Guild Wars 2

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

VOLKON.1290:

I don’t think you put a lot of thought into this here:

“-Then why not include a free key for the core game along with our purchase?”

Really… what are you going to do with it? Make an alt account that would still need to purchase the expansion? Give it to someone else… that would still need to buy the expansion when they could have bought the whole thing at once?

I’m not saying that I would want a free extra key for the core game. I’m saying that if the core game is supposedly included for free, then I’d like to see something for it. Otherwise I can’t shake the feeling that I’m paying for something I’m not getting.

I don’t see how it can be any more clear. The core game is not supposedly included for free unless you’re a new player (who needs the core to play as well). New players that buy the expansion get the core as well. Vets, already having the core, do not.

And… who cares? Giving new players the core as well in no way hurts me or affects my game play, with the possible exception of there being new players around. I’m not losing anything, I’m still gaining the expansion.

There is a holiday weekend coming up. Let them begin barbecue preparations.

They should give it a range of 2400 when I’m on my engineer.

Only then.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Allow me to correct you. Take this example:

A company tries to swindle 3 people. Only one person falls for it, the other two recognize it as such. Is it a swindle? Yes it is. Is it a swindle to all three of the persons involved? Yes it is. Now replace the company with Anet, and the audience with all of us. A swindle is still a swindle, regardless if someone falls for it or not.

How about the corollary?

A company sells a product. Two people are happy with it and buy it. The third claims he’s being swindled. Is it a swindle? Only in the opinion of the person asserting he’s being swindled, and that opinion is irrelevant to everyone else.

Galen Grey.4709:

Test.8734:

It’s extremelly obvious that “HoT” has been in development for at most a little more than one year now,… And if you want to know what were the other 330 people working on, you need to stop taking things so literally and read some of the Glassdoor reviews about ArenaNet.

how is it extremely obvious? I quoted my statements with facts, how about you do the same?

I am not exactly seeing any glassdoor reviews saying Anet is lying about having 350 employees (which makes it the largest MMO development team btw) or that Living story is all they have developed or that we didnt start working on the expansion until very recently. So again what are you refering to specifically?

He may be getting his data using the experimental Asuran NORAD device. (Naturally Organic Rectally Extracted Data).

You’d be surprised what they’re coming up with using that.

Ayrilana.1396:

As far as aged games charging so much for an expansion, look at WoW. It’s like 10-11 years old and how much did it charge for the latest expansion? Yeah…

Don’t forget the additional $180 per year access fee just to play the expansion you paid for.

Nexus.3071:

So um…you missed the point again lol…but ok…and no, $10 sales are awesome, but $50 for an “aged” game’s expansion…no me rikey. But hey, you can pay the $50 for it if you want. But I would bet, that if you already own the game, you wouldn’t have any complaints about paying less for the expansion…unless you like getting ripped off.

There are games a heck of a lot older that charge a whole lot more (effectively) for an expansion. And no… I wouldn’t have complained if the price were less… I’d have still bought two of the Ultimate equivalents regardless. When you throw in all the content to date as well as what’s to come it’s a tip of the hat to ANet for all the work they put into a sub-free game. There’s no “getting ripped off” here at all. It’s my opinion that it’s worth the money, and your opinion has no relevance.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

Lets also not forget that it is pretty shady to sell an expansion for the price of a full game, and then claim that the core game is included for free.

If that is the case…

-Then why is the price exactly that of a full standalone game?
-Then why not include a free key for the core game along with our purchase?

How are we the consumer supposed to tell the difference here between buying HOT and getting the core game for free, or buying the full game again and getting HOT for free?

What is the difference?

I don’t think you put a lot of thought into this here:

“-Then why not include a free key for the core game along with our purchase?”

Really… what are you going to do with it? Make an alt account that would still need to purchase the expansion? Give it to someone else… that would still need to buy the expansion when they could have bought the whole thing at once?

It’s simple. You buy the expansion. If you’re new, you get the core thrown in as well as an incentive. If not, you get an extra character slot thrown in as incentive. It’s really not that complicated.

Belzebu.3912:

VOLKON.1290:

Indigo, my apologies if I wasn’t clear. I was referring to this being the framework for the elite specs to become full on viable professions by allowing you to have more weapons, skills, etc. in the future. Say for example they release a new weapon (set) for each one… a druid with a scepter/war horn or whatever. They add another handful of utilities. Things of this nature. It’s possible.

Oh, that is what you meant?
Then no, it is not how elite spec works.
What may happen in the future is a new elite spec, lets get the Commando in your example, and that get yet another weapon and skills so a ranger can get Druid (staff + set of skills) or Commando (rifle + another skills) for example, but not add more weapon and skills to previous elite spec.

Ah, thanks, I wasn’t clear on that.

adormtil.1605:

VOLKON.1290:

DarkSyze.8627:

Cross-Examine Expansion Content+ Prices

Blizzard: Wow Expansion:Warlords of Draenor

Standard Price- 29.99$
Deluxe Edition Price- 49.99$

• Price does not include annual $180/year access fee divided into 12 payments.
  ————————-

Square Enix: Expansion: FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward

Digital Collection Edition – 44.99 E$
Physical Collection Edition – 129.99 E$

• Price does not include $155 – $180/year access fee, depending on model.

1. Artbook
2. Additional Content Disk
3. Dragon Mount Figure

---

Arena net Expansion: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thrones

Standard Price- 49.99$ Base Game
Deluxe Edition- 74.99$
Ultimate Edition : 99.99$

• No annual fees required for access.

Why do you not compare it with SWTOR also. People do not have to pay 1 years of subscription they could pay only 1 month and in some cases its a option of the expansion to have 1 month of subscription included.Was there not a study that showed a increase in the number of subscribers during expansions and then drop sharply after the first few months?

Well, to be honest, because it wasn’t mentioned initially in the list. And yes, it’s true, you don’t have to pay the subscription every month if you don’t want to… but then you lose access to the game.

DarkSyze.8627:

Cross-Examine Expansion Content+ Prices

Blizzard: Wow Expansion:Warlords of Draenor

Standard Price- 29.99$
Deluxe Edition Price- 49.99$

• Price does not include annual $180/year access fee divided into 12 payments.
  ————————-

Square Enix: Expansion: FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward

Digital Collection Edition – 44.99 E$
Physical Collection Edition – 129.99 E$

• Price does not include $155 – $180/year access fee, depending on model.

1. Artbook
2. Additional Content Disk
3. Dragon Mount Figure

---

Arena net Expansion: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thrones

Standard Price- 49.99$ Base Game
Deluxe Edition- 74.99$
Ultimate Edition : 99.99$

• No annual fees required for access.

HawkMeister.4758:

The only misinforming people here are the usual suspects spouting of marketing hype like it´s gospel.

My information is DIRECTLY from ANet as I´ve eagerly watched the videos of every beta event, which showed different parts of the same map.
Heck, the last one even had the center part impassable, as it was “the heart of the jungle”.

Here´s a little life lesson for you fan-atics.
When somebody is selling you something, but won´t show you the whole deal.
Odds are good you´re gona get taken for a ride.

But don´t take my word for it, just wait till you´ve seen the finished product.
Oh well.
Too late for some, you´ve already per-ordered. Might you even be in this thread accusing me of lying? Who knows?

When I was in the closed Beta (and the open after) we barely got a sniff at the full content available. That’s just how ANet is… if they don’t think it’s fully ready we’re not going to get much information on it, if any at all.

Hell… I was one of the people that discovered sit-jumping. Man… I miss that “feature”. It was fun.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Two points (disambiguation)

1. Elite specs are getting one new weapon for the existing profession, which may mean as few as two weapon skills. They are getting one skill category. Reaper necros gain shouts. This means 4-5 skills including a new elite, not the 20 skills and multiple elites a full profession gets. They’re a (maybe minor) expansion of the existing profession with the possible advantage of a new take on the profession mechanic at the cost of a core spec. Sorry to derail the hype train, but the Elite Specs are nowhere near being a new profession.
2. Despite that, the complaints about HoT lacking a certain something are largely about PvE content, not features like the specs. I’d say we’re getting a decent amount of features for the price. So far, as far as content goes, I’ve seen one zone referred to in the beta posts, the Wyvern fight and vague references to multiple zones and challenging content. Features enhance what one does in an MMO. Content is what one does.

Indigo, my apologies if I wasn’t clear. I was referring to this being the framework for the elite specs to become full on viable professions by allowing you to have more weapons, skills, etc. in the future. Say for example they release a new weapon (set) for each one… a druid with a scepter/war horn or whatever. They add another handful of utilities. Things of this nature. It’s possible.

Regarding content, it took forever with the core to even have a sniff at what the full content was going to be. ANet isn’t one to boast about everything they’re dreaming about releasing… they only drizzle out information when they’re certain it’s going to be there.

Regardless, with what we’ve received in the past for our money, what we’re getting now with the expansion and the extremely high probability we’ll be getting a lot more between this one and the next one I personally have a hard time understanding how people can complain about the cost. For well under $20 per year average we’re getting access to one hell of a good game.

That definitely needs to be forgotten. My ears are bleeding now.

Gehenna.3625:

VOLKON.1290:

Failure? How exactly is failure defined these days? Of course, I haven’t seen anything recent, however this:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/10/guild-wars-2-sales-more-than-double-thanks-to-chinese-launch

“Guild Wars 2 has over 3.8 million Chinese players according to a census uploaded to Reddit, all accrued in just two months after launch.

This means ArenaNet’s MMO has more than doubled its global playerbase since launching in the new territory. The last update we got on Western sales was back in August 2013, when the figure stood at 3.5 million. This figure is likely to have risen since then but, even if we assume it hasn’t, this means global sales of Guild Wars 2 should now be well past the 7 million mark."

You do realise that the link you provide is a year old. That’s not exactly recent news. I wouldn’t put much stock in that for the status today… clearly it’s odd there is basically no news since then if you do a quick search on the internet. It’s all from a year ago on this topic. I find that at least unusual.

It’s not like ANet didn’t go an extended period of time before announcing numbers here in the U.S. either. Some 3.8 million sales out of the gate in China isn’t exactly a failure.

I’ve been back about a week after a hiatus… try what I did, go to Silverwastes, go nuts killing things and ease on back into the flow.

It’s fun so far!

Vix.6730:

Test.8734:

Lucky.4263:

What makes HoT worth $50?

Nothing.

Keep in mind ArenaNet has seeing declining profits, and that they invested a lot in the China release, which was a failure. They’re now releasing an overpriced expansion in order to make up for the money they have lost, but this is clearly a move to help them, not for the benefit of their players.

This is a good point. I was surprised to hear about the China release go up in flames as quickly as it did. Clearly the expansion is priced $20 too high. Anet feels that by squeezing an extra $20 out of players they can recoup their losses. What they haven’t considered is the resistance players have been showing.

Failure? How exactly is failure defined these days? Of course, I haven’t seen anything recent, however this:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/10/guild-wars-2-sales-more-than-double-thanks-to-chinese-launch

“Guild Wars 2 has over 3.8 million Chinese players according to a census uploaded to Reddit, all accrued in just two months after launch.

This means ArenaNet’s MMO has more than doubled its global playerbase since launching in the new territory. The last update we got on Western sales was back in August 2013, when the figure stood at 3.5 million. This figure is likely to have risen since then but, even if we assume it hasn’t, this means global sales of Guild Wars 2 should now be well past the 7 million mark."

A contest for the best selfie with <insert dragon here> would be interesting…

Gliders… GW2 vehicles.

Works for me.

Velox.8351:

I know how it works…lol But you’re pretty much saying that the core game (which includes how many character slots and the WHOLE ENTIRE GAME) to a new user is equal to one additional character slot that the veterans are getting. lol Wut. But anyways, I’m not trying to start an “us vs. them” as you’re deeming it. I think its a great bundle for a new user!

All I am saying is why can’t they detach the expansion from the core game and sell it separately for the ones who already own the game and have owned the game if its not going to be nearly as big as the core game? If I am paying near full price of what I paid for the core game, then I expect near equal amounts of content for the price. And maybe we will get it, but I can’t see myself risking that kind of money to find out. And like I said, that whole deal with the extra character slot is something they should include anyways and not as a “pre-order bonus.” Does anyone remember how GW1 expansions worked? It was $50 but we did get a full games worth of content AND character slots…lol

You’re missing the point.

Badly.

Really, really badly.

Who cares what the new people get? Yes, it’s a great bundle for them… great for them! Hopefully it brings in a lot of new people and that strengthens the game!

But you know what… in addition to that extra character slot we also have something they’ll never have… up to three years of GW2 out of the gate. Put a price, if you can, on that alone. Have you had fun? Got your money’s worth? If it’s been worth it to you so far then who gives a flying monkey’s left buttcheek what new people get? We’re getting the expansion plus an extra character slot (or two, depending…).

No expansions are truly as big as the core game. Hell, games like WoW charged a crapload more for their expansions if you think about it… you’d buy an expansion and they’d trickle it in over six months or so, making you pay 15 per month on top of the purchase price. You had to pay well over $100 to even play the full expansion. It was ridiculous.

SenorMoody.5908:

when exactly will they “reveal” the next specialization… its been a while since the last one.

Soon.

VOLKON.1290:

We’re getting a lot of stuff, including effectively ten new professions (consider the specializations early phases of new professions)

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL![/quote]

You’re welcome to laugh, of course, but you’ll need to convince me that each specialization, Chronomancer for example, doesn’t have the potential to turn into a full profession in and of itself that your mesmer can swap into. More weapons, more skills and traits… what more do you need? The only reason they’re not considered a full on profession is numbers. One weapon vs many. Few skills vs. more.

The template is being laid for one character to represent multiple professions. Today’s Ranger could be tomorrow’s Ranger/Druid/Commando depending on which profession you chose to play (provided they’re all fleshed out).

pickpocket.2071:

U don’t get a char slot unless u prepurchase and why would anyone prepurchase when it appears there will be very little content added, so NO not everyone gets a char slot

I find your definition of “little” to be puzzling.

That won’t work. Inevitably someone will complain that the Revenant was an existing profession and that there were no new professions when HoT was officially released.

Velox.8351:

As a bundle with the core game I can definitely see the price point of $50. I just don’t understand why they can’t sell the expansion only and separate from the base game for a cheaper price for us veterans. Adding a character slot does not entice me one bit and I actually feel like it should come with the content anyways from the get go… $30-40 for the expansion would seem reasonable. Maybe $35 like how most DLC for console expansions run nowadays (I know..I know…all PC gamers will probably cry foul from making that comparison but oh well..lol Expansions are expansion no matter what system they come from). All I know is that this new area better be as large as the base game to justify the cost. Because of this price and what we know so far, I will definitely not buy the expansion upon launch until I know how much content I am getting.

It’s the same price for veterans as for new players. Depending of if you’re a veteran or new, you get either a free character slot or the core game (which is needed to play).

For the life of me I can’t understand how the illusion that someone else might be getting a little more than someone could possibly interfere with a person’s enjoyment of the game. Why does it have to turn into an “Us vs Them and I want more than they get” scenario? We’re finally getting a freaking expansion. We’re getting a lot of stuff, including effectively ten new professions (consider the specializations early phases of new professions), guild halls, maps, etc. There’s a lot to be happy about without this incessant need to peek over the fence to see what your neighbors are getting as well, like it really will somehow affect you.

Belzebu.3912:

Yes, Revenants will also get a full elite specialization, so yeah it is virtually 10 new professions.
Yes, devs said that with that new system they can easily add new elite specializations in the future.
Yes you don’t need to make several rangers to be a druid and later be a commando, following your example, you can change it as you please.

I see talk about how little we’re allegedly getting with HoT, but I feel we’re getting more than meets the eye.

rapthorne.7345:

I think a warhorn used as a channeling tool to call down storms on people sounds pretty epic.

Current itterations of WH skills aren’t amazing, I’ll give you that (Though I eprsonally enjoy Necro WH) but that doesn’t mean that Tempest’s WH (if indeed it even IS a WH) won’t be

Although adding a melee skill to whack someone in the head with the war horn would be hilarious.

If I have it right, every profession will have a specialization which includes a new weapon and a full set of new skills and traits, is that correct? Different utilities and all that?

I wonder, because if that’s true, couldn’t it be argued that we’re getting ten new professions with HoT instead of one? Granted the nine specializations will be watered down (assumes the Revenant gets one as well) by only having one weapon and probably a smaller skill set, for now…

It seems to me like there’s a template being laid to add new professions simply by giving a character options of being other professions in the future. Say druid for example gets a few more weapons down the road and more utilities etc. Wouldn’t it be safe to say that your existing character actually can be one of multiple (two for now) professions based on your choice?

No need to roll a new character for a Druid… and in the future the template is there for that same Ranger to be, for example, a Druid or a Commando.

It’s just a thought, but this would be an interesting way to add professions in the future that won’t require more characters or slots. From a horizontal viewpoint it fits as well.

So it’s true.

ANet buffed Righteous Indignation.

“becuz if im not getting the same exp as before thats a rip off for real..”

What if you’re getting a better experience than before?

Here’s a thought, instead of trying to start yet another emotion-laden tear-jerker of a thread in a sea of crocodile tears how about you actually go to a little research of your own? Watch videos, watch reviews, and decide for yourself with the only person that actually is concerned about your opinion… yourself. You’ll make a far more informed judgement if you actually use information in your judgement.

It would be interesting if the war horn, in the hands on a tempest, became a two-handed weapon. Things like an AoE lightning storm that blinds or stuns everyone in the area for example… or a sonic blast that has a conic knockback in front of the tempest covering a 30 or 45 degree angle…

Ronah Lynda.2496:

We should be able to use gliders in any map. becasue they don’t represent any special effect other then a way of replacing “droping” with “gliding”

So, whereever my character can “drop” from, it should always be able to “glide” because it’s player’s action to use (F) and gliding is not an auto-feature

It not ruining JPs or WPs becasue you can’t “fly up” but just “glide down” from higher places, where you got onto/into “by foot”

That’s not entirely accurate. One thing I saw as you advance your gliding progression is the ability to catch updrafts and the like and increase altitude.

“Chronomancer is doomed.”

Well, time will tell.

It seems to be to be a bit premature to be down on the potential war horn until we see what it can do…

OK, from the base of the lighthouse, look out into the ocean to the west. You see this…

Anomalous smear or something sinister brewing?

Gaile Gray.6029:

However… I believe we should be able to have a conversation about this without the moderator team being required to lock the thread. Don’t you agree? Especially when, as several forum members have pointed out, this is one NPC with a few lines of dialogue who it not part of the story or of an event. You may interact with her, or not, as you choose. Just as you may join this thread, or not. But if you do…

If you feel negatively towards the presence of this NPC, this optional, easily-avoided, easily-ignored NPC, please avoid her in the game and please consider not posting in this thread unless you can do so with respectful and constructive comments.

Thanks.

That really sums it up well. I’m completely disinterested in stories like this. Live and let live and don’t offer me your life story if I don’t ask you for it. I won’t search this NPC out nor will I care one iota that this NPC exists. No rage, no righteous indignation, no interest. No need to be insulting or rude, no need to sing any praises.

I think if everyone let everyone live their lives as they see fit (so long as they’re not doing harm to others) then stories like this, while happening everyday, would fade from the news and we’d all be better off simply allowing people to be people.

DarkSyze.8627:

Obtena.7952:

It’s interesting people question if it’s worth $50 … considering the hundreds or even thousands of hours they get from playing the game. The price per hour of this kind of entertainment is actually ridiculously cheap compared to lots of other entertaining hobbies you could be doing.

No, $50 is not much to pay, even if it’s just ‘one map, one new profession’, like someone people are proclaiming.

$50 is not much to pay?

A player posted this:

If you’re comparing costs you need to compare all the costs, including that game’s subscription fee which is from $12.99 to $14.99 per month.

Chris McSwag.4683:

I bought ultimate today but has so far only received gems and the title.
Will the mini, skins and character slots not be delivered until HoT?

Did you check your mail? The rest, excluding the extra slot, should be there.

They were for me at least.

Change ACs to ballistic firing. Shoot up at an angle and see where they hit. Adjust angle accordingly.

Targeted aiming is for chumps.

castlemanic.3198:

I just hate how anti-consumer this prepurchase deal is. buy the game early without any proof that it’s going to be well made/well balanced.

Don’t get me wrong, i look forward to heart of thorns and will purchase it, but publishers are not looking our for the consumers when they force preorder/prepurchase deals.

The same exact argument was shed when GW2 first offered it’s pre-purchase. Same exact thing.

This has just started happening to my son’s account, yet he was able to play yesterday.

2 Ultimates, one each for my son and myself. Really looking forwards to this.

Bris.7984:

Well one thing is sure…If you (Anet) wanna kitten me…then see that I won’t let you and yell till my last breath!!!

If you’re yelling at the computer… you’re doing it wrong.

Paul.4081:

VOLKON.1290:

Calm down everyone. Jon Peters explained the process and decisions behind it in this forum, and it makes sense. The good news is that when you’re 80 you do indeed have plenty of points to unlock everything, so if the process didn’t accurately interpret your prior build you will be able to fix it… in time. Yeah, for some people it’s not ideal, but it’s not permanent or irreparable.

Why am I more inclined to believe Meglobob.8620’s explanation?

The inability to release a preconceived bias perhaps?

As a returning veteran player I recognize the fact that I also got, with the initial purchase, years of play and experience newer players simply can’t buy.

Besides, who the heck cares if someone else gets the core for free? Seriously, what’s wrong with people when their own ability to have fun is based on what others do or don’t get? C’mon man… they get something for free as an incentive to strengthen the game that you paid for years ago and you’re complaining? Really? Does anyone not see now ridiculously petty that argument is?

Buying the expansion as a veteran player who’s played for years with no subscription strengthens the game and helps it to continue to thrive. Giving the core for free to new players that buy the expansion strengthens the game and helps it to continue to thrive. There’s no justifying this parasitic mentality that thinks that once you’ve stuck your proboscis into ANet’s flesh you should be able to continue to suck their blood forever no matter what they do. They’re keeping their promise… you bought it, you can play forever. However expansion content is a little different. It’s time to give a little something back to the host you’ve been draining all these years.

The core cost, easily, is down to the hours per penny range by now. The expansion cost will likely be there soon enough. The extra slot is a bonus that’s a nice little throw in by ANet. I’d have bought one with gems or cash anyhow.

EnRohbi.2187:

VOLKON.1290:

EnRohbi.2187:

You can still cast it if your target is out of range. (I just tested it)

So, the scenario you described is still perfectly attainable, you just have to target your enemy first.
Hell, this means you can aim it easier now because it’ll just appear between you and your target.

Takes away the variability to cast it onto a group of allies however without an enemy on the opposite side of them. The ability to point and shoot in WvW was invaluable in the hands of the right mesmer.

This change… is bad. Doesn’t make sense either. It wasn’t a problem in need of fixing.

See my amendment to my original reply.
I think we agree on most all points.

I just wanted to point out the original scenario you cited is still possible. :P

Gave it a go in WvW last night, it’s not nearly as easy as it used to be and much less precise. When large groups collide it’s not always easy to see which one you actually targeted and if you do your target often isn’t really in line with where you want to cast. Yeah, it’s doable, but still they fixed a problem that didn’t exist.

Wait… PvE was buffed? I feel like I missed something…

Calm down everyone. Jon Peters explained the process and decisions behind it in this forum, and it makes sense. The good news is that when you’re 80 you do indeed have plenty of points to unlock everything, so if the process didn’t accurately interpret your prior build you will be able to fix it… in time. Yeah, for some people it’s not ideal, but it’s not permanent or irreparable.

The idea here is to list things that didn’t feel intuitive or were confusing, not to post about why condi damage is so much more ouchy now or the like.

For example,

The new trait selection screen. It’s gorgeous, imo, and I love how simple it is to change major traits across the line. But having been away for a bit it wasn’t intuitive to me that there were still more than the three lines and that the other two could be accessed by clicking the large icon on the left then selecting one not currently active.

Personally this I don’t like… when deciding on a new or experimental build it’s a lot easier if you can see all the lines of traits, mouse over them all (active lines or not) and let things process in the brain a bit. Having the inactive lines hidden confuses the process a bit and personally I think the system would work better if we could see all five lines at the same time, active or not.

Runewolf.8456:

sounds like someone is having a knee-jerk reaction cause they don’t wanna take 5 minutes to re-make a build.

but you know if your leaving, can i have your stuff?

Hey! I asked first!