Guild Wars 2

LaronX.8079:

Burst is better in pretty much any case where you not run into 4+ mobs on your own. So pretty much all of PvE and PvP ( players in PvP won’t let you kit them like Mobs do)
The main issu is that traits and weapon contradict each other.
You want to have stuff like Illusionary Elasticity in Illussions but pretty much nothing else there dumping 20 points into there for that .
You want Deceptive Evasion and Sharper Images in duelling forceing you to take percison on gear to get the most out of Sharper Images ( and have at least a some what reliable source of bleeds)
But as the stuff is you main weapon and you clones will die pretty fast in AoE

Hi,
Again, to completely contradict your thinking…

1. You want elasticity in Illusions, yes. Definate. But the other one you would take is Compounding Illusions. As a condition mesmer, you never want to shatter your clones unless you are certain it will end the fight. So as long as you keep a healthy supply of illusions, which is not hard, you will get 3-6-9% more damage I believe. In dungeons, when the boss/mobs are not focused on your illusions, which is often enough I find, I dont need to phase retreat to create another for quite some time…sometimes upward of a minute.

2. Yes, you want sharper images(but you can go another route, for more of a Glamour build). So if you go for sharper images, you want precision on your gear. Whats wrong with a rampager’s set? Doesn’t that set even have toughness on it?

3. Clones die often enough, yes. But there are many methods to keep up 2-3 at all times. Phased retreat is on a 4 second cooldown(or something with the staff trait), mirror images = 2 at once, if you are able to(which I dont) you can trait into creating an illusion when you dodge. Then you have your phantasm abilities. I never have problems keeping a healthy stock of clones up. Ever. This is the LEAST of my problems. Sometimes I’ll phase retreat just for kicks, even when I dont need another illusion.

Burst is a great single target DPS build, sure. And if you can get multiple mobs packed together, yeah burst shattering/blurred frenzy/iWarden can take down a nice pack of mobs easily. Conditions will do it a smidge slower, but will also continue to kill the mob at a decent pace, whereas all of your burst abilities would be on CD if they did not kill the entire pack of mobs. Also, there are more multi-mob pulls, packs, and whatnot in the game than there arent. Not even considering story quests, just dungeons and DEs, there are a ton of multi-mob pulls.

As a condition mesmer on an AOE pull, the ideal way to deal with it I find is run up to the pack of mobs, pull out iWarden, switch to staff, drop chaos storm right on top of you, the warden, the mobs(doing some DPS and poison DPS), phase retreat/iWarlock/Mirror Images so all of these guys get the protection buff as well(and you get chaos armor). Wind of Chaos away, watch the world burn.

The above situation is pretty standard for me, watching iWarden tear it up for a good 10+ seconds, my illusions throwing WoC around stacking more conditions in addition to myself…if they die, they are near the mobs and apply another random condition.

Its fantastic.

Condition damage > duration. Lots of times others are stacking the same conditions adding to durations, etc. Duration would be better for a confusion/blindness build.

Hiki.9310:

Edited for brevity.

Sorry, I am going to have to disagree with just about everything you said.

At level 80, my condition mesmer is pretty difficult to kill and I can solo some really ridiculous pulls. Even when I screw up and Im surrounded by 4 regular risen mobs and a veteran in Orr, I can take them down no problem. Even two veteran mobs and one or two regulars, no problem. You kind of need to know what all of your abilities do.

I agree that winds of chaos applying Vulnerability is kind of lame, but if you utilize that debuff you just applied (sorry, condition!), you can still turn it into a positive. I am always running around Orr with sword/focus for map completion. When I stop, and Im surrounded by a ton of mobs, I pop an iWarden, quickly switch to staff and drop Chaos Storm on top of him which provides him with protection everytime (as well as myself). So now I either phase retreat out of that ethereal combo field for a Chaos Armor application, or use mirror images to begin the Wind of Chaos spam from me and my ILLUSIONS. I stand up close and personal, getting all of the little buffs back…with the elasticity trait, WoC is bouncing around everywhere. The conditions wrack up with a few stacks of vulnerability, several bleeds, the ocassional burn and confusion (from when I dropped Chaos Storm). At this point I just kite around the mobs in a small area, phase retreating when an illusion is killed(which by the way applies another random condition when it dies). When my iWarden dies, I bring out iWarlock. Which by the way, these guys are granting me regeneration when I bring them out, plus they have never ending fury too.

I TRY to put myself in really difficult situations where I just get rofl stomped and die. I cant.

As for condition capping— this is really the only problem I have with being condition spec for any class. However, there are often times that hardly anyone in the group is running a condition build, and not all conditions are capped(bleeds, etc). So being condition specced is not bad in this case.

Plus, even though you’re stacking condition, youre really not ONLY relying on conditions to dps down everything. Your phantasms do a lot of damage, and provide other “nice to have” bonuses.

So, I really disagree with anyone that says a condition mesmer is weak. I run TA exp, and watch everyone else die and run back on the first boss. Im sitting there with my pimp hand solo’ing the kitten thing, not dying. Sure, situational awareness and skill come into play. But the mesmer is a hard to kill class.

Haha, I mean on a real mob. Not critter :p

To join a guild.

Hi,
Thinking of transferring to Isle of Janthir from a pretty well populated, decent wvw server. I had a few questions for anyone that resides on IoJ.

-How are the low and mid level zones? Are they populated enough? I know some zones are just plain empty, but the main ones like ganderran fields etc…how are they? Any problems with DEs?
-How is Orr? People running/zerging events?
-How are you in WvW? If I remember correctly, IoJ used to be one of the top servers but it has slipped recently. Why?
-Lots of people running dungeons/fractals?

Anything else?

Thanks!

Whats your highest crit? Whether its one swing from a hundred blades or whatever…whats your highest crit?

Eh, condition duration is meh…conditions are going to get applied constantly in dungeons with durations refreshing and stacking. Not worried about duration too much.

Either boils down to more conditions via sharper images, or quicker glamour CD/longer glamour effects and regeneration when I pull out phantasms.

I guess its also worth it to note that I am currently geared via Rampagers.

Any advice on the last 20points forma condi buildmwouldmbe helpful.m ty

Oops, I meant to post this in the Mesmer forums. Mods, please remove this thread.

Thanks and sorry!

Hi,
I am building a condition mesmer build, mainly using the Staff for dungeons/Orr.

I have most of the traits I want but now I am debating on the last 20 points. Here are my choices:

Domination: Mental Torment and Crippling Dissapation
Dueling: Phantasmal Fury and whatever else(might put the last 5 some where else.) I would want sharper images here
Inspiration: Glamour Mastery and Temporal Enchanter

I can throw 20 points into Domination for more power, making auto attacks hit harder and mind wracks hit harder..although I dont think I’ll be shattering a lot in dungeons since staff clones will be providing a lot of conditions for me. I will just want to keep them out as much as possible.

Putting at least 15 into Dueling would give me sharper images which has been great since I’ve respecced for it during Orr. The bleeds will add up. Then I do not know where to put my last 5 points, and selecting phantasmal fury is kind of lame since a lot of my damage is not from phantasms, so this seems wasted just to get sharper images. Critical Infusion is a small perk, since I currently I have a lot of precision.

Putting 20 into Inspiration will reduce the CD on my two glamour skills: feedback and null field, and also increase the duration by a measly second or so. The added vitality is nice, however. Phantasmal regeneration is another perk for the group.

In a condition build, is power completely useless? Will I notice a drastic decrease in DPS from auto attacks on my staff? I don’t like domination for a condition build especially when I wont be shattering much in dungeons, but I am weary if I’ll lose out on a lot of raw power. I am leaning toward 15 into dueling for sharper images…but then the benefits to glamour skills is very nice in inspiration.

Thoughts?

Hi,
I am building a condition mesmer build, mainly using the Staff for dungeons/Orr.

I have most of the traits I want but now I am debating on the last 20 points. Here are my choices:

Domination: Mental Torment and Crippling Dissapation
Dueling: Phantasmal Fury and whatever else(might put the last 5 some where else.) I would want sharper images here
Inspiration: Glamour Mastery and Temporal Enchanter

I can throw 20 points into Domination for more power, making auto attacks hit harder and mind wracks hit harder..although I dont think I’ll be shattering a lot in dungeons since staff clones will be providing a lot of conditions for me. I will just want to keep them out as much as possible.

Putting at least 15 into Dueling would give me sharper images which has been great since I’ve respecced for it during Orr. The bleeds will add up. Then I do not know where to put my last 5 points, and selecting phantasmal fury is kind of lame since a lot of my damage is not from phantasms, so this seems wasted just to get sharper images. Critical Infusion is a small perk, since I currently I have a lot of precision.

Putting 20 into Inspiration will reduce the CD on my two glamour skills: feedback and null field, and also increase the duration by a measly second or so. The added vitality is nice, however. Phantasmal regeneration is another perk for the group.

In a condition build, is power completely useless? Will I notice a drastic decrease in DPS from auto attacks on my staff? I don’t like domination for a condition build especially when I wont be shattering much in dungeons, but I am weary if I’ll lose out on a lot of raw power. I am leaning toward 15 into dueling for sharper images…but then the benefits to glamour skills is very nice in inspiration.

Thoughts?

To add fuel to this discussion, what about those that insist trinity exists in this game? Those people that would say in a world event, or dungeon “Let me pull”. I had an argument with someone in map chat a few days ago when, at the start of a world event, he said “let me pull”. I pointed out to him that theres no such thing as a true tank in this game, and no healer to keep you alive.

Long story short, there are people that still insist that there is a trinity, that they can build their character via stats and trait lines to be as tanky as they want. You will not convince these people otherwise.

Then there are people that think the trinity was replaced with something else: Control, Support, Damage. A little less tanky, more movement and damage control. A little less healy, and more support via boons and heals.

Then there are those of us that think that people can build their character however they want, but do not expect to sit in the back and launch heals or condition removals…or sit in front of the boss and soak damage.

Thoughts on this?

I agree OP, with everything. Especially with the zone itself being detailed and very well drawn. I would love to stop and smell the roses, take in the corrupt scenery. But then I would be knocked down, pulled back, stunned, dazed (half HP is gone at this point), then comes the high dps abilities. If I ever stop to take in the scenery, Im dead. Like you said, “theres the green way point, map out your path, and RUN! Do not look back!”. Its like a scene from Dawn of the dead or something. Running with 50 mobs chasing you. You look over your shoulder “Holy kitten they are still coming, kitten run faster! Ah crap! Pulled back WTF! Im clothie, I cannot withstand this punishment, HALP!!!”

In terms of MMO popularity and player base I am going to compare the top 5. Big names only really…

World of Warcraft
Rift
Tera
SWTOR
Guild Wars 2

In comparison, Guild Wars 2 outshines all of these games excent one or two niché areas in specific games.

I think Tera’s combat is WAY better than Guild Wars 2 and way better than anything on the market.

I think that Guild Wars 2 has the best looking world, most detailed. You can really tell the dev and art team took their time.

SWTOR hands down has the best story telling, closely followed by GW2.

WoW has the best endgame with raiding, pet battles(surprisingly really fun, ff7 style), scenarios, challenge modes. I do like Guild Wars 2 end game though, despite what many would say. I think it’s a fine bang for our buck.

I think Rift has more Quality of Life features, with a copy/paste sort of system for controls and game setup, making creating alts really easy. I also think that the devs over at Trion really have their finger on the pulse of their community with the amount of BUG FREE and QUALITY frequent updates, content updates, new gaming systems, etc. The amount of sheer crap that was poured into that game in its first 1.5 year of life is stunning. Their expansion is a huge hit. Its just so surprising that more do not play this game. Instant adventures and chronicles alone are enough to set this game apart from others. Its pitfall is the performance on some high end machine, and it’s stale outdated combat system(similar to WoW).

Comparing some of these key core systems of an MMO, and these aren’t all ofthem, Guild Wars 2 either leads the back or is in the top 3 in most of these categories. This makes me believe it is still a better MMO, currently, than a game like WoW or Tera.

With that said, this sentiment alone will not keep a community(or me) satisfied for long. Much needs to be done to prevent a mass exit from the game in the near future.

I think the Full is the amount of people currently on that server and logged in. Dont worry if you keep trying eventually you’ll be able to create a character on it. A few months back, a RL friend had the same problem. It took him a few hours but he was eventually able to get in.

Vanive.3804:

Anyone else losing track of their cursor in large scale combat scenarios? I read on some other forums other folks having this same issue in large zergs of spells.

Also tab targeting for me fails constantly. It never correctly cycles outwards, always line of sight or whatever might be hitting me at the moment in the distance; even thought what I want to kill is closest. Someone suggested using the UI enhancement Combat Mode, but I don’t think I should have to use some enhancement like this just to play the game properly.

Another issue I have is the loot particle effects. I brought this up once before but I’m gonna post about it again just to get it out there. It’s hard to see what needs to be looted when it’s just small little gold pixie dust particles up against the shimmer of the sun off water, or whatever environment you are in. I don’t know, could these effect be bigger, different color perhaps?

Dude I completely agree. But they did make adjustments early on and it is MUCH better than it was. My problem was I would have someone targeted, be kiting and click around the screen to pan my camera around, I would lose my target. They made some good adjustments to fix that.

Still, tab targeting does really really and truely utterly suck in this game.
How many times Im mashing Tab, and it either doesnt target anything, or if it does, it never moves onto another mob that is 2 inches away from my current target.

Regarding keeping track of your cursor: With all of the particle effects and aoe going on, I do sometimes spend a few seconds trying to find my cursor in the midst of a battle. It would be nice to be able to see it anywhere on the screen regardless whats going on.

Kakeru.2873:

Red Falcon.8257:

critickitten.1498:

Red Falcon.8257:

Quit applying P2P logics to GW2, none apply.
GW1 was up for 8 years until GW2 which will be up for X years until GW3 which will be up for X years until GW4 etc.

Plenty of comparisons can and should be made.

The most important one is this: regardless of any given MMO’s choice of payment model, a new MMO in today’s world faces unprecedented competition from a massive number of MMOs already well established that would be happy to take those players off your hands.

An MMO in today’s market doesn’t have years to “prove itself”, it has a few months. GW2 has already had 4, and it’s already getting pretty bad word of mouth nowadays compared to when it released. If they haven’t nailed it by March, that’ll be the 7 month mark….much too late for the game to become a real contender ever again.

Or, to put it more clearly: yes, the game will survive. But it won’t be contending with WoW, or TERA, or Rift, or other big games like that. It may not even be a multi-million player game. It’ll end up fighting for scraps with the smaller games if it can’t turn itself around. And if it gets that bad, you can forget about GW3. NCSoft won’t fund it, they’re not doing so great as things stand even with GW2’s impressive numbers.

Clearly you weren’t alive back when Ultima 9 was released, a game which had major hype behind it….a game so terrible that it completely destroyed the franchise as a single-player property, and significantly weakened it elsewhere as well (outright killing Ultima Online 2, and weakening development on the original Ultima Online). Even now, a full 14 years later, EA still doesn’t have the courage to bring the single player games back, instead resorting to simple mobile games and downright tacky-looking F2P MMOs with the franchise label slapped on.

No major franchise is so well-insulated that it cannot die. Especially not Guild Wars.

Except that GW2 was a success and Anet made a ton of money out of it – a lot more than they made with vanilla GW1.
You can wonder if GW3 will be a success or not, but GW2 already accomplished that goal.

Also, ultima 9 is a very bad example as Ultima is still a successful franchise to today.
Origin studio changing has nothing to do with the success of the franchise itself – Anet could completely change the game or even sell it to another company but that wouldn’t make GW1 and 2 any less of successful games.

Um i’m just gooing to put this out there, as your wrong. Gw2 hasn’t sold nearly as much as other games on the market. Tor had 2 Mil copies pre ordered to GW2 and has sold more to date. Also Gw1 has made and has ACTUALLY sold more than Gw2, you saying gw2 has sold more than those 2 games is clearly you either trolling ot you rapid fanboy mode because they haven’t. Quick pro tip, A single Gw1 expansion has sold more than Gw2 has to date.

Gw2 Sales http://www.vgchartz.com/game/37350/guild-wars-2/
Tor Sales http://www.vgchartz.com/game/31584/star-wars-the-old-republic/

Though they are more estimates because it’s VG charts and it is never 100% correct but still you get the idea.

Dude wtf kind of website is that? Completely inaccurate..completely and I wouldn’t even go by it as a “get the idea” sort of thing. Click on WoW Mists of Pandaria. This site says MoP sold less than GW2? No lol..just no.

This site probably doesnt factor in digital sales. Id imagine that most of MoP sales were digital. Id imagine a lot of GW2 sales were digital.

So one CAN say that if you factor in the GW2 digital sales, and assuming the 1.65 mil number on this site is box sales, it is conceivable that GW2 sold more copies than a SWTOR or GW1..who knows. Theres no way for us to tell one way or the other. None. No whack-job one off website that is in no way affiliated with Arenanet or NCSoft is going to give you anywhere accurate numbers. The only people with that information is NCSoft and Arenanet, and I highly doubt they would divulge this to this website. The only time these sorts of numbers come out to public view by OBLIGATION is quarterly performance meetings.

Elthurien.8356:

I’ll still be here.
I didn’t buy this game for a lobby and dungeon crawl, I could play Countless other MMOs for that experience.

I think you nailed it with this sentence. I bought the game, primarily because of the “Nothing is ever outdated” notion. Even though no one has ever said those words, through all the interviews, through all the webcasta and videos, I got interested in guild wars 2 because I thought, at max level, I would be just running around the world, exploring all zones, and being properly rewarded for it. A 30% reward is hardly worth it. Extra XP to get that much closer to another skill point is not worth it. The little amount of kharma, and the 1.5 silver I might get from completing a low level event is not worth it.

You’re right, it is a lobby game. And I bought this game under the impression that it would not be a lobby game.

Hell, I was some what disappointed after the first BWE when I realized I couldnt go anywhere in game, and be up leveled. None of you remember this, but there was a time in GW2 development, not too long before the first BWE, where it was stated that in open world pve content, you would be upleveled. They took this out last minute before the first bwe, because it removed the “fear factor” of fighting higher level mobs. Fine, OK, I dealt with it. But that was the first straw in a long line of straws where they walked the tight rope between what they said, what they mean, and what they are actually going to do.

So while I love this game and I cannot think of many games that compete with it, I hope they revitalize the current open world of Tyria and give me, on my level 80 characters, a good reason to head to zones like Timberlane falls or Iron Marches.

Otherwise, like someone said, out of principle I might put the game down for a while, a long while. I did that with WoW once they announced pandas and never went back.

Kakeru.2873:

cesmode.4257:

Kakeru.2873:

cesmode.4257:

People would think that the game is built around PvP. I would say theres way more PVE content than PVP.

Arenanet has already stated that they are going to strengthen the existing world of Tyria in the next month or two, and within the first 6 months of 2013, they want to re-write a lot of the open world and instanced bosses to make the encounters more engaging. Fear not my friend, they are fixing some of their mistakes….hopefully.

If you really think the updates are going to be that drastic your going to be in for a rude awaking, it’s clear (O’ so clear) that the time frame for them doin what they promised is to be constraint. We’re likey get another quick throw together like fractals, something of that magnitude really don’t go expecting them to re code the whole game outside of dungeons and pvp in 1-2 months.

If you understood what was coming you might not have wrote that.

1. Fixing the fractal level issue: They noticed this from the start, that they have created player gated content where by pure level, you cannot join your friends in fractals. They are headed in the right direction by opening this up and letting you group with anyone. I think they should have gone a different way with addressing this, but it is at least something.
2. Fixing the fractal disconnect issue: This can only be positive! I think it is also at the end of the month.
3. Probably next month, feb, strenghtening the core of the game. This can only be good.

Since map chat is filled with LFG fractals, and people unanimously think that the current world is empty, I would say that this is a huge deal and might just be earth shattering, one way or the other. Id say between the current world of tyria and fractals, that covers a large # of the players that these patches are going to impact.

You just proved my point :S they release something that still has many probelms but takes months to fix. Ala the disconnection issue, how long iit take them to address that?

….in the january/february patches? They’ve said this already. They are fixing the fractal disconnect issue in the next month or tow

Kakeru.2873:

cesmode.4257:

People would think that the game is built around PvP. I would say theres way more PVE content than PVP.

Arenanet has already stated that they are going to strengthen the existing world of Tyria in the next month or two, and within the first 6 months of 2013, they want to re-write a lot of the open world and instanced bosses to make the encounters more engaging. Fear not my friend, they are fixing some of their mistakes….hopefully.

If you really think the updates are going to be that drastic your going to be in for a rude awaking, it’s clear (O’ so clear) that the time frame for them doin what they promised is to be constraint. We’re likey get another quick throw together like fractals, something of that magnitude really don’t go expecting them to re code the whole game outside of dungeons and pvp in 1-2 months.

If you understood what was coming you might not have wrote that.

1. Fixing the fractal level issue: They noticed this from the start, that they have created player gated content where by pure level, you cannot join your friends in fractals. They are headed in the right direction by opening this up and letting you group with anyone. I think they should have gone a different way with addressing this, but it is at least something.
2. Fixing the fractal disconnect issue: This can only be positive! I think it is also at the end of the month.
3. Probably next month, feb, strenghtening the core of the game. This can only be good.

Since map chat is filled with LFG fractals, and people unanimously think that the current world is empty, I would say that this is a huge deal and might just be earth shattering, one way or the other. Id say between the current world of tyria and fractals, that covers a large # of the players that these patches are going to impact.

Not sure what youre looking for. Are you already 80? Do what you want then. Don’t let a guild make or break your experience. Ive been in and out of a half dozen or more guilds since launch, none really fit my style and some were just inactive. Still, I’ve enjoyed my time MORE when I was guildless than in a guild. Still, I am searching for that right close-knit guild to run dungeons with when we can get a few people together..and WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT. If I am on a low lvl char leveling, I dont want to feel pressured to log to one of my 80s and run the dungeon.

Play how you want to man.

I like the lack of healers and trinity overall in this game. Anyone who specs pure tank, and says “let me pull”, I laugh at them. The game is not designed for it, and once arenanet balances out classes a bit more, I hope they nerf some of these tank and healer specs so they cannot purely spec tank.

The game was not meant for it, arenanet wants to abolish it in their game…why are people trying to force a square peg into a round hole with this?

People would think that the game is built around PvP. I would say theres way more PVE content than PVP.

Arenanet has already stated that they are going to strengthen the existing world of Tyria in the next month or two, and within the first 6 months of 2013, they want to re-write a lot of the open world and instanced bosses to make the encounters more engaging. Fear not my friend, they are fixing some of their mistakes….hopefully.

I wanted to pop in and correct some people that think the jan/feb patches are all about WvW…ive read that response a few times in this thread and it simply isn’t true. They have plans to address WvW in Jan/Feb but also addressing the rest of the game(PvE)…making Tyria a stronger world with reason to go back to all of the areas of the game, not just sit in LA or farm Orr/Lost Shores.

So, they are focusing on all aspects of the game, not just WvW. If thats what you were hoping for, you will be disappointed.

Speaking of directors: Colin, I thought you were the Lead Content Designer. Did you get promoted to Director? If so, I’ll offer up the traditional gamer “gratz”. You dinged!

@sprawl: High level, meaning “We plan to do X, Y, and Z, by working on A,B, and C…”
Leaving out details like L,M,N, O and P…the nitty gritty stuff…the % changes nerfing an ability, or the drop rate, or whatever.

Its how we operate in corporate america. Tell the director what he needs to know in lamen terms without getting too technical, even if the situation calls for a technical description.

I think I got a good ROI. No issue there.

For me, Ive always had the plan of “level as many as I can, then choose a few to focus on”. I think Ive stomached as much leveling as I could, with an upcoming 80 mesmer(almost 73 right now). I have a two full exotic sets on my thief, with 3 piece ascended. Necromancer has nearly a full exotic set. I’ll work on either my mesmer, guardian, or warrior as a 3rd toon…then kind of relax with the game for a while. Play some WvW, play a few dungeons, run a few fractals. Go to Lost Shores and try to solo some of those vets just for fun.

I hope with these changes that I really feel the desire to head back to mid level areas. Otherwise all of the above of what I just said, will get stale after a few weeks and I think I’ll probably log in less and less. The only other thing left to do would be to start going after a legendary. I’ll leave that for absolutely last.

I think that if I didn’t feel the desire to head to these lower level zones, and logged in less and less, I might check out some other games in the mean time which is perfectly fine IMO. Tera is going F2p, and that is a great combat game. I might finally try to go knock off Diablo inferno..sitting on his doorstep. Just cant beat him haha! Maybe a little bit of Mass Effect 3…Maybe return to GW2 after a few more months.

Heres to hoping that this patch saves the day for this great game!

dlechestnut.5230:

Logan is the Luke Skywalker of Tyria.

“But I was going to go into Rata Sum to pick up some power converters.”

or

“This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the horizon, to the Queen. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Guardian craves not these things.”

“But I was going to go into Rata Sum to pick up some power converters.”

Hahahahahah

For me, I am not really on the fence of staying or leaving. I am enjoying the game, I think it has fantastic potential, even if I was on that negative band wagon for the Nov 15 patch.

However, since they are targetting some major issues soon, how they handle these issues and their solutions is a big concern for me and may or may not make me rethink if I should take a break from the game or not. Not quit, but break from the game for several months until more and more is sorted. I guess Im really interested in HOW they handle these issues. Excited that they ARE, but now very curious HOW.

How will they get me back to the mid level zones? What will make me want to complete these dynamic events with a low lvl 40 character along side me? Will they simply add fractal relics to the reward system for the level 80s that complete these low level events? At least its a start, but hardly enough to keep me going.

What about Orr? Even though its one of the zones that has the most people most of the time, I still feel it is empty with a lot of points always contested. How will they get us out of LA and into Orr again? Kharma farming is only fun for a while, and there is no sink for it unless you want the kharma sets. They need to make us want to accumulate kharma again to spend it on something else. I had suggested spending Kharma on a “skin store” where all of the skins you character has obtained, goes into this storage. To use the skin costs kharma.

For me, putting band aid fixes in this large problem might lead me to breaking for a while and going back to other games, or trying out new ones. But Im sure at some point I’d be back.

Still a great game.

Im almost done leveling my 5th to 80, and I had a different experience than you Deadcell. I see enough people in most of the mid level zones..most of the human zones rather…such as Gandarren fields, Bloodtide coast, etc.

I do agree they need to bring us back to these zones, even at 80. I do agree that the game, at 80, is a lobby game. Sit in LA for a fractal group, or dungeon group, and on your way.

Just to push the conversation along, how would you get level 80s into zones like Timerberlane falls(however you spell it), or Iron Marches?…places they do not see a lot of folks. What incentive would you give to level 80s to head back to these zones, and not only do renown hearts but participate in Dynamic Events and explore?

Gorwe.9672:

Those two patches are indeed make or break for me.

If they stick to their GW1 ideas, I’ll stay and buy expansions, etc.
If they abandon their GW1 ideas, I’ll just pack my things and leave.

Hey, by the time second Patch rolls out, I’ll have played for 400 hours(or so). It’s definitely not a bad Dollar spent/time spent ratio. On the contrary, it is splendid!

So ANet-“Nothing ventured, nothing gained” eh?

Why would them abandoning GW1 ideas make or break the game for you? This is not Gw1. And they said that the way Gw1 was structured influenced their decisions, and that the way GW2 is structured now they have more freedom to go about and do many different things. It is also why the game was released with 80 levels, not 20. I would not expect many GW1 things in an entirely different game. You’ll be disappointe.d

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/January-updates-Any-sources/first

Quote from colin johansen:
Hey guys,

Just to help provide some clarity on this, we’ll be releasing within the next couple of weeks a high level summary of our big plans for the first half of 2013 to help provide more transparency into our plans with the game going forward. This will include providing more details about our goals for the game, information about the stories and features that you’ll see in the Jan/Feb/March releases.

To set expectations accordingly, the January release will be a relatively small release that sets the table for the stories and features we plan to roll out with the Feb/March releases and beyond. Also, there will be no new race, profession, or new region with these larger Feb/March releases. One of our major goals with these releases is making our existing world as strong as possible, ensuring there are reasons to go to all the locations in the world we’ve already built, and strengthening the core game we’ve provided. In saying this will be an expansions worth of stuff in these releases, we’re talking about the number of new features that will be rolled out across PvE, WvW, and PvP in early 2013, which usually you’d only find in an expansion for a traditional MMORPG.

More details and specifics to come in the next couple of weeks, but I hope that helps provide some more insight into what to expect at a very high level.

So I stand corrected he did mention WvW, but I think its all encompassing: Reasons to go to any part of the game, whether it is PVE, WvW, or sPvP. Yes, they are fixing fractals levels and the disconnect issue, but thats been the only mention of fractal bug fixes.

Link your source where the other 2 months are for wvw and spvp because I dont think that is simply the case. I think they are going to address everything they can in Feb, including PvE not just PVP. From his quote, from a PVE standpoint, I really feel they are going to try to get us back into all of the zones of the game.

Mirta.5029:

the first month of updates seem to only be fractal bug fixes, the other 2 months are content for WvW and Spvp. I doubt that these things alone would bring more players. However if you look at how much the game has to start with new players are incoming anyways. I wouldn’t say that it’s a “make or break” because you essentially are commenting on bug fixes and PvP maps. And no, I don’t think that the game will plummet any time soon.

Guess you didnt see Colin’s post. The updats are to strengthen the existing world of Tyria. I dont think he mentioned anything about WvW.

Not to be an kitten, but this sounds like a “Im quitting, heres why” thread, which I am guessing is against the ToS.

True, but that’s not what even Colin was talking about. He was focusing on the big issue of getting people out of the lobby (Lions arch) and into the game world, giving us reasons to do so. Making the existing game stronger. I dont think he was talking about keeping people occupied for X amount of time.

Toxyn.9608:

Edited for brevity

All good points and things that are already topics of discussion.

A lot of visually impaired folks have the same complaints with you, and Im glad you recognize that the problem doesnt impact the majority. A feature to change the color of the circles would be a nice quality of life change. Im guessing not one very far up their list though. With that said, is this your first MMO? I ask because in any game, there are some graphics that show bad floor, whether it is churning earth or fire. If you cannot see the colors or difference in colors you would have the same problem.

Trading post preview: Everyone wants it, no one understands why it wasnt in the game at launch. I can only hope that with the large updates in the next month or two, it will be added.

Attention to all: This is something arenanet noticed right off the bat with fractals and they are going to make ascended gear obtainable from every aspect of the game. When? Who knows. Im going to guess in the upcoming Jan/feb patches. But this is something they wanted to do from the start but it didnt make it into the game when Ascended gear came into play.

Patience…you’ll be able to obtain your ascended pieces via WvW, or from any aspect of the game in due time…

Hi,

So I was thinking…by the time the two upcoming patches hit, the game will have been out for a solid 5-6 months which is normally, in my eyes, a tipping point for an MMO. Will it succeed? Will it falter? Is it fixing or has it fixed the glaring issues that plague the game? Is it expanding on its strengths?

Recently, Colin Johansen was kind of enough to comment on a thread about the upcoming patches, stating that the January update will be smaller and setting the stage for the larger update in February. These updates will have a focus on getting people back into the world of Tyria and making the already existing world a stronger world. There will be no new zones to explore, no new professions, etc. Basically, what I gathered from it was that we were going to have reason to go back into the world, the lower level zones, and enjoy the game they have built for us, while still feel rewarded for our time, while still giving us almost an expansions worth of updates and content without calling it an expansion. Arenanet has not yet released any information on how they plan to do this. I think this also will go hand in hand with acquiring ascended gear. Im assuming they will introduce a method or impliment fractal relics into the reward for completing lower level dynamic events. Maybe they will be introducing a Kharma sink, finally…but that still would not get people back into the world. People will ride the kharma train in Orr, since it gives the most kharma. What do you think?

I think this is a big issue since every other thread on these forums is someone complaining about empty zones(even though most of the time I do not see empty zones). What ever the case, Im excited to see that they have plans in the next two months to fix this problem, because the core of the game revolves around the world being a living, breathing world with lots of people in every zone to do the events. Thats the whole point.

So I ask, do you think these updates are a “make or break” for GW2? Do you think it will bring new players back to the game? Will it help the mid-level zones that suffer from lack of activity? Can you speculate what Arenanet’s solutions will be? Is it enough? If they falter here, do you think the game is going to plummet down hill?

Thanks for the info. Still searching..keeping some in mind
Any more?

Fact remains, his character is sub par for the main “hero” in the story…

Son of Elias.5420:

Firstborn = the first 12 sylvari who were born. They are the leaders of the sylvari. Trahearne was the first of the firstborne, making him a sort of first amongst equals. He’s essentially the sylvari equivalent of Queen Jennah, since the Pale Tree isn’t very mobile.

He’s managed to hang out in Orr because he’s a powerful necromancer.

He asks your advice because this is a video game.

Yes, the voice acting sucks. No, he shouldn’t have been bigger and more imposing. For one, he’s a sylvari, and for two, he’s a necromancer. Necromancers are supposed to be thin and sickly, with brooding eyebrows and a black cloak.

A better voice actor would probably have done leagues in making people like him more.

Who says necromancers need to be thin? What about those norn and char necros I see running around? Surely you have some of those in your guild!

Im pretty sure that there have been a lot of threads in the past about Trehearne, but I dont see any on the first few pages.

I simply don’t like Trahearne. Such a terrible job in his back story and his voice acting.

Character: All we know is that he is a firstborne(What does that even mean? Is this clearly defined? Or do we assume from the word ‘firstborne’ that he was one of the first to awaken), and has some Wyld Hunt to cleanse the land. Thats it. What about his past? Ok, he’s hung around Orr for a while. Question: How did he manage to hang out in Orr all by his little self, without the 100CC’athon catching up to him? The knockbacks, the knockdowns, the stuns, the dazes, the slows. How did he survive all of that? And why does he always need my advice? You are the fire marshall, can’t you make a decision on your own? For christ sake, you are leading thousands of troops against Zhaitan, but you need to stop every 10 minutes to scratch the back of your head and ask me a question.

Voice Acting: I can’t take this guy seriously. “That is a dragon that is afraaaiiiddd”. In such a menacing, high pitched voice. Theres no fire in his voice, theres hardly any emotion. I am not going to touch on the accent of the voice, which in my opinion leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to ferocity( and I do not mean to offend anyone! ).

What do you guys think? What could have made trahearne, the shining hero in this game, a better overall character? Maybe his avatar simply needs a change? Make him a bigger, more imposing sylvari? A new Voice actor, imo, is a must.

thoughts?

I wish it was Mira carrying a lifeless Trahearne.

Good morning,
I am looking to join a medium sized, tight-knit active guild that does not focus on any one aspect of the game, and is a casual guild. Currently, I am on stormbluff isle and I would prefer to stay there, but for the right situation, I might transfer. If your guild is not on SBI, please let me know how the low level zones are and if there are any large alliances on the server. I think this is my last go-around with trying to find that “right fit” with guilds in this game, so I am willing to give every opportunity some thought. I come from a small, family led tight knight guild in WoW (for about 3 years) where we knew eachother personally and in real life. After Cata, the guild stopped playing for the most part. Im looking to duplicate that in GW2. Maybe it doesnt exist, who knows. But Id prefer quality and active over quantity with a guild. If you feel I would be a good addition to your guild, please drop a line here or send me a PM! Thanks!

What I am looking for is:
-Medium size (between 30 and 100 members) with somewhere around 5-15 different people logging in each day (each guild I join seems to have activity issues)
-Casual guild (not hardcore in any aspect of the game, and I do not want to feel forced to participate in any one aspect of the game)
-Close, Tight-knit (I dont want to be a number in the guild. I want to join a family.)
-Do you have a website?

About me(gaming wise):
-I have four level 80 characters, with a 5th at 71. Thief, Necromancer, Guardian, Warrior with a mesmer at 71.
-My thief is my “main”, as he has full exotic sets and three piece ascended gear.
-Originally I had planned to level all classes to 80 and pick 3 or 4 to focus on. I think the mesmer will be my last for a long while.
-I play mostly after 8pm EST every night.
-I have played MMOs for the last 6-7 years: WoW, EvE, Aion, WAR, SWTOR, Tera, and now GW2

About me (non gaming):
-I am 28 years old
-I am married with a daughter
-I work in the IT industry
-I enjoy long walks in the beach (who doesn’t?!)

What kind of spec/stat priority/utility spells would be used for a support build?

Other than situational portal, and null field….what utility do you bring to the group?

Hi, just curious if staff mesmers are boring to play in dungeons. I can see a lot of phase retreats and auto attacking, especially if you are condition specced.

What do you think?
What is your experience like ?

ColinJohanson.2394:

Hey guys,

Just to help provide some clarity on this, we’ll be releasing within the next couple of weeks a high level summary of our big plans for the first half of 2013 to help provide more transparency into our plans with the game going forward. This will include providing more details about our goals for the game, information about the stories and features that you’ll see in the Jan/Feb/March releases.

To set expectations accordingly, the January release will be a relatively small release that sets the table for the stories and features we plan to roll out with the Feb/March releases and beyond. Also, there will be no new race, profession, or new region with these larger Feb/March releases. One of our major goals with these releases is making our existing world as strong as possible, ensuring there are reasons to go to all the locations in the world we’ve already built, and strengthening the core game we’ve provided. In saying this will be an expansions worth of stuff in these releases, we’re talking about the number of new features that will be rolled out across PvE, WvW, and PvP in early 2013, which usually you’d only find in an expansion for a traditional MMORPG.

More details and specifics to come in the next couple of weeks, but I hope that helps provide some more insight into what to expect at a very high level.

Sounds good ty. I like the part about strenthening the current world

Hi, i am looking for a medium sized casual active guild on stormbluff isle.

About me:
I play every night.
I have four lvl 80s, thief(current main with 3 piece ascended),nexro,warrior,guardian. Leveling a mesmer.
Primarily play pve, but i will get into wvw and spvp.
Play mostly after 8pm est.
I have played mmos for the last 6 years both casual and hardcore.
I am married with a daughter.
I am 28 yrs old.
I like pizza

Iam looking for a medium sized guild on sbi to run dungeons,fractals , kharma farm, wvw, and just enjoy the game. I want to play the game casually without pressure to do anything.

If you think i would be a good fit, please pm me.

Thanks!

Prefer stormbluff isle only please