Is it me or is this game freaking difficult?

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Hey all,

 

Just looking to get some frame of reference here.

 

When you look up reviews of this game loads of people say it's a casual MMORPG, and there's a strong implication that - basically - the game is easy.

 

I have personally found this to be incredibly misleading and it's led to me feeling significantly discouraged now that I'm into the beginning of the HoF expansion and finding that my guy is just dying all the time.

 

I have done the research and believe my build is a decent one. I don't yet have ascended gear but lots of exotic gear equipped. I've started down the Beserker specialisation and have unlocked the Beserker stance & bursts (Warrior profession). My skills around a keyboard and with my multi-buttoned mouse are good - I know I don't lack dexterity or coordination (I'm in the top 99th percentile for touch typists). I've got a frame of reference having played other MMORPGs and can categorically say that this game is HARD!! NOT easy.

 

At least - if the goal is to just not DIE so much!

 

So just so I'm not kicking myself thinking I'm absolutely rubbish at this game - is it basically 'normal' during the first playthrough of the storyline that you're just gonna DIE a lot?

 

Curious to get other people's thoughts 'cause if the verdict is that genuinely the player base finds this game easy (PVE playing through the story) - then it may just be that this game isn't for me.

 

Cheers,

 

SteveyP.

[SeTect.5918]

18 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

I have personally found this to be incredibly misleading and it's led to me feeling significantly discouraged now that I'm into the beginning of the HoF expansion and finding that my guy is just dying all the time.

 

I have done the research and believe my build is a decent one. I don't yet have ascended gear but lots of exotic gear equipped. 

Can you show us your build pls? Also the Equipment with runes and sigils pls.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/

Also you are saying you have no ascended but "lots of" exotic gear equipped. That means you are running also rare pieces which r not good for hot. 

Ascended and exotic armor generally have far more armor points than rare armor. 

 

Also warrior isnt the best class for solo open world but i would suggest u condi berserker or power spellbreaker if you want to survive easier against harder bosses. 

 

I think you are just not running the right build or equip. Maybe u r running a dps build?

 

The game is "basically" easy if you run the right build. Its difficult if you try to solo champs or something like that (lots of hot enemies are champs, heropoints for example) with pure dps build+equip.

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

@SeTect.5918

 

Thank you so much for your swift response.

 

The more I look into it, the more I think I'm just running a shoddy build.

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKhAEJlFwwYWMRaBOuX+NAA-zRJVBh+8EUAUQIVBBtFkAXIQkRBYGRQRQEA-e

 

I couldn't make the stats as BAD as they actually are in the game because I actually am trying to get away with lots of fine or rare pieces of equipment that aren't even up to standard.

 

This link was VERY useful by the way!

 

So please - if it's my build that's the problem - any guidance is much appreciated. I've tried to just casually sweep through the game without having to spend lots of time researching - but it seems I'm not gonna be able to get away with that and the time has probably come to bite the bullet and just DO the homework lol

 

And yeh I'm kinda going down the DPS route which means my guy has next to NO sustain.

 

Thanks,

 

S.

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Oh P.S. I didn't 'miss' it, I literally have no runes equipped. 

 

... I'm thinking I've got a RUBBISH build haha

 

Don't know anything about runes really or how they work, thing is SO much isn't explained in the game so what - you just have to research it I guess?

 

Thanks again for your help.

[NorthernRedStar.3054]

 

1 hour ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

When you look up reviews of this game loads of people say it's a casual MMORPG, and there's a strong implication that - basically - the game is easy.

GW2 has a low skill floor. But the skill cap is extremely high.

1 hour ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

I'm into the beginning of the HoF expansion and finding that my guy is just dying all the time.

The difficulty jump between core game and HoT has generally been agreed to be the big for newer players. Mobs hit harder, and the areas contain far more veterans, elites and champs. Some ads, such as Mordrem Snipers, also have heavy-hitting burst skills that can oneshot you under certain circumstances. Knowledge and experience are power.

1 hour ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

I've started down the Beserker specialisation and have unlocked the Beserker stance & bursts (Warrior profession).

You take more damage in Berserker mode, which is amplified by the aforementioned point regarding mob difficulty. This becomes even more pronounced if you're running raid/fractal gear, which emphasizes damage over survivability.

Edited December 25, 2021 by NorthernRedStar.3054

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Thank you for your response - that's reassuring - I'm 100% enjoying the game still but definitely noticing the jump in difficulty and I think the main issue is my build. Skill-wise practice makes perfect I guess.

[Sir Alric.5078]

14 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

Oh P.S. I didn't 'miss' it, I literally have no runes equipped. 

 

... I'm thinking I've got a RUBBISH build haha

 

Don't know anything about runes really or how they work, thing is SO much isn't explained in the game so what - you just have to research it I guess?

 

Thanks again for your help.

Yeah, your build is bad. Your equipment might have some exotic pieces (but you said you also have rare and fine gear right?), but the stats are all over the place. You have some berserker, some magi, trailblazer, viper, dire, celestial.... DPS, Condi, and Support all mixed together without a logic, so i assume you just equipped stuff you got from random drops? Or you made it that way on purpose?  Plus you are missing a piece (the backpack) and you have neither weapons sigils nor armor runes. No wonder you are underperforming. 

First of all you should try to dress your character in full exotic. Rare gear and below is just not suitable for expansion content. And next you should decide what you want to be, if you want to go full glass cannon DPS or pick more vitality and toughness for better survival, or maybe go with a condi build. Once you have decided we can give you suggestions for a more efficient build. 

Keep in mind though that even if you have a good equipment and a good build you are still going to get rekt by expansion level enemies until you learn what they do and how to counter them, so you need to be patient and don't be discouraged by your current failures.

[Pirogen.9561]

28 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

@SeTect.5918

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKhAEJlFwwYWMRaBOuX+NAA-zRJVBh+8EUAUQIVBBtFkAXIQkRBYGRQRQEA-e

 

.

Sorry to say, but that is bad. Like really bad.

Go something like this: https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Warrior_-_Basic_Warrior

Gear can be Exotic quality. But important part is, that you don't mix stuff. If you go Berserker gear, you go Berserker gear.

Very important: eat food and don't forget to Dodge.

[Obtena.7952]

Unfortunately for players, HoT is a bit of an experiment Anet did ... and as you are experiencing, it didn't go well for many people. The only thing I can assure you is that after HoT, Anet learned something about implementing content and things get better. But you are absolutely right ... nothing in Core preps you for the rest of the game.

There is good and bad news. Bad news: Guidance people offered so far will help you, (good builds, learning your classes skills, etc ...) but a significant portion of content in HoT will still require your to play 'different' than you did in Core (for example, getting helped to complete maps and maybe even storylines). 

The good news is that if you take some extra steps, you will become a better player for the rest of the game. Suggest you be in a PVE guild if you aren't and take advantage of veteran players to help you with those maps. 

Edited December 25, 2021 by Obtena.7952

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Guys thank you - all of those responses are incredibly reassuring and helpful. I had not appreciated how important it is to coordinate everything in the build - I KNEW it'd be important, but I've been led astray by throw-away comments by YouTubers saying that everything in the story was so EASY!

 

I thought that the first time you'd have to worry about Build Craft would be when you want to start doing fractals, dungeons & raids etc...

 

So - all I have to do is what I was going to do anyway but a bit sooner. So I'll do all the research and get a decent built.

 

This is all good news for me - the fact my build is terrible is something I can change. My skill level I'm not worried about because I know that'll improve over time by default.

 

Really bad news would be to say my build was fine - which would just mean I'm not good enough at the game.

 

Thank you for everyone responding. Really appreciate it!

[Macabre.3829]

Hahaha I share the same opinion. I even made a thread about it not long ago.

The difficulty spike around season 3 is huge. Before that everything was easy.

It's often frustrating. 

 

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Thanks lol glad to know not on my own! Tbh it really comes down to the rubbish build of mine - and hopefully just lack of skill owing to lack of experience.

 

But from what I've seen once I've practiced enough and put the right build on it should be okay - what I'll do - in fact - is try it out then come BACK to this thread once I've had some practice and changed my build as I'm sure I'll have good news to report.

 

Just times time, patience, research and a lot of practice 😄

[SeTect.5918]

23 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

Guys thank you - all of those responses are incredibly reassuring and helpful. I had not appreciated how important it is to coordinate everything in the build - I KNEW it'd be important, but I've been led astray by throw-away comments by YouTubers saying that everything in the story was so EASY!

 

I thought that the first time you'd have to worry about Build Craft would be when you want to start doing fractals, dungeons & raids etc...

 

So - all I have to do is what I was going to do anyway but a bit sooner. So I'll do all the research and get a decent built.

 

This is all good news for me - the fact my build is terrible is something I can change. My skill level I'm not worried about because I know that'll improve over time by default.

 

Really bad news would be to say my build was fine - which would just mean I'm not good enough at the game.

 

Thank you for everyone responding. Really appreciate it!

Hey,
before i didnt have that much time, however now i got some.

I made a somewhat okay build for open world berserker for u.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKxAEdflRwcYJMKmJOWPrtLA-zRJUiRN/owl8pTBRShKVgpB-e

Open world Spellbreaker does better than open world berserker tho.
If you dont have access to marauder stats just run berserker stats.

Or run condi berserker:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKxAw+NlRwYYLMHmJWaPrNVA-zxIU8ojvQQljIF6oCcYA-e
Condi berserker is very well for newer players because trailblazer and dire stats are simply tankier while having almost the same or sometimes even more damage output.

If you need cheap exotic berserker armor - search in the trading post for: "Devona".
If you need cheap exotic dire armor - look in the trading post for: "Dire Draconic".

I made all builds in exotic gear for u, later you can change it to ascenced, but there would also be some stat modifications. I also didnt use trailblazer stats which would be optimal because they r too hard to get if you just jumped into hot.

If you play on EU you could also write me ingame if you need help or something like that.

Have a nice day, I hope this helped still a bit. Tho all above wrote helpful stuff already. And merry christmas to that celebrate christmas and are reading this. And have a nice day!

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Keep in mind that many players had years practicing/learning the game, Core and the Season 2 maps (Dry Top and The Silverwastes) before entering Heart of Thorns.  And they still found it difficult. 

So, really, take your time and don't be discouraged.  There's a lot to  learn.  I think most players that say the game is easy are more referring to Core, and have had nearly 10 years playing there.  I know I didn't even enter Orr for, probably, a year as it seemed so difficult.  Nowadays, it's not much more difficult than Queensdale.  Ha.

The Wiki (link above) is a great resource for all things Guild Wars 2, as well.

 

Welcome to Tyria, and good luck!

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

12 minutes ago, SeTect.5918 said:

I made a somewhat okay build for open world berserker for u.

That's extremely kind of you thank you!

 

I actually spent a fair chunk of time looking into changing to Spellbreaker and found a build I'm going to try. I'm not sure what the rules are on this forum regarding referencing YouTube videos but it's a video by Vallun on Spellbreaker build and it basically seems to go for the Spellbreaker trait line then focus on Bezerker for armour then a bit of Knight's for trinkets and the secondary weapon (Knight's dagger & shield).

 

I feel bad as you've clearly gone to effort to recommend a Bezerker build HOWEVER I'm just going to experiment and try a few out (resources permitting in-game!).

 

Thanks also for your offer of contacting you in-game - I am on the EU server so may well give you a shout sometime!

 

What I look forward to is doing a deep-dive as I hate just doing 'cookie cutter' builds by popular YouTubers, I much prefer to have an in-depth understanding of the mechanics. All in good time I guess!

 

Thanks once again for all your help!

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

6 minutes ago, Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

Keep in mind that many players had years practicing/learning the game, Core and the Season 2 maps (Dry Top and The Silverwastes) before entering Heart of Thorns.  And they still found it difficult. 

So, really, take your time and don't be discouraged.  There's a lot to  learn.  I think most players that say the game is easy are more referring to Core, and have had nearly 10 years playing there.  I know I didn't even enter Orr for, probably, a year as it seemed so difficult.  Nowadays, it's not much more difficult than Queensdale.  Ha.

The Wiki (link above) is a great resource for all things Guild Wars 2, as well.

 

Welcome to Tyria, and good luck!

Thank you for your encouragement! This community is definitely one of the most helpful out there!!

 

And yes - MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone lol (I'm home alone on Christmas lol sad but true)

[VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig.]

2 hours ago, Obtena.7952 said:

Unfortunately for players, HoT is a bit of an experiment Anet did ... and as you are experiencing, it didn't go well for many people. 

The experiment was: people complain that the game is too easy, so make it a lot more difficult.

 

They nerfed HoT a bit later and learnt: never listen to the select few that breeze through content.

[SeTect.5918]

23 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

I feel bad as you've clearly gone to effort to recommend a Bezerker build HOWEVER I'm just going to experiment and try a few out (resources permitting in-game!).

oh its fine, it was not even 15 min work to create that build in build editor. Also as I said, spellbreaker is better for sustain/defense.

I am just not sure what gear you can easily get and which not. The builds I made are basically only if you really cant afford or easily get better ones.

Otherwise I would suggest you something like this for open world: https://youtu.be/9owovJAlqpc.
The build to this is: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKzAEdflZwOYYMKWJOSPrvcA-zRgYRUTEogAtgauQ7JVGZmCRUBmcKER65Q9wBjWkf0C-e

However I would run either this or condi berserker in open world. Power Berserker isnt that good for open world.

Play the build u find the best.

 

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

Thanks again - you've given me lots to look at so I'll check those builds out too!

 

And yes - one of the hardest things is GETTING equipment. From what I've seen frankly exotic equipment that matches the right specifications is WAY out of my reach at the moment. It'll just have to be 'rare' from what I can see & afford, but even that - I think - will be enough of an improvement that I can soldier through.

 

Thanks again!

[Pirogen.9561]

8 minutes ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

Thanks again - you've given me lots to look at so I'll check those builds out too!

 

And yes - one of the hardest things is GETTING equipment. From what I've seen frankly exotic equipment that matches the right specifications is WAY out of my reach at the moment. It'll just have to be 'rare' from what I can see & afford, but even that - I think - will be enough of an improvement that I can soldier through.

 

Thanks again!

Its very possible you have enough gold. Go to banker and check how many crafting materials you have. Some mats like Mystic Coins sell for alot of gold.

Just saying that maybe you have more money then you thing you have. The first Exotic gear I bought was with butter nad iron I picked up while leveling, for example.

[Khisanth.2948]

3 hours ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

When you look up reviews of this game loads of people say it's a casual MMORPG, and there's a strong implication that - basically - the game is easy.

Casual doesn't mean easy but the game is fairly easy. Casual and hardcore are mostly useless labels since they have no static definition.

However it IS casual in a very reasonable sense. It can be played in a casual manner. Off and on a bit at a time. For example there was a recent reddit post from someone who has apparently played around 300 hours over 9 years.  Part of that is the lack of vertical progression. The  goalpost is the goalpost. It doesn't move around with every expansion or whatever.

4 hours ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

I have done the research and believe my build is a decent one.

Decent depends on a context. A build that is good for a group setting where various things are covered/provided by teammates will not work well for solo.

4 hours ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

My skills around a keyboard and with my multi-buttoned mouse are good - I know I don't lack dexterity or coordination (I'm in the top 99th percentile for touch typists). I've got a frame of reference having played other MMORPGs and can categorically say that this game is HARD!! NOT easy.

That doesn't hurt but I am not sure how much it actually helps. Half the battle is knowing the enemy. That is knowing what their skill animations look like and what their skills will do to you so you can have the appropriate countermeasures.

2 hours ago, Sir Alric.5078 said:

First of all you should try to dress your character in full exotic. Rare gear and below is just not suitable for expansion content.

Having gone around HoT on a warrior with both random gear from leveling as well as full masterwork gear I disagree. It ends up taking more time on everything so that is a literal waste of time but it is otherwise fine.

3 hours ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKhAEJlFwwYWMRaBOuX+NAA-zRJVBh+8EUAUQIVBBtFkAXIQkRBYGRQRQEA-e

Are you actually using the berserker trait line without any of the traits unlocked or did you just forget to set them in the editor? If you are actually missing those traits then don't do that. You are better off with one of the core trait lines than to handicap yourself with missing traits.

38 minutes ago, SeTect.5918 said:

If you need cheap exotic dire armor - look in the trading post for: "Dire Draconic".

Yakkington's is slightly cheaper and comes with Traveler runes which also a gives a bit of condition duration

46 minutes ago, SeTect.5918 said:

I made all builds in exotic gear for u, later you can change it to ascenced, but there would also be some stat modifications. I also didnt use trailblazer stats which would be optimal because they r too hard to get if you just jumped into hot.

For armor there is always the itzel vendor but it will require leveling the mastery to unlock.

50 minutes ago, SeTect.5918 said:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PKxAw+NlRwYYLMHmJWaPrNVA-zxIU8ojvQQljIF6oCcYA-e

Cull the Weak and Armored Attack on a condi build? O_o

Probably better to trade the bit of damage they are providing for the QoL/survivability from Dogged March and Defy Pain. Cleansing Ire is nice but open world isn't very heavy on the damaging conditions while CCs are pretty common so Last Stand is probably better but it is ultimately situational. I can only think of a handful of open world enemies that present a dangerous amount of damaging conditions.

1 minute ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

Thanks again - you've given me lots to look at so I'll check those builds out too!

 

And yes - one of the hardest things is GETTING equipment. From what I've seen frankly exotic equipment that matches the right specifications is WAY out of my reach at the moment. It'll just have to be 'rare' from what I can see & afford, but even that - I think - will be enough of an improvement that I can soldier through.

 

Thanks again!

There are many ways to get the same thing. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Special:RunQuery/Equipment_query is a great tool for checking which is easiest for you depending on the resources you have available. Stat selectable gear is the simplest option but not always the cheapest.

1 minute ago, Pirogen.9561 said:

Its very possible you have enough gold. Go to banker and check how many crafting materials you have. Some mats like Mystic Coins sell for alot of gold.

Just saying that maybe you have more money then you thing you have. The first Exotic gear I bought was with butter nad iron I picked up while leveling, for example.

A set of dire armor is less than the 2g you get from completing the dailies. 🙂

[Obtena.7952]

1 hour ago, VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig. said:

The experiment was: people complain that the game is too easy, so make it a lot more difficult.

 

They nerfed HoT a bit later and learnt: never listen to the select few that breeze through content.

Well, let's be clear ... SOMETHING prompted Anet to take these actions.  I doubt a select few people are THAT influential in Anet's business decisions because those select few people certain aren't doing a good job influencing other parts of the game. 

It's not really relevant anyways. It's here, we have to deal with it and the resulting aftermath with helping people out, like this thread. 

Edited December 25, 2021 by Obtena.7952

[Obtena.7952]

1 hour ago, Shivan Aquilarnus.8417 said:

Thanks again - you've given me lots to look at so I'll check those builds out too!

 

And yes - one of the hardest things is GETTING equipment. From what I've seen frankly exotic equipment that matches the right specifications is WAY out of my reach at the moment. It'll just have to be 'rare' from what I can see & afford, but even that - I think - will be enough of an improvement that I can soldier through.

 

Thanks again!

Doing the daily is 2G per day. Most exotic gear you want is between 1-2 G per part on the TP. Are you doing your daily? Just be aware, equipment isn't the hurdle in this game. Most of the time the daily consists of using a Vista, 4 events in a specific zone and a jumping puzzle or harvesting activity. 

So basically ... this is about as easy a 2G as anyone can get. 

Edited December 25, 2021 by Obtena.7952

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

11 hours ago, VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig. said:

The experiment was: people complain that the game is too easy, so make it a lot more difficult.

 

They nerfed HoT a bit later and learnt: never listen to the select few that breeze through content.

I'm not sure that's right. They nerfed HoT because they thought making it easier would make it more appealing, then they further went and made PoF entirely casual. As a result, PoF ended up almost entirely dead content years later while HoT is still going strong.

 

The results of their experiement was likely that players don't want casual content, because once you learn to play the game it becomes incredibly easy. Its only hard for new players, but no one stays a new player forever.

 

---

As for OP.. Warrior has some of the best sustain in the game. Look into HealShout builds, traits like Adrenal Health and Mending Might, and runesets like Pack runes.. This game is all about boons and healing, while doing as much DPS as you can on top of it. Even full glass characters need to buff and heal themselves.

 

Don't fall into the pit of being told that as a new player you should be running full Berserker gears, Scholar runes, etc. This is for high-end instanced PvE content, and is extremely overkill in open world and story. In those types of play (and outside of group situations in general) its better to run something a bit more tanky, so you don't get frustrated with dying too often. however In groups you should always be full glass and DPS-focused as a Warrior.

 

If you want to just cheeseball your way through PvE for only a few gold, take full Settler's gear, Sword/Torch/Longbow, Berserker specialisation, Balthazar's runes, Sigil of Smoldering/Corruption and the Fire traits from Berserker that should combined give you 100% Burning Duration, then dump your skills into Arms (Condition Damage) and Tactics (HealShouts). Its a bit slow, you'll literally just walk through every encounter without even breaking a sweat. Its an off-meta build though, so use your 2nd equipment tab to take something more meta later on.

 

Also, take a look at this: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/

Edited December 26, 2021 by Hannelore.8153

[Shivan Aquilarnus.8417]

19 minutes ago, Obtena.7952 said:

Most exotic gear you want is between 1-2 G per part on the TP.

Hey - thanks for your response to this thread that's so detailed - really appreciate it!

 

This bit I'm finding difficult to believe. I can only assume you mean gear with pre-existing upgrades would cost 1-2 G. Looking up head, shoulders, gloves, chest, legs and boots currently on the TP per piece will cost 6-7 gold totalling 42 gold if I want to be able to select the rune I'm going to use with that piece of equipment. If I don't care about the upgrade on the piece, then sure, it would cost within that 2g range you mentioned per piece but currently, I'd also be buying gear slightly lower level. Unless I'm using the filters wrong on the TP that's what I'm finding. Of course - I haven't even looked at trinkets and weapons yet!!

 

23 minutes ago, Obtena.7952 said:

Doing the daily is 2G per day.

 

That is useful to know - however - that still means that the TP option we're talking 21 days just for the main pieces of armour. That's doable I suppose.

 

1 hour ago, Khisanth.2948 said:

Are you actually using the berserker trait line without any of the traits unlocked

 

Great point - yes I was hamstringing myself - one of those things you wonder how you missed it when someone points it out.

 

1 hour ago, Khisanth.2948 said:

Having gone around HoT on a warrior with both random gear from leveling as well as full masterwork gear I disagree

 

You disagreed with advice given to me to gear up in exotic gear - I'm assuming you are simply blessed or skilled at this game if you can just breeze through the content with 'random' gear acquired from levelling - making this comment a good example of the kind I've often seen by experienced or naturally skilled players about how easy they find the game that can be quite discouraging when new players (perhaps not as skilled) come along and find that they absolutely cannot breeze through on 'random' gear. That's what's led to this thread - I seem to need a proper build and as you can see from the build I've posted - lots of people have pointed out my build is terrible - so 'random' won't do it for me here I'm afraid.

 

I will definitely look at that resource you pointed out re the numerous ways to acquire things. It looks like I've a fair bit of research to get on with before I can start enjoying the game again!

 

Thanks again for all your help it's much appreciated.