I would just like to start engaging with the game in ways meaningful to me.

[VooDoo.9014]

Pre ordered this game 10 years ago. Never was a fan of the open world content or the story or leveling, I am not against other people enjoying it. Just not my type of content. It actually makes me want to (and actually has made me) quit the game for years several times over on and off. I love the game's world vs world, which you need to farm gear for and we will come back to that later. I love the SPvP as well. I know it is considered by many, even in the PvP scene itself to be the worst part of the game, but there are still some who like it and that is enough for me. The thing that gets me coming back time and time again is the SPvP , the combat, the WvW. The thing that makes me keep leaving is the fact that for I don't even know how many years now Heart of Thorns maps have been, and will continue to be the standard "gearing up your fresh 80 expansion". Some people like HoT maps and jump puzzles and the verticality and that is fine I am a fan of giving people what they want. A fan of options. This has been the most efficient option for new players for a bit too long don't you think? I mean the HoT maps alone are enough to make me want to uninstall every time I load into one and try to find where I am going. Sure you can say just give it time and you will eventually get used to navigating there, but the point that I am trying to make is that there have to be better or equivalent options of stat selectable exotic gear. I feel alot of vet players forget what it is like gearing up from nothing with very little knowledge of the gearing and merchant system of this game. Even when you go out and get the knowledge things are scattered all over the place, to get them is actually trivial in most cases, so I don't even know if I can call it gameplay at that point it is more like a shopping list or busy work, running errands.  This is where the "Well maybe this game is just not for you" crowd start to chime in I guess. But the game is for me, it has the things in it that I enjoy,  some of the best quality of things that I enjoy even. I would just like ANet and maybe other players to realize that when it comes to new, and returning, and re re turning players. Gearing is a complete mess and I feel there is no reason for it to be so esoteric. 

 

Obligatory I own all the expansions, yes I have boosted my 80s, yes I understand how they are played at a level competent enough to clear content and even hold my own in PvP.  This is not my first mmo, although I do understand they all have their qwirks. The core gameplay I understand . The world completion, exploring, all of that pve stuff its just not for me, especially the HoT maps. 

 

I just want to be able to have a source of stat selectable exotic gear that is accessible without having to go on what feels like a prologue to actually starting the game, when you are already quite literally supposed to be at end game working on the main selling points of this game like legendries and ascended gear, fractals, raids, WvW . (the debate on weather or not this game has one is another topic that I won't get into here) 

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[LadyMari.7920]

My side account gears everything from WvW Warlord boxes, Triumphant armor boxes, etc. (stat selectable armor from WvW) and the laurel vendor for trinkets. I might even start working on the WvW legendary armor for that account. 😄

[VooDoo.9014]

7 minutes ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

My side account gears everything from WvW Warlord boxes,

 

1 hour ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

I would just like ANet and maybe other players to realize that when it comes to new, and returning, and re re turning players. Gearing is a complete mess and I feel there is no reason for it to be so esoteric. 

Side account or not, you are not starting from nothing you have done it before and have a different starting point via experience and knowledge. Easy for you is not easy for everyone. I am not even saying it should be easy it just shouldn't be this tedious.

 

WvW boxes you're looking at at least 6 weeks for 1 set by the way. Many will tap out before that.

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[LadyMari.7920]

I guess the exotics are so cheap these days from the trading post that I never worry about it and just buy them if I need them. You don't even need lvl 80 armor until you're working on your final build(s). I am not sure a brand new player would stop playing after only six weeks? I feel that in most MMOs it takes longer than that to reach end-game and begin the end-game journeys...

I am appreciating that they are beginning to simplify a lot of the currencies. There were so many even I didn't know what to do with half of them. I hope they continue simplifying currencies. I play so casually... I learned to use the Wiki. For years I fought it but when I finally gave in I was kinda kicking myself for resisting so long. It is so helpful. XD

[VooDoo.9014]

1 minute ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

You don't even need lvl 80 armor until you're working on your final build(s)

This is true and goes back to 80 boosts. Celestial should have been done better, if youre boosting to 80 and already have a build in mind you should be able to select the setup you want upon leaving silverwastes, maybe even choose 1 elite spec fully unlocked at the end as well so you can play that cool new spec you just boosted for or bought the game for, got back into it for. instead of just full celestial. Regardless of one's opinion on 80 boosts and the people who use them, no 2 people are the same and many people use them for different reasons, some can play like people who you would never have expected to have been using one. I don't claim to be one of those, but they exist.

[Ronin.4501]

11 minutes ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

 

Side account or not, you are not starting from nothing you have done it before and have a different starting point via experience and knowledge. Easy for you is not easy for everyone. I am not even saying it should be easy it just shouldn't be this tedious.

 

WvW boxes you're looking at at least 6 weeks for 1 set by the way. Many will tap out before that.

You're asking for end-game type of equipment that most of us took months/years to acquire. Expecting to have everything in a matter of weeks?? The only way you're going to make that happen is if you decide to whip out the credit card and purchase gems to convert into gold. I would expect this is true of most MMOs.

[VooDoo.9014]

1 minute ago, Ronin.4501 said:

You're asking for end-game type of equipment that most of us took months/years to acquire. Expecting to have everything in a matter of weeks?? The only way you're going to make that happen is if you decide to whip out the credit card and purchase gems to convert into gold. I would expect this is true of most MMOs.

Yea sorry you had to go through all that if you didn't enjoy it, and if you did I am happy for you. Times change though and this is the same political argument I hear being argued elsewhere I just brush it off. People were also paid pennies back in the day that doesn't mean we should still be paying people pennies now.

[LadyMari.7920]

1 minute ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

This is true and goes back to 80 boosts. Celestial should have been done better, if youre boosting to 80 and already have a build in mind you should be able to select the setup you want upon leaving silverwastes, maybe even choose 1 elite spec fully unlocked at the end as well so you can play that cool new spec you just boosted for or bought the game for, got back into it for. instead of just full celestial. Regardless of one's opinion on 80 boosts and the people who use them, no 2 people are the same and many people use them for different reasons, some can play like people who you would never have expected to have been using one. I don't claim to be one of those, but they exist.

 

So... you want to be able to boost to 80 as a brand new player, unlock a new spec, and have whatever specific "end-game" armor in one day?

[VooDoo.9014]

2 minutes ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

So... you want to be able to boost to 80 as a brand new player, unlock a new spec, and have whatever specific "end-game" armor in one day?

Well yes that is indeed the point of an 80 boost. To get you to the current stuff with minimal effort and pass up all the things that are years old now.

 

Its not like im asking for full legendary or anything don't pretend that exotics are anything less than bare minimum for end game content, and as far as e specs go all that does is save time on the walking around.

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[LadyMari.7920]

1 minute ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

Well yes that is indeed the point of an 80 boost. To get you to the current stuff with minimal effort and pass up all the things that are years old now.

 

I'm not sure I can agree with just skipping the game entirely to... do what? Just look like you are at the end-game? lol

 

For returning players, you can do this. WvW currencies allow you to buy hero pts to unlock specs. You can buy any armor you need from the trading post. So there really isn't anything holding back a returning player.

[Fishyflakes.5431]

The other stat-selectable exotics I didn't see mentioned here are the Ice Golem helm box, Ebon shoulder box, Lunatic Court craftable armors, and Icebrood Strike (blue prophet crystal armors).
Edit: There's also the Lunar New Year lantern backpack that's on the TP.

So how about those if you dislike Verdant Brink that much.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Fishyflakes.5431
+

[VooDoo.9014]

1 minute ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

I'm not sure I can agree with just skipping the game entirely to... do what? Just look like you are at the end-game? lol

To go out and do the things you want to do, not to "look like" anything. Exotics are bare minimum, More stat selectable sources are needed. 

[VooDoo.9014]

4 minutes ago, Fishyflakes.5431 said:

The other stat-selectable exotics I didn't see mentioned here are the Ice Golem helm box, Ebon shoulder box, Lunatic Court craftable armors, and Icebrood Strike (blue prophet crystal armors).

Okay cool. Useful information. Any advice on the other slots?

 

Icebrood is paywalled but so is the boost I don't really see a problem.

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[LadyMari.7920]

26 minutes ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

To go out and do the things you want to do, not to "look like" anything. Exotics are bare minimum, More stat selectable sources are needed. 

 

Exotics aren't bare minimum unless you are raiding. Specific stats only come into play if you are optimizing for specific play, which would also indicate that you are using outside sources to learn more about your spec/class and how the skill modifiers work, etc.. Therefore stat-selectable exotic armors would be easily searched out by such a player. I don't think the type of player you are describing would find it a challenge to gear up. There are already options that are easy (seriously I have so many warlord boxes across my accounts just from WvW play and I'm only rank 150 or something). For PvP the armor/weapons/stats don't even matter.
 

Did I love unlocking all the HoT masteries? No. I still hate Tangled Depths lol but finally figured out Verdant Brink. But it gave me access to the things I wanted to do in other game areas. That's the whole point of any real game or even fictional story. This is a RPG, after all. There is a goal and the game throws obstacles up (bosses, maps, whatever) that you overcome to reach your goal. You play more game, you get more access. It isn't Amazon; you won't have everything delivered to you within two days... and I hope it never becomes that way.

 

But if all you ever want to do is play WvW or PvP? You don't have to go to Verdant Brink for exotic armor. I have never used a set of bladed armor. I took advantage of the other options. If you never want to unlock a spec via PvE, you can unlock it through WvW (I assume PvP has something similar but I'm only recently starting to dabble in PvP so I don't know). It's great to have options.

Edited September 10, 2022 by LadyMari.7920

[VooDoo.9014]

14 minutes ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

Did I love unlocking all the HoT masteries? No. I still hate Tangled Depths lol but finally figured out Verdant Brink. But it gave me access to the things I wanted to do in other game areas. That's the whole point of any real game or even fictional story. This is a RPG, after all. There is a goal and the game throws obstacles up (bosses, maps, whatever) that you overcome to reach your goal. You play more game, you get more access. It isn't Amazon; you won't have everything delivered to you within two days... and I hope it never becomes that way.

No one is asking for everything to be delivered to them. What I am asking for is for the things that are delivered to be updated. Yea some parts of games are meant to be un enjoyable, there is a limit to that. I am sure you are familiar with how many others have the same opinion of the Brink. I think its very uncharitable to class all those people as just wanting everything handed to them when all they are doing is pointing out valid problems. Sure you can buy some things off of trading post if you know what you're doing and indeed many new players to this game know that because it is not their first mmo.

 

14 minutes ago, LadyMari.7920 said:

challenge

I don't think they would find it a challenge either, I think many would find it tedious and not fun and just want to have some fun, you know the thing games are played for. How we have that fun varies but I don't think it unreasonable for more than one type of player to have fun in their own way. It affects you none how someone else got their stats. And if they never told you you wouldn't know. (AS LONG AS THEY ARENT CHEATING OF COURSE)

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[LadyMari.7920]

I think what I am trying to say is that you asked for more options than the Bladed Armor and they already exist. I'm sorry you always felt the need to farm Verdant Brink. I've never done it except when I was chasing my mastery points. But there are other options and we have listed them for you. I hope you benefit from that knowledge so you never have to go to VB again if you don't want to. 🙂

 

I do not agree that you should be able to just choose a spec without putting any work in. The base classes are still good (and often great when played well). You either earn the currencies in your chosen game mode or you don't get a spec-  and you still get to have fun playing whatever format is preferred while you earn it. I don't see how that hurts the game. The instant level 80 is a freaking huge boon on its own. Not only the levels but also the armor,  weapons, and build to start out? It's pretty awesome. I am remembering how many toons I leveled the long way! The masteries and specializations are part of the horizontal system. It would take away too much from the game to hand those away too. Heck, you even get a raptor at lvl 10 now if you own PoF. New players are given A LOT of really helpful things. I remember starting out and what it was like. My side accounts are not funded by my main, I make them earn their own way, so maybe my memory is more fresh than most. XD

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Where does the game tell a new/returning player they must go to Verdant Brink or any HoT map for gear?

Why don't you/new/returning player use the Wiki to find all the avenues to stat-selectable gear? 

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Special:RunQuery/Equipment_query

[Fishyflakes.5431]

For anyone reading this thread I made a List of exotic stat selectable stuff from the wiki

Helmet:
Adventurer's Mantle (mystic forged from tp items)
Blood Legion Mask (charr only, on tp)
Ice Golem Helm (on tp)

Shoulder:
Shoulders of the Ebon (on tp)

Amulet:
Candy Corn Orichalcum amulet (craftable at jeweler 400)

Backpack:
Lucky Great Tiger backpack (on tp)

All parts:
Bladed Armor (Verdant Brink meta + map currency)
WvW, PvP pip reward boxes aka "Warlord" armor (1 weekly in WvW, 8 per PvP season)
WvW, PvP reward tracks
Ornate Guild armor (craftable using guild commendations)
Runic armor (costs Blue prophet crystals from Icebrood strikes)
Lunatic armor (craftable from account bound recipes acquired during Halloween festival)

 

Spoiler

Unlisted are super expensive and ridiculously priced items such as the Warbeast exotic armor or Stone Summit armor boxes on the tp, which go for 50 to 200 gold each.
Also excluded from this list are un-repeatable achievement armor and trinkets related to specializations for example.

 

So anyway.
It might be easier to find specific stats in the open world like Berserker gear from Orr maps.
Or not.
Keep this list if you have new friends you need to gear up like I do.
As for the discussion about adding more ways to acquire selectable exotic gear, good luck with that. Anet didn't even add Dragon or Ritualist stat to any of these gears afaik.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Fishyflakes.5431
spacing

[Cyninja.2954]

2 hours ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

To go out and do the things you want to do, not to "look like" anything. Exotics are bare minimum, More stat selectable sources are needed. 

Yes, but do "what" exactly? You mentioned you do not enjoy open world content, which is the majority of the games content in pve.

Spvp requires no pve gear.

WvW you mentioned you can't even be bothered to play a few weeks.

What is it you want from the game even? This seems far less a gear issue than rather a "you have no clue what you want to do" issue which you are projecting on gear, because that is the first step when targeting content.

Exotic gear is fine for nearly all content of the game, even raids or wvw. The only place exotics fail is T4 fractals and not because of the lack of stats but lack of agony resistance.

You keep talking about wanting to have fun but fail to even mention any single interest you might have. Is this one of those "once I have the gear, I will have fun" situations? Talking from experience: that's not how it goes in this game.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Cyninja.2954

[firedragon.8953]

4 hours ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

I just want to be able to have a source of stat selectable exotic gear that is accessible without having to go on what feels like a prologue[...]

You say you like sPvP, right? Then play ranked sPvP maybe? Ranked pvp dumps exotic stat selectable armor on you. Then use that armor to build a WvW character. Why is this a problem? You don't even have to touch PvE.

Trinkets are maybe not as easy. But honestly, why not just go to Bitterfrost Frontier and pick some Winterberries. Or park alt characters at chests that give currency that you can buy trinkets with (e.g., end Draconis Mons jumping puzzle and Bjora Marches eternal ice shards.) Some of these you just log on your character for 1 second and press F each time you log in.

Why are you using HoT maps to farm for exotic stat selectable gear when you don't like PvE and like PvP/WvW? This I do not understand.... 

[VooDoo.9014]

5 hours ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

WvW you mentioned you can't even be bothered to play a few weeks.

Sure I can be bothered to play a few weeks. Those few weeks will be at a heavy disadvantage though due to everyone else running round maxed gear. In a game that is supposed to be a bout pvp balance the fact that WvW gearing is not the way it is in SPvP is laughable.

5 hours ago, firedragon.8953 said:

Why are you using HoT maps to farm for exotic stat selectable gear when you don't like PvE and like PvP/WvW? This I do not understand.... 

Efficiency, its the fastest way to the content i want, with the gold that I have.

 

Look we all like different parts of the game and enjoy them differently. Just because someone doesnt want to interact with your personal favorite best thing ever part of the game, doesnt mean everyone else has to engage with those parts as well. Some people just want to log in and do WvW (in actual non garbage gear) and play the game. Someone being able to do that deminishes none of anyones prior work or achievements. All I am hearing from this crowd are cliche stories about how back in their day we had to gear 2 miles in the snow up hill, and these newer players are just entitled. Entitled to what? Being able to interact with the game they bought for the thing they enjoy to its fullest potential without being asked to put at least SIX WEEKS of their life to get MINIMUM required gear. Casuals can say you dont need min max gear all you want and thats fine. But the min maxing doesnt have to be for you, there are several who derive their fun from this kind of thing.

[Cyninja.2954]

12 minutes ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

Sure I can be bothered to play a few weeks. Those few weeks will be at a heavy disadvantage though due to everyone else running round maxed gear. In a game that is supposed to be a bout pvp balance the fact that WvW gearing is not the way it is in SPvP is laughable.

Until you realize that not everyone has perfect or maxed out gear in WvW.

Even less when considering:

- many players have a gear/build for a subsection of the mode, say a roaming setup or squad setup but most often not both

- a majority of builds, especially squad builds, use a limited amount of gear suffixes (for example berserker or marauder on power squad and roaming builds)

- there is a ton of more casual wvw players with pve builds (and even strait up pve players there to farm a gob)

- the choice of class and how some builds outperform others

- class knowledge and understanding are most often essential to success and gear won't save you

What you perceive as heavily disadvantaged is in fact you just obsessing over details which are nearly irrelevant to enjoying the mode.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Cyninja.2954

[Farohna.6247]

Why would you continue to invest in a game you clearly minimally enjoy?  If you're running PvP or WvW why are you not using reward tracks for gear?  I have sets of triumphant armor just sitting around in the bank from casual play that I stick on alts.  It's a fine set of exotic.  

80 boosts are meant to get you to a level where you can go and play more in more advanced areas or modes.  It isn't a free pass for everything.  It's not carte blanch, here you go here's your full pack of ascended.  

Gearing is not difficult.  There are multiple avenues to obtain decent gear.  As for HoT maps....I suggest going with a group for metas or posting in LFG that you'd like someone to travel with.  I'm sure there are people who would love a buddy to help find their way through it with.  

[VooDoo.9014]

20 minutes ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

- there is a ton of more casual wvw players with pve builds (and even strait up pve players there to farm a gob)

And they get dumpstered all the time by people in full gear setup. As they should of course. 

 

20 minutes ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

- class knowledge and understanding are most often essential to success and gear won't save you

I understand this but I think it was more or less just meant to belittle me and imply that I have 0 knowledge of the game and its mechanics which is just not true. Though I have a different opinion about some things there is no need to make things personal.

 

14 minutes ago, Farohna.6247 said:

80 boosts are meant to get you to a level where you can go and play more in more advanced areas or modes.  It isn't a free pass for everything.  It's not carte blanch, here you go here's your full pack of ascended.  

Point me to the post that someone said that in. I will wait. Just because casuals can get by farming hearts in their non exotic gear and find that enjoyable, does not mean that full exotic is not at least considered the starting point for gear at 80 in WvW. If you don't believe that to be true then you are in the minority. Every guide for WvW calls for at least full exotic for a reason. Don't hide behind the fact there are worse options out there. Sure I could clean my whole apartment floor with a tooth brush instead of a mop that doesn't make a challenge it makes things take longer and makes the process unenjoyable because I'm working with crap tools.

80 boosts are meant to get you past the part of the game that some people consider to be crap, weather you like it that they consider some things crap is irrelevant.  That is why they are in the store and that is why they sell.

Edited September 10, 2022 by VooDoo.9014

[Cyninja.2954]

6 minutes ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

And they get dumpstered all the time by people in full gear setup. As they should of course. 

Not because of their lack of gear. Some of those "casuals" are sporting full ascended or legendary gear. Turns out, that doesn't save them

6 minutes ago, VooDoo.9014 said:

 

I understand this but I think it was more or less just meant to belittle me and imply that I have 0 knowledge of the game and its mechanics which is just not true. Though I have a different opinion about some things there is no need to make things personal.

It wasn't.

I have no horse in this race. You on the other hand are obsessing over an aspect of the game which will not improve your enjoyment, no matter how much you believe it might. I was trying to encourage you to focus less on gear but instead on what you enjoy with the game. The former will have you leave and return to the game again and again, the later might actually let you start enjoying yourself. Then again, you are free to repeat your approach over and over as often as you want. 🤷‍♂️

Edited September 10, 2022 by Cyninja.2954