Hey folks,
Now that the HOT is out of the bag, we’re able to update this thread with more details. With the introduction of the new account based mastery system for end-game progression and growth in PvE, we’ll also be re-evaluating our other systems of character progression to ensure they match our over-all pillars and goals for Gw2.
In doing so: we’re going to be removing the current trait unlocking system currently on live and replacing it with a more simplified system that supports where skills-traits-specializations are going in the future. We’ll go into more details between now and the release of HOT on how skills, traits, and specializations will work in the new Gw2 world.
Thank you for all your passionate feedback on this topic – it not only helped our dev team lead to this decision, but has played a large role in helping us define how to build our exciting new account based mastery system for end-game progression in PvE as well.
While it’s true that no time-frame was given (which is why I asked about it immediately following the above posting), here’s why I have a terrible feeling that it won’t be implemented for a while now, and possibly not until the expac:
The quote is, “With the introduction of the new account based mastery system… we’ll also be re-evaluating our other systems of character progression to ensure they match our over-all… goals for Gw2.”
So, the mastery system was announced as a feature of the xpac.
It continues: “In doing so: we’re going to be removing the current trait unlocking system currently on live and replacing it with a more simplified system that supports [our goals for the future].”
That’s a little vague, but then the conclusion says: “We’ll go into more details between now and the release of HOT on how skills, traits and specializations will work in the new GW2 world.”
That pretty heavily implies that this change will be connected to the release of HOT, which is, at a minimum, 3 months away. What happened to the quick fix in the meantime?
Why did you have to wait for HoT to just pop on and say “We recognize that this is a problem and are working to fix it.”
Do you realize how much nicer it would be if we were to receive timely information? Is that asking too much?
I realize that there was a hint about this given a couple of weeks ago by Gaile, but that was still 70-some odd pages into this thread — about 8 months since this thread started.
That’s eight months widening the gap of distrust between ArenaNet and it’s players. Eight months of rage that could have been avoided from the start by just engaging with us in a timely manner. Seriously, ask yourselves — is this how you want your company to present itself to its players?
I hope that post-HoT, the need to wait for every meaningful communication to require hype and theatrics is gone.
Because it was never a problem.
Uh, this 80-page thread and my drastically diminished time in-game would like to have a word with you. You can say that it’s not a problem all you want, but even the devs have said that it’s a problem that is going to be fixed.
Try the professions and see what you like. It’s important to note that the weapon you use changes your skills, so that can change the whole feel of a profession. Also, a ranger whose pet does all the work is a dead ranger. Thieves are a bit hard to level, due to having a rather small health pool, and they don’t really buff a party, but they have excellent group utility in some areas, depending on weapon set. Stuns, blinds, interrupts and group stealth. It is probably my favorite profession.
Just experiment until you find something you like.
Colin, can you comment on a general time frame for this change? It sounds like you’re saying it won’t be until HoT is released, and that seems like a mistake.
Also, thank you very much for this update. This is extremely welcome news.
‘mistake’….
A mistake would be making no change. Don’t get too greedy.
No. You don’t get to tell me what my expectations should be. It’s been almost ten months now. I’m not being greedy, I’m being incredibly polite.
Colin, can you comment on a general time frame for this change? It sounds like you’re saying it won’t be until HoT is released, and that seems like a mistake.
Also, thank you very much for this update. This is extremely welcome news.
Anyway, let’s also keep in mind that in these months traits have been changed, removing the map completion ones. So I would say that it’s not fair to say that the problem is being ignored.
You must have different trait tasks than I have, because I still have six traits tied to six map clears.
It was sold for corn cobs during Hallow’s End. The wiki can probably tell you if it’s still available.
This thread is, like, ten months late.
I’m wondering if the new craftable precursors will be account bound.
O’Brien told us when.
When it’s ready.
I dunno, it sounds like you have more and more control over where you end up as you invest more points into it.
It sounds like each profession is getting a single specialization option.
Tigirius, I’m hoping it was a hammer!
No mention in the livestream about traits… but like I said some pages back, With a new profession and the majority of players being exposed to the trait changes there will be a lot more comments in this thread. I do believe we’ll see changes before the expansion goes live.
I can’t imagine they’ll leave the trait system untouched, knowing that everyone’s going to be rolling the new profession. Then again, they’ll already have the money from the xpac sales, so…
No info on price or release date. The trailer is really impressive.
heartofthorns.guildwars2.com
He sounds really excited about customization options for building guild halls.
Guild halls!
Guild vs. Guild confirmed. Teams repping a specific guild.
So much new PvE.
They’re moving on to other modes now.
Stronghold mode in TPvP.
Holding objectives is going to be really important in WvW
They want to make WvW feel like being inside a RTS game.
New borderlands map that will be added to the rotation of borderlands.
Now they’re going to talk about PvP and WvW.
Revenant channels the power of great legends from guild wars past. King Jalis.
Channeling gives them new skills, it sounds like.
New heavy armor profession. The revenant.
They’re not going to tell us about the rest of the specializations. And they’re not going to announce the release date. “When it’s ready,” he just said, and there were laughs.
Greatswords for necromancers, it sounds like.
It sounds like multi-classing. Each profession will be able to specialize!
Rangers-druid spec (STAFF!)
Pre-cursor crafting is announced, via masteries!
Also, brand new legendaries and, obviously, precursors.
Combat system changes: New group content, new creatures- sounds a bit like the toxic healing skill that was needed for the tower of nightmares.
Languages! They’re going to reveal lore as you learn them!
As cureforliving notes, languages are a mastery.
(edited by Guhracie.3419)
Flying is confirmed. Via hang-gliding. I’m… not sure how I feel about that. Hang-gliding is a mastery.
They haven’t announced a release date, and they’ve talked a lot about how much of a social experience GW2 is. They want to make it even more social, and they’re really stressing how friendly the community is (which I generally agree with).
New abilities confirmed, via Mastery.
Account-based, PvE progression system. Available to all level 80 characters.
Mastery points are awarded for playing the expansion zones. Once you buy a new ability with mastery points, they’re available to every level 80 character on your account.
Colin is on, about to announce every major feature, he says. Oh, but first he’s going to rehash the living story, which O’Brien did about ten minutes ago.
Masteries- skills you learn from the maguuma jungle.
Profession specializations! Guild progression/guild support!
No new gear, no new levels. (as in, no new gear treadmill, no new level cap (?)) He said “Your level 80 in top tier gear will still be in top gear, at top level” so it wasn’t stated outright.
Sounds like raiding is coming. Character progression, too. Some good stuff so far.
(edited by Guhracie.3419)
1. Traits fixed before it goes live.
2. A third soldier class.
3. Perma-SAB
4. Hammers for engineers.
The first one is my main concern, though.
I believe the commonly used term is “internal cooldown” on an item/ability. And it would be nice to have some way to track that.
That jump is hard, but not impossible, to do on a Charr. Still, the tonics are a good workaround for it.
Taken from the official post:
“Level up an existing character or explore a new race and profession with a new one. Either way, you’ll level up faster than ever.”
Explore a NEW race AND profession? OMG!!!!
Chooooooo Chooooooo!
The implication is that they’re new to you.
John’s response was completely appropriate. The OP made a claim that the company’s technology was malfunctioning based on the interpretation of some data. The response was that there is no malfunction, because the data being used was incorrect. Providing the real data was important in this case beyond the simple “working as intended” line, because the originally claimed data was so far outside expected values for a working as intended system.
An appropriate response was the first few posts, where he tests it and shares the result of the test.
Going further to point out the lie does not prove anything except that the OP lied. The information about how many they salvaged was entirely irrelevant in regards to proof that the system was working normally.
Although, to be entirely fair, we don’t really have any proof that what John Smith claimed about the OP is true either, although that’s another can of speculative worms that I’m not going to open.
It stopped further (pointless) speculation about why OP got the numbers he did and how likely that was.
So would have locking the thread after the official answer that everything was unchanged.
So would a simple addendum of “Remember, kids: Random numbers are random.”
So why was it necessary?
Because it sets the precedent of “If I lie about how many things I’ve done, I can make John Smith dance!” and John Smith dances only for Captain Jack.
Not unprofessional. When someone presents false data in an attempt (intentional or not) to make your business look bad, point out that the data is false is completely professional. There is no code of decorum that suggests that you have to sit there and nod your head whenever false data is publicly presented about you.
Again, the only necessary information required was the results of his test to show that it’s working properly and normally.
Stating what the player did or didn’t do in their game serves literally no purpose other than to humiliate them. It doesn’t help prove that the ecto:dust ratio is unchanged.
That’s the difference.
If the data had been posted that it’s working properly and then the thread locked, the outcome as far as defense of the game goes would have been exactly the same. Instead, it’s just become a “Oh, and here’s the truth, now everybody make fun of the OP.”
Or maybe now people will think twice about posting large numbers to waste Mr. Smith’s time in trying to track down something that was never even remotely likely to have been an issue.
The big controversy will be the Might nerf. In PvE, this will change about nothing. Everybody will do a bit less dmg in organized group, but most pugs group will never see any different. But it won’t change a thing is how we play.
Won’t change how you play. Will change how I play and change who I play with. Maybe you aren’t good enough to notice the lack of DPS in parties that aren’t full zerk (which makes you bad), but plenty of us are. It will make PuG runs last that much longer. If you think it won’t you’re being purposefully ignorant.
It’s these nerfing DPS changes that make me really really really want the ability to gear check other players.
Oh, no! A PUG will take 12 minutes to clear CoF instead of 8! The horror.
Traits are awful and were changed last April. Instead of paying 2g60s to unlock them, you can do a bunch of busywork to unlock them for free or pay up to 43g AND 360 skillpoints, per character.
But after you do, the gaps will be bigger, as the story missions only appear every 10 levels. You’ll also notice that you won’t have your traits unlocked as you level, instead having to either buy them open with gold or accomplish the associated event to unlock it.
I would save your praise until you’ve gone a few more levels through the NPE. The majority seems to hate it.
There are quite a few positive things about the NPE, especially at first glance. I mean, I agree that it might be a bit early to lavish the process with praise, but it’s a process nonetheless.
Please create a subforum dedicated to the Heart of Thorns related discussion. Additionally, there are a lot of living story threads in general discussion right now.
Each segment of the personal story comes at 10 level intervals. Or, I guess they’re calling them “chapters” and before, you could at least attempt them early. Now you just don’t have access.
I’d order them around…
Thief
Engineer
Guardian
Ranger
Mesmer
Warrior
Necromancer
Elementalist
The only reason Necro is so low on the list is because I primarily PvE, and conditions are so useless there. I just don’t really enjoy the elementalist playstyle at all, though.
Might be neat…
But frankly, I don’t wanna walk into a city a see a ton rule34 RPing with a crowd of level 1’s.
Lol rule34 has nothing to do with children.
Rule 34: If it exists, there is porn for it. No exceptions.
So I’ll be clear:
I don’t wanna walk into a city an see a crowd of level 1’s ERPing.
I’m not that big on the RP front in Guild Wars 2, but how likely is it to actually find people doing ERP in major cities? The emotes system is almost like, map wide.
People would surely always do it in their personal home instance.
You’ve clearly never been to Divinity’s Reach.
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