Guild Wars 2

I suspect they meant the following update since it was possibly too soon to apply this one.

Love the map, although i agree I’d prefer more traversing on foot. It’s only a small thing though. The coastal stuff all looks great, but again underwater ignored. Please, please bring underwater back into the fold. Otherwise the map felt like a classic GW2 map which is something we’ve been missing for a while. The Mursaat Fortress didn’t really feel like it had much in it though.

The story felt longer in some ways due to the mixing in exploration during the Ember Bay map parts. It could have used maybe another instance though. The quality of the narrative is also improving dramatically. It’s like a different game compared to the PS and it’s great to see this progress. I think we’ve already covered more plot in 2 episodes than the entirety of HoT..

The JP was not one of the most fun designs and didn’t grab me to try again. I suspect I’ll have one more go and never try again. Silverwastes was an example of how to make a fun, explorable JP.

Hearts. I’m ambivalent on these. They do seem to add a bit more NPC interaction and flavour to the map, but they are still completed far too quickly and easily. They need to be much more substantial.

Mobs. The mechanics were rather dull in open world. In the instance it was fine because they swarmed and they felt dangerous. They felt pretty weak in open world, which made little sense in context of the change. The Jade armours in contrast were deadly.

As for the overarching story, well it felt cheesy to combine dragons together to make super dragons but I think it might be the way to overcome the DSD issue. I hope it genuinely makes the Dragons more dangerous – we’ve taken them down seemingly too easily and quickly so far.

And the last instance was great fun. Really intense and challenging (for me). I genuinely felt I was in a battle that had stakes.

Overall, it was an excellent episode with an enjoyable, meaty map. Looking forward to episode 3!

I got about 2/3 of the way through and it now its virtually stopped. Will wait it out, but I’m past the EU peak download time so not sure why the unusual delay

For the record, I loved the direction new legendariess were going in. Chuka had some brilliant collections and a journey I thoroughly enjoyed. I do think it is a real shame that direction had to come to an ened. I thought it really showcased the imagination and talent of the designers, whilst the new direction doesn’t do that.

It’s great to see legendaries moving again and I get it is in response to feedback about just pushing them out, for me personally, it is just a shame quality had to take a backseat

stale.9785:

http://i.imgur.com/QzlRjLv.jpg

Gaile – since this is an example of the exact same behaviour the OP is talking about – shall we encourage destroying an event for an entire map as something one ought to simply move on from?

The magnitude is different, but the behaviour is identical.

Thoughts?

The devs actually commented on this one I think on Reddit. They had some ideas they were going to discuss around preventing this from occuring.

Gaile Gray.6029:

I think these instances are pretty rare, for I play the game for hours every night, and a lot on the weekends, and I can’t remember this happening more than once or twice. I also happen to believe that many if not most are accidental, and not a form of griefing.

Can you imagine someone who accidentally spawns a banker or other element getting suspended? Really?? “Dear player — you put your golem banker in the wrong place, so welcome to SuspensionLand™.” That just doesn’t set well in my mind’s eye.

If someone does this to grief others, well, why not just move on and let it go? I cannot see the team investing the time to show spawners’ names, and I really don’t believe this request has a high level of priority. If a dev decides to take on this request, I’m sure they will post to indicate that.

I certainly agree with you about it being ridiculous to suspend ppl, especially since many innocent players would get caught up in it. And yes, I’d rather devs worked on more important things rather than babysitting and dealing with situations caused by immature/inconsiderate players.

However, to say it is rare suggests the feedback on the forums may not have been picked up. It has been raised a lot on these forums and I see it certainly most play sessions – whether accidental or on purpose.

The subforum cedo link contains all the collaborative threads which helped drive HoT and other releases, whilst cumbersome, they did form things like elite specs and masteries and many other in game things.

As far as I have read on forums and reddit, the mastery concept is critically well received, it is things like the gating and points being stuck behind content like adventures and harder content which are the problems the devs will be looking to overcome. It is why most of the mastery complaints revolve around HoT maps and very little around core maps.

Maybe the dwarves doodled the story on a cave wall and he read it as he passed by?

Interesting point though, I hadn’t thought of him potentially having no access to outside information and world activities like the others would. Potentially the DSD might be the same, since we have no idea if it corrupts living creatures either. And he’s way too far away for a periscope to have much range!

macon.4065:

Oh almost forgot in order to unlock the masteries you have to have the points as well. Not that easy to get considering we are farming a lot right now on many different levels or the 35 currencies in the game has been overlooked. I still would like to see a one currency system throughout the game so things can be translated and earned easier.

I don’t think a single player in this game would disagree that we have way too many currencies right now. A lot of MMO’s streamlined their currency system, whilst GW2 seems to have gone in the opposite direction. The one currency system (karma) was a recognised failure, but 35 is too much to manage, especially when so many are inventory based.

I’m not sure why console mechanics and highly successful and critically acclaimed ones should be jeered away. MMO’s need to adapt and that’s what GW2 did. The original system was criticised heavily by the community, not because it was bad, but because it needed building upon. To this end, the devs held a collaborative discussion with the community to pool ideas on how to build a new progression system. Why would I go elsewhere when I like and agree with the new system?

A “metroidvania” system was one of the popular ideas in that discussion and was clearly the one the dev team felt fitted the game best. Frankly I agree and a lot of people do as well, although of course some people would have been put off. That would have happened if they had n’t have added it anyway, since players were vocally unhappy with how it was as well.

I don’t know how HoT has performed, I’ve heard and seen mixed reports, many seem to conflict, but the feeling I’ve got is that where HoT has been a let down has not been down to the mastery progression as a system, although it clearly needed a bit more tweaking to make MPs a bit more accessible for a wider audience and less gating for the story. The concept itself though appears to work and fit well for the game.

You have to understand, a lot of the things you state aren’t ringing true to everyone. Lots of players really enjoyed the precursor crafting system. Some of the content in the Chuka and Champawat collections was inspired. Players wanted this kind of system, not a system based purely on rng. Same with the Mastery System.

If you don’t like it, well that’s fine – feeding back where it can be improved is what the devs will want, but when they spend significant resources to develop a horizontal progression system based on an idea touted by the community and which mostly appears to be working, I doubt they are going to then scrap it outright.

Delete excess mail and check for tp pick ups

Edit: cedo beat me to it

The update on Tuesday is geared for pvers. There’s probably a new map for pvp coming (I don’t pvp so don’t follow any updates for it), but most of the focus has been on pve. So this is something for all those pvers.

I love the mastery system – I am a big fan of metroidvania games and so this system appeals to me. It’s also been developed from ideas given during a long collaboration with the community, so I don’t blame them for taking this direction. I understand why players found the mastery points a bit of a chore, but I think adventures hurt that the most and I’m guessing that idea is being dropped in favour of the more accessible Hearts.

As an open world pver, at no point am I forced to do pvp, wvw or fractals, except where Legendaries are involved. Legendaries are the exception where they absolutely should cross into other game modes and take players out of their comfort zone imo.

Danikat.8537:

I don’t know if this works in GW2 but in GW1 I found the simple solution to the problem was to make up a name for my build.

In that game the skills you chose were the main aspect of your build and groups would often ask you to share your skill bar in chat so they could decide whether they thought it looked good or not.

Honestly 9 times out of 10 the people making the call had no real idea what they were doing. If I told them I made the build up myself, I’ve used it in this dungeon/mission/whatever many times before and it works they’d kick me. If I told them I can’t remember what site I got it from but it’s called [whatever I felt like calling it at the time] (‘DOT + Profession name’ was a common form, or AoE + profession name) they’d accept it, no questions asked.

(Or if they were particularly observant I’d have to explain one detail, like I had a fiery bow string to go with Mark of Rodgort or yes, Dervishes do have AoE skills.)

I love this purely for the audacity behind it and the fact that it worked on ppl

Curunen.8729:

ProtoGunner.4953:

There is another possibility. Since they can do whatever they want, we may kill Primordus during Season 3, I mean it’s really time to move on. There are 4 more dragons and after nearly 5 years only 2 are dead. With this pace (if they won’t change anything) we will be retired or six feet under

I’m going with this.

Primordus finished in LS3, Kralk in next expansion.

I don’t think they will risk that. They got an enormous amount of flak and negative feedback about how short HoT story was and how it made Mordremoth feel a lot less threatening. I don’t think a short skirmish and fight with Primordus, with little build up is going to go down very well.

Pacing is something they need to get right with the next Dragon. Mordremoth went from a 3 year build up to a sudden conclusion with loads of important hanging threads – the pacing was all wrong.

Primordus is also one of the most important Dragons (from a veteran pve player perspective) since he has been awake for the longest time, has connections to GW1 and ties into so many aspects of lore like Asuran history and the last of the Dwarves. Lots of players want to explore the potential in this and killing off one of the more iconic ED’s and moving onto Jormag or Kralk just squashes this potential completely flat.

They’ve lost a little bit of their mystique having two killed off already, but essentially machine gunning down the next en route to another takes an eons old threat and turns them into something rather pathetic I’d say.

Mikkel.8427:

The Wander Amulet in PvP has the stats that I listed. For whatever reason they share the same name but have completely different stats.

Ah that I did not know

Wanderer is Power, Toughness, Vitality, Concentration

Do you mean a new stat combo with what you posted above?

They did emphasise the map being the first seaside map since lost shores, which is a giod sign.

I have found Southson to be uniquely laggy underwater compared to any other area in the game. I hope any underwater sections, if any, arent as bad

They did this with the character portrair, viewable in a party, in Lotro. Looked really good and was a nice way to show of your veteran status. It slso updated year on year, so your portrait border grew with your length of service.

My warrior is full pvt, with mace and shield for general use. He may not be a dps machine, but he is a walking breakbar smashing brickwall of a norn. Toughness is something I am well sold on on a few of my toons when properly stacked.

I notice no one is discussing the OPs idea. Cant say im sold on the need for such an overhaul tbh.

Mea.5491:

Randulf.7614:

I used partial Settlers at one point – it can work. I’m currently ripping apart my ele for the third time to get him where I want him. He’s the only toon I can’t get sorted comfortably

Ever tried Celestial? Fun stuff! XD

I have thought about it. I may make a full set sometime and try it. Just takes too long to make

EphemeralWallaby.7643:

Mea.5491:

As a full Knight Necro, I disagree about Toughness being useless. When we have 3 frogs at octovine in AB and everyone is on the ground, I am still hitting the octo with 50%+ health… When people aggro mobs at towers in DS they get downed in seconds, I can have 15+ mobs on me and still manage to run in circles until forever. When people die in dungeons I am the person who revives them while mobs are tickling my back. So far I haven’t died and only got downed 3 times on HoT maps since the expansion came out and I’m actually proud of that. So yeah, I want to keep my Toughness, thanks.

Agreed, for much the same reasons; I love toughness. I’m currently working on a Settler’s Ele that I have really high hopes for.

~EW

I used partial Settlers at one point – it can work. I’m currently ripping apart my ele for the third time to get him where I want him. He’s the only toon I can’t get sorted comfortably

1) That isnt my suggestion at all
2) Im unconvinced we will fight the DSD or at least in the ocean. Either way, my suggestion is new skins which we shouldnt need to wait for an overhaul
3) They have not to my knowledge stated all bosses will change in time

I’d like to see the story mode for dungeons have a single player option like Zhaitan. It doesn’t even need to have rewards beyond mob drops, whilst the 5 player option can have better rewards.

New skins for underwater areas. Ultimately I want underwater to be less neglected and get some love, but new skins would be a great start. Especially black lion skins getting updated.

More bosses given the shatter and teq treatment with mchanics. Ulgoth esp feels poor considering it is the climax of a multi map centaur war. Megadestroyer seems prime for new mechanics too and karka queen is destroyed in under a minute now.

Do ‘t forget The Great Destroyer had no immunity to burning. And the Destroyer of Life in the Destinys Edge book was killed using an arrow of Primordial Fire. I like Windu’s solution, but there is precedence for overcoming the mechanics in both gameplay and lore (sort of).

I’m guessing they want to max Armourer, but want a use for the discipline.

I really wouldn’t worry about it to be honest – you sound like you wont win either way. Either you hate having a heavy class or you will hate having a discipline useless to you.

The new behind the scenes video pretty much shows what it is

Moa. Closest thing to a chocobo!

Gaile Gray.6029:

DeanBB.4268:

Hamfast

I love cats. I grew up with them, and can hardly remember a time when I didn’t have cats.

I’m sorry. I believe there must be someone somewhere that can offer therapy for that.

Signed,

Dog Lover

Now you need to stop that right meow!

Think you are barking up the wrong tree there.

Signed

Another Dog Lover

Razor.9872:

They are some of the most ‘metal’ things under the sea…probably.

Surely they’d rust?

Donari.5237:

Here’s the next video, talking about the environment. Josh Foreman helped design the area for GW1 and had a lot of fun revamping it for this release.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/ember-bay-behind-the-scenes/

There are a few creature glimpses along with a lot of terrain, and a seemingly moving ship (could be in a cinematic).

I tried not to watch too much to avoid to many exploration spoilers. My only minor concern is the amount of smoke effects and I’m hoping my PC can handle it. It’s the only thing it ever struggles with in GW2.

Otherwise what little I glimpsed is looking great – a nice blend of a GW1 familiarity in a revamped GW2 style. And more Karka fights \o/

Arden.7480:

“The fire dragon ist just active, nothing more, so i hope we don’t focus on him too much.”

“JUST ACTIVE”? Explain me what do you mean.
Primordus is active- that means he awoke.
I probably don’t have to say that Ley Line spread out in 4 directions.

If the new map is full of the ley line (we will can use Ley Line Gliding) it means that a lot of ley line came to Primordus, and other dragons (current events).

He ate a lot of ley line and as something from the Pacts said “I didn’t think we’d be dealing with another dragon so soon”. It means he is fully awakened and “SO SOON” means he will show himself soon.

Primordus has been fully awake and active for approx. 200 years. We do not know if he has consumed ley line energy – nothing in game has confirmed this at all. It is a reasonable assumption he is pursuing more energy from either the release from Mordremoth or any residual from the exploding bloodstone.

At the moment our logical reason for going to the islands is either Lazarus (due to a Mursaat Stronghold being there from GW1 times) or chasing down whatever was displacing magic from the Central Transfer Chamber under Frostgorge. That does not automatically assume Primordus will make an appearance since there are no known links between Primordus and the Ring of Fire (yet).

I almost only pve and I’ve almost never had map or mail spam. I’m not sure how much of a pattern there is tbh

That’s been going on pretty much since launch. I rarely have ever got any other form of gold seller spam

Hesacon.8735:

onevstheworld.2419:

Ehmery bay was named after a Anet employee, so there’s no basis in lore to use that name in-game.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/World

Perhaps you don’t appreciate that wvw is lore to many of us.

There is precedent for using employee names for locations and I have no issue in using Ehmery Bay for an actual location. In fact it makes sense to have a location since so many servers are named after locations. However, it cannot be Ember Bay since that already had that name in GW1.

I always supposed Ehmery Bay sounded vaguely Elonian, maybe they can add it there if we ever go.

I think the depths of Tyria could have potential, with grand cavern systems, u derground rivers, volcanic areas, lost asuran cities, spelunking and so much more.

I am also really looking forward to the Far Shiverpeaks. I love wintry lands and really cant wait to explore the lands again and have intense weather cycles affect the maps.

Cantha would indeed look awesome in the GW2 engine, but I remain unconvinced we will ever get a new continent. I hope to be very wrong!

My vague estimate is towards the end of next year, which would be 2 years after HoT. They wanted a shorter period than 3 years and end of next year gives time for LS3, marketing, beta, preorder period.

The skull and fire motif. The skulls were present in GW1 Ring of Fire – they represent the supernatural elements of the island.

I think you are right about the temperature rising being a buzz word. With Primordus more active and more destroyers appearing, it makes sense as a trailer buzz line.

Didnt see anything that looked like The Great Destroyer.

As for Saurians, we know Hydras were on the Ring of Fire. No reason to think there werent Saurians on the islands we didnt meet or migrated in some way during the global land changes brought by Zhaitans rise.

Except mobs in HoT aren’t immune to melee damage so the comparison isn’t the same. Plus, I found HoT mobs easier in melee with only a few exceptions.

The difference with adapting is that builds are not easily transferable here. Changing your stats and weapon and armour and traits for a series of story episodes and open world encounters is not really what GW2 is all about. It is right that such adaptation is necessary for pvp, wvw, fractals, dungeons, Liadri etc, but it would be an enormous mistake to force more casually minded players into changing things up when they suddenly become handicapped.

I understand the argument some are saying about keeping the burning immunity, but to not have some sort of mitigation against this is just folly. Whether that is a mastery, or whether that is making other conditions more powerful, I’m pretty sure Anet will have thought ahead on this one.

Tarim.2704:

+fix
Oh well I had to write something since the limist is here, please sit in your comfortable, or so I hope, chair and enjoy reading this unnecesarilly lengthy post.

For future reference, you can just hit the spacebar the requisite number of times

At least they are back in. 4 tickets is just completely unnecessary I agree, especially given how hard tickets are to get, but I guess we at least have the option to buy one for 500g each.

But it was called Ember in Guild Wars 1

Becasue without a mastery or some way of mitigating this, it would cause issues for Berserkers and certain other classes. This isn’t like GW1, where we can change skills and stuff easily – a sustained period of fighting Destroyers needs something to counter the burning immunity

Ayrilana.1396:

Keep in mind that the marketplace on Amazon likely does not count as it coming directly from Amazon. This is where you are seeing these low prices and don’t be surprised if some turn out to not be legit whether that be fake keys or keys originally purchased using stolen credit cards.

Prob. I saw it only briefly and didn’t look into it since I already own them.

Think i saw nightfall for a fiver on Amazon they are an official retailer for guild wars so thats safe to get from.
Also, add the games to your steam wishlist and they will alert you for sales.

I dont remember if GW1 has been on sale on the website in recent memory, i suspect it hasnt.

I guess it depends whether this is one of those examples, like the floating castle in Kessex, where the strength of the mystery outweighs the need to reveal.

Im not 100% certain it is in this case, but it could be why they dont want to tell the story

Ubi.4136:

The next expansion will likely include the core game as well, but not the Heart of Thorns expansion. It is what it is. It just seems normal to me for them to do it that way.

They stated each expac would include core and previous expacs, which Im a big fan of

Makes sense.

Also potentially alludes to a range of qol improvements coming with the episode which is great

Id prob wear it if it was fixed. It isnt a bug that enhances tne design in any way

As feedback, a quick note here or even on the bug tracker would have been nice to know it was a bug earlier would have been useful comms.

Those are structures built onto the volcano. I forget if they were there in GW1, but the Ring of Fire has been occupied before. And judging by the screenshot below, they have been there for a long time.

Ember Bay is suggested to be a large map, so we should get a decent portion of the islands

Edit: the post below mine clears it up

I’m pretty certain Support will restore it for you. They generally do with things like that