Is it fair to say the balance patches are the 'content' for wvw?

[Chaba.5410]

No. Other players are content. This is a pvp game. Patches only modify the game mechanics. It's like trying to say changing the colors of the checkerboard is content rather than the opponent you play against.

[Justine.6351]

They would be content if they didn't strip away gameplay and pigeonhole everyone into mind-numbing karma trains.

[bambi.6214]

Technically they aren't. The thing is, in WvW players are responsible for making content. Fights, duels, small scale, escaping a blob, roaming, fighting over an objective is content, and balance is a tool that is given to players to create that content. So I suspect balance patch makes me as excited as new story chapter for people who are into it.

[Zok.4956]

No, they are not content. They are bug fixes and should not change the way how a class works in general.

Balance patches should not be seen as a cheap way of changing a class identity. To change a class identity and to extend it should only be done with new elite specs.

[Solanum.6983]

I wouldn't class them as content.In my opinion New Tracks are the content updates for the most part. WvW is a PvP game mode, there doesn't need to be constant content updates since it's the gameplay that matters most, New items and rewards are nice but balance patches and meta shifts are needed most to keep things fresh and exciting.

[Xion.5694]

No.In other games balance patch is to keep gamplay healthy. Here its just either shock teraphy, or -meh lets add a second here and take a second there, DONE now lest play Counter Strike'. There is clearly a lack of clear vision what this mode should look like.

What is content for WvW?New map.Revamped Map.New rewards.New tools to play with.New upgrades to objectives.Objectives that are more variable.

Warclaw was a 'kind of ' new content, but now it is completely watered down after the nerfs and lack of idea what actually this addition should do.

[TheGrimm.5624]

No skills balance is not content, at worst it's negative content. If skill changes trigger a player to rebuild their toons or abandon them and/or leave the game then it's even more of a negative change. On top of that its added cost to the playerbase if a player feels the need to rebuild a toon in a game environment that already pays very little for doing the content.

New content would be:

• New maps
• New abilities
• New elites
• New objectives
• New goals
• New missions
• New upgrades
• Bounties (not saying new since we have non-now)
• New siege
• New masteries

Aka, things to do, work toward and play. Things to entertain and make people feel that the time was well spent.

[Whiteout.1975]

@"RlyOsim.2497" said:"Is it fair to say the balance patches are the 'content' for wvw?"

• "are the 'content' "

Nice question. I would say that balance patches are apart of the content of WvW, but not necessarily "the content for wvw." I don't know what the content of WvW fully will entail now, or is to entail in the future, but I/ we should all know that current WvW "content" isn't just solely attributed to "balance patches." We have Reward Tracks and now a Warclaw, trying to avoid going any deeper here. So, no, balance patches are not the content for WvW, but they may be attributed to WvW balance depending on the implementation.

Just pointing this out for fun, but couldn't one ask the same leading question for say . . . PvE? Perhaps even replace the word "balance" for "bugs" if it helps.

Often, far more times than not, balance patches are attempts to "fix" errors made in the previous balance patches. This situation easily begins to invite a phrase, that is well thrown around, known as "quality content." For instance, I could bake a shit-filled pie and top that with one beautiful cherry, but it's still just a shit-filled pie. Or . . . I could make maybe a chocolate creme pie and be happy with that. In this case, I could care less about what side of the coin everyone lands on. I just care what I'm being served.

Have a great day.

[Svarty.8019]

@"RlyOsim.2497" said:Title.

Also, for discussion, acceptable?

NO, it's absolutely not acceptable: Balance patches are for all modes.

WvW has seen scant content over the years, notably NONE in the Path of Fire "expansion" whatsoever.

If you look at Heart of Thorns you can see why, however.

They automated many of the little minigames. The tasks that gave people little roles to fulfil.Scouting for mesmers after a keep capture - replaced by orange dots.Upgrading an objective - lever replaced automatic upgrades, workers made redundant!The list of inconvenient chores should become LONGER with expansion packs, not shorter!