Guild Wars 2

BrunoBRS.5178:

Iason Evan.3806:

I am not against gating. I would just rather the gating be about cosmetics. Gated glider skins that we earn through the mastery system versus the gem shop because the gliders are a system of the x-pac which we already paid for. Gating armor skins, weapons skins that we earn and for the very same reasons I just mentioned.

Gating certain enemies is not my cup of tea. I want my enemies to be based on my skill as a player, not based on my gear or in GW2’s case how many mastery points I have earned and which places I have placed them. Same goes for exploring.

did you complain at launch that you didn’t have a fully geared character with all skills unlocked because you already paid for arah and those utilities?

We are tlaking end game here not the levelling experience. When I hit lvl 80 I wasnt gated behind anything. I was able to do all exp dungeons and all content available in the game.

BrunoBRS.5178:

Beast Sos.1457:

My take on how Combat Masteries should work.

The way I would like to see these Masteries added is, for example, the mordrem wolf is deadly when it flanks, we should get a Mastery that lowers the dmg on the flank and another one that increases the dmg you do to mordrem in general. Another example is, when fighting a Mordrem dragon he flies over you and tries to pick you up, if it gets you, you are dropped from a certain height taking fall dmg. gain a Mastery that either reduces the fall dmg or makes it so the dragon cant pick you up as high, which tunrs out to less fall dmg.

i really DON’T like this idea because all it does is trivialize player skill. wasn’t it you that just a few posts above was saying about how combat should be about player skill, not having the right masteries? how isn’t “now i don’t have to worry about being flanked by mordrem wolves” the exact opposite of that?

rather than something uninteresting like “now i do more damage against X enemy”, i prefer combat masteries to be “enablers”. yeah, hard gates. can’t do this thing until i have that thing. better than “can do this thing, but once i have that thing, it’ll be way easier”.

That doesnt change the fact that combat should be based on skill. All it means is that if you get that Mastery you dont have to be as careful around mordrem wolves. Either way these were just examples. I’m not a game designer so I’m not going to have the best ideas lol.

ImTasty.2163:

My question is why complain about gated content now? It’s not like the Mastery system is the first to do this in game. What about agony preventing you from doing high level fractals without getting the infusions? What about World Ability Points that improve what you do in WvW? I guess I just don’t understand why people are getting defensive about Mastery when the truth is Anet is not introducing something that’s a foreign concept.

The Mastery system doesnt have to gate combat thats the thing here. They can make it so getting the Mastery is VERY useful but not necessary. That would personally make me want it more. Especially the fact that I can work at it at w.e pace I want since its not gating me from content.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

You mean like Orr was gated to you when you started the game? You couldn’t just go there, you had to grind levels and get gear. How is this different?

You cant compare end game to the levelling experience. I was never once gated at lvl 80 in gw2. Once i hit 80 i had the gold to get rare gear just from lvling, that was enough to do all exp dungeons. I was never gated once. Even in green gear you can do Arah exp.

That’s ok, because this isn’t GW2, this is GW2:HoT. And yes, I can definitely compare leveling up to leveling up, because that’s what you’ll be doing. You will no longer be a level 80 when you load up HoT, you will be whatever your Mastery Level is.

Instead of a continent with four separate regions we’re only getting one region. If you can just enter it and do it all right off the bat you’ll run out of game in nothing flat, no matter how dense it is. By making you level up with horizontal leveling in order to access and use the content they’re drawing it out. It isn’t a gear grind, you’re just leveling up your new parallel levels.

I’m not saying they shouldnt have something to work towards. What I am saying is that you shouldnt be forced to get it but more compelled to get it because its just that useful.

My take on how Combat Masteries should work.

The way I would like to see these Masteries added is, for example, the mordrem wolf is deadly when it flanks, we should get a Mastery that lowers the dmg on the flank and another one that increases the dmg you do to mordrem in general. Another example is, when fighting a Mordrem dragon he flies over you and tries to pick you up, if it gets you, you are dropped from a certain height taking fall dmg. gain a Mastery that either reduces the fall dmg or makes it so the dragon cant pick you up as high, which tunrs out to less fall dmg.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Beast Sos.1457:

Astral Projections.7320:

Beast Sos.1457:

Astral Projections.7320:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

In the current game you can make your way to Frostgorge or Orr without being a high enough character level to fight efficiently. You can get there, but the mobs will one shot you. That’s what it sounds like here. The lower your (Mastery) level, the harder, to impossible, it will be to fight certain mobs. It’s leveling without leveling.

In other words the game already has combat gating.

We are talking about gating end game content here. Not lvling content.

I’m making a comparison. The mastery system is ANet’s answer to MMOs raising the level cap by 10 with each new expansion and wiping out your gear that you worked so hard for.

Why is it acceptable to gate combat by raising the level cap and invalidating all your gear in other MMOs but not acceptable to have a gate through this Mastery system which allows you to keep all your gear?

This way you get to progress your character and make it stronger without wiping out old progress.

Content doesnt have to get gated behind Masteries to make the valuable. If a Mastery makes you take less dmg from mobs or you do more dmg to mobs then its going to be very valuable. I for one would work towards that Mastery tree without the feeling of being forced.

Wait, is this not what you assume it’s going to be? Cause that’s pretty much how I assumed it would work because it’s the only thing that makes sense.

I’m assuming that impossible will be made possible by grinding out the Masteries. Combat wise that is.

Lunarhound.7324:

Beast Sos.1457:

I just made a post on how combat Masteries should work, imo. Things like the glider and learning new language should be gating but combat is something that should be skill based and not gear/mastery based.

Okay, that is definitely a valid concern. The wording of your post gave me the impression that you were criticizing the mastery system as a whole for gating any content at all.

What gives me hope that combat masteries won’t feel too much like gating is the fact that you actually have to progress them. That, by itself, allows for at least a glimmer of hope that it won’t be a simple matter of “buy this to be able to kill that”. What we want is the feeling of learning new abilities that give us an edge in combat. Preferably, an edge that has some sort of unique (and hopefully, visually impressive) utility, and isn’t just statistical.

What we do not want is the feeling of, “Hey, raptors used to be invincible, but I bought the Raptor Fighting mastery, and now I can fight them like a normal enemy”. Or, as the case may be, “Raptors used to be invincible, but I progressed to level 2 of Combat Mastery and now I can fight them like a normal enemy. Giant tree monsters are still invincible, but I’ll gain the ability to fight them like a normal enemy at Combat Mastery 3.” That doesn’t improve combat or make it more interesting, it simply acts as a Mastery Point sink in the guise of learning a new ability.

What I’m REALLY HOPING they do is something more like this: “Some types of foes have armored parts that negate or greatly reduce damage taken from the side the armor is on. Now that my Combat Mastery is at 2, I have the ability to knock pieces of armor off (knock that huge shield out of that guard’s hand, or blast off a chunk of that thing’s armored shell), which lets me do huge amounts of damage by attacking in the direction of the exposed area. At Combat Mastery 3, I’ll be able to disarm opponents that carry special weapons (knock that huge hammer out of that ogre’s hand, so he can’t keep knocking everyone down with it).”

In other words, don’t simply make it so that we have to spend points to buy the ability to fight certain enemies. Make all enemies able to be defeated, but allow us to train our combat mastery to affect them in ways that give us unique advantages over them, and also look really cool.

This x1000000. I shouldnt feel like I’m forced to get combat Masteries, I should feel that I want that Mastery to be more useful or stronger.

Astral Projections.7320:

Beast Sos.1457:

Astral Projections.7320:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

In the current game you can make your way to Frostgorge or Orr without being a high enough character level to fight efficiently. You can get there, but the mobs will one shot you. That’s what it sounds like here. The lower your (Mastery) level, the harder, to impossible, it will be to fight certain mobs. It’s leveling without leveling.

In other words the game already has combat gating.

We are talking about gating end game content here. Not lvling content.

I’m making a comparison. The mastery system is ANet’s answer to MMOs raising the level cap by 10 with each new expansion and wiping out your gear that you worked so hard for.

Why is it acceptable to gate combat by raising the level cap and invalidating all your gear in other MMOs but not acceptable to have a gate through this Mastery system which allows you to keep all your gear?

This way you get to progress your character and make it stronger without wiping out old progress.

Content doesnt have to get gated behind Masteries to make the valuable. If a Mastery makes you take less dmg from mobs or you do more dmg to mobs then its going to be very valuable. I for one would work towards that Mastery tree without the feeling of being forced.

Astral Projections.7320:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

In the current game you can make your way to Frostgorge or Orr without being a high enough character level to fight efficiently. You can get there, but the mobs will one shot you. That’s what it sounds like here. The lower your (Mastery) level, the harder, to impossible, it will be to fight certain mobs. It’s leveling without leveling.

In other words the game already has combat gating.

We are talking about gating end game content here. Not lvling content.

BrunoBRS.5178:

Beast Sos.1457:

Lunarhound.7324:

The fact that it’s “gated content” doesn’t bother me. Absolutely anything you don’t begin the game with is technically “gated”. Skills are gated. Story missions are gated. The very concept of progression – even so-called “horizontal progression” – requires that one begin with less, and progress toward more. Zelda, one of the series referenced in the inspiration for masteries, “gates” content behind completion of certain story segments, or acquisition of certain tools. You may want to play in Death Mountain, but it’s not happening until you’ve “unlocked” it by progressing through the required content. Even more non-linear games like Skyrim “gate” content. You can’t perform shouts until complete certain requirements. You can’t experience game play with a short sword until you find one.

This is not, in itself, negative. Complaining that something is “gated” or that you are “locked out” of using it does not actually illustrate a problem with the system, it just makes a very vague statement about how the system (and nearly any other progression system) works.

So, how should masteries work? How do you have a “progression system” (which we all knew this was) in which progress is satisfying and rewarding, but holds back absolutely nothing from those who haven’t yet reached a given point? How do you implement a way to progress that doesn’t require you to progress?

I just made a post on how combat Masteries should work, imo. Things like the glider and learning new language should be gating but combat is something that should be skill based and not gear/mastery based.

why can’t it be both? you need the mastery to stand a chance in combat (hi agony resistance, hi the-entire-point-of-leveling-to-80), but that alone won’t win the fight, you still need to be skilled enough to take the enemy down.

Read my other post. Its called Combat Masteries. I feel like the ideas I gave (not specifically) are what combat Masteries should look like.

I like the idea of gating languages and the hand gliders, but combat should never be gated.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Beast Sos.1457:

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

You mean like Orr was gated to you when you started the game? You couldn’t just go there, you had to grind levels and get gear. How is this different?

You cant compare end game to the levelling experience. I was never once gated at lvl 80 in gw2. Once i hit 80 i had the gold to get rare gear just from lvling, that was enough to do all exp dungeons. I was never gated once. Even in green gear you can do Arah exp.

Gyler.8150:

If you don’t like the grind and what the xpac is bringing why buy it? This is why GW2 won’t move forward, too many people buy into the hype without asking for quality content.

Who said I dont like what the expansion is bringing. I’m stating my concerns on the Mastery system and how its going to be handled.

Kal Spiro.9745:

Ok, but at the same time, it seems like everyone who has an 80, and especially has been playing for a long while will be starting the game with a nice big chunk of Master Points. On the same note, new players will potentially be earning Mastery Points long before they ever reach the point where they can start using them.

Once you have Mastery Points you’re just leveling up your Mastery Track like you were leveling up your level before. It’s only a grind if you make it a grind. It’s as casual or hard core as you want it to be, without requiring you to do a raid every Wednesday with your entire guild to have a chance at maybe getting that one piece of gear you need to increase your gear score by 5.

Well the problem I’m seeing is that combat will be gated. That is a huge turn off for me. Like I said I could be 100% wrong but from the looks of it its seems like I would have to grind out a Mastery to be able to fight a certain boss/mob.

Lunarhound.7324:

The fact that it’s “gated content” doesn’t bother me. Absolutely anything you don’t begin the game with is technically “gated”. Skills are gated. Story missions are gated. The very concept of progression – even so-called “horizontal progression” – requires that one begin with less, and progress toward more. Zelda, one of the series referenced in the inspiration for masteries, “gates” content behind completion of certain story segments, or acquisition of certain tools. You may want to play in Death Mountain, but it’s not happening until you’ve “unlocked” it by progressing through the required content. Even more non-linear games like Skyrim “gate” content. You can’t perform shouts until complete certain requirements. You can’t experience game play with a short sword until you find one.

This is not, in itself, negative. Complaining that something is “gated” or that you are “locked out” of using it does not actually illustrate a problem with the system, it just makes a very vague statement about how the system (and nearly any other progression system) works.

So, how should masteries work? How do you have a “progression system” (which we all knew this was) in which progress is satisfying and rewarding, but holds back absolutely nothing from those who haven’t yet reached a given point? How do you implement a way to progress that doesn’t require you to progress?

I just made a post on how combat Masteries should work, imo. Things like the glider and learning new language should be gating but combat is something that should be skill based and not gear/mastery based.

The way I would like to see these Masteries added is, for example, the mordrem wolf is deadly when it flanks, we should get a Mastery that lowers the dmg on the flank and another one that increases the dmg you do to mordrem in general. Another example is, when fighting a Mordrem dragon he flies over you and tries to pick you up, if it gets you, you are dropped from a certain height taking fall dmg. gain a Mastery that either reduces the fall dmg or makes it so the dragon cant pick you up as high, which tunrs out to less fall dmg.

Things like that are great for combat when it comes to the Mastery system. Not a Mastery that makes a impossible fight possible.

What do you guys think? Should we get combat Masteries similar to what I mentioned or ones that make impossible content possible?

That would be pretty nice to see lol. At least that way its team work and not just some brainless portal (no offence to those sexy mesmers out there!).

That is my main concern, the need for these Masteries. I understand the need to master a language or how to hand glide but when it comes to combat, if they gate it behind the Mastery, all it feels like is a “gear grind”. When I say gear grind I mean a grind for something to be able to do certain content. Which is what gear grinding is and what Masteries are looking like.

Like Dante said, they would have to redo the zones if the Masteries were to do with the mobs/environment in a zone other than the jungle.

That Guy.5704:

yea I am sure they thought about this. My guess is there will be milestones like the SW puzzle even in the short ones where you have to tag all the flags in order for your time to count.

Very nice! I havent done the jp in SW so I didnt know about that. Thanks for the info!

My assumption is all based on not being able to do specific content without the corresponding Mastery.

Masteries are the new gear progression. Without them you cant kill certain mobs or you cant explore certain areas. This is pretty much forcing you to go grind areas you dont want to play in or content you dont want to do so you can play what you want. That is something that goes against Anets philosophy.

Now I can be 100% incorrect and you wont have to get Masteries to do certain content, all they will do is make the content easier. Certain Masteries should be gated like the hand glider and learning new languages, since you have to learn some way. But you telling me I cant do this boss fight or fight this certain mob because I dont have the corresponding Mastery, is just another gear grind with a fancy name on it.

I love gw2 and ill be buying the expansion no matter what but I’m concerned that the Mastery system isnt anything special and just adds grind to the game, which isnt necessary.

Adventures sound like a really cool idea but when it comes to jp it might be easily done. My concern is that a mesmer will be able to portal someone to the end of the jp and it will count towards the Adventure. I’m sure Anet already thought about this and have something in place, but just incase I wanted to mention it.

DevilLordLaser.8619:

Horrible. Just horrible.

‘Mastery’ should mean more than “I spend this point to do this one extremely narrow, specific thing that has one use in one fight and does me absolutely zero good anywhere else so that I’m forced to find thirty-nine other guys and spend an hour coordinating who takes what 98% pointless skill to clear this one boss.”

I’m already put out with how many boss encounters we have that boil down to “the weapons you’ve trained with for the entire game are useless against this boss’ armor/shield, but here! Take these SPECIAL ROCKS something drops and huck them at his face and that shield will come down in no time!” The point of the Mastery system and this hardcore challenging content should be mastery - learning how to use your tools, earning powerful new tools, and actually developing the talent and ability to cope with hard, unforgiving enemies.

The concept of “Pull Lever A to activate Environmental Weapon B so as to disengage Boss Shield C, while ensuring that Field D is in place to stop Boss Wipe Attack E” is not challenging or masterful. It’s insulting.

+1 /15charrs

..mounts?! /15 chars

Xiahou Mao.9701:

The Spoon fills up the slot for certain Teq-specific drops like the Superior Rune of the Sunless, the Benthic Aquabreathers, or the Bone Fragments of Tequatl. Before April, when you killed Tequatl you would sometimes get the Rune/Fragment/Aquabreather, but more often get none of the Teq-specific items and just normal loot. When the collections patch was added, the Spoon was made to drop any time one of the other Teq-specific items didn’t. As such, it’s giving you extra loot that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Since each Spoon sells for 10 silver, it’s already better than the 2.16 silver Rune that you wouldn’t even always get before.

Thanks for the respectful reply. I wasnt playing the game during that time so i was ignorant to that fact. I guess the rng Gods just havent been liking me lately.

Every time i do teq now i get the kitten spoon. This wouldnt be a problem if it didnt mess up the loot table. Its considered a exotic drop so i havent seen anything but that since it released. No other exotics, barley any rares the rest blues and greens. This needs to be removed or make it masterwork in quality so it doesnt destroy the loot.

Zypher.7609:

We could easily hear all the info 2 weeks before PAX. Basically a new article every day, so i figure we will not hear anything until middle-end of February.

I cant really see them doing a article everyday. I see it more of a tuesday news day thing.

dsslive.8473:

Beast Sos.1457:

dsslive.8473:

The blogpost should start somewhere in february if i remember correctly.

Did they mention that somewhere?

Thanks for the info!

In another thread Gaile made a comment about it, you can check it here:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/hot/Are-Masteries-limited-to-just-the-jungles/first#post4725906

Gaile Gray.6029:

Donari.5237:

Gaile, are you able to say when some answers will be forthcoming? Like, “this week we’ll start answering your questions,” as opposed to “in the time before the expansion, we’ll answer all your questions.” After all, we could be a year away from HoT.

I’m sure some systems are still under development (guild halls had a lot of line art in the trailer) and final answers cannot be provided, but it would be oh so nice to know when we can start learning more.

I believe you will start to learn more in early February.

I guess the upcoming tuesday we will be getting details. I would think atleast bc of the amount of info there is to be released.

Zypher.7609:

The only information that we received was in a few weeks they will begin the deep dive. PAX East will have a playable demo, so we should hear all about the new features before then.

Thats what i was thinking. If the demo is in 5-6 weeks from now then the info should start pouring in any time now.

dsslive.8473:

The blogpost should start somewhere in february if i remember correctly.

Did they mention that somewhere?

Thanks for the info!

When do we start getting details about the new content in HoT? I’ve been checking the website everyday since PAX and nothing yet.

We were never suppose to be “forced” to buy gems from the gem shop but with this addition id say otherwise. The gem shop was for anet to fund future content and expansions, not to put actual pve content in there like a mission and such. It was for cosmetics and small bonuses like xp boost and such. You can actually argue that in a way its p2w hehe. I say this bc with the LW you can get ascended trinkets from doing the achivs. Thats a power up for buying content off the gem shop. I know i took it a bit far and the power difference is tiny but it just shows that this wasnt meant to be how the gem shop works.

What i dislike about gw2 pvp is the game type. Add more variety!! You want the game to be esport material but doesnt mean us players have to suffer. Let the ppl who wants the game to be esport play conquest but for the rest of us… GIVE US OPTIONS!

ekimsfree.9406:

Hasn’t anyone heard that life is not fair. Unless past LS is advertised on the box as being a part of the game, there is no reason new players deserve to be able to access it for free – none. Not even taking into account the complaints that would arise from players who were currently playing the game but wasn’t able to log in for whatever reason. They have to pay but a new player doesn’t…

And LS is a good way for Anet to generate more revenue, and the more they can get from LS, the little bit less they have to rely solely on the gem store, which benefits the players – more in game armors, Hooray!

Life isnt fair but we’re playing a game here so that fact doesnt hold up. When you play a game you expect to get the whole story out of it not half then the rest of the story is gated behind the gem shop. Either pay 20$, which isnt worth it AT ALL, or play a friends instance but dont get kitten for your time.

nGumball.1283:

Beast Sos.1457:

Ailwynn.9632:

There is generally a price of some sort to be paid for being a late adopter. Regardless of the inclusion of season 2, the game is immensely worth the price, especially if you get it at a discount (which happens fairly regularly and was not available to early adopters who paid full price). It’s a tradeoff.

Not that I know of? Especially in the gw franchise. The game has been out for 2 and a half years now, so one would expect the game being less valuable. If a new Air Jordan shoe is released, will it be the same price 2 years after that release? Not a chance it will be much cheaper but we dont call that a discount.

You are paying 40$ for the game already, so to have to pay another 20$ on top of that for, as i mentioned before, less than 1/8 of the content you get with the box is madness.

Many MMOs release expansion at the same price as the original game.
Do you think the expansion has as much as content as the base-game?

Gw1 did. /15

Healix.5819:

If you don’t want to pay for it, simply find a friend that has access to it and join their instance. You won’t get any rewards out of it, but you can see the story.

The game is only $20 when it goes on sale, which if you add the cost of season 2, it’s regular price. They probably will reduce its price, but not for another 6-12 months. If they are releasing an expansion, they could even bundle it with the deluxe edition, but veteran players would complain since they would be paying for something they already have, regardless of if it was a free bonus.

I know you can play with a friends but you get nothing in return for your time spent. When playing a MMO to do something and get nothing, it just doesnt fit.

I guess i can recommend the game to my friends when its on sale, but i think they will still be a turn off to have to buy the rest of the story from the gem shop. The price tag fo the LS isnt worth, doesnt matter what you get the game for. If i pay 20$ for gw2 then notice i have to pay another 20 for barley any content id be kittened. Lets face it the LW season 2 has barley any content (excluding the story).

Good idea, would never happen. They would have to put a lot of time and effort into the elder dragon fight which isnt worth it for just 1 fractal, imo.

Ailwynn.9632:

There is generally a price of some sort to be paid for being a late adopter. Regardless of the inclusion of season 2, the game is immensely worth the price, especially if you get it at a discount (which happens fairly regularly and was not available to early adopters who paid full price). It’s a tradeoff.

Not that I know of? Especially in the gw franchise. The game has been out for 2 and a half years now, so one would expect the game being less valuable. If a new Air Jordan shoe is released, will it be the same price 2 years after that release? Not a chance it will be much cheaper but we dont call that a discount.

You are paying 40$ for the game already, so to have to pay another 20$ on top of that for, as i mentioned before, less than 1/8 of the content you get with the box is madness.

Morsus.5106:

Beast Sos.1457:

Its not even close to 1/8, maybe even less, of the content that you get when buying gw2. To be forced to pay 20$ for such a small amount of content is absurd.

You’re not forced to buy it. I agree with you wholeheartedly, $20 for Season 2 is a rip-off, but no one is forcing new players to buy it.

I guess its not forcing if the player doesnt want to know kitten all about the gw2 lore. If someone actually wants to understand the lore in the game they’re playing they are forced, for a lack of better words, to pay extra on top of the initial purchase.

Drede.4701:

The current price of the game plus the $20 in gems for season 2 is the same as the price of the game was when it came out. Seems like that is already a good deal. Anet has said in various posts that season 2 is free for the weeks that episode is current and that’s it. Technically it would only be $17.50 since episode 8 will probably stay current for awhile just like episode 4 did during the midseason break and episode 7 did during wintersday.

Season 2 is free for people who already have the game and log on at those times. This post is about new people buying the game. Youre tell me that season 2, 8 eps, is worth half of what gw2 costs atm? Its not even close to 1/8, maybe even less, of the content that you get when buying gw2. To be forced to pay 20$ for such a small amount of content is absurd. And no a new player cant afford gems with gold and wont be able to for months.

I beat this on my first try both regular and challenge mote. Its very easy if you know the mechanics and its even easier to learn them. 95% of the dmg you can avoid with ease just keep moving.

Can we get a official answer from Anet?! It would be nice to know how they plan on handling this.

Healix.5819:

Living story season 2 probably will eventually be sold as a package deal (as in a season 2 “box set”) for marketing purposes. As for including it with the game, the game is already discounted. If they were to include it, they would return the game to its original price ($59.99) which is the equivalent of its current price plus buying season 2 ($39.99 + $20).

There is no reason they would have to raise the price. Lets face it, LW season 2 barley had any content. The story got good dont get me wrong but content wise its lacking hard. There are a few fun fights but a lot of it is running around like a headless chicken. I would agree with you if there was a substantial amount of content but there isnt.

I remember asking for this a while back, i cant remember the exact answer i got but it was something like, Anet didnt want tera sytle combat. You can still attack without targeting though, even though its 10x harder.

TDC.1627:

Well the LS has alwasy been for people logging in at that time to play that story step over a 2 week period. Log in every 2 weeks, get that story for free. Miss out you can still reply (unlicke Season 1 where if you missed out if was gone for good). No one knows how they will handle the seasons or the expansions and what that means for the LS Stories.

Note: They can still “play” the episodes by playing with a friend who has them unlocked. They just can not earn any achievements or rewards from the LS Stories.

I dont think thats what the LW was for. The LW was something Anet wanted to try. They wanted to innovate and ill give them that.

If the LW wasnt about the elder dragons then okay fine np, its not going to affect your overall experience in the game. But when you buy a game and cant access half the content, which is part of the overall story, then you got yourself a problem.

Thats understandable but when playing a MMO a big part is rewards so to do something and to get nothing out of it is pretty b.s.

TDC.1627:

You would get the Main Personal Story and all open world content released to date.

You would not get to

1. Play Season 1
2. Play Season 2 (without paying 200 Gems per episode)

It is not known if Heart Of Thorns will included LS Season 2 as part of its cost or if Season 2 will be relased as a discounted bundle.

Honestly thats a bad decision on Anets part. If someone buys a game they expect to be able to play all the content in that game. Its not like these are bonus missions that dont really affect the story. Very bad business model imo.

Thanks for the reply!

Bump. I need a answer to know if i should recommend the game to friends or not. I know they wouldnt be willing to buy a game that doesnt give the full story with their purchase.

I’m not new to the game but i was j.w if a new player would buy gw2 today, would they get the LS season 2 or will they have to buy it from the gem store? IMO, the living story season 2 should come with a newly purchased copy of the game.

I would be one mad customer if i just bought the game and noticed i cant even play through the whole story line unless i pay for the episodes. That would be a huge turn off to the game.

I’d also like to add, i think that after every LS season, the chapters should be bundled and sold for a cheaper price, say 1000 gems per season. 200 gems per chapter isnt much but when you have to buy all of them at once its pricey.

I’d have to disagree. The Dragon fight from what I remember was not hard at all. I didnt go down once with the challenge mote up. The no refuge fight is tough if you rush it. How you want to go about fighting this boss is, stay away from him so the elemental will run towards you when it spawns. That stops the boss from standing in a pile of quicksand. The fire walls are really easy to avoid. All you have to do is stand away from the boss and watch your surroundings as you kill the elemental which does no dmg. The 5 skill is good for killing the elemental and getting away from the quicksand when it drops.

Overall these fights can be tough but not close to impossible to solo. Maybe you need to work on your awareness and game mechanics before talking down about the content.

FYI, you can run around the fire walls, no need to dodge everyone.

I agree with this. The fight isnt easy so completing is should be reward nicely. Not asking for the world but a little something would be nice. Challenge motes/mode will be my new dungeons until a actual dungeon is release with these types of fights.

I quit gw2 about 6 months ago but before that I was slowing down hard. A big reason for that was the lack of difficult content. I have been keeping up with the LS but thats all I do in gw2.

After playing this last chapter on challenger mode I was truly impressed. I havent had such a hard/good time in a boss fight in any MMO and ive played Wildstars “hardcore” dungeons, which are easy mode compared to this fight. If Anet implements these types of fights into dungeon and other content I truly see myself coming back to gw2 for good, and im sure many others will join me!

Keep up the amazing work Anet.

This. And more challenging content to gate those items behind.