Guild Wars 2

We think that Warriors need more sustain in sPvP. You’ll see this reflected in upcoming balance changes.

Traits are huge in this, and just like you saw trait reworks recently for Warrior, we’ll be doing more trait changes to help to this end.

It’s Sunday, but I still wanted to jump in here to let you guys know we’re not ignoring you!

Some great ideas in here. We’re also thinking about Weakness ourselves and wondering if we need to do any changes to make it more meaningful.

Thanks for being so constructive with your feedback!

J

DiogoSilva.7089:

Hey, Jon, will this month’s patch bring balance changes? I believe some dev has mentioned that they might wait a bit longer to let the meta settle, while changes to underused builds are being worked on, and I wonder if this means we might get one month without balance changes or not.

This month will be focused on bug fixes, with balance coming in later patches!

Hey all! Just wanted to say thanks for keeping this thread so positive and constructive. The balance guys and I are watching this thread, and we’ve really enjoyed some of the ideas you guys are putting out.

So you know (history lesson incoming): There was a time in balance when Necromancers were the apex class for mulitple specs in the game. They were the best tanks (death shroud building + wells giving protection, while also wiping condies), had some of the best mobility (their old Death Shround #2 was a ground targeted teleport!) and they had insane damage/boon ripping with Axe-based bunker killing hybrid builds.

So while we do want to help the Necro to see more play in competitive builds (both in variety of roles and variety of builds), we are being very careful not to give them too much. We will be adjusting them just like all the other classes, and I just wanted to let you guys know we ARE watching threads like this.

The same can be said for Warriors in TPvP, non shortbow-based Thieves, different specs for Engi that are weak, etc. etc. We want all classes to have multiple options, so that’s what we’ll be looking for in upcoming balance changes. This will happen through number adjustments (the multipliers on specific skills), through skill “toolbox” adjustments (like we did with S/D Thief removing boons) and through trait adjustments (Warrior changes to counter condies + boons).

And as always, we don’t want to do crazy increases followed by large decreases. We are employing metered changes as opposed to a ‘whack-a-mole’ approach.

Sorry for no response until now, been out of the office a few weeks to see family.

-Chap

Thanks for the feedback guys, we’ll be watching threads like this as we go to make adjustments/additions to spectator mode!

And you did a great job yesterday Blu!

Spec mode is working as of this post. Live build fixed it.

We did test, but internal servers and external servers are not the same. Our internal tests were fine. This is why we beta!

Hey all,

We are fixing a bug with spectator mode that is preventing any team sizes larger than 1on1. We will disable spectators until our next hot-fix build, and then put them back out once the bug is fixed.

Custom arenas will also come on line later today as well. I’ll keep you guys posted as things happen.

PvP Team

For this patch: drawing on the minimap is working.

When playing, you now your teammate’s profession icons (you don’t just see a green dot, you would see a Warrior, or Ele, or Thief, etc.).

You get the icons in spectator AS WELL AS IN any sPvP map.

When spectating, you see BOTH teams, when playing, you see only YOUR team.

The icons are blue or red, depending on the team, and the icons are profession specific.

John Corpening, our PvP team coordinator, is in the first vid. I’m in the second vid. Jon Peters, also a design lead, also does a lot of help w/ PvP and balance. Hope that clears it up!

Awesome ideas guys. Just wanted you to know we’re watching/listening to your ideas for things that fit GW2.

Keep in mind that we are trying to find a condition that can be used by multiple classes (doesn’t have to be all classes, but we like to keep the condies/boons low in the game so that it’s easy for players to learn) and something that has cool play for the caster, as well as the target.

So, with that in mind, keep the ideas flowing!

~J

Yep! So a few things to note:

If you don’t want people looking at your builds, just disable spec mode on your custom.

Also, if you’ll notice, players now show up on the minimap as red/blue profession icons. So, for instance, I won’t just see a an ally’s green dot running to a point, I now see their profession icon. This helps you to make much more educated decisions in the course of a game. When in spectator mode, it allows you to see EXACTLY how each team is spreading itself out, where they send their light classes, where they send their bunker, how they collapse to deal with threats, etc.

These awesome features are courtesy of Evan Lesh. GO BLUXGOREE!!!!!

-J

Nord.5360:

My infamous orange beanie cost like $6.00, and it definitely fends off sharks.

Grouch where’d you get it?

I got mine for like 30 or 40 at the mall here in Bellevue, WA. It was NOT $150.

If you pay $150 for a hat, it better protect from nukes, sharks, and make you breakfast on weekends.

That’s a lot for a hat.

Ya, we’ll have to watch what the changes do to the game. I think that bunkers will still be viable, but I think you’ll see some new counters to them. It’ll be interesting to see what the meta does.

J

ensoriki.5789:

But warriors can’t spam Flanking strike.

My Warrior can.

Warriors only. Map-wide perma-Cripple.

Go.

Bring syrup pls. K tx bye. Manners.

Chaplan’s Existential Enclave

We have an internal FAQ that we’re updated based on reading the forums. Thanks for adding these questions docMed!

Brutalistik.6473:

JonathanSharp.7094:

Also yolo.

Don’t ever say that again!!! It is lame! ughh…

You mean AWESOME:

“No blankets or pajamas
they can choke you in your sleep.
Two words about furniture:
killing machines.”

…

As I’ve said before, custom arenas and spectator mode are two of our highest priorities, so those will come first. But once those things are finished, we can then look at the KABILLION things we want to add to PvP and then decide which features we release next.

We’ve been researching/developing other stuff for a while now (which I’ve stated in other posts, the SOTG, etc.). We just don’t talk about things until they’re ready.

I feel that just being transparent will help you guys to calm down a bit.

So:

We wanted to have a solid set of conquest maps our first half a year after ship, so we did that. We have tweaks to do for conquest maps, but overall we like a lot of them (and some of them we’re still not 100% happy with – so they may never make it into the tournament rotation).

But, as we’ve said, the other game types commonly tossed around actually have some MAJOR issues that need to be fixed for MMO-style combat (which is what Jon is speaking about). Those are the places we’re pushing now – trying to find ways to take those game-types and get them to be FUN and FUNCTIONAL in GW2’s combat system.

We’ll keep you posted as more happens.

Also yolo.

Just wanted to jump in and say thanks for trying to be constructive guys. Solo queue (and splitting ratings) is something we have planned. We just need to finish up other features before we can get to that one.

Some great ideas in here! Thanks for being so constructive!

Based on what I’m seeing here, I think you guys will be really pleased with the first phase of options we’ll be releasing with custom arenas.

Bluxgore speaks the truth. Also keep in mind – there are MANY opinions on the forums about what we should be working on. It’s hard to say “the players want X”, because normally, there’s very little consensus on what players actually want. We try to make as many people happy as we can with each update, but it’s nearly impossible to please everyone all the time. This is true in life as well.

Lukrath.6982:

so…. does tht mean hes gonna buff signets?

MAYYYYYYYYYYYYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sometimes, as devs, we play bad builds on purpose as we look at ways to improve them.

It’s important we play all classes, even less popular specs on less popular classes.

Also, he’s running that build because of yolo, obvs.

If a game ends in a tie, then it looks at the total player scores for the teams.

So in the above example, the red team had a higher player score total than the blue team, so red won.

So, we do read the forums.

Right now we’re thinking this ability will go back to being unblockable, as will Currupt Boons. We still want you to need LOS to your target, however. We want these skills to have fun back/forth play on them, while being fair for both sides (the attacker and defender). Keep in mind, these abilities can still be evaded.

And thanks for all the constructive debate in here, great job!

Mif.3471:

JonathanSharp.7094:

A couple things:

• For PvE/PvP/WvW, we know that those are 3 different playstyles, we don’t just lump PvE and WvW together.

Considering WvW and PVE use the same skill values, yes you do.

We’re starting to split PvE/WvW in the upcoming patch.

But we want them to be things that keep consistency across the game types as much as possible.

Nunganok.4590:

Allie Murdock.8152:

We’re working on a Leaderboard F.A.Q. that might answer some questions/concerns here. Keep an eye out!

Thanks for the feedback

Does the FAQ stop people from dodging a loss of rank by alt + f4’ing out of the match before they lose?

They still take a loss, as well as a rating hit.

PvP Leaderboards F.A.Q.

Q: Do leaderboard names follow the same naming rules as the normal game?
A: Yes they do. If a name on the leaderboards is deemed to be inappropriate, your account will be removed from the leaderboards until that character has been renamed. Once renamed, you must then play at least 1 game to re-appear on the leaderboards.

Q: How is rank determined? Is it by wins? Win %?
A: Rating is used. This rating takes into account your rating, your opponent’s rating, and then adjusts your post-game rating accordingly. If you win against a very low ranked opponent, and you are a highly ranked opponent, you will gain fewer points than if you defeated someone above you in rating. It is possible for a player to have a higher rating even if they haven’t played as many games as another player – # of games does not guarantee a high rating.

Q: The boards have my ranger listed, but I played my warrior more, why isn’t it ranking me by my warrior?
A: The rankings are account based, not character based. We use your most recently logged character as your current leader board name.

Q: How often do the sPvP leaderboards update?
A: Currently, once an hour.

Q: Are the leaderboards character based or account based?
A: They are account based. The most recent character played is shown on the leaderboard, even though the ranking is account based.

Q: Are player ratings shown anywhere?
A: We do not currently display player ratings.

Q: Do matches in the PvP Browser affect my Rating?
A: Your rating is not based on public play matches, only tournament/ranked matches.

Q: Does leaving a match early affect my rating?
A: If you leave a tourney/ranked match early, yes, your rating is impacted as if you sustained a loss. Once you finish another match, this “loss” is then factored back into your rating.

Q: My rank is jumping around a lot, what is going on?
A: A few things can be happening. The leaderboard will only show your new rank once it updates, which currently happens on the hour. The system is also trying to figure out how good you are and put you where you need to be for good matchups. The more you play, the more “confident” the system becomes about your placement. Early on, you may jump around more until the system has more info on your performance.

Dropping out of games early can also cause your rank to fluctuate a lot. When you drop a game early, you are assigned a loss. If you do this multiple times, then you are giving yourself loss after loss. Once you successfully finish a game, the system assigns all your old losses back to your rank. Once the leaderboard updates again, all these losses “catch up” to you, and you may see a big drop in your rank.

Also keep in mind that other players are also playing and gaining or losing rating. It may be that although you have moved up a few ranks several other player have moved past you in ratings. The net result may be a drop or increase in ranking.

A couple things:

• For PvE/PvP/WvW, we know that those are 3 different playstyles, we don’t just lump PvE and WvW together.

• For those afraid of drastic differences between the game types – we’re not doing this. We’re mostly just splitting #’s (damage, healing, recharge, durations, etc.). Our old philosophy holds – once you learn a class in one area of the game, that knowledge should transfer to other areas of the game.

randomfightfan.4091:

In that case when do we PvE thieves get our 3s revealed debuff back?

Maybe so. We’re debating it.

Very well written Symbolic.

Great write-up. Just so you guys know, we’re trying to bring down the cantrip Ele, while also being careful to let other Ele builds work. We don’t want to just take all Ele’s out of play, but we do need to bring a few things down (traits/skills) in efficacy.

I’m finishing up an F.A.Q. to answer a lot of these questions. I’ll try to answer as many as possible.

It’s by account. The character is your most recent character, so that the leader boards show names that players in game can recognize.

They’re account based, they just show your most recent character so that you see a character name for “JoeBob.4839”.

^

Go to there!

produde.8092:

JonathanSharp.7094:

Basically what happened: We were watching the leader boards and saw a bug crop up with a small # of accounts. We held leader boards while we fixed the bug.

This sounds like you already fixed the bug, does hat mean you just keep watching leaderboards until they seem fine or is there another issue?

Yep, we watch them, make sure stuff is fine, then we bring them out.

Basically what happened: We were watching the leader boards and saw a bug crop up with a small # of accounts. We held leader boards while we fixed the bug.

NP, glad we could help! Glad everyone is back in now.

Ok, try this:

1) Relog
2) Try a HOTJOIN game (not a tournament/matchmaking game).
3) After you finish the hotjoin game, come back to lobby.
4) Then try to rejoin a tournament queue.

Thanks to Ostrich and Your friend Marvin for their help!

Log out and then log back in. Try that. Just fixed it here.

Those of you who were unable to find games should now be fixed as of the most recent patch.

So with the Thief, we feel like their straight burst with some sets is too good as it is (Mug/C &D/BS/heartseeker), but a lot of other things are weak in comparison, which is bad.

The goal is to allow them to punish boons (something we also want to try with the Warrior) while also improving their mobility with all weapon sets (since Shortbow is already strong at that, but it overpowers other options).

As Allie said, we want to be careful to balance their WvW/PvE potential against their PvP potential, and then inside of PvP, we have to be careful to watch how they perform at high ranks vs. low ranks.

Gonna sticky this so you guys can always find it.