Guild Wars 2

1. Their animations (it’s all so adorably over-exaggerated)
2. Their voice acting (“And now! To destroy you!”)
3. Their ears <3

My guess is that the chest will contain Pristine Toxic Spore Samples, a green item or two (with chances for Rares/Exotics as usual), and a chance for the new Air Filtration/Gas Mask/Toxic Spore skins.

ColinJohanson.2394:

Another food for thought: Back when we invaded Southsun, we did a lot of “one time” events with the story content. Folks complained that one time wasn’t fair because they would miss it, so we extended the “story” style content so you now have 2-4 weeks to experience it. Does having it around this long take away from the sense of story progression, and make it feel like it should be permanent when it’s taken away? Or would simply having (using the TV analogy) something like TiVo that allows you to see the story you missed balance out this issue?

I was one of the players who complained that true “one time” events was highly unfair, and I’m very grateful that all subsequent Living Story releases have stayed away from this model. Please do not change that.

With regards to the second half of your paragraph, I believe your TiVo analogy matches up nicely with the “flashback NPC” idea I mentioned before. Like the Personal Story, it allows players to catch up with the Living Story and replay past favourites at their leisure. It doesn’t affect any players in the open world either, so it’s really the best of both worlds.

On a somewhat related note, I would like to take the opportunity to make a personal request and urge for the return of the old Twilight Arbor dungeon. Since dungeons are largely self-contained story instances, there’s really no reason why the new Aetherblade path could not coexist beside the 3 old paths. Simply give the NPC outside the dungeon a new dialogue option that reads, “We’re here in response to Lionguard Turma’s request for help.” that, when chosen, launches the party into a unique dungeon instance. This also allows the dungeon to remain valid lore-wise going forward, for once we’ve defeated Scarlet and closed her storyline, having the Lionguard constantly agitating about avenging Theo Ashford when entering Twilight Arbor would make very little sense.

This mechanic could also be expanded on to create Elite Dungeon Paths that serve as a vehicle for future dungeon upgrades, allowing you guys to create new content in old maps without removing old content.

In closing, thank you again for taking the time to listen to us and gather feedback, Colin. It’s very heartwarming to know that our concerns are being heard.

ColinJohanson.2394:

I think this raises an interesting question, what do you consider to be “temporary” content, and what qualifies (in your mind) as content that occurs and drives the living story forward it makes sense to have go away, vs. that which remains?

This is an excellent question, Colin. As I see it, everybody’s going to have a different idea on what should be temporary content and what should be permanent. In my view, the following are things that should stay permanent, and how it could be accomplished:

- Story instances. Examples include Braham’s attempt to retake Cragstead from the Molten Alliance, the Queen’s Speech (during which Scarlet attempted to kidnap Jennah).
- Dungeons/Mini-dungeons. Examples include the Molten Facility, the Aetherblade Retreat and the Ascent to Madness.
- Rewards/titles linked to the above.

Story instances and dungeons could remain permanently in the world even after the Living Story has moved on, but are only accessible via a “flashback” NPC that stays in your Home Instance (or in Lion’s Arch). Players can then form a party, talk to the NPC, and choose an option like “Tell me the story of how Braham and Rox destroyed the Molten Facility”, which then launches the party into an instance where they can replay the old content. This ties in nicely with the way the Personal Story is done, which also runs alongside the open world; it’s understood by the player that the Personal Story is something that does not necessarily correlate with the current status of the open world.

At the same time, titles/rewards that were available through these old content can still be completed by players, making it easier for players who missed out to still have a chance at getting them.

The following are content that should be recurring:

- Holiday/festival content. Examples include Wintersday, Halloween and Dragon Bash.
- New maps/zones linked to specific events, such as the Crown Pavilion, the Labyrinthine Cliffs or the Super Adventure Box.
- Rewards/titles linked to the above.

Having holiday content remain year-round would just feel out of place, so I agree they need to disappear outside of season. This does not, however, mean that content from previous years can’t come back at all. I feel that Halloween 2013 was a wasted opportunity in that many activities that players looked forward to from 2012, such as Reaper’s Rumble, the scavenger hunt, or carving pumpkins, could have been brought back with a minimum of story conflict. (The biggest concern, the scavenger hunt, could again have been handled by a “flashback NPC” telling newer players what happened in previous years, then saying they could go and visit the ghosts in the open world as they’d likely returned during Halloween.)

While I personally don’t mind having areas like Labyrinthine Cliffs or the Super Adventure Box remaining available year round, I understand that, like the festivals, having them disappear for a period of time allows players to build up anticipation for them and enjoy them when they do return. As with permanent content, recurring content should allow players to complete past content for rewards/titles that they missed out on last time, the way that SAB: Back to School handled it.

Content that should not return:

- Content in the open world that alter the open world in a manner inconsistent with the Living Story’s progress. For example, after we defeated the Molten Alliance, sonic periscopes and Molten Alliance events stopped spawning in Diessa Plateau and Wayfarer Foothills. This is as it should be, as the power of the Alliance has been broken. Having periscopes continue to spawn everywhere would contradict the Living Story, not to mention proving extremely annoying to newer players. (Of course, there’s nothing stopping periscopes from spawning within specific replay instances should players opt to do them.)

I’m Aussie, and on Tarnished Coast. It’s primarily a US server, but it’s still crowded at all hours of the day thanks to having a very active population.

They’re probably waiting for the right release to make them available with.

The Vincent dye looks VERY nice. I’m seriously tempted to get that one for my Asura.

It’s actually fairly simple. As the player base matures, we can acquire gold much more quickly (dungeon runs, champ farming, selling in-demand mats) than we could as lower level players. On the other hand, the amount of players willing to buy gems with cash and THEN trade it for gold is unlikely to move much, if at all. (Personally speaking, while I’ve spent about $250 on gems over the past year, all of it was spent buying the stuff I wanted directly from the gem store.)

So now we have an excess of gold and the same amount of gems for sale. What inevitably occurs? Prices for gems goes up.

I actually picked that storyline for my Norn. XD I couldn’t remember if the Sons of Svanir were out after the Minotaur Spirit specifically though, or if they just decided on minotaurs to feed the Icebrood Champion because minotaurs are strong and powerful beasts, so ergo, feeding the Icebrood those would make it more powerful than just feeding it rabbits.

That was what I was getting at with my original post. Sylvari cannot have children of their own via sexual intercourse; they do not possess gonads capable of independent reproduction. But what if Sylvari are, as discussed, mobile fruits containing a seed that could sprout into a new Pale Tree? The only reason Sylvari who have died have not done that so far is because, lacking a male reproductive counterpart, all Sylvari born from the Pale Tree so far have borne only sterile seeds.

With regards to the Spirits of the Wild, doesn’t that also leave them with a weakness? You could massacre large numbers of the Spirit’s animal to drain their strength, and then slay them while they’re so weakened.

Malediktus.9250:

20% is a lot in absolute numbers. Just deal with the prices of silver doubloons. I did the same when I built my juggernaut and I would be angry if Anet devalues my legendary. The disequibrilirium was not directed at legendaries.

So does that mean that someone who crafted the Juggernaut during the early days of the game when Silver Doubloons cost silvers, that his Juggernaut is somehow of lesser value than yours?

Prices of goods rise and fall in value all the time. It doesn’t subtract from the intrinsic value of the item itself, which is only what the market would pay for it. If, in the future, new Legendaries were released and the price of old Legendaries crashed to 300g or less, would you shelve your Juggernaut because it wasn’t expensive anymore?

ANet, would it be possible to get a wallpaper that encompasses the WHOLE banner for Nightmares Within? I want to get the Molten Berserker and the Aetherblades in the picture as well.

Liked the video, hated the music, but don’t mind if other people like it. Everybody has their own taste, after all.

I’m sure that one guy/guild who makes those awesome machinima videos will end up winning it.

It might be a permanent mini-dungeon.

That’s a really neat idea. I agree that it’s a great way to allow randomised bosses within the dungeon that also let players face old enemies again. (Think the obligatory “fight all the robot masters again” level in Megaman games.)

Most likely it’s the Toxic Hybrid enemy. After killing him, we’ll get the Toxic Hybrid mini.

DarkWasp.7291:

The centaurs will never ally with us humans. Not as long as all of our women can still outrun them.

Wait… Why exactly are the centaurs chasing our women? O.o Is it because centaur women are too… “naggy”?

Liked the video, but hated the music. :P It’s a personal taste thing though.

It’s not that metal can’t work for GW videos either. Check out the teaser videos that showcased the new Heroes for GW1: Nightfall. It started off a bit odd, but it later meshed up with the video very well.

They don’t really suit my Sylvari (which is the only character I’d consider getting them on), so I won’t be picking them up, but while I do think 400 gems is a bit pricey, I think these are only really targeted at fashionistas who are trying to get a specific look. All previous armor skins available on the gem store have stuck around permanently (a move which I’m very grateful to ANet for!), so you can always slowly farm up gold and convert it to gems to buy them with.

There has been no mention of a Toxic Seedling node for the Home Instance in the next update, so it’s safe to say that, even if the nodes don’t disappear completely, supply will remain fairly limited. Given the range of uses Spores can be used for, however, plus the hints that ANet has given that Kessex Hills won’t completely return to what it was before, suggests that there may still be the odd Toxic nodes around to harvest from.

My guess would be that she continues to sell the recipes until the end of the next LS event (although another NPC may pick up the role rather than Marjory herself). Still… to be safe, I would get all the recipes you want before Nov 12th. I’ve already obtained all the recipes myself.

Just a heads-up that Guild Bounty targets can get the debuff too! I saw Brekkabek in Harathi Hinterlands yesterday with the debuff on him.

The enemies can be dealt with fairly easily as long as you pull and don’t try and rush through them, resulting in a big blob of enemies chasing you. Doors are also soloable provided they didn’t spawn when there was a large number of players around and are thus scaled up beyond your ability to defeat them.

The only ones I would stay away from as a solo player are the Viscount, Lich and Horror, although there are videos of people soloing the first two.

The Gas Mask, Toxic Spore backpiece and Air Filtration Device are new (well, maybe not the Air Filtration Device) skins that are available through doing in-game content. While I do agree that 400 gems each seems a bit steep for single armor pieces, there’s also no mention of a limited time frame in which to purchase them, so if you really have your heart set on the new Toxic armor pieces, you can just slowly farm up the gold to convert to gems and buy them that way.

That said, I agree with Mithran that I REALLY want an armor wardrobe that lets me spawn copies of skins I’ve unlocked. I’ve got many backpieces now that I love the look of, but only so many characters to wear them on.

Nothing really new. Australia/NZ, Asia and some European countries have always missed out on contests involving prizes with cash value. It sucks, yeah, but I guess after so many years I’ve kind of become inured to it. :P

The new video was cool. The music wasn’t, but that’s just my personal taste.

I personally wish that all minions regenerated outside of combat, and the Jagged Horror lives until killed (with perhaps a cap of 5 Jagged Horrors). Given careful preparation, a MM could build up a small army of Jagged Horrors to augment his existing army, increasing his Toughness appropriately.

And that’s why I switched to Shattered Conditions after playing around with Restorative Illusions for a bit. XD

Speaking of which, Candy Corn has begun a downward march. I predicted this in another thread on the BLTC forum, but it’s happening much earlier than I anticipated.

I think what John was trying to say is that many people attempt to try and control or monopolize sections of the market, but fail miserably due to having underestimated the volume of sales per day and end up losing a lot of money.

Of course, it doesn’t rule out somebody managing to eventually pull this off, but it would need to strike a very precise balance between low volume and not-too-expensive prices for someone to do it without bankrupting themselves. (And even if they do, I imagine that if they succeeded, and it started to actually affect the market, ANet would simply intervene by increasing drop rates.)

Well, I think the current Speaker of Raven is a black-skinned Norn woman, so there’s evidence in support of your theory there.

I’m kinda glad for that. My brain already dies a little every time I see a Norn with that giant mustache dyed pink. XD

Bragdras.9572:

Not true, you can simply interrupt the downed target’s self res by hitting them once, and then focus again on the other NPCs that might try to res for a bit, besides, damage wouldn’t be the only way to prevent them from ressing.

And rolling a build that has absolutely no access to neither cleave nor control whatsoever? You’d be basically purposely making a bad build, which really would have no place outside of openworld.

That’s presuming you’re in control of the situation though. If you’ve gotten in over your head due to patrols/over aggro, you may not have the time necessary to keep an eye on the downed guy. Suppose you’re up against 4 foes. Foe 1 has been downed, he’s starting to Bandage. Foe 2 runs over and starts to res him; you know from experience it’ll take him about 4 seconds to get Foe 1 back in the fight. Foe 3 is currently chasing you around, and he’s got block/CC abilities that hinder your ability to fight back. Foe 4 is standing back and blasting you with conditions that are really taking their toll, as well as summoning minions. To top it all off, you need to pop your self-heal now before Foe 3 interrupts you again. What do you do in such a situation?

And I didn’t say that I was deliberately choosing a build with no cleave or CC. It’s that the game design is favouring weapons that DO have these skills over those that don’t, which I feel is a trend that needs to be watched carefully. Players should not be compelled into using specific builds or weapons just because they’re the most effective; if they do, then other weapons, builds or maybe even professions start to become regarded as useless or redundant, which hurts diversity and options. I don’t want GW2 to get into the situation GW1 did where for some professions, unless a player used a specific build, they would never, ever find a place in high-end content.

Bragdras.9572:

The only times there are more than 1 veterans spawning at a time in openworld is when there is more than one player, at which point it doesn’t matter if you can only damage one vet at any time.

Not always. I can think of several areas in the game where Veterans spawn close together (sometimes it’s a Champion and one or two Vets). They’re rare, yes, but I shudder to think of facing a Champion supported by two Vets, and every time you down a Vet, the Champ runs over and starts ressing. You can’t damage him enough to kill him, and his Defiant buff means you can’t interrupt him either.

Bragdras.9572:

Sentient / humanoid races only.. Karkas and animals obviously don’t fit this category of needing stomps.

I don’t know. The Karka seem to be intelligent; they were capable of tracking the Consortium agents back to Lion’s Arch and launching what amounted to a full scale invasion on the city, so I’d argue that they deserve to get a Downed state too.

That said…

Step 2: All non-playable-race and non-wildlife enemy NPCs get a 50% chance of a downed state.

I really like this idea of Konig’s, and think it could be applied to Vets and Elites. Such foes only have a 50% chance to get a downed state, which I think evens the odds. Champions and Legendaries always get a downed state.

I have no objections to more back skins. I DO, however, wish that we could unlock the skins in some kind of wardrobe (like the Zenith skins) and freely withdraw copies for our use whenever we wanted.

These days I get most of my karma from Activities (I play 3 or 4 rounds of the daily Activity, and can usually come in first, so that’s 3000 – 4000 karma), and weekly Tequatl kills (you get about 10,000 for a successful run, not counting the karma from the events along the way).

All these posts arguing about farming gold, and yet very few people even think about addressing the root cause for why all that gold is needed in the first place; the artificially rare stuff that players want. Honestly, if I wanted to fix the “farming problem”, I’d go the other direction and make it a LOT easier to get stuff like Legendaries.

You know, I’ve been thinking… The Pale Tree is a plant (obviously), and she identifies herself as female. Well, what if she’s like many species of fruiting trees that need a male counterpart in order to produce fruit/offspring? Maybe the Sylvari are the sterile fruit of the Pale Tree, but only because the Pale Tree has no male mate with whom to, uh, “exchange pollen”. If Malyck’s Tree could be found, and it turns out to be male, the Sylvari might end up as “born fertile” fruits that, when they die, form the germinating sprout of a new Pale Tree.

Hah! If you think he’s hard now, you should have seen him when he was first released. Every hit he landed on you was basically a one-hit kill. He was rightfully nerfed after people complained that this sucker was tougher than dungeon bosses and sitting in a starter zone.

He’s tougher now after he got buffed in the Tequatl update, but he’s still pretty easy. Just use a ranged weapon and keep moving, and don’t forget to clean up the Embers once in a while before they get too numerous.

Holy Whirlwind.2067:

My node recharges every day. So far I have gotten 4 skill points from it….so I know it works. I have had it since day 3 of release. It also gives you a lot of exp each time you use it. I only do one toon per day…so maybe you all broke yours?!

If you’re doing a separate character every day, that’s why it seems to be recharging. Any character on your account can use the Obelisk once for 1 skill point. Go back there with a character who’s already used it; I bet you won’t be able to use it again on that character.

Bragdras.9572:

You know you don’t have to stomp them, you could simply damage them until they completely die out right? You can still damage other NPCs trying to res downed ones, and, if damage is inssuficient, use crowd control abilities.

Veterans only spawn in very high number when it’s at a point there’s enough player that they melt just as fast as they spawn, you wouldn’t even see the difference in such environment because you’d still be spamming autoattack left and right.

It’s inconsequential in groups, but it gets tedious pretty quickly when soloing. If your weapon set is primarily single-target only, you can’t keep damaging a downed target because it means you’re not damaging other, still active enemies who are more dangerous. And you can’t completely ignore the downed guy either because he will Bandage himself back to full health if you leave him alone. This tilts the balance in favour towards cleave weapons and professions with AoE skills, which I think is something that should be avoided, given how much PvE already favours these.

And Veterans don’t always melt quickly in large zergs. If the Vets are also level scaled above player level, they can take quite a beating before going down. I’m thinking of one map in particular (Southsun Cove), where having Vets need stomping would just make the map even more unpopular than it already is.

@Meriem: As a player who does something similar in my playstyle, I can sympathise, but sometimes this kind of scenario is unavoidable. It’s why I usually make a beeline to the Heart NPC first before killing anything and read their dialogue. I accidentally completed a few Hearts that I didn’t want to yet as part of the Tower of Nightmares meta, but at least I can still view the NPC’s dialogue on my alts when they get up there.

@Ryu: Maybe not Vets… Vets can spawn in massive numbers during some events and dungeons. I’d be OK with Elites/Champions/Legendaries getting the downed state, as it promotes more strategic play with stopping enemies before they res each other.

At the same time though, if this is a new mechanic to be available throughout PvE, then I want it to be available to all sentient races. Why is it that humans/charr/Inquest/sylvari/norn get downed states, but dredge/krait/centaurs/skritt don’t? I could see spiders, deer or what not giving up and dying immediately, but why would other sentient races not fight for life as hard as the 5 standard ones?

I couldn’t see much difference between the Air Filtration device and my standard aquabreather, to be honest. Except that it seemed to be dyeable?

Having to stomp all Veterans would get a bit annoying too, I think, since they can spawn in huge numbers during some events or dungeons. I think restrict it to Elites and Champions.

Lunatic Inquisition doesn’t count towards the meta as it’s an infinite achievement and thus can’t ever be really “completed”. Not sure why the finishers aren’t working for you, but try stomping the NPCs in the Heart of the Mists (the ones to the north, where you have to fight them first). Those do count towards the achievement.

Apparently you need to top score in a category (secrets, panics, kills etc.) for the achievement to progress.

I’ve been getting rank up chests from Activities, but only Rabkittenests so far.

I’ve already reported this bug to ANet, since I figured out how to reproduce it. Unfortunately with Halloween ending in a week it’s likely they won’t bother to patch it now, and just fix it for next year.