Guild Wars 2

If all new content is going to be added via Living Story additions, I’m wondering how this is going to affect our Personal Stories. With the time and money required to script and record voice acting for ten different playable character I’m starting to worry we’re going to become more and more silent protagonists while NPCs like Inspector Keil spout a few lines between each new mission.

stale.9785:

50-100% more is “slightly”? Dude. The only way my ranged damage approaches my melee damage is if I’m 1) at 1200+ range, 2) have full endurance, 3) flanking, and 4) attacking an ambient creature.

Lonbow attacks in my build, at max range, are ~800-1500 damage. Swap to greatsword, and suddenly have 1200-2100 damage. No change in stats (all weapons are berserker) not like I’m suddenly eating food before whacking away with my greatsword. It’s flat out more damage. Significantly so. The weapon skill coefficients guarantee it will be.

This applies to all melee vs. ranged weapons, mind you, but is far, far worse on the ranger, where our damage is kitten in the first place.

Don’t forget the greatsword’s significantly faster attack speed.

There’s a POI in Bloodtide Coast that is a hidden a nursery, but I don’t remember if there are any actual baby quaggan there (I want to say yes).

I’m not sure why you’d expect a trait in the Power/Condition Duration trait line to add survivability or crowd control counters. If you want healing or toughness boost traits, perhaps you should look into the Toughness or Vitality trait lines?

Krosslite.1950:

Personally I like Anets method better.

I can respect that, but consider the following analogy. If you want watch a good, engaging story would you rather have it presented in a five episode mini-series with one episode airing per week over five weeks? Or would you rather have it in a 2.5 hour movie you can sit and watch all at once? Bear in mind the movie budgets typically dwarf those of mini-series.

I can’t work the production time into the above analogy, but I can’t imagine the LS having the development time a full-fledged expansion would have. And the more time a developer has, the more fine-tuning and polishing he can put into the final product.

Rubber Ducky.8627:

I have to ask then what are your reasons for not supporting this topic?

If this question is directed at me, I just don’t think PvE is so difficult to warrant a henchman/hero system. I think it would hurt balance; it would ruin what little challenge there is to be found in the game.

Sure, there are times when you need to complete that difficult Dynamic Event or Skill Challenge in that abandoned mid-level zone where an NPC would be very helpful. But on the whole, most of the PvE content is more than playable by yourself. And such a system would on some level work to undermine the social community the developers are trying to cultivate.

There are also lag/culling considerations to make. Imagine Jormag on a Friday night if everyone popped an NPC. Then there is the difficulty of programming NPC AI. If they still haven’t got the ranger’s pet AI where they want it, imagine how many resources they’d have to pump into programming competent companion AI available to all characters.

And how would AI-controlled companions affect the difficulty scaling of Dynamic Events? If the answer is “not at all”, they’re going to become so easy you can complete them while going downstairs and making a sandwich. If they do have an impact, then the AI had better be good enough to warrant an increase in difficulty.

Ultimately, it seems like it would take a lot of resources to add a feature that doesn’t add a whole lot to the game.

Erasculio.2914:

darkace.8925:

tl;dr – How do I deal with grind? I don’t.

Your point is incredibly naive.

Saying basically “If you don’t like the grind, just don’t grind, it doesn’t make any difference to you if other people do” is simply, well, wrong. People don’t exist in a vacuum. And ArenaNet doesn’t have enough resources to make content in the game for everyone.

If you don’t like to grind… Sorry, but a lot of people do, and ArenaNet is not going to make content for everyone. It’s far easier to make content for grinders and farmers (since it’s mindless, easy and basically mediocre content) than for real people, so there’s already a tendency to make more grind instead of anything else.

It’s logical, then, that ArenaNet would focus more on adding more grind to the game than adding fun content. Which means, for those who would rather have fun than pretend they’re Skinner rats… Well, soon they may find they are not ArenaNet’s target audience, and so no new content in the game are not going to be aimed at them.

Southsun is the perfect example of this. Interesting storyline? No. Decent storytelling? No. New, improved dynamic events? No. New world boss with unique mechanics? No. But 200% Magic Find with two identical events repeating over and over and giving a chest after completition? YES.

That is content for grinders. Easy, mindless, easy to build – aka mediocre. And that’s what most of the GW2 community wants, based on ArenaNet’s action. If you don’t like it, pretending the fact that people do wouldn’t change the game for you is not the answer.

I’m not sure how best to address your post, because I can’t help but feel you’re attempting to troll me. How, exactly, is the principle “don’t grind if you don’t enjoy grinding” naive?

While I’d love to be able to use my extra characters as NPCs, I don’t think it’s a good idea for this game. The one place it might work is dungeons, and even then I doubt the AI would be complex enough for it to work.

ilr.9675:

ITT: people who never read any statements about NO NEW PROFESSIONS before Beta.

ITP: No one in the history of mankind has every changed their mind.

icaruswings.2034:

First of i would love to see darker nights because when i’m playing if i don’t’ look up at the sky i can’t really tell that is night so imo this is important.

I’m okay with the lighting at night as far as what we see on the ground (the trees, water, etc). Like you said, it’s the sky that needs to be darker. I’d really like to see a transition between day and night and vice versa, though. Pink skies in the morning, orange skies in the evening. This is what I want.

icaruswings.2034:

i had a third but i can’t remember. anyways what do you think?

I think there’s nothing I can do to help you remember what you forgot. :P

I’m excited at the prospect of tengu becoming a more visible part of Tyira. Hopefully this is the first step to having them added to the game as a playable race.

This worries me a bit about new races. I’m looking forward to rolling a tengu, but if they’re going to continue focusing on the Living Story that means it’s either going to be a very long wait until tengu are added via expansion or they’re going to add them via the Living Story. If the latter is the case, I wonder if they’re going to be added via Gem Shop (insert rng joke here) or if they’ll simply be free. And if they are added via the Living Story, are they going to get the same care and polish and depth the original five races were given (full independent story, voice acting, starting city, starting zones, atmospheric details, etc)?

How would you guys feel if they implemented something similar to FFXI’s Merit system? In the old days, earning exp at level cap earned Merit points which could be spent on new spells and abilities. In this game they’d probably be used for additional trait points or access to a new tier of traits, but the concept would be similar.

I’ll bet it will have an expansion, and I’ll bet this Four Winds stuff leads up to up to the first expansion (and the introduction to a playable Tengu race).

I personally wouldn’t mind Precision/Condition Damage/Vitality or Power/Precision/Vitality.

Dan.2940:

Well, they could do this…
Heavy – Paragon
Medium – Dervish
Light – Ritualist/Monk

(Also, has anyone else noticed that at the weapon/armor vendors in WvW there is a mannequin wearing dervish armor? Could be a hint that they will be coming back)

Paragon is dead. It’s been cannibalized by the warrior and guardian, and I doubt it’s every coming back. I don’t know enough about the dervish, so I can’t speak to it. Ritualist and monk, like the paragon, have been incorporated into other professions. And even if the monk did return, it wouldn’t be the healer you remember/long for.

Xenon.4537:

FlamingFoxx.1305:

Although part of me pines over the loss of Ritualists and I know a lot of others feel the same about the Dervish.

People seem to always overlook the mechanics of the professions when talking about the lack of ritualist in GW2…

Ritualist mechanics:
1. weapon spells – add a unique special effect to normal attacks, e.i. a buff.
2. bundle spells – summoning unique ashes that yield special effects while held, and other effects when gained, or dropped. (swapping?)
3. spirits – stationary units that exert special effects in a wide area, such as attacks, buffs, or control mechanics.

Engineer mechanics:
1. Elixirs – abilities that grant special effects to normal attacks and/or passive temporary buffs.
2. Weapon kits – bundle items which grant unique attacks while held and other effects or buffs when gained. (again, swapping anyone?)
3. turrets – stationary units that exert special effects in a wide area, such as attacks, buffs, or control mechanics.

Any differences between ritualist and engineer are superficial at best. Considering this, the only way they would bring a class in to the game called “ritualist” is if it were completely different from the one we knew in GW1, because there’s already a class that functions that way.

Right you are. People don’t want to accept the fact that the enigneer is the spiritual successor to the ritualist. Thematically, they’re as different as night and day. Mechanically, they’re not that different. True, they’re not exactly the same, but none of the professions are exactly the same as they were in GW1.

Because there wouldn’t be consumables associated with a furniture making craft (I don’t see how wood polish would boost our combat capabilities) I’d like to see them be able to make chests that function as personal storage accessible only from our personal houses. Because tailor, leatherworker, and armorsmith get bags, it makes sense to me to give a hypothetical furniture making craft chests/boxes/whatever.

marnick.4305:

I think I remember that thread where I pounded you for saying something along the lines of;
- precursors should be given at 5000 points
- I have 6000 points

Which reads as “I want a free precursor”. Such an argument obviously doesn’t hold.

I’m not against the idea of precursors for achievement points, but it should be implemented correctly. A rather large gold+laurel+karma+commendation pricepoint sounds reasonable. At the 10k AP point.

How does it not hold? What makes your suggestion of 10k any more valid than his suggestion of 5k? If someone has 5,000 achievement points, then they put in the time and effort to earn them. If if they’re earned, then why would a reward obtained with them be free?

lanedraex.3691:

I really need a new profession, I don’t really enjoy playing any of the current ones, and I made like 2 of each and lvled them to around lvl 20 or so just to give up later. Only thing I could take past lvl 20 was a thief that went up to 40 and now I’m having a little fun with a warrior, but mostly because of how many passive skills they have.

There are eight professions in the game, each capable of multiple play styles. If you tried them all and didn’t like any, then perhaps it’s the game you don’t enjoy? This game, like any game, isn’t going to appeal to everyone. I don’t know that a new profession will give you the satisfaction the existing eight couldn’t.

kitanas.3596:

the reason they have not added capes is charr and the horrible clipping issues they create.

So what you’re saying is we can have capes if we get rid of the charr? You get the pitchforks, I’ll get the torches, and we’ll rouse us up a rabble.

Glad to hear about the engineer goggles. Unfortunately I don’t currently have an open character slot, but I’ll be sure to snag a pair as soon as I get one (whenever a new race is added to the game). Thanks for the answers. Much obliged.

LordByron.8369:

Also i m not wrong because despite how hard you try, legendary is a TIER.

Legendary is a label, a designation. They’re statistically no better than exotics. They may technically be a tier, but you claimed they were a “higher tier”. That’s incorrect.

Assuming player housing is eventually be added to the game, I’d like to see furniture crafting added as well. The materials needed to make furniture is already in the game: wood, leather, cloth, and even metal for knobs and handles. In other MMOs I enjoyed crafting furniture with which I could decorate my house. I’d enjoy it all the more in Guild Wars 2.

Weakness, knock back, knock down, and stun are a hammer warrior’s defensive abilities. A knocked down or stunned opponent inflicts no damage.

LordByron.8369:

Danikat.8537:

How is that any different to precursors in GW2?

They were skins

Instead precursor is the key ingredient for an higher TIER weapon that should “accordingly to anet manifesto” not bound to an insane amount of grinding.

Your argument fails for two reasons. 1. They are currently no better than exotics, which are obtainable without “insane amounts of grinding”. 2. There’s no reason to believe Legendary weapons will be the only way to obtain BiS weapons if and when a new tier is added.

Hermes.7014:

Don’t we have plenty of that simple armor already?

Sure, but there’s third option to the “simple, plain, ordinary” armor and the “spiky, glowy, particle effect-laden” armor. Some of us would love some ornate-yet-practical looking armor (long the lines of cultural armor).

jgrzar.3468:

If that’s not the Tengu home city I’ll eat my Longbow!

Better start crafting some piles of Salt and Pepper to season that thing up, then. I doubt Anet gives us the Tengu home city before they give us playable Tengu, and I’ll eat your longbow if we get playable Tengu in a free content (non-expansion) update.

Bubi.7942:

These thing indicate, that future updates will be more polished. And I have high hopes, that they infact, will.

Hopefully new updates won’t just be “new enemy of the month pouring out of the Holographic Projectors we added to the game X months ago.”

Vol.5241:

People will still complain because achievement points right now are largely based on dailies/monthlies.

So new players will not have an equal chance versus veteran players.

Rightly so – but people will still complain

As it should be with regards to cool stuff (cosmetics, etc.). Stat wise, a new player can get his hands on exotics just as easily as anyone else. But you’re right, they’ll still complain.

I think it’s too fast for temporary content, but I’m fine with it if it’s more permanent so long as quality doesn’t suffer.

thereturnedhero.3284:

What crafting disciplines can quartz be used in?

I suspect it will be used to make new trinkets, new inscriptions, and new insignias; so everyone but chefs will be using it. The question is, what stat combination will it offer?

We’ve been given a large amount of content in a relatively short amount of time, and we haven’t been asked to pay a dime for any of it. I’ve never seen a developer so dedicated to giving their players such a good gaming experience in all my years (no short time) of gaming. Things aren’t perfect; it’s unlikely they ever will be. That’s just the nature of these things. But your effort and your passion are not unnoticed. Nor are they unappreciated. So here’s a well deserved “thank you.”

It it amazing how rigorously they’re adding content to the game considering “all the money they get goes to NCSoft to fund other project,” huh? The next time someone makes that ridiculous claim they should be banned on the spot for blatant trolling.

Vorch.2985:

Well, they say that the content in will now occur every 2 weeks and have PERMANENT additions to the game as well as temporary.

This, I am anxious to see.

It’s an ambitious undertaking, for sure. I just hope they remember that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to content.

SuperSpicyCurry.2415:

I just think fire+black stuff = a 12 year old’s idea of cool.

Then there must be a LOT of 12 year old kids playing this game, because half the people I see are wearing CoF armor with Abyss Dye.

Viralseed.9362:

I have an idea. Can we get Azurite and Snowflake nodes as well?

I’ve no doubt we’ll be able to get more snowflakes this Christmas, but I’d like to see an some means of obtaining azurite added to the game.

Two master maintenance oils require the exact amount of materials it takes to make one potent master maintenance oil. If I don’t care about popping two in an hour instead of just one, is there any reason not to sell this recipe sheet?

I’m glad to read new crafting materials/recipes are on the way, but I’m wondering if we’ll ever get the chance to get more Azurite and recipes for Sentinel’s Inscription/Insignia?

dulfy.1493:

darkace.8925:

Is there a separate achievement for the goggles? Or is it solely +1 for the world goggle achievement? Thanks.

Just +1

Thank you.

Is there a separate achievement for the goggles? Or is it solely +1 for the world goggle achievement? Thanks.

SilverUniverse.7103:

and in no part did i mention “that Anet only balances through nerfs”. i don’t even know where or why you said that.

Aether McLoud said, “Also whenever some balance change arises they ALWAYS, ALWAYS take the easy way out of nerfing the thing into the ground instead of doing it the hard way and ACTUALLY BALANCE it,” which was the reason I mentioned the staff changes in the first place.

Sid.4609:

Theory and practice. Quoting all the update notes and demanding statistics about statements proves what exactly?

talking about reason and rationality…

That the staff wasn’t nerfed. In practice those changes might not make the weapon better, but they sure as hell didn’t make it worse.

Zapperx.1649:

While pet AI and some shouts( “Sic Em” ) do need a fix what i think would be an easier approach would be to make the pet stow remain off even in combat(can only be applied out of combat) and apply a buff to all damage done by the ranger by a certain percent(~20-30%). When you die the pet comes out so u can use your #3.

That’s not going to happen. The pets are the ranger’s defining mechanic. They’re not going just say “well, we couldn’t figure this out so we’re just going to sweep it under the rug.”

cheese.4739:

It’s hard to discuss something when the counters all consist of ‘this isn’t true and I’m not going to provide a counter-argument that makes sense, and we should all just ignore anyone who doesn’t agree with us’.

Fixed that for you. And I’m glad to see at least one other person on this sub-forum is reasonable and rational.

EchenSketch.9142:

Everyone just ignore the troll. He stopped providing any valid arguments, and is just arguing for the sake of it.

I provided valid arguments. I provided undeniable facts. You just chose to ignore them. And that’s why I won this debate. And because I won, you call me a troll? How mature of you.

SilverUniverse.7103:

darkace.8925:

If you’d actually bothered to read the patch notes you’d know staff elementalists got a buff.

i play almost exclusively to staff. all those aftercast cooldowns were not buffs. they were improvements to our quality of life, but not buffs. reducing the aftercast down by 0.1-0.6 seconds is not a buff

How is the ability to chain skills together quicker not a buff?

SilverUniverse.7103:

these are buffs
- gust passing through multiple enemies
- meteor shower cast time decreased
- moving while casting healing rain

You conveniently forgot:
– Eruption cast time decreased
– Unsteady Ground duration increased
– Lava Font cast time decreased
– Geyser cast time decreased
– Frozen Ground cast time decreased

SilverUniverse.7103:

do bear in mind that gust deals no damage, so if someone has stability up then you effectively do nothing, they don’t even enter combat.

And if Lightning Surge deals 100 billion damage and it’s dodged or blocked you effectively do nothing. I fail to see what bearing Gust doing no damage has to do with anything.

SilverUniverse.7103:

each meteor hits for an area the size of a non-blasting staff lava font or geyser (or lightning flash), while randomly distributed over a radius of 360

Okay?

SilverUniverse.7103:

moving while casting healing rain was the only good thing for a skill that is already good

For the sake of argument let’s say you’re right. Let’s say the only buff to staff was the ability to move while casting Healing Rain. Were there any nerfs to staff? The answer is no. And if the answer is no, then the staff was buffed. And if the staff was buffed, then assertion that Anet only balances through nerfs is a false statement.

Sid.4609:

he needs empircal evidence :P

Did you check some servers for Eles yet Darkace?

Why would I? That’s not empirical evidence. That’ still anecdotal evidence. You should learn the difference between the two before you try to call me out on it.

EchenSketch.9142:

darkace is a strong vocal minority and should be ignored.

I’m assuming you have some sort of statistical data showing the majority of elemetnalists feel ArenaNet hates the profession? Because without that data your claim is a baseless one. And baseless claims should be ignored.

Aether McLoud.1975:

darkace.8925:

If you’d actually bothered to read the patch notes you’d know staff elementalists got a buff.

Here, choke on your own words:

darkace.8925:

Anecdotal evidence doesn’t prove anything. Ever.

I…don’t think you know what anecdotal evidence is. The patch notes are numbers from the game, not something I observed while playing. Assuming the changes listed in the patch notes work as intended, there is no way to deny the fact that the elementalist’s staff was buffed. That makes your statement, “Also whenever some balance change arises they ALWAYS, ALWAYS take the easy way out of nerfing the thing into the ground instead of doing it the hard way and ACTUALLY BALANCE it” a false one.