Is Agony Necessary?

Agony flavor wise feels justifiable, but is it really necessary? It kind of feels like an unnecessary gate to content.

Is there another way to make the content difficult without agony?

AR in my mind, it's like making sure people spend the time to equip fire resistance before facing a fire dragon, sure you don't need, but you are going to be crispy fried adventure if you don't have it.

Now, you can do T1 with not AR at all, so you are not gated from fractals if you don't have AR, it just makes it so you need to put in some investment if you want to move up the numbers. But again, there is no need to move up the numbers either if you don't want to. Since it's purely on the individual to pursue it, I like it in that regard. It weens out the people that really don't know what they are doing or trying to do something without thinking about it first.

I would say it's an unnecessary gate, but agony is a 2 part system. A powerful condition unique to fractals and a item that can be placed in your armor to mitigate it. The reality is that you still get punished for making a mistake and getting afflicted with Agony. Even when your AR is significant enough to reduce the damage from agony to negligible levels you still suffer 70% penalty to healing while under the effect of Agony. (Not an insignificant amount if you time your heal poorly, tl;dr it can significantly wreck your day if you get hit at the wrong time)

The main issue is with the acquisition method and utilization of Agony Resistance. Agony as a condition is fine imo, but the AR creates a rather high gate to bringing multiple different characters into fractals since it is inextricably linked to armor.

This is why they are experimenting with the new Account based buffs for Fractals.

Its artificial, I dislike.

@mazut.4296 said:Its artificial, I dislike.

This whole game is artificial. That's not an argument.

Ar provides goals and motivation for people climbing the AR ladder while at the same time not blocking new players from enjoying the fractal dungeons.

Agony is a good thing, since it blocks total newbies from high level fractals and can hurt even people with full resistance (70% healing debuff ftw). The system of character-bound AR, however, is outdated, but changing it without breaking the fractal economy is no easy task.

The linking of agony resistance with ascended gear forces people to put in a high minimum of effort to be allowed to participate at t4. I don't think that's a bad choice, actually, because fractals are meant to be fast 5-man content, easily tackled with a PUG, and part of that is enforcing some minimum standards at the highest levels, like decent gear. T4 LFG would be a no-man's land if everybody was allowed in with the soldier's exotics they got with their level 80 boost, or the level 60 leveling greens they haven't bothered to upgrade. Those sorts of people are present in T1, so they're not barred from the content, just the more challenging and rewarding versions of it.

They should do the exact same for raids.

I get the gate from newbs argument. I simply dislike the acquisition and what feels like a continously grind to improve AR until 100.

I was just curious as to people's opinion.

Also without agony i would demand asc equiptment too be removed too since its not having any point anymore

I am not against account bound AR, it would make it easier on me to put my other characters into Fractals, but, AR serves a gear purpose, to ensure by T4 you have neat complete Ascended. if it became Account bound, can you imagine the influx of people in exotics or less trying to do T4, because they bought enough AR for their account but never needed to get any gear to equip it.

Naah Gear Bound AR ensures that any Character in that content.. is geared and built for that content.. the way it should be.

I like it. This game is far too easy in general. The fact that you need to equip a character with full ascended and 150 AR in order is a longterm goal and very achievable if you enjoy fractals. Fractal rewards are quite good in tier 4 so it shouldn't be easy to achieve.

The current system great, nothing needs to change.

I hate it.

I stopped doing Fractals as a result. It is cheap, artificial difficulty and a timegate for progression.

Thank Bear for Raids to get me that PvE fix.

@"Mysticjedi.6053" said:Agony flavor wise feels justifiable, but is it really necessary? It kind of feels like an unnecessary gate to content.

Is there another way to make the content difficult without agony?

Think it was mentioned before, fractal is a tool to teach players (to get used to mechanics etc) by gradually adding the difficulties of the encounters. (Eg. Bosses deals more dmg, more abilities, changes when HP reached certain threshold etc) Tho this process feels draggy for experienced players, its just a way Anet implement for players(new or intends) climbing the ladder. View fractal levels as a training program, meant for players to slowly progress and the 'timegate' is a byproduct. Famous "Working as intended" quote here.

It won't effect experienced players, but it is necessary. Can imagine the screams, when players are exposed to full brunt of 'Shattered Observatory Fractal' instead of the simplified versions while climbing. Plus there's always the +AR potion if needed.

The AR limit feels like a closed gate because it was always intended to be just that. They have already done multiple changes such as making items account bound or to rework infusions to no longer force you through the slow AR grind that was present before.

Question: Is agony needed or necessary?

Answer: No, it's not.

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:Question: Is agony needed or necessary?

Answer: No, it's not.

No question is should agony stay?Answer: no it should not stay

Agony should be account bound.

@xDudisx.5914 said:Agony should be account bound.

Nah wipe it away so all can come too play

It is a necessary gate to prevent total newbies flooding higher fractals they are not able to handle. I see it in my guild: from time to time we get new members and pull them into fractals to avoid filling our guild teams from lfg. We pull them too early in too high levels. We give them infusions so they can play the higher levels. They have enough AR, but they only die and are not able to contribute, because they are not used to the mechanics. It's no pleasant experience for all of us: we veterans carry them and they are only fighting for survival instead of fighting the enemy.

I saw it just yesterday: T4 Bloomhunger with 5 guildies. 3 people not really ready for this, 2 experienced persons. I and my friend constantly revived our teammates. Each 3 of them died 3 times or more, I still had the singularity buff at the end - on a full berserk Tempest. Every time Bloomhunger stomped, one of the 3 were downed and eventually died, because they died at places far far away you don't usually go. Same with Cliffside and the Archdiviner. Going with a team from LFG is much more pleasant and much faster. The 3 guildies should do T2 or T3 more before doing T4. Usually, Agony enforces this. Remove Agony and T4 lfg will start to require killproofs or whatever is necessary to prove that you are experienced in T4. Today this is implicit with AR.

@FrostDraco.8306 said:

@"mazut.4296" said:Its artificial, I dislike.

Its forced difficulty, external to the gameplay. "Artificial" in the sense that its not integral with what you are playing. IMO its grind of the worst type, in a game that don't usually use that kind of forced stuff. I hope they make it truly integral with the gameplay in some fractals, and remove it completely from the rest.

@Silmar Alech.4305 said:THIS !!! It is a necessary gate to prevent total newbies flooding higher fractals.Do T2 or T3 more before doing T4. Usually, Agony enforces this. Remove Agony and T4 lfg will start to require killproofs or whatever is necessary to prove that you are experienced in T4. Today this is implicit with AR.

I saw it Today again how unexpiered Players Join T4 Daylies and dont know how LvL 87 Twilight Oase work's. We was trying to explain but no Chance when PPL dont listen.Otherwise if U Join a T4 Group without Knowledge and less or / Full AR u get Kicked. Most Newcomers won't Accept and try to Insult via whisper.

@Laila Lightness.8742 said:

@xDudisx.5914 said:Agony should be account bound.

Agony does not exist in T1 fractals, feel free to come join us! we don't bite... much

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:Question: Is agony needed or necessary?

Answer: No, it's not.

It is.. because it functions as a gate to get players to learn the Fractals on easy setting (T1) and then as they play, and learn the dungeons, and thus collect their +1's that they can make into better infusions to move up.. so.. it stops people from jumping into the deep end of the pool before they learned to swim.