Guild Wars 2

You know, I was thinking of making some type of summary of everything that was discussed… But, truly there were so many topics that we talked about that it’s almost worth listening to every bit.

If I could pick key points it would probably be:

-Remove port (Don’t force teams to run a mesmer)

-Adding a ladder system

-Adding more incentives for old/current/new players alike.

-Anet being more vocal about the progression of their current projects for spvp.

-Lock character swapping, and allowing teams to “inspect” the enemy teams
spec/talent/utilities. (This may not specifically be the answer, but integrate some type of intuitive system to prevent comp wars. It will always be an issue, but allow the other team to take note and try to strategize around it.)

-Fixing game-breaking bugs.

-Opening PTR to all players in GW2. (Just like in WoW, it gives other players unfair advantages and upper hands.)

-Adding more skill-shots all around the board. (Best example: Adding the burning speed mechanic to heartseeker)

-Give engi’s the help they deserve (BUFF THE MUTHA kittenS, although you may not need to buff them much at all if you remove port from this game.)

-Give all haste procs in this game the same mechanics Warriors have on Frenzy, and remove timewarps current affect. Needs to be re-vamped, imo.

-Bumping QT Vain automatically up to max rank. I think it is critical I have all the coolest looking gear in this game, it’ll definitely help the community grow!

Final words, ANET I’m not quite sure you’ve taken note what has been happening in the NA scene lately. But, these “top tier” players are reaching out to the others around and lending a helping hand. We are more than welcome to help, and we want to see this community grow (as you do). I have said it before, and I will say it again… There is a ton of skilled players out there that know their classes well. They just need a bump in the right direction with strategies, comps, metas, team synergy, and coordination. From what I’ve seen, 90% of these players are willing to branch out and help in any way possible. Please capitalize on this moment yourselves.

(Please note guys that in no way am I trying to sound elitist. I don’t have the “I’M ON A TEAM, MY WORD IS GOD” type mindset. I truly would just like to help…)

<3 QT Vain

By no means is this official, as a matter of fact we just randomly started talking about all these different topics. It’s pretty much what the title states, just different issues and concerns we have as a community. It isn’t a flame session, and as a matter of fact you might call us sales reps for GW2 at certain points during the video!

I’m just posting this here cause it was definitely an enjoyable experience that just so happened to be random in nature! Your gonna hear the voices of Purie, Countless, Zoose, and myself talking about our own personal ideas and qualms concerning GW2.

If any Devs do happen to drop by this post, please take a look at the stream as we offer both intuitive ideas and points that you may be interested in!

http://www.twitch.tv/ptdevils/b/352071097

Start the video around 2hr 31min!
It’s quite long, so I’m going to be absolutely amazed if someone sits through it!

<3 QT Vain

It might just mean that he watched your cooldowns and was able to properly set up a burning speed combo! In which case, you should try to get with him again and keep on dueling him. It’ll help you learn exactly what you need to do to avoid that burst and in the end you’ll wind up beating him/her.

So ya know though, there is alot of FOTM D/D ele’s running around so picking just a random one might not help you out in the long run!

I will rewrite my previous statement, being that it breaks certain rules. So, I will continue on to help YOU understand where I’m coming from by reading your original post.

“1) Burst in GW2 is often treated as an easy hit. A general rule in action games is that the easier it is for an attack to land, the weaker it should be. This is because easy hits are there to pressure opponents into creating openings for larger hits, not gib them if one manages to hit.

2) Burst is not projected well enough. In action games, attack telegraphing not only explains what kind of move is being used, but also the strength. If it’s strong it needs to look strong. An example of this is the thief’s BS stealth combo. It’s baffling, logically, for players to lose half or more their health in seconds of attacks they can barely see (with the first one being a hit they can’t see at all).

3) In action games, you should never allow players to initiate with huge amounts of burst. Burst should come from punishing openings caused by poor predictions, not by being able to land the first punch due to the player being mentally unprepared. This causes fights to be anticlimactic because of the lack of buildup and the initial punishment for not reacting in time makes the rest of the fight feel frustrating."

My response to that:

1. Not one single class will one shot any profession in this game. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you mitigate that first burst, you now force the other player on the defensive. If you don’t mitigate it, well then you get “gibbed.” Mesmers: Dodge the shatters. Ele’s: Dodge burning speed and Updraft. Thieves: Pop defensives quick to mitigate that first burst and watch them shortbow for their lives. Warriors: Dodge 100bs.

2. Mesmers: You can SEE the clones SPRINTING towards you. They previously are standing still, doing nothing… Then all of a sudden they’re sprinting towards you! Yah, a shatter might be coming. Get ready for it!
Ele’s: An attunement swap in itself is all you need to know what is about to come. Their burst comes from a medium paced animation that starts gliding forward with some fire trail left behind. You should definitely dodge that.
Warriors: A warrior goes from shield blocking, to switching to GS and is rapidly swinging through the air like a madman! Probably need to dodge that!
Thieves: Crap! They’ve got basilisk venom on and they saw me. He’s running towards me now and just went stealth… You might need to pop defensives.

3. Every one of these classes has to chain these bursts together. Thieves have to decide wether or not there is an opportunity to strike, and if the risk is greater than the reward. Thieves can’t take any cleave damage, they are naturally too squishy. A thief’s life depends on his positioning and if you are simply giving him that opportunity. Mesmers literally have to immobilize you or stun you first to properly get off a full burst. Otherwise, you might just so happen to dodge roll and neutralize that burst. Mesmers have to outplay their enemies in high level play if they plan on winning those fights. Otherwise they’ll just continue to get beat in the long run. Warriors, same with thieves… Is the risk greater than the reward? If so, does the person that I’m about to attack have any defensives up?

So, I responded, answered, and gave you tips to utilize for all those statements above. Players have learned how to mitigate burst, and how to defend against. If a top tier team can do it, then you can too!

<3 Qt Vain

Alright TwoBit, I have literally responded to every one of your 3 statements up there. I have given you the tools to make it so that your successful in this game when your coming up against bursts classes. Personally, I have no issues with burst. Doesn’t bug me, and I know how to counter it. You ask 99% of the other top players at their profession and they’re going to respond in the same manner. “Oh yah man, backstab thieves hurt… But this is how you counter it.”

Know your class, gain knowledge of others, and reap the rewards.

Well, now all you got to do is take the knife out of your pocket.

Either way, all the burst in this game can be mitigated. Just make sure you pack up with the proper utilities and traits that you need to make yourself successful. This game is visually oriented, and about watching the animations.

I’ll give you a prime example. My team runs a 4 man “burst” comp. Only way it can be successful against another team is if we properly CC chain targets, and ensure we’re aware of when the targets have certain utilities and defensives on cooldown. Team PZ made a counter comp to ours, they ran medium damage/medium survivability comp that specialized in out-lasting our burst with player skill and defensive traits/utilities. They beat us down for 2 weeks straight before we realized our high damage/low survivability comp needed to be changed against them.

So, the argument that the burst is too much in this game just isn’t valid.

I think a better comparison would be bringing an unloaded gun to a fist fight.

You know the burst is there, he has the bullets in his pocket, and he’s about to load up. It’s now your job to slap the bullets out of his hands, or take proper cover.

Not sure what the complaint here is really about. In all honesty, like Mr. Sharp in the state of the game, “this is simply an L2P issue.”

D/D ele’s have one of the EASIEST bursts to avoid in the game. As a matter of fact, I was dueling Skovex (on his warrior) and because he had such an in-depth knowledge of D/D, he knew exactly what to do, and when to do it. He simply avoided every burst I put out, and only let me put out some sustained damage in between.

A weakness to D/D ele’s? Do not get kited. Play in his face, don’t let him gain some distance on you and pop burning speed. BE more aggressive than the ele.

Bare in mind, that when you say something is OP, you should also have a high amount of knowledge of that class. Most people speak blindly. You get demolished by one, so it must be too strong. I have to work HARD in tournies to get my damage off, and even then, it’s not always reliable.

D/D is strong in the right hands, but it can also be extremely weak in the wrong hands. Just like any other class. In my opinion, I think ele’s are right where they should be. I think other classes should be brought up to have a higher skill-cap and not be able to do tons of damage to someone in a couple button presses.

And to the OP, either you didn’t avoid the RTL/Updaft/Burning Speed/Ring of Fire combo, or you didn’t avoid Churning Earth. Which means you need to tone up your reflexes a bit there sport. Cause that right there is 90% of an Ele’s burst.

End rant.

<3 Qt Vain

With the exception to thieves, I disagree fully. While the skills themselves your referring to may be “quick” they are capable of being avoided.

Mesmers: Big bursts are usually going to be initiated by a root/stun. You can see that root/stun coming by knowing the mechanics of mesmers and what the buff looks like when they utilize that skill. Dodging that skill allows you to mitigate that damage.

Also, playing away from a mesmer when you know he has mind wrack up is needed. If you see a ton of clones running towards, simply dodge roll INTO the clones. It forces the clones to blow up and in return you’ll mitigate all of that damage, or may only eat one shatter. Take note that mind wrack is on a 9 second cooldown, so you can use that to your advantage when fighting mesmers.

Warriors: If the warriors pops frenzy + 100b…. Dodge roll. If he stuns you…. Use a break stun. 100b does alot of damage, yes, but you shouldn’t be eating more than a few hits from it if you react quick enough. Dodge rolling a whirlwind, or eviscerate can literally turn that fight around for you in moments.

Most of the Warriors attacks are quick, that is understood… But all of the damage or attacks they do can be avoided. For example, after 90% of warriors pop 100b + frenzy, they WILL use whirlwind after 100b is done. Create distance, get ready to dodge roll.

Thieves: Truly, I have no issues with thieves. I personally believe their burst is quite strong, so I will agree with that, but I do not believe that you can’t mitigate their incoming damage. If I see a thief with basilisk venom on I either A) Put tons of pressure on that thief and make him switch to shortbow to waste that stun or Play super defensive and get ready to mist form, port, pop shocking aura. Whatever is at my disposal to keep that pressure off me.

This game is more than just hot-joins, which is where a lot of people continue to make complaints about. On a competitive level, it’s more then just how good you are at your class. It’s about your positioning, your awareness, and your teamwork.

I know my necro is susceptible to burst classes, so my job is to peel for him and put pressure on those people that are on him. My warrior has to continously wait for the opportunity to come in and utilize his frenzy and 100b. He has to be aware of what the other team has on cooldown and what other classes might be waiting for him to strike.

I think people keep making the mistake of thinking that this game is supposed to be balanced around 1v1s. This game IS about teamwork, the composition of your team, and the synergy between them. When you make a spec, quit thinking about how your going to do solo, but think about how it will synergize with your team and what you can bring to the table.

Anyways, end rant. Stay classy!

<3 Qt Vain

My name is QT Vain, and I own thieves. <3

I definitely agree with what Sataarcoeny is bringing to the table right now. GW2/Devs please take note that as of right now, the reward system is not greater than the actual risk of queing for paids.

When you que up, your goal is to win… Plain and simple. If your a brand new team that can’t make it past 1st round because you keep going against more experienced teams, then the incentive to play is gone.

Making a team is more than just having skilled players. You have to take motivation and morale into account. I know multiple teams that have broken up just because of either of those issues alone.

Anet, GIVE people the incentive to que and keep on pushing. You will never see new teams, nor Esport play if people don’t have the motivation to keep on playing.

The rewards from paid tournaments need to be sought after, in my opinion. It should be something more than just paid tournament gear and some gems. The items in the gem store aren’t enticing as it is. I truly only ever use my gems to buy more tickets, and get gold every once in awhile.

As Sataarcoeny stated above, the only reason to actually compete in paid tournaments is bragging rights. Nothing more, nothing less. It is long gone to even remotely think about being on top of the QP Leaderboard for new teams. Sure, the people that are on top keep pushing for a better place on that leaderboard, but what about new teams with 0 QPs? They truly will never catch up unless the other top players on that leaderboard stop playing or quit the game. Give NEW and OLD teams alike more incentive to play, and you’ll have a broader player base.

The End.

QT Vain