Some of the problems with this fight come from just learning when the dodges need to be timed. It isn’t always clear that the huge AOE cones are a few seconds early, or that the glow on the floor builds in intensity until it “explodes.” OP, give each thing a 2 second count before dodging/jumping and that may help you out. It was a lifesaver for me because I have very slow reflexes.
I really struggled with Challenge Mode because I couldn’t figure out how to reliably get the buff to take down the healing pods. The good thing I realized is they don’t grow back. I must have plucked at that stupid dragon for half an hour just standing at maximum range with my ranger before I figured it all out.
And just a shout-out to Rox and Braham. Those two have saved me countless times during this LS. Jory and Kas? Like elitists in dungeons, they refuse to res you. Those guys are jerks!
Teq looks harder than it is. I’ll echo what everyone else is saying here: show up early (I usually do 30-45 mins), check if people are using a Teamspeak, and follow the commander(s). The rewards are very worth it.
Something to know though, is that the timer for the event is misleading. Every time Teq hits a 25% mark, the timer freezes and a new phase of the fight starts. It might look hopeless, but don’t get disheartened!
Sort of as a follow up to my previous post, I had an idea that might make the system a little better, without having to scrap the whole thing (a dev’s worst nightmare).
I want to unlock Line 4, Trait X on my new Ele, but that requires “The Source of Orr,” so almost 90 levels of personal story. I find the PS extremely boring after about level 40, nor do I want any of the traits that will unlock before “Source” so for me it feels like an incredible grind.
Thinking about this boring grind gave me an idea though. One way to open this up would be to remove the specific unlock tasks from specific traits and just make it so completing one of the six tasks for a given line allows you to unlock any trait in that line. The problem of build diversity still exists however.
To adjust for that, unlock all traits immediately, but allow a player access to only X amount of traits per tier based on the number of tasks completed AND ALSO allow the player to swap which traits they have access to on the fly.
Let’s say for example, that a level 80 toon has completed three Adept tasks, one Master task, and one Grandmaster task. They could have any three Adept traits unlocked, any one Master trait, and any one Grandmaster trait. They can swap which traits are unlocked on the fly, but may not have immediate access to more than that. A typical character would need only three Adept, two Master, and two Grandmaster tasks, assuming a 6/6/2 build. If this same typical player wanted to slot in an Adept trait at the Master or Grandmaster level, they would need to complete a fourth task to have access to four Adept traits at a time.
Unlocking additional “slots” by completing additional tasks then becomes a reward in convenience, since you don’t have to swap unlocked Traits constantly, but life is bearable without it.
This would make completing the personal story highly rewarding, as it would give three Adept unlocks, three Master unlocks, and a Grandmaster unlock.
I know the system sounds clunky and slow, but it would accommodate many of the problems players are having now.
The new unlock system for the traits is still in serious need of help.
As (very limited) examples of frustration, I have three friends who all took one look at the new trait system and flat-out declared they were never going to make a new alt. One of them had even been spending money on gems just for the purposes of making alts. All three were put off by the grind required; one had even returned from a six month hiatus to check out the new LS, and promptly went back into retirement because of the grind, which he loathes. They are average experience players, who have most of the professions, but not all, and so need more traits unlocked in order to experiment with builds. Their characters lack the skill points for a broad spread, but they lack the motivation as players to repeat the same content a second (or fifth) time. They have spent enough time in all game modes to know what they do or don’t find enjoyable and gain nothing from the prolonged process.
Another friend of ours started playing recently, and has been completely and totally overwhelmed by the new system. Because he is still perfecting his first toon, he constantly has to adjust his build, but lacks the playing skill or skill points to get the full set of traits so he can swap effectively, and lacks the experience to know what traits might actually be more effective and have better synergy. After reaching 80, he has also decided never to make a second character. Ever.
Two other friends have been searching for a new MMO, were ready to purchase GW2, but then after hearing from the rest of us about the severe level of grind and confusion for something that is a basic part of character function, both have decided not to purchase GW2 at all and wait for a new game to come out that doesn’t require the time dedication to gain core functionality.
I personally have made two alts since April. Both have what I know to be sub-optimal builds, but they don’t have the skill points necessary to purchase the traits that might make them more effective and frequently the events I need for unlock (I’m looking at you, Lord Ignius for Line 5, Trait VI) aren’t up when I’m actually playing. I would consider myself to be above average in experience, in that I can look at the locked traits and single out the 15 or so traits that I will feasibly ever use for a given profession, but only if I decide my build in advance and target those specific tasks.
TL;DR: The new system has been a major hindrance to starting players because of the general learning curve for the game and for average players because often the content is not rewarding the second time around. More experienced players can focus their trait acquisition more effectively, but these are generally not the players who need to encouraged into other game modes or required to explore the open world.
This is a good start to fixing the level gating for trait unlocks. The Lyssa fix is really helpful, thank you! Also, thank you for dropping the map completes for the impossible zones.
General comments:
Perhaps having PvE alternatives for the WvW unlocks would be nice? Especially the Obsidian Sanctum. Yes, I know I can buy it super cheap for money and skills (10 silver, 2 sk or something low?) but I like adventuring. Other people might too. Conversely, make a complete set of WvW unlocks for those that never do PvE.
Personal Story levels for Adept unlocks maybe should be adjusted downward another set? Start when a character chooses their order and go up to the discovery of Zhaitan’s scout?
Dungeon unlocks: the player attitude around dungeons is quite unfriendly, in my personal opinion. Having a third alternative (or fourth, if WvW alternatives become viable) would be lovely. Wish list for the future.
I personally would like to see a wider range of unlocks with less specificity along the lines of “complete one commune skill challenge in each of the six regions of Ascalon” or something. That would feel more like “progressing,” rather than checking off a list of sights to see.
Some specific traits to look at:
Line 3, IV – Victurus the Shattered, level 58. Probably still too high for an Adept.
Line 4, VI – Krait Witch in Timberline, level 60. Certainly too high, since this fight is actually kind of hard.
Line 4, X – Source of Orr, level 80. Yes, it’s a Master level trait, but this is deep in the level 80 series of the personal story. It’s also the only level 80 Master unlock. Consider swapping it with Line 4, XI – Honor of the Waves or making it a different personal story step.
On the other hand;
Line 2, VII – Windy Cave chest, level 30-something.
Line 4, IX – Dredge Commissar, level 50.
Line 5, IX – Taidha Covington, also level 50.
All of these would be better served as Adept unlocks instead of Master unlocks perhaps?
Karka Queen still needs more spawns per day if you’re going to have a chance of unlocking that trait as well.
TL;DR – Good emergency measures. In the months to come, I hope to see more evolution on this system.
Harathi had a pretty decent little train going a few weeks ago.
Cursed Shore isn’t the most effective for leveling, but there’s a lot of good stuff to be had there too.
I’ve never been part of the “abolish the champ train!” crowd until recently. Queensdale is by far the worst, but the way people talk to each other in the starting maps is awful.
I just finished leveling an alt to 80 yesterday. In fairness, I haven’t played levels 15-30 since my second character thanks to crafting, so this is mostly a post-30 commentary. She was level 5 before the patch hit, so I did have all my traits unlocked, and thank the sweet baby Jeebus I did. She was my first Necro, so I had no idea what to do with her in terms of build and playstyle yet and I went through several trait combinations that I wouldn’t have been able to try if I had to unlock all the content. I don’t have the money, the aggregate skill points, and would not have been close to half of the feats completed for unlocking everything I cycled through. Even with an internet guide, I had to learn how the skills worked in combination with the traits before I could find something I liked using.
However, I didn’t feel like I was “missing” anything by having a slower trait point gain. I had no issues with survivability, I never found it hard to complete events (thanks in very large part to the Megaserver), and it never felt like a grind until I did some map completes that I do on every character, and I acknowledge that that was fully my choice and in no way should be required for anyone else. It probably didn’t feel slow or agonizing because a lot of my excitement was saving for my skills and figuring out how they worked.
TL;DR: leveling process with full traits? Not too bad.
So, I’ve had a chance to look through some of the trait acquisition finally (thank you Dulfy for the guide) and some of it makes me scratch my head. Map completion of Gendarren, really? Might be a bit much for a single trait acquisition. True, you might be doing this to level your character anyway from 25 to 35, but it still seems a bit extravagant. My proposition is thus:
There are currently 6 adept, 4 master, and 3 grandmaster traits. With traits starting at 30, you can effective lock a trait to an event, boss, etc per every 5 levels, per line.
Trait 1 = lvl 30 boss, event, story mission, etc.
Trait 2 = lvl 35 "
Trait 3 = lvl 40 "
etc, etcThen people might feel a little better about acquiring these as they go, and not feel like they are insanely out of reach. I do suggest mixing them up some though, spread them out around the world and not necessarily make them the same task from profession to profession. I mean right now Line 1, Trait 1 is the lvl 55 story mission for everyone. That’s kinda boring.
Additionally, I would suggest that maybe wvw tasks be left for later level acquisition tasks. This way players have some traits under their belt when they enter wvw.
Or Lornar’s Pass. I haven’t been to Lornar’s since the Marionette, so maybe with the Megaserver in place, it will seem less boring, but it’s a huge map and a total snooze-fest.
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but the WvW unlocks actually aren’t that bad. There are only eight total. Three of them are captures of the towers in EotM, which require nothing but following a zerg, which is pretty easy to find there, stand in a big circle, and don’t die. I actually did this with my most recent alt at level 3. The Overgrown Grub isn’t a difficult event either. Take a ranged weapon and stay alert. The befriend events aren’t so bad either, though they get a little tougher because you do need to be able to inflict actual damage and not just stand in a circle. The only WvW unlock that’s actually hard is the Obsidian Sanctum puzzle. I fully agree, make that a Master level unlock instead so players have a fighting chance against all the murderers who hang out there and pick off AP hunters.
(edited by felessan.9587)
This is Like saying " the chances of tossing a coin heads 5 times is 2… because at each point there are only heads…and tails…."
Ok, if you say so.
No, it is nothing like that.
For what its worth 2 is not a chance.
There are many options… you can do the events for trait lines 1 and 4, and decide you rather spend gold + skillpoints for 2, 3, and 5. You can also do the events for 2, and 4, and then pay skillpoints + gold for 1, 3, and 5. etc….
You can decide to forgo trait line 3, and only get the other 4. The decide to pay Gold for only 1, and 4, and pay gold for 2 and 5. Etc, etc, etc….
This is More than just " 2 options"
But even so….even…if it is ONLY 2 options….. someone used the word " forced" EVEN if all you have is 2 options, and the facts are you have a LOT more than 2. Once you have a second option it is not forced.
I Understand many players Liked just buying a manual at levels 11,40 and 60. And for many that was fine and easier than the new system.
But saying " the new options are not options since for us they are unpleasant…." does Not automatically make them unpleasant for everyone… Just for you.
THAT is mear opinion. many like to toss these about as if they were fact, simply because someone declares them fact.
Just because someone disagrees with you, does Not make them a troll…just someone that disagrees with you.
It’s not that the options are unpleasant – they are not possible. Onerous is not the same as technically not possible. I understand what you’re saying, that there are myriad combinations for how to arrive at an end goal. However the rest of us are saying that it’s not the end goal that matters, but each step in the journey. Please address my explicit example where the “options” are not options, ie Frostgorge. Would you suggest that a player should not find having access to any given (note: not all) Adept trait at level 40 reasonable? Are we not lead to believe that was the spirit of the design, given what Anet has said about their intentions and the current illusion of when traits are unlocked?
However, I will defer to your view if you can take a level 40 character and map complete Frostgorge Sound. Record it and post it on YouTube and I all relent in my opinion that we are being forced into paying for traits. Heck, it would shut down the entire thread. If you can accomplish this (or any other similarly miraculous feat) it will prove our concerns about the system are unfounded and we all need to L2P.
I want to say again that i looooooove the concept of unlocking traits by doing things. We just need to be given level and reward-appropriate challenges. Frostgorge is a great challenge if the trait you earn is a Master-level trait that increases your favorite weapon damage by 10%, at least in my opinion.
Having spent most of my time on a low population server, I love love love the new megaserver! For once, events are actually getting completed and there are /people/ around. The Grove actually feels like a city now! I’m also not a very active part of a huge guild, so I haven’t felt the pain of not ending up with guildies. Being able to see how many maps are open and maybe what percent full they are if we want to change maps would be a nice way to address that. That way they don’t have to reveal exact numbers, but we can still gauge where we want to go if we want less populated maps, or we can target them for guild missions.
The only downside I’m really feeling is the spawn times for Teq, KQ and Wurm. Having them five or six times a day would be so much better.
It feels like nobody tested this trait system, how could no one see that a lvl 30 trait being unlocked by a 70+ zone completion go through ? It’s insane!
The thing is, this doesn’t even need to be tested. Anyone who even has a vague concept of what levels are in an RPG sense would be able to tell you that doesn’t work. And they wouldn’t have to try it out, they’d be able to tell you that just by seeing it written down on paper.
That’s the most mystifying thing to me about a lot of the changes that popped up in this patch. We’re not talking about weird technical issues that may have required extensive testing or rollout onto live servers to see. We’re talking stuff that doesn’t even make a lot of sense even when viewed just written on a meeting room white board.
Exactly. It’s mechanically impossible to complete a zone that has kill requirements more than 10 above you. Once a mob is more than 10 (or is it 11?) levels above you, you actually cannot be awarded exp if you even manage to kill the thing, and thus you can’t gain credit for renown hearts that require kills or complete skill point combat challenges.
I took the time to figure out mathematically How many different combinations there are of aquiring traits, for the sake of simplicity and since I am Not a mathematicion, and had to figure it out with pencil, and a few pieces of paper, I calculated How many different ways there are to pay for the 5 NEW grandmaster traits only.
Of course if you add the master and adept traits the number oc combinations increases. If anyone is a mathematician and wishes to do this as a mental exercise we can see exactly how many different combinations there are of paying for all the traits.
I made some assumptions, I assumed that some players may only want one trait, some may want 2, some three, some 4 and some all 5.
I also assumed that not all would pick 100 % of one or 100 % of the other manner to pay for it, but may mix, and match….
maybe Lines 1 and 4 are done as events and maybe 23, and 5 are paid for with cash and skill points etc…
there are 5 traits and 2 different ways to pay for those traits:
I used the following websitehttp://www.mathsisfun.com/combinatorics/combinations-permutations-calculator.html
which gave me the following formula for figuring how to group n items taken in groups of r:
Number of cominations = n!/[(n-r)!x(r!)]
so I used that to figure out How to group 5 items taken at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 at a time… came up with
5 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 1= 31
then we get complicated, since there are 2 different ways of paying for each combination… and this at this point is beyond my ability to calculate.
all I Know is.."The true Number of combinations of paying for all the NEW grandmaster traits since you can either 1. do events or 2. pay with skillpoints and gold " > 31.
But assume there are only 32, even though we KNOW it is gonna be a Lot more than 32. if anyone would Like to work up the math i would appreciate a math lesson in IM :P
That means there are at LEAST 32 Possible combinations on how to aquire one, any or all the new grandmaster traits…..
then add in the master, and the adept… and I have to wonder…
FORCE = lack of Options.
…
This seems to be plenty of options.
Ok, the mental acrobatics are getting silly.
In the case of each trait you only have 2 options: you either do the task given which is in some cases is completely inappropiate in respective to the level of the player (WvW, higher lvl content then the moment of aquistion) or too time consuming (map completion on 12 maps…maybe more don’t qoute me on this) or you pay for it (new players haven’t got much in the way of funds). That’s it.I respectfully disagree, you state opinions… I used math.
and…Math trumps opinion any day. And twice on Sunday.
Your math is specious. You calculated the number of combinations one needs to arrive at 100% completion. Yes, there are a number of possible paths to that end goal.
What you ignored is the fact that these combinations of paths do not actually reflect real options. They’re a set steps where each step has only two options that are not effected by and do not effect your other choices. It doesn’t matter how you attain Line 5 Trait XIII. It doesn’t matter if you gain Line 4 Trait XIII before or after. You have exactly two meaningful options: unlock method 1 or unlock method 2. What keeps these from being real options is that they are over-specific. Real options would be something like “complete 10 commune skill challenges” or “complete 3 of the 5 level 1-15 maps.” And again, I’ll cite Line 3 Trait XIII as an example of forced play: large numbers of players are reporting that it is impossible for them to even attempt a run at the Karka Queen.
You may say that somehow, having a set of completely unconnected and non-related events constitutes meaningful options, but throwing specious numbers into cyberspace does not constitute a proof.
On the other hand, once you use it, it will be available for any or all characters to use simultaneously, for one charge.
For one charge each time you use it :P
The distinction between “skin” and “regular item with a specific look” used to be that a skin didn’t require a transmutation stone or crystal to be used.
It would have been fair to “refund” players 1 transmutation charge for each skin (not item) that is stored in the wardrobe to retain that difference.
Skins don’t require transmutation charges you can still apply them “the old fashioned way”. The only difference is that now you can apply those skins on other characters too (with a charge)
Can you use them “the old fashioned way”? I had a Tormented Staff skin I was saving just to use after the wardrobe patch but I wasn’t able to use the skin. Every time I tried to double-click it, it would say “Function not available” in big red letters (or something like that.) I was forced to deposit it and then pay charges to use it. All the other skins I had were trash that I never planned to use anyway, so I just chucked ’em, but that one kinda miffed me.
Midnight server time can be kind of tough. I’m usually floating around that time as well and there’s very few folks looking for dungeon runs. Like was suggested, post what path you’re running if you haven’t already, and say something like “All are welcome” if you don’t have a Zerker preference. I actually look for that when looking for a dungeon run because I know it means the players won’t be jerks.
It’s quite a silly design.
1. Why is a player able to unlock a locked trait in a zone designated for characters below level 30 who will not even have traits unlocked and viewable yet?2. Why can we still not even see what traits are until we are level 30 and open it up? Can we please have the trait area viewable prior to level 30 so a new player can familiarize themselves with traits and what will be available to them after they hit level 30?
3. Traits should not be available to be unlocked by completing content in zones that are sub-30 due to traits not even being viewable and unlocked until you’ve hit level 30.
I think it’s good design, and the opposite is far worse.
The idea of the new trait system is to get your traits unlocked by doing content, that content should be at our the same level as you get the traits, for example level 30 content for adept traits. The only “bad” thing is that you got a notification to open your trait screen, unlocking traits by doing lower level content is meant to lead players to lower level zones too, I don’t think that’s “bad” design in any way.
What’s terrible is to require a 100% completion of Frostgorge to get an Adept trait… That’s silly. Requiring higher level content to get a trait you should have available at level 30 is far worse than unlocking some traits without access to the trait screen.
I’m discussing how this affects new players for characters below level 30 who do not have traits unlocked or even know what they are yet…not established characters above level 30 who know what traits are and already have them unlocked due to being experienced players who are now returning to lower level zones to unlock specific traits. I understand your comment and agree for the most part, but it is not related to the subject I am discussing. Thank you for your input though.
Based on some feedback from the Marionette event, when the dev team was saying that there was a significant enough percentage of the player population that had never even assigned their traits in the first place that they felt they needed to take action, maybe this is a way to give players a small introduction to what they might possibly get when traits become important? A sort of “oooo, secret present is waiting! PLAY MOAR!”
For the first batch of traits, you’ve got a LOT of traits on each character. To keep it from being “do this event to unlock 5 different traits”, it makes sense that they’d scatter some of them into lower level areas. Having it try to open up a screen you can’t access is stupid, but it’s good to have some unlocked and ready to go before you’ll ever need them.
What’s terrible is to require a 100% completion of Frostgorge to get an Adept trait… That’s silly.
Oh dear god, please tell me they did not actually do that.
Ah, you haven’t looked at the list of trait unlocks yet? Yes, they did in fact do that.
Being forced when you have two options -
sir – you must pay money and skillpoints or as a special option – you may wait till you hit level 70 and map an area for that skill even though you need that skill now in order to effectively reach 70.
its a bit like –
would you like the prawns you’re allergic to for dinner or the spinach that gives you the runs?
But keep bumping the thread bro.Thing is, Both Options amount to the same thing….
Either… do the event or the map completion required…. ( Playing The Game)
or
Hunt down Skill points and Gold .. which is easy to earn just Playing the game ( Playing the game)
Seems that some people Just do not Like to play the game, and want things handed to them on a silver platter. I even spoke to someone I had a discussion with that disagreed with me, and after trying a Low level character told me that they liked having to do In game content to unlock traits instead of Just paying for a manual…. with all the new people On mega-server to help, it made it a communal experience again. Like an MMO should be.
The thing is, why do some of these requirements have to involve clearing a whole map and personal story? Do you know how many Events, Mini Dungeons, Jumping Puzzles, little nooks with interesting NPCs and other random content inside all of the low-mid and mid level zones? ArenaNets had hundreds of options to choose from that could easily had people out and about in the world, yet they went with the options that make players spends hours on content they may not even like doing. It gets to the point where some of these requirements feel like ArenaNet just wanting to turn them into currency sinks because they know some players wouldn’t want to go for the free way. It may have not been their intentions, but it comes across as such.
No one is forcing you to complete maps. You can pay go to any map you want, Hunt down the skill points, and save up the gold…anywhere…. and Not have to complete the map.
As I said, BOTH options are Playing the game. You get to decide which options you want, and then…play the game.
Are you saying you dislike Playing the game?
As I tried to point out, a large chunk of this content is level-gated. We don’t have the /option/ to play the game in those cases and are /forced/ to spend money.
I’m also realizing that this system will be a problem for learning how to play a profession for the first time. If you can’t freely mix traits early on, you’ll be able to learn less quickly what system works best for you. If by level 60 I only have seven major traits unlocked across four lines, I won’t be able to try a new combo myself. I’ll have to rely solely on the guidance of other players and play towards a known working build. It discourages self-discovery and reinforces a cookie cutting mentality.
Being forced when you have two options -
sir – you must pay money and skillpoints or as a special option – you may wait till you hit level 70 and map an area for that skill even though you need that skill now in order to effectively reach 70.
its a bit like –
would you like the prawns you’re allergic to for dinner or the spinach that gives you the runs?
But keep bumping the thread bro.Thing is, Both Options amount to the same thing….
Either… do the event or the map completion required…. ( Playing The Game)
or
Hunt down Skill points and Gold .. which is easy to earn just Playing the game ( Playing the game)
Seems that some people Just do not Like to play the game, and want things handed to them on a silver platter. I even spoke to someone I had a discussion with that disagreed with me, and after trying a Low level character told me that they liked having to do In game content to unlock traits instead of Just paying for a manual…. with all the new people On mega-server to help, it made it a communal experience again. Like an MMO should be.
I think what most people are taking offensive to isn’t needing to play the game – most of us love love love the idea of unlocking traits for completing content. The issue really seems to be what specifically was chosen. Some of this content is simply not playable by characters of the targeted level – see common citing of Frostgorge map complete (which you really do need to be like 78 to do for an average player) – for a level 36 trait. Even the level 40 map completes are difficult for an average person playing a medium or light armor profession at 36.
The other part is being given the option of either a game mode we hate and get reprimanded for for (trust me you do not want me showing up in WvW) or spending gold (which I don’t have because I’m still working on ascended crafting). Let us get a trait from level-appropriate PvE OR WvW OR trait manuals.
Superior sigil of bloodlust. Just sayin’.
The new unlock system is almost amazing in how badly it executes a wonderful idea. The requirements for unlocking Adept and Master tier traits are astonishingly unbalanced.
As just a single example, why, by any stretch of the mind, should you be required to to map complete a level 80 zone to unlock a trait that you should have feasible access to at level 36? I have 8 level 80 characters, all with 100% on Frostgorge, that I do to level from 75-80 and to get level 70+ exotic gear. Why should I be doing the same thing to unlock a trait that I really should have access to before I even enter this map? I know I can spend gold to buy a trait outright, but come on, the concept is clearly aimed at getting people to explore the game because the cost is prohibitive.
I have two suggestions for making this a little more tenable:
First, as mentioned previously, place more unlock requirements in zones of lower level (Adept unlocks in 15-25 zones, Master in 50-60, etc) so a character can actually have some traits available when they first qualify for them. I actually think this is a requirement because the whole system is completely FUBAR right now.
Second, make multiple methods for unlocking traits across the various game modes. Have one set in WvW, one in PvE, another in Dungeons, etc. I hate WvW and the thought of having to run Arah for a trait makes me throw up in my mouth a little. Actually, I would probably be okay with dungeon running as a requirement if it was literally any other dungeon.
I had purchased a character slot in anticipation of the patch and was very eager to try out the new systems. However, seeing just how ridiculous the trait unlocks are has completely discouraged me from starting any new characters at all. I will certainly not be buying gems again in the future until this is rebalanced.
Yup, same problem for me and my husband. Thanks for the workaround! Fixed the problem right up.
I thought I was having this problem because I’m playing on a older laptop. It was really getting annoying, since the popping was becoming quite frequent, even when the game was on mute. I’ve been playing with my entire computer muted at this point to avoid it.