Expansion: Pre-Order, Wail Till Launch to Purchase or Not Purchasing

[Vayne.8563]

My wife and I both prepurchased, which surprised no one I play with. In fact, we bought an extra copy for an alt account.

[babak.3654]

I’m sufficiently underwhelmed that I am not planning to buy at present. As it is I regretted my EoD purchase, and nothing that has been shown since really excites or reassures me either. 
 

So far the developers have not shown that they can competently balance the game as is, so I’m particularly sceptical of the changes to weapon restrictions, runes and relics.

[Kalocin.5982]

I'm probably waiting a bit, I haven't really enjoyed any content for awhile now so I'll wait and see what they come up with. With the conversion and tax this expansion is like $35-37 CAD give or take, so it's not as cheap for me as it is for people in the US either. If I do get it, I imagine it will be after all the content has already launched.

[Chichimec.9364]

Yes, I pre-ordered it already. Yes, I'm concerned about this latest balance patch. Yes, I'm even more concerned about some of the ongoing issues in WvW. However, I am still playing this game for hours every day and am enjoying it. So I'm voting with my wallet to concretely show that I want this game to continue.

[Luthan.5236]

Preordering. Since I am not playing any other games that have monthly cost ... and besides that only a one-time purches indie game at low cost every now and then. (Old computer.) I like the setting/lore ... though EoD was a bit bad with the too much sci-fi-themed green jade tech stuff.

Mainly interested in the setting. Arcane stuff and the monsters and lore - might be interesting. 25 is definitely worth it. Especially since I bought many other stuff cheap (living world on sale as someone that re-joined late and missed them when they were free, the PoF bundled with HoT and I think it was on sale as well).

Weapon changes are enough for the mechanics already - new elite specs would have been too much. And I like to get more variety also for core. Well see how that works out though - the real development only starts at release when they'll have to incorporate a ton of feedback regarding balancing lol.

Preorder bonus is nice. So if I'm getting it anyways - I preordered to get that as well. Then the 4k gems that I would get anyways (need still a bit more stuff from the gem store).

I do not really value the deluxe edition uprade stuff. (Only for PoF I liked the lounge pass.) But I see that one as free - in the ultimat edition. (Instead of thinking of getting the 4k gems at a discounted price.)

[vares.8457]

Of course I pre ordered. 

[Xanhawk.3806]

I have to wait a bit, but I am going to pre-order.  

[TheNecrosanct.4028]

50 minutes ago, Chichimec.9364 said:

Yes, I pre-ordered it already. Yes, I'm concerned about this latest balance patch. Yes, I'm even more concerned about some of the ongoing issues in WvW. However, I am still playing this game for hours every day and am enjoying it. So I'm voting with my wallet to concretely show that I want this game to continue.

This basically sums up how I feel. I still enjoy GW2 daily, despite some worries over what they plan to do (relics) and the latest balance patch. And yes, I pre-ordered as soon as I found out about the expansion, just like I did with the previous expansions. I don't like an incomplete game and a MMO without all expansions feels like an incomplete game to me.

[Jianyu.7065]

After buying my wife the complete collection just a week ago, she was easily convinced to also preorder the new expansion. She is already in love with the game.

For me - it's a no brainer buy as a life long fan of this game. Having thousands of hours in gw1 and gw2 and still not having seen everything.

I hope we get to go to the realm of torment and the fissure of woe.

[Rhetrabushion.3618]

I've got a few years playing this, and I'm mainly a PvE farmer, so pre-ordering will likely be my choice. After trying out a few characters in the Beta, I found them to be enjoyable, and honestly, a refreshing change for what I do in-game. I can see why others would be worried about the balance issues, and how other aspects ie WvW, etc, are being handled.  

[Gibson.4036]

EOD taught me not to prepurchase.

Which means waiting until after the quarterly updates have dropped.

Anyone who buys it August 22 is still pre-purchasing, since a chunk of content is still to come.

[jul.7602]

Never pre-order. I will see if the product is not garbage. THEN I will buy.

[Helliwolf the KrimsonKnight.6523]

Interesting to see so many varying opinions on this. But I suspect some of the soreness is here from the latest nerf-batting of beloved builds for Scourges and Chronomancers. I already had my butt whooped a few months back with my guardian, so I guess I've had time to heal.

Personally, I am seeing this release as a message of hope. I play this game for the experiences with friends and the lovely world Anet has created. Guild Wars has been a part of my life since 2005, and it has not lost me yet. I already pre-ordered for myself and a friend, so we are all in.

The new weapons and finally being able to wield the weapons I have unlocked on my character without having amnesia as to how to use them on a specialization change will be huge in of itself. I look forward to seeing the exciting builds that will come of it! 

I am also super happy with the new legendaries, and reward unlocks rework that will be available to filthy casuals like myself who could not do a raid or be competitive in PvP if Vallun and Hizen were propping me up on both sides.

The whole rune controversy is actually working out in my favor as I've always used the "cheaper alternative" for the Nightmare/Scholar/Malice runes all of these years, and now they will be worth just as much with the whole relic thing. Sorry to you guys who worked for the gold to gear yourself up properly, as it does seem you will be un-rewarded for your trouble.

[WeightTrainer.3219]

I am just curious each players thoughts based on the Expansion announcement/news, based on their EoD experience (good or bad), the spvpers and wvwers who don't get much attention. There are things that sound interesting in the expansion news and there are things that I personally think is just poor choices. For example if having no elite spec means they can balance classes better and focus time on improving the game that has been designed thus far I am all for it, but this issue with relics/legendary runes just seems like a massive middle finger to the playerbase (will have to wait and see what the "compensation" is). After EoD I decided no more preordering products from arenanet. Will wait till the expansion comes out along with any other decisions anet makes before the release date to see how the expansion goes for others, decided if this expansion is worth the 25 bucks and if anet is deserving of my money. Thus I chose the wait and see how the expansion goes for others before making a decision.

Edited June 29, 2023 by WeightTrainer.3219

[Tuna Bandit.3786]

I am with @Xainou.1502 on this one. Fix the patch issues first (Scourge for me)

Current state means I won't buy, cause my Scourge is my story character.

If properly fixed the 18th, I likely prepurchase

[Misterbrady.2167]

The expansion launches about the same time as Baldurs Gate 3.  I will play BG3 while the dust settles on GW2, but I'll be back.

[Kastagir.2146]

On 6/28/2023 at 7:25 PM, Arianth Moonlight.6453 said:

CORE NECROMANCER GREATSWORD KITTEN LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!

And a pistol

[Shaaba.5672]

Honestly, open world leggy armor has sold me. Already it has more exciting perks to me than the entirety of EoD did. That's one x-pac I might not buy again if I knew then what I know now. At least this time it's being upfront about what to expect in terms of story/maps.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Shaaba.5672

[Batalix.2873]

Waiting till launch. I don't really care for the previewed masteries. Already have skyscale, think the weapons mastery is going to undermine a lot of what made the espec system work in the past and narrow the meta for anything outside of PvP. Most of the new core weapons seem like really odd choices that dilute profession identity rather than strengthen it.

I'm already working through envoy so the leggy armor, albeit pretty, would just be hard resetting that progress. And as a design decision is putting another nail in the coffin of a game mode I really enjoy.

I'm getting really tired of EoD and now SotO recycling a lot of older assets and features as selling points instead of developing new things. I understand consolidating all the horizontal progression, but it would be nice to see some actual evidence of *new* development outside of story and not just parting out bits of the old machine that already existed. Don't give me a dragon, give me a new mount/vehicle. Don't give me new core weapons, give me a much needed underwater combat overhaul. Don't give me half of a rune rework, give me a dungeon rework. Don't give me PvE legendary armor, give me more raids. Don't give me GvG WvW betas to prepare for lower server populations as the game winds down, give me new maps and new QoL WvW features/mechanics. Don't give me "balance patches", give me new PvP maps and modes.

I am tired of ANet trying to shuffle things I already have in the game around--good espec system, good mastery system, good leggy raid system--and sell them to me as if they are new. They are over-appealing to new players and abandoning years of solid game design to do so. By all means, consolidation and increasing accessibility is fine, but at least do a better job of giving older players legitimately new developments, and not cannibalizing old but perfectly fine features/systems to do so.

And to top it off, this eldritch Ganon-Gloom TotK floating castle isn't hitting the "secrets of the obscure" I would rather be tackling--it's not bad, but not the parts of Tyria I was really interested in exploring. Though maybe if I see more that could change.

As it stands the only thing preorder is offering me that I will definitely want to use is a shared slot. That is comparatively little for giving my stamp of approval on game direction that I really don't agree with. My hope was that this transition would give the devs the resources to actually address the many neglected facets of this game: so far SotO is doing none of that and in fact piling onto problems.

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Batalix.2873

[Pagan Highlander.5948]

As of right now, I am not purchasing, as I totally disagree with them removing my Legendary rune set and forcing us to grind  and craft for something we already have.

No compensation can replace the effort i put into the legendary runes and then basically force us to do more crafting merely to regain what they took away. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Pagan Highlander.5948

[Tyncale.1629]

Not buying. I left when EoD was released because I was disappointed that no new game systems were introduced, like player housing or Henchmen.

New expansion is just more of the same, and some reworking of existing features, again no new game systems so I guess I will have to wait a little longer. Still not sure why they will not introduce player housing, seems like the ultimate fit for the way Anet monetizes a MMO. As for Henchmen, seeing how they keep pushing Strike Missions, I guess we will never see such a solo-oriented feature.

[Batalix.2873]

3 hours ago, Tyncale.1629 said:

Not buying. I left when EoD was released because I was disappointed that no new game systems were introduced, like player housing or Henchmen.

New expansion is just more of the same, and some reworking of existing features, again no new game systems so I guess I will have to wait a little longer. Still not sure why they will not introduce player housing, seems like the ultimate fit for the way Anet monetizes a MMO. As for Henchmen, seeing how they keep pushing Strike Missions, I guess we will never see such a solo-oriented feature.

Player housing is a huge ask. The amount of server space FFXIV has to buy, organize, and keep open for the sheer number of players who just wanna afk at home is staggering.

Maybe with an instance kick timer it wouldn't be as bad, but there is a reason why FFXIV has a login queue and GW2 doesn't. And a lot of that reason is player housing.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Batalix.2873

[vares.8457]

3 hours ago, Tyncale.1629 said:

like player housing or Henchmen.

No thanks. Housing is a boring feature and henchmen are not needed in an MMO. 

[Julischka Bean.7491]

I am doing the presell thing despite being full of terror that I will not have a 6th bonus/relic because I am a terrabad player who would bring down a squad...which means no fracs or strikes for meee.

I am also maxed out on character slots, and every character has been through HOT, POF, and Cantha for Hero Points...Please devs, I am happy with what I have...please don't rip it all away.  Having to farm to get back what I have on so many characters....BRRR

I also have ascended armor for many loved characters.  How is this relic system going to work with ascended?

So many questions.  But, I am going to take the plunge and hope that it will all work out 🙂

[Tyncale.1629]

14 minutes ago, vares.8457 said:

No thanks. Housing is a boring feature and henchmen are not needed in an MMO. 

I do not like PvP, WvW, Raids or Strike Missions. No thanks to being a lemming and/or getting yelled at when I am standing in the wrong circle. Yet they are in the game nonetheless.

To each their own, and I think there would be a good chunk of players that would enjoy housing, and willing to sink many hours, mats and also Gems into it. If GW2 will keep alive (and I think it will) then I am sure we will see housing some day. But I admit that it is an elaborate feature that would take a serious investment to do right. So some day, fingers crossed.   The Henchmen are probably a pipe dream, and would require a huge investment from Anets part with little return for them. So I am guessing no on that one. Was a typical GW1 thing that is much less needed in GW2, with their huge and pretty easy open world content. 

Still, they could have done a much better job with the NPC's that are supposed to help you out at Dragon response missions. They touted that as a feature where "faction NPC's would stand by your side", but they suck so hard it's not funny anymore. I lose them in the first minute and can not be bothered to rez them afterwards.