See this post for the dev’s answer:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Refer-A-Friend-is-cool-and-all-but/first#post672763
For those who do not wish to click the link it says that invited friends will be able to play with you during the trial event.
You know all these replies about, “well if you want gear progression, go play those other mmos”. Has it dawned on you guys, that maybe, we actually like this game. Maybe, it just has the right stuff in it, and if only it just had couple more features, that would mean the world to many of us?
Yes if we wanted to go play another mmo we would, but we dont, because we like what we see here. We wouldnt be posting our requests if we hated the game.
Dont view us as your enemy. Everything you love about your GW traditions are there, now just another layer to cater to ones who would like to chase that aspect. Just like some of go chasing your puzzle pieces, your exploring, your wvwvw, your spvp….well theres also the dungeon grinders, and even legendaries.
Anyways agree with OP
The thing is some players do not like a gear treadmill or gear-gated material. While the one new armor tier doesn’t create the gear treadmill, it places the game and the devs on a very slippery slope. And to really do the new dungeon type, you’ll need the ascended gear, meaning you’ll eventually need the gear or you won’t progress.
And those things are either in the game or they are not and there’s no real way to avoid either. So I’m voting no to gear treadmill and gear gated material. Because theone reason I got GW2 was because it did not have those things. So in giving a bone to you, they’ve taken a bone from people like me.
@Wasslein: thin thing is, it’s eventually going to be more than a ring and a back piece. They’re just adding it in slowly.
If by grind you mean do the same few relatively boring things over and over again, then nothing. I got GW2 because I did NOT have to do something over and over again to get my reward.
But if I was given the opportunity to do something challenging or takes a long time to do (that isn’t a grind to do), then I’d want the following:
1. Titles
2. Waypoint fee reduction/removal
3. Mounts if and ONLY if they run at the same speed as those who aren’t on mounts run. They can’t be used in towns or WvW (size issue for towns, rendering for WvW since people already have an issue rendering people in WvW). No flying (reduces challenge of jumping puzzles too much). And not useable in dungeons (size issue again). And no attacking while on a mount.
I’d only want mounts if they were very easy to obtain for even the very very casual players OR gave no advantage whatsoever to a player.
4. Armor/Weapon skins
5. Cash shop items achieved in game. I’d do a very challenging jumping puzzle if I was guaranteed getting cash shop items each time.
But do I want to grind? No. If it’s fun it’s not a grind. At least not in my opinion.
Gear is only needed in the harder parts of the new dungeon.
The main problem is we don’t know what the infusions will do.
A picture of a leaked ascended ring next to an exotic ring with a rune on it showed that the ascended ring was basically stated to be like exotic + rune.
Now, if the infusions slow down Agony related degen, then I’m fine with exotic + rune stats since it reduces the need to grind for an exotic set to WvW in.
Now, if the infusions can give +15 power no matter what you’re attacking, then THAT’s a problem. Because then it will become a major problem for competitive WvW.
And creates a high likelihood of elitism sprouting up when it comes to things like dungeons. Where if you don’t have the ascended gear, you’re either not invited or kicked.
It also puts them on a slippery slope when it comes to a gear treadmill. Which is something ArenaNet has said they wouldn’t implement. So it’s a hit to their image which has been a bit shaky recently.
Now if this is the only tier added in for all of the game, I’m ok.
The problem people are having is they fear that in the future, another tier will be added. Then another. Then another. So on and so forth. Creating a gear treadmill. That’s why people are up in arms. Because it does hint that ANet will create a gear treadmill over the life of the game. Or at least that it’s possible.
Does it mean ANet will? No.
Now before everyone jumps on me, before this tier was announced, there was 0% thought in the playerbase that the game will turn into a gear treadmill. Now that percentage has gone up. And that’s where it hurts ANet.
A percentage of people who think the game will turn into a gear treadmill will quit. Reducing cash shop purchases as some of them will be those who did use the cash shop to some degree.
It also hurts new sales as now no one really knows if the game is still no gear treadmill. Will this be the only tier added? Or is this just a sign of things to come?
While I’m on the fence on whether or not the game will turn into a gear treadmill, I hope those who are quitting over it either get through to ANet and they change their mind on the gear treadmill or that those who quit due to it are wrong in their assumption. Because the no gear treadmill was a positive thing about GW2.
No idea, I hope my question a bit up is answered. I really don’t want to post yet another thread on this topic when the forum is already flooded with topics related to this or patch related stuff.
What about server space? What is the point in inviting friends when I can’t even get my friends who currently play to come to my server because it is always FULL?
ANet has said in at least one other post, that invited friends will be able to play on your server.
Source: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Refer-A-Friend-is-cool-and-all-but/first#post672763
Eladrial is correct. Your friends will be able to start playing on November 15 (this Thursday) at 0900 Pacific time (that’s 1800 CET for those of you in Europe) and will be able to play until the event ends on Sunday evening (I believe this spills into the 19th for Europe). If they wish to continue playing after this time, they can buy a full copy of Guild Wars 2 and continue the progress they made during the weekend by applying the new game key to the existing account.
So if a friend of mine that invited plays now (she’s already made an account and downloaded the client). Does not upgrade this weekend and instead upgrades shortly after Christmas due to current lack of funds. Would she be able to apply her new game key to her existing account and keep any characters and progress she makes this weekend?
I can give a definite answer 2: I invited a friend earlier and she’s already downloaded the client.
As for 3: ANet has said in another post that your friends will be able to play on your server. I hope this is the case or if not, that guesting has been turned on. Like you, my server tends to be full.
Anet will probably look at the common times people are on for each individual one time event they do.
I’ll miss the kick off event on Friday as well as a fair amount on Saturday. I won’t know about the final event until later this week. However, if my schedule for next week is like this week (and this week’s is like last week’s so it’s not out of the question), I’ll be able to do it.
Will I be sad if I can’t do it? Yes. Angry at Anet for it? No. They can’t have it at a time that will please everyone and not weaken the whole one time event feeling.
Do I hope they choose a different day/time for things? Yea. But that depends on the population shifting when it gets online. And that will change over time.
Same goes for the new dungeon
Wait, are we talking about the new, permanent multi-stage dungeon? If so, I don’t think this is a good idea at all. By sheer nature it would be easier to grind levels than in the general world, and also likely more efficient. I do think there is a serious risk that this alone could lead to even more depopulated low- and midlevel maps.
I think it’s for the weekend event only. Probably so that those on trial accounts can get a taste of dungeons if they want to. Since the free trial period does overlap onto the one time only event.
Servers show up full 24/7 because it’s based on the number of accounts linked to that server, not the number of players online.
I doubt that. My server floats regularly between high and full during the day.
Well, I believe I’ve heard that the caps can be adjusted as needed on the fly. So there could be some of that happening. Then there’s people transferring to other servers, new people getting the game, etc.