Guild Wars 2

I see. My apologies for suggesting it was. I assume you can understand where I’m coming from. For a non designer, it seems as simple as sticking a new texture on an existing model. :-)

Anyway, still love the item a lot!

Chaosky.5276:

Do you really have a build like that? I only care about PvP, but if you can show me how the staff and/or scepter are/is just as viable as d/d, I’d happily recant my previous complaint.

Well, for me the answer lies in two key points.

On one hand, I feel the division between elementalist weapons isn’t so much indicated by the range, but by the role they play. Dagger/Dagger is very swift, opertunistic and proactive playstyle, whereas the staff is reactively, more planned and supportive. This also means that I think of the D/D as more of a duelling weapon, and staff more as a group weapon. This is emphasized by the staff’s combo fields that get exponentially stronger the more allies you have.

Second, I’ve found that the utilities that work for D/D, don’t work as well for staff. The key skill for me when playing the staff is Glyph of Elemental Power. When used in earth or water, all your attacks gain the ability to snare foes. When duelling someone 1v1, this greatly helps in hitting my opponent with the ground targetted spells. In turn, when those spells hit, they too cause snaring which…you get the point. Combined with the lesser earth elemental, which causes weakness and crippling (and can hardly get destroyed), kiting and hitting stuff becomes a lot easier, and the elemental adds to my dps. Also, since the cooldown of the glyph works per individual foe, when used against groups I can literally spam cripples or chills with my aoes all over the place.

That’s my take on it anyway. Will it work as well in duels as D/D? of course not. But since I started using the glyph, the fights have gone a lot more in my favor than before.

The EB puzzle could probably benefit from more than 1 possible path to the top (would help with the ganking). Also, there’s a few jumps that cannot be made in combat, even with swiftness. Most notably the arena.

But I do love it…it’s actually the only place where 3 dimensional PvP takes place, and where the terrain plays a part. And that’s very cool. Would love to see a battleground map using terrain as extensively as the puzzle does.

It has the word ‘Unique’ in the description that’s supposed to warn you about it.

However, seeing as how ultimately, there is no difference in options for offensive and defensive infusions (other than the price to make said options). Therefore, Anet would make it a lot easier on themselves, as well as a lot more clear to players, if they just made 1 generic version of the items instead of 2 different versions. Please just remove the offensive and defensive stuff, and make generics out of them all.

With the new town clothes, the same item (Casual Hoodie, Leather Hoodie & Designer Hoodie) are differenly priced, even though the only difference is the skin.

The designer hoodie costs 200 gems more, totalling at 400. The casual just costs 200, as does the leather.

Please fix and refund.

Chaosky.5276:

*Obligatory complaint about how elementalists suck at ranged combat.

*Obligatory counter argument against false but popular statement.

There’s also the stacking of traits, that affects the rating. For example, on their own, Soothing Disruption and Cleansing Water are decent, but combined they’re awesome.

If you start out with a frozen ground, followed by a few stonings to build up the chilled duration, you can then pretty much defeat them with fireballs and meteor shower before they can do much to you (some may not even reach you).

They do still function. Or at least, they should. Was changed in a patch a while ago.

The thing is, you’re assuming to only use 1 element. That’s not what the elementalist is about. You’re supposed to use all elements to some degree. So it’s not a design flaw, but you wanting something from this class that it doesn’t have.

Once you get to higher levels you’ll discover the use of skills like Lava Font…it’s not so much about the damage as it is about combining it with blast finishers.

Bottom line: don’t play just fire. Or if you must…get an engineer and use a flamethrower build.

The Priory Scepter & Focus crystals are coloured blue, whereas the rest of the set’s crystals are greenish.

Thanks for adding the new townclothes. They’re awesome! One question though…why is the designer skin 400 gems and the others 200?

But seriously, I love ’em!

I like it too. Tried making a build around it, but so far, no luck.

This bug is still in the game at the moment, and it’s interfering greatly with normal gameplay.

For example, I was fighting the Dredge Fractal boss with my elementalist and cast Unsteady Ground on it to slow it down as it approached the lava spot. I then went to cast Shockwave to immobilize it…

…only to find out the game had selected a random ally instead, and thus the shockwave missed and the boss rushed past us before the metal poured down on it.

In PvP, stuff like thieves (which are already iffy to target because they disappear all the time) are almost impossible to hit. I know you have to retarget them when they come back from invisibility, but this bug makes it happen randomly when they don’t disappear too. Same thing with mesmers: the game randomly selects clones even if I have the real one targetted.

It’s been 4 months. I know you try very hard. But could you, please,please, please prioritize this? If anything, game controls functioning normally should be high up on your list.

P.S. I’m wondering why there isn’t an ingame report option for controls issues?

It’s even worse when a bounty boss bugs out…I mean, no problem right? You have hours to defeat it.

As a guild of 40, struggling to get the bosses done in time, we’ve pretty much decided that once we get the 30 merits required for the next unlock, we will * never ever ever do the bounties again.*

AnthonyOrdon.3926:

The short answer is that new content is not going to drive people away from the game. There is absolutely no evidence to support that it would.

For myself I can state that this is NOT true. I’m on the brink of quitting the game over this. Not because I cannot enjoy the rest of the game anymore. But for the simple fact that we, as a community, have some valid concerns and they’re trivialized, if not ignored. If small guilds aren’t part of your focus group, and thus not worth making content for, then I’d say I’d rather not be part of your customer group anymore.

And you can’t deny that these bounties have some serious issues for smaller guilds. And frankly, up until now, I never thought we were a small guild. But beating 2 bounty bosses within 15 minutes tells us we’re too small to be worthy of Anet’s attention.

I’d seriously wait a few months before buying it. Because recent history has shown that it may sound great, but the implementation won’t be up to par until at least 2 months after the content came out.

Did you know that a good way to prevent a small guild from completing the bounties is by joining the fight and then go afk?

Well, that’s what just happened with our latest bounty. When we found the boss, a group of players was standing around it. We started the fight and we thought we’d have it easy (considering the number of extra players). However, a few seconds later it became apparent that they had no interest in helping us fight the boss. Instead, they lay round as dead weight. Thus increasing the boss’ power, without helping the fight. Naturally, we failed the bounty.

And on a personal note, I can tell you that we’re all so sick of the way these bounties are implemented that once we have 30 merits, we will unlock the next set and never, ever do these bounties again. Bah.

What purpose do the different infusion types serve? Because apart from being needlessly complex, the option to fill defensive slots with offensive infusions is still there (just costs more to make). Furthermore, ArenaNet forces itself to make each item 3 times, which seems like a waste of time to me.

Why not all merge them to 1 type? I don’t think anyone would complain if certain infusions could ‘only be applied to amulets’. If anything, it’s more clear than the system we have now.

I’d be happy if they just added icons, OR if the descriptions made sense.

Last seen near Steeleye Span…and the target ended up to be north of Lowland Burns…

Most of it I agree with, actually. However, that’s no reason to not keep pushing Anet. Because we know that if we do, they can create things even better than when they first come out (the fractal update being the obvious example).

Nice offer, don’t get me wrong but…

…now the way to fixs Anet’s mistakes is by relying on the charity of larger guilds? Is that really the way things are gonna be in the nearby future?

By most of your logic, we might as well remove fractals 1-40 from the game and have everyone start at level 41.

Story mode is not an acceptable alternative for explorable dungeons, in fact, some of them are tougher than AC was.

Casuals shouldn’t be condemned to the open world and replaying story mode. I’m asking for just 1 dungeon to be relaxed to go through. Implementing a hard mode would suffice for me too.

Otherwise, just make them all level 80 instead of feigning to the player that they can actually complete it as a level 35 group.

EDIT: Also, I’m very much aware that there are alternatives still. The question is however: how much longer will they exist?

There used to be this game, where you could have teleportation scrolls, or buy a teleportation tome where you could stack 25 scrolls. They were automatically added to the tome when you found them.

Must have been a very poor game because I’ve never seen it re-used since.

By the way, do you know which game I’m referring to? It’s quite old…

The troll is bugged though. None of the projectiles it casts can be reflected.

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

The asura would not make better blacksmiths. They’d make better metallurgists, perhaps. But not blacksmiths. And the charr don’t seem concerned with fine detail.

The Asura make battlesuits they wear in combat. Also, they’d be the prime candidates to make magic infused weapons and armor. The Charr are a warforged race that don’t run into battle naked. The sylvari on the other hand, grow shrubs. Why is that better than either race?

The charr build the airships, I understood. Also, worth noting, nothing humans have can be considered as advanced as the other races. The best they have are trebuchets which . . . while impressive . . . were retired in favor of cannons for a reason.

Trahearne’s own words were that the airships were a mix of asura, human and charr technology. So the humans contributed something at least.

They’re good at everything? Well, fine, but are they the BEST?

The fact that they’re good at everything makes them Mary Sues per definition. There’s nothing they cannot do, whereas the other races have their obvious strengths (and weaknesses). I mean, they’re plant growing hippies and yet they still somehow contribute more ‘technology’ to the Pact than the Norn and Humans.

No. No it is not. Google “Mary Sue TV Tropes Wiki” and start reading.

According to wikipedia a Mary Sue is ‘a poorly developed character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting’ which most here will agree applies to Trahearne. There is no realism in his leadership struggles. He is both a Guardian and a Necromancer. Also, he wields powers (through his sword) that few others in the world can even dream of, and it appears all out of nowhere.

He’s also physically frail and tends to hug the floor a lot in massive melee situations, and his tactical sense comes largely from listening to options laid out by the leaders under him and deciding which one looks like it will work the best. Not that this is a bad thing, it’s generally how leadership works anyway.

The fact that as a NPC, he cannot hold his own in combat has more to do with gameplay mechanics than actual character design. Lorewise, Caladbolg makes him the best fighter on the planet…or at least, a sword with continent cleansing powers should do so, or otherwise at least show lorewise that it doesn’t.

As for listening to the other’s advice, it seems for the most part (also due to his voice) that he simply doesn’t care, apart from completing his wild hunt.

The sword is the integral part to doing that, backed up by the fact the character has worked on rituals specifically to deal with this. So, really, “nobody can do it, except the person who’s put in the study time and has the sword”. In theory, anyone in the game could . . . if given Caladbolg and Trahearne’s notes, do it.

Yet it is of course the Sylvari that come up with a game changing sword. The only remotely equivalent weapon was a gift of the human gods. The Sylvari have it grow from trees (literally).

1. The sylvari cannot see into the future, and nor are they privy all the time to the Pale Tree’s insight.

Yet as a race, they can. Other races, in general, cannot.

2. It’s established in the mission where Trahearne performs the ritual that it will not be an immediate fix and still requires Zhaitan’s defeat to take hold. So while the purification is begun it will take time to finish.

Yet he is the only one that can even do such a thing, and it is by no means a small feat.

3. There are weaknesses to being sylvari, which run deeper than simply there for the sake of being there. But we can run into what they are not immune to. Sylvari are not immune to poison or disease. They can be permanently injured or incapacitated. The only thing going in their favor is an apparent immunity to dragon corruption. Though it should be noted they die rather than become corrupted so it’s not as though they are immune . . . they simply don’t leave anything for the dragon to use.

Which is still a huge advantage compared to the other races, which can suffer from everything you mentioned and then some.

4. They are not beautiful by standards of other races, not even close. They are not universally loved so anyone who doesn’t like them must be evil.

At worst the other races are annoyed. There isn’t anyone that doesn’t like the Sylvari as a whole. For the other races, such a thing cannot be said. The Asura are found arrogant, the Charr barbaric, the Humans are despised by Centaurs and even the Norn have their culture judged by the Kodan.

But nobody ever says anything bad about the Sylvari as a whole.

It’s not the individual things that bother me though. It’s that, as a whole, the Sylvari race seems to get a 10% magic find bonus all the time that bugs me a lot.

Pennry.9215:

Dungeon Explorables were never “for casuals”. Anet has always said that they were for solid groups that achieved “group synergy”. Now it’s one of the few things they’re revamping to keep their word on, and you want it to stop?

If there are 7 other dungeons, as well as fractals, for the hardcore player, then yes I would like them to keep one dungeon for more relaxed group play.

One frikkin’ dungeon, that’s not a spamfest of instakills and permastuns…is that too much to ask?

Swimsasa Stoon.8936:

Wariors are better at stacking 25 bleeds. Only requires 2 skills, 1 trait and 50% crit to pull it off too.

And it would be melee, whereas this is ranged. Don’t compare apples to oranges.

Logan could be part of the guild bounty. You could run all over the zone and never find him!

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

Because the charr bring the war machines, and the asura bring the high technology.

And both races would have made better blacksmiths. Why does a Sylvari have to make the top three? It feels way too forced.

Be fair. The humans and norn don’t have technology of their own.

Actually they do. But the defense of Fort Trinity of course come from Sylvari. I’m thanking Anet on my knees that the humans were at least allowed to contribute to the airships.

People keep using these words. I don’t think they know what it means.

You’re missing the point. It’s not that I want the Sylvari to not be good at anything. I’m annoyed by the fact that they’re good at EVERYTHING.

As for Mary Sue, I know what it is. It’s basically a Superman without kryptonite (and even with, Superman is borderline Mary Sue at times). As for Trahearne, especially after he gets the sword, he can do anything. He’s both extremely smart, a powerful spellcaster, and although the story forcefully tries to emphasize his inability as a leader, nowhere does it show that he actually is. In fact, there’s only one mission that I know of where one of his decisions backfires.

And of course, he cleanses the whole of Orr. Nobody can do it, except this one guy with a sword. Thus giving him godlike powers.

So to sum things up: the Sylvari are immune to dragon corruption, the can see into the future and they have godlike powers that can cleanse an entire continent.

How is that NOT Mary Sue?

Please fix this quickly Anet. You have no idea how annoying this is!

A hall of monuments style version of the home instance would be great.

Oh wait, Anet already said it would be ingame, then said it would be added shortly after release, then casually told us they weren’t even working on it.

The main reason I dislike Trahearne because after you meet him, the entire story seems to revolve around the Sylvari and how great they are.

Trahearne introduces the best blackmsiths? Norn, Tengu and…Sylvari (seriously, no Charr?).
All races can be turned into undead? Well, all but…Sylvari.
The greatest scouts ever? A group of Sylvari.
What knows the future? Only the great tree of the…Sylvari.
The pact technology? Combination of Charr, Asura and…Sylvari technology (plants are techno yo!).
Which Destiny’s Edge member is the only one that knows keeping the group together is for the greater good? Of course…

Seriously, all Sylvari but Seiran are terrible Mary Sues and THAT’S what I dislike about the story. There are 4 awesome races from Guild Wars 1, which we came to like…but no, the 5th race, Anet’s pet race has to come in and hog up all the glory and spotlight.

And frankly, I’m sick of it. They’re trees that are 25 years old at best. Let’s at least have them work together on an equal footing. The fact that (quote) ‘Tyria needs the Sylvari’ doesn’t mean that it’s ALL Tyria needs!

The main thing that makes it hard I think, is that anything has to be able to do anything.

For example, a glass cannon has to be able to survive a dungeon. But if they can survive a dungeon, why would anyone take anything with more defense than a glass cannon?

However, if only tanks can survive dungeons, why would anyone pick a glass cannon build ever again?

Also, if everyone’s healing should be self-sufficient, what good is party support?

Those are the main issues I think.

There’s a fractal where they employ heavy snow falls, followed by a dark area.

It really sets the mood.

Chickenshoes.6250:

Seems your problem is you expect it easy.

How many dungeons are there for casuals, if this keeps up? Is it really THAT bad to have a dungeon people can run relaxed for fun? Does everything, including PvE, have to be an edge-of-your-seat experience?

A good piece of music alternates between tension, and relaxation. This game should be no different. Make a few hair pullers. But also make a few easy, relaxing dungeons. The loot drops can be less, I don’t mind. But This AC thing isn’t helping the casual guilds one bit.

It’s a common feature to the game actually. Remember when fractals just got out, and unless you played them from the start, you had lots of trouble finding a 10- group? Or what about the current guild bounties, where you have no chance whatsoever to complete them in time if you don’t search for stuff beforehand?

The good news is that the first eventually got fixed. Let’s hope the second, and your problem, get fixed as well.

There’s a number of ways to get permanent swiftness…is there no way for you to achieve it? Maybe through the aura combination mentioned above?

ShiningSquirrel.3751:

AnthonyOrdon.3926:

The short answer is that new content is not going to drive people away from the game. There is absolutely no evidence to support that it would.

New “good” content maybe, but badly implemented and badly designed? That’s a whole different story. I left due to new content, as did the 20+ members of my guild.
New content drove players away from the game.
There is your evidence.

For me personally, after my guild (group of around 10 players) couldn’t even find a single boss, and when we finally did, another guild beat it before we all got there…

…that was the moment I decided to at least take a break from the game. So believe it or not, but keep up puppying off players long enough, and it will happen.

And I don’t want it to happen, because I love the game. But the frustration is getting the overhand, seemingly with each patch.

STICK TO THE MANIFESTO!

I think you’re misunderstanding my point. It’s not about completing the bounty as a whole. It’s about helping guild that are struggling to down even a single boss because they simply can’t find them. This trick ensures the whole group will get at least their weekly.

After that, they can do the bounty for the bounty’s sake.

Yes, but my comment isn’t about fighting the boss, but finding it. Which can be quite tricky for small groups. With the tier 3 bounty and 10 people, you’re guarantueed to at least find one.

Valnar Arylith.5793:

whilst i understand what you have tried to implement here Anthony, the real problem with the new guild missions aren’t the actually missions but the means to unlock them.

Trust me…when you do them, you’ll find out that getting the influence is the easy partfor small guilds.

Seeing as how one of them is a Sylvari, the claim ‘best blacksmiths in all of Tyria’ is a big exageration anyway.

This would be THE thing to add to the gem store.

Seconded. Some bosses are impossible to find even with 10 people, and there’s always a chance another guild beats you to it and moves the boss before your guild has a chance to reach it.

Do the level 3 bounty. If you get a group of 10 together, and all search for a boss on different maps, you are guarantueed to get at least 1 boss for everyone’s weekly commendations (15 bosses means there are 5 undiscovered bosses and 6 possible targets).

May be a nice workaround for small guilds until things get fixed. That way you’ll at least get your commendations each week.

For the siege blueprints, I can answer your question. They’re soulbound because there’s some coding issues with making them account bound, or even unbound. It has something to do with the way they work and how they can be pikced up. Anet has no ETA on when they’ll be able to fix it, but if they could, the plans would be unbound.

I don’t know about sPvP, but I did notice that Glyph of Elemental Power (if cast in water or earth) does a lot for my duelling ability in WvW. The fact that you can ‘spam’ snares, which then cause more of your AoEs to hit, which in turn create more snares, is pretty useful. Maybe it can be of some use to you?

Dingle.2743:

Water Signet’s condition removal is very unreliable – 1 condition every 10 seconds. Which condition? Will it trigger when we actually have a condition we want to cleanse, or will it proc on a single stack of bleeding and not help us against the large quantity of immobilizes we’re about to get hit with?

Supposedly it activates as soon as you’re hit with a condition, and then removes a condition every 10 seconds. Which makes it a bit more useful I’d say.

To me, grinding is when I’m more or less ‘forced’ to play a certain aspect of the game, just to be able to keep up with the gear.

Or when something untrivial takes a long amount of time.

In both cases, Ascended gear qualifies.