Pof first impression

[Helbjorne.9368]

@WARIORSCHARGEING.2637 said:

@Jimmus.2083 said:Mobs every 10 feet. Veterans in every mob. Clearly Arenanet didn't notice all the "casuals" leaving the game after Heart of Thorns. Make it challenging, sure; don't beat us to death in every single fight. Tiresome already.

Mobs every 10 feet. Veterans in every mob just how it was in guild wars and some times they even got mobs closer than that even lol . even more so with 2 Veterans less than 5 foot from each other lol and if you came acorss one of the mobs protecting one of the boss which would drop a rare green item that every one wanted in guild wars then it got even more interesting

btw in guild wars green items was guild wars 2 ascended items like dreamer and sun rise and bolt lol

The fact that you think Legendary items are Ascended items says a lot about your game knowledge and desire to white knight for ArenaNet.

[pah.4931]

I miss the meta events, to be honest. I hope Anet plans on adding some more dynamism to the maps as we progress. It's tricky. I felt the HoT maps were TOO meta focused just repeating the same thing over and over, while the PoF maps are a little too laid back and "old world" feeling ... but it feels a little empty so far.

[Stalkingwolf.6035]

@Anhellbro.7210 said:this addon RIP GW2 no meta events, easy booring locations.... pffff easy mobs. wth

are the metas disabled or aren't there any one? Because that would be stuipd.

[Tekey.7946]

@Stalkingwolf.6035 said:are the metas disabled or aren't there any one? Because that would be stuipd.

There are none, that's the expansion.

[zealex.9410]

The lack of at least some meta presence or wb really drains the enjoyment from the maps for me and its a god damn shame because we got junundu hydras and other shit that could be amazing as world bosses or meta/s.

Overall really possitive but still leaves a kind of sour taste.

[TwilightSoul.9048]

Why are people so fixiated on metas, go back to hot if you enjoy playing on a shedule... I like beeing able to do what I want and when I want it without having to worry about event x and boss y spawning at xx:30 and xx:45 and whatever. Thank god (or actually maybe not, they don't seem trustworthy anymore) that I don't have to run from one map to the next just so that I don't miss anything...

[Essence Snow.3194]

I miss waypoints.........

[Ra Ra.9423]

My guildies and I have played through the first 4 story missions, and have done some initial 'wandering' through all five maps. We just couldn't stop exploring, and the maps are indeed huge! There were really moments of just awed silence when we encountered areas of the map that were simply gorgeous. Then came the rain. A storm. A sandstorm. These maps have weather! (I realize that Dry Top has sandstorms as part of the meta, and we have some rainfall in various maps - but this seemed more random, not prescribed)We felt that these maps are some of the best work that the Anet staff have ever done. They're beautiful, and feel immersive.
The story kept my interest, and I will want to play it more than once to catch nuances that I missed the first time. (I won't say more for fear of spoilers)

For me, the foes seem about right - not too hard, not too easy; rather something to encounter and overcome during your exploration. I see there will be lots of opportunity for scavenger hunt-type collections, which I personally enjoy. With mounts, I was able to run through some areas, to some extent, when I got tired of fighting through everything. I do question the branded area with the random lightning strikes unless you're 'under cover', as this is a definite deterrent to exploring that area. I've not been in that area enough to determine if there's a purpose for this mechanic, so we'll see.

Mounts were a hit for me, though I wasn't one of those that cared about mounts in this game. They're fun, and have character - the raptor actively looks around at things while you're riding it, and the animations while idle make me laugh. I'm happy the devs put so much thought into mounts and made them something more than 'something that gets you from here to there quickly'.

Lastly, as a person who played Guild Wars extensively and enjoy the lore of both games. It was exciting for me to visit that area, and encounter old haunts from Guild Wars. There were actually places that I 'recognized' from GW, as well as places that have changed in 250 years. The substantial opportunity for exploration makes these maps very attractive for me.

In short, the experience was very positive. Thanks Anet!

[wacounda.7421]

The maps are just boring.

no challenging group content at all.

doesnt feel like playing a mmo

[KalTaron.4961]

I still can't say how the expansion is because I can't play it.

[Ahlen.7591]

Maps without metas will be useless and dead in no time at all.

Meta events like it or not is what drives the community and gives the game something that other MMO's can't provide.

It's honestly tempting to try to get a refund.

[wacounda.7421]

@Ahlen.7591 said:Maps without metas will be useless and dead in no time at all.

Meta events like it or not is what drives the community and gives the game something that other MMO's can't provide.

It's honestly tempting to try to get a refund.

same feeling here, those map are just like s3 maps.

[GreyWolf.8670]

So far it seems like a paid LS4.

[Nash.2681]

First impression- worst release ever. Predicted typical technical issues at start, so I decided to wait for 24 hours.So I just logged in ~24 h after PoF went live, tried to start the first story instance- bamm, disconnect. Tried again- disconnects and error messages over and over again. And what I tool from my guild and ally chat- everyone has similar issues.GG, other games offer preorders to give ppl a headstart, Arena.Net offers preorders to let you play even later.Kitten how I hate myself right now for having given in to my wife and preordering 2 ultimate editions >_>

[Johnny.1634]

Huge disappointment.-Story was a TRAINWREAK!-Maps are quite dull due to no replay value.-Absolutely despise the Specializations, especially Soulbeast-Implement of terrible and backtracking feature like these unidentified gears and a bajillion karma click items

Only slightly redeeming quality was the mounts.Looking like its time to move on to something else.

[wacounda.7421]

i spent 50 € for that...i fell like there has been no progress over the past 5 years. We're just back to core Tyria maps mechanics....

[Tekey.7946]

@wacounda.7421 said:i spent 50 € for that...i fell like there has been no progress over the past 5 years. We're just back to core Tyria maps mechanics....

At least there were world bosses in core Tyria - as far as I know there's no Tequatl, Shatterer or the like in PoF right?

[Vladish.3940]

I loved the PoF until the second map, where I got to same treatment of GW1 material as I experienced with Lazarus. Getting rid of iconic characters with many years of lore behind them, in a rushed, underdeveloped way, feels very anti-climactic and disappointing. I am not getting into details as to not spoil the story, but it feels like Anet is desperately "kill off" loose ends from GW1 without paying them proper respect or giving them chance to shine. I mean, some are centuries old characters that we just get rid of left and right without any "real" story (yes, I am still butt-hurt about treatment of Lazarus in LW3 :persevere: )

[Matt Fierceblade.7301]

well before i reply to that leme explain the situation im facing : been trying for couple hours getting into the prologue story BUTT game itself gives me either ingame chat error or newerending loading screen facing network error at the end making it look like its my internet while is the server side actualy. Half atleast if not almost everyone are facing that error and cant even begin the PoF story (such as myself). Tried to get around if you know what i mean with "teleport to friend" option ... first teleport lags ,then after 2-3min u magicaly get into oasis loading screen, takes ages once u on map u realize u cant get a mount due not making the prologue. All we can do is farm (not all) events and get some poi(stuff like that) till hotfix is out. So what do you think first impression would be IF you would face that? :D

[Matt Fierceblade.7301]

@TwilightSoul.9048 said:Why are people so fixiated on metas, go back to hot if you enjoy playing on a shedule... I like beeing able to do what I want and when I want it without having to worry about event x and boss y spawning at xx:30 and xx:45 and whatever. Thank god (or actually maybe not, they don't seem trustworthy anymore) that I don't have to run from one map to the next just so that I don't miss anything...

i am with you on this one mate!

[Sir Mad.1092]

The constant DC have made the game unplayable, which is a first for this franchise. I'm not gonna base my opinion on the new expansion on that, but that also means I can't give my opinion at all, since I can no longer play the game...

[killermanjaro.5670]

I'm still trying to hold off on what I think until I've done all the story and maps, but as the servers are still exploding and I'm not able to load anything I might as well post something to keep me occupied XD

So my initial thoughts based on what I've played*

-I miss big map meta events-The two maps I've explored have had some nice bits (like the starting city), but I've found them mostly uninteresting, dull and boring, so very, very boring!-I would kill for some thermal tubes to use as an option.-Enjoying the story so far-Only done a couple of bounties, I like the idea of them and hope they add boards across Tyria. But they won't be enough to keep me coming back to PoF maps.-An extra WP or two couldn't hurt, as yes we have mounts to run quicker, but the maps are bigger (thus negating the point), so running to places still takes time and is boring.-The hearts feel a bit tedious, and some feel quite slow to progress.-Difficulty is mixed, a lot of stuff seems just as easy as enemies in Orr, but there are still spots with some harder mobs that can down you quick if you aren't careful.-The mounts are ok to use, but imo they don't add any value like gliding did. They're basically just skins for the crystals in Dry Top.

*I'm only at the story instance in the NE corner of the map with the Springer in it (can't remember what it's called), and have only explored the starting map and the Springer map (full map completion in first map, 'explored/unfogged' everything in the second, but not got everything there).

[Ceridwen.6703]

@PaxTheGreatOne.9472 said:I find it refreshing to have maps again where I can wander about. If I need meta events I can go to:

• Hirathi hinterlands, chasing centaurs and killing Ulgoth
• DryTop Cuase It's there
• Silverwastes The true mother of Meta maps in GW2 even if others preexisted
• Verdant brink
• Auric Basin
• Tangled Depths cause gerent is fun
• Dragon's Stand
• And If these are not enough we can allways go back to Orr for templeruns.... The old feel of it all is no longer there, destoryed by MegaServer, but the content still has nice long chains of events. In a sense it is the forerunner of meta events with temples influencing the Steps of Arah Events.

I agree completely. It's exactly that: refreshing to be able to wander around again. I have been loving the maps so far, they're beautifully done and I've been finding the mastery acquisition so much more friendly than in HoT. I get the joy of exploration and progression here, and having just the raptor and springer (aka Skippy the Bush Kangarabbit) levelled up (on 3/4 on each) has made for such a fun day today. I'm even warming up to the angry cactus quaggans.

I'm only a sad panda now because it DCed and I can't log any characters in right now. Ah, well. It'll do my eyes a bit of good to have some rest anyways and I can feel the ironing basket staring at me. Will check back later; hopefully it's resolved then.

[Shampanix.3928]

1. Couldn't finish the story due to all the ugly errors that halted me. I played up to map 3 story and I consider it far better than HoT's and LS3's. This is a "+" I didn't expect. And all the additional lore throw here and there - I love it! True pleasure to explore and uncover it. Great job on that Anet.

2. Elite specs seem nice, yet the more I play the less interested I am. I think I need more time to grow on them like I did on HoT's. This far I've spent most time on Mirage and it works quite well. Dunno why I'm geting bored with it after 2 days...

3. I explored all 5 maps. Aesthetically as always the level of art. I love this game and Arenanet for delivering such a beautiful places to explore.

4. Mounts? I'm lovin' it! (personal opinions here)Raptor - amazing dude from neighbourhood, my best friend, we tell ourselves jokes about Trahearne's childhood! He's cool!Actionbunny - cancerous abomination that makes me fall from everything and just looks like your aunt Satan, especially when eating GMO carrots, spitting on everything within range of deadeye's riffle. How come such a thing can produce so much spit?Floating thingy - You're weird but actually useful to ride bro, like one of those crazy futuristic cars with engine that Elon Musk wouldn't mind to put into his latest Tesla.Teleport Wolf - and this dude I was about to get when... Hello darkness my old freind-errors hit me again and I couldn't load the map where you get it. Sad but I'm still there, waiting, watching, preparing. My top interest mount.

/do not make flying mounts I beg you/

But...

1. Maps do feel empty. There is nothing meaningful. Repetitive hearts, repetitive bounties, braindead gameplay. It is painful to think that I have no actual reason to go back. Perhaps explore on yet another alt and then... what? I do hope I'm missing something, something big. Cus as for now I see it that way - huge badass maps with a lot of empty space - while I do not want to see the return of Dragon's Stand instance as I wouldn't call it a map or Tangled Cancer but a coordination-based meta in part of 2-3 PoF maps while remainigng parts of them being in exploration-only mode... Let it be only 25% of the expansion or even less. I know there are a lot of people who hate metas. But leave some space to those who really enjoyed them despite the fact it was the only open world content HoT brough at launch.

• And that's it. My only issue, big one yes, I can't sleep becouse of it.