Seasons

[Razvan.1236]

Has there ever been a discussion about seasons in the community or among the devs?

By "seasons" I mean seasonal (every 3/4 months) full resets:

• delete all characters
• reset the whole economy
• And maybe even add a hardcore mode.

The whole system could even be locked behind some isolated "seasonal servers" and a pay wall.

I understand that GW2 is focused on horizontal endgame progression rather than vertical progression, but seasons don't seem to go against that philosophy.

As a player, would u like these type of seasons in GW2?

[DeanBB.4268]

I assume this is strictly a PvE thing?

Why would you ever want to delete a character? I can think of no good reason. And what is the purpose behind resetting the economy? What happens to everyone who has sunk money into the TP? 

Separate PvE servers would split the playerbase, which is already spread across 3 regions and all the associated metas, etc. What do you gain by this? 

Perhaps you need to better express what advantages such a system would bring.

[Faridah.8431]

50 minutes ago, Razvan.1236 said:

Has there ever been a discussion about seasons in the community or among the devs?

By "seasons" I mean seasonal (every 3/4 months) full resets:

• delete all characters
• reset the whole economy
• And maybe even add a hardcore mode.

The whole system could even be locked behind some isolated "seasonal servers" and a pay wall.

I understand that GW2 is focused on horizontal endgame progression rather than vertical progression, but seasons don't seem to go against that philosophy.

As a player, would u like these type of seasons in GW2?

An interesting concept, but seems tricky given the design of GW2. And I'd definitely only want that on one server. But honestly, doesn't seem that feasible to me.

 

A better idea I like is a progression server. Bring back Season 1 and such. Play the game as it progressed (updates, and everything, from launch till now), only without the gigantic content droughts, and time each release in a way that makes sense (not necessarily the short cadence it had before).

[Maikimaik.1974]

What exactly would be the point of that?

[Excursion.9752]

While we are at it lets add Hardcore mode!

Die one time and your character is dead forever. That could be added to the seasonal stuff I would think!

[Randulf.7614]

Not for GW2, no.

It works for something like Diablo, but it wouldn’t here. I’m not sure what problem would be solved. The economy would likely just sort itself back to where it was, deleting names is something Anet have said they will never do and a hardcore mode doesn’t really fit the open world set up.

 

edit oh you mean delete chars? That wouldn’t achieve anything at all here

 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Randulf.7614

[Ember.6478]

I would probably stop playing if my characters were just deleted every once and a while and I had to recreate them all over again. And again. And again. So no thanks.

[Danikat.8537]

I don't think it would work for GW2. It's an MMORPG, not a battle royale game, it's designed for long-term progression and storylines, not one-shots which are reset every few months.

 

Also if you want a hardcore mode you can do it now, you just need to decide what the rules are. Here's what I'm using for my current attempt:

• Spoiler

   

  • Perma-death - if the character dies I delete them.
  • White quality gear only (unless it doesn't exist, then it's the lowest tier available).
  • No food, utility items or boosters (automatically applied event boosters, like the lunar new year one, are allowed).
  • No items transfered from my other characters and only buying stuff if I'm sure this character has earned enough to cover the cost.
  • No mounts or infinite gathering tools.
  • No waypoints, but asura gates and other quick travel methods are permitted.

   

   

[Sobx.1758]

2 hours ago, Razvan.1236 said:

Has there ever been a discussion about seasons in the community or among the devs?

By "seasons" I mean seasonal (every 3/4 months) full resets:

• delete all characters
• reset the whole economy
• And maybe even add a hardcore mode.

The whole system could even be locked behind some isolated "seasonal servers" and a pay wall.

I understand that GW2 is focused on horizontal endgame progression rather than vertical progression, but seasons don't seem to go against that philosophy.

As a player, would u like these type of seasons in GW2?

And what exactly would be the purpose of having something like that?

 

(btw "seasons behind the paywall" => buy an account, you have a fresh start. Buy another, you have another fresh start. Easy, np)

Edited September 9, 2021 by Sobx.1758

[Mungo Zen.9364]

I sorta got the idea of season in PoE and Diablo and while they served a purpose, they also were a primary reason I stopped playing those games.  Speed running content on repeat isn’t my thing. 
 

as asked above, what purpose would this serve, what type of player would engage in this type of gameplay?   What are the rewards for playing in this manner?

[Aphandra.9672]

34 minutes ago, Mungo Zen.9364 said:

what purpose would this serve, what type of player would engage in this type of gameplay?   What are the rewards for playing in this manner?

It's a nice carrot for some people. I think the major selling point is the frequent dings, level ups, item upgrades.
Also to relive things as they were back in the day.

As for the economy, it's in a bit of a funny state. Most items are super cheap, obviously accessible to everyone. And then valuable items are really expensive, as people have access to significant gold. While my daily income is 2 gold plus a tiny bit minus kit prices. Also can't do every day due to locked maps. I guess it might change once I'm very much established.
I don't want the change but having seen the journey of WoW Classic, fresh economy is different as nobody has the gold but everyone needs everything.

[Gibson.4036]

As a casual player who plods along and eventually picks up some pretty cool things along the way, this would be the exact opposite of what I appreciate about GW2. It's polar opposite of the vision ArenaNet laid out for the game, which is what made me a fan long before it even launched.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Gibson.4036

[Gotejjeken.1267]

This ain't Fotnite

[Rogue.8235]

4 hours ago, Excursion.9752 said:

While we are at it lets add Hardcore mode!

Die one time and your character is dead forever. That could be added to the seasonal stuff I would think!

 

Not far enough.

Die one time and you die one time (sword art online style(.

That still might not be hardcore enough.

 

[anninke.7469]

 

13 hours ago, Razvan.1236 said:

...

As a player, would u like these type of seasons in GW2?

No.

Hell NO.

There's not a NO big enough to suit the vastness of my disapproval.

[Zohane.7208]

16 hours ago, Razvan.1236 said:

Has there ever been a discussion about seasons in the community or among the devs?

By "seasons" I mean seasonal (every 3/4 months) full resets:

• delete all characters
• reset the whole economy
• And maybe even add a hardcore mode.

The whole system could even be locked behind some isolated "seasonal servers" and a pay wall.

I understand that GW2 is focused on horizontal endgame progression rather than vertical progression, but seasons don't seem to go against that philosophy.

As a player, would u like these type of seasons in GW2?

So in a game where it takes almost 5 months for even the most dedicated players to get legendary armor (WvW example, not sure about the other modes) and costs thousands of gold to acquire other legendaries, you want to reset everything every 3-4 months?

 

So basically no one would ever be able to acquire the top tier of gear. Sounds like a really really silly proposal to me.

[Omega.6801]

No.

[Mungrul.9358]

It's always fun to see how some players obviously only play one game and have no idea how things might work in other games 😄

By now, seasons are quite a mature concept in online games, and have established rules and reward systems.

 

I think what the OP is suggesting is probably something akin to Diablo 3's season system.

 

Every season, you start a new character (your account has seasonal character slots to accommodate seasonal play).

It then allows the developer to set milestones based on certain achievements for that season, and those milestones in turn unlock items that can then be used on your wider account once the season ends.

 

It's a pretty cool way of adding non-PvP competitive play to PvE games, rewarding players who achieve certain milestones first, and giving the player leaderboards where they can compare their progress against their friends.

In Diablo 3 specifically, these leaderboards are even more useful, as you can examine the builds of the players topping your ladder and tweak your build accordingly, helping you better understand gameplay systems.

 

I'm not fussed either way whether such a system gets added to GW2 or not, but it's always nice to provide players with more ways to play.

 

The only thing I have against seasons like this is that it can end up swinging players' focus away from permanent characters.

[Mungrul.9358]

Actually, thinking about it, a GW2 PvE season system could be an alternate way of obtaining Legendary armour. Set a point threshold for the season, then award a single piece of Legendary armour if by the end of season you have reached or surpassed that threshold.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Mungrul.9358

[Tyncale.1629]

17 hours ago, Danikat.8537 said:

I don't think it would work for GW2. It's an MMORPG, not a battle royale game, it's designed for long-term progression and storylines, not one-shots which are reset every few months.

 

Also if you want a hardcore mode you can do it now, you just need to decide what the rules are. Here's what I'm using for my current attempt:

•   Hide contents

   

  • Perma-death - if the character dies I delete them.
  • White quality gear only (unless it doesn't exist, then it's the lowest tier available).
  • No food, utility items or boosters (automatically applied event boosters, like the lunar new year one, are allowed).
  • No items transfered from my other characters and only buying stuff if I'm sure this character has earned enough to cover the cost.
  • No mounts or infinite gathering tools.
  • No waypoints, but asura gates and other quick travel methods are permitted.

   

   

I like what you are doing(except maybe the perm death thing). I am very curious what your experiences are.  I assume things can be challenging, the perm death thing will make you much more cautious, maybe even afraid to do certain things. Does it get the heart pumping at times? Also, are you making more lasting memories of certain areas and characters since the pace is slower and  everything you do is  more intense?   

Do you "live" in certain regions more because of no waypoints? And is the ultimate goal to reach level 80 or do you have other goals? 

[Danikat.8537]

35 minutes ago, Tyncale.1629 said:

I like what you are doing(except maybe the perm death thing). I am very curious what your experiences are.  I assume things can be challenging, the perm death thing will make you much more cautious, maybe even afraid to do certain things. Does it get the heart pumping at times? Also, are you making more lasting memories of certain areas and characters since the pace is slower and  everything you do is  more intense?   

Do you "live" in certain regions more because of no waypoints? And is the ultimate goal to reach level 80 or do you have other goals? 

 

First thing to say is it's not something I spend a lot of time on and I'm not very good at it so I rarely get to level 40 before dying and starting over, so my experience with it is limited. My current goal is to reach level 80, then I'd like to finish the personal story and go for map completion...but I've got to stop dying first.

 

Combat is certainly different to my usual approach of jumping in to see what happens. I'm much more cautious and thoughtful about what I take on and when I am in combat it can be more intense (and certainly involves more swearing). Things I normally wouldn't think twice about suddenly become a big problem - like joining in with the Shaman world boss in Wayfarer Foothills. There's an attack I never see telegraphed because there's so much going on which can down or even kill low level characters, I knew to stay back to avoid it but realised I didn't know how far back I needed to be.

 

It doesn't change how I experience the maps because in that sense I always play slowly, when I'm levelling any character or doing map completion I'll talk to all the NPCs, talk to heart vendors both before and after, stop to look at the scenery etc. But not being able to use waypoints or mounts means I think more about where I'm going and the best way to get there and I tend to hold off on things that require going back to a city until I have several things to do there.

 

It's not something I'd want to do exclusively, but I find it fun. I like map completion and playing the story and this puts a new spin on something I've done a lot.

[Astralporing.1957]

1 hour ago, Mungrul.9358 said:

It's always fun to see how some players obviously only play one game and have no idea how things might work in other games 😄

I agree, but for a completely opposite reason. It seems to me someone played Diablo seasons a bit and wanted to recreate the experience in GW2, not realizing how the differences between those two games make Seasons a sensible idea in Diablo, but a very, very bad one in here.

[Mungrul.9358]

I can't see why they'd be bad. Care to explain?

As I noted above, if you had dedicated character slots for seasonal characters, I think it could be a neat addition to the game, especially with leaderboards.

[Astralporing.1957]

1 minute ago, Mungrul.9358 said:

I can't see why they'd be bad. Care to explain?

It's a completely different game. In Diablo, seasons work because the game itself does not change. There's no living story, no expansions, no new content. As such, seasons offer you a way to repeat the game without it becoming completely stale.

 

Gw2 however has a progression story and expansions that significantly conflict with the idea of fast paced system that often resets. Having you do the same things every time over and over again, every seasonal reset, would actually make the game more stale in GW2 than just playing it as it already is. And it would only be made worse by existence of many mechanics/features that assume a very slow and extended type of gameplay (i.e. good luck trying to get a legendary armor set in a 3-4 months long season)

 

The same idea, but two completely opposite effects, depending on the game you put it in.

[Mungrul.9358]

Still, you could very easily apply the Seasonal model to aspects of GW2. Like Fractals for example. Or even Dungeons, reinvigorating them.

It just takes a bit of imagination.

I mean, seasons don't even have to apply to specific content, but could even just focus on levelling under certain conditions.

Play whatever content you like to level, but under seasonal rules. Such as a Hardcore setting, where death is permanent.

 

That's the beauty of seasonal play; when properly implemented, it doesn't have to take in to account evolving content. It can just sit on top of it as another layer.