Guild Wars 2

They’re going to get nerfed. With as much confusion, bleeding, burning, poison, and might I can stack up on my Engineer, the build is flat out uncounterable. Condition clears? Yawn. Just a slower death. Multiple targets? All the interrupts I use are multi target (Supply Crate, both shield skills, Air Blast) and Static Shot, pistol #3 that inflicts confusion and blind, bounces.

It’s the Oprah show and you get 20 stacks of confusion, and you get 20 stacks of confusion, and you get 20 stacks of confusion! Confusion stacks for everyone!

An ICD is not only a good idea to preserve some semblance of game balance, it’s an inevitability.

Daendur.2357:

urieldhynne.2743:

mrmadhaze.8706:

daze? stun? cc? traps? if the thief has a dagger OH maybe just dodge? l2p?
generally all these things work good

And you have a PERFECT chain CC like 10seconds or more on your character? You have THAT amount of CC? because i dont.

Are you talking about 10 players chasing a thief spamming CC? Or only 1 or 2?

did you know thief can stunbreak and go to stealth?

You are talking to spam to “possible thief location” trying to guess if you are hitting him or not?

And even if you can land a CC on him, you can only hit a couple of times before the thief go to stealth again… you have the power of oneshoot someone? because i dont, if i have i will die with a couple of backstabs vs a good thief.

If you win vs a thief, he is a BAD ONE who decide to die. When i kill a thief with my guard, is because he is a bad one who decide to die through retaliation.

VS GOOD THIEF you lose or thief run. No other possibility.

a running thief is a thief that lost his battle.
I prefer to die than run away; this makes me a bad thief? ok no problem.
the point is not CC a thief for 10 or more seconds, the point is use your CC at the right moment. make him waste his cooldown and than strike.
basically l2p.

Nah, the opener a against a thief involves immediate and potent doses of hate. You stun them immediately, then you hit them hard, then you stun them again, then you immobilize them, and then you hit them even harder. Against a thief, the best defense is a strong offense. If you give them the chance to get away from you, they will stealth, they will cleanse their conditions, they will come back at you with full health and full initiative.

Think of the most merciless combinations of stuns, cripples, chills, and immobilizes your class is capable of and put as many of those as you can in a build with a minimum of 3k attack, 50% crit rate, and 50% crit damage.

The best way to kill a thief is immediately and with extreme prejudice.

I main Engineer, I have since launch. Once perplexity came out I was like “hmmm I wonder what this does"

The events that proceeded went from “oh my this is fun!” to “I think this may be unbalanced…” to “I better check if this is an exploit. I don’t wanna get banned.” finally to “no point in getting used to this, they’ll get nerfed any day now.”

I have literally destroyed people while they were just trying to clear my conditions. If you use them on your Engineer and don’t think they’re insane, you’re not doing it correctly…

Since so many thieves run such similar builds it’s possibly the first thing you learn to counter. It’s not easy, and took me months to figure out, but now if I get wrecked by a thief it’s due to the aforementioned mythical unicorn 20k backstab or they’re flat out better than me. More often than not I run into average to below average thieves and I have to apply more effort than one should have to in order to beat such unskilled play, attributed in large part to the stealth mechanics.

I’m fine with the skilled thieves beating me legitimately, but when I have to formulate an actual strategy against some Dagger Pistol smoke field blind spamming heartseeker scrub it’s tiresome. It not only devalues my skill, but is an insult to all skilled play when something so effective requires so little skill.

Thief is mechanically designed to skill spam, have unlimited access to stealth, and do extremely high single target damage, all without the player actively having to try. The only part that bothers me is the whole no-skill-required feature. I think thieves should be just as effective as they are now, but changes should make it vastly harder to do. I’m not a fan of scrub gamers, and because of that I kinda like having thieves around picking them off…but on the same token there are more scrubs playing thieves than anything else and a class that acts as GW2’s scrub screener should not harbor the bulk of them.

I’m not saying make it as hard to play as Engineer, my class has more ways to play one build than thief even has builds, but it at least needs to be as challenging as playing a full Cleric’s gear Guardian.

Straegen.2938:

Shenanigans! Black powder hitting for 1.5k?!? math:

• (84 * .25 * Power) * modifiers / Toughness

lets go crazy here:

• (84 * .25 * 4000) * 4 / 2000 = 168

As for 20k BS… again the math proves it is virtually impossible (a thief with 4k power and 4 on the modifier is buffed to the gods with a perfect strike):

• ((806 * 2.4 * 4000) * 4.00) / 2000 = 15.5k

against 3k toughness

• ((806 * 2.4 * 4000) * 4.00) / 3000 = 10.3k

In these cases, IMO the combat log is flat out lying and likely clumping several hits from multiple sources into one, some chopping has been done or a bug/cheat is in effect. It is also somewhat curious that a medium health pooled player soaked up 36k damage in about 2 seconds and didn’t die.

Oh no I definitely died. The black powder was just to ensure my downed state would be irrelevant…and as an Engineer it pretty much is anyhow.

What’s really going to bake your noodle is I was running (and almost always do) Protective Shield, an Engineer trait that automatically procs protection on crit. Now I can’t provide any proof that it triggered, but on that premise it’s even harder to produce the math to support the existing damage numbers +33% if what my combat log is showing is actually damage under Protection.

Perhaps there’s a bug I’m not aware of that inverts the protection boon and instead makes one take 33% more damage instead of reducing it by 33%; literally the only thing I could think of when I reported the player and then reported it as a bug.

That said I still have evidence of a 20k backstab even if it’s the unicorn of backstabs, it exists, and therefore arguments to the contrary of it’s existence are simply wrong. Thieves are doing this, and I’m just one guy who took a screenshot of it.

DevonCarver.5370:

Lord Kuru.3685:

If they did listen to us, it’s only because of drastically declining WvW numbers (as stated in Devon’s infamous alpha forum post).

To head it off at the pass, there have not been drastically declining WvW numbers, or even marginally declining numbers. WvW continues to be as strong as it has been over the past several months. We made some decisions internally and were able to accommodate changes that it didn’t seem feasibly originally and that’s why the changes that are going to be announced later this week happened.

Sure Devon. We’re all just imagining the unmanned buff during prime time on Saturday’s, having non existent queues, and seeing fewer and fewer guild members log in (myself included)

Pretty sure what you’re seeing is an unconnected dot signalling the unhealthy state of the game. Players are searching for a meaningful end game and landing on WvW to facilitate that need. Unfortunately they arrive to find a mode that remains riddled with bugs, based upon imbalanced mechanics, and host to a severely diminished reward structure. Once this sets in you’re past the point of no return and the game will hemorrhage players. I’ve seen this exact scenario play out before with multiple studios and the results are always the same.

Don’t believe me? Watch what happens to WvW in December. Then watch how your studio responds by February.

I’d wager there’s going to be some extra desk space around the office petty soon.

If this doesn’t happen I’ll bar myself from these forums and ensure that my last post will be a formal apology to you personally.

I think we should have an 8 league system in which servers of nearest equal standings fight against one another. This will ensure the existing buff system will frequently change hands between the even competitors.

What’s that you say?

That’s how it was at launch?

Hmmm…guess you can always potentially cure game imbalance, but stupidity is a terminal illness.

They wanna fix stealth? Add audible footsteps. If the player wants to be stealth and silent they have to toggle walk. Additionally all stuns and stun type effects (knock down, knock back, fear, etc.) should break a targets stealth.

Unless you like uncounterable effects to provide you with the game imbalance you require to be a viable player. It’s ok, we can’t all be skilled.

Sanduskel.1850:

I’ve done backstabs for much higher than 8 k against 3k+ armor targets. So you are wrong, sorry. I also cannot be one hit, lol.

Yeah, it’s not only possible but happens more often than not…I’m not sure whats Up with eveyone else but I get the vibe there’s a lot of L2P issues involved in this thread…

Shun the Non-Believers!

Go ask the thief from Violent Resolution [VR] on Magumma how they did it.

My Armor at the time was 2052.

Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

Heizero.9183:

mini.6018:

Heizero.9183:

I am really concerned that people in this thread talk about 15-16k BS crits…. i mean seriously. You would have to be naked and traited for 0 defense while fighting a full glass cannon thief that can get 2 shotted himself.

On a squishy target i crit about 6k or 7k on my thief. I don’t usually care about threads like this since i love my Thief. But blatant lies to trash another class is pretty gross.

As a matter of fact it is not bs at all xd.Check the warrior forums for 11.5 k crits backstab on 3400 armor.There are builds allowing huge backstabs especially in wvw.Heck even s/d thieves can do 5-7k.Maybe you are not using a heavy dps focused build.

“BS” is an acronym for Backstab. Idc about the warrior forums. an 11.5k BS is possible, that is not a 16k. And that build ditches all defense, even utility skills making the Thief EXTREMELY vulnerable and more of a suicide bomber than anything. My point is saying thieves have tons of survivability, condi removal, mobility, AND can crit at that level is a lie. period. There are not enough traits in the game to make that possible.

I have a screen shot of a 20k back stab from the receiving end. Your argument is invalid.

I really enjoy a good BLT. You know, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Personally I prefer a nice wheat bread, lightly toasted of course, and served with some chips.

The main thing in the BLT is the bacon. The lettuce and tomato are just secondary really, you can still have a fine sandwich without them.

…but then it’s not a $&#@ing BLT!

The only problem with downed state is improper balance…they don’t need to remove it.

Since ANet hasn’t balanced it we’re left to assume it’s working as intended.

I have plenty of ideas to fix the imbalance, but I’m done reposting the same suggestions . ANet wants to fix it, they’ll figure it. Don’t think they want to though.

Hey guys stop caring about this game, you’re wasting your time. The development staff doesn’t give five ferinheight of a flaming #$@& about what we think. They’re going to do whatever they feel like doing no matter how much it destroys their community.

They call us the vocal minority? Sure, I’ll take that. But guess who spreads the word of mouth about GW2? It’s not the non vocal majority, it’s us, and we aren’t saying very kind things…definitely not things that will boost sales. The things that I say in person about the game are on a level that makes this post read like a toddlers bed time story.

No one that plays this game mode will enjoy the two league system. No One. Even a four league system would be awful. If they want to ruin their game in this perpetual ignorance of mechanical problems whilst simultaneously adding garbage no one wants and destroying everything that we do (GvG included), then its their plane to crash and burn. Just go grab your parachute and bail out…oh and be sure to point, laugh, and say “I told you so” as childishly as possible to present your condescension in the most offensive manner possible when they finally realize they should’ve listened.

Hope to see you folks in ESO, at least whether or not it will be good is an unknown…WvW lacks any development characteristics to justify optimism.

It wont be long now…I have foreseen it…

Compared to our other 15 point minor traits it’s just not attractive:
- Reserve Mines: drops mines @ 25% hp
- Target the Weak: +10 crit rate against targets >50% hp
- Automated Medical Response: heal skill recharges at 25% hp
- Inertial Converter: Tool Belt skills recharge at 25% hp

Compared to any of these Master tier minor traits Transmute is clearly inferior. 8% chance to convert an incoming condition into a boon is the same as saying 92% chance to not do anything to incoming conditions.

I’m assuming there’s a point to all this?

Sure, the tool belt is the profession mechanic, duh. Though mechanics of any class are gestalt in nature, greater than the sum of their parts. Engineers are also the only class with access to only Rifle, Pistol, and Shield. Why? Because the utility skill kits are the source of our build versatility. Saying one mechanic is a “primary mechanic” to somehow suggest the other mechanics that support it are not core mechanics of the class is silly.

My brain is my primary mechanic, but without my rectum mechanic my body fills with toxins, my heart stops, and my brain ceases to function. Just because it’s the primary mechanic doesn’t lessen the significance of other mechanics that make the whole thing work…even a rectum is important.

It’s largely a defensive tool. I use it with Cloaking Device trait to make the most out of repositioning under stealth. With the upcoming patch to elixir s the combo with toss elixir s will turn the enemy decision to immobilize into a 10 second guessing game in which direction I’m already out of range in…I can already taste the tears…

Kai.3680:

I like the idea of having the kits create a signet type effect. It would need a good amount of work to make sure it wasn’t overpowered as those who run 4 kits would get signet effects, a kit refinement power, and the kits powers to boot.

I was one to run 4 kits back when kit refinement wasn’t the lackluster trait it is today. Of course I also used to double barrage people so maybe I contributed to the change. People used to complain about medkits refinement but looking back…I would take that stupid explosion any day to get back the super elixir, grenade barrage, and even the freakin caltrops back to back.

Balance it’s inherent to this concept. With kits sitting unused they’d grant a passive like +180 toughness like Dolyak signet, but upon equip they lose the passive and activate their specific effect that they already produce with the kit refinement trait. With each kit having an independent cool down each kit effect and passive can be independently balanced for a varied cool down, where Super Speed from Tool Kit may be a 10 second CD, Magnetic Shield on Med Kit may be a 15 second CD. Note once activated the passive goes away only to return after the cool down, just like a signet operates. The design is already balanced against existing game elements.

amiable.4823:

Obscure One.4357:

Dand.8231:

amiable.4823:

Obscure One.4357:

Just get some macro software and change the number #1 key to repeat while pressed. I know my hand is much happier with me for doing this, and as far as my understanding of the rules and regs on macros goes this is a legal one.

It is not, this post will most likely get deleted and you will get a temp forum ban for mentioning it. I know from experience.

Actually according to ANets definition, it probably is legit. The definition as one of the mods explained on these forums, is “the possibility of providing an unfair advantage.”

Now, if it was the faster you pressed the button, the more DPS you did… then that would be a different story.

But there’s a cast time, and animation; mashing the button only goes so far, and having a script or macro press 1 for you does not confer any advantage.

The macro isn’t doing anything by itself, it requires the user to press the key and only controls that single action which changes it from a press and release to a press and hold. If it were a toggle macro then it would be pressing it without me doing so and would then be a violation, but as it is my manual inputs require the same amount of dedication to the key as someone rapidly tapping the key. The only real difference is my hands don’t ache when I log off, and I’m putting less wear on my computer’s peripherals.

/shrug maybe policy as changed, all I know was that I got a ban earlier this year for suggesting this.

here’s the policy as described by the development team explaining what is and is not acceptable.

If the forum mods don’t like it, tough, I’m playing by the rules on this one. Now if they want to infract me on some of my other posts then maybe I have that coming…I have a difficulty talking about certain members of the development team without using insults…

Dand.8231:

amiable.4823:

Obscure One.4357:

Just get some macro software and change the number #1 key to repeat while pressed. I know my hand is much happier with me for doing this, and as far as my understanding of the rules and regs on macros goes this is a legal one.

It is not, this post will most likely get deleted and you will get a temp forum ban for mentioning it. I know from experience.

Actually according to ANets definition, it probably is legit. The definition as one of the mods explained on these forums, is “the possibility of providing an unfair advantage.”

Now, if it was the faster you pressed the button, the more DPS you did… then that would be a different story.

But there’s a cast time, and animation; mashing the button only goes so far, and having a script or macro press 1 for you does not confer any advantage.

The macro isn’t doing anything by itself, it requires the user to press the key and only controls that single action which changes it from a press and release to a press and hold. If it were a toggle macro then it would be pressing it without me doing so and would then be a violation, but as it is my manual inputs require the same amount of dedication to the key as someone rapidly tapping the key. The only real difference is my hands don’t ache when I log off, and I’m putting less wear on my computer’s peripherals.

Just get some macro software and change the number #1 key to repeat while pressed. I know my hand is much happier with me for doing this, and as far as my understanding of the rules and regs on macros goes this is a legal one.

IMO Kit Refinement should not only segregate the on equip effect between kits with separate cool downs for each, but should also provide a signet type passive while the kit is unused. For example: Tool Kit would grant a +25% speed boost as a passive, but on equip grants Super Speed for the short 50% speed boost putting the passive on CD as well as the on equip effect.

IMO doing this would require a trait realignment that would swap Kit Refinement with the Grandmaster Trait, Armor Mod (aegis when hit by a crit), to balance.

Transmute works it’s just so underwhelming you rarely notice it. I’d prefer it do something like 25% chance to convert an incoming condition with an internal CD of 8-10 seconds. Or even better, proc Elixir C automatically when you have 4 or more conditions with a 60 second internal cool down.

As it stands though it’s not bad, it’s just not good. No one is going to put 15 points in Alchemy for it like they would for Inventions or Tools, they just kinda get it in the 20 – 30 point Alchemy Value Meal…kinda like those little salt packets for your fries that you may or may not notice in the bag.

Engineer is not an alt friendly class. You need to dedicate countless hours to learning it’s intricacies, and hours more to gain the experience to apply that knowledge in real time.

Don’t like +1% damage per boon? Try using Lyssa runes, slot Elixir X, and use Fast Acting Elixirs to get an 84 second cool down for a condition clear and every boon.

Don’t like that? Want more damage? Pick up a Rifle, throw 30 points in Firearms to take Sitting Duck, Rifle Mod, and Mod Ammunition. Use a Sigil of Force, and toss 10 points in the Explosives line to snag 5% more damage when endurance isn’t full. Drop a supply crate on your foe and proc that Lyssa rune to gain every boon and +9% damage more damage from Energy Conversion Matrix as you roll into Blunderbus to inflict bleeding to get 7% more damage against a bleeding target (5% grand master minor, +2% Mod Ammo). The net turret in supply crate will immobilize causing cripple and vulnerability from Sitting Duck granting +6% damage (Mod Ammo).

All in all thats:
+10% Rifle Mod
+5% Sigil of Force
+5% Empowering Adrenaline
+8% Mod Ammo
+5% Target the Maimed
+9% Energy Conversion Matrix

+42% direct damage total.

And I haven’t even gotten into what happens when you stack on more conditions or factored in damage increases for inflicting vulnerability and gaining might, nor mentioned that using ECM < Static Discharge as my fight opener easily exceeds 10k damage just with tool belt skills…3.5k of which bounces to multiple targets, and 5.5k of it hits everything in a straight line.

I can’t argue that there’s a lot of bugs and just flat out poor skills, I.E. turrets, that needed some serious work. Oh and that atrocity they call an Elite named “Mortar” is total dog $&#!…actually little worse since dog $&#! at least has the decency not to pretend it doesn’t stink. But the fact remains that unlike a few other class designs (ex: Thief) the Engineer class is only as good as you are at playing it, depending heavily on player knowledge, experience, and skill.

If you don’t like complex combos nor advanced theory crafting, then Engineer is not the class for you.

You wanna beat an MM you say?

The trick is simple really, AI is dumb. Like really dumb. Like when you look into the eyes of these AI minions you could not possibly understand the level of stupidity looking back at you. They’re a breathtaking feat of raw idiocy. To punish this stupidity your going to use Pistol + Pistol, Bomb Kit, Tool Kit, and Elixir Gun. You’ll want to use Med Kit for your heal and Elixir X for your elite.

Now the necro itself is the main course, but the minions feed it health and will explode when they die, so ignoring them is not an option. You want to immobilize and cripple those little idiots with Glue Shot, Glue Bomb, Box of Nails (#2 on Tool Kit), and Elixir F (#2 on Elixir Gun). Using the trait Sitting Duck your immobilize will generate cripple (and vulnerability) allowing you to safely avoid the attacks of these stupid little creatures.

When it comes down to the Flesh Golem it has two insane weaknesses: blind and immobilize. So when you see it, hit it with a Static Shot first then use Magnet to pull the Necro to you, Glue Shot it, then Fumigate, then Smoke Bomb, Fire Bomb, Glue Bomb it before finally using Acid Bomb get away and watch it melt…don’t worry the minions are stupid and won’t dodge or block or walk out of the AoEs, so you can reliably do this every time, because the AI is mechanically majestically stupid.

Now the Necro isn’t going to want any of what your selling, but you’re going to show him who’s the real king of CC, and escape is not an option. The next step in your offensive is to activate Elixir X. Necromancers don’t have the privilege of disengagement, nor the speed to get away and probably already burnt out their condition removals and dodges when you pulled them into your bomb combo, so bring the pain. As a Rampager you want to stick them with skill #5 as soon as you enter the form. This way it’ll come off cool down right as the form is about to end so you can get it off again. As a Tornado spam #1 as you just follow them around knocking them on their face over and over.

Just play on the defensive after the form ends by waking backwards and Bombing as the idiot minions walk directly into them without so much as a consideration to an alternate route.

Note this is not how I do it personally, at least not any more, since I find my Static Discharge build to be more than adequate in melting a Necro and his minions.

I main Engineer and play solely WvW…if anyone feels like they’re alienated outside of the games development focus it’s myself and folks like me.

The one year anniversary posted some metrics that shed some light on why the issue was, is, and will continue to be unaddressed: Engineers only make up 10% of the player population.

Now when considering that only 10% of players are Engineers, if even 50% of them are actually the type of player that wants to sink their time into a Legendary, and of that number 75% run kit builds, this would mean that all the development time they put into making a Legendary Rifle, Pistol, and Shield have an effect on kit skins would target less than 4% of the entire player base. The implementation of it would be irrelevant to 96.25% of players in Guild Wars 2, and as such is impossible to justify any more than 3.75% of their development time, which in any given 8 hour work day is 18 minutes, which translates to 1.5 hours a week.

The laws of a development process rooted in the industry trend of basing every move upon metrics dictates that this fix is highly improbable no matter how much myself or anyone else, including Colin Johanson, would like to see it.

That’s just how the cookie crumbles…

TexRob.5183:

kefro.9312:

I can alt f4 log in and join wvwvw in like 15seconds

Lets see that video please.

It’s not far fetched, and depends on the size of the zone you zoned from to get to WvW. Heart of the Mists is a pretty quick one, and it loads even faster in windowed mode. Just login, minimize at character select, select character, and then select a BL from there. Process takes very little time, and is something I’ve gotten accustomed to doing more frequently than I’d like in order to fix the all to common Gem Store “Authentication Error” nonsense.

If it’s not exactly 15 seconds, it’s pretty close. Could even be faster as one can legally make a macro that does it since it’s all commands external to the game: close window → launch program → left mouse → left mouse → minimize. Then everything else you’d have to click yourself since that’s internal to the game and would be a breach of the rules and regs to macro.

The more servers that use this meta to generate points the more servers will adapt to counter it, I.E. Alt + F4 will rapidly become common practice to deprive the point generation.

This is a very very very negative thing.

Griefers gonna grief. Simple as that.

You already lost the fight, you know your gonna have a repair bill anyhow, and you know there’s no queue since the patch drove people away from the mode, soooo just Alt + F4 to at least screw them out of their points. It’s only an extra 10 seconds out of your day to relog.

It’s all about team work! Think of the PPT! Be a team player and Alt + F4

DevonCarver.5370:

The stat boost, while controversial, is there to give the buff meaning in the context of the general WvW battle. Providing boosts like %WXP, etc. don’t have impact in fights against other sides, they are just a nice bonus for you. The stat boost and the points for finishing players mean that not only do you want to have the buff, but you don’t want your opponents to have it.

Meaningful buffs within the context of the battle would be improved gate and wall HP, improved guard damage, camp fortification, extra guards, faster Dolyaks with more supply, or access to stronger keep weapons (I.e. an Asuran Sky Hammer the uses player supply to fire). Stat buffs are neither meaningful nor relevant to the context of the fight, especially when they are only ever in the hands of the side with the most coverage, who will be winning with or without them. You implemented these buffs because it’s easy to fudge the match with +’s and call it relevant, knowing all the while that you lack the innovative mind set of your predecessors. I know this because a more seasoned development lead would have anticipated the increase to the server load from the buff being applied, and the ramifications of this buff encouraging players without it to Alt + F4 to avoid a stomp to deprive those that have it of points to the “war score” since it’s the same repair cost either way and there’s no queue to get back in with interest in the mode dropping to an all time low.

You have one job: make WvW fun.

Just ask yourself that before you go and do something equally under developed.

Your first problem is caring more about the quality of this game than the development leadership.

Your second problem is your not playing living story content, grinding out your ascended gear, nor farming achievement points. You know it’s fun because ANet says it is. Have fun like they say you like to have fun, because they know better than you do when it comes to what you do or do not enjoy. Smile! Laugh! It’s Fun! We’re All Having Fun, Right!? RIGHT!?

Your third problem is you’re posting legitimate concerns about the direction of Guild Wars 2 on these forums. If Devon Carver genuinely cared about what was on these forums you wouldn’t have made this thread.

Soon all WvW servers will be ghost towns: top tiers for nothing to do, low tiers for not being anything but zerg food. Guild Wars 2 is on a fast track to industry irrelevance in terms of all things PvP.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have some new Skyrim mods to play with while the WvW team gets ready to implement league play to WvW, just so I’ll already be accustomed to gaming in the post “GW2-is-worth-playing” era.

I’ll admit the level design is on point as usual. The art direction and level design teams are what make Guild Wars 2 worth my time…which is saying A LOT based on the state of this game.

That being said the architecture and technical implementation are an atrocity, as usual. The lag goes from kinda inconvenient to unplayable then back to kinda inconvenient so often that any genuine fun that could be had is soiled with this orb buff nonsense. Sure there’s obvious balance issues being ignored, but technical problems have plagued the mode since launch and with every addition they dig the hole a bit deeper. This patch has only proven positive they are stretched beyond their abilities as a team and beyond the limits of their architecture.

Do I agree this was a step in the right direction? Sure. Minus the orb buffs this was an excellent display of ANet’s talented level and art direction, and a welcomed shift in the meta game to provide “room to roam” so to speak.

Though as it stands I cannot say I’m enjoying it on account of the technical failures in its implementation. These orb buffs just aren’t meant to be…should just change the mechanic to award World score points and a localized buff to various allied locations.

Depends on how you define “button mashing”.

When I play my Engineer, my fingers are all in constant motion between kit swapping rotations, tool belt skills, and weapon skill activations. So technically I’m constantly pressing something, thus technically I’m button mashing.

Alternatively when I play my Warrior, that’s not the case and my hands are often bored with what few key strokes are required in any given combo to be optimal.

Now if you define “button mashing” as just a mindless chaos of key strokes, then you’re not talking about anyone who successfully plays an Engineer. It’s literally impossible to do anything mindlessly and be even close to effective with the class.

Only Thieves can play 5 1 2 2 2 2 2 6, recover, and repeat all day long to succeed in fights and dare I say exceed their peers without any complex knowledge of what they’re doing.

In short if your looking to point a finger at a poorly designed infantile class that is mechanically forced into “button mashing” then your in the wrong sub-forums. Just follow the rivers of noob tears, the scent of talentless trolls, and the constant recitation of “Learn 2 Play”, the hymn of the thief forum zealot.

Knighthonor.4061:

I know some of you have heard it by now. But Arena Net has plans for a major update that will add lots of new spells to the game.

Firstly, not “spells”…skills.

whats some new spells you would like to see added to the game?

The skills I’d like to see added are the removal of downed state #2 skill and #3 put in its place. The new #3 skill would be Elixir D “drink elixir D to gain Vapor Form or Vengeance”.

Also I’m looking forward to seeing them finally wipe off that pile of $&#! sitting on the elite skill selection area they call Mortar and replace it with Machine Gun “equip a heavy machine gun that reduces your speed but grants stability and protection and 5 skills: #1 Full Auto – fires projectiles at an extremely high rate. #2 Semi Auto – fires three projectiles that cause vulnerability. #3 Single Shot – fires a high damage projectile that penetrates and causes bleeding. #4 Irradiated Rounds – your next 5 attacks inflict poison and torment. #5 Steam Over – vent steam from your machine gun that burns and blinds nearby foes.”

Also if you could get a pre existing weapon added to the Engineer class, what would it be and how would it work?

Daggers. It’s a basic weapon and I think should be the only weapon every class can use at least in the off hand. That said I’d like an offhand dagger with skill #4 Cut and Run: “slash your target and evade backwards gaining swiftness.” and #5 Ballistic Dagger: “launch the dagger blade that embeds in your target inflicting cripple and pulsing torment every second. Chain – Detonate Dagger: detonate your embedded dagger blade inflicting burning”

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

Yeap, it procs. Just not all that efficient with Tornado (though grossly overpowered with Rampager). Better off with AoE stun from Supply Crate, then chain your shield interrupts and FT knock back as you roll in with Prybar and Static Shot. They’ll die just trying to clear the conditions. If you could predict the proc on X, then I’d say it’s the better option, but as it stands it’s for different breed of build.

Mmmmmm, Thats interesting. What kind of Condition damage should be looking for? I was thinking maybe rather then go full Condition just add the Runes to my current gear set (P/V/T) and add some condition weapons and accessories i wouldnt be relying fully on Confusion but it would add that little bit extra.

Or is Confusion something you need to go all or nothing on with Engineer?

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fcAQJAqelIqyaH5SdF87IS4DSIoH1FgdXiZ8YQGA-jkBBoOBMnrIasl1FRjVzATliIq2joIa1A-w

This is the kind of build i was thinking of. Plenty of Possible interrupts, the Utilities could be switched up based on the situation. Only bad thing i could see would be the lack of condition duration.

I could pull 10 points from Firearms, ditch the chance on crit for Vul, move 5 into Alchemy and gain Backpack re generator and 5 points into Inventions and take Elite Supplies so i could free up Potent Elixirs for something else – Thinking Blood Injection, Deadly Mixture or Self-regulating Defenses

For a perplexity build you want 1500+ Condition Damage (mine sits around 2k with food and Corruption sigil stacks). The gear choice should be between Rabid, Dire, or Carrion, and though Soldier/Invader prefix (P/T/V) is a general benchmark for general effectiveness, you really need to specialize to wreck with conditions as you should know from playing your Mesmer.

You want the enemy to be on the permanent defensive, and freaking the &#$! out over how much condition damage they’re taking and how your tossing them around like a child’s plaything with all your CCs. That being said the most panic inducing amount of condition damage you can pull off is the key to the build, so Soldiers doesn’t really fit for it.

Also I wouldn’t take so much care to ensure you get Elite Supplies, it’s only for making Supply Crate better, but for those other 180 seconds it’s no use. Sure it buffs mortar, but that’s just putting sprinkles on a $&#! sandwich. And if your looking to buff X you should be invested the Alch line enough for potent which will apply to all elixirs. Naturally there’s reasons to take it for X such as if you’re running Cleansing Formula 409, but it’s hard turning down Reinforced Shield for Elite Supplies.

I’m sure we’re all aware of the current condition meta, and all seems right on the numbers for the builds except for the concept of passive reduction. In the most basic terms conditions ignore armor, yet face specific or general removal as the thought to balance. However, as well also are all likely aware of, the limitations of these removals is unequal to the proliferation of conditions, yet rightly so. It’s a GOOD thing we can’t just remove conditions at will thereby negating condition builds entirely.

That leaves room for the follow-up logic: “Well what do I do while my condition removals are on cooldown?”

The obvious answer is you have to take it, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You just watch your health drain, and hope your heal and condition removals come off cool down before you die. Now that’s fine, but there is no game balance between your cooldowns and their relentless condition spamming. You go from perfectly fine to totally screwed, back to perfectly fine all over again with no real way of making it nominal.

My answer to this would be to create “Condition Resist” as a new feature that scales off of Healing Power. We all know Healing Power scales the worst of all attributes in the game, and giving it the added kicker of also passively mitigating condition damage (no effect on duration) would make it a much more attractive attribute.

I’d like to see it at a .0001 coefficient, making 1000 Healing Power generate 10% passive Condition Resistance. Notably I’ve not been capable of producing a build with much greater than 3000 Healing Power, and in that hyper specialized build composition the reduction of Condition Damage would be at 30%. Hence a bleed that would normally do 100 damage would instead do 70 effectively reducing the damage per tick of a full stack of said bleed from 2500 to 1750.

With the myriad of gear choices that’re host to Healing Power (Settler’s, Giver’s, Shaman’s, Cleric’s, Magi’s, Apothecary, Celestial) the game would provide an alternate gear choice for many build styles, facilitating the ability for players to choose whether or not passive condition mitigation is worth it for them and how much of an investment is even possible within their build scope.

All in all it encourages build versatility, and takes the edge off for the bunker builds. But that’s just one humble Engineer’s opinion. What about yours? Is 30% reduction at 3k healing power too much?

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

Oi…perplexity…well I’d be lying if I said you don’t have a valid point, and more so if I said they aren’t the most disgusting thing I’ve ever put on my condition build. Problem is they’re too good and liable to see a nerf.

The condition meta has flat out gotten out of hand, it’s why everyone including yourself is drawn to it. That being the case, and in the spirit of not competely derailing your thread, Elixir X isn’t the best choice for elite. Supply Crate is the clear winner for that build composition. X is just not universally applicable to builds and soon won’t be our only reliable source of stability, but as it is, in practiced hands, it’s a game changer.

Until there’s a “Condition Resist” stat, conditions will rule the roost. So by all means roll perplexity, but don’t get to attached, the nerf is a matter of time.

I was condition builds on all my toons before the “Condition Meta” came to be, as soon as it started i stopped playing my Necro as it just wasnt fun anymore. Mesmer though it takes getting involved unlike the Necro who just runs around spamming marks…YAWN. Does Rampage and Tornado proc the Perplexity 6/6? that could be a very interesting build.

I am finding EX to be “good” but just feel that it could be better and more useful for other build types as i dont see it being that useful for Heal-Support or condition builds for example, though if it procs Perplexity it could work in a Confusion build.

Yeap, it procs. Just not all that efficient with Tornado (though grossly overpowered with Rampager). Better off with AoE stun from Supply Crate, then chain your shield interrupts and FT knock back as you roll in with Prybar and Static Shot. They’ll die just trying to clear the conditions. If you could predict the proc on X, then I’d say it’s the better option, but as it stands it’s for different breed of build.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

Sounds like your coming along. Give it time and you’ll be arguing with yourself over what’s best for your build. For your build, if your looking for a direction, a good one is 20/20/0/20/10, use Carrion gear (Power, Vitality, Condition Damage) snag 4 runes of altruism, 2 runes of Hoelbrak, and a Sigil of Battle. Using Enhance Performance, Juggernaut, Deadly Admixture as your primary traits, once you can get used to kit swapping rotations you’ll have plenty of might by cycling Med Kit. Using Speedy Kits and Invigorating Speed will also help tremendously, and if your zerging use a Sigil of Stamina in your off hand for endless dodge bombs.

There’s also the option of using Rabid gear as well, or even Soldiers would work fine. Again, lots of ways to skin that cat.

With all the interrupts i was thinking about maybe a Confusion + Perplexity build but i am trying to stay away from cpondition builds as my Mesmer(SO much fun!), Ele (VERY hard and the weakest, thats why its shelved for now) and Necro(not used currently as the buffs have made it boring :/) are condition builds

Oi…perplexity…well I’d be lying if I said you don’t have a valid point, and more so if I said they aren’t the most disgusting thing I’ve ever put on my condition build. Problem is they’re too good and liable to see a nerf.

The condition meta has flat out gotten out of hand, it’s why everyone including yourself is drawn to it. That being the case, and in the spirit of not competely derailing your thread, Elixir X isn’t the best choice for elite. Supply Crate is the clear winner for that build composition. X is just not universally applicable to builds and soon won’t be our only reliable source of stability, but as it is, in practiced hands, it’s a game changer.

Until there’s a “Condition Resist” stat, conditions will rule the roost. So by all means roll perplexity, but don’t get to attached, the nerf is a matter of time.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

I don’t dare presume to tell another Engineer how to run their build. Lord knows you get 5 of us in a room you’ll get 15 opinions.

That said with a Valkarye set you’re speced for Power, Vitality, and Crit Damage, so the idea is to trait to complement that as best as you can. Some may go 0/0/30/30/10, and be stupid durable and insanely painful when they constantly pop Elixir X with quickness off Elixir U. I personally prefer a 10/0/10/30/20 with the build, but it’s personal preference what works for you, just 30 in Alch is the staple of using Elixir X to its fullest.

Naturally you’ll have to contend with Mesmer Null Fields and Corruption Necromancers, but that’s what player skill is for: Separates the Pro’s from the Joe’s.

I am Vit, Toughness/Power armor wise, i need to upgrade everything else – i have no earrings and >10 for all other accessories lol

Not really sure where to go with the stats for the weapons and the accessories, if i could get 50%+ Boon duration i could consider Lyssa currently i dont think its worth it for such a short duration, though depending on what the damage increase from the Boon trait and the quickness Elixir that could be a option as well

Well I’d focus on learning the intricacies of the class before you formulate your opinion. Sounds like your new to it, even if not new to the game, and are running into the very reason we’re the minority class played in GW2: “It ain’t easy being greasy”.

If complex combos and advanced theory crafting aren’t your thing Engineer is not going to be attractive. It’s extra hard for players who rolled thief and are already accustomed to Guild Wars 222222222222. Optimal build performance on Engineers means knowing what to use and every way to use it…other than Mortar, that skill is a hot sick pile of dog $&!# no matter how you sniff it. But I’d bet money there’s folks out there that don’t know Overcharged shot cures mobility conditions, Magnet can’t be blocked, or that Analyze can be used while stunned and ignores facing the target. These kinds of intricacies are what the engineer is all about and learning them is what makes the difference between epic fail and total pwnage with the class.

Master the class, then come back and tell me Elixir X isn’t every bit of awesome I say it is.

So far i am loving it, Loving making all the different combo fields as well. Yeah i know Mortar pretty much sucks, the only reason i got it was so i would have everything unlocked lol.

Running with FT/EG and EB for Utilities most of the time. Loving how i can Combo stuns and interrupts as i am using P/S as well. Pretty much been decided my build as i went along, though of course nothing is tweak proof which i have been doing a bit recently.

Yeah i enjoyed the Rifle but i prefer the Confusion, stuns and skills of P/S over it. I have used most of the skills a bit here and there to get used to them, so i know the ones i like and know the ones that i dont like as much

I am not saying that its terrible, that it could just be improved…

Sounds like your coming along. Give it time and you’ll be arguing with yourself over what’s best for your build. For your build, if your looking for a direction, a good one is 20/20/0/20/10, use Carrion gear (Power, Vitality, Condition Damage) snag 4 runes of altruism, 2 runes of Hoelbrak, and a Sigil of Battle. Using Enhance Performance, Juggernaut, Deadly Admixture as your primary traits, once you can get used to kit swapping rotations you’ll have plenty of might by cycling Med Kit. Using Speedy Kits and Invigorating Speed will also help tremendously, and if your zerging use a Sigil of Stamina in your off hand for endless dodge bombs.

There’s also the option of using Rabid gear as well, or even Soldiers would work fine. Again, lots of ways to skin that cat.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

I don’t dare presume to tell another Engineer how to run their build. Lord knows you get 5 of us in a room you’ll get 15 opinions.

That said with a Valkarye set you’re speced for Power, Vitality, and Crit Damage, so the idea is to trait to complement that as best as you can. Some may go 0/0/30/30/10, and be stupid durable and insanely painful when they constantly pop Elixir X with quickness off Elixir U. I personally prefer a 10/0/10/30/20 with the build, but it’s personal preference what works for you, just 30 in Alch is the staple of using Elixir X to its fullest.

Naturally you’ll have to contend with Mesmer Null Fields and Corruption Necromancers, but that’s what player skill is for: Separates the Pro’s from the Joe’s.

I am Vit, Toughness/Power armor wise, i need to upgrade everything else – i have no earrings and >10 for all other accessories lol

Not really sure where to go with the stats for the weapons and the accessories, if i could get 50%+ Boon duration i could consider Lyssa currently i dont think its worth it for such a short duration, though depending on what the damage increase from the Boon trait and the quickness Elixir that could be a option as well

Well I’d focus on learning the intricacies of the class before you formulate your opinion. Sounds like your new to it, even if not new to the game, and are running into the very reason we’re the minority class played in GW2: “It ain’t easy being greasy”.

If complex combos and advanced theory crafting aren’t your thing Engineer is not going to be attractive. It’s extra hard for players who rolled thief and are already accustomed to Guild Wars 222222222222. Optimal build performance on Engineers means knowing what to use and every way to use it…other than Mortar, that skill is a hot sick pile of dog $&!# no matter how you sniff it. But I’d bet money there’s folks out there that don’t know Overcharged shot cures mobility conditions, Magnet can’t be blocked, or that Analyze can be used while stunned and ignores facing the target. These kinds of intricacies are what the engineer is all about and learning them is what makes the difference between epic fail and total pwnage with the class.

Master the class, then come back and tell me Elixir X isn’t every bit of awesome I say it is.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

@ Armageddonash

LOL!

You are playing GW2 right?

Lyssa clears all conditions.
Lyssa gives all boons.

With 30 in Alch to get HGH these boons last 30% longer (7.5 seconds).

Now there’s this nice little grandmaster minor trait that grants +1% damage per boon…and guess what? I haz all of dem right now!

Elixir U proc frenzy? Who cares, you have protection.
Elixir U proc haste? Who cares, you have vigor.

If you want to see in action I’d be glad to use it on you…but you might wanna bring your notebook and No. 2 pencils, cuz your liable to get schooled son!

Lol, for real though try it out man. It’s deadly.

As i said, based on how i read it, it read like that it clears the conditions and gives boons as their replacement, no one is perfect and now i know how it works.

I am currently 0/30/20/20/0, So dont have access to ECM, though it sounds nice. I could drop 5 points from Firearms, lose the Precise Sights for it.

Yeah you have Protection for like 7.5seconds, unless it gets stripped or corrupted which isnt to bad i guess. Currently running 20% Boon duration and trying to see how i could go about increasing it a bit more.

I could even go 0/20/20/30/0 and take Potent Elixir as well for more Boon duration from EB or Maybe 0/25/15/30/0 dropping 50 Precision, Condition damage, Toughness and Healing to gain Potent Elixir as well as 10% Boon Duration and 100Vitality

I would lose Elite Supplies but that would be countered by taking Potent Elixir which would also benefit other Elixir as well which would be nice

I don’t dare presume to tell another Engineer how to run their build. Lord knows you get 5 of us in a room you’ll get 15 opinions.

That said with a Valkarye set you’re speced for Power, Vitality, and Crit Damage, so the idea is to trait to complement that as best as you can. Some may go 0/0/30/30/10, and be stupid durable and insanely painful when they constantly pop Elixir X with quickness off Elixir U. I personally prefer a 10/0/10/30/20 with the build, but it’s personal preference what works for you, just 30 in Alch is the staple of using Elixir X to its fullest.

Naturally you’ll have to contend with Mesmer Null Fields and Corruption Necromancers, but that’s what player skill is for: Separates the Pro’s from the Joe’s.

@ Armageddonash

LOL!

You are playing GW2 right?

Lyssa clears all conditions.
Lyssa gives all boons.

With 30 in Alch to get HGH these boons last 30% longer (7.5 seconds).

Now there’s this nice little grandmaster minor trait that grants +1% damage per boon…and guess what? I haz all of dem right now!

Elixir U proc frenzy? Who cares, you have protection.
Elixir U proc haste? Who cares, you have vigor.

If you want to see in action I’d be glad to use it on you…but you might wanna bring your notebook and No. 2 pencils, cuz your liable to get schooled son!

Lol, for real though try it out man. It’s deadly.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

Obscure One.4357:

I primarily run SD, and the bane has always been the allure of the short cool down, insta-cast, mid damage toolbelt skill, attached to that atrocity of a mid damage turret that randomly attacks what ever it feels like attacking at the moment. But, if I use my SD spike post patch which is the classic Analyze, Surprise Shot, and Throw Wrench (which all go off together since wrench is the only non-insta-cast) I can immediately drop and overcharge the turret for extra DPS on MY TARGET not on the effin Wolf meandering aimlessly nearby. This will improve my spike tremendously…but if the targeting works like I think it will Net Turret may become my go to as it may turn thieves into stationary punching bags. A small price to pay for the lower DPS.

But I think the main thing to look at here is very soon we’ll have access to reliable Stability…Acidic Elixir builds are soon to be the bane of many players existences. B and S…perfectly named elixirs to use for the BS we will be pulling off.

SD?

Why will Acidic Elixir Builds going to be stronger? i was thinking that, thats the Elixir Gun skill but i am i wrong?

I think Turrets need to be tweaked and buffed not all in the same ways like some increased damage, others increased CC all need to be lower cool downs, I cant quite understand why Rocket turret is a 50 second cool down for a few seconds of burning. Though the Overload part with the knock down is quite nice, the base cool down of 50seconds it just to long. At most they all need to be in the 20-30second mark.

Look at iZerker for example. 16 second cool down when traited and that does AoE damage to quite alot of people and its not like a tickle either its very strong damage as well and even more so when traited for Phantasms.

SD = Static Discharge
It’s the core trait of builds that boat the highest single target direct damage that is possible on an Engineer.

Acidic Elixirs = Adept tier in Explosives Thrown elixirs deal damage and remove a boon.
Combine with the dirt cheap rune of nullification for 60% chance to remove a boon on crit. Note that thrown elixirs are all AoE. You’ll be able to simultaneously strip enemy stability while applying stability to yourself and friends. If properly traited you’re also removing a condition (Cleansing Formula 409) and granting might (HGH).

As for turret buffs I feel making them target your target is a huge step forward. I think once implemented they should then look at changing CDs and damage numbers. As of right now they’re just functionally ineffective, fixing that is more important than changing the numbers. First time in a long time that I feel like ANet is doing something intelligent.

Step 1 trait fast acting elixirs, potent elixirs, and HGH
Step 2 equip a valk set of lyssa and rifle
Step 3 use Elixir U right before Elixir X
Step 4 Enjoy God Mode Every 84 Seconds!

Penguin.5197:

I might switch out slick shoes for elixir s now that the toolbelt is more reliable. Having one of the strongest mechanics in this game is too tempting to pass up.

(Im on my settler build with h.turret/r.boots/s.shoes/tool kit)

Elixir S will grant not only invulnerable but the toolbelt will grant invisibility.

Can’t see me and can’t hurt me if even if you know where I am.

Typically I could only reliably do this with cloaking device before…but now…mother of god the rivers of tears will threaten to down me.

Post Patch: Toss Elixir S + Rocket Boots = thief style disengage

Yeah I think I may be altering my build a smidgen.

ArmageddonAsh.6430:

MonMalthias.4763:

@ArmageddonAsh:
I believe that Turrets as they are may very well go down in CD given that it is the easiest way to bring them into viability without any consideration to their AI or HP values. A low CD makes low HP less of an issue; whilst losing a turret isn’t the end of the world as it will come back up very soon. I think 20-30 seconds should be the benchmark for most Turrets – and Healing Turret, Flame Turret and Rifle Turret already set this precedent. If Thumper, Rocket and Net Turret were brought down to this level then Anet wouldn’t even have to fully address shonky AI or hitboxes – players would simply drop them in melee closest to their target and go ham.

I dont think cool downs would be enough. The damage done is kinda pathetic as well in my opinion. Compare them to Minions and Phantasms and they are worse in EVERY way.

Personally i think the traits need to be improved, damage improved i think the Toolbelt skills need to be improved as well, just blowing them up is weak. For example – Rifle Turret the Toolbelt skill could be a dual pistol combo attack

I primarily run SD, and the bane has always been the allure of the short cool down, insta-cast, mid damage toolbelt skill, attached to that atrocity of a mid damage turret that randomly attacks what ever it feels like attacking at the moment. But, if I use my SD spike post patch which is the classic Analyze, Surprise Shot, and Throw Wrench (which all go off together since wrench is the only non-insta-cast) I can immediately drop and overcharge the turret for extra DPS on MY TARGET not on the effin Wolf meandering aimlessly nearby. This will improve my spike tremendously…but if the targeting works like I think it will Net Turret may become my go to as it may turn thieves into stationary punching bags. A small price to pay for the lower DPS.

But I think the main thing to look at here is very soon we’ll have access to reliable Stability…Acidic Elixir builds are soon to be the bane of many players existences. B and S…perfectly named elixirs to use for the BS we will be pulling off.

Yeah. I’m gonna pass on signets.

They’re counterintuitive to the design of the class. We use skills that make signets look foolish. No reason to use such a skill.

That being said, Kit Refinement should be revisited to provide passives similar to signets while the kit is not in use in addition to the on equip effects. Each kit should be independent in the trait activation (no more sharing one CD) though the CD time would remain the same. So you get a passive like 25% faster movement speed with Tool Kit, but equip it and you trigger super speed which puts the 25% buff on CD, but not the passive buff from say Med Kit, which would be nice as a buff to healing power, and you can still equip Med Kit for its kit refinement effect.

Silly signets don’t belong if tweaks are made to Kit Refinement, I.E. balanced passive class effectiveness.

The Guild Wars occurred years before the searing…they get mentioned as a plug to please the lore nuts who want explanations for why guilds fight other guilds.

The first game wasn’t about the Guild Wars either.

The second game wasn’t about the Guild Wars either.

The third game wasn’t about the Guild Wars either.

The expansion wasn’t about the Guild Wars either.

And look, the successor to the franchise has nothing to do with the Guild Wars either.

The name was derived from the game mode to explain said game mode, not vice versa. No one bases a game name off of a few off comments that a few NPCs say and only when solicited by players. You develop game elements then you make up bull$@&! to make it fit in the game…in ANets case they didn’t try very hard. Then you have a buncha folks who like to pretend lore determines the development process…eh yeah, that’s not how it works…

By such logic Star Wars would’ve been an acceptable substitute title for a Justin Bieber documentary…

ANet named the game for a mode it no longer supports…genius…

timidobserver.7925:

Dark Catalyst.1028:

timidobserver.7925:

Dark Catalyst.1028:

If it’s really a 10% increase, then I guess I got my answer. This game is turning into a gear grind.

Apparently you’ve never played a game that is a gear grind if you consider Gw2 to be anywhere near a gear grind.

Typically a gear grind game completely locks you out of content if you don’t meet certain levels of gear. Gw2 doesn’t have that. Gear and a proper build does make things easier, but you can do all content in greens/exotics and some even in blues. Heck, you don’t even have to be max level to finish most of the dungeons in Gw2.

The game is very casual as far as gear grinding goes.

No, it doesn’t lock me out but it puts me at a continuous disadvantage in an environment which is supposed to be about skill.

I could put on a bunch of greens and do excel just about anywhere including WvW. I might just make a video of it at some point.

Again, you have never played a true gear grinding game if you think GW2 is becoming a gear grinding game. In a true gear grinding game, ascended gear would completely make exotic gear obsolete. However, in Gw2, exotic gear performs only marginally worse than ascended gear.

Basically, you guys are just mad because every thing isn’t handed to you on a silver platter at login. GW2’s gear progression is very casual. You can attain a level of gear that puts you on a level to complete all parts of the game with relative ease in a couple of days after reaching 80. A true gear grinding game has you waiting for raids to reset once a week before you can get elite gear, and there is certain content that you simply can’t do without said gear.

In other games new gear tiers means a higher level cap introduction, higher level cap zones, and generally higher level cap “end game” content.

In GW2 adding the marginal boost to stats of Ascended gear was to avoid significant content additions or adjustments to balance natively higher character power levels. In short it was a cop-out and justified with bull&$@! that contradicts the design goal of high end gear differing in appearance alone, something both Mike and Colin went on the record about.

Fact is if someone in the MMO majority of witless grinders puts time into getting something rare they feel entitled to it being better than everything else. This is a fact and ANet’s hand was forced by the market. MMOs are a reflections of their players.