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Have a couple of questions, need advice


Victros.8154

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Hey guys,

1) I'm old and slow as molasses. My reaction times aren't what they used to be. For solo and light grouping content (nothing close to hardcore), how much time do you have to pull off dodge rolls? Is it a pretty forgiving system?

2) Are there some classes and builds that are more tolerant of someone who's probably not going to be great at dodging?

3) How's the player population, and does it seem like the game will be under very active development for a long time to come?

Thanks!

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1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

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@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

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@Victros.8154 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space directional movement keys. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

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@Randulf.7614 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

OK, this is a big help. If I double press V or Space to dodge, what direction will I dodge in? Or does it matter?

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@Victros.8154 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

OK, this is a big help. If I double press V or Space to dodge, what direction will I dodge in? Or does it matter?

Sorry, I don't mean double tap space, I meant double tap the directional keys (ie double tap W to dodge forward, double tap S to dodge back)

(sorry I've got wrestling running on my second screen so not paying full attention).

Pressing V is one tap only. I think it just dodges back, but I don't use it

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@Randulf.7614 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

OK, this is a big help. If I double press V or Space to dodge, what direction will I dodge in? Or does it matter?

Sorry, I don't mean double tap space, I meant double tap the directional keys (ie double tap W to dodge forward, double tap S to dodge back)

(sorry I've got wrestling running on my second screen so not paying full attention).

No problem, I appreciate the help! One thing I'm sure I'll have trouble with is trying to figure out which direction to dodge in and pulling off the dodge in time. Do you need to dodge in a specific direction, usually? Or is it OK to, say, always dodge left? In my level of content, I mean.

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@Victros.8154 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

OK, this is a big help. If I double press V or Space to dodge, what direction will I dodge in? Or does it matter?

Sorry, I don't mean double tap space, I meant double tap the directional keys (ie double tap W to dodge forward, double tap S to dodge back)

(sorry I've got wrestling running on my second screen so not paying full attention).

No problem, I appreciate the help! One thing I'm sure I'll have trouble with is trying to figure out which direction to dodge in and pulling off the dodge in time. Do you need to dodge in a specific direction, usually? Or is it OK to, say, always dodge left? In my level of content, I mean.

Most dodges can be wherever you want. If you dodge an attack, you dodge an attack no matter what direction you go in

However, there is an advantage to doding away from an enemy attack. So if a red enemy attack circle is on the ground, dodging out of the circle will give you breathing space to maybe switch to ranged or evaluate your attacks.

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@Randulf.7614 said:

@Randulf.7614 said:1) It can be quite tight, although dodging in advance does give you a second or so of grace period in terms of it counting. More important to be aware is that In solo and light grouping open world you will get plenty of tells on the floor when something devastating takes place - ie a big attack you need to dodge will show as a red area or circle on the ground. That will give you a small window to decide whether to dodge, move, block or just suck up the damage. Plus if you get knocked down in a group, most players will get you up if they can and it is safe to do so

2) Warriors have blocks. Guardians are good at blocking and keeping heals and boons going for surviving. Thieves get the daredevil espec which gives extra dodges. Rangers get an extra dodge on the shortbow. Necromancers have minions to take the brunt of attacks. There are plenty of options across all classes.

3) Player population is strong - at least in pve/open world. Expansion 3 is due this year and it'slikely a big one to be followed by more content. It's not at its peak, but it's not anywhere near its death either

Thank you! With block, do Warriors and Guardians have to dodge at all? How often do Necros have to dodge? Are pets as effective at drawing aggro and absorbing damage as they are in a game like WoW?

Aggro is complicated here. It doesn't work like traditional mmos.

All toons need to dodge, it's just all down to how you build your toon. Warriors need to dodge more if you build them with heavy dps in mind and thus sacrifice HP and toughness

My warrior dodges less than my other toons - he uses mace, shield and armour with high vitality and toughness. That means he has a long shield block (with projectile reflect when traited), a mace block and a full counter block as he is also a spellbreaker. If the blocks are on cooldown (and that will happen a lot), his high HP pool and armour can absorb a lot. However the trade off is rubbish dps. I use dodging when I know I can't counter the damage another way or if I am getting bombarded from multiple successive attacks

There's no right answer. Dodge learning is key, but is more forgiving in open world play. It all comes down to practise, but for someone strugglig with the mechanics, all classes will have ways to help mitigate damage.

One thing to mention is that dodging can be done by pressing V or double tapping space. Whilst I am fully used to double tapping space and is more convenient for me, in general the V button (or whatever you bind dodge to) is much quicker and more responsive

If you learn to dodge when the attacks are clearly telegraphed it will make a difference, but precision timiung and expert use is not essential in open world

OK, this is a big help. If I double press V or Space to dodge, what direction will I dodge in? Or does it matter?

Sorry, I don't mean double tap space, I meant double tap the directional keys (ie double tap W to dodge forward, double tap S to dodge back)

(sorry I've got wrestling running on my second screen so not paying full attention).

No problem, I appreciate the help! One thing I'm sure I'll have trouble with is trying to figure out which direction to dodge in and pulling off the dodge in time. Do you need to dodge in a specific direction, usually? Or is it OK to, say, always dodge left? In my level of content, I mean.

Most dodges can be wherever you want. If you dodge an attack, you dodge an attack no matter what direction you go in

However, there is an advantage to doding away from an enemy attack. So if a red enemy attack circle is on the ground, dodging out of the circle will give you breathing space to maybe switch to ranged or evaluate your attacks.

OK, thanks again!

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At age 71 with a number of health issues, I am very much one of the older, slower players in the game. While I've played every class and most of the elite specializations, the two most durable classes for me are a necromancer reaper and a revenant running as either a renegade or a herald. My rev is equipped with marauder gear and is often still standing when those around me are going down, in spite of my slow, clumsy play. My reaper runs with a full set of minions and is equipped with berserker gear. Again, it is a very durable build even in advanced gameplay like PvP and Fractals, as well as on the various level 80 maps. Something else that I really like about both these builds is that their combat mechanics can be very simple. Some builds can require very specific, and sometimes intricate, sequences of moves to be most effective. Indeed, the necro and the rev both have such builds one can use. For me though, I like the combat mechanics to be as simple as possible and these two builds can be played that way.

As for the state of the game, I've been playing the game for more than three years now and am still logging in every day and having fun. Over the course of those three years there's been a steady stream of folks coming on the forum here moaning about how the game is dying. Well, the game is still going strong. My guild is going strong and growing all the time with new folks coming in. I'm on pve maps all the time ranging from beginner maps to HoT and PoF maps and those maps are usually well populated. I regularly play WvW (with my rev) and PvP (with my necro) and both of those game modes are still well populated and going strong. So the game looks good to me.

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If I were to suggest a class for low situational awareness or reaction, I'd pick Reaper (necromancer) or Daredevil (thief).

Reaper is obvious, you can roll your face on a keyboard and still win most pve fights. I've tried, just don't slobber on the keyboard like I did.

Daredevil has spammable dodges of two flavours - mobility or damage - and a trait that lets you leech life on crit. Mashing staff 5 on groups of enemies, you can basically heal through most attacks that won't 100-0 you.

Don't worry about other people, so long as you're doing something people won't pick on you.

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@"Westenev.5289" said:If I were to suggest a class for low situational awareness or reaction, I'd pick Reaper (necromancer) or Daredevil (thief).

Reaper is obvious, you can roll your face on a keyboard and still win most pve fights. I've tried, just don't slobber on the keyboard like I did.

Daredevil has spammable dodges of two flavours - mobility or damage - and a trait that lets you leech life on crit. Mashing staff 5 on groups of enemies, you can basically heal through most attacks that won't 100-0 you.

Don't worry about other people, so long as you're doing something people won't pick on you.

Thanks. Is this what you mean by Reaper?

https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Reaper_-_Power_Greatsword

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@Victros.8154 said:

@"Westenev.5289" said:If I were to suggest a class for low situational awareness or reaction, I'd pick Reaper (necromancer) or Daredevil (thief).

Reaper is obvious, you can roll your face on a keyboard and still win most pve fights. I've tried, just don't slobber on the keyboard like I did.

Daredevil has spammable dodges of two flavours - mobility or damage - and a trait that lets you leech life on crit. Mashing staff 5 on groups of enemies, you can basically heal through most attacks that won't 100-0 you.

Don't worry about other people, so long as you're doing something people won't pick on you.

Thanks. Is this what you mean by Reaper?

I'd say that about covers it.

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You can mitigate some damage by choosing armor that has vitality or toughness to bulk your character up a bit.

I run Marauders (power, precision, ferocity and vitality stats) gear with about 24k health on my Mesmer that allows me some sloppy lazy play where I can take a few extra hits and live (or live through that one big hit).

You don’t need to go overboard with defensive stats but a few choice pieces will help with that part of getting hit and taking damage.

There are also several professions that have teleports or leaps that can act like a dodge that might be useful as well.

As well, although perhaps not as powerful as melee combat, there are a number of viable range builds on different professions that allow you to stay back and avoid some of the stuff you might need to dodge.

Overall though, this game can be very forgiving once you get the flow of encounters and can pre-position yourself in the right places.

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I was born with a medical condition that as a result has given me not-terrific coordination and also reaction time issues. I play on a Reaper (although I'm not fully filled out yet - I still need more Hero Points). I think the only time I really dodge is if there's an AoE red circle on the ground....the rest of the time I'm barely moving and somehow seem to do fine enough.

I'd imagine that once I learn more mechanics and get less lazy with my movements, I'd fair better than I do now.

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