Guild Wars 2

You don’t increase build diversity by making those options worse to use, you make others more appealing. If you don’t want power creep, make PvE a more challenging experience in return.

Power creep in PvP is simple: separate the skills.

If this state of the game serves as my connection to the Devs and their ideas, then I would have to say that, personally, it has failed miserably. Instead of the average player connecting with the developers we have a window into how one sided decision making works. If those devs showcased on that show would stand up more and not just tell the other players there want they want to hear it’d be fair. I say if you want constructive, non-biased feedback you actively look for it on the forums. Believe it or not, any serious discussion on the matters at hand benefits from having more perspective than 4 players. This “Core Member” concept failed miserably with Warhammer Online as well, and I don’t have to tell you what happened there years ago.

What about a costume storage account purchase?

With the rate at which content is being pushed in the gem store, one day customers are going to have to make the choice of gem store gear or space.

Castaliea.3156:

I’m sure it was mentioned before but do we (Rangers) think its a good or bad thing they didn’t mention anything about us in their little preview? xD
I do expect to see more stun breakers tho lol.

I don’t think they mentions Guardians either. How do you guys feel?

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it applies here. I foresee a dark future indeed for my ranger. As long as I’m able to keep my build without them ruining where all my traits are I’m happy I guess. I finally found a different build that I actually like outside of bunker, and if they nerf it now I’ll have to do some hard thinking.

A condition removal utility skill would be nice to have on the ranger.

Prepare for a nerf to end all nerfs. Arena Net needs to get their heads out of the sky thinking their tPvP will take off and be the next best thing. They need to get the PvE basics right first and foremost.

Those developer state of the game videos with so called voices of the classes are a complete joke.

I identify myself to have the same gameplay style as you too, Vayne. Where most seem to abhor grind, I actually find it very entertaining as it is something that I can do, even when my day to day schedule doesn’t afford me the time to put together groups or run dungeons. My gameplay style is straight up monster loot grinder. I loved me some Runescape back in the day before they ruined it with limited exclusives and too much emphasis on microtransactions for new content (sounds sadly familiar).

As long as there is something meaningful to obtain in-game, I will continue to enjoy my grinder playstyle. Take away that long term achievement though, and problems arise.

I’m cautiously optimistic for the future; especially anything on the expansion front.

Also, it’s good to see you engage is some healthy banter. =]

Something about a horn? I heard that too. Perhaps we’ll see a new patch on the 18 which updates the event and puts more on the gems store.

Keeping up to speed with the gem store is a hard thing to do when grinding, but I feel as though that’s the way they want it, lol.

John Smith.4610:

You put up an order for 22 shards, 3 days ago.

You gotta love a well implemented metric gathering system.

Moderator.1462:

Hi everyone,

Please refrain from contesting or discussing the actions of the moderator team. If you suspect an action taken by a moderator was wrong please contact forums@arena.net, but refrain from posting about it.

Thanks for your understanding.

Now I respect everything that you do, and that your team does, but doesn’t letting everyone know that a user has been infracted for a post kind of illicit that type of response in every case? I’m wondering why it’s even there if it shouldn’t be discussed.

I’m done. You won’t hear me mention it again, I promise. xoxo

Yep, like most overlooked on the forums, lets not get this thread turned into a giant finger to anyone. Lets make our points when we have them to make and let the moderation do what they need to in the meantime. You can personally make your decision on moderation without having to post it. =]

Truth is the killer secret of all great business practices.

Also, infracted for that post? Poor vayne.

Vayne.8563:

Dedlaw.9130:

Vayne.8563:

cesmode.4257:

Fox.3469:

I’m a collector, i just want to say i’m sad certain skins and items won’t be in my collections. If there was some way in the game i’d go for all of them, all the molten skins, all the SAB skins all the dragon bash skins, but as it is now over half the skins that are in the game or will be added will be unreachable in a few months if they aren’t already :/

Sad collector is sad
It kind of kills my motivation to go for anything at all.

But..play the way you want to play. Right? Isnt that what we are told?

What exactly did you think that meant? I know what it meant because it was explained by the devs on more than one occasion.

Every game has boundaries and parameters. Every single one. There are no exceptions. Take away the boundaries and it’s not a game.

The idea is that most MMOs funnel you into raiding. Want to get the best gear. You have to raid. That’s it. Want to be viable, you have to raid.

In Guild Wars 2, the idea was that someone could get exotic gear just by doing events, or WvW. Hell you can jump into SPvP without PVeing at all. You can do dungeons to get gear. There are many ways to play the game. That’s what was meant by play your way.

And leaving the items they introduced as part of the game instead of removing them after a month or two will change any of that …how?

The point is, the ship has already sailed. They’ve gone with temporary content, obviously because it pressures people to play/buy stuff. That’s the business model. They’re not going to change it.

So yes they could leave the item in longer if that was what they were going to do (except they already haven’t so it’s a moot point).

That’s the very business model that this thread calls into question. It’s a sad thing is it not, when business seeps into gaming? Just like microsoft’s business first mentality that permeates all of their new technology (hindering the consumer in the proccess), so are businesses pushing for more and more in the MMO genre. Maybe, if companies like ncsoft and the like focused more on core gameplay than microtransactions they’d find that they would actually have more money to do things with.

Look at the days where the MMO genre was making its most money. Those were not the days of short lived MMOs and time limited achievement. Today in the market, gaming developers focus on creating an IP, and then burn it on both ends with microtransactions with no regard to longevity, just so they get as much money as possible without having to support something for a very long time. It makes perfect business sense, but why be in the gaming industry at all when you care little for the actual game and more about the flipping of IPs; surely there are more profitable business ventures to be had than lowly game development.

I realize that this is a buy to play game, and will admit that that alone cannot sustain such heavy development that an MMO needs to survive. So the question becomes what is the right balance of microtransactions to rewarding actual achievement.

It may be like you say, and impossible to change; but surely it does not hurt to try?

For the love of the game, and this thread in particular, I urge everyone to respect each others opinions and refrain for the time being from going into a quote v quote argument. Everyone has very valid points so far, lets not dilute this thread into a show of personal force. I know you guys love a good conversation. =P

More to the point, I don’t think any of the collectors here have problems with the core gameplay like PvE, WvW, or Dungeons; it’s more of a problem of where the rewards of achieving something are pushing all players. In better words, instead of rewarding diligent gameplay and personal growth and achievement with these little treats, we instead get these things tossed up into a gemstore under limited circumstances that reward nothing more than having 5 bucks at the right time.

For some, this is just as appropriate as time and effort being put into something to obtain something. I, personally, think that a certain degree of this is all in good fun, but hovering bonus after special bonus over players heads time after time again without focusing on core gaming rewards is detrimental in the long run.

That’s all I was personally saying. The collector mentality be a cruel mistress.

sanrawrr.8136:

oh i found it in the collectibles…

Is it possible to always have it around without accidentally putting it in the bank? like what if you have loads of materials you need to deposit but you don’t want to deposit him?

You can craft or buy on the TP invisible bags. Items in the bag will never appear in a sell-to-vendor list and will not move when inventory is sorted.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/10_Slot_Invisible_Bag

Through a partnership with the lionguard and the top asuran scientists at the college of statics, and over a period of just a few months, they have perfected the sculpture and deployment of the iconic lion’s arch fountain. No longer will we have to worry about the ramifications of breaking our fountain in the many more events that we are sure to see!

But now is the time to be jolly, and regale in our victory over zhaitan! Join the party, and eat all the candy and ale you want! Leave the reconstruction efforts to those asuran over at the college of statics, I’ve heard they love this construction stuff even more than the charr!

I’d like to throw myself into this boat as well. I’m not particularly proud of my collection mentality, as I know it’s detrimental to my experience, but it’s something I just can’t shake. It’s unfortunate that companies have found this vulnerability in gamer personality and are intent on exploiting it. The limited time only thing really puts me in a hard spot as a player because I tend to play more for keeping my mind at ease rather than for the fun of it. I really do envy players who have either grown out of this habit, or hadn’t felt the compulsion from the start.

In my opinion, if a developer could make an old school game where everything in the game is obtainable by playing the game, I’d be happy as all get out. This doesn’t mean everything has to be easy to obtain, but I do like having the peace of mind that I can make a long term plan to acquire something I want. Unfortunately, Anet, much like my last favorite mmo timekiller, runescape, are deviating along the same path. Right now there is less focus on long term achievement, and more focus on who can log in with their 5 bucks and click a button for a skin that will only be around for a week.

My hope is that in the future we can have a more open conversation with the devs on what we want our personal achievements to grant us. I love this game, and will continue to, but this generation of marketing ploy after marketing ploy is getting tiresome and is detrimental to more players than it may first seem.

I personally love the jade greatsword with gold inlay. Jade Quarry represent.

As a general rule:

Let the people who are enjoying the game have fun. If all you want to do is break down a community for some self serving ego, I’d kindly ask you to grow up. If you have a valid observation or suggestion then voice it. Leave the kitten throwing out of things and be level headed for a bit.

Also, this has bothered me for quite some time: It’s ok to like more than one MMO! Don’t pit games against each other for heavens sake, these things aren’t mutually exclusive. See a mechanic you like in Wildstar and want it here? They say that instead of causing a ruckus.

Players need to manage their expectations with reality. Not every piece of content is meant to tell some grandiose story. Spend less time attacking what we do have, and focus on what you as a gamer think they need to focus on in the future as far as vision and content. This destructive gamer personality of this OR that, and not this AND that has corrupted many healthy communities.

Also, feel lucky that you belong to a game that sees content generation at this fast of a rate. I’ve only seen content produced this quickly in some java based games like runescape for heavens sake. Have some gamers just had it too well over the past years? Be glad you didn’t come from a game with no content future and have to rely on a strong community.

All they would need to do is place a new tab on the bank inventory UI named wardrobe and allow you to add town clothing pieces to it like the PvP locker and material collection. I’d buy more gem store clothing if this was the case.

What happened to the days where gamers would stick by their MMO of choice, through the thick and thin, instead of happily bouncing from one MMO to the next once a player found out that a developer could never live up to their unrealistic level of hype in their heads?

The amount of disrespect being shown in these forums towards the developers of this content is astonishing. These people work long hours and pay meticulous attention to detail to have certain gamers on the forums trivialize their hard work by calling it a nothing piece of content.

Maybe most have had it too well over the past couple years, but coming from Warhammer Online, I can tell you that, for me, this stream of content is like none I have ever seen before outside of java based games like runescape.

I agree that we can have some serious concerns and arguments about the direction of future content, as we should. We have every right to protest NCSoft’s decision to turn GW2 into a more Korean-esqe content model, but to trivialize the hard work done by ArenaNet’s developers by calling it non-content is offensive.

Argue for more permanent content if that’s what you want, don’t spend you time attacking our current content. For all you know, the first year’s worth of development is spent on producing these time limited content updates in order to get the yearly stuff out of the way so that they can focus more on permanent stuff, instead of those yearly things.

• As far as articles made by journalists looking for a name by putting sensationlist stuff out there goes, I would urge each customer to form their own opinions about the game and take those through the proper channels. Don’t let some media outlet make you their lemming.

I will say that the bad rap that rangers get in PvE comes from their absolute zero amount of utility skills that really benefit a team. While arena net focused greatly on the ranger and his pet interactions, they missed the mark entirely on bringing something to the table for group play. Some say that spirit builds were meant to serve this role in PvE, but you can really tell that they were a last minute addition in response to this concern as the game development was nearing completion.

They’ve made statements to help spirits out, but simply increasing their chance to proc (while ignoring the internal cooldown timer, lol) and meagerly buffing their already low health didn’t quite cut it. For starters, making spirits follow you by default without trait should be the first thing they do. Spirits really should work more like how banners currently work. They provide great passives to the group and mean something in a fight. I wish we would see spirit actives move away from cc abilities and focus more on group buffing.

That’s what I have to say about that, lol, but spirit talk could get its own thread entirely and doesn’t really concern anyone much for sPvP.

I miss the interactions between aligned guilds, instead of a each man for himself mentality. I also miss an easy sPvP queue from the open world where i don’t have to fly around all the time trying to select a match.

Also, from GW1, COSTUME STORAGE.

I started out thinking that I’d play a Rifle warrior in pvp at the start of the game. Quickly I found out that the rifle is by no means a great pvp weapon. All those warrior traits that seem to fit perfectly with a rifle bleed and vulnerability spam setup don’t really work that well when most of the time a good player will LoS you or just dodge the shots. I also find that a lot of the utilities that buff rifle dps the most tend to make you a two dimensional player — in other words, utilities focused on buffing personal dps and nothing more. In that case, I personally felt as though I didn’t really bring much to the team in terms of all around usability.

I then rolled a ranger, and while it was rough at first finding an optimal trait setup, I grew to love the survivability and the ability to enter and exit a fight on your terms. Traps in pvp are very good. I like to combine them with a shortbow power/crit build that might seem counter-intuitive for a trap build, but in reality supplements each other very well.

If PvE is your thing and you want a more melee focused role, with pvp being a minor thing, I’d go warrior. The ranged options are good in pve but lack tremendously in pvp.

If pvp or wvw is your thing, I’d go ranger for sure. Once you master pet swapping and control, pve’ing monsters becomes trivial too. Dungeons, in terms of relying on a pet, still sucks though.

Any sylvari with the voice actor who did Lionguard Lyns. Who ever was responsible for getting her VA talent and making her a sylvari gets a star.

Two handed axe for warriors and rangers, most definitely.

Tengu all the way

I’d like to imagine they taste like purple fruit gushers.

<3 me some fruit gushers as a kid.

I wanted my fused longbow so bad! I hope they reappear later down the line, since account bound never hurt anybody to give out.

They really should have lasted longer in the BLC, i don’t see why they removed them so early.

Same here, scared me a bit. Probably some type of authentication server crash.

Say no to token grind!

To get these items currently, you NEED to hold fast to a certain narrow path to obtain these items. What players WANT is another path to the same end.

As long as people aren’t complaining to hear themselves talk, or to stir up an argument, alternate opinions are a good thing. I, for one, don’t like the token grind path this game has recently decided to go down. I’d like to see a more natural progression of gathering these pieces.

Reputation, Guild Halls, Costume Storage

Once again, punishing players for small group gameplay. You will join the zerg, or you will be assimilated!

Apparently devising great plans like this is more important than implementing meaningful quality of life improvements like item restoration of gem store purcashses and fraud detection.

Seraki.2753:

I have a tiny family guild. We can do none of the guild content. Sigh

Agreed. They are going the wrong way with this “get the community involved” campaign that they’ve decided to tack onto gameplay and in doing so, allow another token grind as the only means of gathering precious commodities. One step forward, two steps back.

Another great patch today; “Guild Vault Transports are now unlocked with Economy level 5 instead of Economy level 2. The cost has been increased from 50 influence to 1 Guild Merit and 50 influence.”

Sweet.

Try clicking just a bit above his face; it’s easier if you are zoomed all the way out.

Some players have reported that this issue is caused by the UI scale being set to large. I would try changing this UI option if this is indeed the case, and see if it helps.

I do believe that this is a known issue, but not too much documentation about it has found its way to the forums.

Hope this helps.

This is the same thing that happened to Runescape and they even opened classic servers because they knew that for lovers of the original game, the items went too far and deviated from the natural aesthetic. Now Runescape may be a very different game, but it shares the same revenue model.

I trust Guild Wars to maintain their artistic integrity though, so I don’t have too much worry yet, but it is something to be aware of. Personally, I think the riding clothes and hoodies are very safe on this level.

As far as combat gear goes, I think they could be doing more in this regard but I understand why they are hesitant. No one wants to see the same skins all over the place. They have to be particularly cautious of design here, as to not throw everything off.

The most important thing I think they should immediately get to adding is COSTUME STORAGE! Not only is inventory space at somewhat of a premium, not having dedicated wardrobe storage limits sales on the gem store as people will have to weigh buying a cool item, or having inventory space.

This has my support. I’m big on character background and development and would love to use my accessories as a personal way of defining my character.

Plus, it’s a win-win as far as transmutation stones go.

Robert Hrouda.1327:

Thanks Robert for being noticeably invested in this with us. It seems like some times on the forums that us players are seemingly left out of the conversations and only get second hand knowledge after a decision has already been made. I feel that you exemplify how good communication should be done — with laying ideas out there and not being afraid to have a chat.

It’s often times easy to get caught up in one’s own thoughts and solutions to a problem, and never let them see the light of day on the forums; and by that point one may be so invested in the idea that, in their view, it’s the only way to go.

Also, be as doggity as you can in those meeting for me! I’ll be here cheering you on. =]

Duke Blackrose.4981:

Miflett.3472:

The last thing that Rangers need are more traps which would only serve to limit potential builds even further. I’d like to see a return of the ranger’s preparation buffs to arrows as was in the original GW. I’d like to have a couple seconds of fire condition applied to my arrows, along with the active ability on that elite skill to cancel out the burn being given to the arrows and the next arrow blinds and dazes opponents in aoe from the target.

Now that’s just silly – you can’t limit potential builds by adding more options.

As for preparations, I’d love to see them. Honestly, Guild Wars 1 rangers were far superior to Guild Wars 2 rangers in both fun and effectiveness.

Well, to further my reasoning, elite skills should be tempting regardless of spec. If this new trap elite was considered the best new option I’d think we’d see even more trap builds. Thus, “limiting” build diversity. An elite should be an extra boost, not playstyle defining.

To add to this though, I do believe rangers need easier access to good AoE abilities. Other classes get this as a bonus to their main hand weapon or on a very short cooldown.

Maybe, more than anything, you need to teach your children the differences between virtual online play and real life. This is why we are given a choice on which objectives we want to complete. Let them make the choice and say “Killing rabbits is bad, therefore I won’t.” If you have to go on a tirade telling your children why killing virtual animals in a game is bad human nature, then you might want to spend more time preparing your child for real life.

I get your angle, but it really is a non factor.

The last thing that Rangers need are more traps which would only serve to limit potential builds even further. I’d like to see a return of the ranger’s preparation buffs to arrows as was in the original GW. I’d like to have a couple seconds of fire condition applied to my arrows, along with the active ability on that elite skill to cancel out the burn being given to the arrows and the next arrow blinds and dazes opponents in aoe from the target.

Kuess.1842:

75 laurels? Thats not even possible. Why do I think this is fake?

If you look in the screenshot and see where the SS was saved, this user was using the Stage client which is essentially the in-house test instance of GW2.

Those extra laurels are probably for testing purposes.

Guild drama is best drama.

I agree, though to a point. Going forward there should be more focus on defining what it means to be part of a guild. At the moment, it just seems more about buffs than organized WvW or scenario play.

Geikamir.6329:

Jeffery I have a request for the future!

First, I love scavenger hunts and mysteries so I hope more of these are put into the game later.

However, could you guys put in hints and clues around the world for these items so we can have things to find/discover/learn from. With such a low drop rate and not having any clues to go on, we could be doing the wrong event for dozens of months and not be any closer to the weapon.

Lore related clues involving books, codes, hidden messages, and secret passageways would be amazing.

Thanks for your hints you’ve given us so far, though!

Yes, please! I love treasure hunts like this, and I believe more of this type of thing should be included in the future.

The point of these weapons is not to compete with any endgame legendary grind, but to inspire exploration. Sometimes being smiled upon by dumb luck makes one squee; normally I say no to RNG, but when it’s appearance only, so be it.

All minis should be unbound. That’s the whole point of minis to begin with, a trading meta-game like pokemon.

Hank.4839:

I really hate the fact that the only straight way to get it is from the gem store by buying those boxes. Yes, I know I can buy them with gold > gems, but still. That’s just ridiculous. Yeah I heard those boxes supposedly drop in PvE, but I haven’t seen a person prove it. And (usually) the drop rate of the minis you need to craft Foostivoo with are ridiculous. I spent 1600 gems on 20 boxes and got one of the minis. And I think that’s mad luck, because some people spent many times more on those and didn’t get a thing. The acquisition method is stupid.
After all this is a festivity item. From my POV it shouldn’t require gems at all.

We have a winner! Someone who gets it.

I paid $30 and got 5s in vendor trash. Yeah, I totally don’t feel ripped off. It’s cute to think that players who don’t have this mini are casual players, but I don’t believe in RNG rare “luck” attached to a credit card.

I got it on my second run. After you realize that placing turrets and walls is important, it really isn’t that bad of an achievement to get.