Vlad Morbius.1759

I've been away playing other games for the last few months and came back a week ago to get caught up in time for this first real story for their new saga expansion like delivered content and wow, where do I start? the story albeit interestingly in concept was shallow and poorly done mechanicallythe map was beautifully done and captured the mood nicely, in fact it reminds me of a couple Diablo maps I've played throughthe lore or rational for the area should have been more clearly thought out as it felt very much like the creatures were just thrown in with zero forethought to lorethe masteries, albeit somewhat expected could clearly add some good mechanics for future fights and broaden the entire concepts of how we fight in groups if done correctlyNow to the meat of the issue....where's the beef??? This episode can barely be constituted as a living world episode let alone expansion like content and frankly once again we have been left with proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that LW cannot nor should not ever replace expansions. My honest opinion this effort seems to me like they have already decided the game is going to be on life support and they will just continue to focus on bleeding money through the gem store until it is no longer supported. If this isn't the case, someone in Anet or at NCSoft needs to wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late and dedicate the resources and leadership required to refocus the staff and get moving on building an expansion as quickly as they can or I'm afraid GW2 will just fade into oblivion.This game has such potential in so many areas and in my mind it is being squandered by visionless leadership propped up by fallacies that they know what their community wants more than the people playing the game daily. Lick your wounds admit this isn't good enough and get started on an expansion and give everyone who plays the hope they need to hang onto until such time this expansion is done because this first chapter of the saga is a glaringly empty promise that will continue to drive players away.

No support for Scourge here, it has been the bane of existence in WvW for too may months. I love Necromancer and this was our cancer in so many ways, as far as teams....no such thing in a bloody dot zerg. So sad that so many think it's necessary to follow some pimple on the butt of WvW to be validated. WvW needs to be about skill not blobs with the right combinations!

You can try and rationalize until the cows come home but Anet put the game at risk with their own actions and now they are desperately scrambling to make up ground which is why we won't seeing expansion like content like new classes, races, elite spes, mounts etc anytime soon, it has nothing to do with trying to deliver it in a new format!

That's your opinion and certainly not everyone's including mine. Even if I were to agree that the "quality" of the work is expansion like I cannot even consider agreeing that the "quantity" delivered through the updates remotely touches the overall volume one typically gets in an expansion, even GW2's expansions. As for what they say they would deliver through this newest "Saga" format, all of it is still unknown and unrealized because we haven't seen any of it yet and have no idea if they will be able to meet their current predicted additions. Heck even Mike clearly stated that they are not even talking bout things like elite specs or mounts which are items many have tied to expansions.Also, their latest article they have clearly stated in multiple paragraphs that their goal is to listen to what the players want, even to the point they outright quoted; "Justin Fassino, PR manager: I think the important thing here, obviously, is that everyone at the studio knows that there’s a demand for an expansion. So it’s not like we’re ruling it out."

A bold statement. And according to that, all the top "dogs" of the mmorpg genre (WoW, FFXIV, ESO, Black Desert) are doing it wrong. A bold statement indeed. Could not agree more. There may come a time when the mentality swings the other way on expansions but today isn't that time and current history bears that out. I think it's laughable to think that all these other major studios are wrong and Anet is right, hell even their corporate ownership disagrees. Defend the choice all you like the future will prove they were wrong, people know what they want and according to every other studio it is expansions.

If the plan is to change devouring darkness from 3 to 2 and feast from 3 to 2 then why the hell would you not be tackling guardian's skill that converts 5 conditions to boons on 5 people s on a 12 second cool down?

Clearly the future is not very bright at the moment and the announcement soured me even more. I'll continue to play occasionally but certainly management's fervor for the game and passion for their fanbase has all but disappeared and that was glaringly obvious at the announcement, especially without Mike O'Brien not even bothering to be there.

I was supporting them and regularly, that is until last Friday's underwhelming announcements, no more. I'll be putting my money elsewhere at least until they change their ridiculous policy regarding their complete lack of clear and valued information regarding their long term goals for the game. Also i won't be supporting a studio that consistently tries to paint their entire fan base with one large brush stroke. Most of us wanted the best for GW2 and many of us have asked reasonable questions regarding things that we care about but all we get is silence which amounts to a disrespectful slap in the face. You don't care enough to respond to your fan base than I don't care to spend my money here simple as that!

I'm completely disappointed in what was delivered and how despite all the warnings and cautionary comments given to Anet they still chose to step in it. Management just cannot see that this isn't what we are interested in and that this format isn't what their player base, the people who support their very livelihood want! I am hoping beyond hope that someone steps in here to take the reigns and lead this team back to where it needs to be because frankly it seems like they are riding the pines so to speak.There has been so much wasted potential in a game that should still be seeing massive growth and the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the management group who continue to take the wrong turn at almost every junction. There are huge opportunities to continue to grow this franchise and yet, they choose to idle and piss away opportunities that could generate huge player and cash infusions. My hope is that this finally clicks with someone in the corporate office and they take the necessary steps to reinvigorate this franchise. Look what Blizzard has done with WoW classic, listened to the player base (albeit took a while) and it has generated massive interest, this is a much older franchise people and it's thriving. I think the only way we can help save this franchise is to pepper the corporate entities with e-mails, tweets, letters, posts, telling them how much we would be willing to support the growth of GW2 if they would just be honest up front and continue to pour resources into building this up. This is still one of the best Western MMO's in existence and there are boatloads of money to still be made. I wouldn't hesitate to pay for an expansion up front if it would contain the features people have clamored for, if they road mapped all of it out honestly regardless of whether it would still be another 2 years away. This is a great game that is sorely being mismanaged, period!

I am absolutely embarrassed for them at this point, and man are they totally out of touch with their player base! This was such an overhype for so minimal amount of content it made me uncomfortable to watch it once I realized there was nothing of substance. I feel bad for all those who pushed to build this game over the last decade, I'd be crushed to see where this has been taken and how many golden opportunities were missed.I hope this gives them the black eye they deserve and that the management team gets bounced and replaced by people who actually want to continue to grow the game. All in all this left me feeling pretty hollow, and now I'm certain this game is headed for life support, as it wasn't even an attempt to deliver the "expansion worth of content in LW"....it was, well nothing to do about nothing!

Totally underwhelming on every front, I'm glad I wore a red shirt, wish I could have been there to ask the question. This hype was totally unfounded, it was a sad day, and I feel bad for those who wasted their time going there for something that should have been a blog post or mere patch notes.

Completely underwhelming on every level. New LW story, new boss, one new armor for WvW and the same list of "coming soon to an Anet game near you" speech! I'm truly believe they are completely out of touch with reality and their audience / player base! If this is all we have to look forward to this is a death knoll on many levels for many players. I wore red for a reason today!

To be honest I'm as apprehensive as I am excited, for the news. As WP stated in his video I have grave concerns that if there is not an expansion announced this will turn into another Diablo Immortal release debacle! Anyone attending wearing a red shirt?

In my opinion one of the biggest reasons is this ridiculous blob effect of scourges, SB's and FB's. It's the same old routine over and over again and it has killed a lot of the lower pops servers that cannot compete player wise. This has to change but I doubt that will happen anytime soon, clearly management isn't concerned considering this meta is already 7 months old in a 7 year old game.

New races with new specializations, large zones with multiple levels and a way for players who don't raid a path to legendary gear. A dark theme that actually carries consequences for players.A new major city that is leveled up by the players input consisting of consequences similar to WvW where the player base is required to defend or they lose ground.

Appreciate your view, truly do but nothing will quell the masses like a something for everyone expansion. I'm not saying this mode or that mode is more important but there is no point denying they tried for it all so they need to bring it all. If the player base doesn't vocally say what it wants, what they expect, than they have nothing to complain about if nothing happens. That said there have been many, hundreds, if not thousands of posts from their supporters asking for things they dearly want and as I've said ignoring that is a hazard. I never indulged in WvW because i thought it to be a waste of my time but having done so these last months I can assure everyone there are major issues in this game mode, some that have gone untreated for far too long. I hate to say this but at year 7 it seems to me we either have a group that is tired of the game and the entire system that supports it (stagnation) or management has lost the ability to motivate people under them.I, like many are growing more anxious everyday, unlike most I won't just be satisfied with here you go...more of the same with no directional change or motivation. I can back this up with this, in the last few weeks I've purchased and downloaded both ESO and WoW classic because I'm not holding my breath. That should send the fear of God into the staff at Anet because i can assure everyone I'm not alone in my thinking.GW2 is the best MMO since Asheron's Call, but ownership, or management has lost it's way and that my friend is a sad, sad future. I'm not a doomsayer I'm a realist.

Looking for things or opinions that are uncomfortable is a dangerous game. People can be disgusted and uncomfortable in many ways, justified in one's mind or not, it is subjective and sometimes charged with dangerous intent. Being disgusted generally goes hand in hand with offended so your question / topic may just well be disgusting and uncomfortable, :)

Failure of a portion of the market are never good indicators. The fact is Anet has tried to target multiple markets and the introduction of raids is a glaring example of that, I think it's shortsighted to believe that the population you alienate is easily replaced by the population you serve. The game was incredibly successful capturing a part of the market that wasn't being served, that said it has easily lost many portions of the market and done so by not being able to redirect their resources to areas that kept players interested and engaged.You have always seemed like a staunch defender of all that is Anet which in my opinion taints your view. Anet needs to step up, grow up, learn from both their failures and their community needs, so they can continue to prosper, anything other than that is a straight line to the unemployment line.This group can no longer think they are the new kid on the block because after 7 years, there are contenders for their player base so pretending their isn't an issue when everyone around them is screaming there is, is both arrogant and fatal! Ignoring the community is certain death and while not all parts will ever be fully satisfied, giving them the feeling that they are is far more important than hanging on to some misplaced sentiments or misguided values.

I'm sorry but what is ultimately killing WvW is the balance or lack thereof. I can't tell you how sick I am of scourge / FB and the fact that you're only lucky or match them to win. Balance in this game sucks hard, worst I've ever seen but people blame every other aspect of the game. If we had decent balance everything would be a challenge, how to counter, what advantage do they have what do we bring? The game has simply become a zerg oriented no talent mess and this will continue until the team gets fixed. I've heard every excuse in the book from, balancing thematically to balancing for outcome...blah, blah, blah, what we are missing is true balance and a true rotation of metas. My fear is this won't happen until somebody at a much higher level clues into the fact the game has had a balance team which coasts, and or plays favorites....how else does one explain the mess we are in?

Political correctness gone overboard. I'm sorry but if you're offended by anything in a video game you need to step back and get help. I'm sick and tired of every want to be PC warrior screwing with my life and my fun because they spend their time trying to find something to complain about. This game is rated, if you didn't want to see or experience these things then maybe you should have read up about it, and if you're a long time player; shame on you for attention grabbing!

Meta should always be a temporary word, at least for any balance team that know what the hell they are doing. It absolutely confounds me that the balance atrocities that go on and on are not called to the carpet so to speak. I've never in all my years of playing MMO's seen virtually no rotation of meta's such as we've seem in this game, it goes to show you how young and inexperienced this team is, worst of all they are learning their trade on our dime!

I mean, anet has been rather clear on what they are hyping. Living world STORY. If you go there expecting an expansion or them to talk about anything else then either wait until more info is shared or level your expecations based on things they shared so far in regards to the announcement. I believe the Anet have set the expectations. The issue is somebody made a video(not an anet person) and people are believe everything in it. Its dumb i know, but its happening. All I can say is that in almost every successful MMO an expansion at this stage would not be a pie in the sky expectation, so to berate those that feel this way just goes to prove how little the community is willing to accept. No expansion in my mind is a clear sign that this group needs to be changed out because they've either lost their love and zest for the franchise or their management team has, either way it's not good news for the player base.It's completely acceptable for excited fans to want more and if the announcements don't live up to those expectations it's nobody's fault but Anet's. How quickly people seem to forget that this game was basically put on life support while other projects were pushed to the forefront, and if that is acceptable to you than I fear you're part of the problem. Any company would be more than happy to accept the lowest of expectations if they felt they could still be profitable, so if LW is all we get, who's fault is that?

This is one of the biggest quality of life additions i'd love to see and add to that how many you can keep in your mail box. I have several from players and people who are no longer with us that I hold on to for sentimental reasons (Gaile Gray) and it is tough to have to delete these just to make room due to the 10 e-mail maximum!

My prediction is that the LW5 story line will revolve around us trying to prevent Jormag from being awakened, so we will fight some minor boss. I expect they will introduce some features but nothing major for LW5 other than Swiss tournaments for WvW, level 500 crafting and then hit us with the next expansion involving both Jormag and Primordus.The expansion will bring the larger features including the build templates and new raids and fractals as well as two new open world boss encounters in the far Shiverpeaks. Once we have the expansion they will announce LW6 followed by the final expansion which will take us to Cantha and Bubbles with the introduction of not one but two races, Tengu and Largos.