Guild Wars 2

The issues on Kain sound very similar to the issues when you guys were on DH. I find that interesting. Are you guys still as insular as when you were on DH? Its obviously something that can change, and would be better for whatever server you are on. Whether or not it is seen as necessary is a different story.

GL on wherever you guys go.

I just wanted to say the ONE server I was excited to see go up against higher tiers was E-Bay.

I still want to see that happen, as I have much respect for the server from back when DH was fighting ya.

I guess we will just have to wait even longer… :\

In the spirit of WvW, the game of chess seems significantly more fitting than the game of checkers. Though, I feel that neither is “better” than the other, they are different games. In that vein, I also feel that Anet may want to introduce more game modes that DO cater towards the “samurai” amongst us. Not some custom arena that needs to be rented, but large scale combat with different terms for victory. The platform of WvW is excellent in its way, but I also strongly feel that players should be given other options should they prefer the game of checkers to chess. A mode that is perhaps even equal in scale, just with no objectives or PPT. Basically, a TDM but on a very large scale. I do not feel S/TPvP fulfills this need. I think the easiest way would be to implement maps where there are structures, etc. that give a position advantage, but do not have a purpose beyond giving an advantage. I think it would even be a good idea to design a system where the players could design their own maps with structures, supply camps, player designed objectives, and more. All with the idea that players/users could then design their OWN experience that suits them best. While WvW seems to be going in a completely appropriate direction, giving players the ability to design their own game modes would reduce work load on developers and also uniquely fit more needs than Anet could ever hope to do.

TL;DR

I feel that after much thought, WvW is not only headed in the direction it should be, but that it is headed in a good direction when considering the context of the game mode. That said, I think it would be an excellent idea for Anet to implement a mode where large scale open field combat is the norm. Perhaps even allowing players the ability to design their own maps, with their own rules for victory (this could get really creative!). Much like “The Foundry” in other games, but with the added bonus of having a PvP focus. And hey, it could easily be used for PvE design as well. This would not only take work load off of Anet, but would allow players to design entire worlds and game modes specific to them that could be played by anyone who has bought the game. This would also allow players to meet their own expectations at the individual level to an extent that is near impossible for ANY game company to meet.

I have no doubt the reader already has their ideas about what this thread will be, however, I ask that you just keep an open mind with this!

I have been mulling over the direction that GW2 is taking in regards to WvW, and after constantly looking through the rank buffs and siege adjustments, I am no longer sure that this is a bad direction. I know what many are thinking, that I am nuts, but this has been the result of a lot of thinking on the matter.

Initially, I really didnt like the direction of having siege make such an impact. Though, I could never deny that historically, the use of siege-type weapons in open field battle gave one side a massive advantage. Obviously, this is not a “historical” game, but it was the basis for a lot of my thought processes, which is why I mentioned it.

I kind of imagine the open field zealots (not used with a negative connotation, mind you) much like the samurai. They appreciate the value of an even battle with no weapons other than the “basics.” This, however, was proven to be very, very ineffective against superior technology. Thats all I will really say as far as the historical reference, since I dont feel it applies beyond a concept.

Now, I have been looking through the buffs that we receive from spending WxP. These buffs almost turn your basic siege into weapons with some great variety/options, and deadly efficacy. I thought that original 80% buff to ACs was OP, but only because you could buff that damage even further by spending WxP points. This has since been dialed back a bit, and is a decision that I strongly agree with. After much consideration, I think that once more people really start to max out their siege modifiers, that we will start to see a different game taking form.

Instead of a game of checkers (strictly open field combat with the “basics”), we start to evolve into a game of chess. Where both open field combat tactics AND siege strategy will culiminate in a victory. I have to say, I am no longer against the direction the game is taking in this regard.

I have seen many open field combat tactics that I felt were well executed. Though, to be blunt, none that particularly have impressed me. We have your basic class synergies, flanks, portals, and the use of stealth from various sources. But.. that is pretty much it. Just like in checkers, there are quite a few different ways to implement these items, but in the end, it is a rather limited tool set.

Once we add in siege, it gives us more options. We still have all of the tactic opportunities as with strictly open-field samurai-type combat, but all of a sudden, we have pieces than can move and deal damage in much different ways. To those still strictly adhering to the open-field combat with no siege, it is much like one side playing a game of checkers while the other side plays a game of chess. It is no wonder that this is frustrating! On one hand, we have players that are simply trying to get to the other side while wiping out their opponents. On the other, we have players that are trying to protect their King (objectives like towers, supply camps, travel routes, etc) with all of the tools at their disposal.

It became blatantly obvious to me which one of these is more “fitting” to the theme and objectives of WvW. Do I completely agree with all of the decisions that are being made on Anets end? No. But, I am no longer as opposed to the direction siege is taking.

“Siege Wars 2” does seem fitting for the direction this game is headed. However, I am no longer convinced that this is a negative thing. While it restricts one type of play to literally adapt or die (much like the samurai), it also opens up a completely different world of possibilities. While this may be a double edged sword in some regards, it also enables to use of much more varied strategies and tactics.

jherbin.5723:

Anyone who is versed in ranger WvW, send me a PM and I can ask you some questions.

Feel free to send me a PM if you have questions. Its far too broad of a subject without specifics though!

I do not claim to be anything but an “above-average” player, but I am not too bad. I am relatively experienced with ~20k kills, so I am more than willing to share what I have learned in that time. Still a whole lot more to learn, but thats just life.

edit: Here is a link that kind of generalizes one role we can play in WvW. Like I said though, its pretty broad subject matter, so its tough to go into very specific detail. General WvW stuff is also helpful, but isnt really profession specific (siege placement, siege tactics, open field tactics, etc)

melodey.4652:

Hey Assassin X. I hear you.

6 commander pins in our BL on reset night, three of which I’ve never even seen before? ~Darkhaven problems.

I have been seeing a lot of this on our server recently. I am pretty sure that these people bought the tag, then decided to see how they fare doing WvW. This doesnt turn out well.

That said, I am not sure there is a clear cut solution to this other than following commanders that have a good track record. Most people who have been playing WvW for a while already have this down pat. The people that dont are the ones that are new to the game.

In the end, I feel the best solution is to educate people who are new to WvW so they can quickly ascertain whether or not they should be following a given commander. I have been harping on about this for a looooong time though, and certainly dont expect it to happen. Either way, by raising the base level of knowledge of our players as quickly as possible, the better we will do overall. Deciding not to follow incapable commanders will just come with the territory of having a knowledgeable playerbase, even if they are still inexperienced.

I dunno, maybe Ill eventually get around to doing this myself, even if I said I was done with the “work” aspect of playing games. We will see..

Loyo.8526:

Sorrow’s Furnace is still having problem with siege. only equipment that can be dropped currently is golems.

There are a lot of us on DH that cant even play, much less worry about whether or not siege can be placed. :\ Dont know if its the same for your server, but the siege issues are one of the least concerns for some of us right now. Game is 100% unplayable for me and some others I have spoken to about it.

:’(

Dont know about anyone else, but forums are acting up pretty badly too now :\

Gorefiend.9675:

Now the strategy is gather the biggest group you can, build golems, and bash your head into stuff.

Well.. thats if you can even play the game at all. If you are playing just fine, but cant place siege, consider yourself lucky you can play in the first place. Some of us are pretty much SOL right now. Not only can I not place siege, but the game continues to lag, freeze, and sporadically crash.

Soooo, if your only issue is not placing siege, enjoy the fact you can play at all!

I think what it comes down to is that something very, very major is broken in WvW right now. I have no idea if its in other parts of the game, since they arent of much interest to me.

We have siege that cant be placed, constant lag, and constant crashes. But, it isnt universal as some players seem to be doing just fine. I have a suspicion it is related to the API somehow, but that may only be a coincidence in timing on my end. Sadly, I am not sure this is going to be a quick and easy issue to fix, though I will be VERY happy if I am completely and utterly wrong on that!

Burl.9567:

Otokomae.9356:

Yeah, if you play WvW on a server with even a medium population, you can pretty much remove every key from your keyboard except the “1” key, since that’s the only one that works in battle right now.

Your “1” key works still? Consider yourself lucky. I can’t do anything any longer.

Oto is -OBVIOUSLY- OP. Nerf!!!

RAIN.1238:

Idk about you guys, but I’m not even getting error messages. My game just freezes, and I have to quit the program and restart it. I’m not able to get anything done, about the time I get across EB, it freezes and I have to start all over again.

No error messages here either. If it doesnt crash, the lag has me sitting in places for 5+ seconds before moving (total game freeze) followed by a half second of movement, then freezing again. And thats at best.

I want my dubveedub :’(

/salute all around!

I have learned more from this match up “pairing” than any other, and I am very happy about that.

There are always the exceptions, but much respect to both IoJ and SF. Now if I could only actually play… It haunts my dreams.

RAIN.1238:

3 times now since I posted. This isn’t even laughable anymore.

I havent even loaded up GW2 today, which is a first. The game is completely unplayable for me. Just been playing other games like Neverwinter.

Really hoping for a fix soon, wvw is one of my favorite gaming experiences in recent memory!

Same here Ash.. I wonder how many on DH are experiencing this… At least from the chat, it appears there are quite a few…

I am thinking its all connected, and it all started for me with the API introduction (but it has gotten progressively worse especially with the last patch).

My SB ranger shoots slower than with a longbow, if at all, and my pet teleports from one position to the next. Lazy kitten…

At the very least, they seem to be aware of these issues and are working on it. I have seen no ETA or even a hint at what might be causing it though.

I am experiencing this as well. I have experienced “ye olde lagge” where pressing 1 is the only thing that works.

However, this is different. Pressing 1 no longer works, and the lag frequently results in a crash. There IS a sticky at the top of this sub forum though that says they are aware of it and working on it.

What I find interesting is that some people are playing just fine. There are some people who can even still place siege.

However, in my case at least, the game is 100% unplayable for now. Its hard not playing WvW, but we’ll get through it together folks. ;P

Banzie.5248:

:l I’m not getting any lag in eb, last night however I was getting about 5 seconds of delay, so idk what to tell ya T_T my skills are going off just fine atm

Yeah… I dunno whats going on. Ever since right around when they introduced the API (which is AMAZING for the live maps on millenium!), I have been having really serious playability issues. Im not sure its directly connected to the API, but it started at about the same time. It seems I am not the only one from the multiple threads and sticky from Devon on the same topic in the dubveedub section here (constant lag resulting in crashes, etc).

Basically, if there are more than about 10 people, its unplayable :\ My pet doesnt even walk anymore, just teleports from one spot to the next, lol, and my shortbow shoots at a slower speed than the longbow (on Ranger).

Ah well, Ill just play another game for a bit. It seems to be very off and on, so we will see how it is tomorrow!

Banzie.5248:

IoJ Won the SM battle in the end, and we still have it ;D

Gotcha, but apparently, the lag monster is still large and in charge. WvW is next to unplayable in EB for me

Hopefully this downtime will do something for it!

Is.. the battle for SM over?

Am I safe to once again load up GW2 without fear of encountering the almighty and terrifying lag-monster?

:D

I like to split this kind of thing up into two categories;

1) Easiest/hardest class to learn
2) Easiest/hardest class to master

I think it is also not really relevant on specific build, though bunker type builds make it easier to learn/master any class. I do, however, feel that utilities and skills chosen make a big difference.

Ele is one of the hardest classes to learn, however, once you get used to the attunement swapping it is relatively easy to master. Thief is one of the easiest classes to learn, and about medium on the master scale. Ranger is extremely easy to learn, but is one of the hardest classes to truly master. This is all just my opinion, of course.

I think the one that tops both lists, given certain skills (mainly kits), is the engi. If you use a few elixirs as utilities though, it becomes one of the easiest.

So, in other words, massive shrug. lol

IoJ and SF;

Your grandmaster plan to lag us out of SM is quite effective.

[ND] I love you.

That is all.

Is there the chance you misunderstood the thief?

Meaning, he had high toughness as well, and could not drop aggro due to this?

I agree with the rest though, in principle. I do tend to still have some defensive stats on my builds, but I almost always have a couple zerker pieces, and almost always run with ruby stuff on my jewelry.

Raph is Chilled.8304:

I think alot of people would agree that fighting an Asura is harder than fighting a Norn. And IMO this is not negligible but more important than it should be.

It’s not that much of a big deal making certain animations more noticable on Asuras. The people who care will consider this change positiv and the people who don’t care won’t notice. It won’t affect actual balance.

I certainly dont agree. I dont see “a lot” of people agreeing either. Its more the player than anything else. I have just as good of a chance at losing to a skilled norn of any class as a skilled asura of any class.

If it wont do anything to balance, then what is the point of investing time and money into something that wont actually change anything? If thats the case, you should be plenty capable of making the changes in your own mind and start to own those asura.

Bluntly, it sounds like you are your own worst enemy on this one and it has nothing to do with anything other than your own limitations that you have self-imposed.

EdotMP.1835:

I don’t know whats sadder… People complaining about Thieves, or the fact there’s between 1-3 topics about them being OP when they’ve been nerfed already.

I think that says a whole lot about what the stealth mechanic allows a player to accomplish.. They have been nerfed, and yet, are still extremely, extremely effective even in the hands of a novice. Perhaps not as OP as some make it out to be, but it is certainly not a weak class.

Though I fully understand this line of thought is foreign to the majority of thief players.

Just be aware that when in “Aggressive” stance, the pet can essentially red zone. In this.. uh.. “mode” they run around aggroing absolutely everything in sight. So, make sure you get in the habit of pressing F3. Its useful beyond keeping your pet from red zoning as well.

Have fun!

LameFox.6349:

I think if I had to pick a stealth nerf I’d probably go with nullifying speed buffs if anything. Stealth and high mobility seem suited to being separate options – though from what I recall it might require a few other alterations in order to replace redundant things (whatever the in-stealth movement trait is called, I forget now).

Making them visible but very slightly seems almost pre-destined to favour certain settings, and also environments (which isn’t a good thing if they weren’t placed that way with that in mind). Also, since to allow targeting the thief would effectively break stealth altogether (tab tab tab… oh hey, a thief), the current counters like AoE and cleave would receive a boost disproportionate to things that require a targeted enemy. That is to say, the latter wouldn’t receive a boost at all. For whatever that’s worth…

Also, I’d completely forgotten that video. It seems so old now.

I definitely dont think they should be targetable in the common way, still just how it is now but with a slightly better idea of where the thief is if they arent being sneaky.

It would definitely favor some settings a bit, but thats an issue thats present in a lot of situations. One of the worst offenders is using windowed mode to gain access to a higher FOV with ACs. Honestly, I think they should just have a fixed FOV with ACs, but thats a whole ’nother thread.

And yeah, I was surprised I was able to find that vid so easily. I expected at least five minutes of searching since I could barely remember anything about it. Took five seconds instead. Cant complain.

I mean, its not like any of this will happen, but kind of fun to discuss it anyhow. And I thusly label you a “Corrector.”

Now its time to try the game and see if I can actually play it!

While this is all deviating from the actual topic at hand a bit, its a much more interesting conversation.. soo… meh!

LameFox.6349:

I don’t necessarily disagree with this actually. Keeping in stealth by doing things like ‘stab a rabbit’ or ‘fire a pistol and leap back and forth’ are quite amusing to me, but don’t really seem logical or fitting as ways to sneak. I’m willing to overlook it under the circumstances though because I think it would be very hard to implement that way in a game like GW2. [snip!]

Dont get me wrong, I think actually over hauling the entire system would be more trouble than its worth when there are other things in game I would like to see fixed much more. That said, there is obviously a fine balance with it. I think that making it about 50% as visible as you are to your team mates might be just about right, but it would obviously require testing.

However, if this type of thing WAS implemented, I would like to see damage reverted back to higher numbers and I think that the ability to go 100% invisible should remain for PvE.

As for the stealth in PS2: I havent played it much (maybe 3 hours or so), so I cant comment in depth.

Like with all things, there should be a balance. Something like this (just the first minute or so of the video):

I can see how it’s easier to learn when TTK is high because even if you fail miserably you’ve more time to take in how you failed, instead of bam, dead).

Both extreme ends of the spectrum tend to come back right to the same place, but in different ways. I dont disagree with anything you said here.

Sure, they’re an evasive class and they do stand a good chance of escaping if they’re a decent player.

Yeah, I am not so sure I would actually change their ability to do this. Just that it is one of the things that makes it less enjoyable for me, personally, to fight against. The overall theme of the class supports this type of play, so I dont think I would even support a move to change anything about it. I simply dont enjoy “winning” in this fashion though. I like a good ol fight to the death, so that is what I actively seek out.

Honestly, besides the reasons I put up-post, I think one significant thing is because so many other people don’t.

Just as a friendly little jab (seriously, I am enjoying this discourse!), you sound imminently anti-conformist. Which, in its way, just has you conforming all the same, except inversely.

:D

LameFox.6349:

Tuluum.9638:

And to me, fighting a thief really does kinda suck no matter what.

Why?

Thats like asking someone why their favorite color is their favorite color. Its subjective.

The things that turn me off from those engagements may be exactly why you enjoy the fights.

Ill go into it a bit though;

First, I dislike the implementation of the stealth mechanic as a whole. This applies to both playing AS a thief, as well as fighting against them. I much prefer systems that require skill to become invisible. Thieves would turn, very quickly, into my favorite class to fight against if stealth required the player to skillfully skulk through the shadows and use the environment to hide his/her movements (like in games such as Metal Gear Solid, Thief, etc). At this point, I would also immediately roll a thief again and they would probably become my main very quickly.

The amount of regen when entering stealth, if specced properly of course, turns a thief into a bunker of sorts. And, I dont really enjoy playing against bunkers of any class, nor do I enjoy playing them myself. Its a fight where even egregious mistakes can be too easily covered by survivability. Even if not traited for such healing, the stealth implementation plays the same role as high survivability in other classes that have built as a bunker. It turns into a fight of attrition where skill, mistakes, and quick decision making start to become much less relevant (though they obviously still apply).

A “win” against a competent thief will involve them running away. Something about that just isnt enjoyable to me. When I “win,” I want to actually win, not just scare someone off. I dont like “winning” by the other player essentially giving up, whether that is by running away stealthed, or throwing their hands up in the air and stopping pressing buttons.

There is more, but really, its starting to go pretty off topic. In the end, its subjective. My success rate against thieves is right about the same as fighting any other class, but I get the same amount of enjoyment out of it as I do PvDooring. Which is to say, not much at all.

Why do you enjoy fighting thieves so much? :P

Sadly, the game has been frustrating to play for me since around the time they introduced the API.

Its not unplayable in the technical definition of the word, but things have gotten ultra-funky.

Hope the issue isnt TOO widespread and y’all are still enjoying it! Im looking forward to when the issues alleviate, but until then.. adieu!

I did not see any exploits in that video :\

;P

runs away

LameFox.6349:

It was more for the sake of a counter-example than anything; it seems like a lot of people just resign themselves to the idea that it will suck no matter what, which seems a bit self-defeating to me. To be fair I haven’t played a ranger in a very long time, I don’t even have that character now, so if the class itself wasn’t pleasant to fight a thief with I wouldn’t have noticed.

I have leveled six classes to 80, with exotic gear. I do not enjoy fighting thieves on any of them. Ranger is just the one I settled on as a “main.”

Like I said, its not a matter of win or lose. It all comes down to whether or not I am enjoying it. I have heard the same from others as well. It obviously wont apply to everyone, such as yourself, because thats how the world works with absolutely everything.

But, the reality is, some of us just find it tedious at best regardless of if others enjoy it. It will be difficult to convince someone they actually enjoy something when they dont! :P And to me, fighting a thief really does kinda suck no matter what.

ExZee.8109:

Honestly… Play a thief. I think Anet did a brilliant job with the thief’s combat mechanics but the consequence of that brilliance is that the hurdle is so high you’ll never really know how to counter them unless you actually play one to understand it.

I agree with a lot of what you said, except this portion. I found thief to be one of the easiest classes to succeed with in any game I have ever played. It is the only time I have ever actually deleted a fully geared, capped character in any MMO I have played.

They are very, very simple to succeed with in the vast majority of encounters. “Mastering” them is a bit different, but even then, is lower than many other classes imo. Its just an easy class to play, which I dont necessarily view as a negative thing, as it may be taken by most. Its just not the class for me.

I agree with your suggesting of rolling a thief to learn more about them though. It takes very little time to actually learn what makes them tick. So, for just a small bit of time invested, you can save a lot of frustration. edit: Of course, you are still probably better off just leaving a fight with most thieves, as they will just waste time that you could be using to take a camp, sentries, take out siege, etc.

BrimstoneAshe.5043:

The solution isn’t that simple though. I get the impression they made their Engineer for WvW roaming. If youre a WvW roamer, you’re going to fight thieves pretty much every fight. I roam on my engineer every night and there are nights where I have 20 different fights and every one of them has a thief in them.

My time in-game is spent at about 75% solo roaming. I dont run into this issue, but I have no doubt it can change pretty dramatically from tier to tier. And to be clear, I dont really feel its even a “solution” so much as just a choice of where to invest time. I do run across thieves, but I tend to be pretty successful against them. The second I see them constantly going into stealth and regening their health, Im outta there.

LameFox.6349:

I actually quite like it…

I am glad you do, though it isnt relevant to what I enjoy. I also find playing as a bunker to be incredibly boring, though if you look at how many people do play them, it is undoubtedly enjoyable for some. I never meant to imply my own experience was universal, but it is most definitely not fun for me.

The dull part tends to be that someone from my team or theirs will often show up and get in the way… happened the day before yesterday on my level 50 necro, fighting a lvl 80 thief who was built for survivability and conditions. He’d taken off a considerable part of my >30k health at first but via wells, marks, chills and condition transfer/conversion, it was starting to swing back in the other direction with my average health increasing as his decreased.

…and then someone (of my team I mean) came to ‘help’…

Bleh.

We half agree on this one. Sometimes I like the fight I am currently in and would prefer my team mates to leave us alone while it finishes. If they dont, I generally will just pull back.

Now.. If more from the other team join in, thats when I start to really enjoy it. Thats the only way Ill stick around to fight a thief is if others join in. The chances of me winning the engagement are low, but I could not care less about dying. The “last stand” type fights are some of my favorites, although some end rather quickly as my ranger is pretty glassy (only 2300 armor).

Its all subjective anyway, but I know I am not alone in disliking a fight with a thief.

Boomstin.3460:

Yeah, just bail the fight and go find some fun encounters. No point hanging around for never ending trolling match agains’t thieves.

Yup!

Fighting thieves is one of the must “unfun” experiences I have had in any game. Doesnt matter if I win or lose, its just dull. There are so many other great things to do in game that I consider fighting 99% of thieves to be a total waste of time.

1) Channel an ability before they go into stealth. Not only will this continue to do damage, but you can semi-track where they are by where your attack points. This does not apply when that wierd lag is happening where the player character (or doly, or whatever) is not actually where they are rendering on your client, but its still there.

2) Swing wildly at the air, switching 180 degrees randomly

3) Spam AoE either at your feet, or where you see the black swirls/smoke fields, etc.

Most of the time, it is a complete waste of your time to do any of these things unless its in the middle of a larger battle. Really, the best way to “counter” it is just move on and do what you are doing somewhere else.

I think you made the right choice with going to T8. Most people will want you joining their own server, since it benefits them. But, I think anything above T8 is not really what the OP is looking for. Even in T8, you will still have zergs, but it is a tier where small teams and roaming are actively pursued and even “marketed” by the community.

Sounds like a perfect fit!! Hope you enjoy your choice of FC, Fiction!

Every once in a while, I like to make a post similar to the following. I do not expect anything to come from it, but hey, its something I would eventually like to see. The only issue is thakittens simply not the work of one person, but of all of us as a team.

I realize that DH hasnt had much issues for a while, which is why starting to implement a new foundation for our server might be easier now than when we start to flounder a bit (for whatever reason). Resets are always weak, with the very random exception of last match. This will undoubtedly change, and I do have an option to try out. This isnt something I have seen in many games, but when utilized by myself in previous games, it has been incredibly effective in raising the mean average of player skill and education in a given group. It also makes new players feel more welcome, and increases retention, play time, and effort of said users. This is basically copy/pasted from a previous post which was also largely ignored, lol.

The biggest thing that would help DH start unifying is to focus on communications that are accessible to PUGs, which is essentially /map and /team chat.

The attitude thus far (and not just in this game or server) is that everyone should be on voice comms. The truth is that many want to just play the game, and not have to get extremely involved during their playtime. No effort of any kind has been made to communicate through common means, only proprietary (either get in “x” guild or sign into vent/mumble/ts3/etc). Nor have many actions been taken to actually educate new people through common means and it can be downright intimidating at first.

We should build a system/foundation that doesnt just include PUGs, but makes them a priority. A system that encourages people to share ideas, strategies, and even fail together (which is also an opportunity to learn). Coming up with a strong foundation, built on means accessible to anyone just playing the game, would be a great boon to the strength of the server.

Maybe now is a good time where we can truly build a strong server that focuses on communication and education done through means accessible to anyone who owns and plays the game. The benefits of this, while briefly mentioned in this post, have a much larger impact than just making us “better” at WvW.

Time will tell, I suppose. I wont be holding my breath though

I learned my lesson mods!

I will now no longer quote anyone, ever. Nor will I even allude to the fact I am responding to a specific post, to avoid having a perfectly legitimate post deleted “because another post was deleted.”

Anywho, I basically said that while I am seeing a rise in suspicious behavior (including just downright bugginess in the game itself), IoJ remains imminently respectable overall. SF perhaps less so, but there are still some great encounters even if it ends up with me waypointing!

We’ll see how long this stays here, since I am technically just saying the same thing as my old post and “referring” to the fact.

Mods, get your cat off the keyboard!

edit: Actual footage of the incident:

T5 here, and overall lag seems to have increased for me, but that skill lag issue seems to have subsided quite a bit.

I am constantly throwing attacks that dont hit anything though, and I get nothing as a response from the game (no damage numbers, no “missed,” “blocked,” etc). I assume its kind of like the dolyaks, where the model simply is not where the actual hit box is. I have died many, many a time to this recently as I apparently render quite fine to others, lol.

VoidWhisperer.8635:

no thanks to arenanet

Wellll, some thanks goes to them.. having made the game and all. :P

Have fun!

I kind of suspect something went wrong with the pet AI recently.

I have the same issue as the OP, but I have also noticed some other things. One is that my F2 seems to be even more unreliable now, which is saying something. Most of the time it either does not activate at all, or it just goes on its full CD. I have also been seeing a large uptick in how many times my pet will just randomly go off and attack the middle of the zerg (wvw) with zero input from me whatsoever. I always run my pets on passive to avoid this as much as possible, but I am seeing my pet randomly run off after things as if it were set to aggressive. I would even venture a guess that this might be because the bugginess of the F1 is delayed or something, but it would be quite a large delay (over a minute).

In my recent playtime, it feels like the pet has become a rather massive liability.

I constantly pop signet of the hunt before a -edit: Hilt Bash- (GS). Incredibly, incredibly useful and fantastic damage. To expand, since I had to edit anyway; I pop signet of the hunt while my Jaguar is in stealth attacking, then after it is used, I activate hilt bash. Ideally, all while the jag is in stealth (guaranteed crits). Ideally, one of them will activate for Bite, which isnt too hard to guarantee if you mentally keep track of the CD (8s untraited).

Its the only signet I run though, so, no comment beyond that

I went outside, watched some TV, played with my dogs, spent some time with the family, and played some other games.

I think I ate somewhere in there too.

I bookmark my builds on http://www.gw2buildcraft.com

Not exactly what you are looking for, I know, but it works great for me.

Bunkers are incredibly difficult to deal with, regardless of class, imo. Some are better at it than others (pre-nerf ele, engi, ranger, guardian), but they are all built on a looooooong fight of attrition. Dont expect to burst them down and mentally prepare for a longer fight.

The one weakness of a BM bunker (a typical spec) is that they strongly rely on their pet. Kill it with fire! Or crazy little purple butterflies, that works too. I notice that most people ignore my pet entirely. I can even sometimes send them into an enemy zerg and have them run around taking down people low on health. I suggest taking down any and all pets you see (this is coming from a wvw perspective, but I think it applies in s/tpvp too). The pet allows a BM bunker to still have great damage while the player character has great survivability. Once the pet is gone, its almost like applying a condition on a ranger.

Rangers generally have pretty weak condi removal, even with healing spring. Conditions are a strong counter to almost all bunkers as well, with the possible exception of the ele running ether renewal.

Beyond that, all of the “standard” advice applies. Dodge/evade/blur any of the bigger attacks and make sure to keep moving.

Yes, rangers are incredibly OP!

One time, I saw a ranger swoop through an entire zerg one shotting them. They then metered out unicorns of doom with their bow of justice to anyone trying to help their fallen allies. This ONE ranger took out, like, 3 million of my team mates. Pure, unadulterated destruction. No other class has ranged attacks, why do rangers? No other class can apply conditions, why can rangers?

I would have recorded it for proof, but it happened SO fast!

Then I learned to strafe; problem solved! :P

hyjaxxx.1584:

that thief you have is sneaky sneaky. they would stealth behind the lines and come at my lil Ele like i was the prize! hehe.

Sometimes I like to think they see my guild tag and go “gasp Its that Tuluum guy!!” and then proceed to call target where the entire zerg focuses me down because I am so darn dangerous.

Perhaps not entirely realistic, but I AM an Asura after all. We have big heads, both literally and figuratively.

I just wanted to do a friendly en-“tango.” :\ (ha! :P)

kbenton.4915:

OH and don’t use elite skills during duels, it’s the equivalent of Tyson biting off an ear. Not sporting.

Indeed!

I actually ask my opponent during the battle if they would like me to use my elite.

“Hi there friend! Would you like to be entangled?”

slingblade.1437:

and others like high Marksmanship, Piercing Arrows and Sigil of Fire for zerg fighting.

Thats pretty much what I run, with relatively good success.

As for my role, I am able to split the enemy group into smaller groups by selective fire, and I do decent damage (~1500-1800 per crit of SB + Sigil of Fire Proc + piercing arrows). This strategy applies to almost any group size, so can work effectively in a lot of different situations. By breaking up the enemy group into smaller, more focused portions, AoEs can be more consistently applied to the same targets. So, pretty much everything I do is with that in mind. The overall process is; flank, break up group into smaller portions, then distract as much fire as possible while ideally surviving to do it over again.

I also like to use food and suggest it strongly. I went for omnom berry pie and master maintenance oil. Just adds some to the damage, and increases healing for a higher crit build.

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/ranger/?6.1|5.1g.h17|1.1p.h1|1c.7l.1g.7l.1c.7l.1g.7l.1c.7l.1g.7l|1p.67.1p.61.1p.61.1g.67.1g.67.1g.67|k38.u14a.k6a.0.0|0.0|4j.51.4x.2.54|e

is roughly what I run (I think a couple pieces might be different, cant check right now).

I frequently will run with a Superior Sigil of Perception on one or both weapons until I have a full stack, then I switch for what you see in the build as you still retain the buff until downed.

I think the best thing to do is try out different ways of playing, and see what works best for you. I frequently find myself starting off a class as a bunker and slowly working towards more damage. There are a lot of different ways to approach even a single role.

Basically, you have two things to balance; damage and survivability. They are both done different ways and finding the right balance for you and your playstyle takes some messing around.