Guild Wars 2

Navi.7142:

I got a chest! Hurray!
…. It contained a porous bone…

NOT amused.

I thought chests were supposed to contain “good” loot? Porous bones do not constitute loot, just trash.

Bait -n- switch I think!

Well, I have to admit to watching my drops today more closely than I usually do. What I noticed is a slight increase but it seemed a bit stingy still.

For 3 hours of play I received the following. Keep in mind many of the “items” I got, my character cannot use. She is a level 80 Elementalist and currently is running with all yellow gear and weapons.
1 Heavy loot bag
Green Rampager’s Focus of Hobbling lvl 78 (w/minor sigil of hobbling)
Blue Berserker’s Short Bow lvl 79 (no upgrade)
2 rags (trophy)
2 Porous bones (trophy)
2 valuable metal scraps (trophy)
1 Hard Leather Strap (trophy)
Blue Shaman’s Conjurer Mantle lvl 79 (no upgrade)
3 lge scales
white Chainmail Helm lvl 76
2 armored scales
white scepter lvl 76 (no upgrade)
Blue Berserker’s Reinforced scale coat lvl 80 no upgrade
1 discarded garment (trophy)
blue Berserker’s Trident (no upgarade)
6 Spikes (trophy)
Green Cleric’s Warhorn of Debility lvl 80 (w/minor sigil of debility

So its anyone’s guess as to whether or not I was “lucky”. Prior to mid-Nov patch I was getting a consistent collection of greens, blues, mats, some yellows and an occasional orange. But after that patch my loot drops tanked (as the saying goes).

Today showed a slight improvement for similar time frame but not much. I think my account is kitten and I will never obtain enough of anything to even think about trying for my legendary weapon.

Mats are IMPOSSIBLE because of the DR and I am not interested in farming/grinding which I thought we were not supposed to be required to do. But from everything I have seen, with the outrageous amounts of mats required the only way to get them is to farm/grind.

Comment: I really think we have all been lead astray and sent on wild goose chases for this thread.

Inkubus.7529:

JayMack.8295:

January’s monthly doesn’t give you Laurels. Laurels will be granted with monthly achievements starting with February onwards.

OK, thanks. From now on, I will call it “L’Oreal Paris – because we deserve it”!

oh that’s priceless…lol

I decided to come to this thread to see if anything had changed after the patch. I am not motivated to really log on now. I am extremely disappointed in how this game is working and think I may end up just leaving to do other things for a bit.

Whether or not I come back will depend upon how Anet handles this idiotic situation. They seem not to be interested in communicating with the player base about issues to alert them that things are being worked on. In my opinion, lack of communication = lack of concern on Anet’s part.

If they can’t be bothered, then neither will I. I like the game play because it is at least different than the run of the mill games out there. But with a few new games on the horizon, I would think they might consider trying harder to keep folks from leaving this game for those other ones.

They added “crafting” into the dailies now? I don’t craft…don’t particularly like it. Why on earth did they add it?

Just as bad as having to do pvp dailies/monthlies when you do not pvp. I will never finish at this rate.

Yes, champions and vets still are stingy with loot. Most often nothing, but the mobs at least are dropping things…even if only porous bones. Too bad we can’t use porous bones as an armor mat.

So it is now another lottery….darned, I was hoping not. And an expensive one at that.

Yes, I noticed that it was an orange title in the vendor window, which I thought indicated something rare at least. Perhaps the color needs to be changed? Perhaps make the title the same color as the karma that it contains? Purple?

At least now I know not to purchase any more of these. I used most of my karma for gear on two of my characters and do not have a lot to spare for gambles.

I picked up one of the new Orrian Jewelry Boxes this evening and only saw the items that it contained but was unable to identify how much karma a drop of liquid karma provided.

What I noticed when I checked the listing in my chat panel was the following:
3 Unidentified object worth 1s 50c
1 drop of liquid karma

Is there a problem with this? I was under the impression that a drop = 400 karma. But did not see that much increase in my karma pool in my inventory.

It does not appear the loot drop fog has been improved at all. I am really getting annoyed that I cannot get decent drops for all the effort I put in. I run usually in 3-5 man groups and solo in between those runs just to harvest.

I still do not see any change and I’ve been getting crappy drops for several months now. It has not improved for me and I now have 3 characters to level 80. I am not motivated to do much else in the game any longer.

I am looking to see what new games are coming out. This one, as great a game as it is, just sucks for loot vs effort issues all the time.

Yak’s Bend server:
Finally got my new level 80 elementalist over to Maladar’s Inlet up in Frost Gorge to pick up the ori node I found there earlier today on my guardian and ranger characters. However, when I got there the node was unavailable to mine for my third character.

I’ve never had this happen before so I think it is a bug. I’ve always been able to pick up the same nodes for all three characters wherever I was able to harvest. But for some reason this particular node was not available at all for my third character.

Submitted an in-game bug report for it but thought to add it here.

Oh, yes, it is certainly odd.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/bugs/Caledon-Forest-map-completion-text/first#post1303149

Check out my post regarding similar situation.

I have it happen on my ele as well, so you are not alone. heheh it does look funny though.

Oh…so glad I stumbled onto this. I thought I had missed. Last week Thursday while running with my guild in the WvWvW, I had downed a couple of opposing players and used the “Finish Him” move on all of them.

None of the [f] Finish functions worked on any of them, but I thought it might have just been a graphics glitch at the time so I just went on. The players were down and out and there were a lot of us doing this.

I am glad to know it was not just me.

Nkuvu.2570:

Actually completing the map is no trouble at all. But if you mouse over the zone name, you get the completion text for Metrica Province rather than Caledon Forest:

http://i.imgur.com/snQ0tYn.jpg

Obviously in my screen shot it’s not a big deal, as my character is already in Caledon — but I initially checked from Lion’s Arch, but couldn’t see how far along Caledon was done before I actually went there.

Ah yes, I see this anomaly all the time. I just close the map and reopen it to fix the problem. I have no idea why it happens, but it is not an uncommon occurrence.

Ah yes, the bald soldier. In my case I found both soldiers bald. These were in the Human story line level 30 I think. I was helping out a guild mate so I cannot provide the actual story line name or anything else related to it.

Yak’s Bend also had this. Funny, but I noticed it way back around launch and actually bugged it as a problem as I found a lot of harvesting nodes just not reachable for one reason or another…but forgot about it after I reported it.

Interesting that it is still hanging around. lol

Aproposs, why are you backing up your client? Is this a necessary procedure that Anet just never mentioned?

What I do not understand is why there is no back up made of game play. For some reason to have the server burp and there not be a point at that time where there is a copy of it; makes no sense, especially if it is a significant amount of time involved.

I can see if it were only a few moments up to a quarter of an hour or so, but to be able to complete something and have the game award you an achievement along with appropriate rewards then have that removed, makes no sense.

I was interested to see this video, however, it appears to be blocked. It is asking for a login but not saying for what.

Just thought I should say something. If Anet wanted to watch it, they may also be blocked from viewing it.

Nalora.7964:

“Diminishing returns” means “diminishing gameplay” and also “diminishing players in the game” and “diminishing people you recommend the game to”.

This will be a self fulfilling prophecy with the way the overall loot drop in GW2 is being handled presently.

It is a shame that Anet seems to not be concerned. My understanding is no commentary after so long = lack of concern.

Its funny, but SWTOR started to go downhill because of the horrible customer service experienced and the nurfing of talents/skills to the point a character was not stable. In GW2 it appears to be lack of care by Anet with issues that are being raised by the community.

Both seem to follow similar paths…soon nothing will work. When nothing in a game works as advertised, players depart to other games without even looking back. This is too bad because GW2 is a great game but lacking TLC.

Pure Heart.1456:

The devs have deliberately locked that part of the map—they’re investigating the effects of a cabbage shortage in the GW2 economy. But a few bots were able to get in there and now 2 or 3 sellers have a monopoly control on the cabbage price. Sux so bad.

If the devs have locked that part of the map, it would have been a simple matter to just say so. As for the bots getting into there to farm, surely they can follow the electronic footsteps to the accounts getting in there and remove them from the game.

Or, to counteract the monopoly, increase cabbage harvest nodes all over the map which would in effect shut the monopoly down.

Medazolam, it was suggested earlier on that perhaps this “loot bug” might be account bound in some manner, but it is hard to tell. I certainly know that none of my characters get great drops. Once in a while I might get a yellow item off a regular mob, but rarely off anything else.

Ever since mid-November, I’ve not gotten ANY drops from champions, vets or bosses outside of the dungeons. Now I would like to understand why that is the case. I used to get drops whenever I defeated a champion, vet or boss, but not any longer.

I have tried using MF as well, but still nothing changes no matter what I have on my gear.

It is sad to see but after 18 pages of commentary, not much seems to have improved. It remains to be seen if behind the scenes the devs actually care about what happens. We will see come the next patch next week. Perhaps they made a monumental error and just cannot bring themselves to admit to it.

Who knows, but I do know this, if this issue continues, GW2 will be losing a lot of players because of the problems of reward vs effort. There are other games coming out soon that will draw the players away and there are always the other games folks came from that can be revisited.

However, whatever happens, I know that I shall probably be one of those who looks elsewhere because I currently am not getting rewarded appropriately for my efforts. The only enjoyment I am currently experiencing is running with my guild mates just for the fun of it. None of us are purchasing gems or anything else since it does not seem to matter any way.

I really love this game and want it to succeed, but if something is not done to adjust this lopsidedness, things will get very, very empty in the world of Tyria.

Jayne.9251:

I’m a terrible person. Both those photos made me burst out laughing.

I don’t consider you a terrible person…just someone who finds humor in odd things. I do too and I also laughed when I saw these pictures. But, I’ve actually seen my own character inside walls and such so viewing it from the inside out, it is not quite as funny as viewing the other way.

Humor is necessary to maintain equilibrium so laugh away and enjoy the simple things.
:)

Xprez.7130:

This only happens when you are in the overflow in LA.

I shall watch out for that next time I try and see if I notice any difference. Usually, I am not in overflow much in LA so I can’t verify that. But I’ll check it out next time.

Thanks for the pointer.

I have noticed this whenever I look at the map in Lion’s Arch. Not sure why, but it seems to be bugged there. However, when you actually zone into where you wish to go, those way points are magically uncontested.

Yak’s Bend Server

I have been noticing an uptick of the quantities of porous bone drops in the game ever since the mid-November patch.

My suggestions:
1. “Porous bones” would make a great mat for an armor set. Not only do they drop almost all the time no matter what type of mob you fight, but they drop in quantities. I can see it now…visualize if you will, Charlize Theron’s character of the evil queen…her wedding dress had bones in the design.

2. “Birds” would also make a great addition to crafting. Consider a cape made of birds (lots of birds in our game) that just explodes away from the character either as part of that character’s skill or destructive deflocking emote when the character is hit and dies.

Now that wedding dress was beautiful, not to mention the amazing crow cape that just explodes and the birds just fly away when hit. Both would be great crafting additions and as for the birds, that would be a great animation in combat. lol

Jeffrey Vaughn.1793:

I’m not seeing any problems on our test server, but I’ve asked for further investigation on the Live servers.

It is possible that on your test server this area is working correctly. However, that is not the case on Yak’s Bend. It has been like this ever since my first character attempted to get through that door many months ago.

My entire guild has been having this issue so it is not just me.

And the sad part is if you do get stuck there is only one way to get unstuck – way point out which costs you. Every other game I have ever played had a mechanism whereby you could just type in /stuck, which moved your character back a couple of steps or just to the other side of the wall you got stuck into.

In GW2 you not only have no other option but to way point out, but you have to PAY for that problem to be fixed. Borked in my opinion…how hard would it be to implement this type of /stuck command to help folks out?

I don’t think they are really interested in helping us at all. Sorry folks, but from everything I’ve seen posted and moderator’s commentary, I get the feeling we are pooched, so to speak.

CriminalMind.4379:

I was able to get in too. (Seafarer’s Rest server)

Oh wow, you were actually able to get through the door? I wish I had that luck, every time I’ve gone through that cave and killed all those mobs, the door opens, but I still cannot walk through it. I keep hitting an invisible door.

“Porous bones” would make a great mat for an armor set. Not only do they drop almost all the time no matter what type of mob you fight, but they drop in quantities. I can see it now…visualize if you will, Charlize Theron’s character of the evil queen…her wedding dress had bones in the design.

Now that dress was beautiful, not to mention the amazing crow cape (lots of birds in our game) that just flies away when hit. Now that would be a great animation in combat. lol

ColinJohanson.2394:

I posted this elsewhere, but just quickly wanted to update where we stand on this issue:

We’re continuing to look into this and have a team of folks sifting through insane amounts of data based on all of your reports. This is an incredibly time intensive and unfortunately mostly manual process while we work on building tools to streamline this in more automated ways so it’s going to take a while.

We’ll update once we have more tangible information to share.

Aproposs Of Fire.4056:

lynspottery.6529:

Manually going through code? Excuse me? If I recall correctly, code is just a set of numbers or signs lined up in a row and the computer reads this code like we read the written word.

I am amazed they boasted so much about their ability to see the numbers and percentages behind the scenes when they now admit to having to manually comb through code lines.

What sloppy work. If I had done this type of work when I worked in my old telecommunications position back when we actually were using DOS, I would have been fired on the spot.

Lyn, He didn’t say they were going through code line-by-line; I did. I am in no way connected with ANet or NCSoft or any other related company. And by the way; a lot of computer code is compiled now so it’s probably not what you remember.

I was referring to what Colin Johanson actually wrote not what you wrote, Aproposs Of Fire. Although I have to admit to actually thinking you did work for Anet considering some of the posts I’ve read which you have placed.

If Anet needs a PR person, I would suggest that you could fill that position very nicely. You actually have a comprehensive method of writing that seems to tone down a lot of irritation. Not to mention you post more often then any of their moderators.

P.S. Here’s hoping you feel better soon too.

How hard would it be to fix this problem? Just remove the glass door.

Manually going through code? Excuse me? If I recall correctly, code is just a set of numbers or signs lined up in a row and the computer reads this code like we read the written word.

I am amazed they boasted so much about their ability to see the numbers and percentages behind the scenes when they now admit to having to manually comb through code lines.

What sloppy work. If I had done this type of work when I worked in my old telecommunications position back when we actually were using DOS, I would have been fired on the spot.

This is a sad state of affairs. It appears to me that Anet is purposely funneling us into a rat maze whereby we just follow preset paths to nothing. It looks eerily like a precursor to the demise of another game I recently played and finally left.

So we may not see GW2 survive this smashing and changing in-game.

Everything appears to be shades and mirrors….shades and mirrors…. no substance. Unfortunate for those of us who truly want this game to succeed.

I had a thread started in the “Game Bugs” area which actually asked about this problem with the loot drops. Today I found the thread closed.

You all may be interested in knowing what comment I got. So here is the link and what was said.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/bugs/Possible-loot-bug-being-Ignored/first#post1221582

“Hello,

Your concerns within this thread are being adressed by Arena Net. However, our teams need more data about this issue, and are still working on it.

We can’t answer each question personally about it, until we have a final statment.

Thank you for your understanding."

What I do not understand is WHY do they need our input? Its their game and you would think they would have the capability to monitor what happens in the game, right? Why do they have to ask us?

I was trying to access the TP to sell something but kept getting a blank screen. This is really annoying when it worked earlier. I had to completely log out of the game and log back in to be able to access the TP.

This occurs way too often and I cannot understand why. Please fix this problem.

After browsing through the 14 pages of commentary on the loot issue I do not see where Anet has even bothered to address it.

See this link for the discussion: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Share-your-data-about-perceived-strange-drop-behavior-here/page/14

I found a post that says:

“Items
There are two new major features added to items in this update. For more detailed information on these features and how they tie into the new Lost Shores content, check out this blog post!

1. Added new crafting materials as part of the Lost Shores update.

2. Crafted Halloween potions are no longer account bound.

3. The mighty Zommoros has slightly increased the drop rate on Legendary precursor weapons from the Mystic Forge from both Rares and Exotics.

4. The drop rarity of Rare and Exotic weapons from certain places in the world (champions, veterans, and players in WvW) has been increased. Rares and Exotics should be much more likely to drop and every champion should be guaranteed to drop loot. This was to ensure that world loot drops were not a significantly worse way of acquiring rare and exotic items than crafting and running dungeons.

5. The amount of loot that drops for downscaled players has been increased. You should now be able to receive level-equivalent loot until you are fighting at a downscaled level that is less than 2/3 of your actual level. You should also receive loot a greater percentage of the time as well as receiving a greater percentage of experience, gold, and karma. For level 80 characters, this means level 55+ areas will be able to drop level 80 gear and give about 75% or so of the other rewards. Previously, these areas would give level 77 gear at best and closer to 60% or so of your rewards."

Here is the link: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/info/news/Game-Update-Notes-November-15-2012/first#post808152

Server: Yak’s Bend
Still bugged …cannot get through the open doorway.

Our guild did a zerg through this area on Tuesday evening (about 4 hours or so ago) to help folks level, pick up materials for crafting and try to trigger the Centaur boss, which we did do. What a fight that was. It was great fun.

However, when we tried to get through the open doorway to the cabbage patch located northeast of Demetra waypoint (Harati Hinterlands) in the bandit’s underground garden, we ran smack into a glass wall (of sorts). I have attempted to get into this garden before back shortly after the launch of the game but had the same problem then.

I cannot understand why Anet has STILL NOT FIXED this problem after all this time. It is also problematic that we still have no communication about it either.

Stephane Lo Presti.7258:

Hi,

We’ve seen reports from players questioning the randomness of the drop mechanisms in GW2 and in particular asking if it’s been changed recently. This is not the case and we don’t think that the randomness mechanism is misbehaving, but we’re running some data to be sure there isn’t anything unexpected going on. So far nothing shows anything suspicious but we’ll keep gathering data and analyzing it.

So we’ve created this thread so that players can share with us their concrete data about any perceived strange drop behavior they encounter. Please be as accurate as possible, reporting only concrete data that you’ve experienced first hand. Among the information we’re interested in: map where you played, creatures you fought that dropped items, recipes from the Mystic Forge that you used.

Thanks for your understanding and help!

I am sorry, but I just cannot understand why Anet cannot find out what is happening. That they have to post a “request for information” is totally ludicrous. If they are using their test server to see how things work out, just the fact that it is not identical to the live servers which includes large numbers of players from all over the globe, makes it obvious to me that they will NOT see the same trends we do.

The fact that they feel there is nothing wrong with the drop rates and the DR at this late date actually makes me question their sincerity. All this after they posted elsewhere that they were aware that something backfired on their patch to increase the drop rate, makes me doubt they are even serious about this problem.

I have given up trying to figure out why they can’t use their own tools behind the scenes to see the data and have to ask the players for it instead. That makes no sense.

Anyway, I do not play as often as I used to because of this problem. Not only that, but all the darned bugs that have been around since launch and those few that they have said they “fixed” but are still a problem, coupled with the the lack of clear communication from them, have actually made me step back from a game I loved to play to a game I may leave if improvements don’t happen.

DaveGan.8065:

Can we form up a list of servers where Moorwatch Tower is not bugged?

We shouldn’t have to have to resort to server transfers, but it could make for a decent last resort

Yak’s Bend had this working when I finally completed it this past weekend.

Aproposs Of Fire.4056:

lynspottery.6529:

The sad part about all this is if Anet really offered value in their Gem Store to the players, they would not have a problem selling anything there. However, what they offer there is not of value to a majority of folks I play with. I personally do not purchase “things” from the Gem Store. To me the only “value” was to increase my bank and inventory space.

Well, this is a big part of why the cash shop isn’t completely acceptable to a lot of players. Some players fear that Pay-to-Win items will appear there and so ANet has to be very careful of what they offer. Some players don’t even like the boosts in the shop.

I quite understand that aspect and accept that, but even the skins offered are hideous. If they offered a better selection I might be tempted, or if they offered a wider variety of what is there currently, I think that might help.

I agree that “pay-to-win” is not on my radar. I won’t play a game that does that as it is grossly unfair to the majority. But not offering a better variety of things that would appeal to more than just one type of player is pretty lame in my opinion.

The sad part about all this is if Anet really offered value in their Gem Store to the players, they would not have a problem selling anything there. However, what they offer there is not of value to a majority of folks I play with. I personally do not purchase “things” from the Gem Store. To me the only “value” was to increase my bank and inventory space.

In relation to the crappy loot drop and the DR or whatever you want to call that mechanic, crimping the ability for the players to obtain wealth (even a modest one) in the game play has backfired on them. Personally, I am a very casual player. I have two characters to 80 and one at 51.

Since I enjoy playing just particular professions, I will use them to do things with my guild mates. But I refuse to grind for anything. I play in game for the social aspect more than anything else.

I am not in a hurry to get a legendary as I doubt I will be doing anything monumental to need it. I do not like the fractals and just tolerate other dungeons. I do not craft, therefore, I still have sufficient gold (although not much) to pick up a choice epic or rare piece of gear or weapon should I choose to.

I love the aspect of gaming where by I get rewarded with something worth the effort it took me to obtain it…not for trophy bones, trophy flowers, etc. I don’t farm as a rule, but I tend to harvest in my travels everything in my path.

I am hopeful all this DR or poor loot drop issue changes with the upcoming patches. I like shinnies and am as thrilled as a child whenever I get one I feel is worth my effort. But I digress, I will watch to see how things unfold in the next few months.

Valandil Dragonhart.2371:

• YOU started this thread
• YOU wanted the hard data and here it is
• YOU are the ones not communicating with us
• the onus is on YOU to find out what’s gone wrong and how, and code a solution for it ASAP.

Interesting as this is, one thing really needs to be asked: Why do they NEED to ask the community what is going on? Its their game and they should have sufficient setup in the background to track all this statistically.

But, judging by some posts elsewhere about them not being able to reproduce problems/bugs on their test server, it might be because they have it setup differently than on the real servers with all the different players available to test?

Archangelus.8671:

I think there is a torch on the ground in there if you don’t have AOE/items to highlight objects to jump on as well. This actually happened to me every time I wasn’t alone (maybe they stay off when someone is in a certain spot?).

This is not working as intended. That torch has always been in that cavern. What is missing this time is the periodic light that blossoms in the cavern for a brief while which actually makes it easier to see where you are going.

BTW that torch does not really work all that well either. I have tried it, but with patience I managed to get through this jp several times before, just by waiting until the cavern lit up for those brief moments so I could position my next jump.

This is a problem all throughout the world. Last night we ran across a champion Ogre while doing a zone clear in Blazeridge Stepps. Came across several folks who had started fighting this Orge Champion so my group just jumped in to help.

After a few moments and mid fight, he just healed up completely as though we had not been there. To add insult to injury he kept hitting us and whittling down our health. We all had to finally just leave him because he was not dropping health beyond 75-80% before healing to 100% the entire time.

What a waste of our time to do these champions. To make matters worse, once we finally do get a champion down, the idiot does not even drop green gear. We are lucky if we get a blue.

Insanely unbalanced! Not only bugged combat, but ludicrously idiotic drops. I had thought Anet was fixing this problem, but it appears they did not.

Sever: Yak’s Bend
Location: Lion’s Arch Weyandt’s Revenge Jumping Puzzle
Problem: No periodic light shows up in the dark cavern

I have been through this jumping puzzle several times, however, last night something was different. Usually light shows up periodically in the dark cavern to assist in showing you where the next pillar is located to proceed. Last night this cavern was totally dark the entire time of the run.

Fortunately we had a few folks with us who were able to use some spells to light up the area so we could actually see where we were going. Otherwise, we would have been fumbling around in the dark the entire time.

I forgot to bug it in game since we were doing a few puzzles in a row and just kept moving. So I thought I would just post it here now that I remember it.

Please fix. Thanks.