Guild Wars 2

Justin ODell.9517:

I’ve mentioned in previous threads that I plan on including additional information like profession, play style, etc., when forming matches. When I get further along with what I’m currently working on we will put out a blog post and start a discussion about the details of matchmaking.

There are also several threads talking about how to handle the 4v5 problem. Personally, I like the idea of both filling empty positions from the queue, and not recording the game as a loss if your team had fewer players for a significant amount of time. I don’t know yet if we want to include this topic in the matchmaking discussion or if it would be better as it’s own thread.

We are also discussing ideas on how to better introduce new players to solo and team arena that won’t ruin the experience for other players.

Justin,

There are a lot of inexperienced players and lack of coordination on these teams. I’d like to offer a suggestion that has proven to be very effective in other games.

Assign a team leader for each team. That leader can push on-screen messages (i.e. overlay on-screen and not in chat box) to provide direction for the team.

How this works: if you are familiar with ‘raid leaders’ in WoW, it works exactly like that. The lead can use raid warnings to communicate important messages to the team. The lead can also hand over the reigns to someone else.

This can be a very effective method of helping pull together a team as well act as a hands-on teaching tool for new players.

As far as who gets assigned the raid lead: just give it to the player with highest rank. He/she may not be the ‘best’ person to get the lead hat, but odds are that a high ranking person will, at the very least, know when they should hand the lead over to someone else (and know how to).

Ran into another in solo – went up against 4xNecros. No pick-up group can overcome that much condition cheese. A coordinated group with a good team comp, yes, but this is solo queue.

No, engies have access to wayy too many boons way too often and condi immunity.

They’re like the opposite of necromancers – they can spam boons nonstop

I’d release balance patches every two weeks.

And I’d properly staff the PvP development and balance teams.

Care to share what those instabilities are?

Dagins.5163:

Romek.4201:

this map is clearly broken and not to remove it from soloQ is just an insult

The only thing which is really broken and an insult are players like you, who give up at the very beginning of a tournament (even 5vs5, making it 4vs5) and afk for the entire match.

Yes, I actually remember your nickname. That was on Skyhammer.

PS: Skyhammer is fine.

Honestly I can’t blame the guy. It’s one of the worst maps in any pvp game.
ever.

Please for the love of GOD – get rid of Skyhammer!!

!

Put more tools into custom arenas:
Turn nodes on/off
Change point rewards
Change gravity
Add/remove buffs and conditions
Mapvote
Randomize weapons/traits
Change skyhammer damage
Profession limits
Disable/enable weapons/gear
Enable costume brawl
Place in game weapons (e.g. Deathmatch plankfight)

Marcos.3690:

Make your own list. With all the possible responses I’d love to make a poll.

Here is my list:

- New game modes: deathmatch & GvG

Small scale deathmatch would be even harder to balance than capture point.

Change the end-of-game screen to rank players based upon the rank points/glory awarded, and not their ‘personal score’. Remove the red/blue sides of the screen and replace it with a singular table of all the players, color coded by team.

This will enforce the idea that solo contribution matters little if you dont help your team win.

Idea:

Change the end-of-match summary screen from a blue/red scoring of points to a singular table, sorted by rank points/glory awarded. Color code players based upon which team they were on.

This will have the effect of enforcing into players that, no matter how good their personal score, when their team loses they do not finish ‘first’.

ArenaNet held their launch date for GW2 very close to their chest, knowing full well that once WoW got wind of the date, they would time their release of MoP to coincide with the GW2 release.

This is the game MMO’s play: they try to time their releases to retain as many subscribers as possible and disrupt competitor’s launches.

We now know that Elder Scrolls Online is planning a Spring 2014 launch.

What I want am curious is what GW2 will release to coincide with the launch of ESO?

ANet clearly won’t say until much later (probably end of December or January). What do you think?

clint.5681:

Thedenofsin.7340:

clint.5681:

This is literally complaining that some classes can take advantage of certain rune sets better than others so they want it nerfed. If the devs listened to you everything would be nerfed into the ground like thief/ele/ranger

This is literally completely inaccurate.

Reread the thread, that is basically what most of the complaints have been about, that and the fact that people think thieves and certain classes shouldn’t have access to stability.

Reread the OP. That’s not what this thread is about.

clint.5681:

This is literally complaining that some classes can take advantage of certain rune sets better than others so they want it nerfed. If the devs listened to you everything would be nerfed into the ground like thief/ele/ranger

This is literally completely inaccurate.

I disagree. The mechanic of condition application isn’t really an issue. In fact, it’s basically the same in every MMO.

Conditions in GW2 suffer from 2 fundamental problems:

1. everything is a condition
2. conditions are easily accessible for all builds

In GW2 is that movement impairing abilities, DoTs, healing reduction and some lockdown/counterattack abilities all fall under the singular blanket of ‘Condition’.
These conditions are all different and have varying impact upon a particular profession/spec. However, many condition removal abilities do not differentiate between conditions.

Secondly, there are many, many abilities and traits in the game which have a secondary mechanic of applying a condition a side-effect. These conditions are usually somewhat short-lived. However, the cumulative effect can be substantial.

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

Zenith.7301:

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

it was 10 seconds before they changed it to 5 seconds right?

i remember it was 10 seconds all boons and not 5 seconds.

Used to be, yes.

so perhaps, could we say, that,

it was a bit overpowered in the past, with all boons at 10 seconds,
but now it is somewhat balanced, with all boons at 5 seconds.

yes?

No, we could say that it was overpowered and continues to be overpowered.

Let out the Bloody Prince; throw Scarlet in the box!

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

if the rewards are attractive enough for PvE players to come over, i think they would make good target practice for our sPvP players.

They would also be your teammates….

I log in solo and go up against triple warrior + guardian + engineer?
When are you going to fix the matchmaking??

tetrodoxin.2134:

Agree that it is overpowered, talking about the (6) effect of course. I’d like to see a change like this:

(6) When you use an elite skill, lose all conditions. For every condition, gain one random boon for 5 seconds. (60s Cooldown… maybe even 90s)

Still a good panic-button for condi spikes, but not nearly as OP with low-recharge elites, and it would get more situational, just like all the other runes. I know that the last thing this game needs is more random stuff, but the main benefit should really be the cleansing. And that aspect would stay the same.

How about:

4 piece bonus: 5% chance when hit to create a healing spring that grants regeneration to nearby allies.
6 piece bonus: Activating a heal grants 1 random boon for 10 seconds.

Then it’s in line with all the other runes.

ronpierce.2760:

I can get defending lyssa because you need it to survive the meta… But really? It’s not niche… There’s nothing niche about a 48 second CD giving you all boons (including stability) AND removing all conditions which includes things like immobilize, poison, and chill which have nothing to do with condi builds, because power builds utilize those as well. Its not niche, its just even MORE effective against condi builds. Lyssa very much-so is op versus anything in comparison to other runes. Like if you add up what the whole set does, that single 6 piece bonus alone on a thief or warrior is better than most other rune sets. x.X

Agreed. There’s nothing niche when 4 professions use it extensively.

errant.9843:

Dagins.5163:

It’s not a problem with Lyssa, it’a a problem with other runes being so underpowered and meaningless.

Thedenofsin.7340:

Dagins.5163:

It’s not a problem with Lyssa, it’a a problem with other runes being so underpowered and meaningless.

Just to be clear, you are saying that Lyssa is balanced, but the other 51 rune sets are underpowered.

oooookk….

Cynz.9437:

as long as CC and condi spam exists, Lyssa is mandatory

if anything, they should do something about the reason why people run lyssa despite all other 5 bonuses being meh

That’s just bunk. The 4 piece bonus is as good as the 6 piece bonus on most other runes.

Secondly, how will you know the condi meta is balanced while Lyssa persists?

ronpierce.2760:

It’s mostly the power of them with short CDs. 35-48 second full condition wipe, full boon gain (one being stability) is undoubtedly too powerful compared to other runes, no less.

Full condition wipe + full boon gain on a 45 second cooldown is arguably too powerful for an elite ability, nevermind a rune set.

If Lyssa was an elite skill by itself, I’d take it.

Evan Lesh.3295:

Both good ideas! I believe we normalized player models in Super Adventure Box if I’m not mistaken, so it’s probably something we can look at applying to PvP. As far as rewards, gold would be amazing. We’re currently on making rewards in PvP amazing (“Incredible!”), and I’m sure everyone will love it They will roll out in steps, though. So when you see one patch, don’t think that it’s the only thing we have planned.

Please do the latter! Shoutcasters and viewers both would thank you and shower you in gems. Right now the game looks like a bunch of monkeys (Asura) flipping around and smacking each other.

Cynz.9437:

Thedenofsin.7340:

a t s e.9614:

If they nerf Lyssa runes , I want the other classes elite to be nerfed aswell. Because basilik venom is pretty useless …..

If your favorite TV show gets canceled, do you call NBC and demand they take your neighbor’s television?

Runes of Lyssa are not tied to a particular profession. They have practically nothing to do with one another.

If you are relying on them exclusively to survive, then the problem is either you or your build. The Runes are OP.

the problem is class having kittenty survivability and 0 stability outside of gimmicky dagger storm on long CD

This thread isn’t about your difficulty playing thief. It’s about the Lyssa Runes, which many players run, being overpowered.

Cynz.9437:

Thedenofsin.7340:

Cynz.9437:

w/o lyssa my thief wouldn’t have stability -_-

other bonuses are not even that great but in the world of CC and condi spam kind of have to run it -_-

Did it occur to you that ArenaNet designed thieves to not have access to stability? If they did, they would have put it on a weapon, utility or in a trait.

yeah they also had in mind that thieves should be dodgy and stealthy, yet both keeps getting nerfed

Did it occur to you that it keeps getting nerfed because it is imbalanced?

Kharr.5746:

The rune sets are balanced in terms of ALL their bonuses, not based on bonuses of a particular tier. E.g., Runes of Divinity give 2% crit damage and +10 to all stats at the 6th tier, which is super weak compared to other 6th tier bonuses. But, the entire rune set gives 12% crit damage and +60 to all stats, which is one of the strongest bonuses.

Lyssa is not balanced.

Precisions Runes:

Runes of the Eagle

1. +25 Precision
2. +3% Critical damage
3. +50 Precision
4. +5% Critical damage
5. +90 Precision
6. +5% vs targets with less than 50% health.

Runes of the Ranger

1. +25 Precision
2. +3% Critical damage
3. +50 Precision
4. +5% Critical damage
5. +90 Precision
6. +5% damage while you have a companion.

Runes of Rata Sum

1. +25 Precision
2. +15% Poison duration
3. +50 Precision
4. +20% Weakness duration
5. +90 Precision
6. 50% Chance to summon a Radiation Field when hit. (cooldown: 120s)

Runes of the Thief

1. +25 Precision
2. +17 Condition damage
3. +50 Precision
4. +40 Condition damage
5. +90 Precision
6. +10% Damage behind or beside your foe.

Runes of Lyssa

1. +25 Precision
2. +10% Condition Duration
3. +50 Precision
4. When you use a healing skill you gain a random boon for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 10s)
5. +90 Precision
6. When you use an elite skill lose all conditions and gain all boons for 5 seconds. (Cooldown 50s)

The 1,3,5 piece rune bonus is identical to all the other Precision Runes. The 4 piece rune bonus is as powerful as the 6 piece bonus on other rune sets. The 6 piece is off the charts.

Kharr.5746:

Lyssa is situational, requires folks to blow their elite, has counterplay (corrupt boon/boons stealing/boon stripping), and activates so late after the elite has been used that it’s possible to cancel it accidentally if you dodge or swap weapons after using it (You can’t do either of those for 0.5-1 seconds after using it).

Lyssa makes your elite ability a powerful defensive ‘oh-no’ button. Lyssa gives a player 3-4 seconds of nigh-invulnerability, allowing them to do whatever they want (attack, escape, heal, etc).

This allows some builds to forgo condition extra cleansing, sacrifice survivability for more damage, etc.

There are 9 boons in this game. What boon strip can remove all 9 boons at once? None. Corrupt boon can only do at most 5, and it strips important ones like stability last.

Kharr.5746:

The fact is that the only reason Lyssa is even viable right now is because of the condi/stun spam meta right now. For necros, it provides that needed access to stability to contend with hambow warriors.

No, Lyssa is viable because it’s basically like getting a normal 6 piece rune boost (the Lyssa 4 piece) and the equivalent of 2 utility abilities rolled into your elite.

Cynz.9437:

w/o lyssa my thief wouldn’t have stability -_-

other bonuses are not even that great but in the world of CC and condi spam kind of have to run it -_-

Did it occur to you that ArenaNet designed thieves to not have access to stability? If they did, they would have put it on a weapon, utility or in a trait.

a t s e.9614:

If they nerf Lyssa runes , I want the other classes elite to be nerfed aswell. Because basilik venom is pretty useless …..

If your favorite TV show gets canceled, do you call NBC and demand they take your neighbor’s television?

Runes of Lyssa are not tied to a particular profession. They have practically nothing to do with one another.

If you are relying on them exclusively to survive, then the problem is either you or your build. The Runes are OP.

Darnis.4056:

Lyssa runes are overpowered :/ The reason I believe anet has let it slide is because how ridiculous condicleave classes are at the moment… as soon as engies/necros and maybe even rangers (a little) are brought down slightly they’ll handle Lyssa…

I’ll believe that when someone from ArenaNet says it.

…it got shattered.

data.4093:

Yeah, condinuking shouldn’t have any counter. /sarcasm

A rune set should never be a replacement for a counter-build. If you’re saying that Lyssa allows you to run a build that is oblivious to condition professions because it acts as a condition counter, then it definitely is overpowered.

Dagins.5163:

It’s not a problem with Lyssa, it’a a problem with other runes being so underpowered and meaningless.

Just to be clear, you are saying that Lyssa is balanced, but the other 51 rune sets are underpowered.

oooookk….

• 5% chance on fire nova when hit
• 3 second of burning on nearby foes on heal
• group swiftness on heal
• +5% damage when you have might
• when you use a heal, you and your allies gain 5 second of regeration

• when you use your elite skill, you lose all conditions and gain all buffs for 5 seconds

The above is a sampling of the 6th rune bonus from runesets. Lyssa is listed last.

Is this really balanced? I see a lot of players running with it, and when they pop that elite, Lyssa acts like a mini-version of Endure Pain + Berserker Stance.

Skyhammer: stability, knockbacks, fear >> tactics, strategy, skill

Marcos.3690:

If the game is about to begin and one player didn’t join, the game is cancelled.

If someone ragequits midgame and his time loses, each of his team mates lose 50% MMR they should lose and the ragequiter loses his 100%+ eachteammate50%

That’s a bit harsh, punishing his teammates. What happens in solo queue when you cannot exert any control over with whom you are teamed?

I think blowouts are all well and good in team queue, but for HJ and solo queue, I don’t think anyone really likes a blowout. People on the whole tend to like close matches.

Just add a balancing mechanic like this:
When the teams become imbalanced, the server tracks the score differential. If the differential trends towards an increasing gap in favor of the most heavily favored team AND the differential exceeds some value (value decided as a Gaussian call with a mean of ~95 and bound [60, 130] – this avoids ‘gaming’ the balancer logic), one player is swapped from the larger team to the smaller team. That player is given a glory/whatever bonus and a bigger bonus if his team comes back and wins.

Wham-bam-thank-you-maam – you’ve just fixed at least 50% of the lopsided matches in sPvP.

Are PVE players the ones you really want in PvP?

ANet should give serious consideration to rebalancing teams in situations where a team has +1 person over another team and has a big lead.

It’d just be wayyy cooler if mimic made people’s heads explode.

Matthew Oswald.3082:

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Here are some “behind the scenes” facts about this cinematic:

The cinematic was built as a prototype for the new video playback technology.

It was made over a year ago, and we planned to launch it with the original Fractal release. Unfortunately, the tech didn’t get implemented in time and we missed the release window. It was decided that we sit on the cinematic trailer until there was a big update to the Fractals.

The 3D character models are (pre)rendered in-engine with our model viewer and matched up with cameras in Maya and After Effects.

While I have special place in my heart for the original GW2 in-engine cinematics (such as the Dugneon Catacombs flashback…a cinematic that I reworked 4 times over the course of development) These new types of pre-rendered videos allow us to work faster, increase the quality, and they perform better on more peoples machines.

There are some pretty exciting cinematics coming in the future…I hope you guys will receive them as well as the Fractals piece.

Thanks again!

Seriously, it’s a home run. You need to push all your media out using this, starting YESTERDAY.

nightshade.1950:

How would you feel if Compounding Celerity was reworked to instead provide Temporal Curtain with Improved Swiftness (50% movement speed)?

Now that’s game-breaking.

Instead of temple, why not the middle of Skyhammer? Nice big area, no drop floors, good usage of LOS and elevation…

(and no Lyssa Runes!)

No. Swiftness is not as good as the boons PU currently gives.

Torch 5 is terrible. It has a 6 second attack rate. Drop the attack rate to 5 seconds. It should cause 2 seconds of random: {blind, weakness, chill} and 2 seconds of revealed.

nicknamenick.2437:

Not a troll post, just wanna know.

Running a sword/longbow warrior build.
Its burst is very slow to land so i need a basic rotation like:
-Pin down for immob > combustive shot > arcing arrow, both are very slow arrows..
-Flurry > final thrust, its a 1sec casttime (tooltip says 0,45 but its 1sec)

So now you now i need to immob them first.

Now this works great on most classes. Aldo people say immob is too good, it still got many counters.
You can still block/use skills in immob or remove condition..
Thats good so if you play well you can counter its burst for timing your block etc..

But ofc i am having a real hard time against 2 classes..
Thief and mesmers.. They can teleport/shadowstep away very easy. So i can almost never do any good damage.

Immob says, prevents movement. Teleport/shadowstep is a movement skill.. Why does that still works? Because they can already do other skills like a 3sec evade from flurry..

Not trolling, i just dont see why this is possible.

Or do you have a suggestion how to counter them on a different way? (while keeping sword/longbow)

It’s really more of the opposite: teleport/shadowsteap counters immobilize (sort of).

Right now stealth is ‘balanced’ around the concept that you cannot cap while stealthed. This allows for thieves to have extensive access to stealth, as well as all kinds of benefits while in stealth.

Letting stealth cap points would mean thieves would get less access to stealth and fewer benefits while in stealth.

I’m all for it.

If you find out, let me know !

This isn’t a thief vs mesmer thread, per se. This is a discussion about the viability of professions for a given role in sPvP.

Not a big turnout in the poll thus far, however the results show players are 2-to-1 in favor of toning down the efficacy of the professions in the game as they stand today.