make unranked more beginner friendly

[Shinichi Megure.8061]

i mostly play ranked but when i play unranked to learn a new build i notice a lot of veteran players or guilds. learning pvp is a lot harder now than it was back than.

[Saiyan.1704]

To be fair the skill ceiling has always been high. Honestly, that hasn't changed much as the game has progressed. What has evolved is how each class reacts against every other classes elite specs or more importantly, how each individual elite spec plays within that class. 

Veteran players will always farm newbies who don't understand their own class skill tree let alone the game mechanics on the map. The biggest issue is, the gamemode doesn't tell you what an efficient build for your class is. Even core classes have "best in slot" meta builds for that specific core (non elite specs). This game will not tell a newbie player that. You can equip the absolute worse traits with weapons that don't mesh well together, including Amulet/Relic/Runes... and the game wont tell you a single thing. Newbie players get melted too soon by players who already know what they're doing and that's not much fun, so they no longer play.

I've seen countless streamers hop on GW2 and quite because it's too difficult for them. They don't get to the spot many of us are at... that position of feeling like you're contributing to your team because you're playing well.

[Gotejjeken.1267]

1 minute ago, Saiyan.1704 said:

I've seen countless streamers hop on GW2 and quite because it's too difficult for them. They don't get to the spot many of us are at... that position of feeling like you're contributing to your team because you're playing well.

Was great fun watching Summit1G ragequit WvW and legit uninstall live on stream a few years back lol.  

Would say no changes, unranked uses ranked MMR afaik, so chances are the vets either have to carry the team or are facing other vets along with a team full of newbies.  

Most maps do actually have multiple exits, only Coliseum, Capricorn, and Temple don't off top of my head--Coliseum might, it has that long kitten hallway to I'm not sure where, as I've never actually ran down it.  Is there a wall at the end or does it lead to home, and no one uses it? If there IS a wall, then they really could open that up or make it shorter / useful.  

[Endorphin.9147]

I like the title of this post and agree. New players need something.

All of these solutions you cooked up those are burnt to a crisp.

The game either needs to redo its matchmaking, give better avenues of entry points for pvp (an example is a series of noob friendly games with other new players and bots when they enter pvp for the first time), and give more game modes in general.

This is a dead horse though

[Kuya.6495]

I agree with the problem, not the proposed solutions.

I instead think there should be a beginner queue where only accounts new to pvp or who have been gone from pvp for a long time can enter so it provides an easier environment to practice without getting farmed. Wouldn't prevent someone who is a vet from buying a new account and griefing though.  This mode should not progress dailies nor reward tracks to demotivate farming from vets making new accounts.

Pvp also needs a tutorial mode that teaches the basics of:

1. Rotating

2. Roles (team fighter, support, side nodder, decapper, etc)

3. Secondary objectives

And it needs pre-made equipment/traits beginners can use that allow them to not kitten themselves. 

There's a lot more people need to learn that I'm not sure how the game can teach effectively without a very in depth tutorial though, such as: 

1. Juking 

2. No-port spots

3. Kiting

4. Stunbreaks vs cc

5. Boons

6. Conditions

7. Power vs condition damage

8. Line of sight

9. Shadowsteps vs teleports vs mobility skills (and how to use them to disengage)

And the problem is a lot of this stuff players are supposed to learn in pve but gw2 pve doesn't even teach the basics of its own combat system. This means players come into spvp not even understanding what each boon does or what a stunbreak even is. That leads to some severe disparity in skill level.

Edited April 15 by Kuya.6495

[Flowki.7194]

Unranked is legitimately more try hard than ranked. But its Gw2, everything is backwards here. Warriors with a staff, sure.. rangers that do more melee dps than ranged, sure, magic classes that shoot physical lazors from a 2 handed sword, sure.

Edited April 15 by Flowki.7194

[Multicolorhipster.9751]

2-4 portal spawns are a good suggestion at least. 3 would probably b the sweet spot so there's 1 way to each objective. Portals are better than walking too
Unranked should also have pips & reward chests so new players don't have to grind through 20+ levels of nothing and being forced into ranked just to get something out of PvP

[Duke Nukem.6783]

you correctly identify a problem but your solutions miss the issue entirely

 

the problem is the game itself has too high a skill ceiling, you can't ask people to invest that much time in a game like that. a game should be able to be picked up easily and effortlessly and be FUN right away

 

a new player on their first game should be able to kill any player, this is the golden rule of any pvp game. get this right and the rest will follow

[Wild.1705]

I have a lot to say about this. 

1. Reduce the elite so that new players are not overwhelmed

I would love an unranked mode that is just this! But... where are new players going to learn how to play as or against elite specializations they will use/fight in ranked?

As a veteran player I make new builds all the time or want to learn a new spec and well... unranked is the place to do it.

This would HAVE to be a different mode. But if it was, I think to could be a positive. (Also, the mode would have to be core weapons only; as new accounts dont have e-spec weapons nor extra weapons form SOTO.)

 

2. Multiple entrance portals so that new players are not farmed at spawn

This would be good for vet players as well. Getting out of spawn should never be a challenge.

 

3. Punish players that farm new players.

Interesting idea, it would make for a better new player experience, but also at the cost of player volition and strategy. Maybe new accounts could have this applied to them until they reach rank 20? It would have to be telegraphed in some way.  

For a counter arguement to what I just said, player versus player is a mode in which players fight each other. Certain classes have weaknesses; such as reapers against ranged attacks, or most rangers having limited condition cleans. Knowing these weaknesses and exploiting them is part of the game-mode. If there is a player that is clearly the weakest player on the enemy team/an easy counter you can play into, and they would be an easy kill for you, then you would have the better player switch targets or be punished? If only till pvp rank 20 I can see this but not after.

[Shagie.7612]

GW1 had something similar with the codex arena, in that you had limited build choices. You could do it, though I don't think it'd be a great thing to force upon people. The game desperately needs more match types anyways imo. Stronghold, CTF, Conquest, whatever.

The only map that doesn't technically have a second exit from spawn is Foefire, if you're getting spawn camped. Every other one has multiple ways to get out, even Temple.

If I'm queueing a match, and I get thrown in with new players, how is it my fault to the point where I deserve to be disabled until I die?
I get what you're going for, and NA especially has a few groups of people who 4 or 5 man-stack in unranked to smash unbalanced matches and that's incredibly lame, but I don't think forcing someone who's popping off to take a death is a good way to handle it.

[Gop.8713]

idk I'm pretty casual, only do unranked one match a day for dailies, never played ranked and don't find unranked particularly unwelcoming. Yes it's a competitive mode and there are going to be some toxic ppls and unbalanced matches but it's not overwhelming at all, just win some lose some . . .

[Crackz.5278]

pvp isnt hard. u just need practice and learning the basic.

check this guides.

https://hardstuck.gg/gw2/guides/pvp/conquest-maps-roles-and-how-to-win/

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Guide:PvP_Combat_Basics

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Guide:Understanding_PvP_Roles_In_Conquest

and builds

https://metabattle.com/wiki/PvP_Builds

[Langeball.9351]

I like the idea of core only for unranked 🙂