paths fairly quickly now, but that first epic trip into a level 30 dungeon was priceless.

I don’t hate her, per se, but I do find her kind of boring.

GW2 does need a master villain to focus our attention. We need a great evil to fight. We need Dragons.

Scarlet was given to us instead. She is the means to carry a story (even if you don’t like it) and that’s it. Her only true fault was/is in being everywhere.

When she showed up in the Queen’s Jubilee, she was still in her “infancy” and kind of mysterious. We didn’t know anything about her, and we wondered who this person was who was so intent on screwing up the event. It really wasn’t a bad device at the time.

Unfortunately, every…single…one of the LS updates since then have been a direct result of Scarlet and her evil, if unsubstantiated plans. I would have had less apathy toward her if they had skipped a chapter here and there and then brought her back. I had hopes for the tower, but then when I found it to be Scarlet again, I did the meta and have yet to go back to Kessex.

So, in the end, I don’t hate her, I just couldn’t care less about her.

Eventually, her arc will end and we’ll move on to something else. Then we’ll find someone/something else to complain about as well.

Love: No Trinity
Hate: Everyone who says they’ve quit but still insist on trolling the forums

I agree that we need more guild stuff such as halls and whatnot, but I am one of the few that think player housing isn’t as important as a lot of other things that need to be added.

In every game I have played that has player housing, the gold sinks and grind for certain “amenities” was worse than anything in GW2 as it is now.

Player housing also adds individual content, but group content suffers as a result.

The last thing this game needs is more individual content. At least guild halls is a group effort.

Antara.3189:

Actually a lot of activity in GW1 end game was farming, speed clears, title farming. Actually completing content with a organized team to try for awesome gear was a lot of fun. There really is no awesome gear that you can farm in this game. You just have to play the time gate, or cash shop game. Which I find to be quite un-amusing

You could get tired of that, but that goes with anything.

Awesome Gear? In general, what you were grinding for was mats and cash for skins. Not too much different here, except for Ascended gear, which has its own set of problems.

Farming? In general, except for a few named weapons, farming was for mats and cash. Sound familiar?

Speed Clears? Another form of mat farming. I ran UW speed clears. It was no less of a “job” than farming for mats here. The big question when you got out of UW wasn’t “Was it fun?” It was “How many ectos did you get?”

Title Farming? The titles in GW1 were gained through massive amounts of grind/farming. People seem to forget that.

The thing is that GW2 is fun. Asking for an expansion isn’t going to solve the problems people have with farming and grinding. All it will do is give you more areas to grind in.

I’d rather have it packaged in nice little chunks ever few weeks instead of needing to go out and purchase another box.

Gianluca, while I sympathise with you, I have to respectfully disagree. It’s a PvP area. The “enemy” is not going to ask you if you’re “just there for the puzzle.” They are assuming that anyone in a PvP area is fair game.

The best advice I have for you is to find a decent sized group who wants to do the puzzle and take it away from them. Spank the “enemy” a few times and maybe they’ll think twice before jumping you again (no pun intended.)

I see a lot of people asking for an expansion.

I get where you’re coming from. New, permanent content is always a good thing, even though the implementation might be a bit off.

Here’s the problem:

Let’s say ANet gives us an expansion. For Example, let’s say Elona. So, we all take our level 80’s to Elona, and run through the content in a month, then we all head back to LA to hang out and cry about dead zones, nothing to do, and how bad GW2 is.

I really don’t want that kind of expansion. I remember once you “won” over the big baddies in GW1, the rest of the time we stand in the hubs looking for something to do. Don’t say it didn’t happen, because I was there. It happened all the time. If you weren’t in one of the big-time GvG guilds, then the content got old, and the grinding for racial and faction reps got tedious. Saying it was glorious is just rose-colored glasses.

Now, on the other hand, let’s say ANet gives us decent Living Story updates with lingering permanent changes to the world, including, but not limited to new areas, and new skins, et al. Add some challenging content in the existing world to go along with the new stuff as well. I think that’s something worth doing.

The thing is that the concept of the Living Story is a good one, but the implementation has been rather haphazard. Some were good, some not so much, but you can’t say there wasn’t something new to do ever two weeks or so, no matter who you are. Choosing not to do it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.

If they were to update the LS every month instead of every 2 weeks, and give us quality over quantity, I would take LS updates over an expansion any day of the year.

Morrigan.2809:

I like open world PvE.

I like roaming around and doing events- I like running into people in the most unlikely places and the epic fights that can be had.

Just yesterday I was poking around the vault at the old Baradin Estate to get some kills, when the 3 champs popped- I was all alone so I just started on the first one when in wanders a little Asura engineer- we ended up killing all 3 it was epic and very fun.

I run into people and fun happens
I love the open world, even when I am alone it is awesome.

^This…

It’s great when you’re out there all by yourself and all of a sudden you’re running with another player or two, tearing up the content and having a blast. It’s not always about the rewards, and it’s not always the so-called grind (of which there is very little in this game, but that’s another thread entirely.)

Sometimes it’s just about wandering around.

Maybe they’ll find a way to ban all the “I don’t play any more but I’m still trolling the forums” posts?

Seriously, though, I’m not the type to give up on something just because they do one or two things I don’t like. I’m hanging out to see what happens next.

Cheers!

Happy 2014…in 2 hours and 15 minutes…from Arkansas!

Safety first! Hire a cab!

I think the overall gist of this conversation is that a lot of us who very fondly remember GW1 with all it’s wonderful aspects and its problems realize that GW2 is a completely different game. We’re not looking to “remake” GW1.

In the end, GW2 will be GW2. Like it or hate it, the game is its own, and there’s nothing else out there like it. Just as there’s nothing else out there like GW1, WoW, DAOC, Conan, Rift, FF(whatever) or any other game. Every game is unique, even though they may “borrow” from other games (yes, I know some “borrow” a LOT.)

I reiterate: There’s a lot in GW1 that I think would be cool if they added to GW2, but I like GW2 better. If there comes a point in which I am no longer having fun, then I will go on to something else. Not only that, I am sure I would find things from GW2 (and 1) that I would like to see in whatever new game that I play.

It’s human nature. Look at all the threads in this forum about "I wish you did (X) like they did in (insert game here.) I would bet that if you looked in the forums of any game, you will find the same kinds of threads.

Grats!

…and if you give Dark Wasp any bows, I want some too!

I have come to believe that there are two types of nostalgia for GW1 present here and in the GW2 world.

The first type, of which I am one, remembers the fun we had, and the beautiful world, and the wonderful way the professions worked together. We remember the quests, the “named” mob hunts, the UW, and the mini dungeons of EotN. We also remember endless grinding of rep for Kurzick or Luxon shineys, and the hunt for ectos and armbraces so we could use them as currency to buy even more shineys. We remember the leaps and bounds that the game made in mechanics and synergy, and we remember the bad things as well. We do indeed remember it fondly, but we’re not so blind as to think it was the game to end all games.

The second type, of which there are quite a few, remember GW1 as the Holy Grail of MMOs, even though it was not a true MMO. GW1 was actually instanced throughout except for the hubs. They also think that everything that GW1 was should be in GW2, no matter whether it was a good thing or not.

Most of us (of both types) would love to see some of the things that GW1 developed added to GW2. Saying we want something doesn’t mean we want to go back.

There are a few things from GW1 that I would NEVER want to see in GW2.

Number one on the list is the Trinity. Followed shortly thereafter by Reputation grind.

The way GW2 is now, I can play wherever I want, and do pretty much whatever I want. If I want something that involves grind, I am free to do so, but it is in no way required of me.

Tl;DR:
There are those of us who played GW1 before coming to GW2 and remember a lot about it very fondly. In my opinion, GW2 is a whole new game that even with all its problems, is still far and away better than the constraints of the old GW1 game. I don’t want to play GW1 in a shiny new box. I want to play GW2.

Uvatha.5476:

Back when I first started I played every class and race to get a feel of what I liked and how they worked. I usually ran them till the mid 20’s or past the personal story then moved on. I was learning the game and it wasn’t like I was completely locked in or vested in the characters I was experimenting with. It’s not like I spent hours on hours with them and I didn’t soulbind any super special rare skins and equipment to them so there was nothing lost.

Let this be a test character for you. Give the class and racial story a try and go ahead and delete and start over with proper hair. It’s a decent way to get comfortable with how the game runs and you won’t have to go through the hassle of trying to obtain a hair change kit in the gem store.

This^

Also, if you have decided that this character is your main, then pony up the gems for the kit. You can buy them with in-game gold, or if you prefer, whip out the credit card. Either way, they are easy to get, just depends on whether or not you buy them. THey also have complete makeover kits and name change contracts if you decide to completely redo a beloved character without losing everything.

@ the OP:

Welcome to Guild Wars 2!

1. You asked about leveling speed… In general, I find that I can put a level on my characters in about an hour and a half, if I work at it. Sometimes it goes a bit faster, but sometimes it goes a bit slower, depending on my mood, and the content at the level I happen to be at. The cool thing is that it takes about the same amount of time to level from 79 to 80 as it does to level from 10 to 11. The content and leveling process makes it a flat leveling curve rather than taking progressively longer to level as you get higher.

2. You damage will feel low no matter which profession you try until you unlock your traits at 11. The exception is Great Sword Warrior, as it tends to steamroll everything in PvE until at least level 40 or so. Since you have said you are playing ranger, check out the ranger forums. There is a lot of good information there. Sometimes you have to search for it, but it is there.

3. Technically speaking, there is no level limit on “getting out of” your starter zone. You can physically go to any zone in the map at any level…but I wouldn’t recommend it. Any mob 5 or more levels above you are terribly difficult to kill, and many of them will tether to other mobs, so you get more than one at a time. My best advice would be to wander around the starting zone and become familiar with your character. When you get to level 14-15 venture into the next level area. If you finish all the content in the starter zone before you’re high enough level to go on, go to the Grove, and take the Asura Gates to Lion’s Arch, and from there to the capital cities of the other races, and then go to the lower level zones for each race. The content will still be challenging, and you’ll get to see the world in the process.

A couple minor things I have learned that may help you:

1. Learn to dodge! It may save your life, and at higher levels, it will save your life.

2. Don’t worry about armor too much. You’ll outlevel it fairly quickly. Others may do it differently, but I get new armor about every 10 levels. I get new weapons every 5.

3. Ignore the trolls. They are everywhere, and they will do everything in their power to try to convince you that GW2 is not fun, or has too many issues, or doesn’t give them everything right now, etc… Yes, there are some issues, but make your own decisions and let them blather on.

4. Save crafting for when you’re a bit higher level. Yes, it’s a good way to gain experience, and yes, you can make your own stuff for leveling, but it gets expensive pretty quickly, and there are some ingredients that can only be gained from certain places. In the case of Cook, there are some ingredients that can only be gained from Karma vendors (the heart-quest NPCs that turn into vendors when you complete the heart.) I recommend that you be around 20 before you start crafting, unless you’re rich.

5. Don’t let what a character feels like at level 12 define what it will be at level 80. Some professions are vastly different at level cap than they are at low levels.

Good luck to you, and if you need help/advice/conversation, add me to your friend list and give a yell. Chat is cross-server.

An Oak Knob.1275:

No people don’t want Cantha or Elona. people want crystal dessert. orange stone dessert west of maguna jungle, Northern northern far far shiverpikeus and lake land north of human city whatever it’s called.
Also bloodlands.

um… the epic thread about Cantha would beg to differ…

I think at this point, ANY new territory would be good. I would love to go to the Isle of Janthir (that’s the place north of DR) or the Far Shiverpeaks, or the Crystal Desert, or the Ring of Fire.

However, this thread is about Elona. I feel that if the Order of Whispers has access already, that it’s more likely for us to go there before we get to Cantha.

Yes, there’s a lot of the existing world that we have yet to see, but speculation is fun.

Ok, there is an epic thread to bring about a way to get to Cantha, however the Elonian thread has somehow disappeared into the mists. So, in order to give Elona a fair shake, here’s a new thread.

I would love to go to Cantha, and I do hope it opens up for us at some point. Having said that, I think I would rather go to Elona. I think, as far as existing lore goes, it would be more feasible…

There is already a crack in the doorway, so to speak in the form of a refugee and self-proclaimed prophet in the Black Citadel “basement” named Alain. He is one of the Al’Seen and can be found in the Gladium Canton.

from http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Elona:
According to Alain, it was prophesied over three hundred years ago that an Elonian, long from home and living beneath steel, would rise and lead his people back to the Crystal Desert.

Evidently, Alain thinks he is going to be this “hero” to lead his people back to Elona.

So, if we were to speculate on returning to Elona:

1. There would have to be an elderly Elonian “hero” to lead us back there. A new, level 80 PS line could take us back there to free Elona from Palawa Joko and Kralkatorrik.

2. New “Elonian” skills and skins.

3. A new way to implement undead. These would absolutely need to be different than Risen. More like skeletons, spectres, and hellhounds (some of them tamable for rangers) and maybe Margonites or Forgotten like we saw in GW1 (among other places.) Add a few smite crawler-type mobs and a wurm or two for getting through the desert, and you get the idea.

4. A reason to go there. According to Lore, 50 years ago is the last wave of refugees from Elona. Maybe the Order of Whispers (of which there are still ways for them to get there) found settlements on the old island of Istan and we have to go rescue them? Maybe the kingdoms of Vabbi have risen above the sands, and the Priory wants to study them? Maybe the Vigil decided to launch a pre-emptive attack because they thought Palawa Joko was going to breach the Dragonbrand? Or maybe, a simple case of “So-and-so found a trail, and guess what he saw,” which stirred up Palawa’s armies and we have to defend the existing Tyria from them?

5. Finally, an epic end-game style battle with Kralk. Not like the one we had with Zhaitan. We need an actual battle on the order of Tequatl in order to kill him, or maybe a 20-player raid-style instance. Oh… and the rewards would have to MATCH the effort it takes. I would love to see a unique weapon or (complete) armor skin that you can ONLY get from defeating Kralk.

Right now, the land of Tyria has no real desert zone. Everything is jungles, or middle European forests and vales. We could use Elona, and I would daresay that we need it more than we need Cantha.

What say you all?

1. The ability to go do something else. Before you think “troll,” hear me out. I can drop the game and go play with my granddaughter, or see a movie, or go on vacation, or take a 6 month hiatus, or anything else, and come back to basically the same game as I left, and not have to worry about whether or not I can still play.

2. Dodge mechanic. Yes, I know how to dodge. I like that you actually have a chance of avoiding that one-shot boss.

3. The World!!! As everyone pretty much agrees the world is absolutely beautiful… with the exception of Orr, but that’s my personal taste. I think Orr looks like someone left an aquarium in the garage for ten years. Otherwise, the only thing missing is a true desert-style zone.

4. The ability to do what you want in-game. Gear grind? Only if I want to. WvW? only if I want to. Dungeons? only if I want to… you get the idea. There is no bit of content in the game that is absolutely required in order to do any other content (except for leveling, of course.) If you want to start Fractals, you don’t have to go to (X) and talk to (Y) and complete dungeon (Z) in order to do it.

5. Cooperative events. I am not talking about Events (capital E) I am talking about everything in the game. I have played so many games where a group would get ready for a specific Event and some kitten would come through the zone and tag the most important boss so that your group got no credit/rewards. I am absolutely thrilled that anyone can participate and everyone involved in an event gets rewarded. Yes, there could be some tweaking to that in order to make it something other than a DPS fest, but I have been a lowbie and come across a champ fight (not the train in Q’dale) and gotten in a hit or two before it died and got the bronze reward. I still got something for my trouble.

The thing is that there is a whole list of things I like about the game, but you only asked for 5, so these are the most important to me.

I have 8.

One of each profession. I may make more, but I’m not done with these yet.

I have in the back of my mind an idea of what professions suit which race/gender before I ever bought the game…

These are what I ended up with:

Female Human Elementalist (my main and namesake)
Female Norn Necro (Because it boiled down to cultural armor)
Female Norn Guardian
Female Human Ranger
Male Norn Warrior
Male Human Mesmer

and I thought long and hard about which race to make an engineer. I’ve made and remade my engineer so many times, and wasn’t happy. Things I had done at creation didn’t translate well into the game itself. I tried Charr, but I can’t play a Charr for the sole reason that their running animation makes me laugh. I tried Asura, but I didn’t like the lack of armor divergence between genders. I tried Sylvari, but I simply don’t like them.

So, in the end, I made a Female Norn Engineer. I have yet to play her, so, I will see how it goes.

Cheers!

@ the OP:

Only you can decide whether joining a guild is for you. Yes, there are perks (some like them, some don’t care) and yes, it saves you from PUGging things, but in general, guilds in this game a more social than anything else.

There are some strictly WvW or Dungeon guilds, but with the ability to join more than one in this game, you can do both! Check out the Guild Recruitment forums.

Have fun!

I use Chrome, and I have to log in every time.

I don’t mind, though… I don’t like my computer “remembering” my passwords and log in information for me.

Sylv.5324:

There are horses in Tyria, but the running joke is that they are never on-camera. They show up in art, in references, in the books, in NPC chatter, but their models have not been dropped in game and it’s the case since GW1 (except for necrid horsemen). I assume this is a Monty Python reference (there are several in both games), since everyone in The Holy Grail ran around and just clacked coconuts together even though horses existed.

I like this^

On a more serious note, though, horses are very hard to render correctly. Even in the “new” MMOs out there right now, and the ones coming up, any horse in-game looks comical and badly designed. If GW2 warranted mounts, then I am sure we would see some version, but for atmosphere, it’s way too much work for something that wanders around and eats (and does “other” things.)

Very good post. I think it says a lot about some of the underlying problems with the game without pointing fingers and adding “Anet needs to do (X)” every other sentence.

I agree with some of the others. It sounds like you’re overloaded and just need a break.

As far as the Ascended gear and whatnot, it will still be there later. So will the 90% of the content that can be done without it.

A word on the Dungeon issue:

Are you using the LFG tool and websites solely to find groups, or are you trying to start groups? Sometimes, there could be people out there who feel as you do, and they’re not seeing it either. Before you leave, you might try posting a LFG saying something like “Looking for casual run, no speed clears or ‘pros’…Chatty folk encouraged!” and see where that gets you. Who knows? maybe it’ll be a new “career” for you and you’ll be known as the go-to guy (or girl) for casual, fun dungeons instead of farming runs and speed clears. If I had the time, I know I would do it. Alas, I am lucky to have an hour at a time to log in any more. Real life sucks that way sometimes.

I average about 20g pretty consistently. I will drop a fw here and there for the occasional armor upgrade for my lower level characters, but in general, I make that back by playing the game.

The most I have ever had at one time is 190-ish. That came from the sale of my one and only precusor drop, which wasn’t one of the “expensive” ones. I used most of it to outfit a WvW character.

Personally, I think the kick system is flawed in its inception.

Once inside an instance of any kind, kicking should not be allowed. Allowing people to kick (even with the protection of the instance owner and requiring more than one to kick) sets up a system where people can kick random players solely to sell slots or invite their buddies in for completion with no effort.

In open world, or WvW, kicking people has no real ramifications other than to kitten off some poor sot who got kicked, but the unethical way kicking is used in a lot of dungeons and fractals is simply wrong, in my opinion.

I feel like once you’ve entered an instance, kicking someone should have real ramifications, such as being unable to invite someone else (therefore decreasing your chance for a successful run,) or better yet, remove the “kick” function from all instanced material altogether.

Yes, there would be people who ruin a run on purpose, but that’s ever so much better than putting in hours to accomplish something only to have your slot sold to the highest bidder or given to a lazy guildie.

Things I would like to see:

1. The end of Scarlet. Not because I hate her, but because at some point, her story (such as it is) has to have a logical conclusion. Kill her, turn her into a Dragon minion, I don’t care, but I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that her time is over, and we need something/someone else.

2. Tabs for armor/weapon sets. If I am doing a dungeon, I wear (X) armor, and if I am doing general PvE, I wear (Y) armor. If I am in WvW, I wear (Z) armor. It takes me 15 minutes just to get to the bank, change weapons and armor, find the re-traiter, set my traits, and then head out. I would give my eye teeth for build tabs that would automatically change your armor, weapons, and traits. Even if it cost me silver each time I changed…as long as it doesn’t cost me gold.

3. Adjustments to the risk vs rewards in areas above level 10 and below level 80. The zones are beautiful! How about you give us a REASON to go back to them?

4. GUILD TOOLS!!! I know I’ve harped about it, but can we please have a “last online” feature? How about a “Sort by: (criterion)” tool? Maybe a
“guild leader only” tool to be able to mass mail the whole guild? The key is that we need more administration tools to make running a guild easier.

5. Finally, I would love to see more territory. Isle of Janthir? Far Shiverpeaks? Crystal Desert? Maguuma? How about the Ring of Fire?

Things I expect to see?

1. The end of Scarlet. Regardless of how they do it, I think they’ll end her one way or the other.

2. LS involving those big thumper machines, although I fully expect them to have something to do with Scarlet.

3. (This is a hope/expect/wish) New ways to gain BiS gear without having to either craft oneself into the poorhouse or whip out the credit card. Until they do this, I won’t have Ascended anything nor will I have a legendary.

Cheers!

I am hoping someday for the attached armor… It is the Shaman Armor worn by the Raven Shaman in Hoelbrak (among others.) I want for my Necro…(drool)

I am on the fence on this issue.

1. On the one hand, I do hear of people who won’t group with players with less than (X) AP. It would be almost laughable except that in general, it’s fairly easy to get that first few thousand AP. Up until about 2-3K it does mean you have a good grasp of the game and how it works, but after that it’s just numbers (except for point 2 below.) In this case, yeah, there’s no reason for it to be public.

2. On the other hand, it’s one of the few ways this game has to give you a sense of accomplishment. Without a Hall of Monuments type display area, it gives people a sense of “Look what I did!” When I see people in my friend list that have over 10K, I know without a doubt that they like this game, or they wouldn’t have put that much time and energy into it. It’s the one thing in the game that you can’t buy. Ascendeds? Legendaries? Go ahead…whip out your credit card…but Achievement Points are yours through actually playing the game. In this case, let them show for everyone to see.

So in summary, yes, there are elitist who will use the AP to beat their collective chests and exclude lower-AP players, but in general, AP is a good way to show off your accomplishments.

I would rather that they leave it alone, I think. We’re (yes, all of us) not responsible for someone else. If they (the elitist AP snobs) are exclusionary because of a number, do you really want to group with them in the first place?

Edit: I am just under 5K in AP, even though I’ve played for a year and I am good at what I choose to do. I just don’t chase AP.

@ the OP:

When you get ready to try again, communicate. Many times the group you’re in doesn’t realize what you’re going for. IF you explain before anyone actually goes into the instance, it saves a lot of headaches.

Also, start your own group, and make sure you’re the one who owns the instance (by being the first “in the door”) and nobody can kick you. If they do, then they’re booted from the instance as well.

If you go to the LFG tool, make sure you read them thoroughly. If there are any doubts, whisper before you join. Asking questions never hurt anyone unless you’re unfortunate enough to whisper one of those elitist snobs who only know how to say L2P…

Finally, I reiterate…communicate before you go in. It will definitely save a lot of problems later.

Good luck to you!

Smooth Penguin.5294:

If you don’t make your Ascended gear now, you’ll be left behind. So I suggest everyone go out and buy Linen and Silk scraps by the truck loads.

For every stack of mats sold, a quaggan gets his wings.

Says the flipper?(jk)

Add to this:

10. No competing for nodes! There is nothing more maddening in other MMOs than fighting through 15 mobs for a rare node, only to have someone else ninja the node for you.

11. Travel that doesn’t involve horrendously expensive mounts or having to walk through a zone to get to the next. I remember those days of EQ1 with the epic runs across territory just to get to the area you wanted to be in…and I don’t remember them fondly.

12. Things to do – Yes, people complain about not having anything to do, but seriously, there’s really a lot. Some of it may not be to one’s particular liking, but if you look hard enough, there’s always something going on.

13. The world – like the game or not, the world is absolutely one of the most beautiful and detailed worlds I have ever seen in a game. There are mountains, snow, jungles, day-glow plants, forests, plains, cities, ruins, graveyards, water, and giant coral structures. The details in everything are so fine as well. Your footprints in sand fade as if they’re washed away by the water, you raise dust when walking on the paths, you have shadows, and there are minuscule bugs, birds, and other “ambients.” Grasses move in the breeze, and even your hair moves when you do. Even after running over the same ground for over a year, I still have to stop and just look at stuff from time to time.

14. Finally, there are the people who play. Yes, there are kittens, but in general, the people I have met have been wonderful.

So, yes, there is a LOT of things they got right. Thank you for reminding me, Proxy.

Actually, it’s a problem that is prevalent in a lot of games. Once the initial rush to level cap is over, most of what you will find are farmers, certain events, and hub parties where everyone hangs out and waits for (X) to pop.

Good luck in whatever server you go to, but if you want to do specific events, guesting is the way to go. Especially if transferring isn’t feasible.

The only true solution for having players in all the zones, though, is to make them worth revisiting after level cap. Right now, there are woefully inadequate reasons to go back.

Good luck to you!

gee…thanks… I never noticed it in over a year of playing…

now it’s going to stand out like Rudolph’s nose ever time I look at my human female characters…

lol… it is kind of funny, though. It’s not like the leg is out, it’s like the knee is aimed wrong. Everything else looks ok to me, but the knee is mounted on the side of the leg…

wow… just wow…

I love my Kasmeer’s skin. and No, I am not a mesmer.

I also love the pact skin from the end of the PS (although the glow could be better,) and Final Rest, which I have on my necro.

Yes, taking the time to read the LFG can avoid some problems. Yes, explaining that you are new, and seeing if you can find a good learning group is a good thing, and yes, starting your own dungeon group is the best way to avoid being kicked, however…

The poster could have said it so much better.

There are a LOT of people out there who are not simply looking for the next farm or the speed clear.

Post your own LFG asking for people who are learning. Ask in map chat if there’s anyone who wants to run with a new player. Communicate with the group before you go into the dungeon.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to absolutely guarantee that you won’t be kicked for one reason or another, but if you lead, others will follow. Take the chance, and don’t let the farmers and speed clearers get you down.

Good luck to you!

I am chasing Achievements. Right now I am working on the Dive Master. I have one dive left…yep…“that” one…the “Not so secret” one….

In the immortal words of Louis Nye as the emotional newscaster:

“Take the money and run like a frightened deer!”

Now, don’t laugh, y’all…

I have an off-the-shelf (from our friends at Best Buy) Asus CG5290:

2.67Ghz Quad core i7
9GB ddr3 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Windows Vista OS (yah, I know, rite? I was lucky… got one of the ones with no problems)
Razer Anansi keyboard
Logitech thumb-style roller ball mouse (Helps with the physical issues I have)

Not the best system in the world, but it works for me. I have had no issues with framerate, my viewing experience is perfect, and the only lag I have ever had is in LA on those days when everyone in the game is there.

Someday I will build one.

I thought this particular thread died…Who brought it back to life?

Fact 1: The trains aren’t going anywhere until the risk vs rewards in other zones matches what can be gained in Q’dale and Frostgorge.

Fact 2: There will be those who defend it and those who want it killed.

Fact 3: New players are NOT stupid. Assuming they are incapable of learning what the trains are is elitist and rude. I am sure they can figure out that the champ train is not “normal” play and that it is independent of what is needed to complete the map. (Yeah, it’s true. You can complete the map without ever killing or even needing to kill one of the champs on the train.)

So, how about we all take a chill pill and let everyone be?