Guild Wars 2

Wait you mean the defenders were successful so game over?

Manacraft,

Flexibility as an issue – I would envision WvW guesting within the faction as only limited by two game mechanics. Meet the gateway on your home server to demonstrate surplus and guesting to 2 servers in a 24 hour period similar to PVE guesting now. Once on a host server you should have full freedom of movement from map to map until such time as you leave server. Challenges to making this move effective would be coordination between leaders across servers. Yes I could look at a tracking website to see what other matches in my faction need help but with a limitation on the availability of guesting I wouldn’t just go for the empty opponent. I would want to go where I could make a impact over time. I would work to establish guild alliances between servers in my faction so that I could dependably call on 3-5 guilds off of a server I know has the gateway met. In order to keep these alliances viable servers would have to be locked into faction, tier positions would shift within the faction and overall match victory for the week would be based on the faction total score. If I made friends with a allied force to the point I resented not having them on the field with me permanently then it would be a discussion about transfers.

One factions excess based on time zones – If there is enough excess in one faction on a particular time zone I don’t have a fast answer.

Addressing the focus on empty maps- This can be resolved through communication and coordination. Know your people, your leaders, your available resources and place a call to arms. We do this now with 4 maps. Adapting this to a much greater spread would be a challenge but I believe it could be accomplished over time.I think that the potential for a reinforcement from a higher tiers excess force would enhance the defensive play of those somewhat empty maps. If I knew I could call for cavalry on Tuesday – Thursday I would make sure the night shift upgraded and the day shift built siege to give the cavalry something to fight for when the horde flooded in.

I would manage the across server fight to gain score / rank and open gates so that as many servers in my faction had freedom to guest as possible. Of course this all depends on people on those servers with excess being willing to support the fight on less successful servers throughout the match. I think having a scoring system tied to a faction would motivate that commitment to help a weaker server.

There are second and third order effects to guesting that have a different impact on matches. There is potential for migration based on a known playing environment rather then sending scouts forward as ambassadors and evaluators prior to a transfer. There is potential to open up GvG across factions as guilds can work to make the gateway for guesting on the server and then guest to a certain tier for matches.

I like the hybrid concept. Have the three colors as a scoring pool and allow guesting from same color servers up and down tier. Stay on your home server but have forces that are already ahead in score on their matchup free to move where they are needed. Maybe there is a score trigger where you have to be ahead in your matchup by 15,000 and then it open up an opportunity to guest. This will spread population across servers, reduce overmanned servers dominance and allow people to make new connections. I would love to have a reliable guesting guild or five that came from a regularly dominant server and swung through once or twice a week to give our server a boost.

Everyone cries about the game being about the fights. OHHH those turtles they should come out and fight. Well here you go. They bannered the lord now you have to keep fighting. You want proven victory and dominance then sustain your force during combat. Stay alive maintain the majority, control momentum and dominate. Communicate and eliminate the opponent that can res the lord. Stop whining about having to stay in the fight. You came in the keep / tower thinking you had what it took to be the baddest mama jama on the map now prove it.

BRING IT people! Bring it all to DR! We are solid and work as a team. You can be part of the climb to the future. Make your play time count. Be an outstanding member of a solid community on Devonas Rest.

COME TO DEVONAS REST! We are on the rise and a solid coordinated server.

The aspect of a completely empty map and a very limited recruiting pool deserves to be taken into account when considering a significant shift in the dynamics of WvW population. The question posed by OP was about mergers. The assumption there is that a merger would be a elimination on tier 8 and perhaps tier 7 in order to push the lower pop servers into a larger pool of players. In the CDI on population we never saw a clear ANET response concerning how the split between WvW and PVE population was counted. This doesn’t allow for a solid position to make recommendations from.

When we say merge there are variations on the how. I am sure folks can think of a few more.

a)eliminate tier 8 &7 and condense them into higher tiered servers

b) re engineer the scoring to cover a RED BLUE GREEN faction type scoring rolled up from top to bottom from each server to give a overall placement.

c) decouple PVE and WvW population and realign / reallocate everyone.

We on lower tiers do not want to be scattered to the four winds and lose the communities, relationships and established trust we have worked so hard to build. I can just see ANET making the shift like a server patch with a large announcement- Server realignment in 10 minutes be prepared to be ported to Lions Arch.

So yes there is a justification for a drastic change. The transition must take into account cost to players, ability to maintain communities and guilds from current locations into the destination method that is selected.

I choose roundhouse kick the train

I love AC’s. No I am not tired of them. Yes I am effective at using them for defense and able to eliminate them if on offense.

NO, DR is the community we have been a part of since joining the game and our loyal friends are here.

A year later and we can’t even get a customization. You can keep your hobo sack if you like your hobo sack.

Mtpelion, Come on for reset and find a commander to run with. There are lots of solid teams running with guilds as core and server mates in the mix. We are running a organized fight that is worth being a part of.

How does the potion work? is it on permanently when you activate it or only for a few minutes and then on cool down?

Any word if the heirlooms will still be around to be discovered after this week?

NO NO KITTEN NO Kitten Carpet wart unbalanced uncompetitive matchup system NO. It is nothing but a cyclic publicity attempt. Population imbalance will prevent any meaningful results. Still we will fight with all we have because we are fighters. Maybe we will be able to pull more PVE or new players into WvW. Doesn’t make a tournament season the right way to do it.

What server are you on OP and second poster?

Do the heirlooms come in the supply bags or only from the rubble piles? I have missed some and need to catch up.

Get your bags packed and grab your loot bag harvesting, enemy stomping, siege master, roaming, rampaging, killer instinct team and get on over here to DR!

SO where is the detailed information on the potions? Are the halo and horns permanent? Can I turn it on and off? Can I move the potion from toon to toon?

roll a necro and tag everything. A condi necro running epidemic and hitting everything in the zerg, throwing marks everywhere you get tons of loot.

Our guild uses a custom arena to teach new players how to fight. We have our best players for each class as sparring partners. We set up a rotation and each trainer / sparring partner goes into voip with the trainee. After three rounds of the trainee being downed the trainer will discuss key skills that are being used to defeat the trainee and the specific responses that should be used. We also set a observer above the fight to comment. Once the trainee has defeated or survived a match with a sparring partner then they move to the next trainer. This allow people the opportunity to see the strengths of each class and how to counter or avoid the most dangerous aspects of them.

I am game for a transition in how WvW works. Especially the factional multi server split. The challenge I see is getting communications functioning across multiple servers.

Fastest way to destroy a golem stockpile – build timer

As to the siege masteries and having an opportunity to use them in a random zerg your with ZhouFusion is right. In my guild group though we have a set of 5 people with each mastery maxed so we always have someone on that is the best at that type of siege and sometime multiples. Everyone knows who these people are and they know when we drop that type of siege they will be manning it. We also have a priority among the set so we know who among the 5 will be the first on ram or cata or ac etc.

The space in between objectives including the space filled with NPC’s is room to maneuver. I like having open space to move. This isn’t urban warfare but the size makes it feel almost as constricted. It should have some terrain that allows for cover and concealment and movement / misdirection. As it is bringing a force on the map you only have a few places to go and your opponent can respond in seconds. A good thief or ranger can trail you at a distance and report your position all the way to the opponents gate. That is part of why I would like to see a much larger map. Small maneuvers like lapping around the plateau north of Anzalias or between Golanta and Jerrifers are fine for a tactical type of thing.

Look at the guild bounty missions. We scout out as many of the targets we may need to hit prior to triggering so that we know where to go. We track those folks until it is over and we engage at the best location based on time and the forces available. In WvW now it is run to the east side of the map, no run to the west side of the map. Spawn to NN, Hills to SE and so on. I know people love intercepting reinforcements and roaming groups and the clash of large forces. Picture a servers forces moving through the entire PVE area. Scouts tracking opposing forces greater then 20 in size and then having guilds sent out to hunt them down and eliminate them before they get deeper into that map. I would love to come home from work after reading emailed reports from my guild scouts to know there were 7 large enemy forces moving in different regions and to rally up a batch of guilds to go and stem the flow or set to harassing them and go on the offensive in the territory they have already claimed.

People talk about defense being boring but if Anet were to implement Dawdlers concept or something like it where a guild could establish their own keep out in the world. You know they would defend it to the last person. Guild alliances would be formed among neighbors and choosing to take the majority of your guild out to fight could truly jeopardize your guild keep. That is so much more engaging then run in circles and flip the same 13 objectives in a borderland.

Just destroy them like any other enemy reinforcement. You all know how to kill siege. The turrets can’t fire as fast as a human.

I would love to see the entirety of the PVE map opened up as the battlefield and every current structure set as a objective. I don’t think we should try to jam more objectives in the small maps we have.

I have lost guildies to hacking and balance issues. They have either quit the game or moved to higher population servers. Some of them have returned because they enjoyed the freedom to play the way they wanted to. Low tiers provide that because everyone is needed in the fight so you don’t get lost in the zerg. If you like the fight and want to be part of a team stick around and find the right fit. If not, well it is just a game and you have a family. Enjoy them.

It was a suggestion in the commanders collaborative development thread. I have no issue with it but a option to turn it off would be nice. At least I don’t have to ask my guildies if they still see me tagged when the buff shows up on my bar.

I would love to see factional play as a resolution to the population and coverage imbalance. The first thing I saw in EOTM was a total communication clusterkitten. It is hard enough to get 200 people you are some what familiar with into a VOIP and operating effectively. Let see 1k in coordination. Show me that and I am game. I would love to see massive organization and the effect it would have on a huge battlefield. I would take two weeks of vacation from work just to participate in that scale of a fight.

On my Norn even the shield clips. I use speedy kits and I keep flipping the kits on and off while running the map just to avoid stating at the toilet paper rolls on the hobo sack. I should look like a battle hardened technician not the most robust of housecleaners.

I learned as a front line WvW player that staying alive lets you keep up the pain. I switched from rabid to dire on my armor pieces and I am staying alive much better. I zerg dive all the time. So it is the better choice for me.

Here is a tip passed on to me from Johnny Rocket " If you are the first guy dead every time we run into the enemy you need to change your build". As a follow up to that if you are dead and there is any question about who will win the fight respawn and get your tail back into the fight.

I second the WvW topics. I am an exclusive WvW player that has commanded on a necro for the last 6 months.

1. Necro as WvW commander- I would like to see what other Necro commanders feel " right" is.
2. Necro play styles in WvW small team play 5-10 havoc squads – Ref Rennoko, OOZO and MethaneGas
3. Necro play style in WvW multi necro teams of 2-6 necros
4. Necro integration in the large organized force – Front line or back line and how / when the key skills are used for what purpose etc.
5. The all Necro zerg- what can be done with 40 minion masters

Peace to you who have experienced such a loss. My condolences to Iron Guild and those who felt Star was part of their family.

The hobo sack is a shame to the class. SHAME I say!

Hobo sack…. Let us cover them. How about the nice faux fur look? I mean they look just as classy as a dash cover.

PPT alone as a goal is futile without the coverage. Fights alone are not as profitable as PVE. So what is the product you are selling to the new guy on the map and the old grizzled roamer / defender? What are you as a leader or persistent member of the population giving to the population of real value?

Coordination and continued improvement- Solid and professional communications across multiple WvW guilds and the general population using teamspeak. Objectives based play for a specified time in order to exercise the capability of the entire coordinated team in a measurable period. Use of individual, roamer, GvG (zerg buster) fight focused teams and large organized forces based on the enemies actions and makeup. Demonstrated flexibility and effectiveness in offense, defense and maneuver.

There is no reason to sell your population short by focusing your efforts to a coverage based PPT fight or to abandon PPT and exclusively roam around looking for fights. Do the best you can with what you have when you have it. Do better each time you come onto the field to engage your opponent.

This is what is happening on Devonas Rest. We are at the very bottom of the rankings and don’t have the huge population to dominate our opponent but we are still fighting and working as a team because we have an achievable goal and a determination to improve.

I like the idea of small barriers / barricades to be used to protect a forward base of fire but the mobility in the game play really hinders any static position.

I am also for using the entire PVE area as a multi faction battlefield.

I would like to see full names in the combat log as well. That doesn’t distract but allows for you to establish if you are prey to a specific enemy. We fight organized guilds and we learn to recognize roamers if they have a unique look to them. The Norn with the huge mustache, the Asura with the blue afro, the guardian in all gold armor the necro in all white with a pink hair do. Why should we be limited to description and guild tag? I knew the commanders of my enemy server before the matchup threads were eliminated and enjoyed knowing when they were a target.

I would love to have a option to buy a dolyak that carried 25 supply to move as part of a personal logistics train. Get a small party, 5 people grab 15 supply then hire out the 5 dolyaks and creep up to hills cata spot, throw down the sup catas and acs and go after it.

Yes you can be doing well as a race car driver if you are the only one on the track. Or as a jockey. It is a race against time. Self improvement has value so as a server if you are improving however much incrementally then yes you can say you are doing well.

That position is perfect for eliminating the trolls that set up base of fire operations and enough siege to farm anything less then a zerg and proceed to camp the few defenders left on a map trying to recover the camp.

OK I have to say I just love the idea of a 1 hour invasion war.

I have used Ventrillo, TS, raid call. I prefer ventrillo but because our server has a public ts server I have ended up using it primarily.

I agree on getting a guild. I would have left the game months ago if it wasn’t for the good people I spend time with. Get your necro up to lvl 80 and geared then hit WvW. Once you get in the groove of fighting actual players and working as a team you will get the bug and won’t be able to stay away.

Welcome to the WvW forums Grouch. Snicker doodles or chocolate no bakes?

I play the game exclusively for WvW. Anything outside of WvW is to get cash to spend on siege or gear to do better in WvW. I detest the term zerg and have done my best to help establish organized forces that are trained, equipped and capable of coordinating and communicating effectively. We function in a alliance of coordinated guilds and general population members that use voip, run under multiple commanders and spread or concentrate the force based on the task at hand. We win and lose like everyone else in the game but we don’t build mouth breathers that are clueless and " just follow the taco". If you have a bunch of people on your server that are all about follow the leader and mash buttons you are doing the community a disservice. I have grown to really appreciate larger scale fights as they can be more exciting and challenging when you and your opponent are capable thinkers and fighters. We started small and have grown. We still, as a guild, do small operations with 2 – 5 player teams but the challenges of battling on a larger scale are a lot of fun.

BLUF
Epic large scale coordinated battle / team and community development through shared victory and hardship / reduced lag that allows for the large scale fights
Hackers & cheaters / Population imbalance / unresponsive- delayed development solutions

3 favorites
Epic battles when we have 140 people coordinated through teamspeak rolling under 6 commanders across all four maps in coordination and jumping map to map objective to objective at a moments notice so that we can spread or concentrate forces based on objectives, resistance or our opponents movements. This allows groups as large as 80 or as small as 2 to accomplish server prioritized goals.
The mutual trust and shared understanding of objectives and fight based goals that are used to develop teamwork and community. The dynamic of server vs server vs server that lets us develop friendships and rivalries on a much greater scale than a simple GvG because you never know what force will come on the field and you must be ready to apply your servers skill and knowledge against all who choose to fight.
Improvements to lag that allow for very large fights. We have had 50 opponents at south bay on the high ground, skirmished them with another 30 opponents pouring in north bay outer and held them off with three coordinated groups and covering fire from inner. It had to be over 200 people in the fight total and that is what makes WvW battles awesome.
3 least favorite
Hackers- I have lost more committed players to hackers than any other factor. Poor player ethical choices are part of any population but having a responsive host that will monitor, and address justified discipline issues would make a substantial impact on the quality of life of those who spend a tremendous amount of time and effort keeping WvW a functional and lively game experience.
Population imbalance- I have had close to three times my current guild size quit the game based on what seems like futility due to population and coverage imbalances. I get a new player in and teach them the ropes in WvW. They play for a short time maybe a month or two and they drop off the face of the earth after the lack of coverage allows our opponent to flip a keep with four players. Our server has been on both ends of it. We have dominated or been curb stomped based on coverage. There was such a focus on looking for group on dungeon runs, how about looking for a regiment. We could use an influx of 300 – 500 people to spread the load of the fight and allow for rest and refit, training, morale activities and rehearsals that would make large scale activities more effective.
Lack of response to requested improvements- Commanders functionality ref https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/wuv/wuv/Collaborative-Development-Commander-System/page/14#post3343318
Improved maps – You took away the lake and gave us the ruins. They are a nice change on a small scale but lets look at something much larger. If you really want epic battles set the forces as factions red v blue v green on all tiers combined across the whole of tyria. Make every existing structure in PVE a conquerable objective and set the match to a two week cycle. You will have campaigns to drive the enemy out of regions and long range recon patrols and infiltrators. The havoc squads and duelers will be able to set ambushes all over the place.

Are we doing what if’s?

What if the entire PVE world was open for WvW and every server was on the battlefield at once? It would make for a long committed campaign and would require much more player organization and coordination and much more commitment to the game. We would have front lines of battle across the realm and intelligence reports about the battle activity would be vital to making your forces effective and so on and so forth.