Guild Wars 2

Overloading Earth just for the purpose of Magnetic Aura seems silly, and “Aftershock!” is just a helper utility. If it’s taking that much longer for you to finish killing a crowd of mobs you’re probably doing something wrong.

“Aftershock!” is my go-to skill for open world, I never ever take it out.

Feanor.2358:

Pure single-target is a rare sight in games. Most of the time there are a lot of enemies around which makes the single-target gameplay feel sluggish. The current Scepter/Warhorn meta is s decent tradeoff. Air skills are either single-target (1, 2) or deal more damage when used against a single target (5). At the same time you still get some AoE coverage with your Fire skills.

Scepter air auto-attack hits 3 targets in a line.

Dadnir.5038:

Just what’s needed… another shatterstone buff!

BUFF INCOMING! The most buffed skill in Guild Wars 2.

I would like axe or sword. Ultimately I want either a condi-oriented gameplay, or single-target burst gameplay, but I think elementalists will never be truly single-target as an ele skill follows the same rule of thumb: hits at least 3 targets.

Alternatively, I’d like to see how they would come up with a healing spec wielding a longbow! It would be rather cool as it reminds me of elf concept (shooting healing arrows, or control).

This heavy focus on boons is somewhat saddening.

Guy wants to rework fundamental and sensible parts of the game… lol

Xiem.4719:

Imo size is not a problem, low resolution is. It looks like something pulled out of 2001 game.

Well, this is true… something’s off with saturation. :/

Gaile, we should have an in-game tool to facilitate opening boxes as it may result in health issues to some people with RSI or other things.

Great posts here, and valid opinions. I know GW2 encompasses almost everything, but they way it is laid out don’t provide depth for exploration. That being said, I love GW2 exploration, and I wish they could invest more into systems tied to it. From a certain point of view they sort of tried changing things with HoT (verticality), but people really complained and I don’t know why, the only map difficult to navigate is Tangled Depths.

The intention of paths in a GW2 style is to expand what we currently have and provide a more robust framework for content creation, much like how they did for dynamic events. I believe creating beautiful and intriguing maps, with jumping puzzles, is an awesome formula but you can’t say they’ve reached the maximum potential for exploration with these alone.

Lastly, I know creating content is hard. Actually it can get ridiculously hard and may require a plethora of iterations. I just believed paths could inspire something for GW2… we have so many gameplay systems spread out and not so popular, which could be merged into something absolutely stunning.

There won’t be a GW3. There will be a GW2 with brand-new engine! yaaay

Hello, fellow Tyrians!

On June, 2014 an MMO cousin to GW2 was released: Wildstar. Although the game didn’t shine much post-launch it did leave lessons, one of which you witness today: telegraphs, or AoE marks which expand over time to convey area damage.

There’s also a system that has really pulled my attention, although not so well executed in the game aswell: paths. It’s advertised in their website as:
“Choose from among four unique Paths, each of them chock full of custom content designed for your personal playstyle. Better get moving! This planet ain’t gonna tame itself.”

Simply put: you have custom places/interactions in the world which provides new active gameplay experience, and each one has their identity. The system behind paths isn’t something overly complex or ground-breaking in the way they crafted it, but it adds depth to the personal experience which expands the game horizontally.

You see, there’s an explorer path which allows explorers to unveil secret locations in the world which could lead to nice loot, or more lore about the game. In GW2 we have something loosely comparable: jumping puzzles with a chest at the end. There’s also soldier path, that’s about being able to trigger area events with crowds of mobs and bosses to kill (figure most would prefer this), which is loosely the same as automated dynamic events triggering in the world. Continuing there’s the settler path that allows players to build shops, roads, and overall temporary architecture with useful service (merchants? BLTP? crafting stations?). Last, but not least, the scientist! Scientists keep records of all creatures in the world, and has access to lots of interactions which change objects/creatures in the world.

WS made it so paths intersect, allowing for deep interactions between different players. The same interactions could be expanded in large scale for complex puzzles/challenges which don’t revolve only around combat or puzzles, but a mix of both. We currently have mini-dungeons, but they feel much like an addon rather than a full-fledged expandable exploration system.

Finally, I know this is not everyone’s tastes much like raids were/are not. I believe the more content we get the better, and I tend to believe small updates are better because it gives us something fresh to do while not pulling huge amounts of resources. Another idea I suggested almost an year ago is about tales (or small instanced content), and I’m glad the current events somewhat implemented that.

Wow, this is amazing! Great job!

Also, you have to understand that sometimes there’s no need to explain the problem at hand. In real world we’re born with many problems happening outside and inside our own country, but not all of us wish to embrace them. Our character wants to solve the world problems, that’s the basic premise for any MMO. It means we are at war against the elder dragons, and since we’re climbing our way towards killing them all it’s obvious we wanted to solve this problem.

Ayrilana.1396:

I don’t remember them speaking about meta builds. Core builds may not be as strong as elite builds but they’re far from useless.

You also need to realize that the game will continue to grow. They cannot keep segmenting builds with each expansion soon to keep the various populations within those segments happy. It’s near impossible to balance as well.

I understand that. In order to achieve a more manageable balancing they even took out 80% of the complexity caused by trait points (remember 30/30/0?).

However, the fact that releasing elite specs seems to prevent the combat system growth indicates the current trait system isn’t self-sustainable, therefore unreliable mechanism to balance classes. Have you ever wondered how different things would be if they decoupled elite specs from traits? They centralized a lot of the balance around this fragile system, and that might be the cause it takes so much from them to fix long standing issues such as necro vs. other classes.

It will continue to worry me how they devalue certain gameplay aspects in order to keep balance, because of their trait system.

After so many class nerfs since last xpac launch, I take it’s safe to assume they’ll become useless when the new ones come out?

I remember clearly what devs were saying right before xpac was launched, that the base classes would retain their identity and usefulness, only to be ridiculously nerfed to force builds around the elite specs. Poor revenant is the king of nerfs, what makes it even more hilarious is that it was “the expansion class”.

Don’t take me wrong here, I know balance is necessary for the health of the game but somehow it got to a point they devalued base classes in favor of elite specs. It makes me highly doubtful the current e-specs will survive long after the new expansion is released. Also, I am mostly sure it’s not just the balance team decision.

We’ll have to see what else they’ll bring to their large, messy table.

Samnang.1879:

As long as it’s not feminine looking…i.e. flowers dropping, or looks like a cauliflower (scepter)… I’ll be good with whatever. I wish every legendary could look as good as Nevermore.

Hope, Astra, nevermore are so good…The ones after that don’t really impress me… The rifle doesn’t look like a legendary, it looks like something you can buy from a gemstone… Imo, legendary weapon should look legendary.

What’s the problem with feminine looking legendaries? There should be something for everyone.

You may call me crazy but Quip doesn’t annoy me as much as The Dreamer… that sound is just… it would be much nicer if we had not-so-loud horse footsteps instead.

Kako.1930:

I crafted H.O.P.E. as my first legendary weapon because none of the older legendaries really caught my eye, but I thought this new legendary pistol was awesome! Sure, the quaggan shield and the boat rifle don’t really stand out to me, but they might be the most awesome legendaries to other players.

(Although in my opinion it would be even better if all of the new legendaries offered some sort of a new aura to go along with the new effects and footsteps like some of the older ones do.)

Good choice! H.O.P.E. was my first crafted gen2 legendary, and it’s so kitten well designed. Everything about it is perfect, and it does reminds me of Scarlet in a sense.

The green circles not appearing is a bad joke. I’m frustrated with this, been trying to get the item for the achievement like 4 days now. Just spent 4 hours (multiple squads) on this to fail again.

Randomly the green circles won’t appear, leading people to not only receive the damage but also lose the achievement for legendary armor.

I’m so mad now that I’ll just stop here and hope that you will fix it soon. I lost 4 hours of my life failing the achievement on the last round of green circles.

Oh my God! Daniel, we will miss you so so sooo much. The art in this game is impeccable, and I think it’s fair to attribute Daniel most of this.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Guild Wars universe wouldn’t be the same without you.

Also, welcome Horia! I’m glad to have a Dociu joining this game. I hope to see your wonderful works.

This is such a sad day because of Daniel’s departure that I let a tear escape haha… all the best, Sir Daniel.

Pyaari.8217:

I don’t understand this “Every living story episode that is being released will have a certain time that you need to log in into the game in order to obtain it if you missed this opportunity than youll have to buy the episode”.

Does someone mind explaining? So does this apply for, let’s say, someone who has HoT and has logged in before episode 4 came out but won’t log on for a few days after its release?

You have 2months+ to unlock current episode. Just log in. No further action needed. They sell to increase revenue, it’s part of their model so they don’t have to explain why. I’d love an explanation about how this could be something bad, though.

You’ll break ANet’s legs seriously… this is part of how they make some profit. It should be expected that people will buy these episodes so their revenues will increase, and it’s fair tbh. They even make bundled discounts from time to time. The game is wonderful, and I have absolutely no problem with this model.

As per link:
“We have no problems with players using a 3rd party tool whose scope is only to collect and visualize combat data gathered directly from the game client. Anything beyond that scope is still considered a violation of the User Agreement.” – Chris Cleary

“You are correct. Combat data is defined as any information that is created due to the usage of skills or impact on players due to skill usage (by the player/s or an outside source).
Edit/Update: These statements are particularly targeted at a “DPS Meter” or functionality built around the capture of combat data. Features outside of that most likely fall under “Quality of Life” changes and should be removed from DPS meters if they want to be considered compliant with our rules." – Chris Cleary

It’s an official response. Hope this topic doesn’t get locked, I’m just letting you guys know directly from the AMA opened by Mo.

Cheers.

@Edit
Chris Cleary opens up for memory-reading tool creators to contact him for further explanation about what is compliant with the rules, per link:
“We engaged in significant internal discussion about DPS meters even before we launched raids. Our discussions initially revolved around what we were going to do, but ultimately we wanted to see where the community was going.
We were not absolutely clear on our stance in relation to DPS meters because the ways they would be used (or potentially abused) was still evolving. In such a case, where we have not made a definitive statement yet are continuing to discuss internally, we did not want to take action against players until we have made our stance clear.
Now that we have set the bar and tool creators know what is acceptable, we are hoping that tool creators will make adjustments to their tools to make them compliant with our requirements and more accessible to a wider audience.
We will give our community plenty of time to make this adjustment before considering any action directly against tools or players that use them.
Edit: Tool creators, if you are unsure if a feature you have created or want to create is in violation of these guidelines, you can contact me directly.” – Chris Cleary

Gear checking is against ToS, per link:
“Yes. Player equipment (besides Sigils’s activating and the boons/damage associated with them) does not fall within the realm of combat data. Others have implemented a solution for this using the APIs we provide rather than client data, I would suggest using that instead.” – Chris Cleary

Logging has been discussed internally too, per link:
“This is a good question, and one that we have asked ourselves internally. There are a number of development/design challenges with this option which has made it difficult to move forward with (but not impossible). We want to see where the community goes after we have given it a clear direction before making any development choices.” – Chris Cleary

As per this link:
“With S2 and S3 we’ve established that different zones take place at different moments in history. With that we have a lot of ability to take the world through dramatic changes without having to remove content from the game to do it. Who knows, everything is fair game, but I’ll say that we’re enjoying how much headroom we have to tell epic story within new content.” – Mo

So, all the LW maps are placed, chronologically, one after another! I can now understand why Orr is likely to never be rebuilt (changed, like Kessex Hills).

What are your thoughts on this?

Jormag took it heavy, you know?

Thanks for letting us know, really appreciated. Take care!

Oh sweet ML, go to the kitten!

Good riddance. Toxicity is over.

I’m so sad light armor looks the way it does right now… so… ugh…

I’m sure they could find a place for both, how much damage if someone got 1 favor, or 0.5 favor doing events or something?

Liewec.2896:

Valento.9852:

I remember a dev said once that the outfit model is altogether and they can’t separate meshes, the head is the only exception as it’s separate.

which is nonsense, because before the wardrobe update many of these current outfits were in sections.
such as Mad King’s Boots
Mad King’s Coat
Mad King’s Gloves
Mad King’kitten

here is the old town clothes UI for the Fancy Winter Outfit showing nice separate parts complete with their own icons:

Maybe they’re just lazy to make separate parts because they have to spend more time testing. Even if outfits still clip a lot. lol

I prefer options, removing influence removed that option which many people liked. If influence isn’t your thing it doesn’t mean it should be removed to only please you, consider that others liked that way it worked.

On a side note, I hope game artifacts will have a bigger of an impact in the game in the future. The Krait Orb is a huge mystery which I wish could be clearly explained. Having to assume things or get subtle references every single time isn’t super interesting. Wildstar had a plethora of parallel stories regardless of how awesome they were, they had their public and they pleased their public…

GMs felt like an addon benefit back then, now it’s mandatory to grow the guild hall. The difference is that the building blocks were earned doing whatever activities you liked, and now you must do GMs… and they’re far from being fixed either way… not to talk about small guilds. (I have one)

It was a proactive way of contributing to your guild. You could see progress being made with every activity you were doing in-game… now it’s all tied to weekly guild missions which aren’t super fun. Playing HoT areas, raids, PvP’ing in a season… so many ways of earning Influences which never had a chance to come true.

Maybe the old system wasn’t perfect, but the new one isn’t either. Here’s wishing they could balance between the two…

Thanks for the heads-up! Much appreciated.

I remember a dev said once that the outfit model is altogether and they can’t separate meshes, the head is the only exception as it’s separate.

The lack of lore for elite specialization was a huge flaw IMO. It didn’t have to be a complex storytelling, and even though white knights will state stories aren’t easy, I just take precursor crafting collections as an example: no cutscene, just NPC dialogs and item stuffs. If they can’t make these, Jesus… I don’t expect much from 2nd xpac.

sophiewhite.3149:

Valento.9852:

sophiewhite.3149:

Valento.9852:

Astralporing.1957:

Originally it was to force you to use either a defensive and offensive stat infusion, or to use a versatile one, which cost more (there weren’t any “easiest to obtain” items, as there was only one source for everything). Now that all slots are the same, the reason for unique tag disappeared as well.

The purpose has shifted. Now it is to populate all maps if someone wants both rings/accessories.

except when they nerf one into making it insanely grindy. no thanks. id rather raid to get my rings which arent unique (and i dont like pugging that much.)

The unique attribute isn’t useless and has a purpose, regardless if it suits your choices or not.

i never said it was useless. but raid rings are not unique. id love to see a explanation why some are and some arent.

Raid items are walled by difficult content, and also difficulty to find groups and specific gear to cover a substantial margin of failure. Open World maps are gated by grinding only, and thus easier to obtain if you farm enough. In order to distribute farming across maps to increase activity they are made unique.

Trinkets don’t just “happen” to be unique in open world, they are made as such to increase each map’s population. Raid population on the other hand is fine as is.

sophiewhite.3149:

Valento.9852:

Astralporing.1957:

Originally it was to force you to use either a defensive and offensive stat infusion, or to use a versatile one, which cost more (there weren’t any “easiest to obtain” items, as there was only one source for everything). Now that all slots are the same, the reason for unique tag disappeared as well.

The purpose has shifted. Now it is to populate all maps if someone wants both rings/accessories.

except when they nerf one into making it insanely grindy. no thanks. id rather raid to get my rings which arent unique (and i dont like pugging that much.)

The unique attribute isn’t useless and has a purpose, regardless if it suits your choices or not.

I really wanted these celestial minis because they were present in GW1… too bad the acquisition is so stressful (RNG behind money$).

Astralporing.1957:

Originally it was to force you to use either a defensive and offensive stat infusion, or to use a versatile one, which cost more (there weren’t any “easiest to obtain” items, as there was only one source for everything). Now that all slots are the same, the reason for unique tag disappeared as well.

The purpose has shifted. Now it is to populate all maps if someone wants both rings/accessories.

Out of curiosity, do you only accept people 30yrs and older? Or that was just a metric?

Thanks!

I love these fanmade specs! I would put some internal cooldowns to a lot of traits, and would remove some effects (Like the Rain).

All in all, looks a fun bunkering spec. Some percentages would have to be turned down.

Never going to happen for obvious balancing reasons. Ele is born unbalanced and that’s why we don’t get to have nice things.

Their architecture doesn’t support a reserved spot in case of game crashes. The game is extremely well-polished in various aspects, but this is one single flaw I wish they improve upon someday.

reikken.4961:

I do not. What was it?

It had a passive which would have a chance at giving quickness for 2s upon hitting the enemy, and the active effect was to recharge all attunements.

You can’t use two identical items which are unique. The idea behind this is to spread people across the maps, and it is working as intended.

Random forum bug /fixed.

Better is an inaccurate choice of word here. GW2 is doing fine.