EpicName.4523

Well, I assume groups are looking for support FBs, not dps ones. This is from the guardian part of the site: https://snowcrows.com/builds?profession=Guardian The only recommended FB is the support version. Quickness FB can be "effective" as seen from the second page, but I guess not really in demand?

Alright, I want to have a viable PvE spec/gear for any profession despite not playing it much, just in case I have the sudden desire to do it. Mighty Teapot released such tier lists from time to time, but there is nothing since the last balance patch(which I did not read because the number crunching and profession balance is not something I can get proper conclusions about). From what I understand, Revenants are the top-tier PvE beats at the moment, with each of its specs being good or even broken. What about guardian? I checked snowcrows and it seems they have listed 3 recommended specs - HfB and two variations of the Willbender. I had Quickness Firebrand equipped in mostly ritualist exotics, but it seems to have fallen off. I guess it's time to scrap it and change to Willbender. But which version? Power or condi? Is celestial Firebrand viable? Especially in fractals? Vallun released video years ago, but it's obviously pretty outdated, so I wanted to know if it can still work? Is Firebrand even good for anything but support?

People find strange things to complain about...

Harbinger doesn't seem to have very much to do with necros theme-wise. I always thought Harbinger should have been the elite spec for engineers, and Mechanist for necros, with suitable visual changes, ofc. Could have been called "summoner" or something. . Anyway, I came to the conclusion that skulls and pointy things sticking from your gear don't work well with Harbinger theme-wise (personal opinion). I want to make my necro look similar to a demon hunter from Diablo or Van Helsing. Half the gear I could use is leather...Not many trenchcoats or large hats ( like Jade Tech Hat which is again leather) give me that appearance, though. For pistols, I can use Ebonhawke Crossbows from BLC and that's about it. Has someone done something similar and does anyone have suggestions that can fit the theme?

This game seems to have a huge focus on cosmetics. I try hard to match weapons and armor to the theme of a profession. For example, on a guardian, I use bluish colors especially if they can have a flame on them. Can you list a few items of each type you perceive to be great looking, while at the same time, matching the theme of a profession? For example, I really enjoy the look of elementalist-conjured weapons. They are, IMHO, better than legendaries. Greatsword Volcanus - best-looking greatsword. Looks amazing on a warrior since I connect "battle rage" to fire and anger. It fits for me. Caladbolg on any sylvari, especially rangers. Hammer Mjolnir - hands down gorgeous model that can fit guardian, scrapper, or catalyst. Devil-Rending Axe for revenant Sword Jormag's Breath - excellent for guardian or elementalist. Whispering Blade - purple and ethereal, perfect for a mesmer. Shining Blade is an honorary mention, but it is a legendary. The color palette seems to fit a mesmer particularly well, though. ....... Longbow Glacial Longbow on a guardian, Vermillion Longbow for a berserker (Rebirth looks good 2), Kudzu on a sylvari ranger Rifle The Predator on a deadeye (Blood Legion Longshot for a cheap alternative or Zafirah's Rifle from gem store), Eternal Forged Rifle for berserker, Arcane Marksman Rifle for an engineer. Staff Glacial Staff for guardian and support ele, OBLIVION, Sunscythe Staff, Suntouched Staff, Boneskinner Spire/Final Rest/ for necro, Stellar Spire for mesmer, White Tiger Staff for a daredevil...and a lot more. Honestly, if someone is actually interested I can add many, many more suggestions, but the idea was to look for ideas, not present what I consider the best.

I have made use of celestial gear on pretty much all of my characters. I love it. It works well in open world and is never bad in WvW. Only class I never used celestial stats on was warrior. A very old topic in these same forums warns that warriors don't benefit much from it nd is therefore pointless to try. Is that still the case? Can warriors be good with celestial, especially in WvW?

I want to do Decade of the Dragon achievement and it requires me to do 10 pvp games. I play this game VEEERYY casually and I think I did like 1 unranked game in my entire "career." I am looking for the absolutely most cheesy, totally braindead, but effective profession/spec combo to finish the achievement without suffering too badly in the process. And I mean utterly braindead because I suck quite hard. Would appreciate some suggestions, builds and tips. Thanks.

Which mount skins are your favorite? Why? Especially interested in warclaw skins.

I want to finish several weapon related achievements in EoD in order to unlock the weapons behind them - like the the Purifier, for example. Many of my characters have celestial exotic gear, but in order to finish many of the said achievements, you must do strike missions. Celestial is amazing and highly versatile stat and I don't want to spend tons of gold for at least semi-meta gear, sigils and runes. Can you do strike missions with Celestial or Trailblazer equipment without getting kicked or something? Additionally, I have tried for a looooong time to kill Aetherblade enemies in their hidden camp in Echovald. Wanted to loot one item for the Purifier, but it NEVER dropped. Never. Will magic find boosters help or am I looking in the wrong place?

If you have already started the collection and rely just on RNG fishing to complete it - it gets frustrating. Also, in the very same lake in Echovald there is Grotto Fish and Lutgardis Fish, so the choice isn't as obvious as one might think. Imagine attempting to get the kitten thing again and again thinking you did something wrong, so you might as well try the other options even if you are told otherwise.

Fishing. Some people like to fish. In real life, that is. I don't particularly like it tbh, but to each their own. Then comes virtual fishing. In a game. And truth be told, I'd rather be fishing in real life, since at least I get something to eat. Hunting virtual fish is kinda dumb, imho. If I want to punch giant fantasy critter to death irl, I'm gonna have real trouble making it happen, but doing something as mundane as fishing is a completely different story. But Anet added a feature and they want to showcase it. They want it bad. So bad that they tied acquiring certain weapons to fishing. Let's take the mechanist mace, for example - Percussive Maintenance. One of the requirements is to get "Amber Trout" from Echovald. You need "Lake Fish" to supposedly catch it. Except it says nowhere that you need to look for "Lake Fish" in the first place. You must consult the wiki to get that info. And you can only catch the "Amber Trout" during the day. Except that you can't know that unless you check the wiki again. And personally, I find it very hard to understand if it is day or night in Echovald, in particular. Finally, if you are lucky enough to check the wiki before starting to know when and where you have to catch the fish, you still have to spend HOURS praying to the RNG Gods in order to finish the collection. I have yet to catch the amazingly rare, virtual, orange fish made from pretty unique pixels and it is getting VERY annoying. My heart bristles with anticipation when the random number generator will hopefully decide that I have finally thrown away enough of my time in order to show my amazing achievement to the world! My orange, virtual, fish! YAY! I have no control over this process, no way to speed it up, skip it or do anything, but pray. And for a game that is supposedly respecting your time, wasting so much of it in order to catch VIRTUAL fish looks rather excessive? I mean, if you like fishing, fine, just don't make me spend hours on an activity I don't give a F about in order to get what I DO want.

The UI. For fishing and for the skiff. It is so GINORMOUS that it literally covered half my screen. I couldn't see anything BUT those those GIANT BUTTONS. When I acquired the skiff, the UI for it was so absolutely HUGE that I had to look on the Internet how to hide it from my sight. My eyeballs were bleeding. Seems I was alone in this, because I saw tons of people asking how to fish and how to activate their skiff. They are clearly blind, these people. It is so obvious how to find and use the skiff it is beyond belief. And no sarcasm here. Nope, not at all.

I would be surprised if nobody has already suggested this, but can we get salvage only identified gear option on salvage kits?

Quote where I said expansion is bad because China. All I said is that I don't like the aesthetics and how more of those could be added to appease certain markets. I will help you, you can't quote me because I never said that. First, I do believe asian inspired themes do not work well with the western themes, that is true. Btw, if I just come and say I am not a fan what would be the point? Who cares? Hi, I don't like asian themed fantasy, k, thx, bye. Indeed, I don't like the setting. I have not yet played the expansion, so I cannot say if it would be good or bad. What I can do is express a concern that the setting COULD POSSIBLY be too much, that IT COULD be marketed towards certain demographics to the detriment of the current population. I am not in the dev's heads, I cannot read their thoughts, ok? Ok, now I am done responding. For real. I simply got annoyed when someone calls me out for not continuing my thread when there was really no reason to go further. Bye!

I made a post concerning the game. You made a post concerning how phobic I am. Several, in fact. What is your goal by accusing me? What makes you feel you have some moral high ground? Are you an NPC? What any of this has to do with the game?

What you like is subjective. You either like it or you don't. How to discuss visuals when everyone likes different things? I don't like that color or that weapon handle or that pointy part over there. Change it. Happy now? But even if I was whatever-phobic that is none of your business, honestly. Ah, so I have a point. And I see the points of others. It's called a discussion. Do you have a point? No? Then leave, as you yourself suggested. TBH, I don't care how you express your "kitten", just do it somewhere far away. Btw, do you know what OP is? Because if I am the author of this thread and I can cry "together with the OP", then you clearly don't understand what OP means. https://www.howtogeek.com/698508/what-does-op-mean-online-and-how-do-you-use-it/ Have a nice day and come back after you learn what words you use mean.

Oh. Sir, you have very sophisticated language. Allow me to point out that Rata Sam and Black Citadel are not human settlements, they have their own atmosphere without trying to resemble certain country that I have already been found out to be mentioning too much. I must say, however, that by your way of expressing yourself you seem to be too far up your "kitten" too. Well then, imagine entire continent of something similar but based on a different culture. And yes, I do understand sarcasm. It is quite rare to find individual capable of actually presenting argument on both sides of something without throwing random garbage. I salute you. Like everyone else I have an opinion. It's true I am not particularly fond of the setting it's true. The major point is, however, the reason why Cantha is chosen and will the game become oversaturated with certain themes for monetary reasons. And you are welcome out of this thread kind sir. I don't see you adding anything of value to it. Ok, I see your point. And katanas are cool, so I actually give the devs extra points for that, but 2 or 3 deities and a katana don't change where the majority of the influence is drawn. Yes, the country which-shall-not-be-named I also like the fact that you specifically came to gloat. I made a point, I put forward my views, I am done. Is there any reason to respond to to three pages of text? Is it as if I don't have anything better to do? Clearly not, since I did just that, but for the last time. Discuss at your leisure or don't. I made my point. kek

You are one of those, eh? I really don't have to justify my likes or dislikes. They are there and that's it. When you try to defend your preferences you are admitting there is something wrong. I beg to differ. You can draw inspiration from something without trying to please a crowd and you can do so in a flattering way to push sales. Look, I will give you an example. Almost every (old) US movie has the typical American Chad hero that is Chuck Norris in disguise. Why? Because the audiences watching this consciously or not want to associate with him. He is "their" guy. Meanwhile, many (old and modern) movies have the Russian bad guy, the drunkard, the terrorist, the evil mastermind, whatever. Do you think someone in Russia would watch that garbage and like it? Some would, if it is well made, but most wouldn't. And that's how it should be because Russians are not the intended audience, westerners are. Same with every type of media. I had to Google that place to remember where it is. Do you have do to the same for an entire expansion? It doesn't bother me when someone adds an odd reference or addition, what bothers me is entire landmass and setting that is ALL about that.

I guess I don't explain myself very well. It doesn't matter if GW2 is released in China. It doesn't matter if it is in a separate server. You are a customer. You like certain things. When you see things that spark your interest you pay money for them. The people that sell you the stuff you like make more of it in order to sell it to you. You live in China. You like Chinese culture(real shock, I know). You see a game that sparks your interest because it is centered around a version of the place you live in. You buy the game or the cosmetics related to it. You spend time and money. The people that develop the game see that they make a profit by selling you stuff. They decide they should focus their efforts on selling you more. And when you have a large market with potentially billions of customers, you follow that path until the customers' wallets are empty. It's called capitalism and I can't explain this any clearer.

Uhm, you do realize that an expansion to a game released in 2006 is completely different to one in 2022, right? The world is a different place now. Many companies are trying to please China, including tech giants like Google. Games are made specifically for that market. Celebrities make videos to apologize for some perceived slight. Censorship is enforced just to make a game sellable there. So a game made today will have entirely different goals compared to before and this change must not be underestimated.

Ah yes, my fears and hopes. Could speak about yours, but I neither care for nor share them, so I express mine. And yes, I do not particularly enjoy the setting, but that doesn't mean I am against playing it. Don't put words in my mouth, thanks.

The difference is in the fact that in Egypt and Africa there isn't a huge market of literally billions of people. A market that the devs might want to capture by relentlessly pondering to what they consider that this market might want.

You seem to think that I am ignorant enough to confuse China with the entirety of East Asia. I am not. However, I can assure you that given the desire of the vast majority of game developers to ponder to Chinese markets, this is the idea they usually try to present. Cantha is China, not Vietnam or Cambodia or whatever, at the very least given its name, lore and obvious references. You are right the game has guns and snipers and whatnot, but these are not unique to this MMO and I have no problem with them. Other games have done it too and it works. And yes, it makes sense that different cultures are...different. My fear is that the art, setting, music and everything else, the entirety of the expansion, of the end-game if you want to call it, is based on a culture I personally dislike from purely an aesthetic point of view. I fear that presence will be overwhelming and inescapable. My hope is that if they want to portray China, they just don't overdo it, that's all.

In a traditional fantasy setting you have some form of medieval society (more or less). You have dragons, spells, wizards, oversized swords and etc. Yes, there are deviations and even despite that it can get somewhat stale and boring after awhile. However, you just know what to expect and you expect that everything fits together nicely in this world. Recently, I was looking at the last trailer released and all I saw was some depressing steampunk metropolis. It looked completely out place and tbh - kind of ugly. An overcrowded dumpster of gray concrete. I also remember the weapons that came with the purchase of EoD. All of them had a distinct...Chinese look. Call it Cantha or Cathay, it is China. Of course it will look Chinese, but that's not the point. Point is the association I had - these bamboo weapons reminded me of a cheap Chinese souvenir, the type they sell to gullible tourists in discount shops. And I suddenly came to the conclusion that there will be an entire expansion dedicated to a culture that is kind of out of place in a typical power fantasy with an art style on armor and weapons that I will dislike aesthetically. I remember Mists of Pandaria in WoW and when they announced the pandas I was like - I AM OUT. The areas, the music, the entire setting was just trying too much to be China without really being one. And that was everywhere, it was almost impossible to escape. In a world with orcs, goblins elves and undead there were also the fat pandas. The former April's fools joke that came to be for real. I don't have anything against China, but I am afraid most developers have the tendency to glorify the culture they want to portray, maybe out of respect or maybe because they think it will attract audience in said country. (Probably the latter) Question is, why do people want to see China so much in this game? Am I the only one to fear the setting will be a turn off?

Recently I changed my gear and spec to make a healing firebrand due to the high demand for groups. In order to learn how to play it I used this video: The guy making the video was running a spec with Virtues/Honor/Firebrand. Meanwhile the Metabattle build is Radiance/Honor/FB - https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Firebrand_-_Support_Healer My question is if the video is already outdated, is the advice given still relevant and should I use Virtues or Radiance? Another thing I noticed is that many groups spam for HFB, but the build is given a rate of 4.8? Meanwhile for both raid and fractals, various power/condi/ support quickness builds get a 5. Why? Was it a mistake to go Harrier support FB? I thought this was like the cornerstone of most groups?