Guild Wars 2

Truly, this game is a lot of fun and I think the devs truly give a kitten about what its players want. The community (in-game, not the forums) are friendly, helpful and will go out of their way to help new players. If you catch me online, hit me up and I’ll help you get started with some bags, gold, and gear.

I am not a fan of the name either, but 1600+ posts about it??? Does anyone think it will actually change?

I honestly can’t see them charging more for the expansion than for the whole game. $50 is way too much for an expansion, and if ANET is smart (which I believe them to be), the price would be closer to $25-$30 to accommodate more people being able to buy it.

My guess is there will be no specializations at all if it’s this weekend. Based on the info they gave a few weeks ago — including the fact the engineer was only a Power Point presentation — and the fact that most of the chronomancer utilities didn’t even have names, I doubt they’re far enough along to present any specs. Probably it will be the first map using the standard eight professions with maybe the scaled-down revenant from the stress test.

It would be good for ANET to let the stress testers through to the new beta so it would mean fewer people are going after the portal drop.

I am thrilled with the news and it seems like an interesting way of doing traits and skill lines. I’m looking forward to it!

My concern is the new weapon sets. In the TenTon Hammer interview, ANET addressed the issue of some professions getting a two-hand weapon and some getting one- and off-hand weapons.

“Ten Ton Hammer: Where Elite Specializations are concerned, it seems slightly unfair that some only get an off-hand when some get a two handed or main hand weapon (thus more skills). How are you making this appealing for professions who only get an off-hand?

Jon: Fair doesn’t always mean equal. It’s fair because we’re trying to make sure that they all get a lot of really cool things and they get a new way to define their profession. Like we did with the original professions, it doesn’t mean that one-to-one trying to make an equal number of skills one-to-one. To give an example with engineer, we made what felt like it would be like to be an engineer.

The other thing too is that the weapon is just one component of what makes a spec what it is. Weapon skills don’t define the spec. Just like the new healing skills, the new elite skills and the new traits, they complement it and altogether build the spec out. Because of that we feel it’s fine if it’s an offhand, a main hand, or a two-handed weapon, it’s just part of what defines what that spec is."

http://www.tentonhammer.com/news/guild-wars-2/guild-wars-2-heart-thorns-specializations-and-jon-peters-qa

I gotta say, I don’t have a warm fuzzy yet. I will keep an open mind, but a Mesmer getting two skills with a shied doesn’t seem congruous to an engineer getting 5 with a hammer.

I would love to play as a Tengu. Unfortunately, they have confirmed there will be no new playable races in this expansion.

I think you make some great points, OP. Dungeons are my favorite part of MMOs, and this is the only area I think ANET falls way behind on. I don’t mind the lack of trinity, but they really should make other builds more viable. I run tons of dungeons, and zerker is about 85% of the builds I see. That can’t be the best way to do things.

I don’t think they’d charge more for the expansion than they do the full game. My guess is it will be $20-30, probably $24.99. I can’t see them charging much more for three maps, a new profession, and no new race.

cranos.5913:

I stopped caring about specialisations as soon as I learned guardian will get a bow. Anyway, I doubt we’ll be seeing any information about them in the next month. I have a feeling they wanna keep this info for last.

This hasn’t been confirmed yet. it MAY be the case, but ANET hasn’t released it, so why dismiss it already. Also, who’s to say the longbow may not have great attacks that really add to the profession?

There’s just too much dismissal and complaining about stuff we don’t have any confirmation of yet.

That being said, yes, ANET, please release info about specializations today.

^ This ^

I think they’ll make it fairly simple. No need to grind for a bunch of stuff just to get a spec.

^^

This made me giggle.

Fade.1743:

If we compared the LS group to DE at the same time (roughly two years into their group), they share the same importance. At the start Logan was just a scout, Rytlok was a soldier, Eir was a Norn (Norn have NO leaders), and Snaff and Zojja were just golemancers. The only one who could claim a position of importance was Caithe really.

They were highly skilled because they had YEARS of training, save for Zojja. That’s probably why Zojja let Taimi go along with us so much. Five years ago, she was WORSE than Taimi (in terms of experience and attitude). Logan, and Rytlok were both soldiers in armies in the middle of a war.

Think of it this way: How many times do you hear the Living Story guild bicker due solely to race? How many times have you heard Taimi call another member a bookah? This group is the evolution of Destiny’s Edge. That group came together despite the racial tensions of the day to prove that a united Tyria is a stronger Tyria. The Living Story group is the player character keeping that legacy alive. They could have only existed because Destiny’s Edge laid the path for them.

Now, I’m not saying you can subjectively like one more than the other. You don’t even have to like all of them (or any of them). But Destiny’s Edge was fully developed by the time we started playing. We just brought about the turning point and resolution to their story.

Good points, thank you for posting. Perhaps I should give it more time to see if they develop.

I completed all the LW stories, so I am well aware of their place in the pantheon. I guess what’s tough to reconcile is the fact their level 80 characters who apparently have SOME kind of authority, yet have shown no competency. At least with the real Destiny’s Edge, they were highly skilled combatants and leaders among their races.
It’s not a deal-breaker, but I know I am not the only one who can’t stand them.

lordkrall.7241:

To be fair three of them are basically kids, so it would make sense that they didn’t behave like full adults. I don’t think they have ever been claimed to be an “incredible fighting team” actually for that matter.

I am sure there will be parts of the story where we will be alone. But one have to keep in mind that we are going deep into enemy territory, doing that on your own is usually not a very good idea.

Agreed, but I would rather have some pact members who aren’t the focus of the story tag along.

Again, it’s just me complaining. Feel free to ignore.

Please understand, I am not one normally to complain as I love this game and feel the devs do a generally amazing job. I love how ANET has made our characters interact with others and the environment.

but…

I can’t stand Taimi, Bram, Marjory, Kasmeer, and Rox. They’re supposed to be this incredible fighting team, but they whine and act like babies most of the time, not to mention they are incompetent in battle (though I understand why).

So, can you please not shove them down our throats? Let us players have our moments in the story WITHOUT anyone else. We don’t want the Diaper Destiny’s Edge.

Thoughts:

- loved the way our character interacted with others vocally and visually. Well done, devs.
- did not feel the Revenant was OP in any way. I ran through with a rev, Mesmer and warrior, and the Revenant fell behind both of those greatly in DPS. Of course, this was my first time with it, so take it for what it’s worth.
- gliding was more fun than I thought, but definitely needs work. It’s very clunky to deploy.
- the mastery UI and intuitiveness of use needs work. Also, after getting a point in mushrooms, I still couldn’t use it until I spent another point. I don’t see myself spending any point on this, TBH.
- the wavers fight was fun, and you could definitely see teamwork make it easier. It wI’ll be interesting to see with all classes going at him.
- didn’t experience any lag or crashes on upper-tier system.
- attack skills did seem to have a bit of a delay.
- fun demo! Can’t wait for the open-world beta!

The email stated we’ll be creating a human character, so I imagine it will be just an instant 80 not associated with any of our original characters.

I don’t have 21,000 achievement points and I got a BETA invite. I do regular the gem store, but I don’t think that was a pre-requisite. Random seems more likely.

^

A new level 80 toon will be made at startup. It may or may not be deleted at the end of the day. I am not sure if we will be able to deposit gathered materials (or even if there will be gathering nodes) or not.

I think the best thing to do is to just have fun! That’s what I’ll be doing!

Great stuff, OP. Thanks for the heads up.

I will be there, as well. Happy hunting!

A little off-topic here, but it seems to me they put the wolf with the druid in the video to show off it was actually a ranger (hinting at the specialty). So — snark-free — it is not possible to tell if real pet stowing is or is not possible.

On-topic, I saw that mesmers will get a shield, and hope they include a main-hand weapon, too, preferably a mace. A chrono-mesmer would be very fun to play.

Ummm…what? Are you asking what weapons/skills/traits are good for leveling a revenant? The release is not out yet, so….. yeah.

Ralanost.8913:

You are never the only one. You aren’t a special snowflake. You aren’t unique. Of course other people share your perspective. That’s only common sense.

Someone needs a hug.

ONe of my concerns is they have stated on several occasions that each profession will get one new weapon. From what we saw in the trailer, mesmers are getting a shield. As an off-hand weapon, that’s only two new skills. a staff gives rangers 5 new skills.

My hope is that Mesmer (and any other getting an off-hand) will get a main hand weapon as well. Otherwise, they kind of kitten those professions.

It was my experience that I wasn’t able to tell if I liked a profession until at least level 31 (when you get the elite skill). By that time, I was able to tell if there was a particular play style or build I enjoyed.

You’ll know whether or not you enjoyed it by whether or not you can stand to look at the back of his/her head for 30 levels. Sounds like you enjoyed thief. Maybe try a warrior. I feel they have the closest playstyles — even though they aren’t too close.

PvP and PvE are vastly different. I love my Mesmer in PvE, but HATE playing it in PvP. If you want to play PvE for leveling, I would not worry about trying PvP. It will confuse you.

Just my two cents. Happy hunting!

Just watched the Ready Up and have to say the new camera tech looks nice. First person was beautiful, good work Mr. Gee. I will be interested in seeing how much zoom in and out there is between the max and min come March 10. Based on the demos, it looks great.

1. Was a 12-year Navy veteran who did 4 Mediterranean deployments
2. Have 8 children between my wife and myself – five of which play GW2
3. Have 2 dogs – Bella and Maia
4. Have a level 80 for each profession, and adore my Asura mesmer lady
5. My wife, stepson, and I love to run dungeons together
6. Favorite author is Dean Koontz
7. Am an SCCM administrator for a university in Florida
8. Favorite color is red
9. Am a dye hound in the game
10. Never done any drugs harder than alcohol or cigarettes
11. Birthday is April 4
12. My favorite part of the game is group play (dungeons, Fractals, world bosses)
13. Least favorite is PvP and WvW
14. I am very sociable and would love to meet new friends online.

Thank you, Kaiden! Good news. The trek continues!

Thanks. I have read something that alludes to this but didn’t feel it was definitive. Guess I’ll wait and see!

From what I’ve read so far, it seems the lore mastery is tied into exploration and map completion. Statements have also been released indicating current exploration will reward mastery points. So, if that’s the case, is it smart to continue my current map completion trek (83%) or wait until HoT and finish then? I worry I will have to duplicate efforts. Thoughts devs or smart people?

It will integrate with the existing game, characters, and maps. For example, you can take your current characters into the new zones just like you could any other map in Tyria. Also, your revenant will be able to access the same zones you have now.

I’m not a dev, but these things have already been confirmed several other places.

Once installed, you will access the content through your normal GW2 game.

Will do, thank you.

I believe that was a revenant symbol, Kal.

Same issue here on three different computers. Please let us know what they tell you.

I actually think the OP has a good idea. Having to get new gear and weapons for a level 80 and try to learn how to use (basically) a new class in the Heart of Maguuma will be tough to say the least. Besides, let’s say we spend 20 gold on decent exotic weapons and gear and decide we hate the new specialty. That’s wasted resources. Maybe level 60 instead of 40, but the OP has a good idea, I think.

You are losing none of the game if you don’t buy the expansion. You just won’t get as much as others who do pay for it. That sounds like good old-fashioned free market to me. What am I missing?

I have 8 total characters, one level 80 for each of the professions. Why is that a bad thing, kite? Each character is completely different, so the game felt different each time. To have to grind masteries for each character would suck. Account-bound stuff is the smartest thing Anet has done. It makes my account relevant, not just one character.

I have 8 level 80s….I will only have to listen to him prattle on about Clor Island one more time. If there’s a vote, place a check mark for me to slaughter him!

Kings.7491:

Part three:

In the end everything is made to be fail proof, you can be an imbecile and still get away with hammering the first skill because of this system. Guild wars 2 have since launch made it clear that this system is here to stay and are continuously making it easier and easier for new and dumb players.

…blah blah blah…

But I have played this for too long, I should have seen it coming, kitten ain’t going to change. That’s my disappointment.

Seriously, with this much disappointment, go play a different game. There’s plenty of mounts, holy trinity, hatred, sadness, and rage in WoW. Sounds like it’s the game for you.

So much hate for something no one has seen or experienced yet. Can’t we just … I don’t know … wait and see????

In the announcement trailer, there’s a scene with a Mesmer using a shield (around 1:30 timeframe). Possible hint at specialization? That’s a new attack for a Mesmer.

Didn’t they already say the Ranger’s specialization is Druid? Perhaps there’s more than one spec per profession, though. Not sure because the details were vague, at best.

I have stopped and started a Mesmer for months now because I just couldn’t get into the play style. Staff was too slow, shatters were sporadic, greatsword was boring, etc. Plus, I am not a fan of purple.

So I have scoured the interwebs looking for SOMETHING to get me interested in playing the profession, and like mana from heaven, here comes this guide. I love the fact you list all the weapons and their strengths and weaknesses with thorough explanations of what they do and when best to employ them. I have enjoyed (albeit I am only a level 15) running a sword/torch combo for the last few levels, as disappearing, dropping two illusions while stealthed and popping up in a haze of fire, shattering both clones and using sword 2 to drop centaurs has been a blast.

Thanks to your guide, I can now really start theorycrafting my little lady Asura. So, if nothing else, you have finally gotten me excited about the Mesmer. Thank you for a ton of hard work, research, patience. As a noob, I can honestly say you’ve made me a better player.