Am I the only one not enjoying this expansion?

[Golvellius.7856]

All other GW2 expansions brought new and interesting mechanics as well as profession changes.  SotO is at best a "mini" expansion, but it feels even smaller than that.  I love the game though, so that's not really a "deal breaker" as it were. I think I'm just kind of put off by the repetition and the recycling of assets.

The other thing is the story.  Initially, it felt dark and mysterious...very similar to how the Icebrood Saga started off with the whispers and the Boneskinner.  In both cases, the gameplay and story quickly return to that familiar GW2 baseline.  I would have rather we continued down into whatever twisted hole the demons are from and learn to fight them on their turf.

Honestly, I don't know if I have a solid opinion.  I like it well enough, but not where I feel the need to log in and do something.  The expansion just feels...incomplete?

[Eekasqueak.7850]

1 hour ago, Golvellius.7856 said:

  The expansion just feels...incomplete?

Well it literally is, they're going to add more to it in further updates. 

[Kera.3982]

Glad I saw this post. I was tempted to buy the new Expansion but now knowing the writing is still terrible, I won't be buying it unless its at half the price. EoD's writing was enough to make me stay away from the game for months.

[Raxio.8423]

You are not the only one who's not enjoying the expansion. While there are mass announcements of new games , series  or expansions  and everybody's loving the game. Then there is Anet hideous , with a sudden announcement on new expansion coming next month.The expansion was as expected as the announcement.. Theres  a saying "morning shows the day". Idk why people are defending for such a bad release. The story feels worse than the last 2 expansions, and only 2 maps for an expansion that costs 25$. They are adding additional features like relics and free 600g worth leggie mats just to lock them so that you must buy the expansion is absolute mindcracking. It's literally telling you to buy mats but you get a discount for an expansion with the crafting mats. The price of a lot of mats have gone very high forcing players to buy more gold or grind more. 

  I don't care if an expansions costs 25$, it doesn't matter if they take 3-4 years to make an expansion, i just want the expansion to be good enough to be worth the money i spend in the game and get its recognition like the games which are being released. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Raxio.8423

[Golvellius.7856]

On 9/25/2023 at 8:52 PM, Eekasqueak.7850 said:

Well it literally is, they're going to add more to it in further updates. 

I'm well aware of what they're planning. I've played the game since beta and have followed every update.  OP posed a question, I gave my opinion. The fact that they have more planned doesn't change how I feel. Which is, the expansion feels incomplete...or if you prefer, it feels just as incomplete as they described. 

Moreover, this isn't exclusive to SotO.  The entire game has been evolving and improving since release.  I don't see why this expansion should be exempt from critique simply based on future promises. 

[MuscleBobBuffPants.1406]

22 hours ago, Raxio.8423 said:

  I don't care if an expansions costs 25$, it doesn't matter if they take 3-4 years to make an expansion, i just want the expansion to be good enough to be worth the money i spend in the game and get its recognition like the games which are being released.

Correct.  This is PRECISELY how I feel.  I see people saying it only cost $25, but I want actual quality content.  I don't want $25 worth of McDonalds, I would like $25 worth of good food.  It felt like an incomplete expansion, like a Living World, but heck Living World 4 felt like an entire expansion when you consider the content, quality etc.   I still do Living World 4 content, is anyone really still doing rifts?  Probably not much.

[vares.8457]

4 minutes ago, MuscleBobBuffPants.1406 said:

is anyone really still doing rifts?  Probably not much.

A lot of people are still doing rifts, either for the armor or the achievement points 

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

Let's just say that as it stands, I do not feel compelled to buy this expansion for any of my alt accounts...

[Albadaran.1283]

Basically it's a paid Living World add on. I don't mind paying for new content, but yeah, this feels like playing a chain of events rather than expansion. I did not play Living world, except getting my skyscale. So hmmm, don't know if I buy the next one. Depends on what it brings. But I certainly would like exploring all maps currently covered by 'fog of war' 🙂

[Randulf.7614]

On 9/26/2023 at 11:28 AM, Kera.3982 said:

Glad I saw this post. I was tempted to buy the new Expansion but now knowing the writing is still terrible, I won't be buying it unless its at half the price. EoD's writing was enough to make me stay away from the game for months.

It’s the best story and writing in the game so far

[MalekithDG.6124]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:47 AM, GingeraleDragon.5804 said:

It's pretty obvious the writing team got fired again, but this one couldn't even be bothered to do more than skim whatever recap they were given. The characters treat the Commander like some new guy, some rookie who hasn't fought like 3 different wars and killed six elder dragons. If this was placed before Heart of Thorns, it would make sense, but it isn't. This doesn't feel like a Guild Wars expansion, this feels like a completely different game, but there's charr in it. I can look over a lot of flaws with the way this game handles keeping players busy, but when you're asking me to grind out a mastery on what is essentially a map that's just maps I've seen before but smaller snippets of them, it feels like a dishonest slap in the face. That's not even bringing up how the expansion isn't even finished yet. I couldn't shake the feeling of "This feels like Metal Gear Survive" while playing before I just logged out.

This expansion does have a lead up. After Dragon Cycle the Tyria left without any worthwhile antagonists with Commander having the widest influence and OP strenght, giving the players closure on Dragon Cycle Arc. However this closure came at a cost, to name, PTSD. The demons (Kanaxai and Deimos) did existed before this expansion and they both had a single motive: Feed up on emotionally heavy. So there is your consistence and the lead up I was talking about was Gyala. People anticipated Kanaxai even before it was announced/released when Gyala first released and completed on the first day by many players. And they were right, Kanaxai did end up being added with both its and Gyala's story tying into SotO.

Whole point of expansion is literally meant to make you as insignificant/disconnected as possible. Remember the Dragon Cycle closure? Gorrik and Rama opened up an agency, Taimi continued her work with Joon, Marjory and Kasmeer being engaged and continuing their agency, Logan back with the Queen and what not? Yeah... You are left with NO ALLIES. The whole expansion literally starts with a journalist interviewing you, stating and accepting you as the hottest, strongest, most important character alive. Your character knows that, they are used to it and they also know that they are out of a job since all of the elder dragons dead (the reason for pact btw.). Story hinges on this further with your character saying "Why didnt you guys requested help? With just a word I can bring an armada of airships and whole pact here to fight off the threat", SotO characters knows and acknowledges what is Commander capable of but they cant do that because making the threat known would create public fear, an emotion demons so love. There are also other reasons like them being bunch of egoistical, prideful idiots and so on but I digress. ANET couldnt have created a more powerful antagonist with a clap of their hands right after Dragon Cycle considering the Commander... Commanded EVERYTHING on Tyria. That would be putting Madara level threat right after Akatsuki Saga, oh wait... Yeah we know how that went ;). Thats not a good writing, we dont want ANET to  pull solutions out of their... thing... to defeat the new OP antagonist like Kishimoto did.

SotO was meant to be an afterwards expansion with one thing in mind: "How can we reset this story/commander, they are way too strong". We dont know how the story will progress but right now the main big bad of this Expansion doesnt sound very strong so rest easy, capabilities of your Commander is still intact. Whether thats a good or bad thing for the future of story is remain to be seen.

Anyway, with this is out of the way...

Quote

If this is the new standard of quality for expansions, I'm really worried about the future of Guild Wars 2, and if half-baked maps, overly long and fairly boring instanced content, and patronizing and confusing dialogue is what we have to look forward to, I won't be pre-ordering the next expansion.

Quote

I began having my doubts with it once I thought about how good End of Dragons was. And my doubts turned out to be just how I felt. I mentally checked out and closed the game when they told me to learn about skyscales. The same skyscales I grinded out PvP and maps for currencies to get, the same skyscales the Commander themself witnessed coming into the world, the same skyscales I've been riding for like a year now.

You are right. I rate this expansion 4/10, including story, so far. I bit the bullet and bought it 1 month after release. I wont be making the same mistake with next expansion.

The thing is none of these are planned. I can, to a point, understand the re-introduction of Skyscale considering we are dealing with mists AND it was hard to obtain for new players. But it also served as an excuse to fill the expansion with "marketable content", ANET hit 2 birds with 1 stone there... And we all know that Weapon Mastery is completely unplanned feature. If you look at the E-spec weapons and trait lines of other E-specs you will see that they dont work well with each other and in certain scenarios thats blatantly obvious. (Find my comment there). Not even the Flight Mastery planned before-hand, it completely butchers griffon and there arent many Leylines to ride in Tyria, specific to certain maps. Its a very niche feature, this whole expansion is very niche.

All of the content in SotO is made by reused content, including ideas. This is a duct taped product, badly duct taped. They traded the identity of other expansions/E-specs for marketable content in SotO. This will have long-term consequences like certain E-Specs losing all of their identity/place in meta. They also made it very hard on themselves to balance and we already know how often these balance patches come and their impactfulness.

Edited September 27, 2023 by MalekithDG.6124

[IndigoSundown.5419]

Like you, OP, I am displeased by SotO.  Unlike you, I was also displeased by EoD.  For me, SotO is just a continuation of a downward spiral that began with the extremely weak latter part of IBS.

Why am I still here, then?  My guild.  I play aspects of the game (mostly strikes and WvW) we all enjoy.  Then I log off.  That might change if ANet continues down the path  of WvW "Balancing" that promotes the toxic boon-ball meta over anything else.

[keykey.9182]

I dont think Soto was meant to be a player retainer xpac , like many I got bored after a few days of chasings rifts almost falling sleep in front of pc , wish I could refund this one it is what it is.

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

FWIW the next two quarters need to carry a lot of weight. If they fall flat, then Soto will not be good for Anet or their next expac style in the end.

[Balsa.3951]

On 9/26/2023 at 6:28 PM, Kera.3982 said:

Glad I saw this post. I was tempted to buy the new Expansion but now knowing the writing is still terrible, I won't be buying it unless its at half the price. EoD's writing was enough to make me stay away from the game for months.

building opinion on own experience is a lost art.

u probably dislike many things after u heard some *opinion about them

[Gravitron.7982]

On 9/27/2023 at 10:43 AM, Lan Deathrider.5910 said:

FWIW the next two quarters need to carry a lot of weight. If they fall flat, then Soto will not be good for Anet or their next expac style in the end.

Yeah I agree.

[Morvran.8265]

On 9/27/2023 at 6:01 PM, Randulf.7614 said:

It’s the best story and writing in the game so far

Is the bar really this low?

Nothing interesting happened, everything was predictable, characters are meh and the whole Astral Ward thing is a retcon that came out of nowhere.

I don't get why some people fawn over this.

[Pomdepin.7068]

I really enjoy it personally, even though it feels a bit bare bones for now.

New daily is great, I don't understand how people can like the old one better. Always was an unrewarding chore to me. Like play a PvP match and hope to get all 3 in a single match, if not, go for another easy and quick one, and log off to get 2g.

For pve daily now, I have some also easy options, some kind of fun ones (I like jumping puzzles), and above all, they reward you so so much more!!! Skins, mats, gold, legendary boxes, mount skins. You get tons of gold of value, they're actually worth the time spent. Many are just obtained with normal gameplay too.

Relic system is good too imo, but needs to be improved with more relics and ways to get them maybe. Just adds some diversity to gear options. I can now choose to always run faster without going celestial stats if I choose so.

I enjoyed the story as well, characters were interesting to me, feels like something mysterious getting to Cerus's home. I didn't really start EoD story yet, but seeing Marjory and Kasmeer with their cringe relationship being at the center didn't motivate me at all.

Maps are good to me too, with fun meta events, Amnytas is awesome for the griffon mount I had pretty much replaced by the skyscale until now.

I can now work to get a pve legendary armour in the future with normal gameplay. I already see few people with the mage armour after only a few weeks after the expansion, so saying it's too grindy is absurd. You don't HAVE to get it in a few days... It was the same with ancient boreal weapons, LWS4 maps and so on... 

Now the thing I don't like is that the rift system is the only way to get some important mats. While I don't dislike the rifts themselves, I don't like running from one to another, but again, that's something that's been seen in other maps too, like champs train in Dragonfall. I hope it will get more diverse with next pieces of content we'll get.

I had taken a long break from the game a bit before EoD until right before SotO, and I'm happy to have things to do and improved systems. Maybe some people should just do the same. Having breaks can be good.

 

Edit: typos

Edited September 30, 2023 by Pomdepin.7068
Corrected some linguistic errors

[DaliIndica.9041]

It feels like some of the design was implemented to slow progress down for most players. The map is just a rehash of other bits of maps we have already played. The map layout is awkward to get around, people without skyscale end up using a terrible version of skyscale, again, its balanced for the very top and most dedicated players, whilst giving newer players, the people most likely to spend money, a poor experience. The story is the same bland rubbish they always pull, some of the story felt like simple location swaps from earlier story beats. Its moved entirely to events, which are pretty awful. It doesn't feel like you are doing anything other than showing up for rewards and story progress, follow the zerg or you cannot do the story.

 

This game feels like it caters to a strange set of twitter users, and hardcore completionists gamers, every one else be damned.

[Randulf.7614]

16 hours ago, Morvran.8265 said:

Is the bar really this low?

Nothing interesting happened, everything was predictable, characters are meh and the whole Astral Ward thing is a retcon that came out of nowhere.

I don't get why some people fawn over this.

Or we just like different things. It’s not an issue or a low bar for me to have enjoyed the story thoroughly.

[Alsandar.7420]

I loved Soto. It’s pretty. But I don’t play it anymore 😢

I’m in the minority, but I prefer Aurene & Taimi and I miss my decade long friends.

Cal systematically destroyed WvW over the course of a year. I left my long-standing WvW family.

I want to play and love the game. It’s so beautiful. But sadly I’m just not logging in

[Vayne.8563]

On 8/23/2023 at 8:43 PM, Palador.2170 said:

I'm up to the point where it expects you to gain the first level in a specific mastery line, and I'm HATING the story.

There is not a single character I've met in this that I've not wanted to drop-kick into the nearest rift or bottomless pit. ESPECIALLY Zojja. (Newsflash Zojja, Logan never fully healed either, but he didn't wander off to whine about it and leave friends wondering if he's even alive any more.)

Oh, and look! A monster that feeds on feelings! Gee, it's not like we've not seen THAT recently. And things coming from rifts? Yeah, been there and done that one, too.

There's more I could say, but it would become spoilers. I just... WHY is the Commander LISTENING to these people? There is a threat, ignore these self-important idiots and deal with it like you usually do.. <Kitten> their secrets.

Add on everything else they've made a mess of, and this expansion is ... Okay, I'll see it through for now, and give it the year. But as things stand now, I'm more likely to pick up a new game than I am the next expansion.

That thing that we've seen recently is you know, the same species and foreshadowing. Gyala was literally a prelude to this and some people just aren't paying attention. What's more likely. That the last story release gave a hint at what was to come, or they just created this in the last few months and put it all in after that? lol

[Palador.2170]

On 10/1/2023 at 6:21 PM, Vayne.8563 said:

That thing that we've seen recently is you know, the same species and foreshadowing. Gyala was literally a prelude to this and some people just aren't paying attention. What's more likely. That the last story release gave a hint at what was to come, or they just created this in the last few months and put it all in after that? lol

What's important is that we faced the very thing they're supposedly working so hard to contain, and they did NOTHING! While we walked into it blind, they sat back and watched. The solution found involved revisiting emotional trauma upon the Commander, and Zojja's too wrapped up in her own little drama to care.

And that doesn't even get into the horror show the fractals are. Beyond that, there's even more issues.

Let's be clear, the Wizards are NOT good people. The storyline forces you to act like they are.

[Vayne.8563]

1 hour ago, Palador.2170 said:

What's important is that we faced the very thing they're supposedly working so hard to contain, and they did NOTHING! While we walked into it blind, they sat back and watched. The solution found involved revisiting emotional trauma upon the Commander, and Zojja's too wrapped up in her own little drama to care.

And that doesn't even get into the horror show the fractals are. Beyond that, there's even more issues.

Let's be clear, the Wizards are NOT good people. The storyline forces you to act like they are.

If you're judging the game based on guys we help being good guys or bad guys, you haven't been paying attention. Even in Guild Wars 1 we helped Palawa Joko regain his Bone Palace. Anise is pretty slimy. And back in Season 1, we hunted down a guy trying to protect the refugees, for the Consortium, because Lion's Arch sent Ellen Kiel to do that. This isn't new, it's normal. People aren't good or bad. Why should they be? 

You may not like the story. Some people did like the story. Your opinion is just that, your opinion. Other people have different opnions. 

[Eekasqueak.7850]

I'm still enjoying it quite a bit.