Lack of meta event to shepherd populations makes maps feel desolate.

The maps are huge, but the cohesive guiding force that were the HoT map metas are absent here, with a bunch of spread out events going on at the same time, most of them with abysmal rewards (hell, even the champion/legendary ones are just bad). Incredibly obnoxious mob density making travel an annoyance as you are constantly kept in combat and all mobs have incredibly aggro and leash ranges.

TL;DR unless you're on some tag bounty train, the maps feel dead and empty. Bounty trains are so boring...large HP meat sacks that fall short of the story cadence of HoT's meta event chains.

yea there needs to be a population herder. currently only bounties and point trains.

The huge meta events were the best part of HoT :( I was playing them for weeks, they gave purpose to the map

I never liked the map-wide metas tbh. When they were running you could barely find anyone to do anything else on the maps and might even get flamed for not participating. They stepped away from them for a reason.

These maps feel more like central tyria maps to me, and I actually really like that. Can't say they feel desolate, either. What is a desolate map by your definition? One where you don't have a single commander zerg running around? Thanks but no thanks.

Even I'm enjoy the game but I'm agreed I feel PoF step back from Hot and feel more like GW1 with mount, without Meta Map once I complete the map and story I dont think that I reason to comback to these map anymore.

And I also not a big fan of Heart system since it feel like job than play the game, when HoT come out I'm so happy to see It gone but some how Anet bring it back in PoF.

@Terra.9506 said:Even I'm enjoy the game but I'm agreed I feel PoF step back from Hot and feel more like GW1 with mount, without Meta Map once I complete the map and story I dont think that I reason to comback to these map anymore.

And I also not a big fan of Heart system since it feel like job than play the game, when HoT come out I'm so happy to see It gone but some how Anet bring it back in PoF.

I agree with this. So far I had 100% more fun at HOT launch on those maps than these ones

Well I thought that we would get at least 2-3 maps in style of VB, SW or AB. I hoped anet will strike balance of variety (tho they had bad reccord with HoT being complex meta - only, and LS3 being almost no real meta except some small stuf like Draconis Mons).Nope.. I was wrong. Still love it, but it won't last long when you're done with stuff. HoT metas are still populated. And I think they will flourish again when people realise there's nothing more to do in PoF after couple of weeks.

It's sad as I love PoF this far hell'a'lot.

So many events on the maps there is not a need for meta-events. Just get on your mount and wander the area.

@Zenith.7301 said:The maps are huge, but the cohesive guiding force that were the HoT map metas are absent here, with a bunch of spread out events going on at the same time, most of them with abysmal rewards (kitten, even the champion/legendary ones are just bad). Incredibly obnoxious mob density making travel an annoyance as you are constantly kept in combat and all mobs have incredibly aggro and leash ranges.

TL;DR unless you're on some tag bounty train, the maps feel dead and empty. Bounty trains are so boring...large HP meat sacks that fall short of the story cadence of HoT's meta event chains.

I agree, these new zones are kind of dull in terms of social play. I havent even found any dynamic events that have chains or meaning to the map. You just do the event. Then it resets and you do it again.

Pretty much this, gonna play it for a week and when I'm finished it'll be back to HOT where there is something cohesive to be doing.

How do you guys not find the map meta? I mean seriously. I found two so far. Or at least major metas. One is in the casino in CO and another right on the Skimmer Farm .

Also the Bounties are huge map metas.

OH and just try to kill the Branded hydra in Mactual fringe in CO.

Yup. The PoF maps feel like a giant leap backwards towards the dead and "caught in stasis"-feel of the Tyria open world...

I like the map chat during metas even if they can get toxic, to me that what makes maps like AB/DS and world bosses fun to play. POF map seems dead since no one really talks and if they do it always something serious.

They traded meta events for bounties which is fine by me. Each xpac should be unique so the old content does not die off completely. I do wish they had a world boss fight on the new maps. Maybe they do I just never encountered it.

I just wish there was more of a reason to come back to these maps after getting all the necessary HP’s and Masteries.

Don’t really see these maps being filled, or even visited often after a year or so has passed.

Does not need to be a big map wide meta event - lots of mini events or group content missions or smaller world boss like old Tryia would work fine!

Group content needs to be harder to. 3 of us did a group event in the riverlands to assault a fortress.

@Terra.9506 said:Even I'm enjoy the game but I'm agreed I feel PoF step back from Hot and feel more like GW1 with mount, without Meta Map once I complete the map and story I dont think that I reason to comback to these map anymore.

And I also not a big fan of Heart system since it feel like job than play the game, when HoT come out I'm so happy to see It gone but some how Anet bring it back in PoF.

Well you do the hearts or don't do them....not really like a job?

You don't need to have a meta to have cohesion and direction, but yes the maps could use a little more of those two things here and there, though in reality, what it needs is variety more than anything

There should be content where you play the wandering hero, just going around on your mount and helping everyone in need.

There should also be content against more cohesive forces and larger scale enemies that directs players to a greater degree.

I think the problem with this expansion is that it tries to hit an area inbetween both intead of appeasing both in different areas

These maps are absolutely FULL to brimming with group and champion events that cannot be solo'd, just spend some time wandering and you will realize how many events there are that are hardly even seen, let alone completed. So the maps don't meet the first style of content because you can't just wander around and do these, they require sizable groups.

And at the same time all of those group events require you to be in a specific place at a specific time, and you don't get direction towards them in most cases, meaning they also don't hit on the second style of content that causes people to create groups and organize against a great threat. Anyone looking for this type of content just does bounties and assumes that's all there is in the map.

SW isn't a fun experience solo. The meta is a lot of fun there though once you have people.A mixture of both good solo content and nice meta stuff would be pretty awesome. It would be cool if the metas were more scaleable where you could succeed with 5 players or succeed with 100.