Should ANet ditch Jade Bot Jade Tech Protocols?

[Mungrul.9358]

Personally, I find the Offensive and Defensive Jade Tech Protocols annoying, unbalanced, and uncomfortably close to vertical power progression and pay-to-win.

Annoying because I have to spend time running around to build up the maximum duration (they've already walked this backed from release, where extra charges would improve the bonus given, so they've already partially admitted that the system wasn't properly thought out).

Unbalanced because the Canthan mobs have been balanced around them and are significantly easier to fight with one or both active, but also in that you can take these bonuses back to other maps where they will further trivialise content.

Vertical power progression and pay-to-win because these bonuses are only available to those who buy End of Dragons. And if we as a community are seen to accept this "vertical progression by the back door", it will open the door to other forms of unwanted power-creep (like Relics).

 

I find this situation very similar to Magic Find gear on release, where ANet eventually removed it because players would cripple their builds and the efficacy of groups they joined by choosing gear that had magic find instead of a more gameplay-affecting stat.

 

Edit: Oh, and this is a large part of what keeps me from revisiting Canthan maps. If the first thing you feel you need to do when visitng Cantha is pointless busywork so you can be optimal, something's wrong.

Edited July 14, 2023 by Mungrul.9358
tech to take

[kharmin.7683]

Close to P2W?   😆

[Omega.6801]

Now that we have them ANet should expand on the idea.
Should they never have existed in the first place? Yes, thesy are one of many filler features of EoD only there to sell skins.

[Mungrul.9358]

Sorry, I didn't mean the bots themselves, but the buffs provided by the batteries and offensive and defensive buff stations.

While I agree that the bots were most likely implemented as another way to sell skins, that isn't what this is about.

[Borked.6824]

I see where you are with this.  I agree for the most part, but the protocols are the only interesting part of jade bots for me, and I'd dare to say they make the mile wide inch deep expansion a teeny bit more interesting.  If buffs were to go away, I'd rather the bots just went away.

[Danikat.8537]

I don't use them most of the time. If I happen to come across one of the stations when I have a charge to spare I'll pick it up, but I don't go out of my way to get them.

So I'm pretty indifferent to them, I don't mind them being there but I wouldn't mind if they were removed either.

[jason.1083]

I also pretty much never use them, only did at EoD launch when we did the Soo Won meta, I later found out they can be taken anywhere in open world. 

I don't mind them, to avoid this feeling of power creep I reckon they should be removed upon leaving EoD maps, so we won't be able to use them along with people that don't have access to them since they are a direct stat boost, same goes for the jade bot cores honestly. 

But I think they're fine as it is, I wouldn't bother to touch them further unless Anet is planning to actually put effort into expanding the mechanic and not just throwing a hotfix at them that might make it worse. 

[Rumpus.1234]

Why should the bonuses be removed when leaving Cantha? Your jade bot isn't confiscated at the border.

What should be removed is the several seconds of delay after the first and only the first charge of each.

[jason.1083]

12 minutes ago, Rumpus.1234 said:

Why should the bonuses be removed when leaving Cantha? Your jade bot isn't confiscated at the border.

What should be removed is the several seconds of delay after the first and only the first charge of each.

Well, OP said that the Protocols feel like vertical progression, a solution to that would be what I said, although I don't think it's necessary from my perspective.

If we want to make full account players be 100% equal to the F2P players in power, jade protocols are very far down the list. 

[Gravitron.7982]

2 hours ago, Mungrul.9358 said:

Personally, I find the Offensive and Defensive Jade Tech Protocols annoying, unbalanced, and uncomfortably close to vertical power progression and pay-to-win.

Annoying because I have to spend time running around to build up the maximum duration (they've already walked this backed from release, where extra charges would improve the bonus given, so they've already partially admitted that the system wasn't properly thought out).

Unbalanced because the Canthan mobs have been balanced around them and are significantly easier to fight with one or both active, but also in that you can take these bonuses back to other maps where they will further trivialise content.

Vertical power progression and pay-to-win because these bonuses are only available to those who buy End of Dragons. And if we as a community are seen to accept this "vertical progression by the back door", it will open the door to other forms of unwanted power-creep (like Relics).

 

I find this situation very similar to Magic Find gear on release, where ANet eventually removed it because players would cripple their builds and the efficacy of groups they joined by choosing gear that had magic find instead of a more gameplay-affecting stat.

 

Edit: Oh, and this is a large part of what keeps me from revisiting Canthan maps. If the first thing you feel you need to do when visitng Cantha is pointless busywork so you can be optimal, something's wrong.

You noticed that too huh? Thought I was the only one lol

[Chichimec.9364]

I rarely bother with them myself. To me, they are more trouble than they are worth as they work right now. The running around to fully charge the duration feels ridiculous and then you can lose the charges so easily. I quickly learned not to put them on a character doing story as going into a story instance immediately wipes them. Even so, I still lose them without being sure why. Does going into a home instance or a guild hall wipe them? I dunno, but something besides story instances does. My own preference would be for the duration to be more easily charged up and for the duration to stay until the clock actually runs down on them. Otherwise I won't waste time or effort on them.

[Ashen.2907]

I dont use them. If I want an I win button that exists more to eat my time than provide actual engaging gameplay there are plenty of cheap and flashy mobile games out there for me to (not) choose from.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Ashen.2907

[PepeLePewPew.2107]

The buffs are removed whenever you enter an instance.  Yes, that includes your home instance and any purchased convenience hub.  The protocols are one of the absolute worst aspects of the game currently imo.  It's a stupid time consuming chore.  A good mmo should aim for repeatable activities that are so entertaining you don't mind the repetition.  Jade tech protocols fail miserably at this, made even worse by the instability of the buffs.

[Astralporing.1957]

I'd rather they rework bot mechanics overall. First and foremost get rid of that Workbench requirement for changing components. That's absolutely ridiculous. Battery charges are also a tiresome busywork for its own sake. It's not really a meaningful limitation at all - it just forces you to run around for a bit for nearest charger or zipline whenever you need more. As for jade tech protocols, again, why the need to spam those? Anyone that needs it can easily stack hours of that buff anyway.

[Hashberry.4510]

This felt like testing out the borrowed power WoW eventually settled into. Hope they don’t get that lazy. 

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

i've never seen a single player running around with these in tyria, and only a few times in dragonstorm. most open-world builds already set up to bring your own boons and the protocols only really benefit newer, inexperienced players who don't have very good builds.

Edited July 14, 2023 by SoftFootpaws.9134

[Chyro.1462]

Eh, it's there - some use it, some don't.

I kinda see them like training wheels you can put on if you want to have an easier time. I assume most players don't even bother to keep rebuffing themself all the time while in open world, since the buffs aren't required anywhere and are easily lost if you're doing stuff like story. There's no open world content that is so hard that it requires you to have them. And most of what they provide (the boons) you could also get from playing in a party, or running a build that provides itself those boons.

Don't really see any reason to remove them. They don't break anything, they don't hurt anyone. And people are free to use them or not use them as they prefer.

[Duglaive.5236]

Speaking only for myself: just like 90+% of EoD, a not-needed waste of time. 

Guess it's nice for those that feel they need it.  /shrug

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

I can see the complaint.  The Jade Tech Combat Protocols have removed self-boons from consideration when making overworld builds.  I.E. originally the Illusions + Dueling Mesmer was an excellent overworld build to run with, since it stacked up so much personal quickness, might, and fury.  Other builds didn't, which is what made it stand out so much.  But now, there's little reason to run the Illusions Line, since the combat protocols give you all of those boons and more.  

[Xperiment.6923]

I like jade bots, they feel unfinished. Wish they could fight with you in open world like chocobo's in FFXIV. I rarely go to cantha so I rarely use these but I see no harm. It's a free buff take it or leave it. I've never felt content in cantha is too hard to pass on them. I actually now spend my charges on chests instead. It's kinda like gathering...some ppl will pick up every single onion they see and some players will feel they have enough and it's not worth the dismount.

[Dante.1508]

22 hours ago, Mungrul.9358 said:

Personally, I find the Offensive and Defensive Jade Tech Protocols annoying, unbalanced, and uncomfortably close to vertical power progression and pay-to-win.

Annoying because I have to spend time running around to build up the maximum duration (they've already walked this backed from release, where extra charges would improve the bonus given, so they've already partially admitted that the system wasn't properly thought out).

Unbalanced because the Canthan mobs have been balanced around them and are significantly easier to fight with one or both active, but also in that you can take these bonuses back to other maps where they will further trivialise content.

Vertical power progression and pay-to-win because these bonuses are only available to those who buy End of Dragons. And if we as a community are seen to accept this "vertical progression by the back door", it will open the door to other forms of unwanted power-creep (like Relics).

 

I find this situation very similar to Magic Find gear on release, where ANet eventually removed it because players would cripple their builds and the efficacy of groups they joined by choosing gear that had magic find instead of a more gameplay-affecting stat.

 

Edit: Oh, and this is a large part of what keeps me from revisiting Canthan maps. If the first thing you feel you need to do when visitng Cantha is pointless busywork so you can be optimal, something's wrong.

I dislike the whole Jade bot Mechanics.. Its just bloody annoying.

[vares.8457]

6 minutes ago, Dante.1508 said:

I dislike the whole Jade bot Mechanics.. Its just bloody annoying.

Then simply don’t use it, it’s not mandatory. Open world is easy as hell even without the buffs. 

[Ultramex.1506]

How many times have gw2 players asked should Anet ditch X, and they actually did? Research notes are still around, good idea terrible execution. But you know what they ditched when nobody asked for? Runes  6th bonus!

We should ask for rework instead.

[Dante.1508]

11 minutes ago, vares.8457 said:

Then simply don’t use it, it’s not mandatory. Open world is easy as hell even without the buffs. 

I don't use them.. I tend to avoid EoD completely after i finish EoD specific stories.

[Hashberry.4510]

How about a new option that buff enemies and gives you a charge. Anti pcreep.