Guild Wars 2

Saviourslave.6715:

What is up with that? They are new hair styles added to the game, why would you lock them behind gem-purchases…? I’m sorry, I defend Anet alot lately but this is just nonsense. My fiance and I both opened up one of our char slots just in anticipation of the new hair styles…. now we’re just… dismayed, speechless, and quite disgusted.

This is not a new thing, and it was well to be expected. When the change kits first came into the game, they introduced unique hair colors and eye colors exclusive to those kits (i.e. not in character customization from start).

You also get a free kit -and free Gems- at your 5,000 Achievement point threshold, as well as your 10,000 point threshold.

artsed.9702:

“Just let me pay for expansions if you want my money and stop this sort of things. If I like that I would have gone for a F2P game that also did not charge money for the initial game.”

This is my problem, too. The idea of a “living story” is alright, but the fact that they have to subsidize it in ridiculous ways is just not fun.

As someone who was very excited for the hairstyles, and an avid dungeoner, I’ve never been so hopeful for a patch before but let down so darned hard.

I was planning on buying a hairstyle kit to get one of them on my existing characters; I don’t think I will now, because I don’t really want to support that kind of design.

Wait…the idea of piecemeal content every two weeks for “free” is good to you; but the OPTION of supporting it via purchasing cosmetic/fluff items is somehow ‘wrong’? Please, clarify this position.

I’m very confused on your stance of first saying “I was planning on buying a hairstyle kit to get one of them…….. I don’t think I will now,” . That makes no sense. It’s $3 per kit [if you purchase Gems instead of converting gold], which is so little for something such as a permanent avatar skin change. Compared to other games, which costs ridiculous for these sorts of things (see League of Legends, see WoW)

But as mentioned above, the gold-to-Gem transfer rate allows everything to be purchased in-game. This means that paying $$ is completely optional with supporting the developers.

Also, if they did an expansion with these kind of things, you’d be FORCED to purchase the expansion to get the new hair styles you’re wanting, at a cost of $40-60. And since expansions are bundled content packs, you’d not have the Living Story -or much of any content- for an extended period of time until the Expansion comes out. Now if they do an Expansion on top of the Living Story, then it’s great for the gamers because we’ve had content flows to keep the game fresh while waiting for other content (that we cannot know and is completely speculation on the tight-lipped developers, for good reason because of the hyperbole customer-players).

That’s your opinion. The back items -all obtained in-game (except the ‘plushy’ ones)- are really cool and give variation, instead of everyone wearing the same back piece.

The weapons that they’ve distributed in-game have been really good looking, in my opinion. This is especially true for the new blue weapons from the new path released yesterday. It’s also nice that they made the BL chest skins tradable, thus they’re listed on the trading post for others to obtain as well.

Armor skins that are in the trading post Gem Store are still obtainable through grinding out gold to swap for gems. A set of 800 Gem costing armor is roughly kitten gold, which is reasonable for those. If you don’t have the gold, then there’s the obvious option of paying $10, supporting your hobby’s development team, and getting the set through there.

Izaya.2906:

Anet really needs to force people to read the description when joining.

Adding a confirmation button with the party text/description above it and a 5 second delay before enabling it would probably do the job.

I like that idea very much. An additional confirmation button for the player to view the text of what’s being asked of the group. Very useful.

AntiGw.9367:

Would it help if the tool gave certain privileges to the person that created the listing?

Such as being able to select a dungeon path or story mode without voting.

No, because that doesn’t solve the issue in general, as it’s just a force against others to do something they don’t want to do, based on them joining a group that they didn’t read info about. The problem that prompted the creation of this thread is that people are joining a group for something very specific that they either cannot do or didn’t plan to do (lower levels not able to do level 80 paths/dungeons, and people who are looking for Explorable Mode groups that are joining Story Mode groups for a lack of reading).

This is a public service announcement to anyone and everyone who currently uses the Looking for Group (LFG) system in-game:

• Please read the listing before clicking ‘Join Party/Merge Parties’ .

It would seem that this most recent update -Twilight Assault- has increased the tool’s usage by a large amount. However, many players neglect to read which groups they’re joining. People post “Story Mode” and get 4 people insta-joining for Explorable Mode; a listing for the New Path, lvl80 Only has 60’s, 50’s, and 70’s joining in.

The problem is that these groups have to kick the members that don’t fit into what the group is originally set, so sometimes people’s feelings get hurt by the kick. Another issue is that the group has to once again relist it’s posting and repeat this process two to three times before getting a member that actually fits the criteria that they originally requested.

So, again I ask the simple request from the community to please read the listing prior to joining an LFG party. Thank you.

Xuro.5861:

When a developer starts deleting old content to save time on creating ‘new’ content, you know the game is in trouble.

And you know you’re a troll when you make illogical statements that would make Spock weep.

Q: Where does ArenaNet “save time” in creating a new path, complete with new boss fights, mechanics, designs?

~A: They don’t. Extra time was spent in creating new fights, balancing those fights out. As for new mechanics, such as the ‘steam alarm bot’, that’s also something that would take time coding in, setting pathing, and adding the additional mob spawns that accompany it.

Q: Wouldn’t it be far cheaper, and more time efficient, to just tweak the current path?

~A: Yes, yes it would. It would also be something stale, boring, and unoriginal. Metrics that ArenaNet has used said that the one dungeon path was the least played (in the entire game? Maybe.). So as to get their audience excited, jumpy, and interested in what work they do in the game, ArenaNet opted to do a full fledged makeover. “Scarlett eye for the Sylvari guy.” :P

Q: If A.Net is so “in trouble”, why are they able to do far more updates than any other game on the market?

~A: They’re not in trouble. This is a trollish wish by those who have a grudge against the game for one reason or another. Perhaps they’re fans of another game and don’t want to see another succeed; perhaps GW2 didn’t live up to their very specific, detailed expectations. Whatever the reason, the smell of sour grapes fills the air.

That ends our Q&A for Trolls session. Please stay tuned for another inevitable one to pop up just around the corner. Enjoy your day.

I’d like to first point out that Scarlet’s dialog is a mix of childish taunts and academic whit. You’ll see in the new dungeon that there’s a lot of it mashed together in her security holograms throughout the new Explorable path (instead of waiting, you could just watch the Dev play-through to see).

As for the best dialog in the game, that is clearly Captain Penzan :…

I am the very model of a modern pirate general,
I’ve information magical, mathematical and mineral.
I know the Queens of Kryta and can cite matters historical,
From Bloodstones to the dragon spawn in order categorical.
In fact, I write my washing bills in old Canthan cuneiform.
I’ll tell you every detail sewn on Caudecus’s uniform.
The skills and builds of warfare are essential to my strategy,
You’ll say a better pirate general has never sat-a-gee,
For when you know the habits of the Charr and the Elonians
When you can tell at sight a Kurzick from an Ascalonian,
You’ll know my martial knowledge, quite extensive and still myriad,
Myriad…myriad…myriad…ah!
Has only been updated for the Interregnum period!
But still in matters magical, mathematical, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern pirate general!

P.S. Those that are saying that Scarlett sounds like a 3yr old or 5yr old, I must say this: Maybe she is that old. As a Sylvari, she’s guaranteed to be no older than the age of 25 (First Borns). So, she could be just as young as 5yrs old.

charr for life.1278:

all of the races are getting 6 hairstyles, 3 female, 3 male…except sylvari, their 3 hairstyles are shared between the genders, why did you do this?

As a matter of reproduction, and general social matters, gender doesn’t matter to Sylvari. Most of their hair styles were already shared (mushroom headed females and males). The only reason they have semblance of gender (including non-functioning sexual parts) is because of data gathered from Tyrians by the Pale Tree to reflect as such.

Dark Jericho.8609:

LeifChappelle.4069:

From a design standpoint, we want the Living World updates to change and have an impact on the world. Earlier in the year, Colin gave the example of blowing up a dungeon and replacing it. This is very much that example in action. Because the explorable paths of Twilight Arbor were very similar from a content perspective, we made the decision to create a new path to revitalize one of the existing ones. Forward Up was one of the least played dungeon paths in the game, and was the best candidate for doing something like this.

Ugh. This kind of design is why I quit playing WoW.

Funny, I only remember Cataclysm being the only content changer in WoW. Everything else was content added to content added to content, added to content. It was so much saturation that no matter how many people you had on your server, getting a group for something specific that was ‘old’ was nearly impossible. And even then with Cataclysm, it was 6 or 7 years AFTER the game’s initial launch; so there was a very long time of staleness to the older content that got changed.

I appreciate A.Net’s attempt to do something completely different than static additions that other games do. It’s very refreshing and interesting, enjoyable as well. I do very much hope that Achievements get changed to reflect major content changes if/when they come. Just imagining Ebonhawke being taken over completely by rebells [or Kralkatorrik’s Branded]; the city could become a whole new chain of dynamic events or become it’s own dungeon.

Mad King’s Clocktower was super easy on the “wait time”. It either paced with the completion of the whole thing, or completely reset when everyone on the map failed.

This is fully paced:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMxV_RaThlk

That’s only 3 minutes wait time max. That’s not bad -it’s 20 attempts in an hour, which is a lot more than I can say for Tequatl.

As for instancing it, I’d say “Please, no.” The whole point of an MMORPG is to be a social experience. This is especially the case when it comes to holiday events in-game. Clocktower, much like Winter Wonderland, is more than just a jumping puzzle; it’s a race too. It’s a chance to play with your fellow gamers while also setting a personal goal too.

Meriem.3504:

Mad King holds a torch burning event, the thing you burn is Scarlet tied to a pole, no need for hay or wood even! Just light the torch and watch her scream. The more she screams the more the Mad King laughs!

And then this would end the Scarlett Invasion events entirely. Think about that for just a moment. She’s an intricate part of GW2’s story now, like it or not. I don’t see her dying for a long, long while. She may pull a Harley Quinn to get captured only to escape like 1 day later in some crazy shenanigan thingy.

• - Cutthroat Politics Story and drama that actually included player choice. From the first part of it, which was a diplomatic dialog to start off the election, to the discussed plans on what to do with pirate treasure; each section of the update did a great way of drawing out the candidates’ personalities. An additional reflection was the constant attempt from Gnashblade to “buy” a vote through collected loot. ~Good story. Great quests.

• - Queen’s Jubilee started with a simplistic in-game mail. However, this was a legit use as it was a personalized invitation by Queen Jenna to citizens of Tyria to the opening ceremonies of the Crown Pavilion. That itself brought a great story piece the pulled at emotional strings of some main characters (double against Logan on both his friendship with Rytlock and his ‘relationship’ with Jenna). Truly moving story that also gave hinting ties to the next update’s content through investigation on the incident that was presented. ~Great story/quests.

• -Queen’s Speech/Clockwork Chaos was a swing out of the ballpark. Not only did it start with a blazingly great story section, but it also played into a surprise that (yes, many saw coming) still was a “holy cow!” moment. The story dialog/quest lead into the content through an investigation, which finished in an instanced scaling dungeon. That dungeon -Scarlett’s Funhouse- had story elements on multiple side characters from previous content patches, as well as more story into the main villain behind much of…everything. ~Great story/quests.

• - SAB Back to School (2.0) No story at all, save for the mentioned above genie part at the end. It’s more it’s own world within a box (ha!), thus there’s not much story to be had. I’m sure the events posting this World’s introduction will follow up in World #3’s introduction, concluding in World #4. But just judging this event’s story, it was good at the end, just an in-game mail at the beginning. [~Suggestion: Moto has his holographic tech, why not utilize it when sending a “notification” to players about his product? A small box set in the middle of LA/other cities that can be clicked on and does a personal instanced projection of Moto with an invitation all car commercial style.] ~Okay story (end only). Good content.

• - Tequatl Rising has nearly no story at all. The boss revamp is a great [permanent] addition to the game, but the rest of the elements behind it seemed haphazardly put together. Why are we investigating pieced of the other dragons? Why are the dragons shedding pieces of them if they’re getting more powerful? Why is Rox wondering around a swamp? How come there’s no follow up story behind her presence once the dragon is defeated? There’s so much unanswered here that it feels like she was just thrown in there for familiarity’s sake only. And Braham’s absence isn’t answered either, being that he’s been glued to her side since Flame & Frost (when’s the wedding?). ~Horrible story/quests. Good content.

So, the point of this long flashback thread? There have been some killer awesome story sections along with quite a few of the content updates. But the latest content updates have followed footsteps of some of the more forgettable, horrible story ones.

The update that will be Twilight Attack doesn’t look like it has much going for it at all other than an expected in-game mail from Caithe stating something like “There’s been some mysterious sounds inside the depths of the Twilight Arbor area. Since you’ve helped me defeat my Faoline there, I ask for your assistance once more into investigating these disturbances.” That lacks character, depth, and any sanity. I know that animation costs money when it comes to cutscenes, but there have been different methods of introduction that have been said to be cheaper than previous iterations (Marjory Delacore’s bar scene, for example).

I hope I’m wrong, very, very wrong. But, the update is looking to be story light (outside the actual instanced dungeon and it’s ‘story’).

Will this content update come with a pre-dungeon story/quest to chase down/investigate?

The last two content updates -SAB 2.0 and Tequatl 2.0- both lacked proper story pre-quests that other previous content updates held. I can certainly understand SAB’s excuse in the way it’s designed (that and the whole Genie post-quest made up for it in such an awesome way). Tequatl wasn’t really excusable, as it was just an in-game mail and a few bland text lines with Rox.

To list:

• - Shadows of the Mad King (Halloween 2012) started with a very well implemented investigation quest into the historic background of Mad King Thorn. Although some bugs did interfere with parts of it, those were quickly hammered out. It’s still a matter that it was a great story introduction and elements that pieced together something that other games just slap on all willy-nilly. ~Great story.

• - Lost Shores Ignoring the huge issues with lag, timing, and just the major event itself, the lead up was great. Pieces of the content introduced slowly to build up mystery, as well as new NPC’s with dialog (well before the actual patch). Then when the patch happened, there was another few investigation quests: one into how to defeat the otherwise immune ancient creatures, and the other into who “screwed up” to bring the plague upon Lion’s Arch (thanks, Consortium!). ~Great story/quests.

• - Wintersday (2012) was a bit hit and miss on the story. In-game mail was utilized mostly, as the main feature of the holiday event -Tixx’s Toyshop- was floating around from city to city. Inside the actual dungeon(s), it did a great job of introducing a micro style story to the event. Even the toys scattered around Tyria had a defining canon reason for being there (toys are parachuted out of the flying Toyshop, and these ones went off course and are crazy like the rest). ~Okay story/quests.

• - Flame & Frost had two epic micro story quests that helped introduce the characters of Rox and Braham each. Several personal dialog sections, instanced fight areas equivalent to a personal story chapter, and additional background to main characters already established within the universe. ~Great story/quests.

• - Secrets of Southsun had …no backstory quests. Just an in-game mail from Ellen Kiel telling of some issues within the island of Southsun. The rest consisted of dynamic events and the “dungeon” (if so can be called) of Canach’s Lair. The whole event lacked direction and instead pushed through the 4th Wall with it’s Achievements directing the way mostly, if only. ~Horrible story/quests

• - Dragon Bash was spectacular with it’s story quests, including the murder and following escort chase through the streets of Lion’s Arch. The introduction of Marjory Delaqua added a think layer of delicious icing that was the intricate story woven into this content update. ~Great story/quests.

• - Sky Pirates was more or less the follow up to Dragon Bash with it’s story being melded into Dragon Bash first. That’s where the story started perfectly, then it finished with the prison questioning. ~Good story/quests. Great dungeon

• - Bazaar of the Four Winds had an introductory story dialog with it. The story did follow the previous chapter’s character -Ellen Kiel-. The rest of the event was story light and mostly about the exploration of the Cliffs zone, the Zephyre Sanctum, and the overall use of the Aspects. ~Okay story.

Seven Star Stalker.1740:

This would be amazing, but I don’t expect much from ANet.

Actually, you’re expecting far too much. The flames of the armor retain their orangy-yellow look to keep them relatable to the Citadel of Flame. It was a design decision to make them better associate with the location they came from.

Be mindful that this is a game that designed by A.Net, played by the gamers. Not the other way around.

bhagwad.4281:

One of the things I loved about the original Guild Wars was the ability to play all content without having to bother with other players. I could enter a dungeon, go for a lunch break in the middle, and come back with all my heroes still waiting around. And I could repeat this forever. The play was entirely at my pace and at my discretion.

It also gave me an additional layer of progression. Now that I have my legendary and ascended weapons I have nothing more to do. It would be awesome to have to do this with 4 other NPCs and would keep me around much longer. Just imaging tricking out your heroes with ascended gear – it would take forever!

Of course, in an open world you can’t have players running around with an army of NPCs. But for instanced content, it should surely be possible.

As a side note, I loved the instanced areas of the original GW1 where you got vanquisher titles. In GW2, I find the presence of other players bothersome.

So what do you think, should Anet allow us to have hero NPCs with us?

You’re asking other players -who you find “bothersome”- whether they should agree with your opinion of basically making GW2 a single player game? That’s a hypocritical question stacked upon a hypocritical way of asking; the double hypocrisy!

Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG: Massively MULTIPLAYER Online Role Playing Game. If you don’t like playing a game with other players, then you’re in the completely wrong genre. May want to look into games like Mass Effect, or anything Bioware. Those games are all designed to have NPC agents and almost no player interaction (including SW:TOR).

But, as for GW2, it’ll stay a MMORPG. Tough luck in trying to change it into something it’s not.

SundayTrash.9562:

Its been a while since we heard of him. He’s probably locked up in some cage somewhere. The real question is, will Scarlet break him out and recruit him into her ranks.

I’m thinking he was more or less a pawn used by her to begin with. In the Secretes of Southsun, he was using her tech to get HIS agenda pushed, which was just the downfall of the Consortium (at the very high risk of the refugee population’s health). She -Scarlett- saw this as an opportunity to cause chaos to help unravel the world of Tyria (her ultimate objective for everything).

I’m going to answer the simple question from the OP only:

-No.

GW2 is a solution to the issue of ability bloat that other games have generated over the years. Every time there’s an expansion for WoW, for example, there’s at least 5-10 more abilities added to the already 30+ that someone has on their Skill Bar -that’s excessive bloat. GW2 isn’t the only one taking this step, as Wildstar is too sticking with a minimalist skill bar of having only 9 abilities on it at one time.

But GW2 still has complexity to it’s system. It’s not just 10 abilities, but it’s also the additional ones based on what skills take up your weapon swap – or kit swap- which is an additional 5 skills (15 base). Then you have your F-Key abilities, an additional 3-5 abilities. So, take that into consideration as well.

They answer this in one of their Q&A during a Live Stream some weeks/months ago. And I swear there’s other places they’ve answered it before too. The engine itself is restrictive and there are things they can’t get it to do. This is something that they cannot get to work without dedicating a lot of time and manpower behind it, and even then it’s not guaranteed. So, instead one must just deal with the simple fact that it’s not going to happen any time soon.

Vol.5241:

Giving a preview for new content and the upcoming patch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axLVJfzCe74

Right now it’s streaming, video will be posted later

-more massive world changing events (but of course we know this and it’s said all the time

Thanks for the video share. Although others in this thread are complaining “underwhelming” and “I want more content preview(s)” (entitlement much?), I actually enjoy all the videos from A.Net showing off their game in a public setting. And, this also gives a bit more details on the insight to their Living World process and the game’s design strategy.

Gummy.4278:

Do you find that if anything is suggested, if it resembles anything from another game you automatically shoot the idea down? Don’t want your gaming influenced by Mainstream? Were you attracted to GW by some of the unique features that were displayed in early manifestos?

So one is considered to be a “hipster” to want to play a different game than that of every other game out there being the same game with a different skin? GW2 was promised to be different than other games, and for that it got it’s audience. To want it to adapt features from other games -to become other games- is to ask for it to not be GW2 at all. That is “clonism”, and something you have to accept that you’re absorbed into.

Lucky.9421:

Several top Anet artists posted a lot of sci-fi artwork in the years leading up to their departure for Bungie to work on Destiny, which is sci-fi.

Maybe the artwork from those years has left a lingering affect on the company?

Any proof of the wild accusations you’re asserting here? I’ve yet to year of any artists leaving for Bungie, let alone “several top artists”.

I know for certain that the lady behind the Sylvari art is still with A.Net; proof is the Live Stream she did just a few weeks ago showing the art design for new long-hair models she’s been working on.

Any specifics that you’re referring to? Or is this another stretched lie/speculation to try to make this game look bad?

Redenaz.8631:

How do we know it’s a choice between one reward or the other? Reading the release page, I got more the impression that they’d be earned different ways. Say, perhaps, one for a meta achievement and one for dungeon completion. Did they say it was one or the other someplace else? Am I misreading it?

Siphaed.9235:

P.S. Really wish there was an option to either save Lord Feren, or letting Scarlett cook him. If saved, he could have died tragically a bit later, but it would have added an additional NPC conversation between the player and Logan Thackery. It would have/could have also given potential moral harassment from Scarlett about how the player let him die (purposely via fire or accidently).

But…Faren! I would be incredibly, terribly sad if they killed off that idiot. <3

The problem with giving you the option is that then he couldn’t pop up again later for characters who let him die. If he got a cameo later, like the when he was on the beach or, indeed, captured by Scarlett, either he’d have to be magically alive again (for players who let him die) or situationally replaced by someone else, which isn’t practical.

I’m sorry, but you misunderstood my fantasy of the situation. I’d have liked him to die no matter what, but the moral choice would be how he dies. If a player were to allow Scarlett to cook him, Thackery would have given the player an angry scolding while Scarlett’s letter to the player would have mentioned how their heart is turning cold (or some other moral push). However, if the player were to choose to save Faren from the fire, he’d then die 3 minutes later to…a tree that falls on him? This would in turn give Thackery’s conversation a more solemn “you did the best you could, but not everyone can be saved, he’ll be avenged” kind of conversation; Scarlett’s letter would then be more or less a taunting on how you stopped her roasting this cowardly fellow, but failed to save him from the fate of the Eternal Alchemy (casting a shadow of failure on the player).

Both scenarios mentioned above would have a more emotional impact on the player who’s experiencing them. That emotion would be directly catered to the choice of what the player did at a single crossroad. The outcome of Faren being dead would still be the same either way.

Doggie.3184:

I hope it’s true that it’s permanent. Molten Facility was great and they just had to get ridda it. :s They should bring it back permanent with npc selling full molten armor set for tokens…

Anyways, it’s just a new path and from the looks of it, it’s lvl 80 requirement, like Arah exp mode. It’s about time we get a new dungeon but I guess no token system or a lot of items from it.. yet? If it’s permanent it’ll be waiting for you once you’re 80.

1) Molten weapons are available for tickets right now (although the most costing at 7 tickets each).

2) Molten Weapon Facility is coming back as a Fractal in the next few months (with Aetherblade Retreat and the Thaumanova Reactor)

3) It’s been confirmed many a times that this new path is going to be permanent, but it’s also level 80.

Whether or not they’ll do a level boost for the two-week period celebrating this content is what’s questionable. That’s what they did for Lost Shores, for Fractals, for quite a few content introductions. So it’s very much possible they’ll do it during this content. But then again, being that it’s a permanent addition and we’re over a year old, it’s possible that it’ll stay unboosted.

Soulstar.7812:

She is back in October, she is mad, and this makes me believe she is part of Lunatic Court.

Theories?

Doubtful at all.

HOWEVER, I can see that if/when we eventually ‘defeat’ her -hopefully by death- that she is taken up by Mad King Thorn. This could make her Countess of the Lunatic Court, able to appear along side the Mad King once every year around the time of 31st of October.

There is potential to be had, but right now the realm of reality is separated from the Realm of the Mad King until such the time bares closer to the end of October. Because of this, it’s not possible that Scarlett is of any relation to Mad King Thorn.

Is putting choice of one thing or another in front of the player base such a good idea?

I’m of course talking about the new achievement meta prize that is EITHER the shinny Dr. Frankenstein back item or it’s a mini pet replica of the end boss from the new Twilight Assault wing of TA.

I personally like the idea of choice, but I can also see where it’ll lead to drama and self entitlement. It was assumed that the Cutthroat Politics would have included this kind of ‘moral dilemma’ for the players choose sides, but the system was in infancy at the time. What should have happened was that players should have only been able to get either the Meta supporting Gnashblade or the Meta supporting Kiel; basically rewarding only a single mini to the one they’re supporting… giving more significance to support being done.

That never happened quite like what was wanted. Now here we are with the Twilight Assault on the horizon (ha! pun). As mentioned above, the Meta for the even is said to be a choice between two items. It’s not as dramatic as the supporting vote for an electoral candidate, but it’s still bound to bring the drama. Entitlement will ensue for those felling the “need” to collect both back items and minis alike.

In the future, I do hope that these choices will expand to being more than just “mini or back skin?”. Cutthroat was a missed opportunity for it, but a good viewing point for what potential can bloom into full blown moral impact for players on the story that’s given.

P.S. Really wish there was an option to either save Lord Feren, or letting Scarlett cook him. If saved, he could have died tragically a bit later, but it would have added an additional NPC conversation between the player and Logan Thackery. It would have/could have also given potential moral harassment from Scarlett about how the player let him die (purposely via fire or accidently).

The answer is: NOPE!

See….those are drops, not purchases. So you’ll either have to be lucky for the rare drop, OR you’ll have to purchase off of the Trading Post (assuming their BOE instead of BOP).

milton.1796:

When I first joined the game I picked a Norn Mesmer because I thought it went well in my head and I enjoyed playing it but now fast forward to level 80 I really dislike it…
At the games launch I had no idea what the high tier gear would look and it really doesn’t fit on a female Norn.

I’d buy a race change in a instant if it became available I don’t wish to make a new character as I’ve invested so much in this character..

Does anyone feel the same way?

This has already been asked again and again and again.

The developers have already commented on this question in a Q&A once: No.

Why? Because the amount of work that would be required to go into making such a change wouldn’t be worth the change itself. Their engine might not even have the ability to allow it. You’re talking about changing over an entire personal story, which is tied into the race, changing about conversations that were already had, and many other things. This even includes change to Racial Gear. Again, a big hassle for what boils down to very little of the population itself wanting this feature.

P.S. How could you not know what the "higher tiered armor would look like? Racial gear is in your races capital city, which is reachable at level 2 and right next to your spawn after the introduction area. Lion’s Arch holds the rest of the dungeon sets, and that’s reachable through the portal in your capital city (again, at level 2). It would seem that it’s less about an issue of “didn’t know” and more of an issue of “put no effort into it at all”.

If you want to see your character: log into the game.

If you want to see your characters stat information: log into the game and press “H”.

If you purely want this as a method of viewing other people’s characters, progression, information, and things of that nature to judge a player by arbitrary numbers instead of skill set: log out of the game, uninstall GW2, install WoW, and play that.

Thank you.

kbenton.4915:

snipped

• >>Are you restricted from ANY content within the game for not having Ascended Gear (Fractals 10+ is just a difficultly rank that doesn’t count because 0-9 is still unrestricted and possible)?

• >>Is killing Tequatl required to participate in any other section of the game at all?

The answer to both of the above questions is an emphatic “No!”. 99.9% of GW2 is very casual and possible at a slow, almost snail’s pace. If you left the game in January and came back just today you’d still be able to do all the dungeons in the same gear you had, still participate in sPvP without issue (no gear change there, ever), and still join in on WvW.

Sure in WvW there might be the slight imbalance of the 5-8% that someone with Ascended has over something with Exotics, but that’s moot in the whole being an imbalance on the individual and more about the group/server together (plus, skill is still a factor there).

This thread shows me nothing about GW2 changing it’s casual status. Instead, it’s shown that A.Net has also added additional challenging content for those that enjoy such things; as well as additional character progression options, although completely optional in overall gameplay without being a real requirement.

Butter.3024:

Liadri was an awesome encouter, why remove it? We players want it back and i dont think it can hurt by not removing it

I love Teq, but knowing it will be removed few weeks from now sadden me.

STOP making awesome contents and then dump it into the trash, keep it!

Queen’s Gauntlet is part of the Queen’s Jubilee. It is a celebration meant to represent the strength of the humans against the many problems they’ve overcome in Tyria. It’s an annual event that Queen Jennah plans on having next year (confirmed by devs).

Tequatl’s revamp is a permanent change to the game’s encounter. This just one of the many bosses that were changed too (see Shadow Behemoth, Fire Elemental, Mark II, and so on). The only thing temporary about it is the “Boss Week” achievement set, which is very much able to be completed in the week remaining for the event. The other set of Tequatl achievements -that comes with The Sunless title- are permanent with the boss itself. Enjoy.

NevirSayDie.6235:

New modes will be fun as well, but I don’t think it’s a simple as “Here’s king of the hill guys! Have fun discovering which three professions are best at it!” Nor is it simply a matter of homogenizing all the professions so they’ll all be equally good at it.

It must be taken into consideration that all KotH is essentially, is a Conquest with a single cap point instead of 3. It also rotates that cap point around to different locations, being the same locations that current Conquest points are. So, it definitely fits the scheme and still retains the same type of meta required in the current Conquest.

The one that’ll be really different and really be a ‘wrench tossed in’, will be Team Deathmatch. That itself will push out a lot of builds and marginalize available options. Even some classes might get pushed out of being useful in this mode (expect Thieves to prosper).

Algreg.3629:

those are not races, but species. Real life racism ascribes negative traits to ethnic heritage that are not divided along these ethnic lines. Between species, that is totally different. For all we know, Charr, humans or whatever actually could be really stupid compared to asuran standard.

We do know that they are. Asura are the most intelligent race in all of Tyria. Every time there’s been a threat, there’s been an Asura there to analyze the situation and save the day for those races who just couldn’t comprehend it. Fractals gate was invented by an Asura; Asura Gates…duh, it’s in the name; Tixx’s flying toy factory is Asura tech; the laser used to help defeat Tequatl is also Asura based. So, there you have it.

When will we, the playerbase, get to enjoy these modes that are being worked on by A.Net?

At the exact same time that the October 15th balance notes were leaked -and subsequently confirmed by A.Net- there was also another noted page by the same person within that same leak that mentioned both King of the Hill and Deathmatch are being worked on.

The note mentioned about Deathmatch being on the same maps, but all Capture Points (CP’s) are disabled with PK’s (player kills) counting for far more score than normal.

As for King of the Hill, the note indicated that the mid-CP is set as hill to start, and then it randomly switches to a different CP on the map at different intervals throughout the fight. Also using the current maps.

That is AWESOME! More PvP modes, more fun for the players.

Right now I’m utilizing event mini-games as alternative PvP modes.
Dragon Ball? Sweet! (can’t wait for return)
Crab Toss? So-so, but fun.
Southsun Survivor? Freakin’ awesome!
Sanctum Sprint? Enjoyable Race.
Aspect Arena? Holy fun! (wish will return).
Lunatic Inquisition? Eh, a so-so hide-and-go-seek.
Reaper’s Rumble? Skritt ya! (this MOBA spin-off needs a permanent iteration in-game).
Snowball Mayhem? Very enjoyable!

But although they are styled to be a competitive PvP thing, they’re more or less just for the fun of it. This is especially the case for those that are holiday ones only, and return annually on their respective holidays. I guess it makes sense that they’re not truly competitive PvP either, because all the mentioned above remove class abilities/skills and instead opt for a special mechanic design.

I’m just interested in knowing exactly when we’re going to get the originally mentioned sPvP modes to help bolster the popularity of this section of the game (heck, it might actually make the tournaments more popular too).

It was confirmed to be an annual event to return. Although it’s pretty well assumed that the story parts will change based on the lore of last year’s introduction of Mad King Thorn.

But, I cannot wait for more of this…

Time to rip out my Halloween mix for some more spooktacular good times.

Sarrs.4831:

I thought Scarlet would be getting exposure once every 6 months, not every second month. Does anyone actually like her?

Whether it was known at the time or not, Scarlet has had ‘exposure’ since January of this past year. She’s the mastermind behind the Molten Alliance, the boss of the Aetherblades, and just an all around ‘luring in the shadows’ villain.

Only recently did she actually show her face at the Queen’s Speech. But her name already revealed her from overhearing the conversation between Mai Trin and Horrik (for those that paid attention and listened through the whole thing).

It’s even suspected that Canach’s plants -the ones used to make the Southsun creatures go crazy- were actually a product created by Scarlett. After all, Canach was sporting Molten Gauntlets as an indication of some contact with that group.

Edit: Yes, I like her. She has the kind of sociopathic crazy that is found in Harley Quinn, my favorite super villain of the DC universe. Even her looks are very similar to Quinn’s as well.

It’s odd that they’re doing the reveal so early. Usually they do it the Tuesday mid-way through the previous patch (basically 1 week prior to the content previewed). But here we have them sneaking in screenshots to TeQuatl’s patch on this Tuesday -2 weeks prior- and then this video today on Friday. Just, it’s so odd…

As for the content: “Yay!”? I can’t tell if it’s a totally new dungeon that Scarlett is setting up Caledon Forest, or if she’s taken control of Twilight Arbor and morphed it’s aesthetics to match her own style? That will just have to wait for a see, I’d guess. However, a new dungeon experience is expected, which is great for the PvE crowd.

Sjien.9768:

Caithe, Scarlet, Twilight

That’s all i am going to say

Now let me show you this

New Dungeon

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/fd869Tequatl-screen-02.jpg

New Backpiece “on the left” New Staff “on the right” (Twilight Weapons

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ec916Tequatl-screen-01.jpg

I have pictures of the other Twilight Skins , Mini Caithe and Backpiece dunno if i am allowed to show them to you

You sneaky, sneaky devil. Anyway you could PM me the rest of the info (I’m curious about the Lore canon behind the connection between the Twilight and Scarlet).

I completely figured that Twilight (based on the TA in the subtext of the image name) and Caith (based on the image itself) was going to be in it, but to have Scarlet is just astonishing.

Also, neither of those images match the aesthetics of Aetherblade Retreat or Molten Weapon Facility. That being the case, this must be a new dungeon for players to experience….yet still has Molten Alliance members as well as Aetherblade tech. The blending is maddening! They did this during her (Scarlet) invasions, but those were still separated by phases that they’re summoned to the battlefield. To think that these polar opposite factions could work so closely together under the same roof at the behest of Scarlet is curious to the mind.

P.S. My speculation on the next patch’s name is “Twilight’s Ascent”

Sjien.9768:

Molten Facility and Aetherblade dungeons turned into fractals.

Not likely. Neither of those leaked/data-mined images from Sjien match those locations. Also there’s the consideration that Scarlet was not in either of those events, which Fractals being a ‘slice of time’ would reflect such and not have her there.

Search is your friend: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/wuv/wuv/An-option-to-disable-orb-buff-on-myself/page/2#post2795930 (and don’t even need to search, really, it was on Pg.2).

Short, but sweet answer is “No.”

1st off let me state that I love[d] Super Adventure Box with a passion. The first one had me putting in some nearly 100+hours into it in a single month (insane, I know!). But there are issues with the 2nd world implementation that I just cannot see as enjoyable. So much so, that if repeated in World 3 (W3), it’ll make me just skip that content entirely. So, my feedback…

• -Shortcuts that are real shortcuts: Shortcut Worm is funny, cute, and entertaining for it’s purpose. Shortcut Eagle is obnoxious ‘sting’ in the rear that is better to skip it than use it to skip content in front of you. Boils down to the ability of the shortcut to still have small chance of fail (like the green acid blobs), but not an extreme failure rate (like 1-hit bees that knock you off the bird for instant fail).

• -The looks: One thing that’s great about W1 is that every section of it has a great backgrounds and surrounding colors. W2 lacks that in Z2 particularly. The clouds are blindingly white, and when looking at rainbow bridges (Infantile Mode) from an angle, the colors completely disappear in the blind. A bit more blue would have been much appreciated in this crazily white area. Or, even more hills to have.

• -Jump puzzles = great :: Inch Precision jumps = not-so-great: When there’s a jump like the Lilly pads in W1-Z3, which was hop-hop-hop, those are fun, challenging, and enjoyable. In W2-Z1,Z2, and possibly one or two in Z3, they require that you jump at the right angle, the last second, in a perfect spot…or you fall to your death. Those are not enjoyable. If instead they had more disappearing cloud hops (something Z3 does well towards the middle), it would fit much better for it.

• -Ninjas/Hillbillies/Bears&Bears: Snakes, monkeys, spiders, and frogs make up W1’s main enemies. They’re somewhat simplistic, somewhat not…but they are fun, enjoyable, and possible to master. W2 has ninjas that do random jumps, kicks, and knock players off the very small 3ft size platforms rather often. Hillbillies are an enemy that has that conic damage and immunity. They’re not too shabby, but they’re not great with that immunity either. Bears such as the Smokey-the-Bear mockups are…okay, though their overlapping AoE fields last 2x as long as normal player AOE’s do; the ice bears are the real problem with their claw and throw pushbacks mixed is just killer when right next to a cliff (which is all the time in those areas.

• _-Z1 = 1.5x; Z2 = 2.5x/3x, and Z3 = 2x: _ Those are comparable W2 zone sizes to the previous W1 zone sizes. When they’re that long, it pushes players off. I know the goal was to have 3 zone splits to each world, but if the world set to be that long, it wouldn’t kill it off to introduce a split and have an extra 1 or 2 zones. In W2-Z2, it could have split just after the Mystical Palm ninja boss (yes, that’s a boss!) as a break end that and right after is the start of Z3; that would make the ice section Z4.

• -Unlocks in proper place: I know I’m not the only one irate with how the Torch upgrade was mid-way through W2-Z3, right before it was required (Bog Otter’s rant on GBTV was quite funny). It’s not just that, though. There’s also the nun chuck, which would have made fighting ninjas far easier had it been right at the end of W2-Z1, or the beginning of W2-Z2. They’re in such obscure places that makes it frustrating for players to both obtain and/or use.

Things I liked/loved:

• -Multi-layered pagoda w/ block moving puzzle

• -Pagoda with arrow puzzles and giant moving gong

• -Fish feeding to squid puzzle(s)

• -Mystical Palm ninja boss fight

• -Sucking frogs (no, that’s not a curse against them…it’s the frogs that suck you in and try to eat you)

• -New mechanics to zone end-bosses

• -Racoons (both their zany way of stealing from the Hillbillies and their mafia style boss)

• -Bananas on ice

• -Secrete Rooms

• -Gator rapids

• -Speed planks (used very seldom in W2-Z1 only, then missing the rest of the world)

Well, that’s my idea, thoughts, and feedback. Hope it helps with future SAB development. Again, I love W1 (norm and Trib mode), but W2 is just a headache that I did as minimal as possible.

AncientYs.8613:

so… a chance at getting sunless wings is also permanant? or is that the livingstory mea achievement reward? and what about the mini tequila?

Doubtful. While the actual fight revamp is going to be permanent -just as the Bloodlust in Borderlands- , the achievement list will most likely be a temporary aspect to obtain only during the last two weeks of this month. This is similar on how the Sanctum Sprint, Crab Toss, and Southsun Survivor each has their own achievement lists that were temporary at the time they existed; but when they became rotational games that are a permanent part of the game, those achievements didn’t return but instead new ones were made.

darkace.8925:

On the subject of Stealth and Reveal, I’d actually like to see ALL traps (and Engineer’s Mines) add Revealed when triggered by a Stealthed Thief.

Traps? I’d like to see other abilities do it too. I mean look at Lava Fountain for Elementalist, or the Marks for Necromancer. Thieves have more than enough abilities to close in on their target, hide, run, get full HP, get back in and continuing to stab for 5-7k each, so….ya, a little give for the classes that are all but a squishy sack of flesh would be peaceful.

kurtosis.9526:

Great update, thanks!

Only one request:

JonathanSharp.7094:

Further down the Road

• We’re reworking the combat log to make it more easily used. This will involve help from a ton of departments, but it will help every player in the game. By providing you better combat information, you’ll be able to better make tweaks to your build, and you’ll be able to better adjust your play to deal with difficult encounters.

Please consider making the combat log exportable to some standardized data format like JSON, so we can start building websites for combat log analysis. I think that would be a lot of fun, for both the PvE and PvP/WvW theorycrafters.

Still no DPS meter so the game would remain basically the same – skill and animation based, play the game not the UI. But would give us a chance to go back later and analyze and evaluate our performance and figure out how to improve it.

No! NO! And SKRITT NO!

What it exactly leads to IS a 3rd party website that is made into a DPS meter through that. How so? Elite Group D requests you to upload your combat log to www.dpstrackers4us to see if your “worthy” of joining their Fractal level 20 group. You can only guess what the “D” in that group’s name stands for…..exactly. Understand?

Doesn’t matter if there’s no 3rd party in-game app, because if it’s made accessible through analysis, then that’ll be turned into a website through which it’ll be manipulated. Paranoid? No I’m not paranoid! I’m a realist looking at things in a logical fashion based on history. Remember the whole “unless you learn from it, history always repeats itself”? Well, here’s a lesson learned: Combat log data is a dangerous tool that works against the community.

MasterGeese.4756:

JonathanSharp.7094:

Thief

We’re also looking at shaving the efficiency of Flanking Strike slightly, so that it now only removes 1 boon instead of 2.

Is “shaving the efficiency” a creative euphemism for nerf? Or do you mean reducing the stats across the board, including initiative cost?

It’s not a “euphemism for nerf” because the word nerf itself has been twisted from it’s original meaning.

Do you know what nerf meant as terms of changes in RPG rule sets of old? It was a term used to emphasis a change to an ability so severe that it’s effectiveness was like that of throwing a nerf dart at the enemy.

Ex.

base spell:
Fireball
Does 100 damage per hit with 25 burn per 1sec tick for 5 sec. (basically 225 damage for full effect)
Enemy has 8,000 HP.
Time to defeat enemy is 180sec or 3 minutes.

post-‘nerf’:
Fireball
Does 35 damage per hit with a 15burn per 1sec tick for 3sec (now 80 damage for full effect)
Enemy still has 8,000 HP.
Time to defeat enemy is now 500sec or 8 & 1/3 minutes.

The reduction makes it nearly 1/3rd the original use. Taking a individually fought 3 minute fight and nearly tripling it into an 8 1/3 minute fight would be absurd by any rational.

So back to what I mean when I said it wasn’t a nerf. If something is “too effective”, or basically “OP” as others like to call it, then there has to be some give. Shaving off a single second is by no means a nerf when it comes to trying to balance out something that is superior to everything around it.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Fox Soul.4809:

Creatures that have the influence of a dragon cant suffer the influence of another dragon…

Wrong. Crucible of Eternity proves otherwise.

I don’t get why people believe that dragon minions are immune to other dragons’ corruption when we see three examples proving such a notion wrong, one of which being the infamous Subject Alpha.

@Siphead: Glint broke free of Kralkatorrik’s influence through a powerful spell discoveredby the Forgotten. Without that outside influence, she would have remained a fanatical servant like all other dragon minions, champions or otherwise.

People get the belief based on twofold. First there’s the lost history related to the Elder Dragons’ previous appearances and how they fight against each other for territorial control of Tyria. And the second is the theory related to The Pale Tree being an Elder Dragon with the Slyvari being minions; based on how there’s no Sylvari minions under any Elder Dragon itself, it’s theorized that Elder Dragons cannot effect other Dragon’s minions.

As for your direction to me, reread my post again please. I did mention that Glint was freed via a spell, but postulated that an Elder Dragon’s fall/death could in essence be a “spell break” that would free a Lieutenant from servitude.

Ace.1726:

Surely this can’t be it when they mean raids. Essentially Tequatl is a dps test, nothing like a what a real raid is.

Guild Wars 2 needs more exclusive content, something not everyone can do. Right now there is no reason to be good at your class everything is so easy in the game all you have to do is use zerker gear and auto attack essentially.

MattVisual mentions on GuildCast that Tequatl was what Arenanet meant when they said Guild Wars 2 style raids, I’m hoping he’s wrong but I had an inkling that was the case even before.

Can a dev confirm or deny this? Are Arenanet working on actual raids?

You clearly have a lack of understanding of the fundamental design of GW2. The game is all about inclusivity based on shared mob tagging, individual resource nods, dynamic even quest sharing, and even events that boost player level to 80 to include lower levels in said events. Based on that fundamental design of trying to include everyone in everything, it would be completely counterproductive to that design to include “exclusive content, something not everyone can do”.

That’s not to say that GW2 hasn’t already introduced certain content types that not everyone can do, but that’s parallel to certain content of the same type that is possible to all. I’m of course talking about the Queen’s Gauntlet and SAB Tribulation Mode. However, these are more individual skill challenges that aren’t locked like raids; traditional raids are locked by group size, specific gear, specific specs, time, and many other trivial things that the player has no control over.

Now, I’m going to dispute your claim of “Tequatl is a dps test”, because it’s clear that you have no idea of the new TeQuatl (why do people not watch content before discussing it, such as the PAX Live Stream provided?!). The fight itself includes multiple modes and many elements to it that I’ll try to explain below.

• 1) The first key element is that TeQuatl stacks a type of boon that needs to be removed by the Hylek gun mounts; neglecting to do so will put up bone walls that’ll need destroyed before any damage on TeQuatl can continue.

• 2) The next key element -still related to the Hylek guns- is that TeQuatl drops poison pools around the area near him that need cleaned up. These pools of poison will kill your allies rather quickly if they stand it in, so it’s vital to survival of all those doing the DPS on the creature itself.

• 3) Undead mobs, including vets and normal, spawn in to continually attack the Hylek guns. This means that there has to be defenders to protect the guns from being destroyed or the gunners killed (both negatively effecting #1 and #2 above). This would require healers such as Guardians, Engineers, or possibly Elementalists just to keep the gunners alive.

• 4) Once a certain threshold of HP is reached (75%, I think), the fight will transition to one that is defending 5 different generators from suicide bombing undead. The generators power the massive Asura cannon that’s used to shoot TeQuatl during the fight. Failure to defend the generators results in failed event, so this requires good group coordination instead of clustering.

• 5) During the entire long fight, TeQuatl creates tidal waves that start out small but gradually become immense in size. The first few can be jumped over, but towards the remainder of the fight they cannot be jumped or dodged. Instead players have to pay attention to these and head over to jump pads located near by and time a jump that’ll push them into the sky above the wave as it passes. A requirement of timing and attentiveness to avoid dying.

• 6) At random intervals players will be “sunk” into the swamp below TeQuatl. Normally players cannot drown in this game, but this swamp is poisoned by the Dragon Lieutenant so players can drown here. Swimming as quickly as possible to the top is the only way to resurface back into the fight with the rest of the allies.

I know I might be missing something -possibly something with the fingers?- but that’s the gist of the fight. Oh, and the whole thing is timed. It’s more of a ‘raid’ than many other games raids are. Just because it’s not artificially locking out players, requiring some arbitrary key, or put on a weekly timer doesn’t make it any less of a raid. Inclusivity is key to this game, get used to it.

Think…..Glint (predecessor to The Shatterer)

Dragon Lieutenants are meant to server their respective Elder Dragon, but it’s not always the case. They seem to have much more free-roaming control over themselves and the minions that they help create. In Glint’s case it was a magical spell that brokered her freedom, but it can be assumed that the fall/death of an Elder Dragon [Zhaitan] could have the same effect.

There’s much power in a Lieutenant, roughly 2/3rd that of an Elder is my guess (based on them having intense magic, control&create minions, and general destructive power). So with Zhaitan officially out of the picture [for now], his Lieutenant is able to step in in the consumption of power, control of the undead, and the spread of evil across the Sea of Sorrows.

Glint’s dead body is what’s used by the Zephyrites to keep the Zephrym Sanctum afloat in the skies above Tyria. That’s just the dead body crystals of a Lieutenant to give you an idea of what power they hold.

Have you, Mr. OP, tried opening ports 80, 443, 6112, and 6600? Those ports are all related to connection with GW2’s servers. After I’d opened all these ports, I’ve no longer had issues of a dropped connection from the game (it’s a weird black screen with a “unable to connect to server” error you’re getting, right?)

See, this is what’s called “constructive feedback”. It’s giving precise details to the problem to find a solution to. My solution maybe helpful, but your spontaneous ranting about a very vague disconnect is not so helpful. Just a ‘for-your-information’ for future use. Thank you!

While the Shatterer might get a revamp on a few mechanics, as well as an extension of health, don’t expect as much for the Claws of Jormag. That one is already a lengthened fight with multiple phases, mob spawn additions, and unique enough mechanics with the bomb-carrying golems.

Ace.1726:

Please tell me the revamped Tequatl fight isn’t what Chris Whiteside meant when he said they were working on ‘Guild Wars 2 style raids’.

The dragon revamps are needed but they definitely do not replace instanced raids. Guild Wars 2 needs raids, some difficult instanced content with to provide some sort of progression and overarching goals to work towards in PVE.

Tequatl almost got downed by a bunch of random strangers with unoptimized builds. It will most likely get downed when it first spawns with little to no communication.

Can a dev please confirm whether Tequatl’s revamp was what Chris Whiteside was referring to when he said Guild Wars 2 style raids?

A) Yes, it is indeed GW2’s version of “Raids”. Because it’s much more inclusive than those in other games that lock out fractions of guilds and players alike. Those also cause drama conflicts with community (internally within guilds and externally with pugs and the like).

B) This game needs no “instanced raids”. Besides the reasons given in A, there’s also just the reason that it disconnects from the game’s world. They’re trying to reconnect players with the game’s world with each update they do; this is why much of the Living Story arches have pieces that require trekking into all sorts of zones and areas across Tyria.

C) One of the reasons that Trinity play was off the table for this game was because they were trying to do their own thing. GW2 is about being something different than standard MMO tropes that exist in every other game out there. “Instanced raids set for specific group numbers challenged by coordination for that number (no more, no less)” would be one of the biggest tropes since EQ#1.

TriggerSad.2597:

Uvatha.5476:

Really? I think he looks like a kaiju from Pacific Rim. I can’t wait for Charlie Day to pop out and give us some insightful tips on how to beat this monster.

Fun Fact: ArenaNet held a private screening of Pacific Rim for their employees during the films initial run.
I wonder why they did that…

Because their employees are working their buns off pumping out new content patches every two weeks in an attempt to appease the content-consumption population that MMOs have created in the past 1/2 decade. So, to give back these hard working employees something as special as a private movie screening (yay, no screaming children or obnoxious 20somethings with cell phones!) is kind of the least they could do for one of the hardest working MMO development teams.

Although I honestly thought that Evil Dead is a more “tasteful” movie…>:)

But I would like to see how to get that text font into my PC. It’s pretty sick looking and would make for some interesting movie monster wallpapers. For now, this Official Wallpaper is my desktop.

Natronix.9827:

DevonCarver.5370:

The stat boost, while controversial, is there to give the buff meaning in the context of the general WvW battle. Providing boosts like %WXP, etc. don’t have impact in fights against other sides, they are just a nice bonus for you. The stat boost and the points for finishing players mean that not only do you want to have the buff, but you don’t want your opponents to have it.

But people dont care for things like this! People care for FUN fights, these must be equal or close to it, those that every move make a difference in the out come not some silly extra stats due to more coverage on another map

Are you even slightly aware of sPvP? Because that’s where fights are “equal or close to it”. In WvW from DAY#1 it was never about equality, nor will it ever be. The guy you’re fighting could have a thief buddy come up and backstab you; he could be in all Exotic gear while you’re in all greens; you could be level 80 with Talent Point stats and he could be upscaled from level 10 without any. You see my point, right?

WvW is not about individuals or small groups attempts at ‘even fights’ of 10vs10 or 20vs20 [behind the Windmill, taking up queue space]. WvW is about server participation as a whole, and efforts at a “world war”. Getting the nuke/buff is basically getting a key power to win the war. …..do what you can to stop your enemy for obtaining that power and instead obtain it for yourself.

style.6173:

Personally, I think the bloodlust (horrible name btw since that prefers to power in the game) should do the following:

1. Double wxp gained while the buff is active
2. Double karma gained while the buff is active
3. Double magic find while the buff is active
4. Double points earned while the buff is active

Of those, 4 is really the most exciting. It means that a server that is behind could focus on holding the buff in order to help with a comeback.

A bit hypocritical that people saying that the “Buff will cause snowball effect, just make it effect score only”. You do realize that the “server with larger numbers”, in these theorems made by your side, still get the Bloodlust buff and still stay in far lead with the point doubler. The only reason I can possibly see for your solution is that once again it’s more about GvG and that stats don’t offbalance those ‘special fights behind the Windmill’. Am I right on that assumption?

I can see right through all these arguments and it comes down to ego about what certain players feel they’re entitled to and want the gameplay tailored to their own personal playstyle. That’s not how the game is designed or will be designed. Instead it’ll be designed directly in the way that A.Net wants it to based on their vision of their own game. And If you don’t like it and can’t enjoy it in a fun manner, the only option is to go find something else that may find you fun.