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@jaif.3518 I'm with you, not enjoying the direction EoD took with open world events at all. In fact I went back to finishing up stuff in other maps I appreciate a whole lot more now and have only been back to upgrade my bot. And I hate LFG always have always will. @Vayne.8563 It's completely possible to help people in open world without parties and discord always has been and I've been doing it for eight years. Instanced content is not my bag and the casual randomness of being thrown together with a group for a fight or task (and to succeed b/c the event isn't designed like a raid) then to move on with my own adventure is exactly what I'm looking for. GW2 has done a good job of keeping casual and hardcore players separate for years but based on the heated discussions EoD continues to drive it will be interesting to see the development of future releases.

My own personal wish for accessibility is a difficulty slider for the story and dungeons since it's nearly impossible to form groups for older content. Before anyone decides that I must be ignorant in some way on game mechanics, just don't. I've been playing for about 8 years, have several full builds, understand defiance bars, know what a combo skill is, how to dodge AoE, am capable of changing my settings and actually enjoy that GW2 is a complicated and challenging game. But I have a chronic illness that on top of the visual and aural sensitivities makes me tired and weak, this leads to me being unable to keep up with other active players. It takes me a lot longer to learn fight mechanics because I have to take a lot of breaks which makes it hard to keep groups together. My illness has made me a recluse irl and I spend most of my online gaming without making lasting friendships. I'm not saying this for pity invites, it is just the way life ends up for some people and am already in an awesome guild. For me HoT and LWS3 are the most engaging and re-playable maps since events are on short reliable timers and only require in-game chat for coordination, not to mention the rewards continue be lucrative. Due to this EoD is a bit of a disappointment for me, mostly because I didn't have a problem with how GW2 kept the casualness of open world and the rigidness of instanced content separate with the earlier releases. Although I am tentatively excited about the upcoming changes to WvW which is a game mode I really enjoy but it needs updating. I haven't seen as much discussion in the community about accessibility in a while and it would be wonderful if the developers to notice and actually implement changes. But considering they never have in the past I won't hold my breath.

I feel the same way. The aesthetics are so beautiful and the story is easy to complete but that's where my praise ends. The maps are large and mostly empty of events there are invisible walls everywhere in every map including the Guild Hall. Speaking of the GH why isn't amazing music for EoD used in the GH, it's just the regular open world music. I was really excited for how easy the hero points and masteries were, but it's obvious these masteries are mostly about selling skins and I unlocked three of the new builds but don't really enjoy them. The Stardew Valley type fishing mini-game isn't my bag and I find the turtle stupid looking. I have been playing GW2 for about eight years and consider myself a casual since I am disabled and can't get into instanced content because the rotations are beyond my abilities. But I have always loved open world in GW2. Heart of Thorns and LWS3 the maps are challenging and full of functional events, hidden achievements and lore. Path of Fire and LWS4 are also rich with achievements and lore, the events are a bit janky but open world randoms can still come together and get them done. Having spent a few dozen hours in End of Dragons it just doesn't feel the same but that's my opinion and everyone else will have a different one. I am very disappointed in the community that have made not enjoying a meta-event and criticizing the expansion into a competition for who are the 'real' GW2 players. Complicated rotations and relying on another player's ability to upkeep boons is one of the major reasons I avoid instanced content, it's too restrictive in a game that prides itself on promoting a diversity of playing styles.

Your post is one the most arrogant and self-inflating things I have ever read and there have been many posts by elitists about this meta. So it's absolutely wonderful that you are talented and experienced and great at making friends, that is your world and it is completely unfair to the rest of the population against it. My world is one with physical limitations due to chronic illness that amplifies my social anxiety and makes it difficult to connect with others in-game and irl. Personally I haven't even attempted this meta as there are no rewards from it's completion that hold interest to me. But it is disappointing to see all this toxicity aimed at casual players. Sure some people are lazy, but I am disabled and for me there is a skill wall that I am incapable of passing even though I've been playing since 2015. A few years ago I tried to get into end game instanced content by joining some training guilds and it was so obvious that even with practice my play-style left me the weakest link so I reinvested into open world and left that to others more capable. So as a person not interested in 10 person raids/strikes a 50 person raid in open world that requires two hours of organized prep couldn't be further from what I look forward to. Soloing open world is the best for me as I take so long to get through content and take frequent breaks due to my disability, it's frustrating and I hate making people wait while I deal with being frail. HoT, while challenging is also rich in events, activities and loot. PoF and the LW episodes were a bit of a struggle for me to get through on my own but again most maps have rolling events that reward decent loot and materials. Gw2 has always been a favorite game of mine because it is possible to both play while engaging with a group and as a solo player. I have invested a lot of money and time into completing as much content as I can and truly enjoy how the GW2 challenges me but also lets me avoid the parts of the game that are too difficult for me. If the future of GW2 is forcing the typed of instanced content that I completely suck at into the open world then congratulations, at least one less casual will be cluttering up your maps.