Guild Wars 2

BINGO.

Op hit it on the head.

its like taking a movie meant to be watched in one sitting, and breaking it into 8 15 minute shorts. even worse, because you have to deliver these episodes every 2 weeks, you make poor narrative/pacing choices that often seem rushed, not considered, and underdeveloped…….all things that with a less regular release schedule (like an expansion) would have time to be refined,

i actually like the new content itself…they are trying all sorts of new things in terms of mechanics that make the overall play-diversity better than any other mmo (to me)……………….but its just too little an amount of content given the release schedule/breaks to keep my interest at ths point (and the fact i’ve played this as my main game since launch). i don’t really need to grind for new skins (they aren’t aesthetically pleasing enough to replace the ones i do like)….and that is PvE endgame. living story and its achievements, as they are, just aren’t substantial enough to qualify.

further more…..the narrative is too short and thus characters are too shallow to serialize the LS like a tv series and get that same effect……..instead, we’re getting what is more akin to movie (meant to be watched in one sitting), but broken up into tiny webisodes spaced two weeks apart. its counter-intuitive as a way of delivering its story and puts unnecessary time constraints on content development..

so i think it’s time to put GW2 on the backburner until the season is over, and then play the whole thing from start to finish in one go…..i have a feeling i’ll enjoy it much more.

neat idea…any way to introduce precs that isn’t rng is fine by me. new legendaries are also a desirable thing.

personally, i’d rather they just make precursors earned through processes like building mawdey.

never understood the argument here on gear/weapons/builds

when solo or with guildies/friends who don’t care…..do whatever you want.

when attempting to play in an organized groups or in PUGS with strangers, do a little research and see what is most beneficial to a group in either situation.

if you want to play “carefree”, stick to playing alone or w/ friends who don’t care about efficiency.

seems pretty certain no expansion is coming……..they’ve got everything set to deliver the content they want to in their current model.

new zones/instances/stories via LS………….system revamps and the occasional new skill/trait via “feature patches”. you get less than a real expansion, but you pay nothing for it. its fair….but not sure its the best model to go with (i would gladly pay for expansions if that is what it takes to get new classes/races/weapons/etc).

Lishtenbird.2814:

spoj.9672:

Probably because mesmer gs is a pretty poor weapon for PvE except in extremely niche situations.

Lendruil.9061:

Dont use greatsword on mesmer.

Lendruil.9061:

greatsword on mesmer is really bad dps, you should use sword instead

If you guys stick your heads out of speedcleared dungeons, you might see that GS is a great weapon for 90% of Tyria for 90% of players. Dungeons = PvE, but PvE =/= dungeons, even if you solehandedly write a “Dungeon class guide” and call it “PvE class guide”. I’ve seen players who are looking at metabattle builds and dulfy.net guides and thinking those will make them happy, while in practice more AoE and skill spam is better for what these players actually play most of the time. In short:

• If you’re speedclearing dungeons in a balanced organised group which knows all encounters, stacks, fights in melee and pre-stacks might, you as a mesmer with GS are a liability and should feel bad. That way you use sword + offhands, help your team and enjoy the game.
• If you’re running a dungeon with pugs who are very likely to range and you’re not a pro with some 1k+ hours on the class, you use GS and enjoy the game.
• If you’re running around the world tagging mobs for loot, you use GS because it’s fast and efficient since it provides good AoE and cannot be reflected, which lets you enjoy the game.

this….so much.
for 99% open world pve, tagging mobs is most important…use the weapons which maximize tagging. dungeons are very different from open world…and fractals are different from most dungeons.

as for OP question, it is a great weapon for all the classes that can use it, but iof you had to choose one class to use it, you’d probably be best going warrior….it’s their main damage weapon and you can literally camp it if you want (boring way to play, but you can).

for ranger, its best as a secondary set for mobility
for mesmer, its the best tagging weapon they have
for guardian, its a great aoe damage weapon (outclassed by sword and scepter for single target)

Kain Francois.4328:

Anet’s Definition, Labyrinth: Pac-Man.

/thread

which is kinda an awesome mechanic to use.

DragonflyDusk.6582:

Relshdan.6854:

no way it’s a bug. and it doesn’t really bother me.

they “threw us a bone” by letting alts get the skins in ep1 (a nice way to get the your collection going)…..but if this practice continued all the way through, the zone would be pretty dead as soon as the last installment ended. these episodes take so little time to complete.

you get one full set by playing the LS (a few hours of gameplay)….you get the rest by playing the map (it’s only a grind if you make it one and “need” to have all skins quickly). you can argue the cost in crests is too high (i’d agree and probably halve the total)…but the fact that it isn’t available only through rng is more important to me.

The other simple solution to keep the area active would have been to make the Pact Fleet weapons available through Silverwastes.

they make RL money from skins (more than anything else)…….be glad both armor and weapon skins weren’t tied to gem store BL keys.

i don’t expect it or think it is a good use of dev time, but i must admit i would love dungeons and fractals to have a mode that is intended for solo play

Junkpile.7439:

Those story achs are lame too. Why not make content so hard that just completing it would be worth reward? Those avoid all aoe attacks and other kitten achs just sucks.

you’d have even more complaining than you do know…….there are already “rage-quit” threads due to the content “one-shot-ing them”, “too much CC”, and being “unfair to melee combat”.

DragonflyDusk.6582:

Relshdan.6854:

Excell.1042:

Tbh, the carapace shoulders should be changed aswell, replaying the LS is more of a grind than actually playing silverwastes and having fun.

agree…..playing the zone is much better than most of the instances.

And some of us disagree with that sentiment. Before we each had a choice to get the shoulders in the method that we preferred, but because you didn’t like the opposing method it should be eliminated? I personally am already tired of Silverwastes circular slugfest, so only one class is going to be lucky enough to get those gloves.

Relshdan.6854:

to preserve the life/activity level of the new map. Dry Top has Mawdrey/ambrite skins….Silverwastes has the armor skins.

if they didn’t change it, everyone would have all armor pieces in a matter of hours. their mistake was allowing alts to get multiple pieces in the first place.

OR…. they could have added the Pact Fleet weapons as incentive to play that map, rather than locking them behind Black Lion Claim Tickets. I would have ground that map in to dust for some of those weapon skins, but instead I’ll be finding one I enjoy more to farm in order to buy them off of the trading post.

We all have differing opinions, and I can respect that, but changing the armor skin acquisition style to benefit one side entirely and screwing over the other in the process really doesn’t seem like the right way to handle the situation.

understand your points…and agree that it would be great if everyone had their way of getting all skins…..and also that the events/exploration of the new map would be enough to retain players, since the map as it functions now, only works with a decent level of activity/player population.

loot/cosmetics items are the most reliable way to keep players playing in a zone…even the most fun/best designed content losses it’s luster quicker than you’d like….adding earn-able cosmetic goals helps prolong the life and is a better alternative to the usual method in the past (rng drops).

and even still……you get one full set of skins playing the LS episodes (and 2 other shoulder skins).

Excell.1042:

Tbh, the carapace shoulders should be changed aswell, replaying the LS is more of a grind than actually playing silverwastes and having fun.

agree…..playing the zone is much better than most of the instances.

to preserve the life/activity level of the new map. Dry Top has Mawdrey/ambrite skins….Silverwastes has the armor skins.

if they didn’t change it, everyone would have all armor pieces in a matter of hours. their mistake was allowing alts to get multiple pieces in the first place.

no way it’s a bug. and it doesn’t really bother me.

they “threw us a bone” by letting alts get the skins in ep1 (a nice way to get the your collection going)…..but if this practice continued all the way through, the zone would be pretty dead as soon as the last installment ended. these episodes take so little time to complete.

you get one full set by playing the LS (a few hours of gameplay)….you get the rest by playing the map (it’s only a grind if you make it one and “need” to have all skins quickly). you can argue the cost in crests is too high (i’d agree and probably halve the total)…but the fact that it isn’t available only through rng is more important to me.

the last thing i want is temporary content. so much wasted work/effort by Anet.

would just prefer some content similar to the very good mega-events from the end of season one (like marionette), could find their way to season 2 as permanent content to go along with the instanced episodes.

don’t hold your breath.

i can see maybe at some point next year, they’d do something similar to what they did with heal skills. I can see each class getting 1 new elite or maybe 1 new utility skill….and that’s it at the most.

they are probably going to eventually release a paid expansion, and new weapons/class skills are being saved for that (along w/ new classes/races).

only turned in about 50…so wasn’t expecting anything,
already had the scythe….my charr warrior would have loved the GS….but wan’t meant to be.

gratz to the winners.

Becka Williams.4978:

I’ve only seen one, and I got it during melandru. Am I somehow not worthy of getting a precursor, since I didn’t earn it in a memorable fight?

absolutely not…..but a perceived problem in the game is that harder/longer content is not worth doing since the rewards are terrible compared to much easier/faster tasks. another problem is that often failing events on purpose is more profitable that successfully coompleting them.

limiting precursors to “mission-accomplished” chests helps remedy both of those issues.

sadly they now exist ( but thankfully at minimal speed increases)………..eventually they will be expanded into the more traditional “mount-types” (warhorses/dragons/war-machines, etc) because they’re just too profitable not to sell on the gem store.

i don’t like them, and i don’t want the clutter….but as long as they never give a higher speed boost than 15%, i can live with them.

love the new map and its the flow/cycle of events….and agree that the single WP is nice. the map is small enough for navigate quickly, but dying far from the WP gives some sense of consequence to death (or at the very least, a reason to use Rez skills or rez items).

and while i know it was nerfed reward-wise, i still find it a highly profitable way to spend my in game time while having fun (one or two boss cycles is enough for me).

have never had one drop…for 2+ years of steady gameplay.

that said, i sorta agree with the OP. it seems dumb that they drop from open-world/dungeon trash mobs. i’d prefer “better rewards” occur upon completing a task…..rewards in general should encourage completion.

i’d rather they eliminate trash-mob precursor drops in all content (champ bags included), and then compensate the drop rate in dungeon/fractal/WB chests.

cthaeh.2168:

So, your complaint is that leveling slows down over time? Every MMO does this. Pretty much every RPG do this. GW2 did this before the NPE. I have six 80s, four of them leveled before the NPE. If you’re complaining that leveling 15-30 is slower with the NPE than it was previously, you’ll need to show some numbers, because it feels much, much faster to me.

from what i’ve heard, leveling is probably same or faster….whether its as enjoyable is another story/opinion.

even before the GARBAGE trait system overhaul and the limiting NPE, lvl 20-40 was brutal for some classes (mesmer/ele). so glad i have no need or interest in starting a new character.

that said, if i didn’t know the old systems, i probably wouldn’t mind much when compared to experience with other games.

Killface.1896:

We need ability to convert leather to silk etc then the price for all craft profession will be similar.

LOVE this idea.
convert one mat to a similar grade mat at a 50% yield (250 to 125).

would be nice/fun……….that said, i’d still probably just live in the labyrinth anyway.

Conncept.7638:

A TON of good content, both old and regularly added through updates. But lacking a solid completed gameplay system, causing the games content to have continually less engaging and enjoyable ways of playing through it.

i agree with this most.

but i also find it amusing players who hate the game and have stop playing linger on the forums to spread the venom.

Ken DeBoer.9268:

Just make sure you sign in every two weeks to unlock the story. That way you won’t have to pay in the future if you decide to come back.

i hope the opposite…i want him/her to have to pay.

both work well and both are really fun to play, but ignoring accepted meta for both classes, engi is easier solo.

you can trait to go FT/HGH and roll with a constant 10 might (from FT trait)/easy on-demand 20+ stack solo (w/ HGH). allows you to gear up a in non-zerk/assassin gear and still do great damage.

can also run a pure zerk regen/bomb build that does nice damage and is super-sustainable (while in bomb kit).

Skyzen.8096:

Coldtart.4785:

Menzies The Heretic.3415:

Prediction = skill

Instant casts without animations can’t be predicted. Free dodge baits with WASD

OP has a point

Prediction works because player actions are not random. There is always a reason why any player uses any given move. If you understand why a player does a certain move, you can understand when he will want to do that move.

I play from Australia so me having less than 250ms ping is considered amazing. There are plenty of attacks that should be slow enough to react to that simply aren’t at my latency, but I don’t need the game to tell me what my opponent is about to do. If they don’t match my mindgames, they will tell me what they’re about to do.

I’ve had times when I’ve dodged steal from the same thief 3 times in a row. That isn’t random dodging; I knew he wanted to use steal on me when I pressed dodge. He wasn’t playing on the same level I was and so, to me, his instant cast steal was as easy to see coming as a pve mob’s attack.

^^This. If everyone had a < 50ms ping, the OP’s suggestion might have some merit. However, since that’s not true, the OP’s suggestion gives more of an unfair advantage to those players with low pings than they already have. Those players would be able to see and react to the extended animation, while those with longer pings would not.

agree.

IMO, the greatest strength of this game is the fluid/active combat. this is why i play it over every other MMO (many of whom offer more in other respects). i’m okay with truly “game-changing” skills having a telegraph and/or slight casting time increase, but you have to be REALLY CAREFUL not to go overboard.

good intent…but bad/overpowered ideas. no need to make legendary weapons a higher level of power than normal ascended.

i do like the idea that doing attacks with a legendary would also inflict “visual effects” onto the mob/player you are attacking.

i’m tempted to post the kurt douglas pic meme

disagree w/ OP.

condi-cleanse/condi-transfers/stability/stun breakers/blocks/evades/reflects/swiftness exist for a reason……it’s actually nice to have an occasion to use them in open world PvE. Mad Lab isn’t meant to be solo-ed.

if you hate this, there’s 90% of the open-world that requires none of it. play there.

Olvendred.3027:

So, what you’re saying is that it’s not just a mindless boring farm, it’s a boring farm that can be done mindlessly, but gets more profitable with some organisation.

I still haven’t seen any argument against the “boring farm” part, though.

well, partaking in a large coordinated effort that has a chance of failing is actually not boring to some people. it stimulates any or all of their mind/reflexes/interest…….and if it does so, it is neither “mindless” or “boring”, regardless if its a farm. i personally don’t do it for the farm (there are much better places for that), i do it for fun.

you simply are uninterested in any version of a “farm” and ALL of the events on dry top…………and that’s fine…..but the OP’s post has some value. hapahazard/mindless group play is not the same as a coordinated effort……the latter might appeal to players the former doesn’t. some players might be unaware that seriously coordinated efforts are being done still.

that said, the tiered reward structure is only one aspect of Dry Top. I’d argue its good content because its so varied(lots of different events, multiple scavenger hunts, the entire map can be explored like a jump puzzle, some of the mobs are more challenging/have new mechanics, change in weather effects gameplay, etc)……it offers much more than any other map in the game . if one happens to dislike everything it offers (and thus call it “bad content”), i’m not sure there is any way Anet can please you w/ regards to open
-world content.

i haven’t noticed it with ToT bag drops….and i usually stop when the door event rewards are halved (after about 90 minutes or so)….but i haven’t specifically looked out for it.

tolunart.2095:

Relshdan.6854:

there’s no point worrying/wondering. they won’t get anymore specific than “we’re working on it, and will let you know our plans when things become closer to implementation”.

they won’t ever give you a specific “we’re going to do it” or “we scrapped it”.

best to assume it isn’t going to happen. if it ever does….yippy. :/

Policy is set by management above the employees who interact on the forums. When your boss tells you not to talk about that, you don’t talk about that. If you do, then you get fired and your replacement doesn’t talk about that.

The devs don’t take orders from forum posters.

exactly. i don’t disagree with that at all………just spelling it out to those who still think they will get a specific and concrete answer.

Devata.6589:

Relshdan.6854:

lordkrall.7241:

….The Labyrinth available right now is a rather good way to get rather much money….

this.

it’s rewarding and isn’t rng-based………you get tons of bags (and mats). you get more than enough candy corn to convert them to “cobs” and buy the new items that the halloween vendor sells.

there will always be some level of rng “gambling” in the gem store/game……they need to make RL money (some people get a thrill out of gambling). it’s only lame when that is the way most of the event rewards are earned.

that isn’t the case here. there are plenty of non-rng rewards that are earned by playing the game.

It’s still just grinding for currency.

which has nothing to do with “rng-gambing”….or the thread topic. thanks for nothing.

great vid….props
…and up the irons!

lordkrall.7241:

….The Labyrinth available right now is a rather good way to get rather much money….

this.

it’s rewarding and isn’t rng-based………you get tons of bags (and mats). you get more than enough candy corn to convert them to “cobs” and buy the new items that the halloween vendor sells.

there will always be some level of rng “gambling” in the gem store/game……they need to make RL money (some people get a thrill out of gambling). it’s only lame when that is the way most of the event rewards are earned.

that isn’t the case here. there are plenty of non-rng rewards that are earned by playing the game.

there’s no point worrying/wondering. they won’t get anymore specific than “we’re working on it, and will let you know our plans when things become closer to implementation”.

they won’t ever give you a specific “we’re going to do it” or “we scrapped it”.

best to assume it isn’t going to happen. if it ever does….yippy. :/

i would view an expansion of this game much differently than GW1…..it would simply be an add-on.GW1 expansion were practically new games……..in gW2 they will be more
like add-ons.
a few new zones and a new but much smaller version of a Personal Story, but mainly new weapons/skills/traits and the intro of a new race and class. it’s clear they will not add most of these things in any significant amount in “feature packs”.

i don’t see it as a danger…i see it as a necessity.

cool effect (especially black)…lame implementation (shocker, right?).
should have been an endless potion or at least an infusion for an ascended amulet…what lvl 80 is running around without an ascended ammy considering how easy it is to get?

fellyn.5083:

Vayne.8563:

No matter what’s going on in my life, Christmas always comes on December 25th. Doesn’t matter if there’s a death in the family or a car accident or I got a raise or I fought off muggers. Christmas always comes.

Ever year, Christmas is pretty much the same. Some food. Same traditions. Same stupid family jokes. Every year.

Not sure why you think holiday events would be new every year. That’s said, they could have advanced the storyline. I’m guessing that because it is a story line and because there are probably as many new players as vets right now, they decided to replay it. Just a guess though.

Most games replay holiday events.

What a silly argument to make. It’s a game that we invest in with our money. Not a real holiday event which all mean different things to different people.

And it doesn’t have to be 100% new every year but come on, they reused the exact same title from previous years.

i invest far more time/money in RL holiday than the virtual one in this game.

that said, this year, advancing the bloody prince story would have made sense. that’s really all they had to do. the actual events could stay the same. just add a few new instances to advance the story.

they added pretty cool new rewards and increased the loot table/drop rate for MK labyrinth to the point its the best open-world farm possible (and players seem better/much more informed on how to kill the bosses this year compared to last). its so good, i don’t really even care that much that the content is completely recycled.

lol….i’ll continue to sell mine. i’ve got all i want from the cob vendor.

5+ G per hour in just bags (@5s each).

i know someone trying to sell his/her junk exotics

RoseofGilead.8907:

Relshdan.6854:

the female Hex outfit looks amazing in all abyss due to the sick helmet. well worth the 3 cob IMO.

He already got the outfit.

lol, indeed……….then consider it an advertisement for the coolness of the outfit for those on the fence.

RoseofGilead.8907:

Convert the fangs, skulls, and candy corn to their refined versions.
Save them until the demand for them rises.
Make gold.

and this.
15 characters

the female Hex outfit looks amazing in all abyss dye due to the sick helmet. well worth the 3 cob IMO.

have opened about 2000 and got one endless tonic…nothing more aside from candy wrappers and all the “cobs” i needed.

Glory.1493:

OP is a troll..his ID is xxxx.9562.if he played gw2 for more than 2 years there is no way that 4 digits start with 9….more like less than 3 months

to be fair, i’ve been playing since start of betas and have a 6xxx

Danikat.8537:

I haven’t counted how many I’ve opened but it’s easily over 500 and the best thing I’ve gotten is 1 pillow case and 1 recipe which I’d already unlocked.

No sign of these endless potions, minis, accessories or anything else except festival crafting mats, consumables and luck.

smart thing to do is open the bags until you have enough corn to buy the halloween vendor stuff you want, and then sell them to these guys that want to open “45K”.