ANet, please don't lock new maps behind story progress for the character [merged]

[Manpag.6421]

Access to new content seems to be getting more and more restrictive, and I want to call it out at this stage while there's still time to stop the trend:

• Core maps: Fully accessible regardless of story completion
• LWS2 maps: Fully accessible even without owning the Living World episode
• HoT maps: Can be freely accessed without even starting the story, as long as you own the expansion. Maguuma Pact Operation Portal Device can also port alts to any map.
• LWS3 maps: Initially inaccessible without story, but can buy portal scrolls. 3 maps accessible through Thousand Seas Pavilion.
• PoF maps: Require story to be started, or have multiple alternative access options (Lily of the Elon pass, Windswept Haven guild hall, Spearmarshal's Plea, Thousand Seas Pavilion)
• LWS4 maps: Similar to LWS3, but only 1 map accessible through Thousand Seas Pavilion.
• IBS maps: As above, but no alt access outside scrolls.
• EoD maps: Require story to be started, or have more restricted access than PoF (Isle of Reflection guild hall, Thousand Seas Pavilion). Arborstone scroll obtained through story, LA portal linked to account-wide mastery rather than story completion.
• SotO part 1 maps: Only accessible through story or Wizard's Tower scroll. LA portal to Wizard's Tower only appears if that character has completed a specific story step.
• SotO part 2 map: Currently only accessible through story, and must waypoint to access thereafter.

I'm sure future story updates will add a portal from the Wizard's Tower to the new map, but please don't make that like the LA portal that only appears/works if you've done the story on that character. At the moment, I'm going to have to use Teleport to Friend for every alt I want to access the third map in this expansion with; we've never had content entirely locked to alts without story completion before, and it feels like an unhealthy direction. Story is great, but I should only have to play it once for characters on my account to access content I've bought.

[evilcat.6817]

There is a problem, if someone is anonymous altoholic then repeating X time each prologue just to enter the zone is very boring.

Repeating PoF and HoT prologue over and over is not fun.

The teleport scrolls are one option, as long as they are not prohibiting expansive.

Edited November 8, 2023 by evilcat.6817

[Fleabite.7528]

There presently seems no way to access Inner Nayos that I'm aware of, without each individual character completing the first couple of story steps to unlock the WP.

No portal, no scroll, no unlocking quests. 

This won't help zone populations!

[Parasite.5389]

11 minutes ago, Fleabite.7528 said:

There presently seems no way to access Inner Nayos that I'm aware of, without each individual character completing the first couple of story steps to unlock the WP.

No portal, no scroll, no unlocking quests. 

This won't help zone populations!

yes, because 'Access' helps with map population, thats why Gyala is a ghost town

[vandrefalk.6823]

1 hour ago, Manpag.6421 said:

HoT maps: Can be freely accessed without even starting the story, as long as you own the expansion.

Fairly sure you can't enter HoT unless at least one character has played through the first chapter of the story. I seem to remember that the portal in Silverwastes has a big red cross on it otherwise. But maybe it has changed recent years?

[kharmin.7683]

Teleport to Friend?

[vandrefalk.6823]

Just now, kharmin.7683 said:

Teleport to Friend?

I think OP wanted access to maps not be locked behind gem store items.

[Manpag.6421]

1 minute ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Teleport to Friend?

Just now, Dondarrion.2748 said:

I think OP wanted access to maps not be locked behind gem store items.

Exactly, I even mentioned that at the moment that’s my only option apart from playing through the whole SotO story so far. Imo, TP to friend should be reserved for when you need to get to a specific place (e.g. jumping puzzles), not just to get onto a map I’ve already unlocked through the story once.

[Rose Solane.1027]

Great, so I only have to worry about my main character for this part of the expansion. The other five characters will not have access. Because I am NOT going to do the story five more times. And I say that before having done the story (this part of the expansion) on my main. It doesn't matter how good the story is I am not going to do it multiple times.

[Shadowmoon.7986]

clearly this a portal in the wizards tower that will lead to zone 3 named "under construction". This appears to be content that was forgotten/ low priority and will probably be patched in sometime in the next 112 days. This has kinda been the theme for soto, release half baked content, and add the rest over the 4 month period until more half baked content is released.

[Fleabite.7528]

Just now, Shadowmoon.7986 said:

clearly this a portal in the wizards tower that will lead to zone 3 named "under construction". 

Perhaps, perhaps not! When you speak with the wizard overseeing construction, they hint that that new left hand gate will be a multi-portal to all Tyria zones (like the one in EOTN). 

[Smurfiness.3714]

Use the LFG for the meta of new Map and then TP-to-Friend to get to new map without having to do the story. That's what I did today and got map completion and all the Mastery Points.

[Cynder.2509]

2 hours ago, Dondarrion.2748 said:

I think OP wanted access to maps not be locked behind gem store items.

They're not gemstore locked. You get them thrown at you like it's nothing. I have 2.500+ of these and they still keep coming with character birthdays. 
Maybe it's also because I never used them because I have no friends that play actively anymore. 

But a portal scroll or at least a gate from the Wizard's tower would be nice to connect the map. However I'm still for a tome that connects all portal scrolls and tomes into one as there have been a ton of them by now and buying shared slots all the time with one that is unusuable because I have 3 of those level 80 boosts being stuck there isn't great. I need the gold for crafting and build optimization every time meta builds change after an update. Can't bother spending it on gemstore stuff all the time. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Cynder.2509

[evilcat.6817]

One possible solution is to make cheap account bound teleport scrolls for other characters. This apply to all expansions and LW. Replaying prologue with all alts really doesnt sounds like fun.

Just not be a teleport scroll you need to farm for 12 moons.

If Anet blocks map too much, there will be less players in the zone, and metas there will be all dead.

Edited November 8, 2023 by evilcat.6817

[Jonathan Joestar.3041]

please give a scoll/ teleport portal at least after one character arrived Inner Nayos~

i have one character finished SOTO story to the lastest, but other Character not even start any!!

the story is great but i really don't want to play from begging on every character ~~

[ShadowCatz.8437]

14 minutes ago, Jonathan Joestar.3041 said:

please give a scoll/ teleport portal at least after one character arrived Inner Nayos~

i have one character finished SOTO story to the lastest, but other Character not even start any!!

the story is great but i really don't want to play from begging on every character ~~

We have already Wizard's Tower scroll that we get from doing an achievement.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Wizard's_Tower_Teleportation_Scroll

Why not just add Nayos as an option to go to Nayos directly from that scroll? I don't really want to be forced to teleport to Wizard's Tower and from there run up to a gate to get teleported to Nayos.

I hope ArenaNet will also add ways to go directly from gate at EOTM and Thousand Seas Pavilion.

Teleport 2 Friend isn't a solution for a regular game play to get to place and do that maps content. That gizmo have a one hour cooldown which can fast become an issue when you have several characters and need to get around to different location in this game.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Recharging_Teleport_to_Friend

 

[gousgou.5438]

They have a portal that is under construction at the NW part of the Wizard's Tower. Maybe that will get completed at some point and hopefully send us to Nayos?

But at the same time I cannot access Forging Steel with chars that have not completed the associated story step. That sucks @ss 😞

 

[vandrefalk.6823]

3 hours ago, Cynder.2509 said:

They're not gemstore locked. You get them thrown at you like it's nothing. I have 2.500+ of these and they still keep coming with character birthdays. 
Maybe it's also because I never used them because I have no friends that play actively anymore. 

Likewise; but then again, I've played since launch and got lots of characters having done the stories and who do have everything unlocked for the remaining alts to go through portals, etc. or in some circumstances use a few TP to friend just because I'm too lazy to run.

The point is though; new players don't have many of these items - neither have they had any birthdays, nor do they get hold of them frequently either - mainly because they're either bought from gem store or indirectly from there via black lion statuettes.

[kharmin.7683]

Gosh, playing the game for gold to convert to gems or maybe even (gasp!) paying RL cash to Anet for gems is still a thing, no?

[Manpag.6421]

2 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Gosh, playing the game for gold to convert to gems or maybe even (gasp!) paying RL cash to Anet for gems is still a thing, no?

There’s no need to be facetious. If driving gem purchases were truly the intent here, that would be extremely unethical given that we are talking about imposing unnecessary barriers on expansion content that we have already paid to access. That would be like selling someone a house, changing the locks each time they go out, and then giving them a choice between paying you for a new key or breaking in through the window.

[Widebody.5071]

 This thread is strange.😒

[Neathra.1950]

I think its fine to require at least one character to have started the story to get into those areas of the map.

But there should be a way for those of us who love making alts (And thus buying gems anet) to get our alts there ahead of us doing the story on them - assuming we want to do the story on them.  A portal scroll, upgrade to the Wizard Tower Portal Scroll, or just sticking a gate in the Wizard Tower hub would all solve the issue. 

[Doghouse.1562]

22 hours ago, Fleabite.7528 said:

There presently seems no way to access Inner Nayos that I'm aware of, without each individual character completing the first couple of story steps to unlock the WP.

No portal, no scroll, no unlocking quests. 

This won't help zone populations!

Teleport to Friend works. I did it just now,on an account that has never done the story.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Doghouse.1562

[Neathra.1950]

15 hours ago, Doghouse.1562 said:

Teleport to Friend works. I did it just now,on an account that has never done the story.

Teleports to Friend are single use gemstore item and excluding birthdays need to be either purchased or gotten from engaging with the Lootboxes Black Lion Chests. Or a multiuse gemstore exclusive item

I don't think its unfair to ask for a way to get into content I already paid for without engaging with the game's other monetization features. Especially since every previous new pve zone has been accessible without interacting with the gemstore.

ETA: To all the people reacting confused, what are you confused about?

Edited November 10, 2023 by Neathra.1950

[Doghouse.1562]

You said that there was no way to do it. I pointed one out. Not wanting to use it is a different issue to the one you raised. Plus Recharging Teleport to Friend is a non-expiring QoL account upgrade that, personally, I use all the time (and that also happens to be on discount in the gemstore right now).