Guild Wars 2

Make changes to return to horizontal progression. If that means changing Ascendant stats to exotics, then please do it. If it means adding an infusion slot to exotics, then please do it.

1. I have not left. I am still enjoying the pre-patch content and playing with my guildmates.
2. I do believe this is an introduction of a gear treadmill so I will eventually leave. The moment I see or experience griefing because I do not have Ascendant will be my last logon. I quit other games because of this and even stopped playing MMOs for a while.
3. While I am playing, I will not be buying anything else in the Cash Shop. This change has shown me that I am not a valued customer so there is no reason for me to spend anymore money.

I will not ask for a refund because I got my money’s worth. I love this game. I really liked all of the content Arenanet created. I just do not like the frustration that gear tier progression brings. I suffered through that for 6 years in various “traditional” MMOs. I truly believed that GW2 would be different. Then I played it, had fun and realized it is different and my kind of game. Now it is doing a 180 and becoming like all others. Not going to go down that road again.

@Urxx I agree with what you said but your statement “don’t want to go back to horizontal progression” is troubling.

There are many examples of corporations that made drastic changes to their vision/product and had to revert or retcon them. Why? Because their core, paying customers hated the changes and stopped buying their product. The same is going to happen to Arenanet/GW2. People bought GW2 because for years, Arenanet has stated/shown that horizontal progression would be a core, foundational feature of its product.

Many people got a taste for non-gear based progression in GW1 and loved it. Those same people bought GW2 because it had it. Read the posts against this. Many of these people who love horizontal progression got their friends to buy or bought stuff in the shop just because they wanted to show support to Arenanet. All of this translated into increased revenue from customers who dig Arenanet’s original vision.

Now, after only 3 months, Arenanet eliminates its core, foundational feature in its new product offering. Another famous company did the same thing. After decades, Coca-cola changed its syrup formula so it could “appeal to people that liked the taste of Pepsi.” Within months it changed it back. Why? Because their core customers hated the new taste. Sales dropped off sharply. Coca-cola lost money. They lost brand loyalty. That happened over 20 years ago. Coke has never changed its syrup formula again. Coke learned a valuable lesson. Unfortunately, it appears that today’s corporate executives fail to read or understand product/brand history.

Arenanet could have continued its horizontal progression but given people more to work for by simply introducing new content – new areas, new skills, new cosmetics, new dynamic events, etc.

+1
Usually when a company makes a radical change in direction, it is because a new leader has joined or stepped into a new role. That person has a completely different vision and sells executive leadership or the board of directors on the idea that their approach is better and will increase revenue/profit.

I suspect that has happened here. It seems like someone new has taken over or has a stronger voice. That person probably believes that gear progression (treadmill) is the only way to retain customers and attract new ones.

Here is the sad part. Even if my above speculation is true, what proof do you have of that? The best evidence is WOW, a subscription-based game. And it has more than just new gear. It has the holy trinity, raids, griefing, and elitism. It has a toxic community that frequently insults people in map chat (ranging from “noob” to racial/sexist remarks). Do you really want to overhaul your game design/vision in order to capture a percentage of WOW-like customers?

Where is the evidence that a buy-once MMO retains customers by using a gear treadmill? More importantly, how does this achieve the goals of your business model?

What incentive do people that love “gear treadmills or griefing” have to purchase items in the cash shop? Are you going to start adding “pay to win” items in the store? That is the only reason I see those type of players buying anything.

Gear treadmills are not fun. People who love that style of play do not care about having fun (just enjoying a game for the content, exploration, etc). People who are truly enjoying your game are more likely to spend money in the cash shop. Unfortunately, with this radical change in direction, those people will stop buying items, possibly stop playing and avoid any expansion, especially if it introduces a new gear tier.

Whether you like it or not. No matter what kind of spin you put on it. The introduction of gear with better stats than exotics is a change in design philosophy. It undermines a core tenet of the Arenanet MMO Manifesto.

As Trahearne says, “This will not end well.”

+1
Well said.

What can be done?

They could have delayed the patch but its too late now. The damage to the team’s reputation and vision has been done. What did SWG do? I barely knew about SWG until it closed down. Then I did some research and most of what I found was all the negativity around NGE. To date, I still do not know the true quality of that game because it is difficult separating out the NGE negativity.

Once a company loses customer loyalty and tarnishes its brand, it is hard for that company to recover. Yes, they can retcon this whole thing but people will remember.

We did all we could do by expressing our concern over this 180 degree change in design vision prior to its implementation. Now it is done. Over time, the impact of this will be known. It might be like SWG where they realize it was a huge mistake. Or it might work out but create an entirely different playerbase, game and mindset.

@Nachtnebel “So 6000 in two day are not enough but way less over the last three month are?
And if they don’t rely on forum posts what is their source? I haven’t seen any ingame surveys since the end of beta.”

Thanks for posting this Nacht. For all those saying Arenanet is doing this because it is trying to retain or attract new customers, maybe that is true. But where did they get their information that said adding a new “gear tier” would achieve that objective? Did they do market research? If so, why not state that as the source for the change?

Over the last 3 months, there have been forum posts here and at other sites saying no to this part of Arenanet’s design approach. Perhaps these posts coupled with a decrease in concurrent users, is the reason for this 180 degree change? But what quantitative analysis was done to support the assumption that gear progression will solve the problem (if there is a problem)? Having worked in Marketing and Product Development, I know that you cannot obtain valid market research within a 3 month timespan. It sometimes takes just 1-2 months to plan and design the research approach. Where are the surveys, focus groups, analyst studies?

But here is my main question, what next? I have also seen criticism of the lack of the “holy trinity.” Or the lack of “normal” quest hubs. Or the fact that there is no “raiding” or “traditional end game” (can so do same things at lvl 1 as lvl 80). Those may also be reasons that people have left. So will those concepts be introduced as well?

Or here is another possibility – maybe people have left because of the continued bugs that prevent content consumption or the Diminishing Returns. Until this change, DR had the highest forum post outrage at this site and others. Maybe people have left for that. The point is that it is doubtful anyone really knows until substantial, valid research analysis is done.

And here is the worse part. Some in this thread and others are suggesting that this new “gear tier” is a good thing because it will retain or attract new people. Ok. What if it doesn’t? What if the net result is an overall reduction in concurrent use? What if there is now on-going negative press due to this move? Negative press that convinces new potential customers to not buy the game.

Arenanet had the support of a core player base that bought into its design philosophy. They should have come up with a non-gear based approach for customer retention and acquisition.

Op, while I agree with you that your suggestion would allow Arenanet to save face and maybe calm down its customers, I do not think they will do it.

Why? Because of the reasoning they gave for this change. They are adding this new gear tier to give people something new to work towards. By giving it better stats, they have sadly acknowledged that a certain number of current and prospective customers did/do not like their horizontal progression – getting better gear for cosmetic purposes only.

Therefore, they are offering new gear with better stats for those people – its keeps them coming back and playing for a time.

If they were to allow people to upgrade their exotics to ascended, what would motivate the “stat” people to pursue ascended. Going to the forge would take a few minutes. While getting Ascended could take days, weeks or months, depending upon your playstyle. They are doing this to keep the “power creepers” engaged.

No matter which side you are on, I wish people would acknowledge who this change it for. It is not for those that believe “cosmetics” is enough and the real incentive in playing a game is for fun. It is for people who need carrots, who need to feel that they are better than others simply because they have better “stats”.

No matter what spin is put on this change, it goes against the highly published Arenanet vision for gear. Worse, I am shocked that this change in direction came after only 3 months. If you are trying to attract new players or get existing to play more, why not retain your design vision but add new content?

They did not even test this out. What I mean is, why did they not simply add new content that adhered to their original design? Then they could have reviewed the statistical results. If it failed to hit their targets, then they could have reevaluated aspects of their design. Also, what would have been so wrong with improving the concept of progression by introducing things other than a new “gear tier?” I have read several posts on this forum that had excellent suggestions on non-gear based progression and extension of the game.

I found Gwen’s tomb and read some information about her. It was a great rpg moment for me especially since my main is the descendant of my GW1 character.

Hey Josh thanks for responding. You did an excellent job on the statue.

I do like the one posters idea of rebuilding it over time. Not sure how much work that would take but it would be interesting.

Must add my 2cents worth. This has been a really fun event. I love the way you laid it out and kept the excitement building for each act.

Now I am eagerly awaiting the Christmas holiday event.

Agreed. I guessed about the arrival of MK but oh what an entrance. And I never saw the new dungeon coming. Me and my guildmates went in right away. It was a crazy, fun place. Arenanet has really shown how much it loves its game by the design of this event.

I can’t wait for Act 4.

That is cool. I think they really enjoy playing their game. That bodes well for all of us. A happy development team is a creative, long-lasting one.

Now Arenanet players, please don’t get offended if I pounce you in the costume brawl. I gots to get my title.

Thanks for the update. You did not have to do this. In my opinion, just shows the quality of the Arenanet team.

Glad I can now get some of this stuff out of bank.

The cosmetic approach is the same one they used in Guild Wars 1. That game is in its 7th year and they just started their Halloween event a few days before us.

If it did not kill GW1, why would it kill GW2? They know how many people were playing GW1 before launch of GW2. So they have a good indicator of sustainability. They have based their decisions on their previously successful model.

Agree with daily server resets if that is the reason the game was more stable 1-2 weeks after launch. I say if because it is not clear to me why so many events are broken on a consistent basis now. BTW, I am in IT and have implemented close to a hundred software solutions. I sometimes can tell the source of serious bugs based on behavior or lack thereof. This one stumps me because the events worked in beta and early post-launch.

For those of us that love the events and skillpoint content, this is doubly disappointing. I have taken my lvl 80 out of Orr to enjoy the other zones without zergs and bots. Yesterday, before server reset, I spent time in Gendarran Fields. Most of the events did not work. So the issue is not just in high-level zones. I love that area and Hrathi so I remember the events. I went to those same spots and either the event was blocked or the NPC talk did not trigger a start.

This must be even worse for new players. They have no idea what events should be happening in their zones. They probably think this game is content poor which is not true.

I was on when the new build came up. It was around 11:30 eastern or 8:30 pacific for American servers.

Logged in last night after update and this morning. I really like the Haunted Door and the insanity that LA has become. I will venture out into the world to experience more later today.

So far, the event has been fun.

One question – Is the LA ghost bugged? The one where you use the device near the asura. I tried it several times but could not see anything.

I wanted to add to discussion to ask Arenanet for clarification. I actually expected the skins hard to get. However, I thought the BLC would be updated to contain some Halloween themed items. What about tonics that give you costume brawler skills? Candy corn? chance for minipet? or even some kind of item that leads you to a DE or jumping puzzle?

Did I misunderstand the update notes? I really thought each BLC would contain some item related to the event. I am not upset and did not expect to get a skin like some. However, I would like clarification about the BLC contents. Do they only have the chance of containing skins? If so, then please make that more clear. However, if they are supposed to contain at least one Halloween item, please let us know. And if this is a bug.

OP I like this idea. It would be a win for those that like to play on the dark side. Also, as you pointed out, it would open up a whole new level of content. Maybe Arenanet would consider this for one of its expansions.

If you have not already done so, please put this in the Suggestion forum so it will get Arenanet’s attention.

Thanks Colin. I am real excited about what you guys have planned for Halloween. Could we get some more hints today? Please, please. I can’t wait till tomorrow.

Ok fine. I will wait. But when will the details about November be out?

Still love the game. I am cough 48.

Yes, I said 48. Don’t look at me like that.

OP I also like what you call the hidden content. I think Arenanet should leave it the way it is. Not point it out. For the explorers it is more fun to find it on our own.

I don’t want to spoil anything but I have found little gems that are nods to GW1. I have read some posts from people that found events in areas I thought I had completely explored. Turns out that I should have stopped to listen to an entire conversation and waited a bit.

I am taking my lvl 80 back through zones I had to go through for the personal story. I hope to find more of that hidden content you are talking about.

I also love and am still enjoying the game. I have thought about it since launch. Why do I like this game so much? Bottomline for me is that it is fun.

There are so many things to do. But I am not forced to do them. In other MMOs, I always felt like I “had” to do certain content or I would be left behind. In GW2, I have a choice for what I play, when I play, and how I play. I determine my own fun not Arenanet.

Also, I am excited because I know how Arenanet expanded GW1 so I am anticipating them to do the same with GW2. Enjoying current content but also excited about the future updates.

Arenanet has a passion and love for this game. For me, it clearly shows in what they have delivered and I feel that I, as a customer/player, have reaped the benefits of their passion.

Been nipping at the bit every since Arenanet teased the first content update a few weeks ago. Just read the promo for Mad King/Halloween update.

Yes!!!! I am so excited about this first content update. Thanks Arenanet for coming out so fast with what looks like an interesting and fun extension of the game. Here’s to hoping that the marketing reflects the actual experience.

Yes Xericor. I also am enjoying the game even more since I have reached lvl 80. I have two alts but find myself still playing my lvl 80 more. I have started my return journey back to Divinity’s Reach with my lvl 80. I am walking from Orr back through the human zones. It is really fun replaying many of the DEs.

For me, I am also surprised how different the racial zones are. I thought I would get bored with my alts but each of their experiences feels completely different to me.

Thanks for post Denial. Sorry to hear that you are injured. I guess in a way it is good timing since you get to play a great game.

But man, 600+ hours. I thought I was playing too much then I saw your post. Now I don’t feel so bad about spending most of non-working hours playing lol.

+1 Op. great suggestions.

Thanks Jon and the rest of the Arenanet team for listening and taking action.

@EnemyCrusher I understand what you are saying about lvl 80 being willing to go back to lower lvls to get cooking mats. But I do not think that Arenanet considered one thing with this. Altaholics.

I have come to accept that I am an Altaholic. I love creating multiple characters in MMOs and single player games. One of the reasons is that in many cases I get to experience new content. Having a lvl 1 character go into a starting area for the first time gives me the same feeling as opening a present on Christmas. I’m serious. There is a newness and awe about it that is hard to reproduce.

And here is the issue. When I went to the other races’ zones on my lvl 80, I started getting frustrated because I did not want to “spoil” the experience for my alt. It was real hard passing up DEs and hearts but I had to because I want to do those on my alt. So instead I just stopped and decided to create an alt earlier than I had planned. Now I can freely roam in the zones and still get that new experience feel. Plus I now get my cooking mats.

It might just be me but this is why I would rather have cooking mats available in all the race lands instead of just a particular one.

Michael Walker.8150:

they are really rare drops, but if you have 50 potent blood you can also throw them in the mystic forge…
So, they are not that rare considering this, and if you have been farming for powerful blood, chances are that you have acquired quite a lot of potent blood, no?

Thanks Michael. I did not realize you could do that. I will try that.

Also, for others, I have been going to Frostgorge. I guess I am just unlucky when I kill minotaurs, trolls and griffons.

I will not give up though. I just found it odd that I have never received one of these.

I found this article. Ii made me smile and reminded me why I chose cooking despite all the warnings. Bon Appetit

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-2/1226313p1.html

I would like to suggest that the loot table be adjusted on these (either drop more often or drop on a wider variety of mobs more often).

I have been playing since headstart. I think I reached lvl 80 about 3 weeks ago. I have never had one powerful blood drop. I do get the other T6 mats though.

I have even tried to farm the few spots where ppl confirmed that they dropped. Even tried using high magic find. All that happens is that I get vials of potent blood.

At first, I just thought it was my luck with getting drops. But then I saw something disheartening on TP. Powerful blood skyrocketed to 18s a piece on TP about a week ago. It has since come down to 10s which is still too high. Please take a look at the T6 fine mat prices on TP. This is one of the few that is over 3s a piece. To me, that is further proof that these are really rare drops.

Not sure if this is the intent. However, I would request that the drop rate be reviewed and at least be comparable with other T6 mats. Best case scenario would be to improve the loot table for these.

Niim, I have felt your pain. I will offer some tips that hopefully will make the Chef experience better for you.

Have been lvl 400 for weeks now. So my first thought was “what do I do now?” Over time, I have created ways to make being a Chef fun for me. Below are just a few of my tactics.

1. I created alts. Not because I had too but because I love alts. My alts have helped me find new cooking mats that I never saw in the Human areas. Yes, I am even getting tons of vanilla beans with my Sylvari.

So if you like alts, create one in another race. That way you can naturally find the obscure cooking mats.

2. Review TP to see what cooking items are good sellers. Which ones will either consistently get you 1s per item or are high priced items? Right now the magic find items are popular. So I have been making those and selling for decent gain.

3. Even if you do not like alts, take your current character to other areas. There are fun boss events in Charr and Norn lands. Arenanet has crafted interesting areas throughout the various racial lands. I do not know what you like to do so I would suggest that you pick a few places outside of your race. Places that contain the things you like to do (e.g. DEs, jumping puzzles, 100% completion, dungeons, etc). Then as you are going through those new places, pick up the cooking mats.

4. Explore nooks and crannies. I have gone to what appeared to be isolated places or less populated areas. To my surprise, I would find places with tons of one particular cooking mat. I have since learned that each zone has these. Example: There is a place that has tons of strawberries. Not real hard to get to but easy to miss unless you are into completing all vistas, pois.

These are just a few suggestions for ways you can get the hard to find cooking mats without having to grind or change your playstyle. Mix the things you love to do in with getting the mats.

Maybe they could have special short-term events in our home cities. Halloween is coming up. Maybe there will be festivals or something.

I love Divinity’s Reach. Would love to see more special events around the carnival there.

Even something like an incentive for players to take tours of those cities. Like a scavenger hunt that takes you there. I vaguely remember a scavenger hunt type questline to get a moa minipet in GW1. Maybe something like that and the end result is a minipet of your choice, maybe one that is representative of the different races or home cities.

Op, seriously?

I just am not sure what to type. So I will just say this. Arenanet has never said that they were trying to be a “wow killer.” It is people like you that put that out there.

Arenanet has already confirmed that their box sales to date have exceeded their expectations. The key here is “their” expectations – not yours, not mine. They have a financial model with forecasted levels. They are happy because their sales goals have been exceeded. My perception of their goals or personal expectations are irrelevant since I am not an investor nor an employee expecting a bonus.

My only expectation here is did Arenanet sell me a game that is fun. For me the answer is yes. Still fun 5 weeks post-launch. And a bigger yes, that I am looking to playing this game for a while. Arenanet is planning something for Halloween. I am getting excited even though I do not like that holiday. I am just pumped about what they plan to do.

@Silencer I agree with you that other MMOs put in changes similar to DR. However, I have never seen a MMO do something like this within the first month. Worse, the DR changes came at a time when the game notably started to get more buggy. DR code introduced. Growing number of broken events and skillpoints. I’m not even trying to imply that the two are related. It is more a concern for the perception of the game. Many people were feeling good about this game and enjoying it. This DR introduction has burned away some of that goodwill. And that is something that is hard to get back, if at all.

I love this game and am still having fun. But continued bugs and this DR stuff is frustrating. At least now we have a response from Arenanet. I will continue to play the way I have been since headstart. Then when the final DR implementation is in place, I will just deal with it. However, personally, I still maintain that DR was a bad idea and should have been pulled once the “bugs” were noted.

I can confirm the same thing. Was trying another test to see if I could get karma DR to kick in. I had one karma booster from a chest. Popped it but I was still getting the same Karma amount. In Cursed Shore before DR, it is 378 per event. I am on JQ so I think we get some kind of WvW bonus. But why did the karma amount not change with the booster?

Sorry to hear that OP. Not seeing that kind of behavior on Jade Quarry. In fact, by now, many people know that support activity does not get credit in DEs. However, I continue to notice people healing. I jump in and heal and others heal me.

Having mobs dumped on you is sad. It could be that they are just running for their lives and then don’t see you. If I am running in Orr and spot someone, I will stop and fight my mob trail. But how many times have I failed to see someone like you? Guess we should all be more observant if we are going to try to outrun mobs.

Everyone asking for proof of DR please review Edenknight’s post. I know that area well. It is in the Norn Wayfarer Foothills area. I played there in beta a lot and also have a Norn alt. The area where Edenknight was is a homestead. It is a DE chain. The events culminate into a major boss battle.

The events pop almost one after another. Also, there is only one other event north of the homestead and a heart. So if Edenknight was farming karma, it would have been a poor location choice. The DEs related to the homestead start up about every 15-20 minutes.

So tell us someone please, why does DR kick in during low level DEs that are built to happen one after another. How is this acceptable?

This should really upset the Arenanet team. You have photo evidence of a low level player getting diminishing returns. Do you really think that new players will stick around when they notice that? Do you think they will speak well of your game after experiencing that?

If I had experienced this type of karma drop when I did those events in beta, I might not have bought this game. Why? Because I would have thought, “I am just playing the game. Why I am receiving less for doing that?”

I loved those events and would come back often to do them again. Is that wrong? Is that not the way to play? And for those saying its farming, nope. That area is not the best one to farm since there are so few DEs in the general area. I went back to play them because I like them.

Somewhere in all this mess Arenanet has forgotten their mantra which I love. “We built a game for people to have fun.” If fun for me is repeating events, so what? If fun for another is farming, so what? If fun for another is doing an event as fast as possible, so what? How is this hurting anyone or the game?

I hate the current implementation of DR. Still love the game but feel that DR is not the solution to a growing problem (bots). Wanted to get that out of the way before I share.

Last week, I hit DR but was not paying attention so no, I cannot explain how. Today, I tried to test it out. I went to Cursed Shore. I did 4 events in 30 minutes – no DR. So I am now convinced that it is the speed at which you do events.

I am a slow player so I may not ever hit it again but here is my continued concern. Why does it even exist for events? Some people play fast. Some play efficiently. So what? If a person wants to run the Cursed Shore circuit doing events as fast as they can, so what?

The game itself encourages this. At first, I thought I would not be able to test because nothing popped. Then bam, things starting popping all over the place. If I had been faster, I know I would have been able to do 6 events in 30 minutes. And by do, I mean staying until they finish. Heck, I was in a zerg that pulled the broodmother boss to the area of our DE. So we had two DEs happening at same time in same area. And oh, none of them failed. Maybe if there were more mechanics introduced to make them different/more challenging, there would be less zerg.

Maybe the real issue is not how players are playing but how the events are designed. Should the mobs be running around in the same pattern every time? Should a group be able to kite a boss all the way over into another area? Should events be popping every 5 minutes within the same area? Should the events happen in the same area every time?

Repetitive design is a botter’s paradise. It is also boring and encourages “grinding.”

Are you kidding me? Yes!!!!!

I have done more in this game in a month than the other MMOs I have played. Plus it is fun.

Abrexus.2910:

I just want to throw my 2 cents in. I have read quite a few comments stating this only affects high levels or people who farm. Well, I can say from experience that this is not the case.

My level 20 Necro was finishing up the map in Metrica province and was hit with the DR stick in less than an hour of gameplay.

And this Abrexus is the reason there is so much outrage. DR is hitting people who are playing normally. Who have been playing a certain way since they bought the game but now suddenly are getting reduced rewards.

Arenanet not offering any comments on this is making things worse. I originally thought that DR was for dungeons and that in implementing the code they broke the rest of the game. I waited patiently for them to remove DR or fix the bugs or whatever. Then yesterday’s patch not only made things more restrictive but appeared to confirm my worse fear. DR is for the entire game and is here to stay. If this is not the case, why remove one of the methods for resetting it (log out/log in). This is proof that DR is working as designed and is their intent going forward.

So final perplexing thing. If DR is needed, why was it not there at launch or in beta? Why wait until after you have so many people playing/enjoying this game to implement a restrictive, dislike practice?

Edenknight.9284:

I don’t really understand why I can’t roam around to different maps, doing different events and not get punished for it.

You could before Arenanet team put all these changes in place. DR should not penalize PVErs who happen to finish events quickly. But the current implementation does. For those who have not hit it yet, do this?

Go to Hrathi Highlands or Orr. some place with common enemies and tons of DEs. Do the DE chains as fast as you can. Then watch your rewards. Make sure to kill mobs and to do at least 4 or 5 DEs in a row.

+1 Agree

great ideas

@Morgoth “The funny thing is the karma boosters are now worthless, as you cant get the full duration out of them, so Arenanet basically shafted themselves out of gem store purchases :S”

I thought about that very point this morning. I have seen some nasty posts on here suggesting that Arenanet is doing this to drive people to gem stores. It is the exact opposite. DR makes karma and magic find boosters worthless right now. So if Arenanet was doing this for cash shop, they are doing it wrong.

Sadly, the DR is starting to frustrate even me. I keep posting on this because I think it is one of the few mistakes Arenanet has made post-launch.

I still remember the first week where I was following the zerg from DE to DE. It was all so much fun for me. New missions. Seeing all the different animations.

But now I have to worry that if I go from each event too quickly, I will get cheated out of the full Karma rewards. And yes, it matters. It matters because I am getting cheated out of a benefit because I am playing the game. No one said we were doing anything wrong the first week when we moved throughout the zones and sought out new DEs. So why is it wrong now?

I already am a slow player unlike others. I like to look around, find new things and do more than just kill stuff. Heck, I often lagged behind the zerg and had to catch up to finish out the boss fights. So how much slower do I need to play in order to ensure that DR does not kick in?

Welcome to the guardian brigade.
I agree with Navi. Try out every weapon to see what you like. I have a lvl 39 Guardian alt and still feel like I am learning.

I looked up builds because I wanted to understand how to properly do damage mitigation. But do not let the build suggestions hamper you. Do research on the traits, skillls and weapons to understand their pros/cons and uses.

The Guardian is a challenge for me because it is different than any other professions I have ever played. Still have not decided on the playstyle to use but that is what makes it fun and interesting for me.

Also, do not be afraid to be more flexible with the Guardian. What I mean is be open to changing up weapons and traits in Dungeon or PVP encounters. Or even while you are just out in the world. It seems to be the type of profession that encourages change based on the situation.

I now have 3 characters – Human, Norn and Sylvari. I completed the Human storyline and liked it alot. So far I am enjoying the Norn and Sylvari.

My only complaint on this thread is Zii’s post. Why did you have to mention that? Now I am sad again. No wait, I will not be sad because I have decided it did not happen. No body, no confirmed demise. He is okay. No really he is.

slinks away silently weeping. “why did you have to remind me Zii? why”

Thanks for posting this. Have been looking for a site with images.

This thread has relieved me of guilt. I don’t feel so weird about the volume of screenshots anymore.

Does anyone else take the same shot but for a different character? Not that I am saying I have done that (20 or 30 times) but just wondering how far you have gone with screenshots.

For me it is almost as bad as a parent taking pictures of their newborn. Had a few friends that had hundreds of pictures of their baby after 3 days. lol

@Dradin
“I do not expect to “play anyway i want” i do expect to be able to play as i did in the BWEs and i do expect to have been informed properly by Anet about there decision to implement something so punitive.”

Thank you Dradin for posting this.

I do not understand the strong player support for post-launch DR. It is a change that is not curving bots but is frustrating players. I have said it before and will say it again – I love this game but believe that Arenanet should remove DR immediately. This has caused unnecessary frustration among an otherwise happy customer group. Also, is it coincidence that after DR is added, the game goes into a broken state? e.g. DEs not progressing or starting at all anymore.

1. Per Arenanet’s admission, the DR code contains a bug that has undesired negative, player limiting outcomes.
2. DR has not curved bot activity.
3. DR has not curved dungeon speed run activity. People are still requesting dungeon speed runs.
4. Crafting fine material drops were sparse before DR but almost non-existent now. In 4 weeks, I have yet to get a powerful blood (even with high magic find). Have also noticed a sharp drop-off of other fine mats and loot in general during normal, non-farming play.
5. Players are reporting significant decreases in DE rewards. Yes, part of this probably relates to the bug but why leave the code in for this long. The fix should be a complete removal to ensure that the unintended outcome never happens again.