My honest feelings about map mob difficulty in PoF

[Neva Eilhart.5347]

I think the whole topic is about having different expectations about what the game exploration should be.

 

For some, every fight should be a challenge requiring players to use every mechanic of their class (that is, when you're lucky enough not to have a zerg jump in and melt everything with spamming #1).

For some, exploration should be a leisure activity you do to relax and break away from the mindless button mashing zerg metas or the more stressful instanced PvP/PvE.

Discarding one over the other isn't relevant in my opinion. A Mmo should be able to provide both.

 

You should be able to find remote highly dangerous locations in the different maps the game provide. I hated HoT for its overall difficulty but I admire what they were able to do with TD for example, because I know some people must have had a wonderful time fighting through it on their own while having this feeling of being truly lost in the jungle.

But, the game should also provide you with maps (or maps sections) designed around an easier navigation and giving you time to enjoy the scenery. It is true that in HoT and more importantly in PoF, you can't even take a break for 30 seconds to admire the landscape before a group of 3 annoying as hell mobs come and target you. The fights aren't even that challenging, they're just ... there. Annoying. I think that's why Skyscale is so relevant now : at least you're able to fly over a bit, take a break and enjoy the scenery without having to deal with fights every two seconds.

 

My bottom line is : maps should be designed with these two ideas in mind. Make sections of them harder where it's relevant. Make sections of them easier and without mobs interrupting you every two feet where it's relevant. I'm happy fishing is coming to GW2 because it desesperaly needs slower paced activities for leisure time. But it also needs challenging areas which aren't to be trivialized because of zergs running it, full of mobs able to 1hit you but hitting like a noodle when you follow a tag mindlessly (I hate the zerg mechanic).

 

@OP (edit) : thanks for bringing this up, I agree 100% with what you're saying on trying to enjoy the scenery and getting ganged up by mobs every 2 seconds. Anet should lesser the mobs and aggro range in general and leave them as it is only in secluded areas of the maps.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Neva Eilhart.5347

[yann.1946]

9 hours ago, Substance E.4852 said:

The sad reality is the game is now overwhelmingly made up of people who don't actually like action RPGs and thus refuse to engage in any actual gameplay that requires effort, instead opting for instant gratification via gemstore cosmetics and buying gold from Anet to get everything else

This is true for most players, why do you think mobile games are so popular

9 hours ago, Substance E.4852 said:

Itr's why you see such a visceral hatred of serious players in this game beyond anything I've ever seen in any of the other big 3 MMO's right now

No, not really. It has more to do that people who hate serious playerbase migrate to gw2 quite a lot. (a slight generalisation) 

9 hours ago, Substance E.4852 said:

I mean, kitten, EoD's biggest selling points so far have been "dance on a boat" and "harvest fish nodes", neither of which even involve using your class skills in any way and people are actually excited by this

You mean the things people are vocal about disliking even though we have no specifics yet. 

How can you say that people are excited about it when the responses have been mixed at best.