Studio Update: Guild Wars 2 in Spring and Summer 2024

[Rubi Bayer.8493]

Our latest studio update is live to tell you about the next major update for Secrets of the Obscure, WvW and PvP updates, schedule of upcoming festivals and bonus events, the next skills and balance update, and more! Read the news post here!

 

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Looking forward to some of the updates.  Happy to see upcoming Rush events. 

Thanks, Rubi!

[QueenKeriti.5176]

Excited for the WvW always on beta! 🥹 

[Nash.3548]

It just sounds like a terrible update for WvW, for example:

- Queue system: On EU, population is not enough to add a new tier, may be a few servers have queue, but on Deso which is one of the most populated server we usually have queue on 1 map or 2 if the planets are alligned and queue is usually pretty small.

- Matchmaking: on server which are really active in WvW, solo players who like to play with some guilds but are not part of the said guilds will now be match with random people every week. There is not sense of bounding which is a big force of WvW. A lot of WvW players are using some voice now to communicate, organise and have a good time, I don't see how this will work with every week: new people, new guilds, and probably with it, new drama. Basically we can say goodbye to all our current team mates, really great...

 

 

[Zera.9435]

Thank you for addressing the cursor issue! Next on the list is the obnoxious chat bubbles from the comm device, right?

[Raskol.3014]

Just 2 cents about the pace of soto story: I liked it at first but it took so long between the first and the second part and so on that I stopped caring about it

I'm really excited for the new fractal but at the same time I fear that it will be as bad and bugged as the last one (that was a strike like everybody noticed)

[AliamRationem.5172]

Here's hoping we finish strong!  Always excited to see a new fractal, too!

[Randulf.7614]

Really embracing that Mordor theme now aren't we with Spider's Lair and the Eye on the tower 😂

Some strange decisions though. Leaderboards - really? They've never proven popular before. Another boss, but no new convergence? 5 different bosses for the same build up seems an odd decision as well. I'd rather some variation in the lead in events too. I will trust the tooltip spam issue is fixed though at last

I'm still looking forward to the update as it's content, but much more cautiouisly given the last two updates were very lacklustre and some of the things on show here

 

[Bdecki.7856]

3 hours ago, Zera.9435 said:

Thank you for addressing the cursor issue! Next on the list is the obnoxious chat bubbles from the comm device, right?

May I ask which issue it was they addressed?

[Sindust.7059]

Quote

by popular request, we’re introducing a nifty accessibility upgrade that allows players to customize the color and shape of the targeting reticle while using the action camera mode

Best part of this update.

Now as the next step add an option that would allow us to adjust the height of the reticle independently of the zoom level, so that we can aim at our feet while zoomed out. Ideally add one or more of the following:

1. An extra keybind like for toggling between action cam and pointer, but for toggling between reticle staying in the middle of the screen allowing us to aim at our feet, and the current behavior where it goes up as we zoom out.

2. Allow us to do modifier+scroll wheel to adjust reticle height without changing the zoom level.

3. Add keybinds to snap reticle to predefined heights (like center and max height) without affecting the zoom.

[Spiral.3724]

WvW addict here. Feedback from me:
1. Thank you for extra guild slot and the lord health bar. Good changes.
2. Hover-over squad messages will all read, "LOSER NOOBS OUR SQUAD IS CLOSED GET LOST!" 😆 
3. Not sure an extra tier in WvW will be helpful. For Friday and Saturday, sure, but the rest of the week, maps will be too dead with that low population.
4. If you're changing Chilling Fog, please change the name to reflect what it does.
5. Siege disablers unblockable? No, just no. Throwing siege disabler is a skill to defend; being able to block it was a skill attackers had to use to counter it. Unblockable removes all skill and just creates frustration. The defender can throw another siege disabler if he misses or is blocked. Attackers have no other recourse but to sit and wait and grind their teeth to nubs.
6. Thank you for the title for your home worlds. It's not much but I guess it's something. 😞 
 

We need...
Settings to stick for WvW and PvE modes.
Better rewards for T1 to incentivize players to win.
Plush Warclaw skin.

Edited May 14 by Spiral.3724
added suggestions

[Luthan.5236]

Some good changes. Looking forward to the new content. Reveals for the future expansion. The new fractal. And the stuff like the commander tag changes (squad message visible on mouse-over). I do not care much about the congervences challenge mode and the t2 of the armor (might require convergences challenge mode and only offering a visual upgrade - not needed) .

For the PvP I hope for small improvements in the future. More reward track progress (potions being back- and I hope more sources for them) is nice.

WvW I dislike the permanent removal of the server system. But it was known that it would happen. The server  title is a nice thing. (Hopefully limited to accounts created before the changes get implemented.) Not playing much WvW atm and this surely won't change in the future ... (uneless the game mechanics get a bigger overhaul to make the game mode interesting - not just small balancing).

The timeline/schedule looks good - no PvP season start overlapping with content releases. (Seems the current season purposely got made longer - not the usual 9 weeks.) And the 1-week stuff is not a big deal. Okay to fill up with that to keep people happy that need always to have events running.

[Forgotten Legend.9281]

I wish the new stat combos were also available in PvE and WvW:

Quote

Heretic (+1,000 power, +1,000 precision, +500 healing power, +500 ferocity) and Tyrant (+1,000 power, +1,000 condition damage, +500 precision, +500 toughness)

 

[Falson.5284]

1 hour ago, Spiral.3724 said:

5. Siege disablers unblockable? No, just no. Throwing siege disabler is a skill to defend; being able to block it was a skill attackers had to use to counter it. Unblockable removes all skill and just creates frustration. The defender can throw another siege disabler if he misses or is blocked. Attackers have no other recourse but to sit and wait and grind their teeth to nubs..

Correct me if I'm not up to date, but weren't siege disablers changed to just reduce the damage the siege does slightly and make it take increased damage, rather than kick the user off and lock the siege out? If that change never got reverted, then they absolutely need to be unblockable, because that was a huge hit to their utility and made them kinda useless in many scenarios. I think being able to block them was reasonable when it actually disabled the siege, but if we're just talking about debuffing the siege I think they need that little bit extra.

[Izzy.2951]

Please go back to the quality and unique experience of HoT/PoF and even some living worlds, i cant stand more recycling.

[Spiral.3724]

Had a thought about the new titles for OG servers, maybe we can have one to represent anyone who was in WvW before this restructuring but doesn't feel a connection to any world in particular.
Not sure what the title would be though. 🤔
Maybe just WvW OG?

[Vavume.8065]

Nothing exciting.

[Zera.9435]

4 hours ago, Bdecki.7856 said:

May I ask which issue it was they addressed?

Making the action camera cursor for aiming customizable so it's not just a tiny white dot that is very hard to see. I don't use the action camera but aiming the skyscale fireball skill requires it, so it's a plus for me 😄

The key word is 'addressed'.  It remains to be seen whether or not actually fixes the issue of visibility, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it will be a vast improvement over what we currently have.

Edited May 14 by Zera.9435

[BATMAN.6794]

" To further mitigate the queue issue in the short term, we’ll add an additional tier to both NA and EU WvW, which will reduce the queue length for maps during prime time. "

People are going to complain about this part the most, it is bad, but it's only bad by itself. If you reduced map population from what most people can guess is around 75-80 people per server per map and went down to like 65, well then it might be pretty good. The extra tier only helps during Friday night - Sunday, rest of the week it hurts more than helps.

" On the rewards front, our goal is to make ascended armor and weapons more accessible in PvP by increasing the number of grandmaster marks that can be earned each season and decreasing the number of ascended shards of glory needed to purchase ascended armor and weapons. "

Great for people who have no legendary armor, does absolutely nothing for people who have hundreds of grandmaster marks and can't do anything with them, let us sell them to an npc at minimum or trade them for shards of glory, or something useful.

" In the July 16 update, we’ll adjust the frequency of our daily automated tournaments to consolidate teams into fewer events and increase competitiveness. "

Taking away how many tournaments, probably not good, but willing to see what happens atleast, but are we getting compensated? Fewer tourneys = less gold, aka,  are we going to see a bump in reward? The answer better be yes, not oh that reward just got moved to the new Sunday weekly tourney instead or added to the tourney of legends instead.

" We’re also adding an in-game leaderboard for all five bosses, so you can compete with your friends for the fastest clear times and bragging rights. "

Fractal leader board meme enters the building. No but seriously, the PVP Automated Tourney UI cant tell you who's in a match sometimes, it's slow, won't display current amount of wins a team has over a couple of games, but you have time for this, something literally 5 people probably asked for, Fractal leaderboards = more popular than this idea and you still decide it was more important, I just can't explain how bad of a decision that was. " WvW is a corner stone game mode " what an absolute meme, feelsbadman.

[DanAlcedo.3281]

Content? Neat. 

Balance patch? 👈👀 Thats the real content. 

[Zeperio.4853]

I was waiting for a preview of the Obsidian Armor T2 😢

[HotDelirium.7984]

Can we put a world boss rush event in there again and a Raid Rush?

[b k.1648]

Someone's been digging through a certain Irish artist's catalogue, I see.

[Hellbound.5610]

@Rubi Bayer.8493 would you mind providing some clarity on how players can choose which "world" they would want to be part of with the perma World-restructuring beta?

This is quite a vital and delegate matter!

Most WvW players have preferences in terms of communities / groups / players which they DO NOT want to be part of when spending their time in this competitive game mode while all established guilds have very strict criteria for who they allow to join.

Players not being able to choose where they want to play will only alienate them causing more people to quit WvW and the game instead of solving the population imbalance problem, which is very easily solvable just btw.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

40 minutes ago, Hellbound.5610 said:

how players can choose which "world" they would want to be part of with the perma World-restructuring beta?

Is this what you are referring to?:  Finally, to help memorialize the worlds we’ve been battling over for the past twelve years, you’ll be able to don a new title to honor them (example: Anvil Rock Veteran). These will be available as a free one-time purchase from Commander War Razor in WvW. We recognize that the world you consider your true home may not be the world you currently reside on, so we’re leaving it up to you to choose the title that means the most to you. Choose carefully!

It's just a title, and you are under no obligation to purchase it.