IvoryOwl.3275

If you can't handle the grind then don't do it. The dragon is an (optional) prestige mount that is there for those players who want to feel the satisfaction of earning something via hard work. It's the equivalent of Ascended and Legendary equipment. Not everything that exists in the game game should be "easy pickings" just because some people can't be bothered (or don't have the time) to work for it... You want a dragon? Then stop wasting time with excuses and arguments and work for it. It's a lesson some kids (and adults) nowadays would do well to learn instead of having everything done their way , at the moment they ask for it.

The "bonus" is that they got access to content for free that you will have to purchase on the side, along with the expansion pack, just because you weren't around when it released. Each expansion gives you access to new content but you don't get all of it right away. The story and a portion of the content, including new maps, are expanded upon via the Living World Episodes, which are released periodically after the expansion's launch. Think of it like a TV series, with a new episode coming out every week. If you log in when the episode goes live, you unlock it for free and it is yours forever (account-bound). However, should you miss that timeframe (you usually have 2 months or until the next episode), the only way to unlock the episodes is by purchasing them with gems (gemstore currency) or gold (by converting your gold to gems). So it's kind of a big deal to purchase the expansion pack when it comes out and sticking around for the new content. Or at the very least logging in. It's part of the reason why I leave GW2 installed even though I sometimes stop playing for weeks or months on end... I log in to unlock new content.

In theory, yes. In reality, however, they have to strike a balance between speed and quality to keep the players engaged. The player base is like a tide; it comes and goes. It usually takes 2 months for a new chapter to come out, and under 2 days to finish it (achievements aside). It might not be a lot of time for the developers but it is for the player. Those who've done all they could or wanted tend leave afterwards because there's nothing else to do (some only log in for the dailies). This usually correlates to a loss of profit as well, as a player that doesn't game, doesn't spend money either. New content renews that interest, so the devs can't afford to go through long periods of "drought".

I don't expect every single piece of feedback to matter but there's a chance some of it might. Also, sometimes, what's being suggested isn't as important as showing interest and engaging with the community and devs. Imagine an early-access game and the people who write (negative) feedback about it. There's always someone who tries to dismiss such criticism by pointing out the game is still in its early stages and everything is liable to change. That person forgets the devs aren't omniscient; that they can overlook things and make mistakes. The point of early access is to accrue some funds and receive feedback. You can either wait for things to change by themselves (and risk waiting forever) or you can be the agent of change and make it happen yourself. A cool suggestion (that wasn't planned) may be added just because a lot of people asked for it. A community that shows little interest in the game (or is mostly inactive), doesn't do a whole lot of the game and just extends the amount of time it remains in early access. You lose nothing by asking.

Personally, I'm more in favor of morally grey villains (and heroes). Black and white characters are easier to write and they tend to shine in cartoonish settings but a more complex story requires equally complex characters to match. At the end of the day, GW2 is a power-fantasy game and the MC is always there to save the day... after a few tribulations. However, one of the problems with the consecutive "doomsday events" is that they they tend to lose their impact after a while. When every day is a major struggle, it becomes ordinary. This is just my impression (I haven't finished the story yet) but I feel like, for all its lore, the story in GW2 is just middling level... It does the job but it's not a masterpiece of any kind. It's hard to write a good story for an MMO because you never known when the story actually ends. A new expansion means another chapter in the story and so you keep spinning that yarn to keep players engaged. Had the story ended with the defeat of Zhaitan, a lot of players would have left by now. The problem is this means you're liable to run out of 'cool' ideas eventually. Our culture has made it harder to write proper "evil" characters too. People prefer to erase or forget the darker parts of history than accepting it as part of our evolution. Everything we have today, everything we believe in was built on a foundation of trial and error, of learning. Mistakes and negative traits can enrichen a character but you also risk being persecuted for making a character that goes against modern societal norms. It's ironic, to see such intolerance in a society that pushes for tolerance and acceptance... especially in the arts and comedy.

Taimi is a part of Destiny's Edge 2.0 and the brain of the group, much like Zojja was before "retiring". Everyone seems to agree that she has to die for plot reasons but a bigger question would be; who is going to replace her and how will it affect the group dynamic afterwards? Taimi has been instrumental in pushing the plot forward since LS2, perhaps more so than any other Destiny's Edge member, without her (or someone like her) adventuring just won't be the same.

Guild Wars 2 is an "horizontal progression" MMO, meaning your gear will stay mostly relevant even though it has been years and a ton of content has been added since then. It's what distinguishes it from other MMOs (like World of Warcraft) where your gear becomes obsolete the moment a new expansion comes out. Yes, there's Ascended and Legendary equipment but they aren't necessary per se. Unless you're a min-maxer or want to do high level Fractals, Exotic equipment will do just fine. Honestly, there's A LOT to do in this game but you can do it at your own pace. The game is very solo friendly so even if you don't have friends or a guild you can still do most things by yourself. There's a LFG system that can help you party up with others to do specific content (story, dungeons, raids, open world content, etc). The game has a healthy population so you won't be alone (maybe depending on time zone). You can also visit other servers as a guest in case you wish to party up with old friends (do keep in mind you're region locked though, i.e US can't guest on EU servers and vice-versa). GW2 has something for both casual and hardcore players so you'll do just fine. If you need help, most people online tend to be friendly and helpful, otherwise, there are ton of guides online for you to browse. Just try to stick to something relatively recent, especially profession related because balance patches are common and occasionally there's a revamp or two, so opinions about them tend to become outdated pretty quickly.

Thank you all for your input! I know I shouldn't worry so much about the "meta" and FOTM builds but it's hard to resist sometimes. Guess I'll try some funky builds and see what works for me. Specter looks fun, does most of what I want and I'm itching for some "chaotic" Thief gameplay at the moment so I guess I'll go for that.

Whenever I take a long break from the game I like to "start fresh" with a new profession and treat it like a main. Problem is, I never know which one to pick and I'm worried about investing time and gold into a class that may turn out to be a "trap" later on. There has been so many patches and rebalances while I was gone that things have probably changed and "strong" professions may have become less so now (at least that's the impression I got after reading the forums for a bit.) For the record, I already have an Engi. Here's the gist of things: - PVE only (mostly solo and the occasional open-world group content later on). - I prefer condition damage over power and I like to support a group should the need arise (heals, barrier, buffs, utility, defiance breaking, etc). - I like AOEs. Killing a bunch of trash mobs together is fun. - I like utility skills and some precision gaming (timing dodges/evades, stunning when enemies attack, keeping them blinded so they never hit, combo fields and blasts, ripping boons, etc). - On and off complexity. While I like some complexity, it would be nice to get away with "simpler rotations" every once in a while... for when I'm feeling lazy. What do you all think would be suited for me? I've got all the expansions too so feel free to suggest specific classes just for their Elite Specs.

I have the same issue as well but it looks like only parts of the UI are affected by this. Icons such as those on the top left corner and boosters (like 5% Damage Bonus, Volunteer's Blessing, etc) look blurry. Same for the mini-map and the TP post in its entirety. The rest of the UI, such as combat skills, boons, profession-specific traits (like Vampiric Presence) game menus, enemy health bars, chat, world map, game options, and dailies/story/events (minus the icons, which look blurry as well) appear to be fine. I've changed resolution (fullscreen<->fullscreen windowed), enabled and disabled DPI scaling, and restarted the game. None of it worked.

I fought the Eater of Souls with a tanky, condition-based Druid and managed to win on my first attempt without dying. It took me a while to figure it out what to do and when I did the worst part was managing my pet to make sure we were both out of his reach when he was about to leech and heal. Basically, when he jumps, you dart the hell away so he doesn't have anything nearby to "suck" and regenerate. Its not a difficult fight, just a dragged one that requires some tactics. No nerf needed.