Guild Wars 2

Just let them farm how many dragon they want in a day. Why all the limitations in this game geez. It used to be better when the game allowed more freedom to its players.

Hold off on time-gated equipments, and focus more on the expansion. Patches seem to worsen the state of the game. -_-

Keeps the legendary purple font and name now, but still can be put in the Mystic Forge together with exos. Im pretty confident this will be fixed in the future seeing as how they keep on improving it every patch.

Hmm, which has better SEA coverage, JQ or BG?

This game doesn’t even feature Guild Halls. WvW is just a bad excuse for the lack of gvg. After a week of playing in it, wvw just becomes tedious and boring.

The reward system of GW2 is whack. I really miss GW1. I’ve been playing since beta and when I tried playing other MMO’s, I feel like the grind at least rewards me a relatively good amount of sense of achievement. Before, I was only looking forward to getting the stuff I think looks neat and it gave me a sense of fulfillment everytime I run a dungeon or get an exotic item. Nowadays, I focus on getting all of my ascended equipments and is stuck on finishing my legendaries because of the precursors yet even when I do get them, the community dismisses its value. The game is grindy in a different sense. In 7 months, I would’ve already achieved final equipments in other games too from farming the same amount of time as I did in gw2.

Ascended really ruined this game for me.

This is probably how some people were able to afford earrings+amulets on 1 character already.

So we are left with casuals not minding gear progression because they are hardly affected, and paying customers that need the gear/stats vertical progression disgruntled over their choice. I see.

Multiply that by how long it usually takes to finish 1 dungeon.

Avatar.1923:

@celtic lady

so why do you care that much for the ascended gear?
it doesnt stop you from doing any of the content.
actually, what type of content do you enjoy doing the most?

Why introduce it in the first place if ascended items serve no purpose as per your stance?

Avatar.1923:

Raine.1394:

Before we are ready for questions from you we need to bring mine to completion. And, once we do all your questions will be answered as well.

You’ve made an excellent start in using the term ‘stronger’ and ‘statistical advantage’ to describe aspects of vertical progression. The etymology is a bit confused. The term didn’t originate because of mmo’s and players who play too much and while it exists in ‘endgame’, it does not define end game. But, let’s work with what we have.

You have the function, though only partially. It is about providing motivation for continued play through adding stat numbers to the character sheet (getting stronger). You have something to work for. And, it also gives a sense of progression in that you’ve accomplished something and have the numbers to prove it.

Let’s do a thought experiment that should get you thinking enough to both provide a simple definition and answer your question to me. Let’s suppose we have two players, you and that other guy you mention who plays to “get[s] stronger, have a satistical advantage, over another player over time”. And let’s suppose he chooses to ride the treadmill and you don’t. He gets stronger over time and you don’t. He has a growing statistical advantage over you over time and you have a growing statistical disadvantage vis-a-vis him over time. Let’s assume time passes; it always does. To spice things up, let’s suppose you both like to duel each other. What will be your experience dueling him over time? Take a few minutes to consider this. Then, give me a simple concise definition of vertical progression. I’ll even give you a hint here: it exists within the definition of the words that make up the concept.

my answer;
if he spent x amount of hours (probably a Kitten lot, otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion) to be somewhat statistically stronger than me (i’m saying “somewhat” because as it is now it isnt much, and as he gets his gear i get some too once in a while), then i dont care.
i ve spent this huge X amount of hours having fun (and probably getting some gear in the process too) instead of raging and complaining. so if i duel him with a “5%” more or less disadvantage… no sweat, ill beat him easily as i probably have a lot more skills since i did pvp, wvw, dungeons, jump puzzle, alts etc, and that guy only “farmed” the same thing over and over again.

that goes back to my original point; 5% more or less (considering i might have about a third of the ascended piece he have, and all not infused) is a very small increase that requires way too much grind for whats it worth.
its allright that some players need it and fall into the trap.
(gw2 designers are smart).

and now answer my question and youll answer yours at the same time.

Ugh your response has too many assumptions to be taken seriously. It doesn’t even answer the questions provided by the person you quoted. Way to strawman your way out this one!

roachsrealm.9284:

Leo Paul.1659:

roachsrealm.9284:

casual player here. I really don’t care about the ascended tier of equipment. Im still using Rare armor and Masterwork accessories, with mostly Exotic weapons. I haven’t noticed my game play experience suffering for it in the slightest. I don’t plan on doing Fractals into Agony, and I haven’t met a dungeon path I can’t do yet.

people crying about stuff they don’t need is silly. if you WANT it, set a goal and go for it. don’t blame the system for your schedule.

If you’ve never used it, what are you basing your comparison from? Finishing a dungeon =/= no need for better equipments. I don’t understand how your personal experience trivializes the legitimacy of the complaints here.

what does everyone need the extra stat boosts for? why are ascended items so important? anyone can play the game without them. we did for months.. I fail to see why this is such an issue with everyone.

Exactly. If it isn’t needed why implement it in the first place? I fail to see why this issue evades you.

Erick Alastor.3917:

Now (i.e.) sum these differences in a group of five random guys playing dungeons

Or an entire zerg in wvw.

Also, are your computations PER attack? How many attacks can a thief squeeze in 2 seconds? Maybe you should include time in there somewhere.

And what is your ave weapon damage based on? A scepter? Can you also take out the food buffs from your chart so that we can see how it is in base? Against monsters where a zerker average damage is around 8k to 10k damage, how much will the changes be?

roachsrealm.9284:

casual player here. I really don’t care about the ascended tier of equipment. Im still using Rare armor and Masterwork accessories, with mostly Exotic weapons. I haven’t noticed my game play experience suffering for it in the slightest. I don’t plan on doing Fractals into Agony, and I haven’t met a dungeon path I can’t do yet.

people crying about stuff they don’t need is silly. if you WANT it, set a goal and go for it. don’t blame the system for your schedule.

If you’ve never used it, what are you basing your comparison from? Finishing a dungeon =/= no need for better equipments. I don’t understand how your personal experience trivializes the legitimacy of the complaints here.

They’ve already stated that they are implementing ascended weapons. Might as well make us earn it via another random method.

It’s precisely this time-gated content that is the problem. They just happen to not fit the typical definition of grindy.

Flamenco.3894:

It’s all in your head. You can do just fine playing most of the game with integer # 4. You are only feeling peer pressure or the assumption that most people will deny people with ‘merely’ exotics in a couple of months, right?

Anyways, I understand the concept and I don’t know why you thought you needed to explain it but I assume it has to do with repeating it to yourself until you believe it.

This is called underachieving. Nobody wants that.

Flamenco.3894:

Sardonia.8196:

Astralporing.1957:

Vorch.2985:

• They are in the process of rolling out different methods of attaining ascended gear.

Yep, they are – since November 15th. So far none of the methods they introduced were any better than the original one, and since none of them gives access to all ascended eq, you have to use all of them, instead of picking one that best compements your playing style.
In short, instead of improving the situation, they are actually making it worse.

This I do agree on. Why can they not just make it that accended gear can be obtained the same way as exotic but at a higher price. Let us be able to buy it with Karma, let us be able to craft it, etc. I should be able to acquire the gear that I want on my time, not theirs. If I wanted to grind for 24hrs in one day to get the gear, I should be able to, or if I cannot log on everyday, I could still acquire it when I could log in. The issue is that I am on their terms and not mine and that is making it less fun.

To me make it available through all forms right now. If someone wants to obtain the gear all through guild missions, then they should be able to. Same with running FOTM. Or if someone wanted to use Karma or craft it. Same thing. At least we would be playing the game the way we want to play it. Right now the gear is just gated through time which is not very fun, at least to me.

How about choosing not to get it? Is that so hard to do? smh

Choosing not to do something has always been an option. It’s just that it is usually the LAST option people choose. People, stop trying to get those ascended equipments. They aren’t necessary. Might as well diss people who are after Legendaries, or exotics. They aren’t necessary either. You can finish the game with Masterwork equipments. You leveled your toon in wvw til 80 and it wasn’t a problem.

Seriously, it’s like saying why bother playing [specify game content]. They aren’t necessary anyway.

Flamenco.3894:

It’s optional. If you have exotic you are fine. Ascended is for players who a little bit more but it’s not necessary. What’s so hard to understand about this concept?

It’s like this community is made out of people who want everything their way. You do not need ascended gear anywhere except for higher level fractals. And to get a high level fractal you will need to play it a lot, but it’s not a gateway to something you are required to do if you want to play most of the game.

You can’t have everything at once and with exotics you will do fine just anywhere.

Also, just visited 20 areas, didn’t see a single soul. The game is doomed

Shouldn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t mean differently for different folks. If it isn’t necessary, why put it in in the first place? There was nothing wrong with exotics except that some people were able to get a piece of legendary too early.

Ok, let’s settle on the terms. It isn’t Grindy because it doesn’t require you to put so many hours a day to get 1 item. It requires you several days of a few minutes to get 1 [BiS] item and a lot of spare time doing absolutely nothing meaningful.

Ashabhi.1365:

Here’s a question for everyone who thinks GW2 is grindy….

It’s obvious that taking time and repetitive activities to get a reward that is simply not that much better is making some of you crazy. Why do it?

I do agree that the reqs for guild activities should be lowered to allow for small guilds to participate, but I just can’t see doing what I hate in order to get something that isn’t going to give me enough of an advantage to make it worth my while. I would rather go do a jumping puzzle… or gather… or craft… or W3… or create and alt and do hearts…or see if I can find the most out-of-the-way boss to kill…or preview every piece of armor in the BLT…or dance in Hoelbrak…

I guess what I am saying is that if you don’t like the grind, don’t do it. Usually, the dailies take care of themselves in the normal course of playing.

It seems to me that most of the folks here aren’t whining about gear being unobtainable. It seems that the big whine is that it’s unobtainable NOW…

If you have to have ANet hand you your +1 gear without being patient, then you’re playing the wrong game.

The point is, there should be an option for people to get it as fast as they want to without having to do guild missions which alienates players away from smaller guilds.

-- he specifically said he got it from the laurel bug that got fixed like two days after it was introduced. -- anyway, i’ve gotten my answer already. close thread please.

Wouldn’t it just show as [] or some different name if it was just a code?

How do you ping an ascended earring if you’re in COF together in a party? (he had equipped an ascended amulet AND an earring, mind you)

You clearly didn’t put into consideration crit damage, which was the entire point of the post you just quoted. Try adding that power computation up to crit damage and precision difference between an exotic and ascended so that we can have a better understanding.

DrixTrix.7168:

i really don’t think this comes under a grind, its your choice if you do it or not, it is not going to make or break your playing experience, personally i’m going for legendary’s, WvW fame and fear, exploring and generally playing with a guild once i find a good one which to be honest is once i transfer to far shiverpeaks – friend is there.

Yea GW2 has a way of making us come up with new words to pertain to their way of handling things. Instead of grindy, in gw2 we now say what ‘time-gated’ content?

Reverse slippery slope arguments FTL. I wish I can respond in a manner that you would understand. See, before GW2, I’ve only played GW1 and Perfect World (arguably one of the grindiest games in the planet), and when PW introduced tier after tier of items every month, nobody complained because it was expected. The reason why so many people are upset is because this isn’t what we were promised when we first got the game.

drwookie.6391:

Dailies do not come for “free” for everyone.

I’d also like to paraphrase Mike OBrien again. If someone wants to work for months to get a piece of gear, it should be distinguished by LOOKS alone, not stats.

QFT. All these people saying you don’t HAVE TO get ascended equips are just being dismissive. we don’t HAVE TO get exotics, we have masterwork, and yet why is everybody chasing after them?

VOLKON.1290:

GummiBear.2756:

VOLKON.1290:

I actually don’t think the idea of limiting ascended gear to jewelry and maybe weapons is a bad one actually. Just make sure the weapons have great looking skins.

not weapons no ONLY jewelry, since once you begin to dip into weapons and armor who you gonna handle runes and sigils? ANet have to create one hell of a lot of items if they are to make all possible stat and sigil types for all weapon types…, the amount of unique options we had on jewellery compared to weps and armour before ascended was abysmal

Hmm… good point. Perhaps ascended skins then that don’t provide a stat boost? That’s a grey area… the marginal stat boost is what compels so many people to chase them in the first place. I don’t know… as long as they keep the stat boost as marginal as the current items are I don’t think it would be a real issue (I won’t rule out an imagined issue). One thought may be to have ascended weapons be identical in stats to exotics but have the extra utility infusion slot. People would go for those for that utility slot alone. It would also take away the need to upgrade legendary weapons (which they could add an infusion slot… or two… to).

This is what I wanted in the first place. /sigh

Players will always chase the best-in-slot gear. Saying you can do everything with just exotics now is like saying you can do everything with masterwork compared to exos before: sure you have the option of not going after them but why wouldn’t you? All you have to do is farm a bit right? Then they introduced ascended, and limited it to dailies.

It’s just a matter of definition at this point. It doesn’t seem like a gear treadmill per se because they’re only introducing 1 type of item per major patch, but if this continues, how long will it take to get all best-in-slot equips for 1 character from just doing dailies? They’re only making it worse for hardcore players by making them suffer long waits until they get what they want so that casuals can keep up – in hopes that the line splitting the two wouldn’t be as defined as other mmo’s.

Compared to GW1, chasing after stats in GW2 = grindy. If they only made graphically improved items like the fractal backpiece instead of a whole tier of equips and stats it would’ve been ok.

Regardless of how we view ascended equipments though, making exotic tier obsolete isn’t good by design.

It was fine just having exotics and legendaries.

nope they have it equipped. my friend said it was a bug when the laurels were first introduced i think. they managed to get tons of them.

VOLKON.1290:

Leo Paul.1659:

VOLKON.1290:

Anyone that thinks “BIS” items really make a difference when compared to exotics needs to let go of the WoW spreadsheet mentality you’ve carried over to here. Seriously, it’s embarrassing to see you people freaking out about an amulet, for example, that gives you an extra 0.55% damage (actual math).

Ascended gear fills the time gap between legendary and exotics. A lot of you weren’t even bothering with legendary. Why? Takes too freaking long, too much stuff to grind, etc. But look at you now… chasing the alleged carrot of ascended because it’s within grasp and appears to be so much better! Relax. This isn’t WoW where one Tier of gear is practically an order of magnitude better than the prior. The benefits are marginal at best, and by the time someone grinds out a full set of ascended most people will have earned a few pieces by accident just from normal play.

No matter how hard you try to dismiss and minimize the stats given by ascended equips, it doesn’t make it any less of a gear treadmill. This isn’t what I was promised when I bought the game.

Really? Where exactly is this treadmill of which you speak? Where’s the gated content that is inaccessible unless you get the latest tier of gear? Where are the gear score calculators?

Oh, right… they left those in other MMOs, where treadmills actually exists. Ascended gear only acts as a treadmill if you’re required to obtain it to access further content. That doesn’t exist, nor is there any remote hint of an indication that GW2 will ever go down that dark road. Minor progression != treadmill. Required gear for gated content = treadmill.

Ah yes, because 80 days of doing your dailies guarantees you 2 earrings of ascended equipment =/= gear treadmill. Gear treadmill doesn’t have to restrict you from accessing further content. With GW2’s current system, it would take more days to get all ascended equips than to get a legendary weapon. Gear treadmill began when they introduced Ascended equips. Everyone was fine with exotics.

ping their ascended earrings+amulets. How the hell were they able to get so much laurels on 1 character?

VOLKON.1290:

Anyone that thinks “BIS” items really make a difference when compared to exotics needs to let go of the WoW spreadsheet mentality you’ve carried over to here. Seriously, it’s embarrassing to see you people freaking out about an amulet, for example, that gives you an extra 0.55% damage (actual math).

Ascended gear fills the time gap between legendary and exotics. A lot of you weren’t even bothering with legendary. Why? Takes too freaking long, too much stuff to grind, etc. But look at you now… chasing the alleged carrot of ascended because it’s within grasp and appears to be so much better! Relax. This isn’t WoW where one Tier of gear is practically an order of magnitude better than the prior. The benefits are marginal at best, and by the time someone grinds out a full set of ascended most people will have earned a few pieces by accident just from normal play.

No matter how hard you try to dismiss and minimize the stats given by ascended equips, it doesn’t make it any less of a gear treadmill. This isn’t what I was promised when I bought the game.

^No offense meant of course. Just trying to help.. Was gonna do the same thing hehe.

I’ve never made an alt. I only have 1 name I want and I took it before anyone could get it. I won’t be bothered looking up 1 word names now that almost everything else has been taken. I wanted Mockingbird and I got it. I also got Mocking Bird for an alt but I don’t plan on using that yet.

Would you have rather waited 6 more months and be contented with what we had pre-flame and frost for an expansion instead of getting this half-baked patches? YES. Anet, please stop releasing content after content after content that nobody wants and start working on a proper expansion.

Why are people being punished for having multiple toons? Back in GW1 you could get your characters equipped fully in a fraction of the time it takes here in GW2 so people would make more alts and still dress them up appropriately. If GW2 allowed us to fully deck our main characters in equipments we want then we would’ve made more toons, and bought them character slots. If legendaries didn’t take as long to make, then perhaps everyone would be making one for each of their characters. Come expansion pack, introduce a new set of legendary skins to make to keep them hardcore players interested while the casuals can keep theirs and yet won’t make them feel like they’re being left behind.

1 year after the release of GW1, we got Guild Wars: Factions. 6 months after the release of GW2 we get this patch. WTF? I wish you spent those 6 months on an expansion pack instead of this travesty.

At least they didn’t touch CoF path 1. Instead of giving us more things to do, they’ve just narrowed our choices some more. Dailies + CoF path 1 gold runs will net you the items you want fastest. Thank you anet.

Raege.1069:

Leo Paul.1659:

Aren’t ascended gear supposed to be a filler between exotic and legendary? If it takes this long to get ascended equipment, then they must be doing it right with the drop rate of precursors. We ARE intended to get them in a year!

Doesn’t take a year to get an exotic. Let’s say and exotic costs 2500g. Now by farming CoF p1 6g/h it would take 416 hours, that’s 17 days. But since no one plays 24/7 for 17 days let’s say it’d take 1,5 months for a somewhat HC player.

Not to mention Legendaries are cosmetic upgrades. Ascended are stat upgardes. If, for example, instead of stat upgrades ascended amulet would add some sort of aura to your character and rings add particles to your hands I’d say most people would be quite happy.

Wait til they add them Ascended Weapons. I feel pity for them new players. They’ve missed out on a lot of dailies/monthlies.

Aren’t ascended gear supposed to be a filler between exotic and legendary? If it takes this long to get ascended equipment, then they must be doing it right with the drop rate of precursors. We ARE intended to get them in a year!

numark.3620:

Path 1

It is not clear that the little gravelings have to be kited into the flames in order to die. If you fight the big Howler like most groups did in the past up top on the raised ground above his little “arena” you’ll completely miss out on the fires down below (like our group did).

I’m not even sure how people are managing the kiting as is, what with every Graveling Scavenger having a knockdown and there being literally dozens of them running around. A few seconds of stability only go so far.

I can solo the boss. Just be at max range and never stop running so that the scavengers won’t reach you when they leap.

I feel exactly the same. Too much is too much. We don’t need an expansion’s worth of content if the direction goes this way. If I wanted more content, please allow me to choose whether I want it or not.. Let ME buy an expansion pack if I want to, not shove it down my throat.

What I particularly dislike is the fact that the big guilds will be able to require their members either into: donating or representing 24/7 unless risk not being able to get those ascended earrings via guild missions.

People grind for the legendary not just for the skin but for the bump in stats when Ascended weapons get implemented (which, at this rate, would probably take us half a year to get one).

Now, the big guilds will be entitled to their “24/7 representation or risk being kicked out” because of these guild missions. They should’ve just made influence distributed to every guild you have joined instead of the one you are representing.

Stark.1350:

Leo Paul.1659:

The GW2 today REQUIRES me to play the game every single day for 40 days or join a big guild. That isn’t how I envisioned GW2 to be, afaik GW1 never required you to play so much to have equipments at par.

Can you show me the gun to your head, Leo?

It’s called laurels.

penatbater.4710:

Mirta.5029:

Raine.1394:

Mirta, Mirta, I can’t believe you are QQing about any aspect of vertical progression. Remember, it’s all optional. You don’t need any of it to play the game. Simply ignore the ascending power curve if you think any part of it is too steep.

/tongueincheek

actually I’m mostly questioning what will happen to the small guilds. My main concern is that my small guild will not be able to participate in the guild missions and because of that will never be able to attract more people.

I don’t think the guild mission thing should be the main feature that attracts your members in the first place. Sure it’ll be nice to have some, but the main/important features to advertise would probably friendly, close-knitt group, funny, etc whatever suits your fancy.

This is what guilds originally meant for me. Sadly, with guild missions, it has turned for the worse.

The GW2 today REQUIRES me to play the game every single day for 40 days or join a big guild. That isn’t how I envisioned GW2 to be, afaik GW1 never required you to play so much to have equipments at par.