Guild Wars 2

Its not boring.

Problem with ele right now its that only bunker ele works well, but its boring to fight against and if you arent a fan of healing + nearly null damage, its boring to play.

Hi, your season 4 MMR:

2(((MMR after placement matches- 50(win-loses)) -1200)+1200

However if your leavers went disconnected by two mins and didnt come back, just not put them in loses, they didnt count.

So suposing that was not the case: 1700 if you hitted 1450 mid gold, 1800 if you did it with 1500.

In the extreme case you have 2 min leavers in the 4 matches: 1300 MMR if you hit 1450 on second tier gold, 1400 if it was 1500.

However Match maker in previews season didnt allow to group properly on same skill rates, so theres born to be distorions (in fact Evan told there were distorions after season 3).

Edit: Coul be a 33 multiplier on win loses, not that sure now. That will only affect your leavers not counting as loses, making your MMR higher: 1436, 1536 aprox.
Also no exact, just aprox.

Sigmoid.7082:

My question which I asked first still remains unanswered. Tell me why improving an incredibly bad and underused traitline(s) and core shroud is bad?

Instead of buffing (power creep), lets nerf hot, elite specs not only ruined diversity but also included too many ways to bypass mistakes or make their outcome appear later.

Once the game its on a level of balance that it have prehot (without the cele problem), you could reevaluate each class problems.

Power creep will only mantain or make worse this meta and how forgiving it can be.

MMR distribution and soft reset

MMR has a bell curve (normal curve) with a mean of 1200. This means each division dont have the same ammount of people, silver and bronce have way more than other divisions, in fact it means the more near 1200 you are more people on your same rating are.

The soft reset did this: (Last season MMR+ 1200)*0.5, and then give you 10 matches before it shows your mmr, however that doesnt mean its not calculated, you are been matched acording the initial operation, the soft reset however reset your deviation, so if you lose all of the matches, you lost 500 points of MMR.

However each match you fight against people of the same MMR you have at that moment, so its very difficult to fluctuate as much as pre season 1600 (1400 at the start of the ten matchs) to 900 this season.

MMR settling

Even after you got a bad/ god start or you climb, went down stairs to some skill rate, that doesnt means you are really in your MMR, MMR need to settle!. This means once you have like 20 matches and are still in the same MMR, you could said that as long as the other people are near their place, you are also near yours.

That means that if you started at 1400 and have only lost until 900 and never again you saw the 1400, its extremly probable that you were wrongly placed in 1400.

Reasoning and MMR

This part was writing because additionally to ignorance theres a lot of none reasoning and just denial in all the this system sucks/ bronce hell related topics:

MMR measures me individually but its a group game!:

Yes, but it you are put as a variable in the group game and over all your matches the constant its you, it have enough matches to discriminate others, the same for the other variables, if we go for regression or lineal algebra, it means it have enough equation with all variables to get the correct values of all of them.

So i can mantain 3 but my super archie bad bronce team cant do nothing against the other two:

First:

In my experience 90% of the guys saying im fighting 3 are clueless guys that either/and:

Didnt check their team wipped and the other guys come for him.
Have 40 secs mantaining the other team but think it was about 5 mins.
Random guy spawning after/before his team that go to play yolo vs 5…

Second: For all the other cases:

Your 4 guys have each a similar level of the other 2 guys, so except one or both of them its also not accurate measured by a lot, this will not happen. The best part its that they will go up and eventually you will, this kind of player will not always show in your matches, neither always on the other team, you will influence the outcome, even by an small ammount if you more win more 1vs1 than a player in that skill rating.

So yes, you are good you are going up, just not probably in a 100% wins ratio, every litle thing you do better than your teammates and by consequence the other team members, give your team more chances to win than the average 50%.

There are people that should not be in ranked!

If they are super bad they will fill the bottom of the skill rating system and people that get there and dont deserve it, will do it for a momment (example: if all teams members are afkers except you, you are the only one capping: winning all time!!!!).

And yeah they will fill the bottom because they will lose most of their matches until they find people like them. The probabilities you accompany them all the way in their downfall are very small.

General MMR reasoning means: how much matches can be considered luck, what kind of teammates and enemies i have at this skill rating and how they interact, what happens with someone that is this bad and using extreme cases.

The experts in MMR/glicko formulas, please correct or add anything.

PD: No my main language.

Im not an expert in MMR, neither a super PVPer, but after reading so much of the forum feedback/venting i can say most people are clueless about it, so i made this post to explain the basics of MMR:

MMR: Match Making Ratio its a skill rating and skill rating system that comes from Glicko 2, glicko 2 of course comes from glicko 1 that in itself is an improvement of ELO.

How you move on the MMR system:

Players are suposed to start at a determinated ratio (1200) and go up or down based on three important points:

- You won or lose.
-Against what MMR (team MMR) you did it, compared to yours.
- How certain the system its of your MMR.

The second point directly destroys the common idea of same win/lose ratio= same MMR, that doesnt normally happen, the system take in account against who you fight.

At the same time this explain why theres difference between skill rating winning and lose between players and why sometimes lose have a bigger value than wins (you had more chances to win).

It also makes so that when the system has litle people or a player group up with a lower MMR guy, he will not farm skill rating, because a meager win of skill rating points (in fact some skill rating systems make you lost a small quantity of points when you win against someone less skilled).

Third one has to do with the deviations: MMR works as an alghoritm, it becomes more precise by each match, the more accurate calculation it has of your true skill rating, the less it will deviate for wins and loses, it will still happens, but less. This is because you will lost and win, as a result your mmr fluctuate up and down between your real place and if this deviations arent restrained partially the quality of matches will be deteriorated, since you will be under or overrated by an amount (not big but stlll).

This third point has an important part, the more you go against what the system predicted (long winning streaks), the more your MMR will fluctuate, because it no longer has an accurate data of yours (you improved in comparison of others). This make so that improves or lose in skill (or build power for example) will be more easily sized by the system (anyone with more than 4-5 winning streaks will notice an additional 1-3 points win of skill rate per win until he start to setle again).

MMR in season 1-4:

A common mistake people do its compare the old seasons with this one, there are several difference:

First one: The matchmaker had two mayor problems in previews seasons:

• Pip restriction to search for opponents of the same MMR (in all 4 seasons).
  This produced teams with very different compositions of MMR and can only happens now in very low population hours and in extreme MMR values, like 2000 and 400 (900 its not an extreme value).

• Matchmaker different formula (season 2-3): Of 10 people it grouped the best 5 MMRs in one team and the worst 5 in the other.
  This isnt happening now, can happen that a team has a general better MMR but not that all the best skill ratios are in one group.

Second: No checkpoints, this isnt grind based where you could get to one point, tank (knowing you were doing it or not) your MMR thanks to the checkpoint and fight against the low MMRs guys in the division.

In this season you tank your MMR, you lower your division and fight against guys of similar MMR than the one you have at the moment at each MMR value, as such you tank and lose progress to come back against the same foes.

Third: All people start in the same division or there were 3 points to start (emerald, amber and saphire), now each people start at half the difference between their MMR and 1200, so your starting point depends of your pre soft reset skill rating.

This means no low level skill player its suposed to start in platinum in the long run (since its a soft MMR reset, there was still some of the old leagues MMR distortions, so it could happen this time).

Four: Thanks to the 3 first factors, in previews leagues you could be in legendary division and have a 900 skill rating (been in the worst 50% of the population in terms of skill).

Now if you mantain legendary, you are really on that level.

glenndevis.8327:

Anet needs to be more tight with their matchmaking system. I’m silver right now and i’m sure there are games where i’m teamed up with golds and games where i’m teamed up with bronzies. (or people who are gold/silver because they got lucky with teammates and people who end up in bronze coz they are unlucky with teammates.)

Ok, a bigger population its always an improvement, however about what you put in “()”, lets be honest, in a large number of matches (ej: 30+ at the same range of skill rating), lucky and unlucky will go away, the player would have played enogh matches to have both of them in a very similar size and of course a lot of matches where was no carry or significative carry.

Lucky and unlucky work in really small numbers, MMR works statistically, the more repetition the less those factors come in place, because they cancel each other. Lets understand it, the chances that a guy get 30 lost because its team its worst than the other, its nearly none, theres a chance it can happen, but its so small that probably theres nobody who got it considering the population pvp has.

About the some people shouldnt be in ranked, they will get dropped to the floor of bronce, the more matches, the more they will get sunked. They will drop their teamates, but you arent getting all the matches with them and even if 1/1000 get 15 matches with this player, he will finish in a skill rate where he will kill them always (not 50% or build vs build chance), that means that he will affect the odds of winning for each team he has and will end with a ratio of more than 50% chance.

Simply if you solo 3vguys, MMR wise, in a mean of all matches, your teamates will not lost a 4vs2, because the other 2 of the enemy team are as bad as them. That works only for luck, and if you see this, its luck or another player that will have a bigger than 50% win ratio and will leave bronce.

mrauls.6519:

glenndevis.8327:

I think the daze nerf was a step in the right direction, but I still feel like DH is too powerful.
Personally I feel like it’s because of their unblockable attacks also being their strongest attacks… which also have strong CC in them.

DH has one unblockable attack. Not multiple. Maybe you’re thinking about how Rev can make their next 2 attacks unblockable?

Soft capping class stacking to max 3 could help.

JTGuevara.9018:

Ithilwen.1529:

I think people are tanking matches in placement, hoping to win streak. It’s a logical strategy if leader board placement is only win ratio.

which goes to show placemelnt matches were a STUPID idea

No, basically once a guy tanked his mmr, he will go way below and will need to climb back where he belong, there he will be paired against people of his level and get a 50/50 win rate ratio aprox, not going up, without going down again, ever again (so he lost his time).

Also, MMR as any skill rating system will consider not only if you win or lose, but against who you did and how much near to a apropiate prediction the system have of the match, thats the way you receive and lost rating.

Theres a lot of ignorance about the MMR system. For instance when people talk about bronce hell they forget a important detail: your opponents are as bad as your teamates.

That means a guy that actually is better than bronce or a particular skill rating has advantage, because his team has him, that its more skilled, but was paired as less. That means his win rate against people rated like him (his underated) will be more than 50%, the more skilled the bigger the chance to win.

The enemy team members will have the same probabilities to do the same mistakes that your teammates do, they will 3 man cap a point or whatever as much as your teammates, the difference its you will not, hence you will get more points to your teams, making the winning chance of it better.

If you are more skilled than your division, skill rate, etc; you are there because the system underate you, your presence dont compensate for anything, you are a wildcard not properly considered in the system and will go up.

If you not, self denial doesnt help.

Pd: Not my main language.

A lot of skill have side effects (traited or not) that make it have sense for you to use them without a target,

Also, that would be a step back, if you use a skill when theres not target its your fault, you should pay more atention, its a very small but important point that make the skill check for not spamming skills senselless.

Gaile Gray.6029:

GFor Mesmer, we’re looking at making Signet of Inspiration’s boon sharing functionality a bit more controlled, giving each shared boon a fixed duration. To help compensate for these general reductions, we’ll be increasing both damage and a few different baseline boon durations.
-The Skills Team

If you are nerfing inspiration signet, it could do more instead of a fixed duration to reduce the % of the duration shared, like 100% to 75%. This way the skill factor (as small or huge as it can be depending of the person perspective) of knowing when to share and when not, will still be there.

A fixed duration,its an easy solution, but is not good to stimulate good and more active gameplay (or it will be more mindless depending of perspective).

• Map:

The size was great, missed more verticality but the zone theme restricted it. The mastery suited it very well.

Some places out of the area of influence of the hearts need events, like “kill the veteran”.

Adding new powers to destroyers was interesting but they arent on Hot and progression level of difficulty. New destroyers and for example adding dash to the new troll destroyers could fix it.

• Giant lava wurm:

Nice touch, but its too easy and weak in mechanics. It spitting a giant torrent of lava on some areas, including battery ones (so that the players need to move) and headbutt others will dynamise and fix it.

• Circus weapons:

Too expensive for their fashion and stats level, most people will not buy them for that. They could be at the guild weapons values adding 15-25 petrificated logs each.

• Story:

Was good, the moto touch was great and Aurene its so cuuute. It needed additional instances to make it more story packed. Also heart objectives were tied to the story too much.

• Jp:

Great gp (gliding puzzle), but need better rewards.

• Hearts:

I Like them as an extra mechanics but they must not reset map and vendor unlocking progress with them and need better completition rewards.

All light armor classes are tier 3 in your list xd

Capricorn

• The map been too big dont let you read the minimap when its in the minimun size, not sure in another ones. If it could adapt properly it will be of a lot of help.

• Been such a big map and having the 4th cap mechanic, makes it favor to get mid. For other point roaming and far- home encourage high movility builds , but the 4th cap encourage heavy cap oriented builds like dragon hunter.

I think this its a very good balance for premades, you get up to two high mobile classes and 2 heavy cap ones to get a good home back, 4th and mid domination and far decap.

• Big maps like this one will make that under preasure the risk of going far and outrotate will be bigger but necesary, meaning deficiences in rotating and coordination will hit hard, this is good for ranked in my opinion.

• The fourth cap its interesting but it could make so this its the more difficult map to win with compositions that are too unbalanced (2 thieves and 3 mes). This can lead to some toxic behaviors, so please make your suport group bann more toxic players xd.

I know its off place, but since it derailed for other ranked maps xd.

Crinn.7864:

EDIT: when I say rotation I’m not talking about static PvE style rotations where you do the same button combo for any and every enemy. I’m referring to a theoretical dynamic rotation that accounts for the target’s class and DcDs.

My arguments are theoretical assuming perfect play.

Yeah i was talking about a statical ones were players never reaction different if something change, except if they are losing. Its not that rare to get one guy that confess his doing that with a class that have too much sustain (like old cele ele).

Also you can consider on that conditions two points: flexible systems allow to more viable answers that will not end in for example: died in or before move 15, so you can get more than one solution, gw2 its flexible in its gameplay .

Plus its imposible for a player to take in account movements on infinitum (as you said, perfect play its imposible for this).

Crinn.7864:

Lucius.2140:

Thats for two main factors:

- You can predict a rotation, meaning you can easily survive the burst and get a time or create a time to burst.

- Theres not one optimal way to deal with all the players. The strategy (not rotation) will depend of class, build and skill level. A good player will be able to change its style/strategy at the midle of the fight and you will need to change yours also.

As a reminder: The easier way to connect against an enemy that knows how your class works and the combos its to do out of the boxes atacks or have as many as posible so you are not predictable (in other words if you expect the same burst atack all the guys that start with a meta build learn, you will get killed against anyone that knows their class).

Its the same principle as starting the same way every time, you will be countered. Also if we talk about rotations with lazzy low level play, you can create a counter rotation and kitten the other guy lol.

Repeating the same combos and start its part of a rotation (not the only one, since its the use of them as a set timing (not adjusted one) in a predeterminated sequence: Like casting 3 illusions and do shatter inmediatly to only get blocked by a war shield instead of waiting for it to end and then shatter.

Your points are only valid in a asymmetrical 1v1 (a 1v1 between different builds)

In a 1v1 between identical builds (like the OP’s video where both where power revs) you execute the optimal rotation because if your opponent does anything less than the optimal then they lose by default.

The only time breaking the optimal is the proper play in a symmetric 1v1 is if you are behind and need to pull a wild card to win. Of course in the majority of 1v1s, one player attacks ahead of the other, rather than both at the same instant.

I dont think thats true, let me give you two examples considering two wars:

• If they start at same time and its time to burst in the rotation: i will block the burst that way i will take the lead, breaking a tie.

• If one start first and its time to burst but the enemy its trying to “break” by blocking, then i will not burst , will wait and then burst or change to an unbloackable atack xd.

That video its too small to consider it a full rotation and as i said before: rotation itself its not a combo but a complete set of them that go in circles, never change and never change of pace. If you are winning with a rotation but in a specific part you gain more to not do it and outsmart the rotation of your mirror enemy, then do it!. Same goes if you are losing as you said or if you are at a tie.

If i can kill an enemy faster by waiting or doing something other way i will do. Rotations are predictables and you can circle them, its not good to use them for that.
Also the game itself has enough deep to let you do different strategies with the same build and not consider one optimal in all cases, the game its not linear in its gameplay, that itself its an asymmetrical condition.

Crinn.7864:

apharma.3741:

. The game has become mostly a rotation game where you run in, do your rotation and then bug out if you’re not winning.

Oh so it’s like every mmo in existence.

Every build that has ever existed has a optimal way to go about attacking another player.

In theory most high level 1v1s should actually look like that, however in real 1v1s one of the players usually alphas ahead of the other player resulting in the late player having to break rotation to defend themselves.

Not sure about other mmos, but if we talk about any type of pvp game that has some skill level of skill play, a rotation its the definition of low skill use (not necesary low skill level if its so OP that cant be countered – not here yet).

Thats for two main factors:

- You can predict a rotation, meaning you can easily survive the burst and get a time or create a time to burst.

- Theres not one optimal way to deal with all the players. The strategy (not rotation) will depend of class, build and skill level. A good player will be able to change its style/strategy at the midle of the fight and you will need to change yours also.

As a reminder: The easier way to connect against an enemy that knows how your class works and the combos its to do out of the boxes atacks or have as many as posible so you are not predictable (in other words if you expect the same burst atack all the guys that start with a meta build learn, you will get killed against anyone that knows their class).

Its the same principle as starting the same way every time, you will be countered. Also if we talk about rotations with lazzy low level play, you can create a counter rotation and kitten the other guy lol.

Repeating the same combos and start its part of a rotation (not the only one, since its the use of them as a set timing (not adjusted one) in a predeterminated sequence: Like casting 3 illusions and do shatter inmediatly to only get blocked by a war shield instead of waiting for it to end and then shatter.

What will you nerf to make elite and core on par?

As the title says, lets discuss what can be done for that. I supose this one isnt the first thread of this kind, but i think it can help if the feedback its good.

Personally i main mesmer so thats the class i would make suggestions about (no point in suggesting what you dont know well enough imo):

Mesmer

• Continum Split (F5): elites cant be affected by this skill (no doble elite).

This skill its unlocked as a minor adept trait, but its more powerfull than any
grandmaster mayor trait on any of the mesmers trait lines. Also its not
compensated by a weaker chronomancer trait line, in fact the trait line its stronger
than any other mesmer traitline without continuum split.

The power of continum split comes from: return to health, stamina, conditions and
buffs ; plus it allow you to do doble bursts and use as much skills as apropiate in this
space of time, this includes elite.

It costs illusions to mantain it longer and the enemy can target the time rift or hit it
with aoe/cleave, however the convenience of doble burst, skills, reset and doble
elite make it way to strong.

I will put the power of the doble elite here between 30-50% of the skills power. And
the apropiate power that it requires as a minor adept trait needs to be comparable
as 15-20% its actual power, so nerfing it to 50-70% will not be enough, but its a start.

• Chronophantasma: Make it have a 5 secs inner cold down and only aplicate on one phantasm (the last in been casted).

Chrono phantasma has two main points: Phantoms can be shattered twice and they
can be forced to atack faster with a shatter , this timed properly can mean you have
an extra burst power or you can lure, with the first phantoms sets of atacks + the
shatter, the dodges and defense of your enemy to hit him with the phantoms.

Its usual counters are : destroying the phantoms before the shatter and after the
shatter when they are stunned or not yet connecting the atack (theres a very small
window for this so its mainly done with previusly casted aoe).

The end result between pros and contras its that even with the counter
chronophantasma its stronger than other grandmasters mayor trait contraparts in
any other trait line.

Making it have a 5 secs recharge rate make it more difficult to mantain too many
illusions and also it reduce the burst potential of the trait, since you will need to time
your phantoms separetly to make them use the trait always, this also reduce the
extra dps it generate.

• Echo of memory: Reduce the blocking time of echo of memory to 1 secs but mantain the dejavu one in 1.5 secs or 1.25 secs for echo of memory and 1.25 secs for Deja Vu. Aditionally make its cold down go to 32 secs as base.

This skill allow chronomancer to have a lot more capping potential and defensive
power, its usual counter its not to hit the mesmer when blocking so that he/she dont
get Deja Vu, dodging after the end of the block so that it not cast the phantom and
using unblockable skills.

However the extra defensive potential it have its too much, thats why reducing the
block duration at the start will make it more balanced. Deja Vu its okay because its a
punitive skill, the only time it can be questionable would be in case of AI, for this i
put the alternative to 1 and 1/4 secs for Echo of Memory and Deja Vu.
And since its not enough agregate a small prolongation in the cd.

This three are the main chronomancer points that make it way stronger than core mesmer imo.

• Well of eternity: Final heal reduced by 25% to allies.

Well of eternity has a good compensation of time and self heals rewarded
considering its casting time and cold down. However its risky because it needs you
to stay on the well to get the final heal, that can make you not mobile enough, burst
material, aoe material or just strategically knocked out of the well.

This its farily compensated with condition removal to you and allies. However it also
heals allies so its a litle stronger than other mesmers heals.

Phoebe Ascension.8437:

Once you play 50/50% win rate long enough, the game will rethink ‘you being 70% winner’ no longer, and put less noobs in your team.

But bad luck streaks still happen (8 matches with big noobs/afk’ers in row) are possible and the came cannot take these guys out, because they still got a 40-60% win rate.

You are wrong, lets start with mmr:

Before pvp seasons:

If i have lets say a MMr that its superior to 60% of the player base and solo i will fight against and with players that are aprox in a similar mmr level normally, this means my team its balanced over its members and the other team its also balanced, plus both teams have similar levels.

Now its like i have a 50%/50% probability of winning, this isnt forced (what the devs say) i can become more skilled, theres class and premade variations and also the composition of my team and different play styles that some times dont go well.

But overally if i dont grow better and solo quee i will still obtain aprox 50/50, and since i will win against groups of similar levels and lose agianst them in a 50/50 ratio, generally i will not go down in MMR. I will mantain my over 60% of the population ratio.

With pvp seasons

In a well done season system i will end up in my MMR range and then i will get 50/50 ratio and not move in the long term if my skill lvel dont change (because i will fluctuate slightly up or down from time to time: 2 wins, 2 loses, 50/50 doesnt mean one win one lose one win one lose).

But in the case of gw2 we all start from “cero” or a fixed general division, but mmr doesnt. So we have our old MMR and its used with Season 1 matchmaker (now also Season 4 matchmaker): This one will try to match teams against teams of similar MMR and at the same time will try to search for people of similar level in your pip range.

This give two problems:

• First one its that your skill level will not matter that much to your progression because even if you are better than 99% the game will try to match you with people of your skill, so you will have about 50/50 winning rate. Meaning all skill levels will have the same opportunity to go up

• Second one is that after premades, some peoepl playing more than others and luck some groups will go up in pip range and other ones will go down, stay or go up slower for a moment and this will happen on all MMR levels, but this will broad MMR of relative same levels to a higher range of pips.

This will result in the system needing to mix different levels of MMR in groups. So you will have even teams with not even teamates. But since the groups are similar the ratio will mantain over time in 50/50 that means each will mantain their MMR.

So yes: 50/50% doesnt means your MMR go down, it means it stays.
And yes the matchmaking we have made it so that skill doesnt matters.

Also:

The 500/100 you found are consequences of: Premades with not similar levels of players or that dont play in team good enough or the contrary, losing winning streaks (aleatory ones, not forced ones), someone not using a class that he/she plays well, difference in composition strengh and differences in strategy between players on a group (that ends in subperformance).

And but not last balance changes afects the Match maker since they make MMR less acurate at the start: guy using a scrapper for example will start season 4 with a MMR that overrates his actual self and guy using a guard will start with a MMR that subrates him.

More people buying the game and gems = more profits.

So if going for consoles can do that, seems like a smart move. Depending of how they think at long term it could beneffit the game in all plataforms, if they get the money and think in mantain or expand their audience, then they could go for a bigger budget, beyond the mantain and ship on the new console expanding.

The only problem i see its that this game started really well but has the worst quantity-quality realese cadence in practically all the mid and bug budget mmos…, either they shipped really small chunks in litle time (adding up they were small fro the time they toke) or something of realtive good size in too long periods.

Plus HoT that was so small in content (features are no excuse because the core game has more new features and systems implemented).

In other words either they didnt get a good budget for their sucess or are very underproductive.

In case 1, a console sucess probably will not increase, in case 2 budget will probably have an impact, way smaller than in a more productive enviroment, but and improvement.

Still , for bussiness its a good idea.

Less people because a chunk of players got their legandary backpiece.

Jourdelune.7456:

MMR is fine. The problem is new player get Average MMR and most average MMR player play other games in off-seasons.

It’s better since balance patches hit. Double friend list.

We should all ask together, politely to our Anet Overlord to let new player have new player MMR and not mid-tier hardcore spvper.

This would solve our quality of matches by 10×.

Problem with MMR in out season its that ranked seemes like in reset (you get people of all skill levels in your teams) and unranked its still slow in setling the MMRs since it was always a troll place, learning place, etc…

The problem in leagues its the awfull combination of pips and MMR (use of them, first season was the worst use of it in the MM) , when the leagues are suposed to divide the population by skill, but they are grind based and they reset divisons because they are reward tied and that they mix two game modes, one not encouraging much its pvp elements.

MMR its good, but reseting it after 3 years or more means chaos, that or whatever its happening in ranked wasnt a good move….

Edit: I mean it could have been good for leagues to work as a reset, after all the process needed it, but off season pain its unnecesary…

pikkunana.7495:

I noticed also, if you are very strong player the NPCs die easily. When I died a lot or been weak the NPCs are more stronger, stayed alive and help a lot. (in LS3 story)
I did many time the Living Story Season 3 and noticed difference between NPCs action with difference profession. Anyone else noticed that?

When you are stronger as a player you outlive them and do more, when you are weaker you die, the weaker the faster you die and of course you do less in the fight.

Its a comparative issue, like in a scale of skills (more= better), for example you are comparing 3 (NPCs) been 1 when you are weak and 3 been 9 when you are strong.

About the thread:

Theres a couple of points in differences with Hot for example:

• Less npcs helping you in Rata Novus LS3 part.
• The mobs seems a litle stronger in LS3.

So Rytlock its fighting more and stronger enemies, thats why he dies.

cyberzombie.7348:

I have a feeling having friendly fire in spvp can be both beneficial for 1vX but at the same time can force teams to work more coherently but I am curious on other people’s hypothesis if it were to occur.

I will like that, but if we go back to reality:

• This game wasnt advertised as hardcore and playing in that kind of enviroment, that some hardcore pvp games have, need more skills.

• Is not pug friendly.

• We dont have until now a system that can take care offenders/hacks/bots fast. Adding trolls killing their teammates will be just too much.

Supreme.3164:

Brilliant move! Absolutely magnificent!

It’s not like over 80% of your playerbase steadily walk into the traps like they’re giving away free candies.

So now we’re stuck with this revamped noob stomper in a game where the MMR is absolutely horrendous ..if there is any at all.

Now from double condi war..we have double dh trap spammer on point with your team feeding opposition like lemmings.

About what you said about noobies and dhs:

Yesterday to fight a dh properly i needed to let my ally revenant die, because he was stepping in the healing traps and not doing much damage (not sure how) so i capped without using any skill in the time i saw the guy die at two steps of me, the dh matained range with caution.

Thats an example of the types of behaviors that the concurrence of the two problems you put can create.

About the two problems:

• MMR: Totally need to be fixed. None fun game, more toxicity and less players retention, in both the newbie and veterans pvpers crowds.

• Existence of a noob destroyer build: Its nearly inevitable in a complex game like this one. I think they need to put elite specs mobs in the lobby so people can play against them, probable a d/ d thief also, so they can fix that overnerf. Other case they will be very limited in what they could introduce to the game.

The point, the problem is not the dh, but that newbies dont have as much elements too learn as they could (meaining the learning curve will be done in a larger time) and that they are been paired with veterans that will normally either be unhappy with them or destroy them in game.

Personally i think they need to nerf elite specs, but thats not just dh and not because its strong in the current meta, theres not even one properly formed right now. Its because to promove build diversity and give not Hot users a fair chance its either nerf or power creep and i dont think power creeps are a good solution.

OriOri.8724:

You went out of your way to mention living story, so no it wasn’t unreasonable to assume you wanted to theory craft about that. And for Raids and PvP it doesn’t matter. It won’t take long for people to figure out best raid builds, same with PvP

It normally takes like 3-4 weeks for most builds been optimized and wide spread in PvP.

In that sense its better for they to realese the patch when its ready (normally they do that).

If its true i not agree with King Cephalopad in the necesary presence of a train or the events been individually to obscures for a noob, i must acept that the model of letting all of them be could eventually collapse for the acumulation of events, since they could create confusion as a group and if its true that a small group of “side events” are good, having too much of them could go against the map “thematic” and its cohesion itself.

That been said, the actual state of the maps seems to give them some room to host the actual living events, the map original events and some more, this gap could be filled with events of old ls or retaining new ones when they arent current (like preserving the ones we have right now).

However as stated before, they need to have a cap (determining a individual cap for each map its another topic itself and something i dont think we as the player base can propose properly). This cap could be reach and then rotate to another maps without cap, but this have 2 problkems: eventual cap of all of them, compromising the players experience and the devs art freedom, to make some arcs or make them feet in some determinmed none capped maps.

As such if we could retain events, theres the necesitty of both discriminate the ones we are retaining in map and what we could suggest to be done with the other ones.
In that context, Blaeys proposed the events to be repetable as guild missions /activities and i think that seems a good system to preserve content and prevent it form hinder the game zones eventually. Anet also recicled some content into fractals, but was instance content and it toke a lot of extra effort aparently.

I supose the less out of the context and thematic of the map and not heavy laoded in that part, could tend to be mantained and the other ones added to guild activities.

In that case seems to me that the Kryta civil war related events and scavenger hunt could have more sense and chance to be retained in map and the Ley line ones to be added as a guild challenges, probably with the ley line anomaly separeted form the rest and the other 3 in a sequence, having the variation of maps and locations and the scort been done by either the priory or the consorsium.

Gonna update the suggestion for that and quote Blaeys for the guild quests idea.

DolknowYou:

I prefer it to have a more firendly start because the start doesnt help people getting in it. Its like when you get on a game without tutorial: Swim or sink.

Some of us will swim, but what about the ones that sink?, and the question later its, was the sinking necesary or was there another way to implement this same content?

I go with: “There was another way”.

Donari:

Knowing that requires either you involucrating yourself with the maze and learn, been guided or seen a guide. My point its that that kind of first involvment frustrate/ have anegative hit to the players.

So to the points i put again with what you said, some “solutions” to this first impression could be:

- Implement a gyro that send you to the coalecense way point.

- Make an arrow/poster/sign indicated path made by the Pact to direct troops to an important way point, like the path you stated in your post.

I like the design of HoT maps, i even like the overall design of Tangled Depths, however i must acept that it can be a maze at the start and its more than just figuring where to go, first lets check how navegable its after you get the key way points:

- Ley line coalescense give you the overall acces to all the chack regent meta.

- Novus, race, ogre and nuloch waypoints allow you to have acces to the key event parts.

- Once you have the waypoints explorng for hero points, achivments, fun and map completition but its overall navegable.

Then whats the problem?:

The start can be frustrating, the three ways to explorea fter the initial way point include: going for a three or up a tree full of mordrems that its a small maze also or for a bigger maze if you go down.

One thing its to have a map that has tons of things to explore and some or a lot are intrincated, hidden in the weirdest, rarest and difficult to find mazes; another its to have to get for a maze just to get the key/basic elements of the maps.

Thats were Tangled Depths fail, it provides an intrincate map, but at the same the start doesnt allow you to get neither to the meat of the map (meta and events) fast, neither to have the choice to skip the “exploring on the darkests and intrincated depths” to get to it.

Also after that its the part that map skippers have it tough, I have alredy helped 2 friends to get to Dragon Stand because of this.

So what to do about it:

Personally a way to get to the ley line coalecense waypoint could do the trick, that way point its the key to acesing most of the map evets and meta, plus give you an easy way to get to the next map.

In fact, this way point is a reference of how a start to a “Maze map” could be:

Friendly, allowing the players to get acces to more group content faster, without doing the intrincated exploring aif they dont like it; with a “relativly clear” way to get to the next map; and the aluring maze doors waiting for them in some of the corners.

Yeah i understand they will not be current, im just using the word to refer to them, so that most people will get about what content im talking about (plus the title couldnt be longer, tried xd).

I think that as long as you can get a bandit encripted order and a leystone infused core, they will not be out of place, the item will point them to the apropiated lore that make them have sense.

In the case of the toxic alliance, the lore its gone, we dont have a replayable LS1 and the alliance itself or what they did in Kesex Hills its out of place for the ones that miss that LS1 chapter, plus dont blend well into the game for that reason.

If we go with what you said, a lot of events will also need to go out of game, because as you go further in the game story, they become obsolete (EDIT: except f you only refer to the Scarlet model).

As long as an event isnt a spoiler for the players that are “naturally” progressing on that map and has a lore to put it there, i think its ok and good to mantain it, or if its posible you could change small parts so that it can mix well without giving out information of future events to the new players.

Edited

It could be cool and good to the game (more options, thinks to do and depth) that the events that are implemented as previews or parts of the living stories stay forever in one way or another.

Said that, theres several limitiations to the events staying as they are.

Even if the events are designed to give some lore context (actuals are), we could end at long term in a huge accumulation of events that could confuse new players and could go against the thematic and cohesion of the maps.

Considering that, if its true, right now theres space to add new events, its a limited number of them that can be added without deteriorating the map experience.

In that case this event additions could have a cap that makes so that the experience will never be degraded. This cap however could not be a restriction to “not add new events there” (that could shorten posible arcs and quality), instead the cap could work with a side system to matain events but not “on map” and not be filled completly, but letting a gap for new posible events happening.

As such, as proposed by: Blaeys.3102, some events could stay in the form of guild missions, this way the player experience its not deteriorated and the content stays, with all the advantage that comes with it.

Posibly having the less out of context/thematic of the map stay and the other content been implement as an addition to guild missions.

With the actual “Current events”, seems to me that the Kryta civil war related events and scavenger hunt could have more sense and chance to be retained in map and the Ley Line ones to be added as a guild challenges, probably with the ley line anomaly separeted from the rest and the other 3 in a sequence, having the variation of maps and locations and the scort been done by either the priory or the consorsium.

Pd: Changed my orginal suggestion after reading discussion and ideas that it generated.

Yeah the weird part its that most people that forget about this, consider adding silk nodes and such to combat the inflation.

Personally i will go for both more gold sinks and new ways to get more mats, etc, like masteries for getting more monsters parts.

Because only going for production will mean more inventory managing (except if they add more bag slots, etc that doesnt have skyrocketed prices like the gem ones xd, but that itslef will be also a gold sink in most of its posible implementations).

Obtena.7952:

Answer is … inflation, always.

It also reduced the gini of the population, in other words the ones more affected for the inflation were the guys with more gold in the economy.

The others have more capacity to buy now.

Wishing we could pay for a DLC that makes all the actual gem store items (or at least most) available in game…

I look forward for that since the start of every season xd
It has improved compared to Hot release, but theres a loooooooong way to go.

Personally i will either pay monthly for a VIP account that have acces to DLCs/new expansions.
Or buy the DLCs/ new expansions when the come.

But theres not DLCs/new expansions! -.- (in fact they toke ages for the first expansion and my wallet was waiting and waiting lol).

Also i could actually pay the value of an expansion for having all the Gem Shop items inserted in the game via rewards for different activities.

Pd: I want content, fix and improvements and im willing to pay for it, take my money! xd

Yeah theres tons of problems and i also love the game. (good image btw=)

Nightshade.2570:

I would like to see certain classes be able to run a power version as well as condi. I wish there could be more diversity here.

Secondly, I would not buff Ele or Rev, currently these are the strongest classes in the meta, I suspect you have been under a rock. If teams in the Pro-leagues were allowed to they would take two eles and two revs into every fight.

The only class that really needs to be looked at is Guardian. They have a serious issue with reflect and they need some builds that can survive in this meta.

This meta is ironically the most balanced yet, with only a few overpowered classes and most of the other classes at the same level.

Please play all the initial 8 classes with only core specs, against people you normally have a 50/50 % win rate, then talk about balance again.

No way its balanced if not everyone has access to Hot and 1 spec (elite one) its necesary to not been much weaker (im not saying it make it unplayable, but its totally diferent if you fight with people of your same skill level).

In fact balance need to be centered in tunning down the elite specs so that we get back to an aprox of the old none well balanced meta, so that anet can fix that next.

Since Hot we have even less balance , because they buried core builds that even were very strong to be weak, not nerfing them, not making others strong, introducing new ones that are much stronger (the amulets cleaning up its the only exception).

Thats the “balance” we have now, it has improved since its original release with the expansion, but its wayyy worst than pre expansion, if you consider the contrary you are most probably thinking elite spec vs elite spec.

Circus Charricus would be great, but in the actual context (a lot of problems, bad implementations, half implementations, lack of new content and a very poor expansion in content), having something like that implemented will be either a poor decision (they dont add other more important things) or a dream.

Acandis.3250:

• Add pip and tier loss to all divisions.
• (bonus) Reward/deduct more pips for the first few “starter games,” at the beginning of every season.

I think it needs a more radical change:

Rewards

I suggest to change the league reward system, so it doesnt actually give you rewards for reaching a certain point, but instead it advance a secondary reward track by match played, but making it unalterable by boosters or festival buffs.

This reward tracks will be repetible indefinitly.

Of course to give incentives for advancing division, prize and encourage learning to play well, plus the extra effort of concentration necesary for it, make the reward track change from division to division.

Aditionally to reinforce rewards in short term give additional rewards for match, based in the pips you have actually acumulated (counting all divisions).

The match reward will correspod for the divison and pips you have when you entered the match. The reward track will upgrade inmediatly if you go up and will mantain remporaly if you go down in a division (this its the achiles talion, feedback please).

Aditionally, taking in account the difference in qque times between divisions, make the reward track either been shorter or filling faster the higher your division is.

Also league reward tracks, that run at the same time that the normal reward tracks, will operate in a lose and win system where wins will have only a doble value (not less or more than wins), this will be because the less extra value, the cost of throwing a match becomes less; and because if its bigger, players can be encourage to propously drop pips to get a more confortable place ina division where they can then farm wins, this way the cost of dropping equals the wins.

Example:

Amber:
1000 reward points needed: 20 per win, 10 per lose.
Rewards: 5 tickets , 20 miss essences, 3 transmutation chaqrges , 2 unidentificated dye, 2g.

Emerald:
500 rewards points needed: 20 per win, 10 per lose
Rewards: 10 tickets , 40 miss essences, 6 transmutation chaqrges , 4 unidentificated dye, 4g.

Benefits:

- Like the actual system, all guys can have its legendary, but the better the player, the faster he will get it.

- Players have incentives to play the matches even if they completed the legendary or when they get to they apropiated place.

- Rewards arent tied to reach a certain division, but to perform on it, so no race and not nerve collapses for the ones trying to get the rewards. As such, divisions dont need to be grind based or a mix between grind and skill based, they can be skill based completly.

Leagues

Make leagues skill based mimplementing this 3 points:

1: Divisions, ranges and pips doesnt reset between season, when a new season start you have the same position you have the last league.

Explanation: Right now the system has several problems, even if the actual match making can allow pplayers to eventually get to their rightfull place, the speed depends too much of luck and the form the match making works.

This isnt necesary bad, the problem itself its that it takes time and that the process restart again, if we want good matches for every posible skill level, that means that we cant start over and over again a process that not necesarily has finished at the end of the season.

Making divisions, range and pips stay form season to season, garanties not only that the process gets to its equilibrium, but that it will allow to see clearly the good or bad functionality of the match maker, because it will have more time to make players get to their suposed places, that its the biggest distortion it has (suposely no more 500-10, super losing streaks and other cases that are not fun for the players).

2: In all divisions players can lost ranks and pips.
3: From emerald to legendary all players can drop from a division.

This last two points are necesaries from point one, since if not, all players will eventually get to legendary.

An additional point its that former division “x” players that went down, cant logically blame the match making, in fact they have less excuses to blame the system.

Fivedawgs.4267:

Class imbalance is also the reason why some good players ( rather stubborn, myself included ) are struggling on their way up.

Mandatory: Long live none HoT builds!

its worth the 50 dollars, but are better games for the same or less price. If you only want an MMO, i supose its a good choice.

To explain why im writing that:

- Grindy.
- Too litle content added.
- Terrible pvp balance.
- Lack of proper communication and fast response.
- WvW going backward.
- Unrewarding dungeons.
- Easy mode fractals.
- Hot maps losing population fast.

The pros are the new raids, gliding, 4 good maps, improved story, revenant and elite specs.

HenleyLegoMan.4987:

I think I have read enough to be fair. As you point out the gem/gold exchange rate has been working the same for 3 years. So answer me this:

If it is working the same then Why do 800 gems cost 150g now, when a year and a half ago it was 64g for 800 gems?

That suggests that gems are more scarce now, than they were a year and a half ago. Did people stop buying gems? Did sales of gems drop by over 50%? I personally don’t think that for a minute.

And I know it was 64g per 800 gems, as I bought quite a few char slots back then and I’m bloody glad I did it back then :-)

Inflation, more gold in game more demand for gems using gold as the currency, meaning the price in gold for gems go higher.

Problem here its that shifting the rewards down to deflate or control the inflation of the economy (wich has an impact, specially in casual and ingame poor players) and at the same time press the gem to gold conversion rate with in game publicity isnt a good way to get or mantain an image, that beyond the final result (witch i dont like imo).

The process itself hurts the ones with less gold to resist the changes in the markets or proffit with them. They pushing the gem shop its like pouring salt in the wound lol.

Senario.2038:

illuminati.8453:

I honestly don’t think they care. They made enough money to fund their next 2 years or so. At this point they just want to see how hard they can push.

Unfortunately with the other unpopular changes (aka less rewards) that have been pushed forward they are losing the goodwill of their consumers. Consumers who have no confidence in the game don’t buy gems.

Worst: consumers that dont have confidence in the game/company/ branch dont buy or are less disposed to buy future products (not only gems, the next expansion or future games).

As i have stated in another thread before, this its like a text book demostration of Sales vs Marketing. At long term the effect will come.

circuitnerd.5863:

I never played Factions, only Prophecies. My question is how does Factions compare to HoT as far as content. Does Factions or HoT have more land to explore? Achievements size, endgame content, replayability, variety of enemies, etc.

I think a fair comparison would be considering this elements:

1.Time of development.
2. Games of same scale, elements, complexity, etc.
3. Taking in account feature implementations.
4. Taking in account the impact of the expansion(s) in the core game or pre expansion(s) game(s).

For 2 i will suggest you guys compare the core GW2 game with Hot expansion, using the 1, 3 and 4 points. Hot added complexity to the game but its measured in 3 and 4 so its okay if theres difference of complexities between both.

Edit: Its pretty obvius you need to considerate the initial price difference between both games (not budget related, since what you are checking its the consumer point of view).

anasantos.1263:

Nice kittening on people! You know everyone wants that glider so get it together with a bunch of crap and make that the only available way to get it! Oh and don’t forget to kitten even more by saying its on offer! 2000 gems instead of 2850, Thank you so much! Turning into money hungry company I guess…. blizzard all the way

Imo: The days inmediatly after the expansion there wasnt nay problems to logg in, that means either its the best planned expansion ever or they didnt sell much.

So if you doesnt have great sales, you need to press for cash, in this case in detriment of future sells, since they are getting a bad reputation not slowly and in a continum. Hence the gemstore bundles moving forward more…

No, i like Hot and i think the price was fine, but to be honest i will buy an RPG, the quantity of content HoT have right now its small enough to compare with what i will get with one, the difference will be fixed with RPGs quality been normally better than MMOs and it will shift the balance to the RPG.

Once finished that game, im buying next expa at release.

A side with the content i dont want to suport the game that way (money have value over time, prepurchase means you are giving them more that what you will pay later when the game its realeased).

Thats because i dont like a lot of changes they did:

- Pvp: elite specs are above normal specs by far, that unbalance.

- WvW: They changed the borderlands for ones that are for roamers, i think they must have “added” them instead (and merge servers if necesary).

- Dungeons: They stepback there and now theres not much incentives to do them. Wich means that a lot of doors got closed…

- Time gates: I dont like time gates, i think everyone has the right to go at his/her own pace, if the game its burned in the process its the responsability of who burns it.

- Grinds: Cant say all its a grind, but there are some map rewards, ascended and precursors tiers that are grindy. I understand precursors, but for example ascendeds and the new stats are much more difficult to get, they are expensive.

Extending things by grind or time gates only means the game designers arent confident in the game giving enogh goals to a huge part of the player base (losing a litle part is kinda normal).

And thats very well in tone with HoT not having much content.

Wasnt there one in the way to the canopy mastery point jumping puzzle in Verdant Brink? (the jp inside the pact airship), before the last jumping mushroom to go there you go to a zone with a lot of that type of mobs and i think there was one there.

Not sure, but worth a try lol

UnbentMars.9126:

bloodletting wolf.2837:

ZachAttack.3957:

FogLeg.9354:

Were raids success?

Depends what you might call a success. Most players at least tried it. Most players also failed at first boss. As the wipes continue, I expect most people lose interest and return to whatever they were doing before raid release. I suppose the really dedicated players will spend long time in raid(s) and eventually master all of them but it will be very small group of overall players. Most people will quickly get bored and ignore it.

Should Anet throw so much time and money on developing something only few players enjoy? Not really. Should they instead improve for example wvw, played by many more people and ignored for so long? Yes.

But can you really say they’ve ignored wvw? I mean you guys just got a whole new borderland. Even if you don’t like it, you can’t really say you’ve been ignored.

Actually the new borderland proves that the WvW community has been ignored.

How so? You gonna support your claim, or just make it?

Difficult to move, bad places for apropiate big groups fights, cant use much rotating strategies because its difficult to move.

Its more like a roamers set of maps that give exceltn palces to fight enemies, without them retreatring also., witch isnt bad.

Problem its that they eliminated the old borderlands and it seems theres less roamers than big groups.

1: Company needs a guild of very good instance players for beta test.

2: Company chose a guild renowned for having some inmature people for a job that requires to be mature and proffesional.

3: Some of the guild members act inmaturely, creating an image of super easy content since they didnt put acordingly they have done it for a month (dont supose all the guild wars 2 comunity knew about it, also their post can be used to denigrate the game out of context).

4: Company decide to publicly clear the theme (explaining they were testing) and untie themself from them (and the inmature behavior).

3 and 4 were expected, anet chose to let them in probably thinking that either the mature part will control the inmature or the inmature will behave acordingly to the opportunity they had.