solo open world play and how it gets worse and worse the higher level areas become, with eod and it's breakbar madness being the worst so far.

[lunaticdawn.1860]

Hey OP, I know your frustration, coz I got annoyed by all the mechanics (breakbar, cc, combo field) in new maps, I think dev hard pushed these is to let players learn more about all the mechanics in this game.  If you have issue to beat the open world mobs and elites, try these builds and learn more about those mechanics.  
GuildJen Open World Build

I recommend to try some ranged build first, so that you could watch how mobs and elites action in a much safety range, and learn to action back, like dodge the red circle on ground, break stun when you got cc, use your cc skills to breakbar, etc.  

This game is challenging, but truuust yourself you can overcome it.

[Cynder.2509]

I'm 99% solo too but I can manage perfectly. 
Maybe it's because I play since 2012 but I have something for you. 😉
Just git gud, don't play ranger (especially bearbow) or necro and check out meta builds ( especially these https://snowcrows.com/)

[Desh.7028]

5 minutes ago, lunaticdawn.1860 said:

This game is challenging

 

No, it's not. But with many things the game doesn't do a good job of explaining itself, learning through the wiki is important.

Boons are actually quite simple but some stats which have diminishing returns and coefficients are simply obfuscated ingame and require outside information.

As with any hotkey MMO there also exist the faulty perception that one should follow a rotation. This is not the case. Through my experience in other games such as WoW and SWToR, Simcraft and log analysis I figured out what it is: a priority list.

This priority list when fighting an immobile target with no mechanics whatsoever will lead to a rotation of course but as soon as you introduce movement, mechanics and the concept of DPS uptime things change.

Snow crows is a great site because it gives quantitative values for most specs which has value but the rotation there is a translation of a priority list (such as Simcraft has once used for optimal achievable numbers) and reading it you need to re-translate it into a priority list - think of every skill having a weight 1 to 10 and 10 is the one that needs to be on cooldown most often and immediate with 1-3 often being situational and only pressed when needed (e.g. Ranger Longbow 4 or Ele Air Focus 4 and 5). Breakbars and vulnerable phases ofc add a complexity to this but that's a step going from good to perfect and not required for any content.

That's it, there is the directive that should inform your playstyle.

 

2 minutes ago, Cynder.2509 said:

don't play ranger

 

Why? Druid is currently the support and Soulbeast is good damage. So play Soulbeast most of the time and when joining a meta switch to Druid. Even adds variety.

 

2 minutes ago, Cynder.2509 said:

or necro

 

Viper Scourge is one of the best DPS you can have and heal Scourge is strong also. Harbinger is not for solo but big DPS as well.

 

2 minutes ago, Cynder.2509 said:

(especially bearbow)

 

Yes, don't. And hands of that 4 please.

[Shiyo.3578]

Mobs are properly tuned and actually pose a threat. EoD is great.

[George.9745]

You should try Elden Ring. It's a solo game with really easy solo content.

[InsaneQR.7412]

Tbh if you struggle in oPVE it is more of a build issue than a design or difficulty issue.

OPvE builds mainly differ in trait choice & skill choice compared to meta builds but still rely on heavily offensive stats to kill stuff fast.

I barely had any issue in terms of difficulty. IMO EoD hit the sweet spot for most of the oPvE in terms of enemies. PoF was a bit to easy apart from boon corrupt spamming awakenend, while HoT had really hard oPvE encounters like Vampire or Empress Shroom etc which are just two examples of hard HP bosses. EoD chooses elites which are a good in between for time to kill. The Cc bars are a bit to high though and the spawn rates are a bit to fast (especially for elites guarding HPs).

The metas is another topic, which generally arent that bad difficulty wise (except Dragon's End) but all (including DE) lack good rewards which do not make them worthwhile.

 

So if you have trouble with oPvE builds there are several ppl here on the forums that can provide you with good builds to improve your quality of life and overall gameplay experience, just ask in the appropriate class forums.

[Mungrul.9358]

On 3/9/2022 at 12:40 PM, difens.1326 said:

Hammer is not an option, as due to fantastic "balance" patches, all its cc skill don't do any damage. Mace hits like wet noodle too.

That's only for PvP. CC skills still do damage inPvE, although they have been tamed down since the heady days of the Hambow warrior.

I cope very well with this build:

[&DQILNQQ7Mz6nAKcAqACoAGoAagCtAK0AfAGcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]

 

I use Marauder's for armour and weapons, and Assassin's for trinkets. Scholar's runes, Force & Impact sigils on Hammer, Force and Battle on Longbow.

Somewhat counterintuitively, you'll want to start the damage phase after breaking the breakbar with Fierce Blow, weapon swap to bow, Combustive Shot, Arcing Arrow into the fire field left by Combustive shot, preferably with you in the explosion radius to get more might (and if other players are in the radius, heals from Mending Might), then weapon-swap again and Earthshaker in to the fire field.

 

Lots of CC, a nice amount of DPS, and good survivability, but it is a lot harder work than builds on other professions. But that's just Warrior for you.

[battledrone.8315]

13 hours ago, InsaneQR.7412 said:

Tbh if you struggle in oPVE it is more of a build issue than a design or difficulty issue.

OPvE builds mainly differ in trait choice & skill choice compared to meta builds but still rely on heavily offensive stats to kill stuff fast.

I barely had any issue in terms of difficulty. IMO EoD hit the sweet spot for most of the oPvE in terms of enemies. PoF was a bit to easy apart from boon corrupt spamming awakenend, while HoT had really hard oPvE encounters like Vampire or Empress Shroom etc which are just two examples of hard HP bosses. EoD chooses elites which are a good in between for time to kill. The Cc bars are a bit to high though and the spawn rates are a bit to fast (especially for elites guarding HPs).

The metas is another topic, which generally arent that bad difficulty wise (except Dragon's End) but all (including DE) lack good rewards which do not make them worthwhile.

 

So if you have trouble with oPvE builds there are several ppl here on the forums that can provide you with good builds to improve your quality of life and overall gameplay experience, just ask in the appropriate class forums.

if the game hasnt taught him what he needs to do, then it IS a design issue

when they give the players access to all those skills, and tell them "play as you want", then they better make sure, that 

ALL those combinations are viable for end game. 

[InsaneQR.7412]

3 minutes ago, battledrone.8315 said:

if the game hasnt taught him what he needs to do, then it IS a design issue

when they give the players access to all those skills, and tell them "play as you want", then they better make sure, that 

ALL those combinations are viable for end game. 

Yeah a proper tutorial is definetly missing.

They tried inmSeitung but they need to do this throughout the leveling experience and not in an expansion.

[battledrone.8315]

10 minutes ago, InsaneQR.7412 said:

Yeah a proper tutorial is definetly missing.

They tried inmSeitung but they need to do this throughout the leveling experience and not in an expansion.

a tutorial would prolly help a few, but the biggest issue is that most players are casual.

i know what a breakbar is, i know how to break it , but i dont want to pay for the pleasure of doing it

Edited March 11, 2022 by battledrone.8315

[AliamRationem.5172]

6 hours ago, battledrone.8315 said:

if the game hasnt taught him what he needs to do, then it IS a design issue

when they give the players access to all those skills, and tell them "play as you want", then they better make sure, that 

ALL those combinations are viable for end game. 

That's impossible without placing no meaningful parameters on the gameplay, which is of course exactly what you want.  You are what we call an outlier and the game would have crashed and burned long ago if it conformed to your expectations.

[kharny.3284]

if you play deadeye, it's for example funny that you have to switch to a non-rifle just to break shields, bladesworn warrior i just gave up on, not useful at the moment at all, you either nerf your dps quite badly or can't do certain stuff...

 

Actually ranger and engineer seem to be in some of the best solo classes atm, especially since both have several good builds even in "base only" setups.

[Sobx.1758]

2 hours ago, kharny.3284 said:

if you play deadeye, it's for example funny that you have to switch to a non-rifle just to break shields, bladesworn warrior i just gave up on, not useful at the moment at all, you either nerf your dps quite badly or can't do certain stuff...

 

Actually ranger and engineer seem to be in some of the best solo classes atm, especially since both have several good builds even in "base only" setups.

First of all I don't know why you think just because you play an espec, you should suddenly stop using any other weaponset than the one said espec unlocked. But even with that idea in mind, you don't necessarily need to swap the rifle (even if you don't want to use immobilize it also provides by itself) -instead, you just need to equip the cc on your utility/elite skill bar, for example:

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Basilisk_Venom

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Pitfall

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Binding_Shadow

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Scorpion_Wire

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shadow_Gust

You don't want to? Ok, just don't pretend you somehow don't have the options.

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Sobx.1758

[SexyMofo.8923]

Agree. The game gets harder as you progress. 

[battledrone.8315]

15 hours ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

That's impossible without placing no meaningful parameters on the gameplay, which is of course exactly what you want.  You are what we call an outlier and the game would have crashed and burned long ago if it conformed to your expectations.

yea, the same "meaningful parameters" that is literally taring the game apart

anet is the only company, that can have FEWER players after an expansion.

oh wait...SWG and wildstar did the same

[AliamRationem.5172]

1 hour ago, battledrone.8315 said:

yea, the same "meaningful parameters" that is literally taring the game apart

anet is the only company, that can have FEWER players after an expansion.

oh wait...SWG and wildstar did the same

I can't stand the design of the DE meta, but I'd much rather waste 2 hours on that than ever play the kind of game you would enjoy.  Just sayin'.

[battledrone.8315]

5 minutes ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

I can't stand the design of the DE meta, but I'd much rather waste 2 hours on that than ever play the kind of game you would enjoy.  Just sayin'.

if you have finshed the core game, then you have already played one.

you know, the game, that actually funded the expansions? 

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by battledrone.8315

[AliamRationem.5172]

7 minutes ago, battledrone.8315 said:

if you have finshed the core game, then you have already played one.

you know, the game, that actually funded the expansions? 

 

Yeah, the core game is complete trash.  I didn't start playing until after HoT released, which in my opinion is by far the best open world presentation in this game.

[battledrone.8315]

5 hours ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

Yeah, the core game is complete trash.  I didn't start playing until after HoT released, which in my opinion is by far the best open world presentation in this game.

so you bought the expansion for a game that you didnt like. and this the root of the problem.

you will never have a base game, that prepares the players for YOUR game.

and i will never get any expansions for MY game. do i have to explain the fundamental problem any further?

double lol for calling hot "open world" . you cant get anywhere without masteries and mounts.

Edited March 12, 2022 by battledrone.8315

[Sobx.1758]

25 minutes ago, battledrone.8315 said:

so you bought the expansion for a game that you didnt like. and this the root of the problem.

Same can be said about what you're doing, which is experiencing 2 expansions, both being significantly harder than the core game and then after you buy 3rd expansion... it's bad, because core was easy?

If the face-roll easy gameplay of core was sustainable, the chances are expansions would just keep being equally face-roll easy. But they aren't. Because people learn with time and as such it absolutely makes sense for the game to progress with the playtime and additional content added to the game.

25 minutes ago, battledrone.8315 said:

double lol for calling hot "open world" . you cant get anywhere without masteries and mounts.

HoT is open world, you can go in most of the places without masteries and even if you couldn't, it doesn't change anything about that open world indeed being open world.

[ugrakarma.9416]

Mobs in EoD are very less hard than POF. whats is new in EOD is more elite level mobs togheter with regular pack mobs.

 

Elites level aside, EoD mobs pack are still butterflys  compared to PoF awakened's mob pack.

 

So in EoD look first if theres a elite togheter in a mob pack, and focus him first.

 

 

[AliamRationem.5172]

1 hour ago, battledrone.8315 said:

so you bought the expansion for a game that you didnt like. and this the root of the problem.

you will never have a base game, that prepares the players for YOUR game.

and i will never get any expansions for MY game. do i have to explain the fundamental problem any further?

double lol for calling hot "open world" . you cant get anywhere without masteries and mounts.

The fundamental problem is that you like a game that wasn't working out.  GW2 showed tons of promise, but all of it went out the window after players realized "This is it?  Really?"  An expansion modeled after the core game would be a disaster for GW2.

[kharmin.7683]

9 hours ago, battledrone.8315 said:

yea, the same "meaningful parameters" that is literally taring the game apart

anet is the only company, that can have FEWER players after an expansion.

oh wait...SWG and wildstar did the same

SW:ToR also cut into the solo play-ability with their latest "expansion". The forums there look just like the ones here when it was released.  Many threads by players who were there at launch (allegedly) and years-long veterans that cursed the studio and cancelled their subscriptions.

Why are game studios trying to force certain play styles in their games?  Are they that out of touch with their player bases?  What is it that is indicating to them that these changes are the way to go?  Is there more profitability in this model?

[melon.2538]

OW aside, story final bosses in HoT and PoF were absolutely hateful for me who didn't go to some build guide sites. Why? Because what I liked about core gw2 (and why I bought expansions) was that I could just go headfirst into everything and not worry about gearing up and having suboptimal build. I could pick traits and weapons I liked for the feel of it. 

So I was just pushing through constant revivals (Balthazar) and not having enough masteries and getting killed by boulders (Mordremoth). 

Now I'm tired of being killed and run some ready-made dps build I don't really enjoy and don't do buildcraft, because it would demand equipment templates or inventory slots (and I'm saving up for lws right now) or legendaries (to acquire which I must put a shitload of time into modes I don't care about).

Mounts and gliding are the saving graces that let me ignore tedious enemy encounters. I like exploring and getting side-story snippets from achievements like Tracing the Tapestry, Character Growth etc., so currently I'm focused on those achievements and gold grind to get lws.

What I mean to say is: there is no point for me to try to buildcraft to suit my playstyle because it will be suboptimal, which means more time being dead and in combat. The fun of trying new runes and sigils doesn't exist for me anymore.

[battledrone.8315]

2 hours ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

The fundamental problem is that you like a game that wasn't working out.  GW2 showed tons of promise, but all of it went out the window after players realized "This is it?  Really?"  An expansion modeled after the core game would be a disaster for GW2.

it worked pretty well for wow. the core game sold 40k boxes on average EVERY MONTH SINCE LAUNCH.

hot and pof are not even CLOSE to that performance.