Guild Wars 2

We’ve got one on GoM, but I haven’t seen him around since shortly before season 1. He was mostly a PvEr, though, so that may be why.

Your math would need to be even higher since neither Laurels nor WvW Ranks existed at launch.

Aberrant.6749:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

That said, I’d hate to see a scoring handicap because that’s just lame and takes away the satisfaction for those who enjoy fighting hard. However, creating a dynamic population cap per map that prevented any server from fielding 10-20 players more than the other servers at any given time… I’d see that as a pretty fair setup. In the past it couldn’t be done because T1 players would complain about having to sit in a queue, but luckily EOTM is here to fix that.

Then what happens when one server just doesn’t show up in WvW? You can only have 30 players play? That reeks of potential abuse. Better way is to allow as many as you want on a map, but change the scoring to be based on a ratio of the number of players involved on each server with a minimum for holding each objective. That way it scales, but if your server doesn’t show up it can’t just shut down everything.

Doesn’t really matter though. A-net wants all of that sweet sweet transfer cash it seems… and kitten the long term health of WvW.

My suggestion was per map, so that would still be 80+ total players if both servers decided to troll. Besides, exactly how many people do you think we have down here in the lower tiers? Pulling everyone out of all other maps (including EB) to help with emergency borderland defense usually nets us an army of maybe 30-40. And that’s a pretty generous figure assuming it’s primetime.

Cuddlepie.8109:

Gatharin.2674:

As for punishing the large servers, the beauty of a handicap system is that it isnt punishing larger servers for their coverage, nor is it rewarding small servers for their lack of said numbers.

A non-penalising handicap?

No such thing.

If people think that servers like JQ and BQ just turn up and win, then they don’t don’t get the sustained and significant effort that goes into recruiting, organising, managing, training and maintaining those numbers and coverage. Not to mention coordinating and managing the WvW guilds that form their core.

It’s this effort that lays the foundation for WvW success and – in a positive feedback loop – attracts bandwagoners.

I actually this proposal as symptomatic of the attitude that produces noncompetitive servers. Rather make the effort to recruit, organise, and – if necessary for a competitive WvW experience – move, there is a call to ‘handicap’ those who do.

I see it as, essentially, WvW welfare.

I’m sure every server has their share of players who play hard and put in a ton of effort (and I certainly don’t want to discredit their efforts), but if you think it’s solely your supposed amazeballs recruiting prowess that keeps you at the top, you’re sadly mistaken.

You have a game mode that uses a scoring system heavily reliant on population and coverage. You have a reward system that’s based on server ranking with only a minor amount of participation actually required to “earn” said rewards. And to top it all off, you have a transfer system that somehow assigns the same exact cost to transfer for T8 servers that T1 servers have. Naturally, people will choose the route of minimal effort and maximum rewards by stacking servers that are already at or near the top of the rankings. Zero recruiting is required for any of that. I’ll concede that managing all of those people and maintaining healthy morale requires some noteworthy effort, but that still doesn’t change the fact that easiest way to get handouts (or “WvW Welfare,” as you call it) is to simply transfer up.

That said, I’d hate to see a scoring handicap because that’s just lame and takes away the satisfaction for those who enjoy fighting hard. However, creating a dynamic population cap per map that prevented any server from fielding 10-20 players more than the other servers at any given time… I’d see that as a pretty fair setup. In the past it couldn’t be done because T1 players would complain about having to sit in a queue, but luckily EOTM is here to fix that.

K U T M.4539:

Viking Jorun.5413:

I mean, Taquito’s not a bad thief, but don’t go around screaming OP because of one skilled guy who happens to be one of the only thieves able to manage through P/P and make it work. You and your friend have some serious learning to do if you let a P/P thief nearly take you down. Time his burst. Let him burn through death shroud – that’s what it’s there for.

Might want to run if he pulls out the fireworks tho.

I can’t anymore. Anet nerfed fireworks.

morrolan.9608:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

morrolan.9608:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

You’re assuming that there will be enough tokens for every participant to get a decent reward. I can EASILY foresee this system being something like one ascended trinket will be worth maybe 12 tokens, but participants on low tier servers might only get 4-5 tokens by the end of the whole tournament due to their placement.

The announcement doesn’t mention anything about winning servers getting more tokens. It only talks about rewards for getting the meta achievement.

“All players who complete the meta achievement will receive a set number of tournament tickets based on world placement which can be exchanged at a vendor once the tournament has completed for a variety of items.”

Source: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/wvw-spring-2014-tournament/

My apologies I got that wrong I didn’t pick that part up. It does indeed suck given that the tournament is decided purely on coverage. Some sort of handicapping system is definitely required for this.

No problem.
Those of us here on lower tier servers tend to fret a bit more over those small details because each dev post usually means more reasons for our dwindling number of friends to pack up and head for the greener pastures of T1.

morrolan.9608:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

You’re assuming that there will be enough tokens for every participant to get a decent reward. I can EASILY foresee this system being something like one ascended trinket will be worth maybe 12 tokens, but participants on low tier servers might only get 4-5 tokens by the end of the whole tournament due to their placement.

The announcement doesn’t mention anything about winning servers getting more tokens. It only talks about rewards for getting the meta achievement.

“All players who complete the meta achievement will receive a set number of tournament tickets based on world placement which can be exchanged at a vendor once the tournament has completed for a variety of items.”

Source: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/wvw-spring-2014-tournament/

Meglobob.8620:

You get to choose your own rewards this time from a vendor.

You have ‘tokens’ to spend.

Honestly, it sounds like the rewards are going to be good this time around.

2 lots of unique to WvW weapon skins.
Ascended materials.
Ascended trinkets.

You’re assuming that there will be enough tokens for every participant to get a decent reward. I can EASILY foresee this system being something like one ascended trinket will be worth maybe 12 tokens, but participants on low tier servers might only get 4-5 tokens by the end of the whole tournament due to their placement.

Another season, another chance to post this proposal up again:
http://youtu.be/qHcO6Xo8eJ8

I’m glad EOTM borrowed a couple of ideas from this, but things could be so much better.

Hmm, looks like we’re going to see some wildly blown-out matchups unless there’s some provisions in place to modify the Swiss structure.

Just for fun, using this week’s scoring as an example, you could potentially see a Week 2 matchup between Jade Quarry, Eredon Terrace, and Sorrow’s Furnace since all three servers would have a 1-0 record. HOW FUN WOULD THAT BE?

Poison to reduce their healing and a TON of blinds.

Zylonite.5913:

WvW needs one thing. Way point to commander tag from anywhere for 1 gold.

Hell no.
A large part of dealing with enemy zergs is cutting off their reinforcements.

So, is Grouch gone already? We’re going through these community coordinators pretty quickly these days.

#VoteTaquitoNextCC2014

Torment is fine and does a healthy amount of damage. The only thing that’s needed is for certain cleansing skills to be updated to include a torment cleanse. Many of the cleanse skills are outdated/under-powered because they were “balanced” around having less conditions in the game.

Dee Jay.2460:

Sounds lame enough to be true.

Although I did laugh out loudly when reading it at first, picturing us laying the trap near a cliffside and launching enemy players off it.

For visual reference:
http://youtu.be/Gq_bjaI0NTo

style.6173:

This are fake. Someone at ANET would be crazy to even consider it.

Every time we think one of these leaked pastebin things is way too dumb to possibly be real, it usually ends up being legit. ._.

Dagins.5163:

@TeamBattleAxe
Going for 30 DA is a waste for you, while it passively gives about 22% damage increase, and makes your unload(s) impossible to dodge under 50% hp? This combined with 30 CS is perfect for ambushes, which are quite easy to set up in sPvP environment, especially with shadow trap. Most people die before you even need to kite them, so the biggest pp’s weakness is taken away if played properly.

Ricochet is a waste, because even with this trait your AoE will be laughable and inferior to shortbow. Bullets from ricochet can’t hit the same target twice, like trick shot.

I wouldn’t run Ricochet in sPvP. I like it in WvW, but it depends too heavily on getting your enemies clustered to be worthwhile in small-scale fights. That said, it’s actually pretty effective against mesmers and minion masters, so I guess it can be a situational pick depending on enemy team comp.

As for DA, I don’t like going 30 in deadly arts. My damage is plenty high enough without it, and I’d much prefer having a trait like Pain Response over Panic Strike since I’m stealthless and don’t really have much in the ways of condi removal. Personal preference, though.

Lamuness.3570:

So should I be taking Panic Strike over Ricochet? What do you guys think? I feel like rico is better for zerging whereas panic is better for more 1v1ish type.

Panic Strike is kind of a waste, in my opinion. It’s got a 30 sec cooldown and there’s not much else in that trait line I like besides Mug. If you want an immobilize, your #2 shot is decent enough. I just wish the duration were 2 seconds or the skill cost less initiative, but it’s still way better than it used to be.

Ricochet is good in groups. I hated it at first, but it’s grown on me. With some tinkering, you can trait for it without losing too much of your damage.

Viking Jorun.5413:

Peow peow.2189:

pp without haste, just silly :P

This is somewhat true. The only time I’ve ever found moderate success with P/P in PvP was when running a zerk amulet/jewel, X/30/X/15+/X, and Haste. With it, you can spam 2 unloads in quick succession and literally down a necro at the start of the team fight. The issue where it falls short lies in being out of the team fight, so while Taquito may find success in WvW roaming with P/P, I can’t imagine attempting to do so with its fragility in PvP.

P/P doesn’t work all that well in sPvP because it relies so heavily on kiting. If you’re going to play it in solo/team queue, the build is best suited to sweeping between points and harassing players. Your damage output is too high to ignore and you can play cat and mouse with them all day, but you won’t have enough sustain to actually fight on point. At best, you’ll be there to burn up as many of your opponents’ cooldowns/heals/health as possible before they reach point.

That’s one of the main reasons I hate sPvP. There’s really not much room for mobility when the mode rewards you for bunkering up and sitting in a circle. Now, if contesting a node stopped its scoring output, this build would be pretty darn good.

Yamsandjams.3267:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

Gunslingers don’t use stealth. :P

I imagined that being said by the guy who does “winners don’t use drugs”.

xD

http://youtu.be/_c5xTOg0gV4

See what you’ve done, Anet?
Even people who roleplay as Dr. Who characters are laughing at me.

Restore the rightful order of things! #FixFireworks2014

ryan.6217:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

I love seeing other people give gunslinger builds a try. It’s a very fast, reflexive combat style

Taking a (back)stab int he dark here, but did you play sPvP in the betas? I did, and honestly I’d laugh if i saw a thief not using S/P P/P!

Nope, I wasn’t in the beta events. I got the game shortly after launch and played a hammer/greatsword warrior for the first few months (warning: super old video). Rolled a thief a few weeks later, fell in love with pistols, and haven’t looked back since.

I remember S/P builds being insanely powerful at the beginning, and I also seem to recall it got nerfed pretty quickly. There was also that quickness-based pistol build Viking mentioned (I remember the video tutorial of that build edit: FOUND IT!), but that lasted only like a week or two before people went to daggers.

Anet plea……

I GOT NERFED!

I love seeing other people give gunslinger builds a try. It’s a very fast, reflexive combat style, but can be quite challenging to pull off. That’s what makes it rewarding and fun to play, though.

Here are the builds I use:

Solo roaming:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQRAqa4alYmiOncS7E/5Ex2Dg+TeqVgmdP4q81KA-jECBYfDiO1sIas1MFRjVtAT5iIq2aWIygO1eDYSBY1YA-w

Group roaming:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQRAqa4alYmiOncS7E+5Ex2Dg+Te6pgsitTBXlPA-jECBYfDiO1sIas1MFRjVtAT5iIq2aWIygO1eDYSBY1YA-w

Same gear setup for both. Solo build has more sustain (through Mug healing and Assassin’s Reward) while the group build brings in Ricochet and Thrill of the Crime to spread the damage and beef up allies. I didn’t list any sigils because I’m usually carrying around 10 pistols or so at all times with different sigils that I use depending on situation and mood. My most used sigils are probably Generosity, Fire, and Energy.

If you’ve got any questions, hit me up here or in-game and I’ll be glad to help.

Rangers are the best class in the game for rallying enemy players.

Gunslingers don’t use stealth. :P

TogoChubb.3984:

I’m not even in this matchup but I really do miss all you guys! The days of DH – NSP – Big Bro – with a little bit of El Taquito to boot……Love ya!

TBAxe we need some fireworks and popcorn, trust me I’m not leaving this thread till it’s closed….Too much entertainment to be had.

What server did you move to? I noticed a serious lack of [PD] last time we fought DH. :/

[Yarr] is a zerg guild now, and that makes me sad.
I’ll always remember the times we shared at north camp. <3

All-chat exists in sPvP, and GW2 already has built-in blocking/reporting functions if you don’t like what other people have to say. Plus, you can configure your chat window to include/exclude any type of /chat.

There’s no valid reason to keep everyone anonymous or silent to each other in WvW.

This new map could be fun.

All I really think needs to be done is to remove the ability to rez defeated (not downed) players while in combat. Not only would this allow smart play to whittle down larger numbers, but it would also remove some of the clutter on the battlefield since rezzing and spiking unfortunately share the same keybind.

However, I’d LOVE to try out that spike → rally idea. It would definitely be worth at least testing before making a decision on it.

Flame rams don’t have wheels… they actually LEVITATE. We should be able to push them around like air hockey discs.

Coincidentally, this could lead to a fun new mini-game for whenever asuraball isn’t in season.

Ragnar.4257:

If you only play WvW, it’s easy to forget just how many people there are getting absurdly excited about the LS plot. Anyone remember the PAXA Dev Stream in the summer? There was like an hour of discussion about “character development” BS, then Devon had about 30 seconds to announce WvW Leagues, and the entire audience looked uninterested, they were like “Yeah, thats great, thanks Devon. Now back for another hour of talking about the lore behind the different Charr legions”.

TIL there are different Charr legions.

I didn’t care much for that guy either, but witch hunting is counter-productive. We finally have a line of communication open. Don’t waste that opportunity by being crass.

Give Grouch a clean slate to work with and maybe we won’t scare him off.

Realist.5812:

Josh Davis.6015:

In case you’re wondering what I want for Valentine’s Day: I like lists, break-downs, and bullet points.

Everyone loves a good breakdown, here’s a band full of them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf9vAq0PJEI

I like you.

I really wish invasions could exist.

Cap an enemy’s EB keep to gain entry into that server’s Lion’s Arch and PvE maps, but marked as an invader. Rounding up an army and smashing into a server-wide Tequatl event would be epic beyond words. Then stick around to camp their dungeons and hunt players in the leveling areas until that server decides to band together and push us back to our home world.

That’s my ideal PvP encounter. It would also make for one hell of a Living Story.

Ynot.8397:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

Reverence.6915:

Darek.1836:

No I never play for PPT. But its nice to know everyone is making a difference. Fights suck btw, transfer to NSP, Belle, we get matched with them every week!

Wait, you don’t play for PPT, but fights suck?

Anyway, the best is to play a hybrid of both PPT and fights. You can get good fights by hitting structures and luring your enemy server out to play. Or you can force fights by bashing down gates/walls and force them to defend, or on the other side, defending a structure is a hell of a fight as well.

It depends on the servers you play against. Down here in the lowers, there’s less people to go around, so each server tends to develop a stronger “personality” (for lack of a better word) than in the upper tiers where you have enough players to fulfill all types of play.

For example, the current matchup: GoM/AR/FC. Anvil Rock doesn’t really care much for PPT, but loves to paper things up. Shortly after primetime each night, they will happily give up their own borderland to run around and knock out enemy garrisons because they find it fun.

FC’s particular flavor is their small groups. While their zerg is running around, small groups of Ferglings will set up shop in high-traffic areas and just pick fights regardless of score. One group, in particular, loves to cap north camp, drop a box o’ fun, and treb the enemy citadel until people come out to play. And if you fight them long enough, everyone eventually turns into moose (meese?) and starts running around.

Down here, you tend to get to know your enemies a bit better because… well, there’s less of them. Aside from the grand-scale fights that happen during a 2-3 hour window in primetime each night, WvW pretty much shuts down and the borderlands become giant playgrounds. That bizarre randomness that happens during the off-peak hours, not the scoreboard, is what makes some servers much more fun to play against than others.

And taco never comes to play anymore. Never ever.

Well, I certainly can’t livestream anymore because you guys are jerks. :P

I think we can all agree that this subforum, and probaby several others, would benefit greatly from an increased number of red posts (of the non-moderator variety). Even if those posts are just words and no promise of action, it at least shows that the devs are interesting in what’s going on with their game. Currently, it feels like the development path for WvW is this big silent conveyor belt of random crap they cook up and ship out with seemingly very little testing or forethought. Obviously, there’s more work going into than that, but this is the vibe we’re subjected to and reality for those that don’t look past that impression.

A different game I play (which I won’t name because I can already feel the infraction hammer looming over this post) is the polar opposite of ANet when it comes to dev interaction. They open threads regularly looking for feedback and ideas, release balance patches on a weekly basis (sometimes even if to just “fiddle with the numbers” and try new things), post concept art for future premium content (read: skins) with polls for the players to vote on, host two different 24/7 twitch livestreams featuring both devs and community members to showcase everything from tournament play to patch note discussions… hell, they even have their own web-based sitcom.

All of this is done without even having an official forum.

Do people still complain in that game? Absolutely. But at least everyone knows that the dev crew is just as involved and loves playing the game as much as the players do. That leads to better two-way communication and a much better user experience all around.

Reverence.6915:

Darek.1836:

No I never play for PPT. But its nice to know everyone is making a difference. Fights suck btw, transfer to NSP, Belle, we get matched with them every week!

Wait, you don’t play for PPT, but fights suck?

Anyway, the best is to play a hybrid of both PPT and fights. You can get good fights by hitting structures and luring your enemy server out to play. Or you can force fights by bashing down gates/walls and force them to defend, or on the other side, defending a structure is a hell of a fight as well.

It depends on the servers you play against. Down here in the lowers, there’s less people to go around, so each server tends to develop a stronger “personality” (for lack of a better word) than in the upper tiers where you have enough players to fulfill all types of play.

For example, the current matchup: GoM/AR/FC. Anvil Rock doesn’t really care much for PPT, but loves to paper things up. Shortly after primetime each night, they will happily give up their own borderland to run around and knock out enemy garrisons because they find it fun.

FC’s particular flavor is their small groups. While their zerg is running around, small groups of Ferglings will set up shop in high-traffic areas and just pick fights regardless of score. One group, in particular, loves to cap north camp, drop a box o’ fun, and treb the enemy citadel until people come out to play. And if you fight them long enough, everyone eventually turns into moose (meese?) and starts running around.

Down here, you tend to get to know your enemies a bit better because… well, there’s less of them. Aside from the grand-scale fights that happen during a 2-3 hour window in primetime each night, WvW pretty much shuts down and the borderlands become giant playgrounds. That bizarre randomness that happens during the off-peak hours, not the scoreboard, is what makes some servers much more fun to play against than others.

dat zergling hype tho

Shadey Dancer.2907:

TeamBattleAxe.3901:

Bug since launch. Nothing to see here.

And if its not brought to the attention of the great and mighty it gets forgotten about, thinking everything in the garden is rosey>>

Oh, I’m not saying it shouldn’t be brought up or reported. I just wouldn’t suggest holding your breath while waiting for a fix.

Bug since launch. Nothing to see here.

I’m impressed. They managed to find a way to make this game even LESS esports-viable than it was before.

Passive gameplay, for the win.

Tricare.2946:

This better get deleted and a 4 point infraction.

4 points? Mentioning the word “matchup” in a thread title is usually worth at least a touchdown.

This matchup thread is hurting my fragile feelings. I can’t simply sit around and watch people be so vile and rude to each other. These forums must be purged and kept pure!

Terror necros on flame rams is pretty fun, too.

sephiroth.4217:

Plain and simple from my days on Gates Of Madness:

“ARM”

We still do this on a daily basis. xD

Trigun <3

Wait… we can talk about matchups again?