Obfuscate.6430

TDLR: The game has a lot of GREAT things that attract people and non of them have anything to do with dungeons or raids. However, core dungeons should be re-worked or incentivized to improve the new player experience. In more detail: At launch Guild Wars 2 did not have a true 'end game'. While the core dungeons existed, the personal story's finale with the Zhaitan fight was so easy and anticlimactic that people quit the game, feeling there was nothing else left to do. Not only did they quit, they told their friends that the game sucked and that's a stain that continued to persist up until very recently. What attracted people to the game in the past however, is still true today. Guild Wars 2 is a no-pressure game which is perfect for the aging gamer demographic. It has no subscription fee, it promotes community within the game instead of competition, it disguised it's grind but makes sure any grind present is not strictly necessary. It also made sure that the "fun" was to be had throughout the entire game, not just at some point at the end. The purpose of the core dungeons is tell you the story of the first main NPCs: Rytlock, Logan, Zojja, Caithe and Eir while also allowing lower level characters to do fun, challenging group content. They are called 'dungeons' because they are dungeons in the traditional sense of having that underground/ fortress crawl feeling. Fractals feature their own story. They are called Fractals because like a fractal their pattern repeats but in ever growing scale in terms of difficulty. They are also easier to add to without changing any of the main story of the game. You need unique gear called Agony Infusions for the higher tiers, and there are challenge modes to them. They are described in general as a type of dungeon but are ultimately their own thing. The first expansion was to bring the challenge it's experienced player base was asking for. Most systems introduced past this point have been introduced to give players something to do that takes more skill and more time but also to entice newer players, or even players who had left. The introduction of Raids was to give Guild Wars 2 the end game that people have wanted and needed. However, this served only to divide the community in some regards. To mitigate this, the developers introduced Strikes which are basically a single Raid-style boss encounter to help people make the transition from casual pve in to the most difficult content in the game. They have stated however, that the majority of players are fairly casual and by that I mean - they avoid difficult content. I think the group was even smaller than those who play pvp almost exclusively. There has been a drop in new content creation in general but ultimately in the best interest of the company the developers have turned their attention to releasing more open world things because that is where the main chunk of their players are playing. As a new player - the core game is 100% free, and they should be taking their time to see what the game is about and learning how to play through that. On the surface there is no reason to boost a character to level 80, when you can achieve that in 2 days of dedicated play any way. ~ I will say though, that because core dungeons are abandoned, there are very few people playing them so new players don't get to experience them. Arenanet needs to address why new players feel the need to boost a character if they just started. They added new achievements to them but for the most part veterans go to Fractals for better rewards.

Go to Youtube, and watch videos that show cases the professions. That way you can see the build, skill rotation and the result before having to invest in building up a character from scratch. Difficulty of a class is purely subjective - I can not tell you what would be fun or easy but at least with those videos you can get a general sense of the different classes. Myself, I have made one of every class, and one for every specialization. There are definitely some classes I find difficult to the point of not being fun for me to play.

There are people who complain that the game is too casual because there are no worthy goals that are difficult, that there isn't enough content that gives them a feeling of accomplishment or progression. WELL, welcome to the type of content that accomplishes delivering all of the above with a reward that actually adds so much more to the sense of exploration to the game and even goes so far as to diminish much of the difficulty in certain maps entirely. In the process of earning the currencies you need, you should be exploring, experiencing the metas, stock piling materials and gold as well as looking in to certain map/story related achievements. It's an all around win when it comes to what this game has to offer. The skyscale offers convenience but the other mounts can get you to the areas the skyscale can, so you have a way to accomplish what you need to while working on getting it. Look, trust me on this - these long haul collection grinds are Guild Wars 2's way of giving people long term goals that feel worth it. I'm working on my 4th legendary weapon. Even though I've been playing since launch, I still find the last part of it (making the gifts) to be a grind due to my limited time and disinterest in farming. But it's supposed to be your hard work paying off. Don't you want to experience that? If not, there's not going to be much in the long term for you to really work towards and enjoy.

I wanted to ask for this too. Out of all the newest added characters I love him the most. More than Tibalt. Actually I wanted there to be an update about him, story wise. The best we got was a letter that said he had a back up in the inquest facility. But we never get to go get it!

I have made alts for 3 main reasons: ~ to experience a new class/specialization ~to experience a new race/gender with a class (hearing the different way they shout attacks for instance.) ~ to explore a fashion theme inspired by a weapon/armor skin. Outside of that - I don't think I've played through the entire personal story and living world on any single character outside of my main. I do love exploring maps though or farming - even core maps. It's very relaxing for me.

I've lately been too sore to sit at my desk after work. This means I spend significantly less time playing. Without any new content I have not felt particularly engaged or motivated. I do love me some easy to do metas though - Tequatl is my all time favorite, Chak Garrent being my second, and Doppleganger the third. I also find chasing the Ley Anomaly interesting (love that Mystic coin and would love more metas that reward it) Currently I am very casually working on crafting HOPE in preparation for Harbinger. Was UNPLEASANTLY surprised by the cost of Mystic Coins.

That is so good! So much easier to navigate and clear on what the game is about than what we currently have.

I don't think 1v1 open world dueling would be on the same reward tracks as the rest of spvp since it takes place in open world. I can imagine it being along the same lines as costume brawl and akin to sparring.

Everyone has access to a mesmer portal if mesmers are around on core maps. Not everyone in core maps have access to mounts. I know this sounds like splitting hairs in this particular scenario. But the point of my post was to point out that some new players are feeling like they are being left behind because of this. The main thing is the raptor killing mobs though.

It's an exploitation though.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Custom_Arena This is what Arenanet currently offers. It allows you to create your own arena, and you can invite whomever you want in there. For open world 1v1, we have Costume Brawl but it's not remotely what you're asking for. I believe we don't have 1v1 dueling because in other games duel invites are often spammed. I feel like Guild Wars 2 has a place for it despite the protests in this forum. If they ever implement it, they could include an opt-in option, that would allow people who WANT to get duel invites to have a different color name, or maybe some kind of mark beside their name. You could even have a small reward track for dueling. I say why not. I know, it's a lot of work etc. That doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Sorry for not seeing this sooner. I don't think they are rendering any core tyrian masteries meaningless, but mounts are disrupting the experience for new players: ie raptor engage killing mobs before a new player can get a hit in. The second issue is people using flying or hopping mounts to get at the chest at the end of some puzzles despite the no fly/no mount zone.

I am sorry I am not reading all 17 pages but I don't agree with OP. You need to learn tactics and stock your utility bar accordingly. Are you in a place where you are likely to be overwhelmed? Learn how to kite. Lots of enemies with CC? Bring a stun break. Keep your eyes peeled and know your limits. Don't engage if you feel it's going to be too much. It's a multiplayer game so you also have the option of joining groups. If there is a specific goal use the LFG. POF is also the latest expansion. It is supposed to be difficult - it is supposed to make use of all the skills you've learned up until this point. In the very least, give a site like Metabattle a try and pay attention to gear. I find practicing in spvp for a few days helps teach tactics as well as make you more familiar with your build. You will never face any mob as hard as another player

Drytop was an example, and you've missed the reason why I brought it up. Essentially Arenanet has trivialized their own content. You could argue that there is a lot of content in the game that we never look back on and no one complains however masteries were supposed to be a form of meaningful progression. Mounts have superseded that and you could argue that they are a form of progression for veteran players. However for new players who start at POF and then use their new mounts to skip "meaningful progression" of all the content that came before - then what? Arenanet's ultimate goal is not only to attract players, but keep them. The Pre-Mount masteries were ultimately designed to give us a sense of progression but also occupy our time in a meaningful and rewarding way. What reward does that offer to newer players now? Particularly to new players who start at POF and then go back to core and HOT? That is what the developers should be looking at. But to be fair, talking about the validity of masteries as a game system is probably for another thread. But with regards to mounts - they really do make much of the older content meaningless.

I've sort of accepted that due to the poor exchange rate between USD and CDN along with whatever laws govern such things, that I won't be seeing Guild Wars 2 related sales in Canada - or if they happen, it will be rare. They advertised on an American site and that makes sense. What really bothers me on top of this is that they sent the advertisement to my email too. I feel if I am ineligible to participate in their contests or get access to these sale items, they should not be sending me emails.

I would love to see previews. We've waited SO long. YEARS of BEGGING. So many threads pleading with Arenanet to add new options. I hope they don't hype it and then it turns out to be disappointing. x_x

All of the mounts do this though to a certain degree. Mounts should be disabled in areas where they entirely invalidate movement skills earned with masteries; ie - maps where you needed those masteries specifically to progress and attain goals. A good early example is Dry Top. Another example is Draconis Mons. The counter argument is that mounts bring new life to old maps and I agree. If you've ever flown over one on Gryphon back or Skyscale there's no comparison. Vistas will never give you that view. If you've ever needed to get to a certain map fast, on a new character without going near mobs nothing beats a Rollerbeetle or a Raptor. I think these two uses of mounts in core maps are ok because they don't disrupt any one else's game play and the only advantage that gives you is no worse than using a Gem Shop item to unlock waypoints. But people use them to engage and instantly destroy low level mobs. You can leap from the back of them on to the end of some jumping puzzles regardless of the mount and gliding ban. I feel the issues I've mentioned are serious problems which can be disruptive for new players but also ~ the habit of Arenanet introducing new movement systems and then never or rarely using them again outside of the map they were from is already pretty bad. Mounts render those things even more useless. I'm not particularly eloquent but I can understand how frustrating it is when you realize that your time is only valuable to the company in so far as how long they can keep you engaged in certain content - that is to say the company is less interested in creating lasting, useful systems that rewards our time and effort throughout the game. That being said, it is understandable to a certain extent that any new map added past Path of Fire would and should make use of mount movement. But, adding in vines, mushrooms, Zephyrite crystals - in areas too tight for mounts, in puzzles, in intricate terrain - I think would be good. We earned these things: I want to see them used more often. I don't think new players should be able to just be able to skip ahead to the degree mounts allow them to. (Like Heart of Thorns content.)

Deus Ex Machina as in "an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel." - which holds true whether I like the story beat or not. Aurene eating Joko to save the commander at the last second is a Deus Ex Machina and I LIKED that part; and said eating resulting in Aurene returning to life to help in an impossible fight is another. Calling it Deus Ex Machina would remain true even if it were a plot device the writers had planned years in advance.

Arenanet's writing is like this: Step 1: Introduce a character and double down on their development (engage the player by making them learn more about this character) Step 2: Kill the character (attempt to evoke a strong reaction in the player to give the story a sense of depth) Step 3: Repeat Step 1 and 2 until the player base complains about the pattern Step 4: Dues Ex Machina to avoid a repeat of step 3. Some people may have noticed this pattern after playing through personal story, Living World and the expansions. Every update, my SO and I place bets on who we think Arenanet is killing this time. I think the Aurene thing was just... the final straw for me personally. I really liked her initially but the way the writers jerked our feelings around and use the character now have damaged a lot of my original sentimentality towards her. At this point I am wary and suspicious of any character that suddenly seems interesting. The only cool character they haven't fridged for the commander yet is...Hero-Tron. I will never forgive them if they hurt that golemite.

I follow 2 Guild Wars 2 content creators on Youtube: 1 because I find it easier to keep up with updates through them. I don't have Twitter and updates aren't always on Guild Wars 2's main web site. So I can usually rely on this content creator to let me know whats new. I also enjoy when they have their friend on and they brain storm theories and build craft together. I don't always agree with their opinions and sometimes am so off put by their complete lack of awareness of their privilege that makes their experience VERY different from the average player. The other I follow because they are charming, and always have funny stories to tell or show and they just have a good vibe. I used to follow artist content creators on Tumblr but there is some unpleasant aspect about the tumblr Gw2 community so I generally avoid it now.

That clears things up a bit but if someone is posting an opinion I don't understand because I can't agree with it and others have already replied with sentiments that match my own I think it is fair that I don't necessarily have to make a post to explain my position if it is only echoing what others have said without really adding anything new. You could argue that I can also give thanks or likes to the replies that I agree with instead, but if the poster I didn't agree with comes back, someone else's reply getting likes may not have meaning to them. Infact they might not look at or even notice that. A reaction directly on their own post however, whatever it is - sends a message directly to them. I think it still has value even if it's not always a favorable reaction but I can see how it can be exploited.

Ah I think I misunderstood. I feel that by continuing the story, upgrading the engine and building new systems upon older ideas is expanding upon the game - but if they have to make an entirely new game for that, it is expanding the franchise which is different to a degree. I would welcome both. I have to wait till I see the expansion to decide if I am interested in or ready for a Guild Wars 3 if I am entirely honest though. But I have to admit, if they did try to bring Guild Wars 1 on to mobile I am ready lol!

Usually when I use the emoji it's because those reactions have all been said. I generally want to add something to a thread, instead of parrot what others are saying. Disregarding any reaction but those that fully support your vision is pretty much negating the need for reactions at all - or any interaction at all. If you want people to only agree with you or like what you are saying, why invite feedback at all? I generally love your posts, that I have seen so far, but I still don't understand why this emoji thing is this bothersome to you and many others. (aside from the irritating notification that is)

I don't understand why people have an issue with the emojis. I've reacted with the emoji myself a few times when I didn't have words to add to the thread but definitely had a reaction. It allows people to contribute without spamming. I don't see any reason why you need to see who is reacting though, if they are not sharing an actual worded opinion. The confusion emoji seems to represent an actual lack of understanding to me, rather than a downvote. There are some threads I didn't understand - either the writing was poor or the argument/suggestion/opinion was confusing. Like one thread was about how everything announced so far for the expansion was garbage and how no one will buy it. I didn't understand where they got that idea from so I used the confused emoji. The crying emoji I don't understand. What I hate though is getting notifications of these emoji reactions. Little noisy pop-up windows to tell me "someone reacted". Like...I can check back on a thread if I want to, I don't need the notification.

As someone in their 40s I find that you are over reaching with your generalization. I love this franchise and I want to see it grow. No one is asking the game to start over. If you, personally, aren't interested in aspects of the game growing or changing that is completely alright, but don't stifle a game's direction because of that. Maybe find something more fitting to the pace you are looking for.