Bright Oblivion.2856

Not so much proud as relieved it's over, but I finally finished the "Champions" Mastery achievement over the weekend. If the DRMs had been spread out, it might not have been as rough, but all at once like that was a doozy. Other than that, I guess I've mostly been slowly progressing toward parts of purple armors since coming back from an extended (almost a year?) break from the game last month. I've been doing a fair bit of PvP to try to get ascended shards of glory (less than 150 pips from being able to craft my chest piece) and running around HoT maps to finish Gifts of Dedication and grab Provisioner Tokens once a day, because I decided that I'd use a different method for each of the three armor weights (WvW medium is already done) for the sake of variety/"the experience." I think what I'm most proud of recently, though, is coaxing myself back into/through my first raid wing since the break put me back on the wrong side of all of the anxiety I'd fought through to dive into them the first time. It was just Wing 1, and I was super rusty, but it's at least a first step back up that hill. (Fortunately I'd pretty much just done wings 1-3 before my break, so at least I don't have far to go before I'm back where I was, I guess.)

I managed to avoid it for a few matches this morning, but have now very much gotten stuck at "Match is about to begin." A tow out of this rut would be much appreciated.

I think they only added the achievement today, since they were already adding one for the post-LS3 conversation. It'll still be several weeks (until we've unlocked all the previous episodes in LS4) before we're actually able to unlock it.

As Rasimir said, it seems less a "We don't want to put in the effort to fix it" and more "The people who would fix it are currently working on other (possibly EoD-related) things and can't work on this right now." Which, depending on how complex such a system as you're suggesting actually is to implement, they might also not have the appropriate resources (read: engineering peoples) available to do that right now, either. I think we're kind of just in a waiting game right now. I also think it unlikely that after they expressly decided not to include Slumbering Conflux in the Armory (you have to trade it to Hobbs and get the regular version to add it), they'll agree to a solution that involves adding a slumbering version (at least of that ring) to it. I could be wrong, though.

So, here's what really frustrates me: When they wrote the patch notes, someone at least thought about the wells in WvW and PvP enough to make separate reductions for their cooldowns. A day later, these reductions, which they specifically made in WvW and PvP, are removed. Additionally, they remove the well trait in the name of it generally not being competitive enough to be chosen, and then they do this to Sand Savant a day later. Now it has double the normal shade cooldown of normal shade and hits a maximum of four targets (two at the shade and two around you), as opposed to the maximum of 8 (3 shades at 2 targets each, plus 2 around you) of normal shade. The trait is not just not-super-competitive - It's actively detrimental. I mean, I know "Arenanet not communicating with their players" is kind of a meme at this point. But this makes it seem almost like they don't even communicate with each other, and gives their players whiplash as a result. It's really not a pleasant feeling.

This 100%. The way the ticket cap, pip system, and ticket placement within the skirmish chests interact doesn't reduce burnout. It directly contributes to it. As mentioned above, even assuming you can reach the ticket cap each week, you're looking at 20+ weeks for a set of legendary armor or about 6 weeks for Slumbering Conflux. There's no way to catch up or to reduce that time. Bad matchup? Too bad. I guess you're spending more time in WvW this week. Great matchup? Too bad. You can still only get 365 tickets a week. But to get those 365 tickets, even with 5 pips per tick (which isn't incredibly difficult, provided you reach at least rank 150 and maintain your Commitment pip), you're still looking at 24 hours and 10 minutes of WvW every single week. That's 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, week after week, in order to get enough tickets for whatever it is you're going for. You're able to reduce this to an extent by being in a higher placed server (which has more to do with your server's coverage at a given time than anything else), by being a higher rank (your next pip comes at rank 620, and then at 1395, so you're looking at an exponentially increasing time investment there), or by finding an outnumbered map and taking camps, herding yaks, or defending/repairing structures that are under attack, but there's only so much you can do, and you're still restricted to 365 tickets. And then there's how the tickets are distributed into the skirmish chests themselves. Of the 365 total tickets for the week, 90 of them are tossed into the Diamond chests. If you stop short of Mithril, that's an additional 83 tickets every single week that you're missing out on. In other words, by skipping the last two sets of chests each week, you'd be cutting your weekly ticket gains almost in half. Those 20+ weeks to get a full set of legendary armor? They're now 40+. The kicker in all of this is that one of the major draws of being a higher rank or being on a server that does better in the skirmish is that you get more pips and finish the skirmish track faster. This means that those on the higher end are getting tickets faster than they can find something to do with them (and then not getting much else from repeating the diamond chests), and those on the lower end are basically working a part-time job trying to reach the cap each week. All in all, if the goal of the system is to reduce burnout, it's not doing a good job of it. In any event, I've got one more week until I finish the last piece of my medium legendary armor, and then another few weeks for Conflux. After that, I'm probably going to take some time to see what the game is like when I'm not spending 20 hours a week, every single week, chasing skirmish tickets. Edit: To be clear, it's not that I don't enjoy WvW. I generally do. Or did? It's just, with as much time as goes into trying to max the weekly skirmish track, it's truly beginning to feel like the rest of the game is passing me by, and it's getting to be especially draining. In any case, it's one of those things that should probably change somehow, but also probably won't.

i gave up the wvw legendary armor really early. there is no way i can get rank 2000 . i am not a hard core wvw player. but i am a veteran, for 5 years played time. i still havent get to rank 600. To be clear, you don't need to be rank 2000 to get the basic set of legendary armor. That's just for the fancier set with an animation when you enter combat. If you just go for the Triumphant Hero's armor (as opposed to the Mistforged version), rank doesn't matter. Mind you, it's still a massive amount of tickets and WvW to get the pieces, but it's not "Reach rank 2000 before you start." As others have said, your best bets for speeding it up are finding outnumbered maps and making sure to at least finish Wood IV for the +1 commitment pip. Otherwise, it's just a matter of spending more time there. Good luck!

To add to the above, if you complete the achievement line for Bright Shore (a Kodan located at the Ruined Hut PoI in the eastern half of Bjora), he will be able to sell you an ascended amulet for Eternal Ice shards. If you also add the trinket from Still Waters Speaking and the ring and trinket from Dragonfall, you just need a backpack (a bit more tricky to get, but the one in Bitterfrost might be easiest) and another ring (either Bitterfrost using berries or Sandswept Isles getting the Difluorite from Bjora exchange again) to be fully accessorized. I've just finished doing this process to help gear up two alts, and it's gone very well. I had a couple backpacks that didn't have stats selected and a ring from doing season 3 stuff a long time ago, so I just need to decide how I want to get a second diviner's ring for the other.

So, on the one hand, I'm already working on a few legendaries right now, with 2 pieces of WvW legendary armor finished, Aurora needing a Mystic Tribute/100 icy runestones to complete, the Visions of _____ achievement lines slowly getting completed, and my Emblems of the Conqueror and Avenger already earned, and the prospect of being able to use those legendaries on multiple toons at once without jumping through tons of hoops is exciting. That said, it also depends on how they implement it. If you have to spend a lot of gems to unlock each piece or to unlock the armory on each character, or they make it overly tedious to use and it massively restricts what styles I can use on the armor, then that's going to be a serious turn-off for me. If they implement it well, though, I may be encouraged to venture into PvP and raids, two areas I haven't even really dipped my toes into, to maybe try for those legendaries as well. We'll see when it comes out.

I can confirm that the late Tuesday fix has addressed this bug. I just did a 2 CM run through this with Horde and Final Boss, got the Imperator rank because the group was amazing and blew through every event, and the achievement popped. Checking with the other people in the group, it also popped for them. Thanks for the fix, Arenanet!

Agreed. It also seems particularly misleading that an achievement that only says "Reach X thing" doesn't pop when you reach X thing, instead requiring you to do Y which it gives absolutely zero indication of you having to do. If the achievement says to reach Imperator rank, you should get it for reaching Imperator rank. No additional strings or requirements attached.

I'm also thinking it's bugged. I was in a group yesterday (after yesterday's patch) where we knocked out the Horde and Final Boss CMs, did all the events (including the ones for Heavy Rival) and beat the champ at the start, then three-burned the boss, completing the Bonus Time Trial. When the Final Rank popup appeared, it said I'd reached Imperator. However, it failed to reward the achievement credit for reaching the Imperator rank. I was (and still am) decidedly confused. I've had an absolute blast with the vast majority of this update, enjoyed the story, liked the new strike mission, and loved the reward system changes for the old strike missions. But I'd be lying if I said the bugged achievements (like this one appears to be) and the ones which could honestly be worded better (like Heavy Rival which says nothing about killing 15 foes being required, just participation in the event) didn't put a damper on things.

In addition to this pet issue, grabbing the coins or the chest in Siren's Reef now unsummons the Soulbeast's pet even while merged. So it went from merged to treasure grabbed to no pet and I have to re-merge while fighting off all the ghosts. Every. Single. Time.

Prologue: Bound by Blood: Braham once again will be able to overcome the mental prison of his guilt and leave his cell in the "Bad Blood" chapter. From the patch notes for the patch that just came out. Logging in right now to check! EDIT: And he's fixed! Yayyyyy! Thanks @Connor Fallon.9408 !

Thinking it's pinned down doesn't mean the fix is done, tested, and ready to ship in the next few hours. When there's a patch (I'm hoping tomorrow, Friday at latest), it'll hopefully be fixed. Don't get me wrong. I'm just as frustrated to not be able to continue the story as the next person, and I've been checking the fora every couple hours to see if there was a response or a patch. But if tripping over themselves to rush this out leads to either them not getting it fixed right or them breaking something else, I'd rather they do their stuff. They acknowledged it, they think they have a solution, and it's being processed. Hopefully it's not being held up so they can drop more fixes at the same time.

This is still bugged after today's quick patch, in case you might have been hoping the fix just didn't make the patch notes. Braham's still not talking to start the next part of the story.

He is most definitely bugged. Stands up, sighs, sits down, and repeats. I tried both running away for a bit to do map events and coming back and quitting the story segment and restarting it, but neither attempt fixed it. It appears that something this patch bugged him out, because I'm not seeing any reports of him being bugged before now. A bummer since I'd logged in to get the new chapter and decided I wanted to finally start the Season 5 story, only to run into Braham-in-a-Box.

Regarding Jormag, I would say that he sounds more like a male attempting to appear harmless, non-threatening, even tempting (thinking about it, the voice kind of reminds me of Maklaine Diemer in his version of "Fear Not This Night"). Which is par for Jormag's course since at least the time of Svanir. Lure them in with promises of power, make them think they're in control, and ensnare them. The lower, more menacing undertones also evoke (at least for me) thoughts of the dichotomy of his frozen area of power. On the one hand, you have the gently falling snow, ice skating, skiing, snowball fights, etc., while on the other, you have nature's frozen fury- blizzards, avalanches, falling through the ice that's not as thick and sturdy as it appears. Dying cold and alone in the dark. So yeah. Seeing how that blend of temptation and malice plays out is exciting. Regarding the Icebrood, that's just the name for those which have been corrupted by Jormag. Kind of like the Branded, or the Mordrem, or the Risen. Hence why if you go north of Snowhawk Landing in Snowden Drifts, you'll find Icebrood Norn and Icebrood Elementals, which, though frozen, look nothing like baby dragons. Regarding Bangar and Rytlock, as the Twine piece from Requiem reveals, the two have extremely differing opinions and do not get along well in the slightest. Add to that Rytlock's emerging soft spot for his cubs- which Bangar hit hard with his comment about Rytlock's cub being lucky to have Bangar for a father (a reference, I guess, to one of Rytlock's cubs working in close proximity to Bangar and his staff, maybe even in Bangar's warband?)- and that fight was expected, even deserved. As to him looking nice, one doesn't become Imperator of the Blood Legion by collecting bottlecaps or helping at homeless shelters. I suspect he's earned his moniker of "Ruinbringer" many times over and, of the three Imperators, he's the most opinionated, most bloodthirsty, and most opposed to anyone not a Charr. If a challenge to the Pact and its treaties and alliances comes from anyone in the charr high command, I suspect it will come from him. With the dragon threat appearing to have abated, perhaps he makes a power grab and tries to become Khan-Ur. The question becomes is he power-hungry enough to fall prey to the whispers of a slumbering ice dragon who, as we well know, offers great power and has one heck of a sales pitch. After all, there were more than a few charr in that approaching icebrood horde...

I'm not going to argue, that's exactly what it is. Limitations are not necessarily a bad thing, it gives challenge and a sense of pride in mastering the options we have at our disposal. But let's be honest, we have enough movement options already so that we don't feel "limited" Fair enough, at least you are open and honest about this. I can respect that. I just wanted to developp around what I said, as I think I found a beautiful way of saying it: The most fun way of playing the game should also be the most optimal. I think that the current most optimal way of playing the game isn't the most fun, hence my original suggestion. For you.... as other have stated why would you take out the most fun way to play for others just becouse you dont like it? And, this is why the forums exist. I shared my point of view, you shared yours. How am I supposed to know I'm the only one who thinks like this? And why should I refrain from sharing my opinion? Just because it's uncommon? Whats stoping you from not just useing it, why do you want it removed? I already adressed that... you haven't really addressed..why you can't just choose not to use the skill. @ROMANG.1903 said:The most fun way of playing the game should also be the most optimal. I think that the current most optimal way of playing the game isn't the most fun, hence my original suggestion.Except that, for many people (myself included), this "optimal" way of juggling mounts is the most fun. Furthermore, while you can choose not to bounce from one mount to another if you don't enjoy it, those who do enjoy that couldn't do so if ANet implemented your suggestion. That's actively restricting player options just because you don't find it fun, and frankly that's fundamentally bad design. If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. But do not try to take it away from those who do enjoy it or force them to play your way.

Another question I've wondered: So, the big reason we had to force Kralky out of the Mists before we offered is because very bad things would happen if that magic were released in the Mists, yes? Something about an abundance of Tyrian magic being released on the Mists side of the bottle, resulting in "World go boom"? How badly damaged are the Mists (like the Domain of the Lost) thanks to Kralky's rampage like a glutton in an all-you-can-eat buffet and his dying in Tyria and having those magics absorbed by Aurene and whatever else?

Nonono... You need 22 charged quartz (or so I've heard), and 10 of those are for the one grow lamp needed so you don't have to buy it. At least, that's how it sounds to me.

As the spoilers warning has already been given, consider yourself warned... What happened to make Aurene talk without needing branded Caithe?Why'd y'all make the call to humanize Kralk at the end? If he wasn't afraid of his vision, I assume his killing Glint was mostly due to self-preservation, on account of her trying to kill him? How'd Glint read his reaction to his vision so incorrectly, though? Wouldn't she know "dragons don't fear death"?Why isn't Aurene as torn up by all the magic she's absorbed? Is it because Kralky's more crystalline and set in his ways? Did he just absorb more than she had? Are the other dragons (Primo, Jormag, and Steve) experiencing similar issues?If Mordremoth died half a continent away, how has Kralky absorbed enough of his power to cause him draco-magical indigestion? I also don't recall his absorbtion of that magic causing leafy branded or anything of that nature. I'd just assumed he hadn't eaten enough, or any, but apparently he did? Enough that it's giving him heartburn?What brought about the decision to bring back the other transit methods (shrooms/oakheart essence)? I like how y'all implemented it (in such a way as to provide variety but not make it feel forced). Can we expect to see them appear again in future maps if it's fitting?I think that's all my questions for now...

To be honest, it's feeling less like an "if" than a "when" at the moment. It kind of feels like they're channeling the TF2 sniper at the moment and have a plan to kill everyone they introduce at some point. Perhaps it's an exaggeration, but with Blish dying and Taimi announcing the resurgence of her sickness in episode 4, Aurene dying and "We were originally planning to kill off Caithe this episode, too, but decided against it" in Episode 5? Part of me is idly thinking "Huh. I wonder who's getting axed this episode?" And, as a result, though I'm sad to say it, any deaths which do occur this episode or in the relatively not-so-distant future are just going to be kind of "Meh" in terms of emotional impact.

@"Mathilda.9632" They said they're going straight into season 5. How long that'll be, what it'll entail, and what comes after are honestly anyone's guess. Only time will tell. Regarding Aurene, I'm less ticked that she's dead and more annoyed (still) with the storytelling and reasoning around it. It still seems like the reasoning is "Oh, we spent all this time building her up and trying to bring players as close as we could to her all so we could cause as much pain with her death (that we've probably been planning for a good bit of that time) as we possibly could in the name of 'not being predictable.'" The Requiem stories were okay, but I still feel less like I'm being told a story than I feel like someone's trying to push buttons in hopes of achieving a desired result. (Too bad I'm neither an elevator nor a vending machine.) I feel considerably less invested (or willing to invest) in the story now than I did in October or November. Which is just unfortunate. Also, I can't help but feel disappointed that, after this talk of Ascension, Joko-eating, mist-related shenanigans, and Caithe-branding, it seems as though we're being walked through a veritable Chekhov's Armory- one in which every single implement is either jammed or a show piece. "Aurene is dead. Story over. Moving on." I suppose we'll find out in 3 hours and change.

The mount looks awesome. The greatsword is...interesting, maybe? I'm a long way from considering gathering stuff for legendaries, so I'm not as focused on that. I would kind of like to see an ascended ring/amulet/backpiece with this map, to wrap up what started in episode 2. Where the map itself winds up being intrigues me, as it's more to explore and fill in. I'm slightly excited for the story, albeit a good deal less than I was before episode 5. I'll see what the narrative team delivers, but I don't have great expectations.