Veteran player opinion needed.

[redfenix.6380]

So I played at launch have 11 characters at Max played through most of heart of thorns but got burnt out when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason. I've been missing the game and the fun I used to have so I was wondering if the there are any truely vet players still playing and what your opinion of the state of the game is in 2018. I'm definitely a pvx player so both sides of the game matter to me.

[derd.6413]

Pve is doing great.

[Omega.6801]

I've been playing since short after launch, have amassed lots of APs, Legendaries and other account upgrades. I'm happy with the 9 Chars I levelled, played all stories and comp'd all maps with, geared up in ascended - some even have multiple sets and found a look that apeals to me. I admit, after reaching many of my long-term goals last year my playtime has decreased and I find myself bored more often in between releases. I still find things to do, working towards legendary PvP armor at the moment. Getting the few APs left that aren't too far out of my way and the new ones that come out every now and then. Same goes for stories and maps. I just recently, i.e. after the last release, finished doing all stories and all maps on all chars, so the next episode is the first one I will binge the new stuff and be done with, will see how that will feel. Besides that, and I have to admit that the ingame goals get less and less for me, it's the community I'm playing with that keeps me in the game. I try to raid three evenings in the week, more or less with the same group of people.If you had some fun before, chances are high you can still find fun in the game today if not more. Your build might have been nerfed and maybe hasn't come back, but there might be something else that interests you or that you'd might like.Open world PvE is still very casual in a sense that it allows a lot of freedom when choosing skills/traits/weapons. In raids and high-level fractals there is a meta and the freedom of choice is narrowed down very much.PvP is good as long as you're not in it "for the glory", there's no glory in GW2 PvP. If you're in it for the combat system and the rewards you might like it. Just don't take it too serious.Can't say much about WvW as I don't play it outside the times I need a GoB or really feel like zerging the EotM.The game has its problems, like everything, but in comparision there are very mild and limitedin most cases. Design and Storytelling has continued to improve from LS2/HoT onward and is at a good point too. QoL has been improved as well. The gemshops has become more significant when it comes to fashionwars, I guess that's an overall negative I could mention. There are things I personally would love if they did it, like swappable sigils/infusions on legendary weapons, build templates or more outfits/glider- and mountskins as in-game rewards. But these things vary from person to person so you'd better find it out yourself.

[Kalendraf.9521]

I've been playing since launch: 6600 hrs, 16 chars - 11@80th level. The PvE and WvW parts of the game seem to be doing fine, and the maps I frequent always have a significant number of players. If you haven't played since HoT, I would recommend giving PoF a shot. The mounts it features are well done and change up the gameplay somewhat. They can be used back in the older maps too, which helps getting around in several of them. Some of the new PoF elite specializations are solid and also fun to play.

[aspirine.6852]

I have around 16 lvl 80 chars on 2 different servers. I also just returned for over a month now after being away for years.Stil enjoying it every evening and would recommend getting both expansions too.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Great time to come back; you can get Path of Fire for $15 right now, and a new Mount will be released next week. Exciting times, these!

[Blocki.4931]

PoF is incredible, recommend buying (especially with the 50% off right now)

World is still beautiful. Game is still "play at your own pace" and you can pretty much do whatever you want. If your one build isn't good anymore you will find at least two others to replace it. Broaden your horizon so to speak. I've recently jumped into playing a healer and it's been great fun. Completely surrendering myself to anything attacking me because I can't spare the 5 minutes to kill a single trash mob, but it's fun.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@"redfenix.6380" said:So I played at launch have 11 characters at Max played through most of heart of thorns but got burnt out when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason. I've been missing the game and the fun I used to have so I was wondering if the there are any truely vet players still playing and what your opinion of the state of the game is in 2018. I'm definitely a pvx player so both sides of the game matter to me.

Lots of them; a bunch of folks have been talking about their five year gifts recently. The bulk of the answers you will get here are going to be positive, and the negative ones are the same as they ever were: "oh, dear, pvp balance is terrible, oh, dear, wvw is dying" etc. Honestly, though, game is still busy and stuff.

Ultimately, though, the question is more about you: will you enjoy the game? That is best answered by playing it some, and seeing how you feel. I think you will be happy, if you are willing to accept that things sometimes change, and sometimes that means your build isn't possible any longer. :(

[ReaverKane.7598]

@redfenix.6380 said:So I played at launch have 11 characters at Max played through most of heart of thorns but got burnt out when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason. I've been missing the game and the fun I used to have so I was wondering if the there are any truely vet players still playing and what your opinion of the state of the game is in 2018. I'm definitely a pvx player so both sides of the game matter to me.

I guess i qualify, i've been playing GW2 since BWE's. Minus a 6 months break during Season 1.So my opinions:If your niche build was nerfed to oblivion, why not find yourself a new one? I mean if you were rolling with something that off-meta, you're probably the kind that enjoys theory crafting. So there's one new challenge for you to return.

PvE is doing great, but at this point it's the only thing going for the game, and just barely. The repeated delays in the Living story releases coupled with real world constraints have drastically reduced my play time.

PvP and WvW, in my opinion, are totally and drastically broken. WvW has a nice planned revival, so that might improve sooner rather than later. sPvP is not doing well, and i don't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

One of the largest pain points with GW2 at this moment is, more or less, what drove you away in the first place, balance is largely infective, to be polite. (I'd use a different word, but i know the post would be removed, so...)Not only it's ineffective, but like you mentioned, a lot of changes are obscure and seemingly unfounded. So it's not just a matter of poor balance, but also a failure to communicate their reasoning. Which leads to poor feedback, which continues the cycle of crappy balance.

I've discussed this with @Gaile Gray.6029 via e-mail, citing Riot's balance patches as an example of good communication (hey even they mess up their balance, but at least we know what they meant with their changes, and can give feedback on what went wrong). I haven't seen any differences, so i guess those pledges (not just from me, there was a whole post about it) fell on deaf ears.

So TLDR, PVP modes aren't at their healthiest, PvE is doing great, although there have been a few delays recently with the living world releases. Balance is still a major issue in the game.

[Blockhead Magee.3092]

Started at launch - still playing. Completed just about everything in the game at this point (except for Diamond Legend - not there yet). For the most part I stick to WvW , except when new content is released. If you like the player v player modes, it'll keep you entertained. If you're strictly PVE, I find the fun comes in short bursts with the LW releases.

[Zephyr.5382]

@redfenix.6380 said:when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason

I hear ya. It's hard not to get discouraged by this. I quit for a while when my Deadeye, whom I made my main and spent an obscene amount of time decking out in good and stylish gear, was fundamentally changed. But hopefully you can accept that some baffling decisions will be made, and that you can overcome them, adapt and come out a better (i.e., more resilient) player.

Your niche build is still perfectly viable in open world, by the way, and so is mine. But people never consider the psychological impact when your favorite build gets nerfed--severely or not. I haven't touched my Deadeye much lately, but have enjoyed (a lot!) playing power Spellbreaker with mace/axe and axe/dagger. There just might be another build and/or profession that may pique your interest.

[Blocki.4931]

@Zephyr.5382 said:

@redfenix.6380 said:when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason

I hear ya. It's hard not to get discouraged by this. I quit for a while when my Deadeye, whom I made my main and spent an obscene amount of time decking out in good and stylish gear, was fundamentally changed. But hopefully you can accept that some baffling decisions will be made, and that you can overcome them, adapt and come out a better (i.e., more resilient) player.

Your niche build is still perfectly viable in open world, by the way, and so is mine. But people never consider the psychological impact when your favorite build gets nerfed--severely or not. I haven't touched my Deadeye much lately, but have enjoyed (a lot!) playing power Spellbreaker with mace/axe and axe/dagger. There just might be another build and/or profession that may pique your interest.

I just want to second this by saying I can't play Deadeye anymore because it just feels wrong to me now lol

I LOVED Daredevil, but sadly now that I have tasted the ranged steal I don't even want to go back. What a dilemma.

[Game of Bones.8975]

The only person who can truly answer that question is you.We all have differing experiences playing the game.There are different elites, mounts, storylines, bounties, and a plethora of new maps to explore.

[Vayne.8563]

Been here since launch. WvW and PvE are both fine. Plenty of people playing both, for different reasons though. People who are the least happy are probably people who play only one or two types of game play. If you're only a raider, you'll feel like there aren't enough raids to keep you busy. If you're only a WvWer, you might feel there's not enough change to keep you coming back. But if you're playing everything, I feel there's enough content to keep most people happy. I play everything but SPvP.

The new Living Story stuff gives me stuff to do, particularly because I tend not to use guides to get through stuff as efficiently as possible. I at least try to solve all the stuff myself. Beyond that, I'm working on legendaries, helping guildies (and new/returning players), so I fill up my time.

This game is really about setting goals for yourself. I always find something to focus on. Sometimes multiple things, so I can do different things when I'm in different moods.

I agree with others, though. I've never left any MMO due to a nerf. I grumble a bit and find something like as much, or sometimes better. When they removed ricochet on the thief, I was mightily annoyed, but I like my current thief build better than that.

[Knuckle Joe.7408]

Been playing since beta, and was a player of GW1 as well. I find everything alright but I believe it could be better. Dungeons should be revived and the grind involved in acquiring certain stat combination equipment is bad.

[redfenix.6380]

Thanks for the feedback I'm mostly just trying to feel out where you guys think the state of the game is. The comment about my build was more about the lack of communication about why seeing as the change that hit it only affected one very specific type of build on one class. I left because the shtf from multiple directions and kinda ruined my drive to play and I just needed to get away.

How well do you feel they implimented mounts in comparison to other games? Is the econemy still completely out of control? And are microtransactions still classified as highway robbery?

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Mounts are very well-received. I don't think the economy has ever been 'completely out of control', and microtransactions are microtransactions; plenty are made every day, it seems.

[Tasida.4085]

No season can compete with S1 and the constant busy. I was against mounts at first being a GW1 beta player thru present and felt would take away from that but it didn't. I've also like many vets taken periodic breaks from GW2 but always come back. The game just keeps getting better ;)

[crepuscular.9047]

@redfenix.6380 said:So I played at launch have 11 characters at Max played through most of heart of thorns but got burnt out when my niche build got nerfed out of existence for no stated reason.

I think skill tweaks is what keeps those hardcore players interested, so there will be a lot of experiments to work out new builds

Can you imagine how boring PvP and WvW will be without those tweaks, especially on the receiving end of a 2 second kill combo

[Howluffu.7259]

So far I like it. It keeps me away from other games and hobbies. So for me, a player that has been since the second month of the game release, it actually does the job of entertaining.

[IndigoSundown.5419]

As a veteran since launch, I find that I am only in the game because there is nothing out there to take it's place. That said, here's my take on aspects of the game.

• sPvP: no opinion, as it is not a mode I play. I suspect that there are builds in that mode that are much ore effective than others, but what they are I have no clue.
• WvW: This mode can be tremendous fun at times, but at other times is frustrating. The large group meta is heavily based on using boons to counter the enemy groups ability to drop massive amounts of AoE damage/condi/CC on your group. When it works, it's fun. It works best with a group that knows what it's doing. If you are not in such a group, the experience can be frustrating. Roaming, meanwhile, is also up and down. There are certain builds that are just way better than others at this, and fighting a skilled player using one of those builds if you are not similarly skilled and using a highly effective build will result in a very one-sided fight. In other words, this is a competitive mode. GW2 is an MMO, which means that build, then skill, matter a lot. In other, other words -- working as intended.
• Instanced PvE: whether your content of choice would be raids, fractals or dungeons, playing with a group of friends is likely to provide a better experience. Choosing to drop-in-and-play using the LFG is going to be hit-or-miss unless you: use the builds players who regularly PuG expect; and know the content. If you pass both of those criteria, PuG play may work out just fine for you.
• Story: Assuming you are a decent player with decent gear and understand the profession you're on, story is pretty easy. However, some people experience frequent DC's in story instances. When I moved into an area with Comcast broadband monopoly, my ability to complete a story instance went way down. If you are unlucky -- as I seem to be -- you might find doing story missions frustrating. Otherwise, the value of story will depend on your tolerance for the writing.
• Open world: there are a plethora of meta events, including core world bosses, HoT meta events, Silverwastes or Dry Top (if you get lucky and find a map where there are enough people. There is also stuff to do in the Season 3 maps, exploration and events in the PoF zones, and meta events in the 2 (soon to be 3) Season 4 maps.