Returning player. Just wanted to say hi to the community and get some opinions about PoF.

Greetings everyone. I decided to return to GW2 after that little disappointment that HoT was for me so i bought PoF yesterday and started the journey with my Soulbeast :D To be honest i was thinking about playing with a new character but after trying out some pets i fell in love with it. What are your opinions on PoF so far? Is it too late to get back now?

It's an empty desert sadly. The maps are so huge and there is no true metas. Most people are still in silverwastes and hot maps farming. The story I found to be rather fun though. I personally haven't played in a few months so I'm not sure how the most recent map is for living world.

@gabisto.7348 said:What are your opinions on PoF so far? Is it too late to get back now?

I enjoyed both the story, and the maps. I absolutely do not believe it is too late to get involved.

I'd also add that, contrary to what @Sylent.3165 experienced, I always see people running about the various PoF maps, doing stuff, including the meta events. The Living Story S4 maps are definitely busier, but the whole thing still has plenty of people that I see...

Nonsense people play pof maps all the time

@SlippyCheeze.5483 said:

@gabisto.7348 said:What are your opinions on PoF so far? Is it too late to get back now?

Can't be bothered to type a big reply, so I'm just gonna agree with this since it is pretty accurate

PoF feels a lot easier than HoT was, imo. The enemies don't have periods of invulnerability like some of them in HoT, like the frog archers that would evade, jump into the air becoming unhittable, then evade again, all while doing high damage. PoF still has some harder enemies, but they feel more straight forward than HoT.

The maps always have people in them, I think Sylent has bad luck. I haven't been to a map that didn't have people running around, especially near the waypoints. HoT still has popular meats, but PoF gets more than its share of players, particularly at prime time.

The new elite specs are fun, just as with HoT, and if you don't like HP hunting in the multi-tiered zones of the jungle, you can get what you need for both elite specs in the desert. The HPs are far easier to get, and solo.

The mounts are awesome. This is the best implementation of mounts in any game I've ever played. I would suggest looking up the griffon guide to see what items you need from the heart vendors, so you can pick those up along the way, as opposed to going back and redoing all of those hearts. There are ten items at 25g a piece, but the mount is so worth it, imo.

The story is really good, and the LS3 flows right into it, if you have done it already. It also felt like you had more bearing of the direction of the story through choices you make, as well. I would also like to point out the final boss fight doesn't have any bugs that keep you from completing it, like HoT did. I still haven't finished that fight, because I just got bored with failing to a bug.

You will definitely have more fun in PoF, and the way this game works, it is never to late to join in. Gear doesn't change, only stats, and old builds tend to hold their power, regardless of elite specs that may trump them. You will never become weaker. Hope this helps, enjoy the mounts.

PoF story is cool and mounts are amazing of course. As for repeatable OW content: HoT is still king.

Not counting Istan--ya sure people are on those maps but it's ALWAYS the same thing--legendary bounties. Lucky if you get a full train to do champs for achievements. You can get deadhouse or maw of torment. But good luck on seeing the djinn or serpent's ire. When you actually need EVERYTHING for unlocks you realize just how little "other" stuff people are actually doing.

I am enjoying each expansion for what each has to offer. Each part is different and I like that.

@"navystylz.9745" said:Not counting Istan--ya sure people are on those maps but it's ALWAYS the same thing--legendary bounties. Lucky if you get a full train to do champs for achievements. You can get deadhouse or maw of torment. But good luck on seeing the djinn or serpent's ire. When you actually need EVERYTHING for unlocks you realize just how little "other" stuff people are actually doing.

I've done the Djinn and Serpents Ire in the not too distant past. They're definitely not done every day but that doesn't mean they're impossible to do. Obviously being part of an active guild makes that sort of thing easier though. Serpents in Ire in particular is done relatively often, and people in my guild who've needed it for collections, quite a few of us, have done it in the last month, more than once.

It's like the people who play HoT who complain you can't do vinetooth prime. It requires more patience, but everything is doable. And there are still plenty of people floating around. They're just not zerging like HOT because nothing funnels you into a single meta on a timer.

@gabisto.7348 said:What are your opinions on PoF so far?

Mounts are a good addition and the new elite specs are decent, the new maps however are pretty much a one shot deal, no replay value at all and the new stat combos they added are only useful to probably 5% of the population. I would rate PoF a 5/10.

I'm doing the same as you. Finished the pof story with my mesmer, and now I want to try it with less OP chars. :) The maps in PoF are not what I expected at all, I kinda miss the beauty of the HoT maps. But the story is fun and worth doing it again with my warrior, ranger and necro.

maps look cool, the rest is garbagespecially the "story"...ughdont believe me? just wait for the next report

@"battledrone.8315" said:maps look cool, the rest is garbagespecially the "story"...ughdont believe me? just wait for the next report

I don't believe you, but because this is a personal taste question. You don't have to like the story, but you are not everyone. Just as I do like it, and I understand that not everyone -- like you -- is going to.

HoT was awesome. PoF is ok.

It is definitely not too late, but PoF is boring compared to HoT and LS3.

I think PoF was orders of magnitude better than HoT. PoF is very solo-able, and there's plenty of action going on. The maps are understandable, something that cannot be said of HoT.

However, I would play more than one character, both in PoF AND HoT. I found that taking a second and third character through HoT was a lot better than the first. Plus, they nerfed the creatures, so they're no longer grossly overpowering. I'm finding PoF improved even more after I tried a second character. Once I had the mount masteries (from the first character's trek through PoF), it has been much easier to get map completions on other characters.

Welcome back!

While nobody can nor should tell you what to think, I can safely tell you that if you enjoyed playing through Guild Wars 2 (especially Heart of Thorns), then you will probably enjoy Path of Fire.

Though the feelings of Desert and Desolation are strong, there are far more people in the maps than first glance. You should be able to complete most open world content without too much struggle (though it is still challenging). The mounts are fun for what they are, and truly express the vaunted "joy of movement" they talked about before the expansion. The story continues on from Heart of Thorns in visuals and direction, and is just as compelling (for better or worse).

It's more Guild Wars. If that's good enough for you, then have at it! If not, well... we'll be here when you get back.

@gabisto.7348 said:Greetings everyone. I decided to return to GW2 after that little disappointment that HoT was for me so i bought PoF yesterday and started the journey with my Soulbeast :D To be honest i was thinking about playing with a new character but after trying out some pets i fell in love with it. What are your opinions on PoF so far? Is it too late to get back now?

If you did not like HoT you may like PoF. I found PoF to be a downgrade from hot in every possible way. PoF maps are the worst in all GW2. They look cute, but they are barn.

Welcome back! I was surprised to see so many negative opinions on this thread, so I wanted to try and balance things out and at least throw in my two cents to say that I thought PoF is excellent. Fun story to play through, mounts, elite specs, and enjoyable maps were all very welcome additions to the game in my book. Soulbeast in particular is a ton of fun with all the new merged pet skills, hope you enjoy playing yours! I'd say no it's not too late at all.

Not discounting or disagreeing with anyone else's opinion, just adding more perspectives :)

Just returned as well. I'm officially burnt on their formula, nowhere near enough that excites, too few powers, gear that is a total bore. Where is everyone at in POF to? I did enjoy my overall time with GW2 over the years, HOT to me was the highlight, even though it was raked over the coals. And I don't know what to say about the games performance and what happened there, I'm in the 30's way too often and I simply won't game there any more. Overall the game makes me sleepy, almost all mmo's do these days, that's pretty much that. I don't want to be to big a pisser, those that do enjoy, cheers and have fun!

Welcome back! I hope you enjoy PoF more than HoT :) I definitely did.

For me, PoF was a mixed bag. I loved several things and really hated others. If you like the story, the annoyances you might find won't be so bad. I didn't, so a lot of the pain I went through to finish the story (which I still haven't) barely feels worth it above and beyond unlocking the mounts.

What I liked a lot:

Mounts! Mounts have opened up a lot of the game for me-- especially the HoT maps. Even the worst map--Desolation-- felt worth it getting the jackal and finishing its masteries. Core Tyria is so much more fun with all of my little maxed-out beasties.

The new ranger pets are great! I'm running with the jacaranda and the rock gazelle on one of my mains. They're both a lot of fun.

Crystal Oasis is one of my favorite maps in the game. So pretty! Amnoon is beautiful :) I've had fun with Desert Highlands too.

I really like the scourge elite spec.

Meh:

Elon Riverlands.

Most of the story. It had no real resonance for me. I hate what they did to my poor Sylvari boy-- he's gone from a gentle, easygoing snarker to a giant jerk. Gameplay in the story instances wasn't fun-- especially all the parts where you don't play as yourself. The companions-- aside from Kasmeer-- were annoying.

Yuck:

Desolation and Vabbi maps.

The rest of the story. Starting with, "The Departing," my interest in the story left too.

The sense of exploration is great the first time around, farming bounties can be fun. Also doing some achievements. Unfortunately, there are the lack of meaty content. This game needs daily quests etc. At least we would have something to do.

Welcome back!Like many people have said, whether or not you'll like PoF is a personal taste question. Maps are massive in PoF, with none of the vertical confusion that HoT has (at least once you get the second mount). Enemies can be pretty annoying, but they're still do-able, and you won't die as often as in HoT. (That's just my experience, and I am a terrible player. I die all the time.)

Personally, I enjoyed the story. I don't like that my sylvari girl sounds so jaded and harsh, but that's just how the story goes. It's a good plot imo, with annoying antagonists that you hate and some antagonists that you can understand (though their attitude is rubbish). It's a mixed bag of emotions, which I like, but how you'll find it is for you to decide :) Even if you end up hating the story or the maps or the enemies, the mounts are great - that's one thing that most people agree on.

Path of Fire is definitely a little more relaxed than Heart of Thorns, but the fact there's much more to do, and more ways to do it is what makes it so alive. The story is quite gripping and, for the sake of modesty, you will be surprised and shocked in certain moments that I will not discuss.

But outside story, the addition of Mounts and the functionality of these mounts truly make you feel like you can summon a companion that helps you in not just mobility, but initiative in combat. You can redo the hearts every day for a small edge in karma, maps have specific metas tied to them that net decent rewards, and the bounty hunter boards -- while a little fragile and needs a bit of tweaking here and there -- definitely earns you progress towards resources to create equipment with PoF stats.

Oh, and one area has a small game of chance that has profitable rewards, if you feel lucky (it's not Sandstorm, the Elonian equivalent of ecto gambling).

Weclome back to Tyria.