Guild Wars 2

At the moment, although I’m quite happy with the quality of my gear (Power/Toughness/Vitality) and the choice of my sigils, I’m really struggling with deciding on the set of runes that will best support my build. I’m a dreadful theorycrafter (clearly) and I’m sure the answer is glaringly obvious … just not to me!

My build is as follows: http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mMMzM9mMvolMMvolMaxaG0VmVbmma

And I usually run with between 50% and 62% crit chance.

Help me Enginweb, you’re my only hope!

I’ve had a great deal of success with:

http://www.guildhead.com/skill-calc#mMMzM9mMvolMMvolMaxaG0VmVbmma

The major support comes with the ridiculous amount of condition removal available, this makes quite a startling amount of difference. It also throws out boons, conditions and a reasonable amount of healing whilst also being capable of reasonable damage, especially against packs.

Depending on the specific situation I may swap the shield for another pistol, and/or exchange one of the elixirs for a grenade kit … though that’s fairly rare.

Father Charrmas, a ferocious white-pelted engineer wears a greatcoat dyed in the blood of the naughtiest fahrar; traditionally he delivers his gifts via cowtapult, which conveniently also takes care of the following day’s feast.

I strongly recommend giving https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/engineer/The-TANKCAT-build-Prybar-some-faces/first a look. Not only because it’s the funniest thing you’ll read and/or watch today but also because it’s a pretty good guide to pretty much exactly what you seem to be looking for.

Power/Toughness/Vitality – on the theory that dps means squat if you’re not alive to do it. Still agonizing over runes though, as a Pistol/Shield/Elixir (Gun) user there’s so many to choose from!

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/engineer/Post-Your-Build-Thread

Golemancy =/= Engineering

An engineer might be expected to fix charr technology but the asura stuff has nothing to do with nuts and bolts engineering. Think of the difference between a theoretical physicist (those chaps with the blackboard covered in obscure equations) and a mechanic … I know which one I’d rather take my car to.

Tolmos.8395:

I can’t explain it near as we’ll as others, so ill just suggest you look up how condition stacking in this game works. It got so bad that during Plinx farms, even in full exotics, I was unable to even be registered as a participant in a mob kill, regardless of whether I was there from the beginning or not

Really? With Coated Bullets I find that I’m racking up kill credit extremely fast both on my main target and on any mobs nearby/behind/in front. Event credit is, frankly, trivial to obtain.

I love my pistol but, as a poster above observed, I swap between shield and offhand pistol as dictated by circumstance. If I’m running from place to place then I tend to equip a shield as it does make a huge difference to survivability, on the other hand if I’m settled in one spot or in the middle of a group event then I’ll switch to offhand pistol as single mob control becomes less of an issue compared to dps.

DreamOfACure.4382:

Who says Asura can’t use low-tech weaponry? From my perspective, Asuran Engineers are simply people who go old-school.

Remember that not all members of a race follow the same doctrines or theories. This is emphasized throughout in-game. One good example is an Asuran NPC in the zone below Lion’s Arch who specifically says he doesn’t want to be cooped up in a lab all day.

Clearly some asura (engineers) do use steam and clockwork but it’s by no means common in asura society. There is a dialogue between NPCs in Rata Sum somewhere who speculate wistfully about being able to work out charr technology as an alternate power source to magic.

It would be nice to have cultural turret skins (like cultural totem skins in another game) but that’s something for the future and/or the gem store.

Necromancer, why do I have a nosebleed? Oww! Something is really hurting … why is that necromancer on the floor looking healthier? Oh gods he’s drinking my blood. Must finish him off …. aaaaargh helpmehelpmehelpme … he’s still drinking. Oh, he’s on his feet … why has he gone all dark? I can’t see … I …

DreamOfACure.4382:

Also, your first line is a stupid reason to let us have weapon-swapping.

But the last line makes up for that.

“Punish them!”

=D

Rawthorne.8675:

I submitted a bug report about this the other day but when I die/go into a downed state I either don’t get my stacks of precision f/ kills anymore or it takes a while after I start killing before they start registering again. It seems to have gotten better though. Most times I was forced to relog to fix this. What I have found is that once I hit a downed/killed state that if I wait a bit BEFORE I kill anything again all is fine. If I IMMEDIATELY start killing again then I don’t get my stacks of precision at all (relog) or for quite a while.

I have noticed this, though I have a feeling it has been fixed recently. If it does happen again the quick (out of combat) fix is to put your sigiled weapon into inventory (preferably slotting something from your inventory in its place) and then swap it back … that seems to resolve the issue immediately.

Coated bullets has made a massive difference to the amount of damage I put out in PvE (I don’t do PvP so can’t comment on that), I certainly wouldn’t leave home without it these days.

I use Elixir H, Elixir Gun and Supply Drop … while I could swap between med-kit and Elixir Gun, I prefer the quick self-heal in combination with the 3 regen fields I can put out.

Still contentedly playing the game I bought six months ago, still enjoying (with the obvious niggles about bugs) the experience. Not bothering with Ascended items until they become trivial to obtain … if lack of Ascended items means I get gated out of content (and I don’t mean +10 fractals, I mean regular PvE content) then I’ll stop playing but until that point I’m having fun.

Why does it matter if people stop playing the game? Because people who don’t play the game don’t buy anything in the gem store. People who don’t play the game are less likely to pay for expansions. People who don’t play the game make the world seem emptier for those that do, which disincentivises those that are still playing from continuing. In short, even without a subscription active players still generate income.

I don’t want Ascended items. At all. Ever.

First fix the code, then build on that code. Don’t build on bugged code.

Least favourite starting zone: Queensdale
Favourite starting zone: Plains of Ashford

It’s all about personal taste … good that the answers are so diverse, it speaks well of the overall design.

The second part of the fight puzzles me too.

Engage Reef Drakes at 1200 range and they become trivial, melee them and it’s a nightmare.

I hasten to add that I don’t find this zone fun, the mob density, mob difficulty and mob respawn rate are all tuned too high for my taste … but if there’s a way to make the place more bearable for others I’ll share it! The mobs aren’t hard to kill, nor are they particularly dangerous once you have the tactics down (and don’t end up with too many) but they are tedious.

Coffeebot.3921:

HOWEVER, it’d be nice if ANet gave us an option to complete x out of y monthly objectives rather that having it restricted to 4/4 preset objectives… and x/y total would fit in with their whole “play the way you want and do the things you want to do” vibe.

This would be superb, if there was “kill x invaders in W3” or “complete x dungeons” it would be far preferable to the current system in my opinion.

Also yes, please drop the specific “fractal” requirement from the achievement. We all know it’s there now, you can stop beating us over the head with it.

The Straits and Malchor’s biggest problem is that people tend not to hang around there, essentially they are a route to the Cursed Shore and nothing else. By the time you reach these zones you are probably already level 80 (and if you aren’t there are much easier places to get those extra couple of levels) so all they are is a roadblock between you and where you actually want to be. The elaborate event chains running throughout the zones don’t get activated or won for the most part because there aren’t enough people to push them. While this may not be true of all servers, I believe that it is true for most of them. So while I’m sure the zones are well-crafted, the need to run through them in a group in order to enjoy the content means that a lot of people just don’t bother.

TL;DR – The zones aren’t badly designed in and of themselves, they just aren’t utilised by players.

Scorpion.1286:

I made no mention of young Karka or young Reef Riders.
The motion is for the normal versions of these creatures.

Umm, admittedly I haven’t spent much time in the zone but I recall seeing Young Karka, Veteran Karka and Champion Karka; the latter two having some variations to them I think. So far as I’m aware there is no such thing as a “normal” Karka.

I don’t bother going there because in terms of time spent, the benefits are minimal. That being said, I’m fast approaching the point where Apothecary armour is going to be something to think about seriously so I may have to go there to grind shells. I’m not looking forward to that.

TL;DR
The zone isn’t fun but if you want to get karka shells you have to endure it.

1. Headstart Day 1.
2. 867 hours total
3. No idea how much is the most gold … but I don’t think it’s much.
4. Yes, 2 level 80s.
5. Cursed Shore/Ascalonian Catacombs/TP
6. Never use magic find, occasionally I’ll use food if I remember but I don’t kitten my equipment.
7. I think I’ve had exotic weapons drop from mobs but it’s only happened once or twice.
8. Only ever from the one-time karka event.
9. No idea, maybe 3 rares looted in the space of 8 hours? But that would have been an exceptionally good day.
10. I don’t expect to loot any rares or exotics, I would like to loot more (since anything less is basically just merchant-fodder) but I don’t expect it’ll happen.
11. No lodestones looted.
12. Yes I have a 400 Leatherworker and Armoursmith.
13. I only sell mats if I get more than 250.
14. In terms of income? No, not at all. It seems that there are certain routes to making a lot of money in the game but if you aren’t clued in to them then you get left behind. So for some people it’s clearly very easy to get 10 or more gold per day; for most of the population though I think it’s a struggle. So time put in vs gold generated for most people, not “worth it” … in terms of having fun though, it’s just fine.
15. Economy.

I have had zero grind time equipping my level 80 characters in full exotic gear … it hasn’t happened immediately but it was pretty quick. The grind kicked in when I wanted specific cosmetic options; I relished that grind because every moment felt as though I were working towards something that I really wanted. Also I knew that any time I liked I could just stop grinding and it wouldn’t disadvantage me in the slightest.

Now we have a new tier of items, these things aren’t gating content … yet. However we’ve all (I’m sure) seen or heard of examples of “soft gating” where it is not the game mechanics that block progression but the community; I’ve heard tales of people being required to link their gear and then being kicked if it wasn’t deemed good enough. Anyone remember the horrors of GearScore in WoW? That was a perfect example of “soft gating.” I can see groups demanding full-Ascended gear once there are enough pieces released. If Ascended items become as easy to obtain as Exotics going forward then I’m sure it will all turn into a non-issue; if, on the other hand, it really does bridge the time-gap between Exotic and Legendary items then it is entirely possible that people will be left behind … and that’s not good.

When I see someone with a Legendary weapon, I feel really pleased for them; they went through the mind-boggling process of obtaining their weapon not because it was BiS but purely because of its looks. Speaking purely personally that’s the kind of game I want to play, not one where the acronym BiS even has a meaning.

It is kind of odd.

drifter.8453:

Pent and shelter(the two waypoints that connect with a tunnel) aNet added Risen spiders in that tunnel that drop nothing at all, and they where not there before.

Although I tend to agree with most of your points I do need to point out that the one quoted above is incorrect. The risen spiders have always been there, they only infest the tunnel when one or other of the camps on either end of it have been lost. You’ll see them only rarely because I imagine that most servers will keep the camps locked down 80% of the time but they will appear. This isn’t by any means a new mechanic, it’s been there as long as I’ve been in Orr.

Spin: “We’re very excited about the new content, and from the reactions we have seen, so are many of you.”

Fact: The reaction to the new content has created the largest reaction on the forums to date. Most of this reaction has been critical. “Excited” is not necessarily a good thing.

Make the Black Citadel the Main Hub

Please, it’s beautiful …

What I used to do: Running around getting zone completion for fun, exploring, sticking my nose in where it wasn’t wanted.

What I do now: Run in between 3 or 4 points in Orr grinding events to make gold and farm FCMs.

It’s true, for something that costs ANet nothing at all they stand to make a very tidy profit by putting slots on sale.

This post really needs to be stickied! There are simply not enough +1s available.

The solution is simple, if a bit drastic. All log into W3 and just sit in your keep … maybe have a party … just make sure you lose. Stay in this position until the bandwagonners have flocked off to a plump-looking new server.

Unspecified has pretty much summed up my thoughts on the matter.

What’s with the fixation with grouping in Orr by the way? Seems I can’t event-grind for ten minutes without getting a ninja-invite (which gets automatically declined … a man likes to be wooed you know) even though it strikes me as particularly unnecessary.

Yep take advantage of the Penitent route now because I’ll lay money on ANet nerfing it pretty soon.

See how cynical I’ve become?

Memnoch.2589:

I am quite new to the game, highest level is 36, what is FotM? and how is it killing the game?

“FotM” stands for “Flavour of the Month” or “Fractals of the Mists” depending on how cynical you are. The reason it’s killing the game is that the entrance is in Lion’s Arch which means that, at the moment, the bulk of server population is sitting in LA looking for fractal groups, rather than being spread around the world participating in events. To be honest I, like others, think this is a temporary thing and that it’s only killing the game at the moment and things will get back to normal in a relatively short period of time.

However what looks like it may do more serious damage to the game is the introduction of new gear tiers to the game. Legendary items were initially the same power levels as Exotics, the only reason to obtain them was for cosmetic and bragging rights. Now they have raised the power level of Legendary items and created a new level of item, Ascended, at a level between Exotic and Legendary. Although I’m sure their intentions were good, what they’ve done here is to create what is called a “gear treadmill” where in order to compete with top-level content you need to have the top-level gear. Even before this there were stories of servers where some PuGs (pick up groups) for dungeons would require members to be fully equipped in exotic gear; with the introduction of Ascended and the power increase of Legendary items, it is possible that this trend will spread and become worse.

Lifelike.5862:

Memnoch.2589:

So Arena Net promised not to add better dungeons or gear? Meaning once you hit 80 zero progression at all?

Yep. And some people actually think that’s a good idea. Kind of sad, really.

And yet, knowing that, you paid for the game. Why would you buy a game you thought was sad?

Those who bought it knowing that it was horizontal progression did so because a number of them (like myself) have run on the gear treadmills of other games for more years than some players have been alive and are, quite frankly, tired of it.

Ethos.4987:

1) all traps can be jumped over and are predictable in the nature of where they are placed… if you still fail to see them then jump all the time and avoid 95% of them with just the use of the space bar
2) you could dodge through traps too, or to save a few seconds when rolling forward or to avoid some mobs

If what you say is true then the groups I have been in are bugged. Traps cannot be dodge-rolled through (tried that, ended up crippled and on the floor); traps cannot be jumped over (tried that, ended up crippled and on the floor). I hasten to add that this isn’t just me, every member of the groups had the same issues.

Nice that people are suggesting that those of us who dislike this fractal have no skill. This either suggests that the rest of the fractals require zero skill to complete (because I rather enjoy the others), or that they are the sole arbiters of what is or isn’t fun.

slazzy.7309:

What would you like in the game? Would you like the rings mailed to you? Would you like the mats you need to craft ascended gear for free?

Nope, I’d rather they weren’t there at all … ever.

I want an MMO with horizontal progression … like the game we were sold.

Waffler.1257:

In Guild Wars 1 you had to play in a 4v4 arena match to get out of pre-searing. Guild Wars was a PvP focused game, maybe do research next time.

That requirement has been changed, there is no longer any PvP requirement to get out of pre-Searing Ascalon; this is presumably because the developers came to the conclusion that it was a really bad idea.

I am resigned to not getting any monthly achievements or legendary items because I choose not to participate in PvP (whether W3 or sPvP). This makes me sad and I’d rather that the PvP and PvE aspects of the game were kept completely apart from one another. That being said, I am acutely aware that it is my choice not to participate in that side of the game, so I don’t feel that I’m entitled to monthly achievements or legendary items.

We have been very fortunate that we’ve only ever had the swamp as our first fractal instance, so there’s been nothing to lose when we restarted the cluster instead of wasting more of our evening. I dread hitting it as fractal 3 of a sequence because that will mean the evening’s been a complete bust in terms of Fractal Relics.

While I am a huge supporter of the notion of event chains to unlock access to dungeons (eg. Crucible of Eternity, Citadel of Flame) and believe that these event chains add to the experience and sense of accomplishment … when you have unlocked access to these dungeons it is a massive pain to have your progress blocked because the local area becomes contested. I’ve already unlocked the entrance, I’ve already done the event chain once, and now I have to do it again?

What is worse, is when a group member is disconnected and is placed outside the dungeon when they return, only to discover that it has become contested again while we’ve been inside … and so cannot rejoin the group. Please stop making dungeon entrances contested, I don’t believe that it adds enjoyment to the game … in fact I think it is a source of frustration.

Most people that I’ve run with would rather re-start the fractal than grind against this one, but then I’m just a regular player so probably have no business airing my opinions here.

Grawl boss? Piece of cake by comparison … and actually quite fun.

ArenaNet were pretty clear before launch that GW2 wouldn’t be about gear acquisition. Legendaries had the same stats as exotics, and gear-grinding was all about the looks. Suddenly we have Ascended items introduced with slightly better stats than exotic, and Legendaries have had their stats increased to be slightly better than Ascended. All of a sudden we have the start of a gear treadmill that we were told wouldn’t be there.

It’s all very well saying “but the numbers differences are tiny” but tiny differences add up and can end up being quite significant. The numbers are irrelevant though, a treadmill is a treadmill, regardless how shallow the steps are.

That’s hardly unusual, I’m coming up to 6 months now and I was a fairly late adopter (BWE2).

To the point though, asking a forum community to refrain from criticism is a lot like asking the tide not to come in … you can yell at it all you like but it’s not going to make the blindest bit of difference. If you find that you are easily influenced by a forum community, then don’t visit the forum. Visiting these forums is a choice, it’s not at all necessary.

I very much enjoyed the story of the final event (actually I enjoyed the story of the whole weekend) but the implementation was less than ideal. For future events I really hope that:

(a) Overflow limits will be reduced (along with mob numbers) as it seems that anyone not running a state-of-the-art PC enjoyed more of a slideshow last night than the immersive experience I’m sure it was intended to be.

(b) Events will never again be one-time only but will be cycled over a finite period. By all means limit participation to once per account but it seems a terrible shame that players from different timezones to us fortunate folks in Europe and North America miss out on the experience.

© Loot is given as tokens that can be exchanged for account-bound items of choice. I hate RNG with a passion and it seems “off” that loot results were so varied. As it happens I was quite (though not very ) lucky and have relatively few complaints from a personal point of view but I feel the pain of people who came away with disappointing loot seeing others who are linking their shiny precursors. I don’t begrudge anyone their loot, I just wish the distribution were not random.

I dipped my warrior’s toe into the zone last night and very swiftly had it bitten off! This is exponentially harder than anything that’s gone before, with regular mobs that hit like veterans (or champions) anywhere else. That being said I think it’s great to have a genuinely hard zone, it just would have been nice to get a little warning. Even with 2 condition removal skills on my warrior I was still getting my hat handed to me by karka if I aggroed more than one. I was burning cooldowns on every fight and still ending up at half health; the drakes were just downing me every time, at least they were until I got my rifle out.

Going out with company makes the whole thing much easier.

As with so many others, the new content is beautiful and fun and would have had me playing for hours and hours just for the joy of it … and possibly grinding some cool skins.

But the the gear treadmill that alienated me from so many MMOs in the past is raising it’s ugly head in a game where I felt sure I would never see it.

I loved that getting top-tier gear was so easy in this game, it meant that I could level alts without feeling that I was missing out on any content with my “main” and that the GearScore horrors of “another game” were left far behind me.

However the game I loved hasn’t changed and I’ll keep playing it, but come paid expansion time if I’ve been left behind on the treadmill then I will have zero incentive to part with any more money.

The solution is simple, reduce Ascended stats to be completely level with Exotics or (and I think this is a better option) dump the notion of Ascended entirely and give us agony resist upgrade items (with no additional stats) to slot into our jewellery.