Guild Wars 2

Dog.1472:

Ele, Mesmer, and Engineer are what you are looking for.

These classes, when played well, all have extremely high survivability, are great in PvP, are aggressive and take a lot of time to master.

I’ll second this. These are the only three classes I’ve taken to 80; I prefer the harder to master classes. None of them are squishy in the right hands, and they all adapt to situations beautifully.

Ele is somewhat bound to skill rotations, but once you learn those, you learn how to adapt them on the fly.

Mesmer is a ton of fun and the utilities are some of the best around—if they can’t believe their eyes, then you’re doing it right. Caveat to the Mesmer: sometimes you become a portal bot.

Engineer is all about kit management. Elixir builds are useful, especially for Might stacking, but there is usually at least one kit on your bar. Knowing when to use which kit or weapon is key.

I went to sPvP too the first time! Ending up observing a terrible ele.

Yeah, there’s been a little confusion about exactly what hours Oceanic prime and SEA prime are, then there’s SoS prime to figure out too.

I can’t even remember if I’m in EST or EDT, so learning all the time tables is a bit much for my whiskey-addled brain. :P

Hey now, this fruit is anything but low-hanging. You’re gonna have to climb the tree first.

+1

(+ characters for post)

Oh, I’ve played the falling game before too. I type a lot for my pick-ups, and sometimes I type myself right off a cliff.

There was also a night I was leading the Mesmer/Golem team while another commander led the main force. We portalled those golems halfway across the map to a keep without being found out. I then portalled them straight to the gate…without any zerg support. Needless to say, the golems didn’t last long.

Luvpie.8350:

JakobGW.5730:

SoS, please don’t ruin this week by simply placing a kitten ton of siege in camps and hide behind it when 3 CD roll up against 5+ SoS and upgraded guards in the camp. Come out and fight!

The primary culprits are [Fang] and [Bane]. Grow some balls!

eh. you guys don’t even deserve a response.

Hey, sometimes you gotta keep a camp and everyone on their feet. There will be plenty of time to come out and fight this week. No shame in holding what you have and getting those dolyaks in until then

Also, good to have this matchup back!

Johje Holan.4607:

- take away the ability of Mes portal to go through walls. No more “sweep for Mesmers”

D’aw. But I love sneaky hiding stunts! Without them I’m just a Golem Pusher.

That said, I hate sweeping for Mesmers. And love that other people hate it too. I get away with a lot more that way

Complete boredom? Clearly you missed the Dolyak Parade and Quaggan Blockade.

insanemaniac’s response to tier stagnation is spot on. The entire point of this system is so we don’t have to ask the question, “What would happen is X fought Y?” again. If someone wants to fight to the top, that’s their prerogative. Though we could come up with a lot of amusing things to call those who bandwagon to rank 13 to stomp the 13-24 bracket.

As ken said, we’re not yet at the point where this is an issue. While the gap widened just a bit this week, one matchup can undo all of that.

Calvin.5380:

Thanks FA and CD for a fun week, and for staying classy on the forums.

And thanks FA for the precursor drop, even though it was just a speargun

What?! I went to WvW this week and all I got was this lousy repair bill.

Nah, I’m just kidding. We were outmanned for a decent amount, so I didn’t even get that.

Thanks for the fights FA and DB! Hope we don’t cross paths again anytime soon! (It’s not you, it’s me.)

eithinan.9841:

WAGON COAST WAGON COAST!!!!! wah wah wah !!!

Well, this certainly creates a visual.

NeptuneAvenger.6791:

I’m just going to leave this here.

Quick! Get waypoints up before they come back! Oh, and defensive siege. That would probably be a better first investment, but I really miss the waypoints.

Nice work Neptune and CD!

Absolutely. The dodge skills really messed up a bunch of people with confusion. I think the OP still has a point though.

The 50% reduction came at a time when those script errors were in place (I’ve seen confusion proc on some traited dodgerolls for as long as I can remember). Was that nerf based on damage from skill activation and script errors? If so, there’s an argument to boost the damage a bit now that the script errors have been fixed.

Hi. My name is Jack, and I play a Mesmer with Runes of the Centaur.

Wait, this isn’t group therapy for Slow Mesmers? Oh. Sorry. Wrong thread.

Toxic.4320:

We on CD haven’t seen that. What we have seen is that the two stronger servers take and keep our stuff for the ppt that is easier for them. No, not everyone is giving WvW up but I do see fewer and fewer of the more casual players in the maps.

Aye. Does our garrison on CDBL flip constantly because we are outmatched, or do opposing servers go for it because they know it’s made of paper and easier than capping the stronger server’s garrison? Most likely it’s a combination of both.

I know we’re not the only ones struggling over the past week or two. I often check in on SBI and SoS (our tier-locked opponents when we had tiers). SBI was beat up pretty bad the first few weeks, and SoS can’t seem to catch a break from TC. It’s probably too early for nostalgia, but hope you both are doing well despite the hardships!

I understand that my post is a bit watered down. 240 points is not pause for concern just yet. But we’re on the road to repeating the past mistakes of Glicko.

eithinan.9841:

Who is [Kome] and why do you run?

I love KöMÉ! If there is one nearby, I know we’re going to be just fine.

Don’t mistake wit for fear.

Interrupts were certainly buffed, but we have few options for precise interruption. It’s mostly luck. Chaos Storm is random. Into the Void has a large telegraph now. Counter Blade requires casting Illusionary Riposte and then another .75 sec cast (assuming the block isn’t activated first.) Vortex has a 1.25 cast time, but at least it’s AoE.

By my count, our only precise interruption skills are Magic Bullet, Signet of Dom., and Mantra of Distraction. Long cast times are a problem on the other skills, because the opponent is likely able to complete their cast time before our interrupt procs.

That all said, I do love it when I can interrupt a Kill Shot or Churning Earth. Those are easy.

EDIT: Illusionary Wave is also decent, but doesn’t really fit the theme of interruptions. GS is a ranged weapon, and Illusionary Wave seems best used as a “Get away from me!” skill.

Gamadorn.2659:

Grieve.1432:

kitten you DB trying to take our garrison while I was running a training session. We had like 10 guys just on map mode while I was explaining something then I suddenly hear over VoIP that we have a DB zerg standing right in front of us. Just glad you didn’t wipe us all while we were in map mode that would have just been rude.

Oh, nice try though.

LOL Yeah that was us toward the end of our BP raid. It was funny because I didn’t see you guys at first and then you were standing there…and then we were like..what are these guys doing? lol. Anyways good fights on your BL today was fun!!

We were all sitting there in deep discussion doodling on the maps. Who knew training sessions would become bonus reinforcements? Got a kick out of it.

The original Glicko system was found to be a bit faulty because the tiers became “locked” and there was rarely any movement. So, ANet added a random variable, which is also behaving in a way that might not be intended. Currently, there is a 240 point gap between ranks 12 and 13. (Crystal Desert: 1662, Borlis Pass: 1422) 240 points above Crystal Desert includes 6 servers, and 240 points under Borlis Pass includes 5 servers.

When lower ranked servers face higher ranked servers, they often gain ranking even if they are stomped. And the reverse is true for the higher ranks; they aren’t stomping hard enough to gain rank points.

Statistically, we’re more likely to be matched up against servers that are closer to our ranking, so Borlis will probably fight opponents under them, and Crystal opponents above them. We’ve seen matchups that exceed this 240 point spread already, so it’s possible that we can bridge this chasm in points. If the RNG doesn’t make it happen soon, however, we’ll have a gap in points that can’t be bridged.

After spending a week with TC and then Mag, this forum is so refreshing. I don’t even mind dropping loot bags for you guys anymore! Sure I’m annoyed that I have to fight every second for CD garrison, but hey, that’s war. (Though while we were recapping it tonight, I threw ACs instead of rams. Oops.)

Love,
The Snow Leopard that charged your treb, and ran straight off a cliff

We’ve received buffs to interruption traits. And they are wondeful. The issue is that we don’t have the option for precise interruptions. These traits are largely based on luck.

Looking at the cast times associated with interrupt skills. Into the Void requires 1.25 sec, which is a window of opportunity for many skills. Chaos Storm is all about throwing a field into the large group and hoping for daze procs. Illusionary Wave is useful, thought the GS is range-orientied where the interrupt skills is near PB oriented. The best interrupt skills we have are Mantra of Distraction (single target), Signet of Domination (single target), and Magic Bullet (which also may as well be single target).

In a small-scale setting, which is PvP or WvW roaming, it’s effective. PvE bosses almost always have Defient present. So we have to burn skills to make them vulnerable. Overall, precise interruptions are not favored. If you’re running these traits, cast Chaos Storm on an enemy and hope for the best.

Roaming groups are a bit like tPvP groups. If you’re in a coordinated group, don’t be afraid to ask your party-mates what builds they are running and let them know where you are lacking. Coordinated builds are very effective, and those in your group may be able to cover for you. If you’re solo-roaming, there is a bit of give and take for what you can be effective at versus what you’re willing to sacrifice.

No matter the outcome, relying too much on stealth while roaming means that you are worried about the possibility of getting away instead of going all in. We’ve got plenty of damage mitigation skills, but condition removal is not our forte. Considering what you’ve said, I would suggest Mender’s Purity (Inspiration IV) + Mirror for a heal skill (15 sec CD is the lowest CDs for heal skills, shared by thieves and eles). It’s a lower heal skill, but you get some reflection and one condition cleanse out of it. Paired with the lemongrass soup, which knocks out short-duration conditions, you’ll be good to go.

OP, great suggestion! I didn’t have the time to check out how other traits would affect a build like this, but the CDs on shatters should be enough to mitigate any kind of excessive clone generation.

With this, we wouldn’t need the scepter auto-attack sped up. (Something many of us dream of.) And it would also keep me from having to bring Mirror Images if I’m going shatter-happy.

Where it might be overpowered is that clones appear directly at the target. (Ah, I’m fairly certain about this. Not in game, so can’t check. Will edit my post if I’m wrong.) So, with little skill, a Mesmer could instantly shatter on a target that is at range where they have no warning. Currently we can only accomplish this through mirror images and it requires us to be pointblank, which is why so many of us carry a sword. I’d be happy if 2 clones appeared at my side instead of at the target. And it maintains the range aspect of a scepter.

Smart ideas on the forums are sometimes rare, but I think you nailed it!

You may be pontificating and self-pitying in this post, but we all feel that way today.

How do I spell 15 characters?

Thanks for the fun, TC! We had a great time, and hope you did too.

Cheers,
Jacked Jackal

I’m not for account-wide pins. If people start bringing alts or new characters through with a pin, it’ll get messy. No matter how WvW savvy someone is, I’m not following a lvl 10 commander around.

Discounts for pins after the first one would be welcome, though.

JudgeD.5673:

Nikked, were you that CD mes down by Vale earlier? I saw the KH cmmdr down there. Good fights, too.

Most likely! I’m a giant Norn Mesmer in emerald green armor. I ran with two different CD groups tonight, then picked up with the duels at the windmill on TCBL. SoS tried to interfere a few times, but the CD and TC bystanders did a great job of protecting the duels. (I helped fight off two of them while spectating, and others fought off interference while I was dueling.) Both fights continued through the interruption.

Just to say it: no judgments on SoS as a server for having a few people barge in. These things happen, and the duels were great fun to watch and participate in.

Just wanted to pop in to give a shoutout to Admiral Beau [KH] on Tarnished Coast. I ran with you a handful of times while you were on CD, and it was awesome to duel with someone I look up to. While there was no way I was going to win that duel, I’m glad I was able to hold my own. The draw was hard-earned on both sides.

P.S. Sorry I kept turning you into a bird.

Second TL;DR: See various crafting guides.

Just teasing This is a great write up! Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

If we can’t have fireworks because of the potential for griefing by decreasing framerates, I can’t see us getting commander beacons. We run a commander pin train every so often on my server just for fun. We’d all be blinded by the end of it if this was implemented. :P

Ethics.4519:

Nikked.7365:

Both very strong applications, and they do work. Just to keep from perpetuating misinformation, portal range does include height. If you jump a great height and then run to the typical range, your portal will be overextended.

Thanks, I’ve never fully tested it, but it seems to work that way.

So then how exactly does it work? Vertical distance is taken into account somewhat, but not fully?

Hmm, that’s a good question. I remember on the forums, someone tested the vertical height in Rata Sum. S/he was able to pretty much overlap on the map, but overextended through height alone. I know I’ve experienced this in some of my riskier portals in WvW. (I tested a lot of portal ranges when I rehearsed my exit paths from hiding spots in inner keeps.)

It seems like the portal takes distance into account through a straight line between entrance and exit. Best way to explain this is through a right angle triangle. You’ve jumped the distance of the height, then ran the distance of the base. Those distances combined exceed the range of the hypotenuse. However, portal range equals the hypotenuse So, you are travelling further than your portal range, but not overextending the portal.

Again, this is just an educated guess, but it involved basic geometry and a crappy picture I made. So that’s something.

MrSilver.5269:

635 ppt.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9821/rn7a.jpg

Hey, you missed four CD camps there! Please hurry up and cap them before I get home from work. I enjoy a challenge.

With great power comes great responsibility. If only it came with great loot, we’d be unstoppable.

Ethics.4519:

1) Helping zergs get supply faster. Portal has a limit on horizontal distance but not vertical. You can portal 20 people back up at NE tower by dropping down after they grab NE supply. Same for NW camp and NW tower.

2) SW camp is a huge choke point for zergs because people like to set up ballistas and arrow carts. Lay portal on one side, blink to the top of the bridge/hut, jump to other side and drop portal

Both very strong applications, and they do work. Just to keep from perpetuating misinformation, portal range does include height. If you jump a great height and then run to the typical range, your portal will be overextended.

Ah, I love putting out food! For WvW reset, I usually host a 5-minute dinner party in LA just before reset. It’s a great morale boost, and there are a few of us that contribute the food to keep costs down. The menu typically includes

Pot of Curry Butternut Squash Soup for glass builds: +100 prec, +10% crit dmg
Tray of Omnomberry Pies for precision builds: 66% to heal on crit, +70 prec
Feast of Rare Veggie Pizzas for condition builds: +40% cond dur, +70 cond dmg
Tray of Omnomberry Bread for bunker builds: +100 vit, +70 tough

I really want to swap out the squash soup for lemongrass soup, but it’s not as popular. Still trying to convince the pick-ups that glassy isn’t always the way to go in WvW. :P The squash soup is also the most expensive in the batch. Knocking that off the menu and keeping the other three would cater to most every build option.

Helios.3598:

Base centaur uptime is 80% with Mirror heal. My build has 20 in Chaos which gives me 93% uptime. Also, centaur swiftness stacks while focus does not. Take Mender’s Purity and you are constantly rolling heal, reflection, cleanse, and aoe swiftness. How is that not godly?

^ So godly. This is my approach too, though I only have 10 points in Chaos. Centaur + Mirror Heal makes it so that I can at least use a different off-hand weapon if I want to and not feel like I’m a turtle.

It’s been a great row, and I’m giving it all I’ve got for the next ~20 hours. Can’t wait to congratulate the winners (though I’m a bit biased in hoping that it’s CD.)

WonkaTania Interlude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zail7Gdqro

“There’s no earthly way of knowing / Which direction we are going.
…
Yes! The danger must be growing / For the rowers keep on rowing / And they’re certainly not showing / Any sign that that are slowing!”

Toxic.4320:

KN? I really had a lot of respect for you when I was on TC server (I’ve gone back to my original server of CD) and I have to let you know that your spawn camping with siege? Has seriously damaged my respect for you.

Spawn camping is just dirty pool -no matter who does it.

I still never quite understood why people get upset over spawn camping. There are three exits for a reason, but everyone seems to just charge down the stairs anyway.

Spawn campers get bored fast if they aren’t being fed baggies.

ANet said that name recognition should be meaningful. After all, commanders need to have some kind of reputation. The Name Change Contract contradicts this though. If I can get together 100 gold for a pin, I can scrape together ~28 gold to change my name anyway.

Having to buy gems to change a name does bar some circumstances that an account-wide pin would create. For example, creating new characters to pin up in WvW. No matter how experienced a person is, I would not want to follow a commander that is under lvl 10. Perhaps providing second/third pins at a discounted rate would be a better idea.

Hm, I haven’t seen this with my pin. There was someone who had issues with the tag not showing up though, and resolved his situation through opening a ticket.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/account/Commander-tag-hat-not-visible/

Rosy.5194:

Nikked.7365:

Dayra.7405:

/emote “text”
is visible to anyone (also opponents) in range,
but I’ve no idea if you can use it downed or dead.

I’ve seen people on my server use this, and I’ve heard the opposing server can see it, but I’ve never actually seen anyone on the opposing server use it. I always questioned whether or not the /emote actually makes it into an opponent’s chatbox.

Sort of.

The opposing server just sees “X gestures.” They don’t see the specific emote text.

Thanks for the clarification! My assumption was that they could not see specific text in /emote. It seems to go against not being able to talk to them in the first place.

I have seen “X gestures.” from opposing servers before; I just didn’t know what that meant. This clears it up.

Caephire.5238:

Ethersin.3270:

Well Kaineng, it has been a great time being in this awesome server from t8 all the way to t2 … Bye bye from RE.

Maybe it’s because of caffeine overload, or because I’m listening to sappy love songs, but there’s a part of me that wants to cry.

“You’d think people had enough of silly love songs / But I look around me and see it isn’t so.”

Gaming communities are tight-knit. We’re all on a mission of escapism. We also live and die next to each other on the battlefield. Having to say goodbye to people you’ve fought alongside of can be difficult. And from what I’ve heard, the Kaineng community is pretty wonderful.

Dayra.7405:

/emote “text”
is visible to anyone (also opponents) in range,
but I’ve no idea if you can use it downed or dead.

I’ve seen people on my server use this, and I’ve heard the opposing server can see it, but I’ve never actually seen anyone on the opposing server use it. I always questioned whether or not the /emote actually makes it into an opponent’s chatbox.

Very classy, enkidu!

When you lose a fight, there really isn’t any way to demonstrate that you enjoyed it. You can try to party up with people and let them know, but I typically won’t go that far. They’ve already bested me, and I like to think fighting the death demonstrates that I respected their playstyle.

When winning a fight, I always go for the /bow emote. It a humble way of accepting victory, and lets your opponent know you fought well. Always avoid /laugh and /dance as those are often insulting.

When I come across my own teammates that are doing work (such as capping a camp as I show up, or refreshing siege in keeps), I use /salute. Typing it into map chat is nice, but for whatever reason, I like the emote better. It shows I’m appreciative of their work without having to get too wordy. (Especially when I’m commanding. I have to type a lot as it is!)

Marquiz.7625:

you are thinking too much.

Now there’s an accusation you don’t see everyday on gaming forums.

Just teasing!

I see what you’re going for here, and it’s not a bad idea. However, I’m not sure debuffs are the way to go. People get a little touchy when are debuffed for things that aren’t entirely within their control. Also, there may be ramifications to situations where we’re supposed to stack up. (Defending a tower/keep, for example.) If I can’t run to the supply hut fast enough to help build some siege, then I’m going to be annoyed.

It seems that the speed problem mostly comes from the wide availability of group swiftness. Electric field + blast finishers can give a whole team 60 seconds of swiftness easy. Once that’s in place, the moving group maintains the group swiftness through abilities (such as Guardian’s staff skill, or Runes of the Centaurs + Healing skill). Maintaining perma-swift on a large group is very accessible.

Instead of a debuff, perhaps find a way to reduce easy access to long swiftness durations.