Guild Wars 2

Ianervan.3415:

They can’t fix it. It’s the engine. It’s not a matter of a patch or two.

This is honest reply. You will not get ANet reply on this issue because for obvious reasons they can’t post replies that would hurt sales.

Of course they can fix it. Engines aren’t immovable things, they’re software, and all software is malleable.

We just need to keep pressing how much of a game breaking issue this is. This is literally the single most important issue in the game for a huge portion of their customers. It can and should be fixed.

Achilles.2950:

What you’re speaking of is an issue Guild Wars 1 had too. The fact it was never fixed and made it’s way into GW2 makes me think it’s just part of the engine and there’s nothing to be done.

They have to fix this, as frankly, it’s becoming a complete and utter game breaking issue.

Everyone who posts in these forums will have numerous stories of ‘that invisible zerg that hit us’, or the time they wiped at 10% on the final gate to garrison because a defending zerg turned up and couldn’t be seen. There’s a ton of youtube videos showing this stuff, screenshots, the works.

It’s compounded by the fact that the higher you go in the WvW tiers, the worse it gets (as the zergs get larger and more numerous).

This must be fixed or people will stop taking part. Our guild had another frustrating night in WvW last night; nothing but invisible zergs and culling problems.

Illusions represent both Clones and Phantas.

It’s also a great trait.

Piola.3782:

Parthis.2091:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3L1z9obAw

Build here;
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgMQNAsaWlwzKqHTTrGbNJipCEHqHaH49dkK0alUwbXIA;TkAqYMxIixWjLGZMrPGWMJA

Bad Link on the Build…. : /

Just copy and paste it… the URL is correct, but Anet’s forums don’t seem to like it

ShadowDemon.1937:

@Parthis

I notice you do a sword/sword build sometimes in pvp and seem to be able to take a beating. Is your gear different from Osicat’s berserker/valk gear? Also what swords do you use berserker/valk? And what sigils?

Hey chap.

A lot of mesmers are really up themselves when it comes to Sword/Sword – “Pfft, focus is better you’re a noob if you use sword OH”, etc. But the reality is that OH sword is really potent. The on demand block is the perfect counter to backstabs/charges, the daze is fantastic and the phantasm hits like a truck. I don’t always run Sword/Sword, but it’s fun to mix it up.

I go all out for Power, Precision and Crit Damage. Literally nothing else. No toughness, no Vitality, no Condition damage, etc etc. Survival comes from predicting damage and blocking/dodging well… previously in every MMO I’ve ever played my main was a tank, so avoiding damage is something I’m used to.

Sigils are Superior Sigil of Fire and a passive (i.e. +5% crit chance). Energy in staff. Swords are again Power, Prec, Crit Damage.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgMQNAsaWlwzKqHTTrGbNJipCEHqHaH49dkK0alUwbXIA;TkAqYMxIixWjLGZMrPGWMJA

Runes are Air. Osi will tell you it was his idea; it was not. He’s a little liar

Build here;
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgMQNAsaWlwzKqHTTrGbNJipCEHqHaH49dkK0alUwbXIA;TkAqYMxIixWjLGZMrPGWMJA

Valhallen.1693:

bamono.7098:

Ok cool. I was afraid there was some glaring problem I couldn’t see.

The reason for the rage is many of us left World of Warcraft because we were tired of the gear treadmill. Guild Wars 2 was supposed to be a revolutionary next gen MMO that didn’t have said treadmill. Now, not even 3 months into the game, Anet has created a gear treadmill.

Having to work for gear to improve your character is called grinding or progression. That’s fine, and is expected in any MMO. Having to replace your “end game” gear with new “end game” gear when a new major content patch comes out is NOT progression, it’s a never ending treadmill. Ascended gear is exactly that. Here’s some quotes from Anet:

“New Condition: Agony

In the upcoming Fractals of the Mists dungeon, we’ll introduce a new monster condition called Agony.

This extremely dangerous condition ticks percentages of player health away and can’t be cleansed by normal means. Players who wish to delve deep into the Fractals will find that Agony makes progress increasingly difficult, until they reach the point where some defense against this condition is a must. The only way to mitigate Agony damage is by building up resistance through Infusions, a new type of upgrade component that can be acquired in the Mystic Forge."

“The Future of Items Progression

This is just the beginning. In November, we’re only adding the first level of Infusions and Ascended Rings and Back slots, so that leaves us a lot of room to build upon these levels of Item progression in future content.

As we release more new end game content in the future, you’ll see more Infusions and Ascended item types being added to the game. Eventually, you’ll be able to kit yourself out with a full set of Ascended gear and high end Infusions to help give you the edge in end game content."

This is why we’re pissed.

Once Ascended gear (Armor, weapons, the works) is out there for all to get (and I think Anet deserves some credit for releasing this stuff slowly, over a period of time), it doesn’t matter. This is a framework they’re putting down. It says that some challenges will require infusions to prepare you for the content; NOT new gear. This is software, everything is malleable; all it takes is the ability to hot-swap infusions and you won’t be grinding gear, you’ll just acquire new forms of protection against the challenges you face.

If they do this right, it’s a good thing. I get the negativity, but personally (and I feel like the only one?) I think this is a positive change. It’s too early to call it the death of GW, as so many seem to be. It’s a feature, and carefully implemented, it’ll work well.

Norax.2405:

Parthis.2091:

Nah, people are moaning because moaning is what people do.

The new gear tier is actually very, very clever. if you want to progress further and further into this one feature, you’ll need more of a stat that makes progressing further and further possible.

No one needs the new gear. It’s a trade off.

Personally I applaud Anet for this lateral thinking; by adding variable infusions to the game in a teir of gear that is clearly intended for PvE, they’ve created a framework that allows them to add challenging content WITHOUT the need to re-gear completely.

Add a new dungeon with interesting mechanics? Introduce new infusions that players can apply to their existing gear, etc etc.

kittening wow player, go back to your cave. That infusion will provide better stats EVERYWHERE, so to get a max armor you need to grind again. It’s not like triforge pendant, its just a flawed decision that they made. gear progresion is BAD for the game. GW1 didnt need it in 7 years, ¿why in 3 months this one needs it?

https://d2vn94glaxzkz3.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Ascended-EN.png

I don’t even know where to start. Try to think this through. It’s clear from your post you’re not the brightest of bulbs.

Infusions protect against schools and conditions players cannot cast.

GW1 had infusions. So you’re failing neatly there too. Infusions are a mechanic. Nothing more.

You’ve seen one screenshot of one item compared with another. But please, panic all you like, it’s actually very funny to see.

Are you a WvW or sPvP player? Or a PvE player?

Eyevan.6027:

bamono.7098:

don’t have much to do besides grind

This, because this is pretty much what the entire game is.

Then stop playing.

Do you insist on eating meals you don’t like? Do you repeatedly visit clubs you hate? How many times have you read that book you thought was utter kitten? Do you deliberately wear Tee shirts you think are ugly? etc etc

No?

Nah, people are moaning because moaning is what people do.

The new gear tier is actually very, very clever. if you want to progress further and further into this one feature, you’ll need more of a stat that makes progressing further and further possible.

No one needs the new gear. It’s a trade off.

Personally I applaud Anet for this lateral thinking; by adding variable infusions to the game in a teir of gear that is clearly intended for PvE, they’ve created a framework that allows them to add challenging content WITHOUT the need to re-gear completely.

Add a new dungeon with interesting mechanics? Introduce new infusions that players can apply to their existing gear, etc etc.

Because you’re playing the only build in the game that uses a staff, right?
Because your teammates/guildies/WvW group don’t benefit from it, right?
Because you apply no direct damage at all, right? iWarlock, and so on.

Seriously OP, you’re complaining for the sake of complaining. There are many, many builds that use the staff, and many people use it for support too. With that in mind, it’s fine.

Staff != Condition Mesmer.

It’s a weapon, you fill in the use.

Stealth is control mechanic, nothing more. It allows you to dictate the fight. It doesn’t matter that there’s no Backstab style attack – conceptually they’re the same; you’re in stealth and then you attack and leave stealth. Just because no Mesmer abilities have a “Must be in stealth” requirement, doesn’t mean we can’t support the play-style.

Use stealth to;
– Drop a target lock
– Initiate a fight on your terms (i.e. avoid the obvious Charge/Leap, or initial Burst).
– Change direction suddenly and control flow
– Mask your intentions; long casts, res’ing people
– Launch hard hitting attacks
– etc.

For example when 1v1 with Thiefs I often stealth at the start of the fight before they have a chance to do their lolPrepareForTheNerflol opener.

Good video man, enjoyed.

Isendel, i’m sure Osi will support this view too. We’re guildies, play together a lot (both Mesmers, similar specs, very different styles). The GS is nice and it’s very fault tolerant… however 1H+OH coupled with Staff is very strong (and under used) right now. It’s all in the way you play it. The GS is all about maintaining range, the 1H sword+Shatter approach is all about controlling and predicting movement, getting in quick, and actively avoiding damage for your survival.

You’ll have an ‘easier’ time bursting as a Shatter-based mesmer using a 1H sword for two key reasons; Melee players will want to be within range anyway, and your clones and phantasms don’t have far to travel for the shatter to be effective. There’s no time delay while your clones run to your target (which is again important for two reasons; quicker bursts and less of a ‘tell’ that a shatter is going to happen).

Personally I play an in-nuke-out style with the Mesmer. You can see a video here;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3L1z9obAw

Hey Grenville,

Thanks for your post man, provided me with plenty of lols.

Could you give me a whisper in-game some time for a chat. We, as a guild, are in a good place right now. We’re weary of bringing in groups of new players. We’ve tried it twice now (once in TOR, once in GW2) and it just hasn’t worked well for us; groups bring their own clique which can be hard to get gelling well with another group.

So, our concerns would be how well you guys, as a group fit in with our existing player base. Would appreciate a chat, so i’ll try and catch you in-game some time.

Best,
p.

P.S. I’m Amayasu in-game, or follow Parthis.2091 in-game.

TheRamosOnline.2670:

This is almost too hilarious to be taken seriously…
Roll a Mesmer, get a feeling for the class, THEN come back here and tell us you want to see those ridiculous nerfs.

Amen.

Solid advice to anyone complaining about any class tbh. You can jump into sPvP, build a char using some of the common builds and see how well you fair. Guarantee most will fail.

The idea that the block is useless on the OH sword is simply laughable. I agree that the Pistol or Focus is a better choice, however this week I challenged myself to run with 2×1H swords.

Frankly the block is fantastic in some situations. That backstab thief? Heh. That stun you know is coming, etc etc. It’s perfectly workable in the hands of a decent Mesmer. Keep in mind the block is also a frontal daze if you wish.

It has it’s uses, it’s just not as strong as other options. Situationally however it can be very strong.

Lower the HP and you make them even worse in PvE.

The thought occurs; play better. Complaining about Blurred Frenzy is weak; you can mitigate it. Complaining about immunity from Distortion is weak; it’s incredibly well sign-posted so save your own utility. The reality is this; lowering Mesmer health pool isn’t going to make you a better player.

Every single class in this game can be built to deal extremely high damage while maintaining some of their survival/utility. Rystlwulk has linked a video showing a warrior, one-shotting people at range. No risk, a small cast and dead. He’s in the highest health pool and wearing heavy armor. By your logic he should be nerfed too, right?

“If anyone needs the 15k health its theives, being an Adventurer profession and also not having access to the extreme mitigation that mesmers, ele’s, and guards have.”

/facedesk.

Someone plays a thief.
Are you the guy at 5:19? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3L1z9obAw&hd=1&t=5m19s

Personally I use Rune of Air, all 6. Can crit high. Regarding toughness/vit, you don’t need it if you embrace a very “active survival” play-style. But everyone is different. Try without extra T/Vit and add it if you feel it’s needed.

For sword; Superior Sigil of Fire.

For pistol anything that boosts your damage passively.

Added a new video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3L1z9obAw

But, Kylia, please just link to my channel instead (http://www.youtube.com/user/Vologase) – you’ve missed it from the list.

Thanks for keeping this up to date chap, there are some fun videos in here.

Couple of new videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ3L1z9obAw

There are very few commanders in the game that solo’d their way to 100g to buy it. Let’s be honest here; commanders are already elected; by their guild or alliance.

100g gets you an icon, nothing more.

Ahh, Blacktide. Loved fighting you guys (apart from the [xoac] zerg, no really skill there, just numbers). You have some great guilds though, looking forward to seeing you guys in T1.

A VS, DS, BT clash is going to be a ton-o-fun.

“nightcapping doesn’t make you any good at this game. Remember that.”

So. Much. Irony.

2 people disliked your video.

I suspect they’re french.

If they hated this one, they’re REALLY going to hate the next one…

Was a tough fight this week, but a ton-o-fun. Next week should be awesome. The 2v1 aspect is annoying, but heh, if that’s the way it’s dealt then sure, we’ll give it a punt (oh and don’t bring the “The alliance ended on monday!” nonsense; I have a screenie from yesterday showing AS + VS working side by side to wipe desolation players and destroy siege banks.

Regardless, this has been a really enjoyable week, looking forward to the next one…

Also… this match up isn’t quite done

“Carry a focus!” is such a weak argument.

A passive speed buff should be available to all classes as a signet; it should be a choice, you lose a utility slot if you want the passive. People seem to forget that swiftness and a speed buff aren’t the same thing; that thief in your party is consistently running quicker than you. That thief you’re chasing, with swiftness, ditto.

It’s as simple as that.

Sure it’s buggy, but the trick is to track the clone is summons. Too many people just spam it expecting to be delivered to the feet of their foe. Just hold back a little.

I’d certainly like to see it fixed, but the likes of Kephos (i.e. moaners) need to learn to play the card they’re dealt; hold off, play smarter.

What I have found is that my guild mate plays an Asura mesmer and the failure rate is much, much lower for him. I play a female Norn and it seems to fail much more often. I wonder if it’s related to the hit-box size of your character on certain uneven terrain?

alanis.6094:

I’m suggesting that for larger fights, or fights where you’d rather not hide/afk after using your blink, or fights vs equal number of skilled players, Toughness > Glass cannon.

You’re suggesting that in one situation without a number of abilities available that Toughness builds are better than a glass cannon build? Sure, that’s obvious. It also applies to every class in this game. Bottom line is if you’re in the middle of a zerg without a plan you’re dead. That’s how it should be.

The inverse is true; a Toughness build when small-scale roaming is not as good as damage build with good utility… and in this thread players are saying they prefer that play style; so a toughness build is pointless.

Secondly, and this is an important point; you’re ultimately talking about passive survival vs active survival. Good players will find a way out. They’ll drop a portal on the way in. They’ll save something for escaping. They’re also, in your scenario, not alone. Other portals, thief stealths, AoE buffs and healing, support guardian, warrior stuns, and so on all add to the survival of the individual in the situation you’re highlighting.

So the question becomes; do I want to stack personal survival stats, kittening my damage, when running with a large organised team? The answer is still no; my survival is inherently part of the pack, and my utility and damage contribute.

Unless your example only applies to mindlessly zerging with randoms, at which point, gg.

Halloween draws to a close. Judge are still looking for a handful of great players for WvW, sPvP and fun.

Another video. Bit different this one. Osicat is a promising singer/songwriter from The Land of Flatpacked Dreams.

In the words of Bane, what a lovely singing voice.

I’m using Rune of Air (only 5) for the Crit damage, swiftness increases and swiftness on heal. The sixth rune is a divinity. I’m doing this so I still get the crit damage (which is om nom nom) and I can plug a small limitation in our class; the lack of a swiftness!

Some people won’t like this as it’s situational, but ultimately in PvP everything is situational.

Cheers for keeping this thread up to date Kylia. I second Darnis’ idea to group by PvP category, although I don’t share his belief that one video is more valuable than others purely because of the category the maker plays in (pro tip; WvW players will find the tPvP players of limited value, and visa versa). Grouping would be nice.

Just uploaded a new video for fun, WvW encounters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQAyPGT0no

Love that thief btw Osi. Love him. You could essentially hear his embarassement when he hit that pillar ;P

Playing a similar spec to Osi at the moment (10/20/10/0/30). We’re guild mates, and while we have different playstyles, it’s amazing how effective you can be solo in WvW, and how bursty you can be when you need to be… particularly if you take a kind of “living bomb” approach to your shatter.

Posted a new video showing the same (well, very similar!) effective build and approach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQAyPGT0no&hd=1

We’re recruiting btw, if anyone on Desolation if looking for a small scale, guerrilla WvW guild then give us a shout (www.judge-guild.net)

New video, not guild focused, but random WvW Roaming.

Join us!

Still looking for a few awesome new members. Elementalist and another Thief or two would be neat, but all are welcome to spend a week with us and see how it pans out.

Loving this event too. Very creative and has a beautiful consistency to the whole package. A holiday event has given us a fun boss fight, a survival horror mini-game, a new PvP map and a frankly brilliant jumping puzzle… not to mention the smaller stuff, like brawl, food, costumes and events/quests.

Bravo.

The reoccurring complaint i’m seeing on these forums is that the rewards aren’t good enough. How is it not obvious to you people yet? FUN IS THE REWARD. Fun. Not items. If you want to chase gear then find another MMO, that structure is just not in GW2’s DNA.

Loved it. But, there seems to be a few bugged instances. I consistently got to the top of the puzzle only to fail with the final jump into the clock face even though I knew I was doing it right. After ten failed “final jumps” I left, joined again, got a different group and overflow and did it first time. The tell on whether it’s bugged or not is whether there’s a slightly delay on some of the animations for platforms that appear on a timer (i.e. the first small ‘disc’ at the top of the initial two flights of stairs, and the cog after the long, high jump. If there are delays there you’re better off rejoining another overflow).

If anyone out there still hasn’t done it, I recorded my attempt to show guildies and friends the route;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9RJa5zr68&feature=youtu.be

Kugath; contact support and provide the last 4 digits of the card number OR the paypal email address you’re using.

NCSoft/Anet have a system in place to prevent fraudulent use; multiple attempts can be seen as as an attempt to abuse your account and the system applies a suspension to the buying capabilities of your GW2 account.

I contacted support last night and within a couple of hours they’d sorted this.

Welcome to the guild Arcanemoon, Kahru and Twinnovafire.

Judge acquired it’s first commander tonight to make it easier to coordinate and run our WvW operations and we’re still looking for a couple more good people.

Thanks for the update Janson, but is there an actual tangible fix for this? I’ve tried several times over a twelve hour period and it’s getting boring. The error and my bank firmly put the issue at Anet/NCSoft’s end – and if the majority of other people can buy gems at this time, why can’t I?

Is there a lock on my account because of the number of attempts, or a limit on how many times you guys will try to collect payment for an account… ?

Are you guys EU or US? (EU for me)

Yes, me too. It’s really frustrating tbh, i’ve also checked with my bank and all is well at their end. This is the first time i’ve actually wanted gems

Tried checking out with Paypal and the card. Card is “Error authorising card” and Paypal results in “An error occurred finalizing your purchase.” when it returns to the guild wars site.

Welcome to the guild Squashen and Dezarc.

In other news; another video! A small, random collection of stuff, including time spent trolling a French zerg from the roof of an unclaimable building.

Welcome to the guild Satoncald.

We’re still looking for more members folks, so if you want to join a tight-knit, focused and mostly importantly fun guild with a strong WvW/PvP focus, then get in touch.

Jestunhi.7429:

Fine… you want a breakdown?

That fee is the main reason why prices stay as stable as they have. Imagine if every time someone undercut every single sell order above that price were cancelled and reposted at an even lower price! The reason this doesn;t happen right now (aside from not all of those players being online and monitoring the TP 24/7) is because it costs them money each time they cancel an order.

I understand why it currently doesn’t refund the fee, but my complaint isn’t about fast moving items. The suggestion doesn’t have to be taken literally. I’ve not proposed the entirety of an implementation; as it is now that item will sit on the TP until some one buys it, or I finally accept the loss of the a few gold. There are obviously limitations that Anet could apply to a system; perhaps removing after a week would refund, or making the item ‘unlistable’ for 24hrs, or only refunding the cost if you’re the only item, “no sale, no fee after 1 week”, etc etc.

Jestunhi.7429:

Yes please!

Yay! This one is hard to argue

Jestunhi.7429:

Consider a feature that allows a crafter to “uncraft” their crafted level 80 exotic items for a fee. At this point i’d rather have the mats back that bother with selling items.

For what purpose? Why would this be a good idea? A suggestion with no justification is a worthless as disagreeing and not explaining why.

If you didn’t want that lvl 80 exotic you shouldn’t have crafted it. Take some responsibility for your actions.

The argument that “you don’t want it, don’t craft it” is fundamentally flawed; the crafting economy is the subject of this thread, without people crafting items it dies. You’re focusing on the one item I used as an example while ignoring the many, many other items listed that won’t sell.

Regardless providing a way of getting some of the mats back would encourage people to craft, offer and then recycle if they want to try and craft and offer something else. In a game with an entire salvaging system the idea of breaking down items for mats isn’t alien; extending that to the items you craft and providing a way of getting back some of the very rare mats might encourage more diversity on the TP and less “fear” in crafters to commit large sums of materials and gold.

Jestunhi.7429:

Consider that the stance of “all items carry the same stat value” design mantra is hurting this game in suitble, unusual ways. It wasn’t as bad in GW1, but in this game there are SO many options for acquiring nice looking, stat heavy gear people aren’t interested in the prestige items. I’m not suggesting that these items should be statisically better, but you guys are smart, and this is a damaging.

One of the best things about GW2 over the generic MMO is that it’s not all about the huge farm to get the gear with the best stats so you can win matches not by skill but by having played longer.

Instead roughly all of the 80’s have exotic gear with the same stat weights.

I agree, and I never said the gearing system was bad, I said that prestige items are considerably less appealing as a result and that has an impact on the economy. There are things they could do to make prestige items more desirable while maintaining the “no statistical combat advantage” mantra… there are certainly a boatload of “non combat, non stat” advantages that prestige items could carry.

Jestunhi.7429:

Consider adding the facility for players to buy things from the TP for (very large amounts of) Karma, which is translated to gold for the seller at a set rate.

Again, why? You provide absolutely zero justification or explanation for your suggestions but complain when people don’t take the time to explain why they disagree? I don’t see anything in your entire post which would be solved or improved by karma being a currency usable on the TP.

The justification is further up my post; you’re quoting out of context.

We’re taking about prestige items. Buyers already have their stats. Gold is a resource that is required in almost every facet of this game. Karma already has a precedent as being used as a way of acquiring gear.

At “end-game”, once geared, Karma becomes a useless resource.

Setting a (high) Karma price for gear on the TP, which translates into gold for the seller, would encourage people to try out prestige gear, experiment more, etc etc.

Again, non of these suggestions are made as absolute, finalised proposals… they’re ideas, which is why I used the word “Consider” liberally. You don’t like them, fine, no worries. Personally, as it stands, the crafting system isn’t financially worthwhile past the basics which is IMHO rather sad.

TeoH.2098:

Parthis.2091:

“naturally complain about archetypes that are designed to do high damage and go invisible” – that DESIGN is flawed.

Except it is demonstrably not flawed, because it’s been done perfectly well in game after game for decades, in a variety of competitive settings, with no issues. GW2 being just the latest in a long line of games that presents a perfectly good version of the archetype.

The fact that people enjoy whining about it, isn’t a balance problem. Neither is it a balance problem when people complain about snipers, spies, vehicles, dive kicks, projectiles, wakeup ultras, bunnyhopping, grenades, weapon jumps, tier 1 rushing, tower rushing, air units, or the red kittening turtle shell.

If it’s demonstrably not flawed then please logically prove it. It hasn’t been done “perfectly” in other games; many games having the archetype does not prove it isn’t flawed, simply that a number of development teams can make the same tired mistakes.. Also listing other mechanics and play-styles from other gaming genres does not, in any way, prove your point.

A class that cannot be seen, brings some of the biggest nukes in the game, has numerous escapes, no cooldowns is a fundamental design flaw, particularly when it exists in an class ecosystem with very little in the way of stealth-counters.

But hey man, you’re convinced, so there’s no point talking.

P.S. Remember; any person reading this thread can roll a level 1 thief and join you. You’re not protecting what you think you are. Balance the thief and the wannabes will go away.

Kozai.8269:

Parthis.2091:

There is no incentive to be a high-level crafter focusing on hard to craft items. It’s just not financially viable.

Suppose the concept of the devs for this game is that the only incentive they WANT to have in place for crafting is an alternative way of leveling for people who enjoy that, and as a roleplaying venue for people who want to make their own gear? Perhaps they don’t intend for people to earn money crafting without quite a bit of work, perhaps even more work then earning it just by beating stuff up in the game?

The only way to make it easy for a crafter to make money is if people can’t get adequate gear from just playing the game, i.e. from drops and such. That helps the crafter, but hurts the person who doesn’t want to either learn to craft or use the TP. Whether or not its correct none of us know without the data, the devs seem to be betting there are more of the latter player then the former.

I do agree with you and the others that a preview feature would help a lot, though, since looks are the only differentiating feature between high end items selling unique items like what you made will only be possible with that, or if you get lucky and that buyer saw it on someone else or a website and liked it. And its not like you can equip it and decide you don’t like it, since it soulbinds.

Yeah, I had considered that Anet perhaps view the crafting system more as a character progression tool and as a way of making sure there’s an ample supply of bare-bones, visually questionable gear for people to acquire quickly. The collateral of that approach is the situation i’m trying (and perhaps failing?) to describe; rare crafted gear that isn’t just the standard fare isn’t selling very well or appealing enough to be desirable. TP Preview may go some way to rectify that.

What steered me away from that opinion is simply the fact that these items and discoveries DO exist and they produce Bind on Use items. If these items were intended solely for character progression and as a reward to committed crafters, making them BoP for bragging rights would make some sense.

Regardless, i’d really love to hear Anet’s thoughts on the current crafting economy, whether it’s working as they intended, and whether they see any failings with the current system, particularly around these kind of higher “quality” recipes.

NinjaKnight.1340:

Other than the preview feature, your other suggestions are bad.

Refunding listing fees would make it much easier for the pros to manipulate the market.

From what I can tell your reasons for crafting that item were flawed. You should have crafted it because YOU wanted it for yourself OR you should have studied the demand and likely selling price before crafting it.

Instead you gambled with no research and are angry because it didn’t sell at a price you felt was reasonable. If it really was that rare list it at your desired price and forget about it. It may sell one week or one month from your list date. There is no expiration date.

Refunding listing fees could be delayed, something that only happens after an amount of time. Or a feature could be added that allows you to adjust the price of your item for a small fee, or after X amount of time and only if certain criteria is met (for example, yours is the only item). Regardless, yes, they would need to consider how it could be abused, but the current implementation does NOT enable people to test the market with rare items.

As for why; I’ll set the criteria on why I crafted it. Ultimately these items are rare, and there’s only so much research you can do. Sometimes the best research is retrospective… and this thread is a result of that. This also isn’t the first item i’ve crafted. I’d also like the refute the idea that i’m somehow angry; I’m not.

NinjaKnight.1340:

There are hundreds if not thousands of crafted items that sell for well below mat costs.

And that, right there, is a problem in a crafted economy. You need to consider the difference between mat costs (i.e the value of the components you’ve farmed to craft the item, leading to profit on something like a Pearl Greatsword) and the costs of buying mats you can’t realistically farm yourself (such as the huge number of rare mats needed to craft a prestige item).

Regardless of your take on my particular scenario, the fact that gear is so accessible and varied makes prestige gear unfulfilling and unrewarding as a crafter. Not everyone just wants to pump out Pearl Greatswords on a daily basis, you know what I mean?

Jestunhi.7429:

Adding the preview feature is the only part of your post that I agree with.

Your post is entirely useless without explaining why you disagree with the other points.

Contribute or hush. If you feel these considerations would have a detrimental impact on the game/economy/trade post, explain why.

TeoH.2098:

Cronoclops.5263:

Why does every single game that comes out have to waste months of time and resource balancing the “I wanna be a Ninja and kill with impunity class”?

You’re right, clearly there is a giant conspiracy in the gaming industry to make Rogue classes overpowered in every game they feature in.

It couldn’t possibly be that people naturally complain about archetypes that are designed to do high damage and go invisible. No i’m sure the cries of you forum champions are absolutely valid just as they were in every other MMO, you are obviously arguing from a neutral perspective of experience and superior insight. Let us pray that those in charge of the game listen to your sobs and follow your lead, as you truely know how to design games.

You’re a sensitive soul, aren’t you? Calma-lama-down.

Regardless of what you read into his post, he makes a valid point. It’s ALWAYS the rogue/thief/assassin. Point is, it’s not the stealth that’s the problem, or the play style, it’s the damage. The irony is this line; “naturally complain about archetypes that are designed to do high damage and go invisible” – that DESIGN is flawed. Fundamentally flawed in pretty much every MMO to date. Which is why many people hoped Anet had the smarts to avoid this.

If you have the opportunity to open the fight on your terms, completely invisible, that’s an advantage and the damage should reflect that.

I don’t want to see Thiefs nerfed in PvE, but the sPvP situation is getting silly now. There are just so many thiefs because, frankly, they’re easy to be effective with and you can jump in at level 1.

Backstab, it’s stupid. Get rid of Heartseeker spam, it’s embarrassingly shallow.

Rename the resource, because the fact that it’s named Initiative is hugely ironic given how little initiative it actually takes to play a thief.