Skyscale was a mistake

[lain.3148]

I ran into a bug where I can't mount skyscale on one of my characters, and, frankly, i thought it would suck but getting all the HPs in the new maps without skyscale has actually been way more fun, and the maps just feel so much bigger and more alive without being able to fly quickly past everything with skyscale. It's making me realize that them adding skyscale probably made all their big open worlds suddenly feel small for the players that got it and probably was a mistake. after all they cant just increase the size of the maps to make them feel big and like things you could spend hours exploring again since that would make them too difficult for all the players who don't have skyscale.

Edited March 2, 2022 by lain.3148

[Felipe.1807]

No way, if wanst for Skyscale I would just quit the moment I got to Kaineng

[lain.3148]

if skyscale wasn't in the game they would have made kaineng a lot easier to navigate for ppl without it though. like my point is, there's players who have skyscale and players who don't. if they design the maps for players who don't they'll feel too small and easy to the players who have skyscale, but if they design maps for the players who have it they'll feel too big and hard to navigate for the players who don't have skyscale, so they have to design it in the middle which makes kind of a less good experience for both types of players. adding skyscale and putting themselves into this bind was their mistake.

Edited March 2, 2022 by lain.3148

[SinisterSlay.6973]

I totally agree. Skyscale in particular sort of robs the exploration experience.

Walking through the towns, listening to NPC. Going inside buildings. All things we don't do anymore. It's just hop on skyscale and fly straight to the map marker.

And now areas are too big to walk. And no waypoints. So just avoiding mounts isn't easy either.

Edited March 3, 2022 by SinisterSlay.6973

[Linken.6345]

3 minutes ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

I totally agree. Skyscale in particular sort of robs the exploration experience.

Walking through the towns, listening to NPC. Going inside buildings. All things we don't do anymore. It's just hop on skyscale and fly straight to the map marker.

And now areas are too big to walk. And no waypoints. So just avoiding mounts isn't easy either.

Maybe it something you dont do anymore, I still walk untill I seen it all then on multiple walk throughs I can skip it on the skyscale if I want to.

[Rumor.8692]

you uhh.... ever play gw1 Cantha? kaineng was a straight up maze. we're talking you want to get through the city? cool have fun trying to maneuver around just walking for 3 hours and see how far you get. 

 

the biggest reason i even came back to gw2 (been playing since launch and returned from a 5 year hiatus last year) was for the introduction of skyscale. not everyone has loads of time to sink in a game just trying to get around a map.

 

also, the whole exploration thing is great and is the biggest reason most players love the game - you can explore just as much with skyscale too. skyscale is more used for getting through obstacles faster, instead of spending loads of time just trying to maneuver around a big kitten rock in your way that would normally take 5 springer jumps and maybe some griffon soar instead of 2 skyscale flaps and easy glide. skyscale certainly is not a be-all end all, if you are using skyscale to skip literally everything, you're a robot that only cares about loot (which to be fair, is also fine in certain circumstances.. like dragonfall meta farming lol)

[lain.3148]

having to use 5 springer jumps to get around a rock is part of the experience though, and they took that away 😞

[Gibson.4036]

3 minutes ago, lain.3148 said:

having to use 5 springer jumps to get around a rock is part of the experience though, and they took that away 😞

Because you’re forced to use the skyscale?

[lain.3148]

1 minute ago, Gibson.4036 said:

Because you’re forced to use the skyscale?

its different when you have an option to just skip it, doing the 5 springer jumps when you could just fly up with skyscale would be masochism. but when its the only option its pretty good experience. it really makes you feel like you are overcoming something and reaching a hard to get to place.

[Gibson.4036]

Huh, that’s an interesting take.

[Marikus.1875]

Flying is a big problem in MMO's in general and it's why so many shy away from that mechanic (think ESO and WoW dev's admitting they hate flying). Designers put so much love and passion (hopefully) into crafting these beautiful virtual worlds, that it's doing them a disservice by just mounting up and flying well above all of it. It also removes any sense of danger and interaction with the world.

I think gliding is a perfectly acceptable compromise, but full sustained flight should never have been implemented here.

[captrowdy.9561]

I’m in the process of getting my skyscale now it’s horrible . I want to quit this dumb game. 

[AdelaisAer.4109]

I see no issue with the skyscale. You can explore the map however you want without forcing others to play the game your way. If you don't want to use a skyscale, don't. The rest of us, though, will do whatever we want. Echovald exploration has been an absolute pain in the butt for some parts, and being able to explore more easily efficiently doesn't take away from the experience. That's a you problem.

Also, it would be really cool to fly around and see everything from up above, much like from an airplane as you approach a city. A lot of maps in the game are absolutely breathtaking, and while enjoying them from the ground can be rewarding, it could be equally rewarding look down upon the vastness of the world of Guild Wars 2.

[Ausar.9542]

1 hour ago, Suki.2016 said:

you uhh.... ever play gw1 Cantha? kaineng was a straight up maze. we're talking you want to get through the city? cool have fun trying to maneuver around just walking for 3 hours and see how far you get. 

 

the biggest reason i even came back to gw2 (been playing since launch and returned from a 5 year hiatus last year) was for the introduction of skyscale. not everyone has loads of time to sink in a game just trying to get around a map.

 

also, the whole exploration thing is great and is the biggest reason most players love the game - you can explore just as much with skyscale too. skyscale is more used for getting through obstacles faster, instead of spending loads of time just trying to maneuver around a big kitten rock in your way that would normally take 5 springer jumps and maybe some griffon soar instead of 2 skyscale flaps and easy glide. skyscale certainly is not a be-all end all, if you are using skyscale to skip literally everything, you're a robot that only cares about loot (which to be fair, is also fine in certain circumstances.. like dragonfall meta farming lol)

reminds me of New World

[Hotride.2187]

I was thinking this too honestly, while exploring the new content. Having explored every non-EoD map without a skyscale before that, there is a lot that is lost to the exploration enjoyment.

But it saves a lot of time so it really should be a personal decision whether to use it or not.

[PhantomGoddess.5174]

I like having the ability to use the skyscale if I chose.  For me, it's more a matter of "Do I have the patience for the long, scenic route or do I just wanna go as the crow flies and save myself the brain ache?" (as it were)

I like having the option to choose because sometimes, I can get frustrated very easily getting lost in a map by taking the long around, especially if I'm getting into a story-line and I can't wait to see what happens next, or I'm on a mission to do hearts or map completes or something.  Whatever my end-goal is for the specific day will sometimes determine by travel habits in game.  So if I'm being slow and leisurely, yeah, I'll forego using skyscale and do a lot of walking or just use ground mounts for a bit of a speed boost.  But if I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll bust out the skyscale to definitely glide or fly over tougher obstacles to get places a little faster.

Also, I like having the ability of mounting mid fall, in case I do fall off of something, so I don't slam into the ground and accidentally kill myself.  There have been times, like as I'm typing this now, when my cats' will interfere with my hands while gaming (just using this as an example), and accidents happen...so, yeah.  Accidental death (in game) by cat interference is something a skyscale helps me prevent sometimes.

[Fuchslein.8639]

I love my skycale and never give it back!

But i also don't have a problem with exploring. I'm searching every map for nice spots for screenshots and just, Gw2's Art is the best. Even if i have my skyscale, you know, you can make decisions.
We are all living, thinking people who can make our own decisions and should not dictate to others what is good and what is not good.
At least I hope so.
For me, by the way, it's the complete opposite. Through the skyscale I now get to places that were previously unreachable, even with the rabbit.

I spend a lot of time getting her, i love her, and i will come at everyone who will take it away from me  ↶( *`ω´ )Ψ

[George.9745]

Don't...use it then...? 

[ProtoGunner.4953]

Compared to GW1 areas they changed the area drastically. I am pretty sure they made the area much more convoluted and wavy because it is much more 'annoying' to move around with a skyscale. I miss a bit the vast valley of old shing jea, but on the other hand there is much more to explore and to see. Still I would appreciate a vast huge valley with more even areas. That said the maps are pretty good and I like the atmosphere although I miss a bit the old feeling of gw1 cantha. Haven't seen Jade Sea though.

[Luthan.5236]

Actually happy that it is so easy with skyscale. Did Seitung and Kaineng - all mastery points (and there are a ton) and hero points: super easy.

But I also played stuff in release order as intended (meaning: PoF and HoT without skyscale ... until I reached season 4).

I wonder how new players without Skyscale will experience this. Always wondered whether most of the stuff (or even all) could be reached without mounts/gliding - just by walking and using the zip lines and jade bot. They probably calculated to have some stuff only available with mounds/gliding? (But most - enough to max everything - without this. So new players that just bought EoD and not the other expansion ... would not get stuck.)

Tbh ... Kaineng and the vertical setup of the city ... too annoying. Didn't want to search long for the ways to move around. Just Skyscaling. Even then a bit annoying sometimes lol.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Luthan.5236

[Alcatraznc.3869]

Dont use it then. Problem solved.

[Danikat.8537]

11 hours ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

I totally agree. Skyscale in particular sort of robs the exploration experience.

Walking through the towns, listening to NPC. Going inside buildings. All things we don't do anymore. It's just hop on skyscale and fly straight to the map marker.

And now areas are too big to walk. And no waypoints. So just avoiding mounts isn't easy either.

I have the skyscale and I still do all those things.

I love dragons so having my own dragon to fly freely around one of my favourite games is amazing to me and something I enjoy doing for it's own sake even when I don't need to use it. But I also enjoy exploring and when I want to do that I don't use the skyscale. Going around the new map I've been mostly walking or using the jackal precisely because it allows me to go slower and see things I might have missed if I was rushing past or over everything.

I only hop on the skyscale (or griffon) and go straight to my destination when getting there quickly is the most important factor (like when I'm trying to join an event that's in progress) or when I'm sure I've seen everything in this area and I'm not in the mood to go through it again just in case. When that happens I appreciate having the option, but I'm still aware it's a choice I'm making and not something I'm required to do just because I've unlocked it.
 

21 minutes ago, Luthan.5236 said:

Actually happy that it is so easy with skyscale. Did Seitung and Kaineng - all mastery points (and there are a ton) and hero points: super easy.

But I also played stuff in release order as intended (meaning: PoF and HoT without skyscale ... until I reached season 4).

I wonder how new players without Skyscale will experience this. Always wondered whether most of the stuff (or even all) could be reached without mounts/gliding - just by walking and using the zip lines and jade bot. They probably calculated to have some stuff only available with mounds/gliding? (But most - enough to max everything - without this. So new players that just bought EoD and not the other expansion ... would not get stuck.)

Tbh ... Kaineng and the vertical setup of the city ... too annoying. Didn't want to search long for the ways to move around. Just Skyscaling. Even then a bit annoying sometimes lol.

I've not completed any of the EoD maps yet but I've not found anything which requires the skyscale (there's a few bits designed for the springer which are tricky - you need to plan out a route between ledges - but that's how the springer has always worked) and from  what I know from previous maps I'm confident Anet will have made sure it's possible to complete everything without the skyscale. I think the only map which requires it is Dragonfall and that has 'rental' skyscales dotted around so you don't need to unlock it if you don't want to. All the other maps, including ones which were introduced later, don't require the skyscale.