I want to get into WvW, but...

So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a very jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

Before HoT? I have 3 letters.

DBL

& condi

But if you’re just a casual WvW player, just log in, play and have fun. Ignore the forum and just leave it to us forum warriors to PvF

WvW has gotten alot of love from Anet over the long journey of 5 years. Throughout these 5 years, the rewards tracks were improved, players can even get legendary gear from playing wvw. There are now opportunities to be matched up with fresh faces through the linking system. Wvw castles and towers can be upgraded making them comparatively more worthwhile to capture and defend, you can even glide in wvw. The devs have taken efforts to improve the scoring system through the skirmish points making 600-tick dominations a thing of the past. These are but a few of the things that anet has done to improve wvw. So yes, please go and enjoy the game like me, spend less time on these forums. Just play and find out for yourself rather than basing your judgement on others' opinions.

I only played casually for a little while to get my Gift of Battle, but in that time I never saw much hostility or anything to get upset about. If you run around solo or in a small group, expect there will be many times that you get caught and slaughtered. And other times you get to slaughter someone else. It's all part of the fun.

WvW is fine. Every server has a few trolls talking garbage in map/team chat, but they are easily blocked. The majority of the community is fine and when you don't run too high expectation you will be fine as well.

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a very jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

People are upset that the meta has changed from what it was for a LONG time.

• It's not 100% range.
• It's not 100% melee.
• Boonball is dead.
• Pirateship is only half the equation.
• It's far more complex than it was prior.

Basically: people don't like change, especially change from simple to complex. What you're seeing is the reaction to people having to learn a new, complex meta, and the fact that most can't seem to figure it out.

@GottFaust.5297 said:

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a

very

jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

• It's not 100% range.
• It's not 100% melee.
• Boonball is dead.
• Pirateship is only half the equation.
• It's far more complex than it was prior.

It's not that people don't like change, it's that they are being forced to change

(Anet controls the meta, not the players)

@Burnfall.9573 said:

@GottFaust.5297 said:

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a

very

jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

• It's not 100% range.
• It's not 100% melee.
• Boonball is dead.
• Pirateship is only half the equation.
• It's far more complex than it was prior.

That's always going to be true. The players will never control a metagame dependent on balance which is dictated 100% by the developers. Boonball was enforced by the devs, pirateship was enforced by the devs. Game balance and mechanics enforce the meta, and that's always going to be dictated by the developers themselves.

A lot of players also don't like conditions as much anet seems to, which the meta has fully swung to for two expansions now.

As for OP.

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a very jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

The players who have been playing wvw for a long time are jaded because of a whole host of problems, but some were solved in the last year.The forums are always going to be "negative" because it's the place to talk about our concerns, nothing we say in game reaches the devs there so no point talking about the negative stuff there.

Wvw was still being neglected as I'm sure you were are aware of playing up to HoT, we got a broken map and repackaged guild buffs into guild hall grinds etc. 6 months into HoT when Colin left there was a renewed focus to update wvw, which they have done in the last year and half, rewards are now up to standards with the rest of the game plus other changes to the game mode.

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?In game no not really, population balance is still a major problem and hot topic for us to argue over in here.

• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?Population balance wise, links happened. 1u1d on winning and losing matches have now made it faster to go up and down tiers, some servers are tanking to get away from other servers. Usual topics that get heated are desert borderland, conditions, combat and class balance, one shot skills, stealth, population balance and links and now tanking.

• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?Same as HoT, elite specs, which have a few over powered specs, more one shot skills and combos in the game, more boon corruption. Combat and class balance doesn't seem important to anet, we're just going to have to live with it.

• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?Yes absolutely. Wvw is still one of the best rvr games around. Despite the original ppt game getting stale for many. Despite combat and balance taking a nose dive from what it was, it's still a good system with a lot of different class specs to try and play in many different ways. You probably haven't experienced the growing pain of changes from the last two years so you should be able to enjoy the mode for some time to come, well depending on how super serious you take it.

Thanks in advance.Hope you have fun.

@GottFaust.5297 said:

@Burnfall.9573 said:

@GottFaust.5297 said:

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a

very

jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

• It's not 100% range.
• It's not 100% melee.
• Boonball is dead.
• Pirateship is only half the equation.
• It's far more complex than it was prior.

+1

I guess toxic wasn't what I meant (no one was hostile) but there was a general sense of grumpiness whenever I jumped in this weekend, and I couldn't figure out if it was a temporary thing or not. Thank you for your insight.

@Dashiva.6149 said:I guess toxic wasn't what I meant (no one was hostile) but there was a general sense of grumpiness whenever I jumped in this weekend, and I couldn't figure out if it was a temporary thing or not. Thank you for your insight.

Depends on the server you're on and what their currently situation is I would guess. But there's also the usually grumps who take things too seriously, some get mad at commanders or players for not defending or poor play etc, or not liking the servers they're up against this week, pretty much every server has one or two of them.

Basically. Due to increased complexity organized groups have a major advantage. If yer in an organized grouup...its great. If you arent...your essentially a bag. If yer roaming well you're roaming.

its got good bits and bad bits, it no longer costs a fortune to run , it pays for itself with ingame rewards.huzzah!however the power creep has made it more difficult to get into (meta or bust), +add the condensed servers and q'sand its more elitist than it was.deliberately using non tag zergs and kicking professions or people not on ts/discord is pretty common these days.

alot of guilds and groups move around now: tiers and servers, there's less/no traditional server community.Map chats pretty business like/salty less 'dave you had beans for tea -that was less push more raspberry'

Can argue its better or worse, but its definately harder to get into.

@Dashiva.6149 said:Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?

Things are just bad at the moment. You can't really pin-point a thing as it's the combination of various issues that are the reason of the sad current state of WvW. You probably got in a bad time, but some months ago, people would tell it was a bad time as well.

Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?

The player base is already frustrated enough and Anet certainly does not help. You can see them post on reddit for any throwaway PvE post, but getting them to post something about WvW other than "we'll look into it" it's pretty hard. Support to the mode is also lacking, as popular demands and good ideas never get to see the light of the day. Also, there's a very clear bias for PvE: be it rewards (g/h, skins, achievements, etc.), the gearing process, the fact that they balance the game for PvE first, or the fact they seldom throw a bone to WvW players; we're red headed stepchild of Guild Wars 2.

What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?

Definitely worse. Balance is all over the place, with condition being more on top than ever. That doesn't mean Scourge is the only overpowered class, though: Spellbreakers' Bubble combined with Enchantment Collapse is meta-shaping, Firebrands just put on bench all other supports as it has pretty much everything, Hammer Rev is back into the meta with balanced 12k CoRs, etc. More than ever, that WvW needs seperate balancing, but most players know this isn't high on Anet's list of priorities.

PoF also had nothing for WvW players outside the new specs. At least we could unlock them inside WvW this time, so yay.

Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Even with all its flaws, WvW is unique. It's a large-scale Realm vs Realm mode, where you fight for your server's and your guild's pride. If you want to get into it, please, join a guild and don't be shy to ask questions. Follow a meta build too, because it's very well-known this mode is severely unbalanced and if you show up with a low-tier build (Core Ranger), you will be laughed at, deservedly. Bad builds are a detriment to your team, as you will do terrible damage and will have low impact on fights, but also a boon to the enemy, as when you die, their downed players get to rally.

Long term... I can only speak for myself, but I'm just waiting for the next big thing in Realm vs Realm to jump ship. I've already given up on any hope for WvW and only play because I like playing with my guild and other FA groups. Still, that's probably years to come, so WvW will still be here for some time.

@Dashiva.6149 said:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?There are some who ruin it for all or like myself ignore chat altogether most of the time because you are on TS or what have you. Just have fun forget about the rest.
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?We need new maps but regardless of maps would be the same "capture the flag" process. I happen to just enjoy when roaming or picking up a group.
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?New elite skills. Don't think it's changed much better or worse.
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?Some like it some don't Get into and see for yourself. Opinions will vary.

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a very jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

The forums are toxic, ingame it depends. In nsp we sre hsving fun. =) things here are just the sentiments of the oldtimers of wvw.

we derp bwcause we care about this game.

now to address your issues

1. no. atleast not in nsp.
2. its player expectation where the builds we had are not as strong versus specific wvw builds and setup and so causing the shift in enjoyment. like boon corrupt are epicly strong along their proc traits. some does not know how to counter it or adapt to it, therefore the derping.
3. its beautiful, imo. i love the story x mounts and travels also the wvw glide. as mentioned earlier, people have different perspectives, for me as one who already adapted and thrives in the new setup really have fun, especially because i have good allies.
4. i recommend. long term, is good. just learn to filter info and dont be swayed by the opinions of others. because by thinking for yourself, you do justice to this game and to your personal life in all things you do.

The derp slayer of nsp opponents,

sov

Just play it and then decide if you like it.

@Dashiva.6149 said:So I played gw2 up until HoT released then on and off (because IRL stuff), but recently got back into it big time with the release of PoF. Now after playing through PoF and the latest LS I thought I would check out WvW because I remember it being quite fun in the past, and was suprised to find a very jaded community. The mood in the community (both ingame and here) has totally changed! And seeing a few negative comments on the forums about the gamemode, I have too ask:

• Are things really as toxic as they appear on the surface, or did I just get back at a bad time?
• Has a major thing happened that caused the shift, or is it neglect from Anet? Both? Neither?
• What impact has the release of PoF had? For the better or worse?
• Would you still recommend me to get into it? How do you consider the longterm health of the gamemode?

Thanks in advance.

Every server but three are open today.

I suggest you find a good guild and get to know them - one which does WvW and loves it, with or without its server's 'blessing'.

this game doesn't have enough stealth to attract me to wvw