The game is getting easier, and in my mind, it is ruining the game.

[Hesione.9412]

On 12/1/2022 at 3:23 AM, Kozumi.5816 said:

Power creep since PoF has made everything not the current content extremely easy - exactly like a modern themepark.

Content creators keep advertising this is a horizontal progression game but it's 100% not. Chak Garent dies in a single phase 100% of the time now, for example.

All old content is really boring and easy, and this game absolutely does not get enough new content quick enough to warrant making all the old so easy.

Even FF14 and WoW are better about preserving difficulty in old content with ilvl sync and timewalking. GW2 is now the worst modern MMO at keeping old content challenging, which is funny.

Looks like there's no end to this power creep as the most recent balance patch was just flat out buffs to nearly every spec.

Full mobile autobattler mode choochoo.

Nope, I have been on TD maps where at least one lane has a gerent alive at the end of the first phase. I've also been on maps that have failed because I'm the only person trying to do the chak rush.

[Hashberry.4510]

An easy way to fail TD was to over scale Nuh, tunnel vision on the one burn and fail, leaving no lead time to stomp in phase 2, as the over scaled shrooms killed your stompers. Now we are so strong we can just overwhelm the shrooms, leaving little down side to mindless zerging for the holy single burn. On to the dull loot fest.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Hashberry.4510

[Gehenna.3625]

On 11/29/2022 at 2:14 PM, thebeast.9671 said:

I have played GW2 since the beginning. Im not a "super player", but I truely enjoy the game. I like making characters, work hard and develop them. I like the missions, the stories and the really amazing design of the world Tyria is. But, the game sadly gets easier and easier. Now you get XP faster and faster and constantly gets boosters and you cant even refuse them. Then you get gifts for loggin in.... Now you dont even have to repair the amor anymore... I think it is a shame that the game just gets easier and easier and that the "journey" towards a strong character is not a challenge but a given. At this pace, all of the characters could just start at level 80 and be immortal since dying dosent matter the slightest... lol... I have written to GW2 team with this concern, but they want it to be passed trough the forum. I really hope im not the only one that think this sucks. Is gaming really supposed to be just a cake walk and nothing more? At least they could make two world modes, one for those who dosent wanna work for their characters and one for us who likes the challenge. 

 

Ps: Sorry for the terrible english, it is not my best launguage to write.

I think that what you're experiencing is not the game becoming easier but you getting better. Your damage output becomes exponentially better the more you understand the combat system. So there's a HUGE difference between players who just casually muck about and those who are pretty good at the combat system. 

But since most MMO players tend to be casual players these days Anet is in a bit of a bind. They can't make things harder because the majority of players won't like it, but the combat system is such that when you understand it a fair bit that you can easily double or triple your output.

Players who learn the combat system should be rewarded, but the rewards in output are so great that it devaluates most content for them. I call that irony.

Dying being meaningless is not new. They just took the annoyance out of it. The content itself is not easier when it costs you less gold. They lowered the stakes perhaps but you do have to remember that most players in GW2 are casual players who don't really care about the combat system. So they can't progressively make content harder. Some meta's are there, but mostly strikes, higher level fractals, raids are meant for the more skilful players. And certain types of play in PvP and WvW require mastering the combat system. 

I think your idea of two world modes or rather shards will result in a very small community for those who want a challenge, well, and possibly the leechers will go there. Separate shards is what it would be in effect and I just don't see Anet wanting to do that. Just think of the resources involved into creating a harder version of the OW. That's a LOT of content that needs to be redone and maintained. And for who exactly? I'm sure there are some players like you, but I don't think those numbers are as significant as you might hope.

Just my view of course.

[Kozumi.5816]

12 hours ago, Hesione.9412 said:

Nope, I have been on TD maps where at least one lane has a gerent alive at the end of the first phase. I've also been on maps that have failed because I'm the only person trying to do the chak rush.

That's a bad argument and you know it.

[Azureus.5428]

Lupicus dies like a sick puppy.

[Krzysztof.5973]

On 12/1/2022 at 1:21 PM, Antycypator.9874 said:

Instanced content is locked behind Killproofs, because experienced players want to play only with experienced players.

Am I taking away your ability to do the content by asking for killproofs? Or am I taking away your ability to play with me?

Edited December 2, 2022 by Krzysztof.5973

[Killthehealersffs.8940]

10 hours ago, Krzysztof.5973 said:

Am I taking away your ability to do the content by asking for killproofs? Or am I taking away your ability to play with me?

Depends . How long where people against easy modes , so casuals can play among themselves ? (i can point specific people if you want and later on those same people  whined about easy mode offering the Raid set)

Edited December 2, 2022 by Killthehealersffs.8940

[Cyninja.2954]

1 hour ago, Killthehealersffs.8940 said:

Depends . How long where people against easy modes , so casuals can play among themselves ? (i can point specific people if you want and later on those same people  whined about easy mode offering the Raid set)

That's not the answer to the question you were going for, even if you enjoy playing the blame others for your own shortcomings game.

You literally answered it with:

No, kill proof do not take away from players being able to do content. Easy modes simple lowered the barrier for new players to self form groups, which is the literal definition of "entering content on your own".

So no, it does not "depend".

Edited December 2, 2022 by Cyninja.2954

[Khisanth.2948]

3 hours ago, Gehenna.3625 said:

The content itself is not easier when it costs you less gold.

The gold cost was already removed 8 years ago anyway.

Repairs were already irrelevant in fractals, raids, strikes, and WvW due to inline or easily accessible repair mechanics.

[Mik.3401]

This game went live during quite a transitionary period and I think this is the inherent problem.

like - it is designed with enough complexity to be almost as elaborate as the old school mmos/simple rpgs , but the crowd transformed over the last years and they want simple experience. So the devs needed to compromise their development ambitions.

So they are trying to dumb the game down now so that it attracts these people. And it works I guess, since the majority of GW2 player base seems to be very casual. The sweaty gamer theorycrafters from GW1 times moved on to other titles, where pvp is better and the endgame is more challenging.

And I believe that attracting both bases is key, which cannot happen anymore, because GW2 is sort of like a car repurposed for a boat - meant to be bad.

[Antycypator.9874]

6 hours ago, Krzysztof.5973 said:

Am I taking away your ability to do the content by asking for killproofs? Or am I taking away your ability to play with me?

Nobody here is asking to play with you, lol.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Antycypator.9874
typo

[Krzysztof.5973]

1 hour ago, Antycypator.9874 said:

Nobody here is asking to play with you, lol.

I assumed this hypothetical scenario was pretty easy to understand. I guess I overestimated...

[Hesione.9412]

11 hours ago, Kozumi.5816 said:

That's a bad argument and you know it.

I negated what you said, you were incorrect. That's not a bad argument, that's a counterfactual.

[Linken.6345]

10 hours ago, Antycypator.9874 said:

Nobody here is asking to play with you, lol.

Then make your own squads without killproofs.

[Strixxe.2019]

I am veteran and playing since release and To be frank i loved-hated to be owend by vastly overcrowded Orr or tose pesky pocket raptors, now im not a kid anymore, i have a job and maybe 1 or 2 hours of free time every day so i dont mind, that game is easier, i dont have that much time to git gut, but i want to experience everything that game has to offer

[thisistheway.4301]

Easier hah they made the last chapter of the EoD story difficult as a raid, not to mention they locked the Turtle mount behind a raid disguised as a strike.

Easier they say.

All to force people into playing raids. No thanks.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Typhoon.8645

[Maria Murtor.7253]

Make your own scenarios then. This is how stuff like Pokémon Nuzlocke, no damage runs in Resident Evil and other player made challenges came to life.

[Bladestrom.6425]

16 hours ago, Mik.3401 said:

This game went live during quite a transitionary period and I think this is the inherent problem.

like - it is designed with enough complexity to be almost as elaborate as the old school mmos/simple rpgs , but the crowd transformed over the last years and they want simple experience. So the devs needed to compromise their development ambitions.

So they are trying to dumb the game down now so that it attracts these people. And it works I guess, since the majority of GW2 player base seems to be very casual. The sweaty gamer theorycrafters from GW1 times moved on to other titles, where pvp is better and the endgame is more challenging.

And I believe that attracting both bases is key, which cannot happen anymore, because GW2 is sort of like a car repurposed for a boat - meant to be bad.

nobody is dumbing anything down, Anet has gradually added  HARDER content over time,

 

later fractals are harder than earlier

later areas harder than prev areas 

meta end boss harder than previous areas etc

Strikes as harder casual content

 

but much more importantly

 

Players get more skilled over time

Players learn to tune their builds over time

players get richer over time food/utils/ascended gear/build optimisation)

meta has matured so those that follow get optimised easier.  Unfortunately others demand meta level performance from others in in appropriate areas and that does not help.

note NONE of the above positives apply to new players.

Edited December 3, 2022 by vesica tempestas.1563

[Treacy.4067]

On 11/29/2022 at 8:58 PM, Kurrilino.2706 said:

This game isn't getting easier.

 

Yes it is. The elite specs are too OP, too many boon sources are in the game now, they keep nerfing earlier content whilst releasing easier content.  

[Mik.3401]

4 hours ago, vesica tempestas.1563 said:

nobody is dumbing anything down, Anet has gradually added  HARDER content over time,

 

later fractals are harder than earlier

later areas harder than prev areas 

meta end boss harder than previous areas etc

Strikes as harder casual content

 

but much more importantly

 

Players get more skilled over time

Players learn to tune their builds over time

players get richer over time food/utils/ascended gear/build optimisation)

meta has matured so those that follow get optimised easier.  Unfortunately others demand meta level performance from others in in appropriate areas and that does not help.

note NONE of the above positives apply to new players.

You picked your arguments very selectively - forgot about new broken gear, dumb broken new especs, avalanche of reards for literally existing, QoL, etc.

Besides the harder content is attempted by minimal percentage of players and gives no amazing upgrade in rewards. So all in all the content needed to win is dumbed down. 

[Killthehealersffs.8940]

12 hours ago, Treacy.4067 said:

Yes it is. The elite specs are too OP, too many boon sources are in the game now, they keep nerfing earlier content whilst releasing easier content.  

Lets :

a) Nerf the boons (25% quickness)  , that way new-old content will become medium dificulty.

b) Reduce healing/barriers ,  within 1200 yards of the Strike/Raids boss , while outside the range of it Boons are reduced even more 8-10% Quickness . Reasoning: Meele areas  in Strikes/Raids will become  dangerous but more rewarding with faster damage done .

c) Increase the dificulty of the open world like HoT , forcing people to use Knights/Celectial gear

 

Spoiler

(arent a little bored with forcing casuals to use LI builds , eliminating 1x problem that people having for not joining Strikes and Raids ? Theres still  the problem of  KP + not dying once . We will come back in  the usual argument "why are not creating your own group" . Lets have an auto-lfg and forgoet each other we exist + the game getting crash in that LFG if you have dps addons , wew ill become better than the radingcasuals in FF14 😛)

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Killthehealersffs.8940

[Hotride.2187]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:14 PM, thebeast.9671 said:

I like the missions, the stories and the really amazing design of the world Tyria is.

No idea which part of that was any sort of difficult, so that making it easier results in lost value.

[robertthebard.8150]

On 12/2/2022 at 9:16 AM, Krzysztof.5973 said:

Am I taking away your ability to do the content by asking for killproofs? Or am I taking away your ability to play with me?

I guess, if the game's really that easy, then you're just being an elitist?  Because if the premise of the thread is to be believed, then it really shouldn't matter who joins what group for what content, should it?

This is an argument I've seen before, across multiple MMOs.  In swtor, the game's too easy, but you must have the achievement for beating content on NM, along with NM rated gear, to run a Story Mode Operation.  In DDO, the game's "so easy" that it required "Reaper Mode" that, once it was implemented, was lamented as being too hard, by some of the same people that insisted it needed to be added in the first place.  The "convenient excuse" being "but it's stupid hard"...

[Krzysztof.5973]

24 minutes ago, robertthebard.8150 said:

I guess, if the game's really that easy, then you're just being an elitist?  Because if the premise of the thread is to be believed, then it really shouldn't matter who joins what group for what content, should it?

This is an argument I've seen before, across multiple MMOs.  In swtor, the game's too easy, but you must have the achievement for beating content on NM, along with NM rated gear, to run a Story Mode Operation.  In DDO, the game's "so easy" that it required "Reaper Mode" that, once it was implemented, was lamented as being too hard, by some of the same people that insisted it needed to be added in the first place.  The "convenient excuse" being "but it's stupid hard"...

99% of the content in this game is easy and if you are willing to learn the game mechanics the game becomes very easy. Problem with this community is that there is a good portion of players that are unwilling to improve in any way, shape or form. Why should my squad suffer because someone does not put effort into improving? If I can finish the content faster by asking for minimum requirements, I will. 
And to even suggest that asking for KP is preventing anyone from completing the content because some commander made his own LFG is just delusional.  

[ArchonWing.9480]

It's just a fact of life that an aged game needs to quickly ferry people to "endgame" content or they'll leave. It's not fun for many to play half of a character. And Gw2 just isn't much of a vertical progression game, which is fine.

And for long term players that have already leveled multiple characters, it's fair to not want to do it again.

Though personally I've always hated leveling and left the game for a few months after release, and then came back to reach level 80.

Edited December 3, 2022 by ArchonWing.9480