Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
People keep creating these topics because they feel strongly about the issue. Its exactly the same with the “no endgame” topics and “nerf X” topics.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
The point is, no one cares how you play. We’re talking about mechanics and design flaws of Guild Wars 2 as a whole that affects the way everyone plays.
Unless you play as intended. It is pretty obvious by the way the game is designed and promoted that no body is supposed to play for rewards. I understand lots of people have a hard time understanding that because of what has been drilled into their skulls by the MMO industry so far, and I don’t blame anyone for it, but it is what it is. I realize that people tend to get offended when you imply that they are playing the game wrong, but those same people need to get over it because they are playing the game wrong.
Depending on how the game was designed there can be and often is a wrong way to play. That is simply a fact of the technology. And the best way to tell if you’re playing wrong is to look and see how often the way you play is getting nerfed.
Nerf = stop that
Getting nerfed = you’re doing it wrong
Farming spots (for example) getting nerfed = STOP KITTEN FARMING YOU DOLT!
Diminishing returns getting worse for grinding = STOP KITTEN GRINDING
If you aren’t suppose to play for rewards then why have rewards? It seems obvious that a reward is there to well… reward behavior. If the behavior that is rewarded is collecting 100 charged lodestones, then aren’t you suppose to run out and collect charged lodestones.
I know that some people will say that legendaries happen over the long term and don’t try to get there. I don’t think that makes any sense. Games (and everything else in life) include a set of incentives which cause people to behave in a certain way. For example, by offering precursors, they encourage characters to throw items into the mystic forge. Great weapon skins are something that people want to pursue. Of course they are going to try to get them.
Since clearly obtaining legendary weapons requires some form of material gathering, I wish people would stop telling people to gather materials. It’s a waste of time.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
sigh. another set of skins I won’t be getting. This is disappointing.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
This is all based on the unfounded assumption that for some reason you need to have your alts fully equipped with ascended items.
The only assumption required is that you want to gear out your alts which is different than needing to.
Also, when you look at encouraging / discouraging incentives, I think its helpful to think about the boundary conditions. Can the action affect the behavior of someone who is otherwise on the cusp. In this case, would someone who would otherwise create an alt not do so because of ascended gear (whether or not we think it’s an intelligent decision). In this case, I think yes. I can see how someone would be reluctant to create an alt because of the ascended gear slog….
You could use the same argument that you want a legendary on each of your alts. The math of the OP shows clearly that what you want, is not reasonable.
So yes, if you set your boundary conditions unreasonable, you’ll get unreasonable outcomes.What I want to say, is that it is not alt-unfriendy since you don’t need them. It is alt-unfriendly for people who set the unrealistic and unnecessary goal of getting a fully ascended outfit.
Fair point. Legendaries are alt-unfriendly also. I think that at some level, someone with a legendary would not create an alt because of the difficulty to get an alt on the second character. (You see this all the time with people asking for account bound legendaries).
Just because someone thing is alt-unfriendly doesn’t mean that it’s not good for the game as a whole.
Ascended gear is largely unnecessary, which is why many of us recommended choosing a couple of toons to gear up. I concede that AR resistance is a real thing if you want to run fractals with multiple toons.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
This is all based on the unfounded assumption that for some reason you need to have your alts fully equipped with ascended items.
The only assumption required is that you want to gear out your alts which is different than needing to.
Also, when you look at encouraging / discouraging incentives, I think its helpful to think about the boundary conditions. Can the action affect the behavior of someone who is otherwise on the cusp.? In this case, would someone who would otherwise create an alt not do so because of ascended gear (whether or not we think it’s an intelligent decision). In this case, I think yes. I can see how someone would be reluctant to create an alt because of the ascended gear slog….
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
I don’t think that it’s tinfoil hat to think that Anet includes features in their game to encourage frequent logins (daily’s) and longevity (time gating).
In fact, I would go so far to say that there is nothing in the game that isn’t there for a reason. If it exists and it was intentionally put there, then, at some point, there has been a design decision to put it there.
RNG, black lion chests, soul bound gear and dyes, black lion trading company, the fountain in lion’s arch, etc… None of that is accidental.
On the other hand, I’m a big believer in unintended consequences. I don’t believe that any design team can look at any system as complex as guild wars and determine what’s going to happen when one million autonomous users start futzing with it.
So pointing out that a particular design decision (such as ascended gear) hurts people with alts, is fair game. (Not that I’m suggestion that they weren’t aware that it would take people with alts a really really long time to gear up – I think they knew.)
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I have the same approach as bloodletting. I gear out ascended gear on two of my toons and leave the rest in exotics.
Any form of account based time gating is bad for people with Alts. I also think it’s a little bad that they use the ascended gear to “encourage” us down particular paths. Rings and backpieces encourage / require Fractals, accessories encourage guild missions and joining a zerg-guild, amulets require dailies.
I would much prefer a system where each path was roughly equal instead of so heavily weighted. Of course this is because 1) I don’t like fractals and 2) I don’t do things I don’t like.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Sword is an amazing main weapon. I switch out GS( thank you bugs) and staff, but always have the sword/something slotted.
It is absolutely an offensive weapon. I prefer Sword/Focus for PVE because reflect just can’t be beaten for damage. That would be my main support combination.
I was thinking on using S/F as main and them GS as secondary, just for when I need something ranged. In WvW can that work well. Are these weapons Condition damage or Critical damage based?
Personally, I find that, untraited, the focus is not a good PvE weapon. The CC is good, but not terrific and the phantasm is stationary, which makes it less useful.
I’ve been leveling a new mesmer and found that I go down much less often using Sword / Sword or Sword / Pistol.
edit: But I always carry a focus in PvP.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
What gear did you buy? What I mean is, what stat combinations to you already have? (Beserker, Knight, Cleric, Carrion?)
You should probably decide what you want to do now that you are a level 80. Do you prefer PvE content or PvP. Have you tried WvW? You mention that dungeons are super hard (and they can be) but do they interest you?
Edit: This is also my first MMO. Don’t feel bad about being lost, there’s a lot of information that I didn’t know, even at level 80. So I made many poor choices.
Regarding Guilds, what server are you on?
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
For the outmanned buff, how about if the outmanned buff removed the downstate from the opponent (that is, if you have the outmanned buff then automatic stomp – no animation, just a spike from the sky.)
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
How about
A phantasmal elementalist (working on the name) that creates an illusion that performs a firestorm. (like the Ascalonian Mages) (A fighter type illusion w/ longbow that performs warrior longbow #3 would also work)
But I think the best option is an elite that generates a phantasm (probably duelist or warlock) and 2 clones.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
I think everyone goes through a period where they get distracted by some shiny goal that causes them to pursue things that aren’t fun.
It’s a real shame because this game can be fun in many different ways, but, at least for me, only if you don’t actively pursue any goal other than doing what you feel like, right now.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Come on. This has to be the stupidest matchup ever.
2 weeks ago, before anet introduced this “new and improved” formula, our server (SOS) was 10th on the rank, in tier 4. After 1 weeks of getting run over by TC mega size zerg, not only they put us with the same server, but now with SOR that has the highest rating of all server? We lost 70 percent of our players coming to wvw last match up because of all the bullying we got from T2 servers, and they were ALL hoping to get better match up, such as Maguuma, Kaining, or Yaks. Not only they tied us with TC again, but with SOR. Gets your kittens to gether. There is NO WAY, we will not get farmed against these two servers. Such dumb system. Enjoy your WvW chest SOR.
I agree, these match ups are ridiculous.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Dodge into the clones. Stay on the real mesmer, which isn’t always easy to do. You can use the clones for easy c/d for stealth, since they are usually either on top of you or stationary.
GC Mesmers frequently have bad condition removal, so the poison field from the short bow can be useful.
mesmer have to good mobility in fight for stay in poison field
Is there a way to tell which one is the real mesmer?
clones dont have offhand weapon, only real mesmer have food, only real mesmer can dodge
They don’t have to stay in the poison field, poison hurts the ability to heal. You just have to hit them with it and I think they will be poisoned for 5 seconds. It can also be used to limit mobility.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Does it also apply when they’re in downed state?
In the downed state the real Mesmer has a big, red arrow over their head.
Often times you’re better off just bursting the Mesmer down rather than trying to stomp.
Clones don’t have red arrow over their head?
Also in the Mesmer’s down state, when they do their clone teleport thing, the real mesmer always appears last.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Dodge into the clones. Stay on the real mesmer, which isn’t always easy to do. You can use the clones for easy c/d for stealth, since they are usually either on top of you or stationary.
GC Mesmers frequently have bad condition removal, so the poison field from the shortbow can be useful.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Absolutely, whenever people call for a speed boost sigil I always wonder what I could possibly give up.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Try this (which is a very similar rotation):
Target Enemy
Focus #5 (phantasm)
Sword #3 (clone)
Sword #3 (leap)
Sword #2 (blurred frenzy)
Shatter 1 (don’t shatter before the phantasm is done attacking. You may need to do this after staff #5.)
swap
Staff #5 (chaos storm)
Staff #2 (phase retreat)
Staff #3 (phantasm)See if that feels better.
That is more or less my rotation too, but I do it the other way around. I start at range with …
Staff auto (for aggro)
Staff #3 (phantasm)
Staff #5 (storm)
Staff #2 (retreat, clone, finisher)
swap
Sword #3 (clone)
Sword #3 (leap in)
Shatter
Sword #4 (light field)
Sword #5 (phantasm, whirl finisher)
Sword #2 (blurred frenzy)I like starting at range and then when the enemy closes in, I can take advantage of my sword/focus. If you make sure you cross the Sword#4 line you’ll have swiftness to escape close range after you finish blurred frenzy. Or if your recharge is ready, swap back to staff and #2 leap back.
Rinse & repeat.
That’s cool. I’ll have to try that.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Try this (which is a very similar rotation):
Target Enemy
Focus #5 (phantasm)
Sword #3 (clone)
Sword #3 (leap)
Sword #2 (blurred frenzy)
Shatter 1 (don’t shatter before the phantasm is done attacking. You may need to do this after staff #5.)
swap
Staff #5 (chaos storm)
Staff #2 (phase retreat)
Staff #3 (phantasm)
See if that feels better.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I run a GS in WvW if I’m zerging, I run a staff in WvW if I am small group roaming or running around solo.
Greatsword is a great weapon if you are with a group.
The phantasm is can tag multiple targets which helps soften up mobs.
It has the greatest range.
It has a fast clone generator.However, the Greatsword is not nearly as good if you are alone. Alone, enemies tend to close on you fast, so the GS damage is reduced. GS3 is almost completely useless, GS5 is a nice knockback, but the cooldown is too long.
For level 31, the staff is a better choice, IMO.
This is what I’ve come to figure out. Since I’ve only just hit a dungeon-appropriate level I’m running solo and the staff is much more useful. Once I just into a dungeon I might swap to GS. But then I feel like I could be of more group use by dropping chaos storm. Also, would the staff#3 phantasm deal more damage in a dungeon with all the potential conditions than a GS#5?
It’s really hard to compare because of all of the conditions.
I think the GS phantasm does more total damage but it’s spread out.(The wiki says 196 × 4 which is 784 if they all hit.).
The Staff phantasm does 438 + 43.8 more for each condition.
I think you are definitely right to prefer the staff when soloing the open world. With 5 other team mates you can keep range better. If you go into a dungeon, bring both and see what works best for you.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
This is where the problem lies. For a lot of players, the way the game is set up makes farming required.
This confuses me. How does the game require farming? For whom?
Have you looked at the mats prices lately? Even at start there was a lot of the prohibitively high ones, but since november 2012 it’s getting much worse. It’s now 50 ecto for this, 100 passion flowers for that, 250 t6 mats for these, 250 lodestones for those. The theme is clearly visible – you are supposed to farm for that, and farm hard, because you won’t get it through normal playing, or feats of skill.
Quantity over quality. Cheap delaying tactics that are supposed to keep you away from your goals through sheer boredom, instead of keeping you captivated through immersing or challenging content.
Everything this game claimed it won’t ever be.
Yeah, I love that crafting jumped from 5 powerful blood, 5 ectos to 250 powerful blood and 50 ectos. Ridiculous.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I run a GS in WvW if I’m zerging, I run a staff in WvW if I am small group roaming or running around solo.
Greatsword is a great weapon if you are with a group.
The phantasm is can tag multiple targets which helps soften up mobs.
It has the greatest range.
It has a fast clone generator.
However, the Greatsword is not nearly as good if you are alone. Alone, enemies tend to close on you fast, so the GS damage is reduced. GS3 is almost completely useless, GS5 is a nice knockback, but the cooldown is too long.
For level 31, the staff is a better choice, IMO.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I’ve been thinking more about your question, and I got to level 15 on my new mesmer last night. I apologize if this comes off a little odd, I’m trying to work out how to describe the difference.
Generally, a thief, guardian, and warrior spend all of their time on a target. An elementalist and a necro spend their time kiting the target. A ranger can do either, but generally does one or the other based on the build.
Edit: I know other classes can switch between one and the other with different weapon sets, a warrior with a greatsword / long bow for example, but in general they are all doing one or the other.
When I play a mesmer, I go through phases. Set up, close, burst, escape, kite & set up, repeat.
So, for example, one rotation I have used with S/P and Staff is
Set Up
Mirror Images (2 illusions up)
Close
Sword 3 (3 illusions up)
Sword 3 (swap)
Burst
Sword 2 (blurred frenzy)
Shatter 1 (Mind wrack)
Escape
Pistol 5 (stun)
Pistol 4 (generate phantasm, 1 illusions up)
Swap to staff
Staff Number 5 (why is this a censored word without the number in there?) (chaos storm)
Staff 2 (get out of there, 2 illusions up)
Set up
Staff 3 (generate phantasm, 3 illusions up)
Kite until I’m ready to close again.
Does that make any sense?
I know these are different weapons than I recommended, but I think my scepter / pistol, sword, sword recommendation pre level 7 are great ways to get a feel of different ranges. scepter / pistol is the ranged set, sword / sword is the close set. Scepter and sword off hand both have a block. etc…
Once you are use to those weapons you should definitely just find what works for you.
Edit 2: Note, I’m still dealing damage during each phase, phantasms do great damage, chaos storm adds conditions, etc..
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
LEARN how to do it instead of spending all your time here arguing that Anet should hand you everything on a silver platter.
Patronising much? I have a full set of T3armor and have crafted and equipped Volcanus, so I know about gathering cash and mats. My point is that is now MUCH harder than it was pre-November and has been getting worse with every patch.
Thats nerfs. Nerfs that havent been announced and aren’t welcome.
And in addition, flipping the TP? Really? I bought an action based MMO not a frickin’ futures trading simulator.
LOL we are not playing the same game. My loot’s fine.
No kidding your loot is fine. This is exactly what I was talking about. The total value of the loot you’ve had drop is probably twice as good as mine (since October) just based on the precursor alone.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Yes, the standing offensive set up is 20/20/0/0/30 for a shatter mesmer with GS.
In a zerg it works better than the staff, but it’s not very good in a solo fight. (IMO – you have to be careful with these unequivocal statements.)
The reason is that the GS is most effective at range. As your opponent closes, the GS loses effectiveness (and by effectiveness I mean literal damage). This makes it a poor choice for solo roaming. Plus the greatswords only defense is GS5 (a knockback) which is on a 24 second cooldown (traited)
Edit: where the staff gives you a teleport every 6 seconds (traited)
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
I guess I don’t know what you are looking for.
Are you looking for weapon combination, rotations, an indication of when to use what?
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
You are right, staff is more about conditions. But it is also a terrific survival tool.
Plus each condition you add makes the phantasmal warlock hit harder.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
A phantasm build also works really well. 20(3,10)/20 (2, 4)/0/25 (4,8)/5 I think.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
For me, life begins at 80.
First, decide what you want to do. Are you going to focus on PvE or WvW or both (PvP doesn’t matter because you can do it anytime.). I do WvW, I think end game PvE is dungeon running.
Second, decide on your end game build. Decide what items you need for that build. Get those items.
Do what you planned until you are sick of it. Then do the other.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I use the Shattercat Mist for all WvW. It’s 0/20/20/0/30.
Confusion builds are good for tagging enemies in WvW, but not for finishing people off (I hope someone proves me wrong soon.)
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I just started leveling my second mesmer (I know… why?).
There are a couple of things I would recommend. First, try these weapon combinations.
scepter / pistol and sword / sword, make sure you unlock all the skills before you swap.
Try out all the different skills. Scepter 1 is slow but generates clones, scepter 2 is a block, scepter 3 is confusion, pistol 4 is a phantasm, pistol 5 is a stun (but may aggro lots of unintended enemies.)
Sword 2 is an cleaving attack that given invulnerability, sword 3 generates a clone / allows you to swap places with a clone, sword 4 is a block, sword 4 is a phantasm.
Once you learn all the skills try to start a fight with a phantasm. Try to end the fight with a shatter (if clones are up.)
Try to keep as many clones / phantasms active as you possibly can.
Edit 1:
I would avoid the greatsword and staff for now. Try them out after level 7 when you get a weapon swap.
Edit 2:
I see some recommendations for the focus. The focus is awesome, but I would hold off at first. The focus’ phantasm (#5) doesn’t move. Which makes it less useful. The focus #4 is a speed boost, a cripple, and a pull. Great abilities, but you don’t need them until later. Better to have a phantasm that chases down your opponent.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
I agree with Dawdler, pick a main and stick with it. It’s much easier to get ascended items, etc, for 1 toon than 5.
However, if you want to switch mains a mesmer is a great choice.
Edit: To answer your first question about how I stay interested: do things that interest you, don’t do things that don’t, and never ever ever chase some elusive shiny (no legendaries, no skins, etc…)
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
Pretty funny post honestly, Little bit of boasting and flexing… haha. As long as it makes you feel like a boss though.
On point though, post this answer in many threads but this game does seem to be trending towards casual, giddy content that is more for the family, than the “core” gamer. Maybe soon, this game can be a personalized version of Sims. Cosmetics, homes, susie homemaker.
How do you define casual content? What do you consider a challenge?
I agree that much of the living story has been “meh” at best, although the dungeon at the end of flame and frost was cool.
My personal view is that ANet is trying to mix it up. You get some challenging content such as the Halloween jumping puzzles. You get dungeons like the flame and frost thing and the super adventure dohicky. They also throw in a lot of diversion stuff like crab toss.
The idea is to make the game generally entertaining.
I consider casual content such as this; Content that can be easily completed with any level character without any prerequisites. For example, Southsun Cove is casual through and through. Arah Explorable has to planned more thoroughly (Unless you’re a boss like OP, then you just “slam” through it… I guess.)
True Endgame content that is tailored for level 80s that requires steps to complete is not casual. You have to put effort in to be rewarded. Granted, Dungeon rewards are weak, but the idea behind planning, and having pre-requisites is what I like to do.
Some people complain that content such as that is grinding, but I disagree. It’s for the players who want challenging, rewarding content. Underworld and Domain of Anguish in GW1 were examples of this. You didn’t casualy beat those areas (Again, if your like the OP, and just “bossed” through it, then it doesnt matter what you play, cause your a game god and just need SUPLEX MODE 5000 just to get a challenge. You versus 5000 hordes of zombies with just a wooden plank.)
My list of Casual Content
- Southsun
- SAB
- Mini Games
- Early Fractals
- Holiday Events
True Game Content
- End Game dungeons
- Content that requires extended time/effort of play to achieve.
Thanks for the response. I appreciate the definition. Under your definition I think that all of the new content has been casual.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
About the topic of PvP which I’ve already commented on, but I guess I’ll do it again:
I don’t really enjoy PvP. I do WvW or sPvP on occasion, have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing, but it just doesn’t keep me entertained. I enjoy refining strategies, learning boss encounters, seeing how fast I can complete dungeons etc. Bosses in this game (save Legendary Imbued Shaman, Mossman because he has a stealth party and is broken, and Simin pre-nerfs) just sit around and let you attack them, posing no threat. HotW is a great example, so is the Jellyfish in Fractals. The bosses and dungeons aren’t fun anymore, and there isn’t any new influx of content that is similar (Molten Facility was a time-gated joke to me) and challenging. PvP is something that is fun for me in small amounts, but it gets stale and boring much faster to me than PvE. The opposite is probably true for PvP enthusiasts, because they don’t like sticking to a strict routine of memorizing patterns, which is more what I like. I used to play LoL quite a bit before GW2, sat around 1500 elo and then trolled my way down to ~500 elo with Blitzcrank and Rocket Grab. It was fun in phases, but I wasn’t able to sit and go at it for hours and hours like I enjoy with PvE. If new content was introduced that presented some sort of a challenge to me or othe rhardcore players, I would really be able to enjoy Guild Wars 2 more, but there just isn’t any content that fits that bill in this game.
The problem with PvE is that you can learn the strategies, and once you do, perfect your execution. By its very nature you will eventually exhaust the available content. Which is why I suggested PvP, where it’s impossible to learn all the strategies because they adapt.
However, if you don’t like PvP, then yes, you may have exhausted all of the content. But you may need to take a break and wait for ANet to produce new content. Like reading a book or watching a movie, it takes far longer to create than it takes to experience.
whats wrong with learning the strategies? thats what i like about challenges some might be harder to learn and its not guarenteed that you could eventually do it.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting new challenges. the only thing is that it takes a lot longer to create a challenge than it does for someone to master one. Therefore, you will periodically exhaust the content of the game.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
About the topic of PvP which I’ve already commented on, but I guess I’ll do it again:
I don’t really enjoy PvP. I do WvW or sPvP on occasion, have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing, but it just doesn’t keep me entertained. I enjoy refining strategies, learning boss encounters, seeing how fast I can complete dungeons etc. Bosses in this game (save Legendary Imbued Shaman, Mossman because he has a stealth party and is broken, and Simin pre-nerfs) just sit around and let you attack them, posing no threat. HotW is a great example, so is the Jellyfish in Fractals. The bosses and dungeons aren’t fun anymore, and there isn’t any new influx of content that is similar (Molten Facility was a time-gated joke to me) and challenging. PvP is something that is fun for me in small amounts, but it gets stale and boring much faster to me than PvE. The opposite is probably true for PvP enthusiasts, because they don’t like sticking to a strict routine of memorizing patterns, which is more what I like. I used to play LoL quite a bit before GW2, sat around 1500 elo and then trolled my way down to ~500 elo with Blitzcrank and Rocket Grab. It was fun in phases, but I wasn’t able to sit and go at it for hours and hours like I enjoy with PvE. If new content was introduced that presented some sort of a challenge to me or othe rhardcore players, I would really be able to enjoy Guild Wars 2 more, but there just isn’t any content that fits that bill in this game.
The problem with PvE is that you can learn the strategies, and once you do, perfect your execution. By its very nature you will eventually exhaust the available content. Which is why I suggested PvP, where it’s impossible to learn all the strategies because they adapt.
However, if you don’t like PvP, then yes, you may have exhausted all of the content. But you may need to take a break and wait for ANet to produce new content. Like reading a book or watching a movie, it takes far longer to create than it takes to experience.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Normally I agree with almost everything you say, but here you lost me at saving up to sell Disk. If you have a Dusk to sell then you aren’t in the same class with most people who are complaining about the grind (unless, or course, you saved up the money to buy it in the first place.).
Legendary weapons aside, money will never again be a problem for you in this game. You will be able to buy whatever you want, whenever you want. The problem is that many people aren’t lucky like that.
Not sure what you mean here. Dusk dropped for me from the bonus chest at the SB meta-event in Queensdale on Saturday morning, 6/1/13. At the time I had just spent all my money leveling up a toon via crafting, so while I have an item worth about 600 gold, it will cost 5% (30 gold) to list it for sale. It’s not worth anything if I can’t sell it!
So I’ve been going around to various meta-events, often twice a day, and selling the rares and such to save up 30 gold. And I’ve been playing the TP a little to help it go faster. Once I have the gold I plan to list Dusk for sale and will probably put the money towards buying the precursor for the Juggernaut because I like that weapon much better than Twilight.
Even if I kept the cash, it will cost 90 gold to sell Dusk for 600 gold (30g listing fee + 60g selling fee) leaving a 510 gold profit. It’s a lot of money, yes, but I have 11 characters and in the last few weeks I’ve easily spent 100 gold or more on them. It won’t last forever.
This is just how I approach the game – as a game. I don’t hoard gold because there’s no point to it – I buy gear for the toons I’m currently playing as they level up, and buy crafting mats for extra XP. Only three of the 11 toons have reached max level so far, eventually I’d like at least one of each class. When I need something, like a set of MF-heavy gear for one of the 80s, I go around to the meta-events and bank the gold I get until I have enough for what I want to do.
This is just how I play the game, it doesn’t matter whether the glass is half full or half empty when you can drink it and go back to the tap for more any time you want.
Yeah, sometimes I have a problem with clarity. Sorry.
What I meant was (and I’ll adjust this in a minute) that someone with LOTS of money can’t always understand the frustrations of someone with none. It would be like if I said to someone trying to get on Tarnished Coast. “I don’t see why you want to get here. If I weren’t on TC, I would just embrace my other server.” But it’s not necessarily true, because I am on TC. I don’t have the same perspective of someone who is really stuck on a barren server (if one exists).
Now the adjustment: having 11 toons changes EVERYTHING. You don’t have enough money, you will never have enough money. I recant my statement. If you had 1 main then you’d be set, but like me you appear to be an Alt-a-holic. (9 toons, 6 level 80).
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
I think it’s interesting to think about why things are the way they are. Why is it that someone people, like Vayne, get a random precursor drop within three months of launch, and other people who have been playing for nine months have never seen one.
Is it fair? Clearly not.
In my view, Legendaries are included in the game to give people something to want. Otherwise, they would be easier to obtain. They want you to run in a zerg, see Rainbow arrows and say “I want that.” This works only so long as the quest to get one is long enough that they remain rare, but not so long that people say “kitten this, I’m going to play X”
However, like everything else in life, there is a distribution in terms of how much of this stuff people are willing to take. Some people are on the far end of the spectrum and can wait forever, other people have very little patience (most of them have already left). However, there remains some people who are right on the cusp. It’s almost worth it… or it would be worth it if only things would drop a little more often.
To quote a cowboy junkies song “this weather I could almost stand if the sun would shine a little brighter, or even if the sun would shine at all.”
The people at the cusp are the one’s complaining. And it’s not unreasonable for them to be saying “Hey ArenaNet, how about making this just a little less frustrating”
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Pretty funny post honestly, Little bit of boasting and flexing… haha. As long as it makes you feel like a boss though.
On point though, post this answer in many threads but this game does seem to be trending towards casual, giddy content that is more for the family, than the “core” gamer. Maybe soon, this game can be a personalized version of Sims. Cosmetics, homes, susie homemaker.
How do you define casual content? What do you consider a challenge?
I agree that much of the living story has been “meh” at best, although the dungeon at the end of flame and frost was cool.
My personal view is that ANet is trying to mix it up. You get some challenging content such as the Halloween jumping puzzles. You get dungeons like the flame and frost thing and the super adventure dohicky. They also throw in a lot of diversion stuff like crab toss.
The idea is to make the game generally entertaining.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Yep, my precusor dropped during the Karka event, but that doesn’t change how I got the rest of the stuff at all. I just played the game.
If the precusor hadn’t dropped, I’d have had to play the game for four or five months longer to get my precusor, which is fine.
Basically I play the game. I do whatever I want. I make a gold some days I make 5 gold others. I don’t count, I don’t care. I throw in the gold in my bank as soon as I have 1 gold 30 silver on a character. I keep doing it.
I sell a lot of the lower mats, the bags I get, the greens and lower. I salvage yellows for ectos.
At one point I knew I’d need 350 gold to get my legendary. I played the game until I had 350 gold. I went to the trading post and filled in whatever I was missing, and got my legendary.
But I’m telling you, as a fact, if it took me two years to get it, three years, it wouldn’t substantively change my enjoyment of the game. The legendary is an item. I don’t play for items. As I’ve said before, and I’ll no doubt say again, it’s the quest for loot that has destroyed the RPG genre.
Thanks. I was wondering if you got in the early early days of after the alleged Great November Loot Nerf.
Edit: I should clarity a little, I’ve been thinking a lot about the different game design / incentives that go into a MMO versus other types of games. I find your posts interesting because your philosophy appeared similar to mine, which is essentially “want nothing.”
I was a little thrown to discover that you already had a legendary.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
What incentive does ANet have to make legendaries account bound? A legendary grind keeps some people in the game. If someone wants a legendary on two characters then they will play twice as long.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
@Vayne,
But you already have a legendary. Can I ask when the precursor dropped and when / how you obtained the materials to craft one? I find it very difficult to believe that anyone obtained 100 charged lodestones without doing what I would consider grinding.
Also, as I said before, anyone who is lucky enough to have a precursor drop has already eliminated half of the grind.
Edit: this is not to disagree with your philosophy, I am not pursuing a precursor or a legendary, in general I do not farm, will not farm, and mostly only play what I want to play.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I don’t think most people average 3+ gold / path. Usually, I get somewhere just under 1 g per path. Of course, I may just be extraordinarily unlucky.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I suggest playing some PvP or WvW. You may rock but most likely you’ll get your kitten handed to you. There’s no AI like a real opponent.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
You can easily make 500 gold in a month. That’s not even farming, or roaming the world doing stuff, it’s just standing around at various events autoattacking for 5-15 minutes each. Sometime I arrive for the last 30 seconds of the fight and still get the chests.
That’s really, really stupid, not interesting, other way around, extremely boring.
Yes, it is. But if you’re interested in entertaining yourself, why worry about money?
I’m saving up the 30 gold listing fee to sell Dusk. I started with about 2 silver in the bank, five days later I have over 20 gold. I got the money effortlessly and while I don’t particularly find the process “fun,” I have a goal and I am doing what is necessary to achieve that goal.
For the most part, I spend money as fast as I get it and just play the game without worrying about it. Loot falls from the sky here, and whenever I need to save up a few gold I just go out and get it.
Normally I agree with almost everything you say, but here you lost me at saving up to sell Disk. If you have a Dusk to sell then you aren’t in the same class with most people who are complaining about the grind (unless, or course, you saved up the money to buy it in the first place.).
Legendary weapons aside, money will never again be a problem for you in this game. You will be able to buy whatever you want, whenever you want. The problem is that many people aren’t lucky like that.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
Mesmers can do gppd damage, but won’t (generally) out damage a thief.
That said, once you level up and get good gear, a mesmer is a beast and can easily take down mobs solo.
Generally, mesmers are geared out in mostly beserker armor and ele’s are generally geared out in knights. This gives mesmers an obvious advantage in damage and an obvious disadvantage in defense. I’ve never seen an apples to apples comparison.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I think this is a bad idea.
Granting badges for the jumping puzzles enables players who don’t want to do PVP to still craft a legendary (which is definitely not a WvW exclusive item).
To answer the obvious counter argument about “playing all aspects of the game.” I think it’s bullkitten. I don’t understand why someone must ever suffer through something they hate in a game.
I hate to be the guy to say this, but, as a WvW’er: then why must I grind dungeons and grind for mats, etc to get a legendary instead of just WvW’ing. It’s a legendary, it’s purely cosmetic, and it’s supposed to show you’ve done “all aspects of the game”. It’s entirely optional, just like all the titles and many of the weapons. Oh, you want Immobulus, you gotta farm to get the eyes, or farm the money. Oh, you want a legendary, you gotta do ____. It’s a totally optional point of the game, but to get it, you have to really work for it.
Good point. I am also a WvWer. For me, it’s more that if a person doesn’t want to be in WvW, i don’t want them adding to the queue.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
I think this is a bad idea.
Granting badges for the jumping puzzles enables players who don’t want to do PVP to still craft a legendary (which is definitely not a WvW exclusive item).
To answer the obvious counter argument about “playing all aspects of the game.” I think it’s bullkitten. I don’t understand why someone must ever suffer through something they hate in a game.
You don’t have to suffer through it. You can choose not to do it. “I want my paycheck this week, but why do I HAVE to work?”
It’s a game. It’s not work. There should be no part of the game that feels like work. I don’t think that we should change the system to make it so other people have to do stuff that feels like work.
Edit:
But I have a personal grudge / bone to pick with extrinsic rewards (which I do not like) vs. intrinsic rewards (which I do.) I would rather have extrinsic rewards aligned with intrinsically rewarding activities.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)
Guardian is great, in PvE just spec more toward damage,
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
There’s no carrot to keep me playing when the next game comes around.
Play for the game, not for the carrot.
I don’t mean to sound rude, I really don’t, but if there is nothing about the world, the lore, the mechanics, the story, or the community that you genuinely enjoy then you’re better off finding a different game. I’m not trying to defame you with that, it is the honest truth; Guild Wars 2 isn’t about the carrot, so if you’re just looking for lunch you would be happier elsewhere.
So stop being rude. I do play the game for the game (read my whole post). All I said is that I don’t try to obtain anything (except laurels and I’m kinda mad at myself that I keep doing that.) because the game is so stingy. Then I questioned (gasp) whether such an approach is good for the game.
If you don’t mind spending a moment thinking about the reward system from a design perspective.
When you first start the game you are constantly rewarded. Every 3-5 kills you unlock a new weapon skill, at level 5 you unlock your first slot skill, at level 7 you can swap weapons, at level 10 you unlock a second slot skill, at level 11 you start to get trait points, at level 20 you get another slot skill, at level 30 you unlock your elite, at level 40 you unlock master traits, at level 60 you unlock grandmaster traits.
So from level 1 to level 60 you are provided with a lot of reinforcement / rewards. It’s interesting to note that rewards are spaced further apart the longer you play. At early levels the gratification is almost constant. From level 40 to level 60 there’s very little. This is not accidental. It’s designed to get you psychologically addict to the win and to keep you playing by slowly dragging out the time between the wins.
They do this because they want players to keep playing the game long after they’ve run out of rewards. Compare this to a single player game, like Arkham Asylum (designed to be played for 14-20 hours) . In that game you regularly receive additional rewards evenly throughout the experience (new gadgets / skills / etc.)
Balancing the rewards in an MMO can’t be easy. But I don’t think it’s wrong for a player to notice that it’s been a long time since they feel like they had that kind of win. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to tell people who are having a discussion to go elsewhere.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
(edited by TooBz.3065)