Guild Wars 2

A good addition to the gem shop. If they were smart they would keep adding things like this on a regular basis…every 2 weeks or so.

Still after all the recent problems, and even if my wife bought me two gem cards for christmas, I wont be spending a penny for a long while.

Anything about race change?

I cannot view because I am at work. Any chance of putting this into .txt format or something?

Im assuming its a gem purchase? How much and what do you get with it?
I havent played the game in days because of the ascended gear/fractal level system debacle, so please enlighten me.

Thanks!

Well in the AMA he addressed my question directly: “What are your plans to fixing the fractal leveling system. It is fragmenting the community”. He said they have a few options, one of them bracketing the levels so you can group with people 1-5, 6-10, etc. Something like that, but then they need to adjust the difficulty of each level/bracket and reward.

I am tempted to log in tonight and try to get a level 5 group, but I have a feeling I’ll either be turned off by the fact I’ll be waiting 30 minutes for a group, or disconnected midway through.

I am not sure, to be honest. I like that they plan to have ascended gear be obtained through various other parts of the game(hopefully level 80 zone “grinding”, Dynamic events, world vs world, crafting, etc). I like Chris’s answer to my personal question of “What are you planning on doing about the fractal leveling system. It is fragmenting the playerbase”. He stated they have a few options, one of them is to bracket the levels so that if you are a fractal level 3, you can group with anyone between 1-5. This will help, who knows how much. I still think that eventually, there wont be anyone running those low level fractals, or too few. Alts will not fill the gaps that the main characters have left. I think this will need to be addressed again in the future, and this is by far one of the biggest problems I have with this patch.

I do not like the idea of the “item treadmill” he mentioned, having our current infusions possibly outdated in the future.

With that said, I find myself torn again. I have since resubbed to WoW and am enjoying it. But what Chris said did help to ease some of the frustration I had. Still torn…

So Chris said there will be no more tiers added and they plan to add ascended gear into the game throughout the next year, acquired from participating in whatever gameplay you like(DEs, dungeons, fractals, WvW, etc). Ok, a step in the right direction.

Then he went on to hint that the infusions will become more powerful over time, acquiring better infusions to insert into your gear, instead of replacing the gear itself. So basically, the gear is not the gear treadmill, infusions will be. Infusions will become obsoleted every so often. Am I correct and understanding this correctly?

Ascended gear and legendaries stay the same over time, but the infusions become a treadmill?

Quoted from Reddit:

[–]ArenaNetTeam[S] 104 points 12 hours ago

Hi All,

Here is the reply to the second question:

E2:""Ascended gears are making a lot of people worry about an ever-increasing gear treadmill. Many players did not want the exotic/legendary system to change, and they don’t like ascended gears. Was this expected? Can this be something fixed in a painless way? Can it happen?"

Yes the response was definitively expected. We did not intent for the information to come out this way. Going back to my previous answer the issue is that we believe in the vertical progression system we had pre launch and that the introduction of an element into the system post launch was going to cause concern but something we believe in. That is why there is no plan for new Rarity Tiers of loot but there are plans to enhance or gain items within the existing rarity design whose properties continue on a shallow power curve. This said we certainly don’t want to create a system where itemization blocks progression in the game globally and we also need to be careful of this in areas such as FotM if the primary reward isn’t available elsewhere in the game. So in short its an exciting problem but one that has been poorly communicated and handled.

And for this i take responsibility and apologies. However the future of this philosophy and the design challenges it throws up are going to lead to a pioneering world and one that we are very excited about.

So anyway i kind of went of topic here so in short. We don’t intend to have an item rarity gear treadmill, we intend for the progression for gaining these rewards to have lots of different avenues for different types of player and where possible lower no fun grind within the whole of the game.

I hope this answers that question. I will be right back.

Chris"

As you can see through the bolded, that you can gain items whose properties increase on a shallow curve, i.e. a treadmill. Am I correct in these assumptions?

Hey there,
I do not have a reddit account, nor do I want to create one. I have one specific question to ask which I think a lot of people are concerned with.

“Many players feel gated and obligated to sit in LA and look for a FoTM group to keep up with the mass of people progressing in fractal levels. Are there any plans to change the fractal leveling system so that a fractal level 2 can join a group that is running a lvl 10(for example)”.

My biggest concern is fractal levels. I have stopped playing because of it. Could you add this to the list?

Aphix.9846:

The current ascended items are incredibly easy to get. Just yesterday a ring dropped and then bought an infusion for 75 tokens. What a grind guys, what a grind !
Now only in time I’ll get my 2nd ring and with either ~25g or 1800 fractal tokens I will get my backpiece as well. A long-term FOTM aim for me. Only a positive. I couldn’t care less if the items have different skins or better stats or just exotics with infusion slots, I want them either way. More stuff to do, more progress.
You people make me sick tbh. Moan moan moan. All this ‘wow’ crap again. Don’t like it, move on.
It has happened. There is ascended gear in the game. I don’t get how Anet could even think of removing it/changing stats to exotic stats, imo that’s not going to happen, Anet can’t just change the items people worked hard to get etc.
Only thing Anet could do is NOT add any more gear tier, which even I think would be a really bad idea. Keep the ascended gear as it is, cool skins, fairly easy to acquire etc, then they’re ok.

Not everyone is as lucky to get it as a drop. dont be so quick to assume that your good fortune means that everyone has the same. Ive run a lot of them, I havent seen a single ascended. As for the many people that are 10+, same holds true,.

And I have moved on. BTW, if us casuals move on, you dont have a game. Casuals out number semi-hardcore and hardcore end game progression folks in this game.

Memnoch.2589:

cesmode.4257:

For me, I like the dungeon. Ive made my peace with ascended gear although it would be better if it were changed.

I dont like the fractal level system. I think many can agree with this.

@memnoch:
-WoW does a gear grind 10x better than arenanet.
-If I am going to gear grind, I will do it in WoW because in WoW there are things to do with that gear grind from tier to tier. When I mash my head senselessly in getting a full ascended set, it will only be fractals that are left to test my “meddle”.
-“sort of a tier gear grind?” Uh, have you seen what is required for one fractal piece? Its rediculous.

Oh okay so you just don’t want to put effort into the game, it’s not about the treadmill itself, you just want it to be easy. I get it now.

Please note: time to do something does not equal difficulty. Noone said anything about being easy.
Having something cost an insane amount of things doesnt make it difficult.

For me, I like the dungeon. Ive made my peace with ascended gear although it would be better if it were changed.

I dont like the fractal level system. I think many can agree with this.

@memnoch:
-WoW does a gear grind 10x better than arenanet.
-If I am going to gear grind, I will do it in WoW because in WoW there are things to do with that gear grind from tier to tier. When I mash my head senselessly in getting a full ascended set, it will only be fractals that are left to test my “meddle”.
-“sort of a tier gear grind?” Uh, have you seen what is required for one fractal piece? Its rediculous.

Tolmos.8395:

Gehenna.3625:

Although I share your feelings, I would point out that there’s already a lot of threads about this subject.

And maybe we need more.

The disappointment from this move overflowed from this forum and is spilling out not only onto MMORPG.com’s forums but even other MMO forums, with the folks who swore it would suck all saying “I told you so” and the players who left for this game saying “Honey I’m home”.

News articles, blogs, and threads with over 11,000+ replies all showing massive disdain for the direction the game is heading in and the response we get? “We’re very excited about the new content, and from the reactions we have seen, so are many of you. Players have already spent an incredible amount of time in the new Fractals dungeon, and their reaction to it has been phenomenal. "

Not only are they refusing to even so much as comment on the fiasco, but they are using the fact we have to play FotM to keep up with the gear grind as we currently have no other choices to PR spin it appearing to be popular? 0_o That’s a fine way to say “We don’t care what our users think. It’s all about what WE want, since that worked so well for Star Wars Galaxies.”

I am so anxiously waiting the AMA tomorrow. The quote you posted… Either ANet honestly feels that the majority of the playerbase is thrilled with the new direction, via metrics and all and that the vocal forum is only a minority, or they are blowing smoke up our butts with these PR spins. He could be referring to the dungeon itself which is wonderful. Everything else is terrible.

As for the OP, I havent played in days. Im back to WoW and I look to stay there for a while. I am waiting to see what kind of responses they will have tomorrow, and if they are going to fix the damage done. Not partial, middle of the road fixes. Complete fixes.

-Fractal level system either removed or reversed
-Ascended gear easier to obtain
-Ascended gear stats = exotics

For the week after the patch I had NO motivation, 0, to log in and do ANYTHING else other than spam LA chat for a FoTM group. I gave up on all alts and anything else. It is sad because during the winter break I get from work in December, I had planned on leveling an elemental and engineer(had this idea in my head to GW2 binge for a week!). I guess this wont be happening now.

Answer: Yes, motivation lost.

To be honest Ive made my peace with ascended gear. If it was a one time deal, as they say it is, I would have worked for it. My problem now lies with fractal levels. I cant possibly keep up with everyone moving so fast in levels. It disgusts me to feel the need to log in each day to run that dungeon(while as awsome as it is)…forsaking all other dungeons. If this is what Nexon and/or NCsoft is pushing, I want no part of it.

Interesting read, and if true is a very scary thought. I will sit back and hold judgement until I see more “monetary”-like behavior from Arenanet. Keeping on this topic, it would be a sad day indeed to see a developer such as Arenanet sell out for more money to a company that looks toxic. I only started following GW2 in March, I was sold on all of what they fed me, and it was so until recently. The article makes a good point, it takes several months for content to be created. Curious timeline.

I will say this though(agreeing with the article):
-Arenanet did betray 7 years of reputation from gw1
-Arenanet went against their manifesto(No, Im sorry, there was no gap between exotic and legendary..you decided to create one recently. Previously, it was all equal. This was not a reason)
-Arenanet is catering more towards hardcores, but will quickly learn that lesson

I am done with the game for at least a while, and if they don’t fix the fractal level system(at least), I will be done for good. My level 5 character should be able to join a higher level group, or at least be able to find a lvl 5 group easier. The fact that they are not even working on a Dungeon Finder right now just confirms my fears that I will be out of this game for a while. Too disgusted to play the game. If I log in, it is to just check up on things… look at map chat to see how things are progressing in terms of older dungeons being run, and what fractal level groups people are looking for. I am leaving myself at level 5. I am curious to see if anyone is looking for lower level groups day to day, week to week. Instead of Guild Wars 2, I am playing WoW for at least the next month.

I want to ask about the fratal leveling system. Currently, its spreading out the population, minimizing the amount of groups forming, minimizing your chances of finding a group, it is played-gated, discriminatory, gives higher levels no incentive to help lower levels… I already feel left behind, I am level 5. FoTM is a fantastic creation, and I have a hard time getting into groups.

My question is: Do you have any plans to revamp the current fractal leveling system so that it is easier to find a group?

My suggestion: Make it so that the group can run the highest fractal level available that someone in the group has unlocked. If you are level 2 and run a level 5, you receive rewards in accordance with level 2. The people that have unlocked level 5 will receive level 5 rewards.

Yes, there will be a thanskgiving event.

You must run the turkey trot 500 times, to get the ascended boots.

No, this isnt a grindy game now is it!?

I am not sure.

I am in the US, I am strongly considering it..a refund of the purchase + gems + gem cards for christmas that my lovely wife bought me.

That is how upset,disappointed, and how much I feel that I was lied to.

I want to play diablo 3 more than guild wars 2. How does that feel, arenanet?

Responding to the OP title:

No.

They could be nice to us and give us a worth while friggin response to a kitten-job patch that they released this weekend. Once they respect us enough to give a straight forward answer and not some PR spin, I will be nice to the dev.

kittenit, I am going to make an effort not to log into this crappy game for at least a few days. Not like it will hurt arenanet, they have my purchase money.

I will not be spending a half penny in their cash shop ever again.

To add: What gap were the devs talking about , that ascended had to fill?
Legendary = Exotic in terms of stats. What gap?

Oh the one you never told anyone about, that you just made up. So you could appease the 1% hardcore gamers that hop from game to game every 3 months. Right. Fill that kitten up with ascended. I cant wait until these same people leave this game for WoW or some other crappy MMO, and GW2 is left in a state of steaming crap because NCsoft or whoever is calling the shots thought it was best to cater to those people in the first place.

Pro Tip: You had a loyal-awsome fan base. You left it. Do not deny it.

Answering the title:
Yup.

It was the best MMO on the market until the patch hit.

kittenit.

Fix your game already. I can’t believe this is the second fractal run out of a grand total of 5 that I have been disconnected from. Disconnected, and cannot rejoin. The run is over, the disconnect killed it. Do you QA your friggin code?

Seriously this is a steaming pile of kitten that I cannot get back in.

Completely frustrated, and another reason why I am logging off right now, and logging right back into WoW.

What a waste of an hour.

This game is seriously on the brink of complete crap.
Im already upset with ascended gear and fractal levels, since it took me 40+ minutes to find a fractal group that is running lvl 5… You have to suck at coding so much to prevent me from rejoining my group after your game disconnects me. What a pile.

If anyone asks “Should I buy this game”. No.

Go ahead, infract me, lock this. It doesnt change the fact that this game has more bugs than a jungle, and the “decision makers” run the same thought process as those who occupy congress, and we know how that is.

Tolmos.8395:

Honestly I am playing far less and am not at all enthused to continue playing. I already have a subscription to a dungeon grinding game (Rift). I came to play GW2 because it was different. Now that it is slowly moving away from being different, I find myself less interested in playing it. I already play one grinder, and even if I enjoy it why would I play 2?

I haven’t quit yet, but when the new gear tier is completely released and starts to affect my WvW gameplay adversely, I’ll likely call it quits, or if they release another tier after ascended., Until then ill just keep playing and try to ignore this horrible decision.

I kind of hear you on this…

I am torn between which gear grind I want to roll, GW2, Rift, or WoW. I resubbed this week due to the crappy patch in GW2, hit 90.. So I can start the grind there and to be honest, im enjoying some of the changes. My warrior in rift has been destroyed. Not sure what I want to do yet.

Its all a grind

I am playing less because I cannot find a group for Fractal runs..low lvl fractal runs. I sat in map chat for 30 minutes about 2 hours ago, I couldnt find a group. I saw one other person looking for a lvl 5 run. I logged off, signed into WoW.

Trying again, but since it is getting late I am only giving it 10 minutes this time..

Keep in mind, these are semi-peak horus. 8-9pm EST is kinda peak, at least around these parts.

If the FoTM train has passed me by, then GW2 might have passed me by.

I have been in map chat, in LA, LFG for a lvl 5 run for 30 minutes. I see people way further than lvl 5. I AM being left behind. I cannot find a group. It IS peak hours. My fear is a reality. It is justified. I cannot get a group by conventional means, without a guild, which most of them are probably in the same boat(10 +). I am writing this, and then I will log into WoW to try out their new endgame content, since I hit 90 today.

I also want to say the following:

First, I agree with the OP fully.

Second, I cannot understand why this thread is not locked and the OP is not infracted. I’ve created more benign threads as of recently, which have been merged/locked/modified and Ive been infracted (notabley my thread titled “Do they have the resources” which was formerly named “Does Arenanet have the resources”. I was infracted for including Arenanet in the title. Interesting.

I would think these forums exist for a reason. To voice opinion, create discussion, go back and forth, different points of view. It is also one of the only areas that the developer could get feedback. Id like to think that they listen, any developer that is.

Harbard.5738:

Seriously, this is baiting negativity for the sake of it. Stop, people.

I am welcoming positive and negative feedback. Its all opinion. Everything is welcome, no one is wrong.

Dude, all I started was a topic to see what people thought of their capabilities. I think youre reading too much into this. Post your opinion and move along. This is becoming an ill-witted attempt to troll my thread and illicit a negative reaction from me concerning my opinion, so that you can beat your chest and say you are correct.

Youve stated your opinion. 1/1 for you. Move along now

Try not focusing on me. And re-read the first sentence in the post.

My post might hint at my bias one way or another but the intent remains the same. To begin a conversation regarding Arenanet’s capabilities as a development studio. I advise you to stay on topic because the mods love to infract you for straying even the slightest

Ofcourse the thread is going to be people’s opinions. Thats the whole point. I’ve restrained my self from providing my own opinion in this thread. I think Ive done enough of that recently. Im just trying to start a civil conversation, for and against.

Just furthering the discussion… consider the game before this weekend, during, and after. Consider what you know about arenanet in guild wars 1. Staying nuetral for now, is it possible that they view their lack of response to our feedback as better than providing several blogs or posts addressing it?

Hi,
First off, I this is not a post for or against arenanet. It is not meant to be derogatory, trolling, or attacking.

With the recent patch, the overwhelming bugs and lag, the overwhelming negative feedback and response to Ascended gear, Fractal levels, Legendary handouts, with the underwhelming response that has been provided from arenanet to address our concerns… Do you think Arenanet, as a development studio, has the resources(financially, personnel, infrastructure, creativity, skill) to maintain/support/appease the game and the playerbase? Does it have its “virtual finger” on the pulse of the community, providing what we want, in accordance to what they think is best for the game?

I will not add my own opinion just yet. Just starting a discussion.

In other words, concerning all aspects of developing and maintaining an MMO, do you think Arenanet is up to the challenge?

Moderator edit: removed CoC infraction from thread title

I think arenanet already started down the worst possible thing to do.

Beraphim.3476:

cesmode.4257:

Beraphim.3476:

Um, no. LFG, fotm and lvl are still there in the same order. That’s what’s triggering it. Just say something more different, the suggestions Kumu gave you are actually fine, it will let you continue talking in map chat.

Assuming that your logic is how the spam algorithm works, it is stupid. I change up a character to make it unique, and it still gets flagged? Kittens

Changing a character doesn’t make it unique, at all. That is to make it harder for bots to spam their messages – if not then bots would be able to spam all the time, day and night, just by changing a single character in their sentence.

Just say something different in map chat and you get unflagged, stop making such a big deal out of something so miniscule.

I can see now you have no idea what the term unique and code mean..

By changing one character I make the sentence unique. It is no longer the same as the previous. Same goes in a database primary key: unique identifier. A characteristic of this is the fact that it is different than its predecessors by at least one character. Doesnt matter of 9/10 characters match, at least one is different. Unique.

Beraphim.3476:

Um, no. LFG, fotm and lvl are still there in the same order. That’s what’s triggering it. Just say something more different, the suggestions Kumu gave you are actually fine, it will let you continue talking in map chat.

Assuming that your logic is how the spam algorithm works, it is stupid. I change up a character to make it unique, and it still gets flagged? Kittens

Kumu Honua.2751:

I see

“LFG fotm lvl 5” 3 times in 3 minutes.

That is not unique at all.

Read it again. this time slowly.

Youll see the 5 was changed to a 4 in one of them, making one sentence different.

I did change the wording.

“-LFG fotm lvl 5 10:52PM
-LFG fotm lvl 5 10:53PM
-er 4 rather 10:53PM
-LFG fotm lvl 4 10:55pm”

Three unique things I typed.

Arenanet, what is wrong with your game? Seriously?

I logged in not 5 minutes ago, here are the things I have said.

-LFG fotm lvl 5 10:52PM
-LFG fotm lvl 5 10:53PM
-er 4 rather 10:53PM
-LFG fotm lvl 4 10:55pm

And I am map chat suppressed after that.

What in the ever living hell is this? How am I supposed to find a group when your crappy spam system blocks me from trying to find a group?

This is terrible..my god I dont think Ive played a worse game than this. I am trying to work with your terrible fractal leveling system by keeping pace with people(even though the first thing I see tonight is people looking for lvl 14) and I cant even ask in chat, yet these same people asking for lvl 14 are asking repeatedly.

Unbelievable. I want to delete this game right now.

Malediktus.9250:

What about people with a lower lvl can join higher lvl, but they will get rewards of their highest lvl unlocked (but still go up 1 lvl instead of having to do low lvl floors)

This is a fantastic idea.

If I am lvl 2, and join a lvl 10 group, I can still play with the group but at the end of the fractal run I only bump myself up to 2 and receive rewards based on MY level, not the level of the group.

This does a few things:
-Removes the player-gated content wall in that, any player can join any group
-Still gives you incentive to continue progressing your fractal level to get higher reward
-Once you complete the fractal run, you still bump up one fractal. So if you were a fractal level 2 joining a fractal level 10 group, at the end of the run you’re highest fractal level is 3.
-When you progresss your level, you develop the ability to start your own group with a high fractal level and extend this helping hand to someone else that is of low level.

I like this idea. Arenanet, please listen to this man. This would satisfy me more than chocolate cake (provided the player community openly accepts lower fractal players in their groups and still do not shun them).

In this game, yes.

Raf.1078:

@ Cesmode

I played EQ2 for 4 years. A bunch of other games before that. I left because I had completed all the available content. Over and over.

GW2’s art style is refreshing and its all new. I’m more pragmatic in that I think a lot of the GW2 marketing (re: The Manifesto) was just hype to begin with. So if they aren’t exactly hewing to their marketing claims…its no biggie to me. Doesn’t really change the game for my style of play.

I figure I can play here for several years easily on just the content available now. Not even taking into consideration what might be coming up.

I seriously wish I had your mentality, as well as everyone else that doesnt see all of this as a problem. I really do… but I always look at the big picture, several steps down the road. Always have always will, with anything in life. Whether it suits me well or just explodes into negativity, or a combo of both, I still do it. Its part of my nature. And my nature tells me that ascended gear + fractal levels will lead to a divided community, player gated content, frustration, gear treadmill and ultimately arenanet trying to morph GW2 into another WoW clone with no raids(they will mask this with a 10man fractal dungeon). Im calling it now

But again, I digress, I wish i had your mentality.
Wonder if I can look in my spellbook for such a mentality.

Agenteusa.6380:

Let me diagnose this :

The most verbal people seem to be previous GW1 players.
Your problem is not that ANet changed the manifesto (although I too think a company should stick to what its vision is but we all know visions can change through time) it’s that you want GW2 to be an upgraded GW1 and you refute any change that will put that in cause.

You are forgetting something though, it’s ANet’s vision not yours. ANet will change that vision as they see fit and you either accept it or move on to something that fulfills your requirements.

This game is not about character progression. Why on earth do people believe it is? This isnt a character progression MMO. You hit 80, you complete your story. Its up to you where to go next, much like the rest of your leveling experience. Up to you.
Theres no character progression.

So let’s be extreme then. I can’t see an rpg without character progression. Before being an mmo this game is an RPG. You seem to suggest then that you wouldn’t even need to lvl past lvl 1 and just have to farm for skins with everything handed out to everyone from the start so we all started on the same terms.

Is that it?

Seriously if you say GW2 isn’t about character progression I would like to know what you call from 1-80 and quite frankly after 80 it’s exactly the same except you don’t gain levels anymore. Think about it for a sec there.

The difference is: People dont need to level to play this game. Create a char, hop right into sPvP or WVW.

Or just level through WvW without experiencing any of the story, DEs, or PVE content.

Now, since people in WvW will have ascended gear, the people that didnt want to experience any PVE will need to experience it, for a while until its added into WvW, in order to stay competitive(also assuming they’ve only leveled through WvW).

Raf.1078:

cesmode.4257:

Turtleofpower: You are stating that arenanet is some sort of awsome honest company. Are you aware that they have gone back on their manifesto, their principles of what guildwars 2 should be…are you aware WHY people are frustrated and leaving the game?

People bought GW2 for a few reasons:
-Played GW1
-No Gear Treadmill
-Awsome PVP
-PVE experience that rewards you with aesthetics, rather than statistics
-All contant is available to you at any time, provided you are of level(and in some cases, even when you are not of level).
-Dynamic world

At least three of these reasons were destroyed. People are upset. Its understandable. I am too. The people rushing to the game’s defense cannot diagnose us with a severe case of freaking out. There are way too many people with that diagnosis then.

Thats a huge assumption on your part. None of your reasons for purchasing this game applies to me. I bought this game because it looked cool and I was tired of the game I was playing.

All games have a huge influx of customers when the game rolls out…and all games have a regualr outflow of customers as people realize that the game isn’t providing them with what they thought they were getting.

People come, people go…

What game did you play and why did you leave?

You are correct, that there is an ebb and flow of players in and out. But because of regular things. Not when a company goes against their ideals which is why , Id imagine, many people will leave because of.

Southern Cove is that place where Arenanet’s Manifesto went to die. The Karka ate it up so theres no evidence.

Agenteusa.6380:

3 – How do you do character progression without gear progression? Grow a beard? Buy some new jeans?[/quote]

This game is not about character progression. Why on earth do people believe it is? This isnt a character progression MMO. You hit 80, you complete your story. Its up to you where to go next, much like the rest of your leveling experience. Up to you.
Theres no character progression.

Until the patch.

Now there is.

Time and time again Anet said no treadmill, Legendaries will have the same stats as exotics, etc etc. This is not opinion or heresay, rather it is fact. No character progression. I am unsure where you got the idea that GW2 would allow you to progress your character and become more and more powerful at max level. Infact, Anet said that “endgame doesnt start at 80, it starts at 1. We arent going to create an entirely new game for you at 80, it will be the same you’ve been playing”.

To put that last sentence into prespective:

My 1-80 experience was:
-Progressing through story
-exploration
-Map completion
-Running a few dungeons(didnt do many, maybe two while leveling?)
-crafting
-Treasure hunting
-DEs
-a bit of WvW

I hit 80, and my experience has been:
-Dungeon farming for a “cosmetic look” set.
-Finishing crafting
-Finishing story
-A bit of Orr, just for “fun” <- theres that word
-A dabble of WvW for “fun” <- there it is again
-Leveling alts, which returns me to the previous list.

Since the patch, my experience is:
-FoTM.

Why only FoTM? Because all other content is irellevant until I get to the level that eveyone else is with their FoTM level and ascended gear. THEN I can level my alts again. sounds like another MMO, doesnn’t it?

Turtleofpower: You are stating that arenanet is some sort of awsome honest company. Are you aware that they have gone back on their manifesto, their principles of what guildwars 2 should be…are you aware WHY people are frustrated and leaving the game?

People bought GW2 for a few reasons:
-Played GW1
-No Gear Treadmill
-Awsome PVP
-PVE experience that rewards you with aesthetics, rather than statistics
-All contant is available to you at any time, provided you are of level(and in some cases, even when you are not of level).
-Dynamic world

At least three of these reasons were destroyed. People are upset. Its understandable. I am too. The people rushing to the game’s defense cannot diagnose us with a severe case of freaking out. There are way too many people with that diagnosis then.

One more thing to add:

For the last three months I have had an absolute blast in the game. It was perfect. Twice I had bought gems to reward arenanet for being great developers. I didn’t need the gems, but gave them some money to help keep the game kickin’.

My wife and I exchange christmas lists to make it easier to buy stuff for eachother…(cute right?). On there, I put GW2 Gem Cards. Being the awsome wife she is(and hates games), she bought two gem cards(15 bucks each) at gamestop. A week later, this patch hits and my love for GW2 takes a nose dive. I am unsure if I want to wait it out and see if Arenanet fixes some of the damage they’ve caused, or just head back to WoW(to which I’ve resubbed since reading about ascended gear..if I am going to run the treadmill, I’ll do it in a game that does it right). My wife is upset because I may not use those gem cards.

Arenanet lost my trust, and will not get another dime from me, even if I continue playing. I used to reward them because I was having fun. Now it is a chore. It is a chore to run those fractals. I love them, I think they are unique and a genius piece of development. And if the fractals were all that was added I would have NO problem. But along with fractals comes ascended gear and fractal levels. So I am having a blast while in the dungeon, and then feel like “Crap, I better get back in there and run the next FoTM to keep up”.

Instead of fun being constant in GW2, it fluctuates now. One day, it is going to catch me at a bad time and I am just going to give up and leave.

You already have lost a paying customer. Its up to you to make the game less of a chore, and fun again before I even consider spending a penny in your cash shop.

To people saying stop being emo…. I ask you to not be naive and see the big picture. See a few months down the road… We can’t predict the future with certainty, but where do you honestly believe Ascended gear and the fractal leveling system will lead us in 3-6 months? What will map chat look like? What will Tyria look like?

I predict:
Empty zones
Empty orr
Far less people running old dungeons
“LFM FoTM lvl 30+, 3 piece ascended, 80 only, pst”

What I do not think youll see is:
Zones as full as they are now(or before the patch)
Kharma grinding in Orr
Farming old dungeon sets for aesthetics
“LFM, FoTM lvl 5, pst”. Instead, you’ll see “LFG, fotm lvl 5, pst” x 3 by one person, only to get map chat suppressed(it continues to happen to me).

Robert Hrouda.1327:

We haven’t scrapped the old dungeons. We tried something new with Fractals, and so far it’s been very successful. I was on the team that built fractals, and now I am on the bug-fixing live team with a focus on our ‘old’ dungeons to fix bugs in there and see what I can do to spice them up a bit.

We’re certainly not going to just sweep the old dungeons under the rug. I will be working very hard on improving the dungeons.

The dungeon itself is a wild success and I thank you for having the ingenuity to designing it.

The leveling system is terrible. I just have a sneaking feeling that in a few weeks or months, all the low lvl fractal runners will have a hard time finding a group.

Also, I have not touched any other PVE content since the patch because I want to keep up with the masses that are progressing their own fractal levels. I havent seen any other part of Tyria other than LA since the patch because of this level system.