Don't like the POF expansion area's very much.

[Vayne.8563]

@brgmns.9235 said:

@Vayne.8563 said:

HoT is a pain for new players, because it was designed to be end game content. There are always going to be people who run into a game try to jump right into raids and fail, but it doesn't make those raids hard core. There are also people who don't play games well and think all games should be geared to that level of difficulty.

I'm not saying there's not a learning curve for HOT. But between groups of HP runners and metas anyone can do it's casual enough, for sure. Or do you think only hard core players run AB every day? Or Dragonstand? You can get the meta reward from VB by killing the matriarch. Sure there's a learning curve, doesn't mean the game isn't casual.

Keep in mind plenty of people complain about Orr and Orr wasn't that hard, even at launch. It was nerfed based on those complaints. The game is casual. If it has four hard open world zones in it, it's still a casual game.

If you said Core game is casual I'd give it to you, saying the expansions are is simply being either elitist or naïve. Based on the replied on this and other posts many say once you get to HoT you need to make sure your build is good, your gear is squared away and you use tactics properly. To me if you need specific builds for an expansion to be mostly viable that's not casual. If you can't get to and solo the solo side of the game because group encounters are in the way it's not casual. I'm not saying it's the most difficult game ever, but core is casual, expansions aren't IMO.

Joining a hero point run, or playing the meta, which is basically showing up makes HoT solo. Learning the zones takes time but that doesn't mean it's actually hard content. There are a few hard hero points, but you don't need the hard ones to unlock your elite specs. Hell you can even bypass them entirely but doing a bit of WvW.

[mindcircus.1506]

@brgmns.9235 said:If you said Core game is casual I'd give it to you, saying the expansions are is simply being either elitist or naïve. Based on the replied on this and other posts many say once you get to HoT you need to make sure your build is good, your gear is squared away and you use tactics properly. To me if you need specific builds for an expansion to be mostly viable that's not casual.

There is a big difference between making sure you have a good build and needing a specific build.Every class has many many viable ways to play it.Every class also has untold ways to hobble it if you just put on a bunch of mismatched gear and don't think about your traits.This does not mean it needs to be made in a specific way, it means the game rewards you for putting thought behind your character.If you can't get to and solo the solo side of the game because group encounters are in the way it's not casual. I'm not saying it's the most difficult game ever, but core is casual, expansions aren't IMO.There is nothing in the story and very little in Open World that is not 100% soloable. A couple of maps are 100% made for group play things like Dragon's Stand and Drizzlewood, Heart of Thorns has some Hero Points that require a team.That said multiplayer does not mean anti-casual.Challenging does not mean anti-casual.

[AliamRationem.5172]

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:Hard to do damage when parked on your bum.

Then don't drop down and the problem will be solved. As @"mindcircus.1506" said above, this is more of a problem of gear, build, playstyle or a mix of those. Also, since you are talking about Scruffy 2.0, you can always stay inside Braham's shield which blocks all his attacks. Do your high damage rotation while the shield is on (it has a very fast cooldown) and keep running around when it is not. The achievement there is very hard, but the boss itself is not.

What do you mean? Bratham's shield is only up for a few seconds around every few minutes. How much damage can one do in 2 or 3 seconds? Also if your not near it (been blown to the other side of the area) when his shield goes up it's down long before you get there.I have a shield of my own but for some reason every time I activated it nothing happened and I was yet again blown on my bum.

Do you think Scruffy is going to oblige by entering Bratham's space? And before you say use the bow, as far as I'm concerned the dragon bow is a tickling stick.

As a Guardian you can use the Scepter for that fight. Scepter 2 works very well on a stationary target, with a LARGE hitbox, so it hits many many times. As for the duration, the duration of the shield is plenty to allow long casting skills, for example Meteor Shower from an Elementalist. If you are a Guardian then I guess you don't really need it as your burst has low casting times and is very mobile.

Plus, as a Dragonhunter you can use your Aegis to block attacks or use Wings of Resolve to jump to Braham when he uses his shield. Then, once his shield is up, turn to Scruffy, use Spear of Justice, Scepter 2, Sword of Justice, and if you are a bit closer maybe a trap or two, otherwise range the boss and use Bane Signet for extra damage and "Feel my Wrath" as your elite skill.

As I said all of that is useless when your flat on your back. A fart in the general direction spell would be a good spell to have for times like this. The times I do get in I do heavy damage, that sort of kicks the boss into high gear and they really start piling it on. Back on the floor, get up cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up, cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up move, no wait, back on my bum. And it goes on and on and on and.....This sort of thing is not fun. It's not challenging it's repetitive nonsense. Don't they know that?

It seems it is challenging if you are spending the entire fight in down state. The game is nice enough to carry you through even so, but I assure you that is not the intended way of completing this content. Neither is it designed for groups (although you can bring friends!), as you asserted previously. As several people have now explained, you are doing something wrong. Perhaps once you understand what that is and correct it, you'll find this content more enjoyable. As always, other players on the forums can assist in that. However, if you continue to blame the game instead of looking for ways to improve, you'll likely find this a frustrating experience.

If I change my skills and gear will that give me protection from getting knocked on my bun ever 2 seconds?

I've not found any of the boss fights hard I can punish them when I can get my hands on them but the game doesn't want me to do this . It want to disable me in some way (cheat). So as to chain me down while it pummels me into submission. Then I'm suppose to say 'wow, that was hard' when it wasn't hard, it was fixed. I am at a loss how some of you guys can't see that.How many times I have gone into a fight and visually had 3 to 4 other creatures spawn out of thin air right next to me. Yeah, challenging not? That is the game trolling me. It doesn't bother me anymore I'm use to it but it is a reality.

I went ahead and recorded a video of the Scruffy 2.0 encounter using my typical open world build for weaver. The fight for me consisted of about a minute of actual combat and 5 minutes of running around grabbing orbs. I picked up the achievement for surviving the final 60 seconds without going down or leaving the platform for good measure. The combat didn't seem very high pressure. The boss spams CC, but it's well telegraphed and pushing phases doesn't take very long. Again, if you're dying repeatedly and feel like the boss has a trillion HP and is designed for a group of players, you are definitely doing something wrong.

I also have videos on the channel of the final Caudecus encounter from LS3 and the Eater of Souls from PoF storyline if you're interested.

[Joote.4081]

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@LucianDK.8615 said:If you have the jackal, theres a trick to deal with a group of enemies. If you chaincast the jackal blink to get through the group, they will never activate because you are not there long enough for the ai to kick in.

I don't have one yet and I don't know how to get one. I assume it's given through the story at some point.

If you follow Path of Fire main story, you're guided to it, I think in Desolation map. There will also be an icon on a map, similarly to the previous mounts on previous maps.

Okay good to know. I quit the main POF story at the part (no spoilers) were you have to find yourself. It was just to daft to take seriously. So I then went on to play the LW seasons. Looks like I'm going to have to go back to the main story then. :(Obtaining the jackal is done independently of the story.You can simply go to the djinn temple in the SW Corner of The Desolation and start the Heart there. The only requisites are completing the heart, having the requisite currencies (20 Gold coin and 200  Trade Contracts) and have trained either the Springer's High Vault mastery, or the Skimmer's Ride the Wind mastery.

Thank you for this. I thought it was all locked behind the story. I didn't want to cheat by looking it up on google but if someone nudges me in the right direction. Well you know? :)I have trained up on Raptor and Springer and am now working on my Skimmer.

UPDATE: Got there and completed the heart but a was a few trade contracts short. I should have checked my wallet first. The Jackal is a very interesting and fun mount.

[Mickey.4207]

@Mungo Zen.9364 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@Mungo Zen.9364 said:

@Joote.4081 said:First adventure in Istan today and have to say it put's the mainland to shame. Not only have they what feels like doubled the detection range but you pull a guy on his own and all his friends get a flight over to join in armed with railguns and gamma rays. Not only that, you also get nuked from orbit with snot and fire.I have had to adjust my fighting style to run away and hiding in tree tops. :D I am the God eating dragon slaying commander, funny. I am in a tree top whispering to my pet bunny ' have they gone yet?' and 'go check if the paths clear'

You finished PoF and are on LWS4 now? Congrats! Given your continued complaints I wouldn't have pegged you to complete the expansion story or even continue playing this game. No matter where you go, there are enemy mobs just waiting for you!

Happy to surprise. :) Your comment proves they or not so much complaints but more, observations.You say 'No matter where you go, there are enemy mobs just waiting for you!' So you agree with me? Are you happy with it this way or would you like safe spots were you can get the chance to wring out your socks?For ever one time I need reviving I must at least revive ten others. Goes to show there are many players suffer from this ambush mechanic.

I wasn't agreeing with you, I was paraphrasing you based upon your comments in this thread. Your common complaint is there is always more mobs interfering with your time in game. I personally do not share your view on mob difficulty or placement being an issue. Counter, I actually think it is pretty great compared to other games.

I tend to think that if someone doesn't like something enough that they complained about it repeatedly in a public forum they probably need to step away and find a better way to enjoy their time. Hence my surprise in you pushing through PoF despite your repeated complaints about it.

Ita called giving feedback. And there are lot of players who agree with him. But when people are biased to something they only see what they want to see.

[Joote.4081]

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:Hard to do damage when parked on your bum.

Then don't drop down and the problem will be solved. As @"mindcircus.1506" said above, this is more of a problem of gear, build, playstyle or a mix of those. Also, since you are talking about Scruffy 2.0, you can always stay inside Braham's shield which blocks all his attacks. Do your high damage rotation while the shield is on (it has a very fast cooldown) and keep running around when it is not. The achievement there is very hard, but the boss itself is not.

What do you mean? Bratham's shield is only up for a few seconds around every few minutes. How much damage can one do in 2 or 3 seconds? Also if your not near it (been blown to the other side of the area) when his shield goes up it's down long before you get there.I have a shield of my own but for some reason every time I activated it nothing happened and I was yet again blown on my bum.

Do you think Scruffy is going to oblige by entering Bratham's space? And before you say use the bow, as far as I'm concerned the dragon bow is a tickling stick.

As a Guardian you can use the Scepter for that fight. Scepter 2 works very well on a stationary target, with a LARGE hitbox, so it hits many many times. As for the duration, the duration of the shield is plenty to allow long casting skills, for example Meteor Shower from an Elementalist. If you are a Guardian then I guess you don't really need it as your burst has low casting times and is very mobile.

Plus, as a Dragonhunter you can use your Aegis to block attacks or use Wings of Resolve to jump to Braham when he uses his shield. Then, once his shield is up, turn to Scruffy, use Spear of Justice, Scepter 2, Sword of Justice, and if you are a bit closer maybe a trap or two, otherwise range the boss and use Bane Signet for extra damage and "Feel my Wrath" as your elite skill.

As I said all of that is useless when your flat on your back. A fart in the general direction spell would be a good spell to have for times like this. The times I do get in I do heavy damage, that sort of kicks the boss into high gear and they really start piling it on. Back on the floor, get up cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up, cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up move, no wait, back on my bum. And it goes on and on and on and.....This sort of thing is not fun. It's not challenging it's repetitive nonsense. Don't they know that?

It seems it is challenging if you are spending the entire fight in down state. The game is nice enough to carry you through even so, but I assure you that is not the intended way of completing this content. Neither is it designed for groups (although you can bring friends!), as you asserted previously. As several people have now explained, you are doing something wrong. Perhaps once you understand what that is and correct it, you'll find this content more enjoyable. As always, other players on the forums can assist in that. However, if you continue to blame the game instead of looking for ways to improve, you'll likely find this a frustrating experience.

If I change my skills and gear will that give me protection from getting knocked on my bun ever 2 seconds?

I've not found any of the boss fights hard I can punish them when I can get my hands on them but the game doesn't want me to do this . It want to disable me in some way (cheat). So as to chain me down while it pummels me into submission. Then I'm suppose to say 'wow, that was hard' when it wasn't hard, it was fixed. I am at a loss how some of you guys can't see that.How many times I have gone into a fight and visually had 3 to 4 other creatures spawn out of thin air right next to me. Yeah, challenging not? That is the game trolling me. It doesn't bother me anymore I'm use to it but it is a reality.

I went ahead and recorded a video of the Scruffy 2.0 encounter using my typical open world build for weaver. The fight for me consisted of about a minute of actual combat and 5 minutes of running around grabbing orbs. I picked up the achievement for surviving the final 60 seconds without going down or leaving the platform for good measure. The combat didn't seem very high pressure. The boss spams CC, but it's well telegraphed and pushing phases doesn't take very long. Again, if you're dying repeatedly and feel like the boss has a trillion HP and is designed for a group of players, you are definitely doing something wrong.

I also have videos on the channel of the final Caudecus encounter from LS3 and the Eater of Souls from PoF storyline if you're interested.

Gawd! I wish my encounter had worked out like this. Is as if the game loves you but hates me. All those earlier attacks were on my head were they seem to avoid you, and you could also find a clear space. Good video and well played Jigglypuffsings .This video has helped in one particular area, I need to turn my graphical effects down. I was blinded by the fire effects and couldn't see my character for a lot of the time. I missed a jump several times when collecting the orbs because of the smoke coming off me. Jumping as a ball of smoke is not all that easy. :)

I am not that far in LW3 yet and keep having to stop to train up mastery skills. The eater of souls mission I found really grated on the games mechanics in a bad way. It sort of throws all of the rules we are accustomed to out of the windows. I have a low enough regard for my character as it is, I don't want it going lower. How can I be any sort of hero, why would the pact make me their commander? Most encounters I have later game are with people far more qualified and stronger than me. The only thing I have going for me is that I am immortal.

[Joote.4081]

@The Boz.2038 said:I honestly do think Joote managed to miss the entire game mechanics part of this game.For someone to be so adamant about their stance, but refuse to engage with any concrete information or feedback has to be rooted in ignorance.Does your build have any synergy with itself? Sigils? Runes? Boons? Stats? Are any of these things familiar to you?

You could be right. None of us like to admit we are losing our edge but unfortunately age slows your reactions and concentration. You don't realise it but at times like this have to admit to it. I played GW1 with a passion and was pretty good at it as I was in every game I picked up on. Now, I say games are getting harder, when the truth it's probably down to me getting slower.Well I'm off to register with 'My little pony' :)

[Gazrul.3086]

I personally don't have any issue with any of the maps. I enjoy Core, HoT and PoF maps for different reasons. Though I personally find the HoT maps to be my favorite, because they're so complex and innovative! And with mounts and gliders they're pretty easy to explore as well nowadays. :)

[AliamRationem.5172]

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:Hard to do damage when parked on your bum.

Then don't drop down and the problem will be solved. As @"mindcircus.1506" said above, this is more of a problem of gear, build, playstyle or a mix of those. Also, since you are talking about Scruffy 2.0, you can always stay inside Braham's shield which blocks all his attacks. Do your high damage rotation while the shield is on (it has a very fast cooldown) and keep running around when it is not. The achievement there is very hard, but the boss itself is not.

What do you mean? Bratham's shield is only up for a few seconds around every few minutes. How much damage can one do in 2 or 3 seconds? Also if your not near it (been blown to the other side of the area) when his shield goes up it's down long before you get there.I have a shield of my own but for some reason every time I activated it nothing happened and I was yet again blown on my bum.

Do you think Scruffy is going to oblige by entering Bratham's space? And before you say use the bow, as far as I'm concerned the dragon bow is a tickling stick.

As a Guardian you can use the Scepter for that fight. Scepter 2 works very well on a stationary target, with a LARGE hitbox, so it hits many many times. As for the duration, the duration of the shield is plenty to allow long casting skills, for example Meteor Shower from an Elementalist. If you are a Guardian then I guess you don't really need it as your burst has low casting times and is very mobile.

Plus, as a Dragonhunter you can use your Aegis to block attacks or use Wings of Resolve to jump to Braham when he uses his shield. Then, once his shield is up, turn to Scruffy, use Spear of Justice, Scepter 2, Sword of Justice, and if you are a bit closer maybe a trap or two, otherwise range the boss and use Bane Signet for extra damage and "Feel my Wrath" as your elite skill.

As I said all of that is useless when your flat on your back. A fart in the general direction spell would be a good spell to have for times like this. The times I do get in I do heavy damage, that sort of kicks the boss into high gear and they really start piling it on. Back on the floor, get up cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up, cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up move, no wait, back on my bum. And it goes on and on and on and.....This sort of thing is not fun. It's not challenging it's repetitive nonsense. Don't they know that?

It seems it is challenging if you are spending the entire fight in down state. The game is nice enough to carry you through even so, but I assure you that is not the intended way of completing this content. Neither is it designed for groups (although you can bring friends!), as you asserted previously. As several people have now explained, you are doing something wrong. Perhaps once you understand what that is and correct it, you'll find this content more enjoyable. As always, other players on the forums can assist in that. However, if you continue to blame the game instead of looking for ways to improve, you'll likely find this a frustrating experience.

If I change my skills and gear will that give me protection from getting knocked on my bun ever 2 seconds?

I've not found any of the boss fights hard I can punish them when I can get my hands on them but the game doesn't want me to do this . It want to disable me in some way (cheat). So as to chain me down while it pummels me into submission. Then I'm suppose to say 'wow, that was hard' when it wasn't hard, it was fixed. I am at a loss how some of you guys can't see that.How many times I have gone into a fight and visually had 3 to 4 other creatures spawn out of thin air right next to me. Yeah, challenging not? That is the game trolling me. It doesn't bother me anymore I'm use to it but it is a reality.

I went ahead and recorded a video of the Scruffy 2.0 encounter using my typical open world build for weaver. The fight for me consisted of about a minute of actual combat and 5 minutes of running around grabbing orbs. I picked up the achievement for surviving the final 60 seconds without going down or leaving the platform for good measure. The combat didn't seem very high pressure. The boss spams CC, but it's well telegraphed and pushing phases doesn't take very long. Again, if you're dying repeatedly and feel like the boss has a trillion HP and is designed for a group of players, you are definitely doing something wrong.

I also have videos on the channel of the final Caudecus encounter from LS3 and the Eater of Souls from PoF storyline if you're interested.

Gawd! I wish my encounter had worked out like this. Is as if the game loves you but hates me. All those earlier attacks were on my head were they seem to avoid you, and you could also find a clear space. Good video and well played Jigglypuffsings .This video has helped in one particular area, I need to turn my graphical effects down. I was blinded by the fire effects and couldn't see my character for a lot of the time. I missed a jump several times when collecting the orbs because of the smoke coming off me. Jumping as a ball of smoke is not all that easy. :)

I am not that far in LW3 yet and keep having to stop to train up mastery skills. The eater of souls mission I found really grated on the games mechanics in a bad way. It sort of throws all of the rules we are accustomed to out of the windows. I have a low enough regard for my character as it is, I don't want it going lower. How can I be any sort of hero, why would the pact make me their commander? Most encounters I have later game are with people far more qualified and stronger than me. The only thing I have going for me is that I am immortal.

It may also be that you are simply unaware of nuances that a more practiced player has probably gotten used to without having to really think on it. For instance, you mention that it seems like the attacks all landed right on top of you. Are you using a ranged weapon? Many bosses will use different attacks depending on whether their target is at range (and this is one measure of control you have over them!). I believe this boss will fire projectiles that leave large circles on the ground one after the other as you move and probably knock you down if they hit (everything else this boss does seems to do that!). On the other hand, being at range gives you a little more time to see the leap and pulsing wave attacks coming.

Another thing that may not be obvious but often contributes is DPS. The first and last combat phase last all of 15 seconds here and the longer middle phase is around 30 seconds. This may not give the boss enough time to use all of its attacks. You can see a similar impact in my Caudecus video. In that fight, the boss will go through as many repeating phases as you allow and in fact will spawn a nasty minion if you take too long. But if you push the entire fight in 1 phase you will never see that add spawn and you'll only have to go through the break-the-shield phase once.

In the end, it's usually a combination of factors at play. Maybe I anticipated the big wave attack and used my 3s invuln skill to prevent all of the damage but you got hit by it? Now you're playing recovery (or worse, you're in down state!) while I get to tee off on the boss and push the next phase. It can sort of snowball on you.

Also, wanted to note that "Jigglypuffsings" is not me. That's my friend! And she was in another recent (WvW) video I put up, not this one.

[AliamRationem.5172]

Also wanted to add a couple of general combat tips:

1) Keep your eye on the enemy, not on your skill bar. Get into the habit of making quick glances, but don't allow your eyes to remain on your bar. I know it seems obvious, but it's easy to not realize you're doing it and a fraction of a second is all it takes to miss what should be obvious visual cues. In fact, you might try some practice runs against bosses that give you trouble where instead of focusing on dealing damage you just watch the boss for those visual cues and see how well you can avoid them when you aren't busy trying to perform a rotation.

2) Stay in motion. If you notice many of the attacks in this fight are projectiles or have "spreading" circles. The indicator appears under your feet well before the attack lands, so if you're already moving you shouldn't have to dodge. This will let you reserve those dodges for attacks that can't be avoided by simply moving out of the way. If you're at close range, strafe in a tight circle around the boss. Especially against larger, slower enemies this will often force them to turn before they can attack you and directional attacks are likely to miss.

[battledrone.8315]

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@frareanselm.1925 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@keenedge.9675 said:

@frareanselm.1925 said:The grenade issue is: how vines can have the intelligence to target you and throw you attacks? Like every kitten living being wants to kill you, its very annoying. Next step will be the grass will poison you.

People said ( and still say) about Orr too. It's an end-game map, you can't just run from mobs. Fight or die.

or simply uninstall and find another game. why does endgame have to be so different from the rest of it?

The endgame of Gw2 is raids, not open world, and this game has always been labeled as casual friendly.

most of base game is casual, the expansions certainly arent. and if they launch on steam in this state, the reviews are gonna tare them to pieces.

If you keep complaining about the current game's state (that has been in that state for many years now) and keep writing about quitting the game instead of learning it (

most recent one

), then why are you still here, playing the game? I can't imagine the game reverting its difficulty levels to the starting maps, it would be pretty stupid and boring.

i havent played for over 6 months now.

Lurking on the forum of the game you don't enjoy or even play (at least that's what you claim) for past 6 months just to keep complaining that you don't like it is pretty unhealthy and to be honest completely pointless.

and people still claim that this is a casual game, when only the start of it is .there is a name for that: BAIT AND SWITCH!!. have fun with the next round of DRMs.

Nah, it's still pretty casual, meaning you don't need to chase the level cap and catch up with gear treadmill after every addition to the game. Nobody said the game will not utilize its mechanics, which is apparently what you're complaining about. Like it or not, it's still an action mmorpg and leaving it at "starting zone level" would be just way too stagnant/boring.(and what is this random throw in with drms? What do you mean? What's the relevance here?)

video games has you sitting on a chair and pushing buttons, how is that healthy in any way? each click i give one of these threads makes it grow in size andrelevance, so its not pointless either. in fact , YOU are helping my side, by coming here to argue. if its only a couple of weirdos, then the thread will die in a couple of days.note, how many times we have had this kind of topic coming back. always started by different people. and the same handful of people come back to defend it.

Oh, I was talking about the mental health (and this is not supposed to be some cheap jab at you, this just seems like some unhealthy obsession to push people away from the thing they like

just because you don't like it

), not the "playing games = sitting = not moving = unhealthy!" take you're doing here.Nothing we do here is somehow "helping your case", this game will never revert to core. You claim (hopefully falsely, just to pretend you're making a strong stance or something) you don't play this game for 6 months and yet you constantly lurk this forum just to complain. This is weird.This game won't change to your desired core experience, so have fun with that o/

i read the forums, as you doi write on them, same as you ( you prolly do it WAY more than me)but. because i have a different opinion, than you, i am a crazy person now?i am not surprised to see you use the shame tactics to make me go away. but i AM offended, and i will report youif you dont like my opinion, then DONT READ IT

[Joote.4081]

My views have changed a lot over the period of this conversation, which is why I am in favour of discussing something that bothers you.If you bottle it up nothing really changes in fact it gets worse. Airing out your feeling about the game on the forums is what it's all about. When people discuss and not bash it really works.For instance: over the period of this post I have grown to love HOT's and have gained enough information to at least tolerate POF (stuck at it). :)Just like when in the game, we revive each other when down.

[battledrone.8315]

@BlueJin.4127 said:

@brgmns.9235 said:

@"Vayne.8563" said:

You may well be having trouble with the game, but that doesn't necessarily make a game hard core. If you don't agree, you can make a post on the forums and ask for the communities opinions on whether this game is hard core or not, difficult or not. My guess is only a small percentage of people will say it's hard core.

From my point of view this is a casual MMO that has become slightly less casual due to more grinding to get specific rewards. But most of that grinding is something that you don't need to do quickly and can be done over time.

Asking the hardcore base (people that post on forums aren’t the majority and by naitire are rarely casual even if they call themselves that) what they think the difficulty is doesn’t really work well lol.

Having played EQ at launch, we can probably agree it was hardcore, and most any MMO thats launched since then I’d say in today’s MMO this game is fairly hardcore for a newer player.

Veteran players don’t realize that because you have everything unlocked, fly around, have a great friend base to do what you need so honestly your opinion is so far obscured it’s basically useless. A brain surgeon telling a resident removing an appendix is trivial didn’t make it so.

The core game was fairly simple, easier than that honestly. HoT is a pain for new players. Constant events where your story takes you, half the time no one there to help you so you can barely get to the green marker. Veteran mobs are kind of tough and everywhere. It’s a maze on a massive scale up, down and underground so just knowing where to go is a pain. (green quest marker doesn’t say it’s up or down from current location like hero points do). Overall this isn’t casual by today’s standards at all.

Just running events with crowds isn’t casual. The mechanics aren’t hard, but aren’t simple either, it’s really fast paced because 90% of the people know what they are doing and the rest us are basically along for the ride so learning exactly what to do isn’t easy playing from behind most of the time. That’s not casual, that’s like joking a boss fight in a raid without any concept of what to do.

I’m not basing the game, it is what it is and I’m still playing it and like it a lot, but saying it’s causal and not hardcore by today’s standards isn’t accurate, at least to a new player.

No veteran was born good at this game. Veterans didn't have all mounts and masteries magically unlocked from the beginning of the game. They started from scratch just like any player that starts playing from today. Players improve over time. If a player is having trouble with HoT, it's not because they're casual; it's because they didn't improve enough since they started. Plenty of new and casual players have no trouble integrating into HoT. I never felt that HoT was too hard when I first stepped in and I was a casual barely a month into the game at the time. There is definitely a jump in difficulty curve, but nothing that can't be overcome by casually upgrading gears, builds, and learning to play a profession. Being a casual doesn't mean not learning or improving.

I also cannot say that running events with crowds isn't casual. I was no veteran when I started playing HoT. When I returned to the game from a break, I had no idea what Drizzlewood was like. And I only recently got into fractals. Everybody already knew what they were doing, and I was just following them around clueless. After a couple of runs of just mindlessly following them, I learned the "mechanics" while not even trying to learn. I'd say that is very much casual. Again, being a casual doesn't mean not learning or improving.

"plenty and casual" . AFAIK, hot usually has less than a 1000 players there. we know that it sold over a million at launch, prolly double that now.1000 may seem like a lot, bit it really isnt, when they have sold 2000 times as many copies. thats an approval rate of 0,2 %

[battledrone.8315]

@"AliamRationem.5172" said:Also wanted to add a couple of general combat tips:

1) Keep your eye on the enemy, not on your skill bar. Get into the habit of making quick glances, but don't allow your eyes to remain on your bar. I know it seems obvious, but it's easy to not realize you're doing it and a fraction of a second is all it takes to miss what should be obvious visual cues. In fact, you might try some practice runs against bosses that give you trouble where instead of focusing on dealing damage you just watch the boss for those visual cues and see how well you can avoid them when you aren't busy trying to perform a rotation.

2) Stay in motion. If you notice many of the attacks in this fight are projectiles or have "spreading" circles. The indicator appears under your feet well before the attack lands, so if you're already moving you shouldn't have to dodge. This will let you reserve those dodges for attacks that can't be avoided by simply moving out of the way. If you're at close range, strafe in a tight circle around the boss. Especially against larger, slower enemies this will often force them to turn before they can attack you and directional attacks are likely to miss.

if i can miss it in a fraction of second, then it isnt that obvious. that is literally the blink of an eye. and circlestrafing is often impossible due to knockbacks and adds.and none of them are casual mechanics either.

[Vayne.8563]

@battledrone.8315 said:

@BlueJin.4127 said:

@brgmns.9235 said:

@"Vayne.8563" said:

You may well be having trouble with the game, but that doesn't necessarily make a game hard core. If you don't agree, you can make a post on the forums and ask for the communities opinions on whether this game is hard core or not, difficult or not. My guess is only a small percentage of people will say it's hard core.

From my point of view this is a casual MMO that has become slightly less casual due to more grinding to get specific rewards. But most of that grinding is something that you don't need to do quickly and can be done over time.

Asking the hardcore base (people that post on forums aren’t the majority and by naitire are rarely casual even if they call themselves that) what they think the difficulty is doesn’t really work well lol.

Having played EQ at launch, we can probably agree it was hardcore, and most any MMO thats launched since then I’d say in today’s MMO this game is fairly hardcore for a newer player.

Veteran players don’t realize that because you have everything unlocked, fly around, have a great friend base to do what you need so honestly your opinion is so far obscured it’s basically useless. A brain surgeon telling a resident removing an appendix is trivial didn’t make it so.

The core game was fairly simple, easier than that honestly. HoT is a pain for new players. Constant events where your story takes you, half the time no one there to help you so you can barely get to the green marker. Veteran mobs are kind of tough and everywhere. It’s a maze on a massive scale up, down and underground so just knowing where to go is a pain. (green quest marker doesn’t say it’s up or down from current location like hero points do). Overall this isn’t casual by today’s standards at all.

Just running events with crowds isn’t casual. The mechanics aren’t hard, but aren’t simple either, it’s really fast paced because 90% of the people know what they are doing and the rest us are basically along for the ride so learning exactly what to do isn’t easy playing from behind most of the time. That’s not casual, that’s like joking a boss fight in a raid without any concept of what to do.

I’m not basing the game, it is what it is and I’m still playing it and like it a lot, but saying it’s causal and not hardcore by today’s standards isn’t accurate, at least to a new player.

No veteran was born good at this game. Veterans didn't have all mounts and masteries magically unlocked from the beginning of the game. They started from scratch just like any player that starts playing from today. Players improve over time. If a player is having trouble with HoT, it's not because they're casual; it's because they didn't improve enough since they started. Plenty of new and casual players have no trouble integrating into HoT. I never felt that HoT was too hard when I first stepped in and I was a casual barely a month into the game at the time. There is definitely a jump in difficulty curve, but nothing that can't be overcome by casually upgrading gears, builds, and learning to play a profession. Being a casual doesn't mean not learning or improving.

I also cannot say that running events with crowds isn't casual. I was no veteran when I started playing HoT. When I returned to the game from a break, I had no idea what Drizzlewood was like. And I only recently got into fractals. Everybody already knew what they were doing, and I was just following them around clueless. After a couple of runs of just mindlessly following them, I learned the "mechanics" while not even trying to learn. I'd say that is very much casual. Again, being a casual doesn't mean not learning or improving.

"plenty and casual" . AFAIK, hot usually has less than a 1000 players there. we know that it sold over a million at launch, prolly double that now.1000 may seem like a lot, bit it really isnt, when they have sold 2000 times as many copies. thats an approval rate of 0,2 %

So much implied misinformation here. It did sell 4 million PRE launch because no one had really played it and no one knew there wouldn't be much end game. It also lost a tremendous amount of players after a few months, because there was nothing to do for people who didn't want to either run dungeons or do event chains in Orr.

I had guild back then too and I watched them fall. Anet didn't introduce Fractals and ascended gear early on because those 4 million people were playing. They introduced harder, grindier stuff because so many people were leaving.

You really believe all 4 million of those people made it six months, because I was there and I can assure that that's not the case. I watched my two sons stop playing after they got their BIS gear. I watched others in my guild walk away and some of them later came back. But let's not pretend that you know why those 4 million people were playing or anyone knows what they wanted or even what a majority of them wanted..

Anet introduced harder content because people were leaving. If what they were doing was working they'd never have changed it. Why would they?

[Joote.4081]

I have a big problem when it comes to bosses indicating they are going to let a big one go. And that's the visual noise. In these fights there is that many effects going off I can't even see the Boss never mind what they are miming. I have turned my graphics way down but the visual noise is still happening.If I could wish for one option, it would be one to turn of the firework show.In world boss fights I jump in and help win but from beginning to end I haven't a clue what it was we killed. All world bosses to me look like a ball of coloured lights.I wonder what it is about their game engine were they don't seem to have any control over the effects?

[Sobx.1758]

@battledrone.8315 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@Sobx.1758 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@frareanselm.1925 said:

@battledrone.8315 said:

@keenedge.9675 said:

@frareanselm.1925 said:The grenade issue is: how vines can have the intelligence to target you and throw you attacks? Like every kitten living being wants to kill you, its very annoying. Next step will be the grass will poison you.

People said ( and still say) about Orr too. It's an end-game map, you can't just run from mobs. Fight or die.

or simply uninstall and find another game. why does endgame have to be so different from the rest of it?

The endgame of Gw2 is raids, not open world, and this game has always been labeled as casual friendly.

most of base game is casual, the expansions certainly arent. and if they launch on steam in this state, the reviews are gonna tare them to pieces.

If you keep complaining about the current game's state (that has been in that state for many years now) and keep writing about quitting the game instead of learning it (

most recent one

), then why are you still here, playing the game? I can't imagine the game reverting its difficulty levels to the starting maps, it would be pretty stupid and boring.

i havent played for over 6 months now.

Lurking on the forum of the game you don't enjoy or even play (at least that's what you claim) for past 6 months just to keep complaining that you don't like it is pretty unhealthy and to be honest completely pointless.

and people still claim that this is a casual game, when only the start of it is .there is a name for that: BAIT AND SWITCH!!. have fun with the next round of DRMs.

Nah, it's still pretty casual, meaning you don't need to chase the level cap and catch up with gear treadmill after every addition to the game. Nobody said the game will not utilize its mechanics, which is apparently what you're complaining about. Like it or not, it's still an action mmorpg and leaving it at "starting zone level" would be just way too stagnant/boring.(and what is this random throw in with drms? What do you mean? What's the relevance here?)

video games has you sitting on a chair and pushing buttons, how is that healthy in any way? each click i give one of these threads makes it grow in size andrelevance, so its not pointless either. in fact , YOU are helping my side, by coming here to argue. if its only a couple of weirdos, then the thread will die in a couple of days.note, how many times we have had this kind of topic coming back. always started by different people. and the same handful of people come back to defend it.

Oh, I was talking about the mental health (and this is not supposed to be some cheap jab at you, this just seems like some unhealthy obsession to push people away from the thing they like

just because you don't like it

), not the "playing games = sitting = not moving = unhealthy!" take you're doing here.Nothing we do here is somehow "helping your case", this game will never revert to core. You claim (hopefully falsely, just to pretend you're making a strong stance or something) you don't play this game for 6 months and yet you constantly lurk this forum just to complain. This is weird.This game won't change to your desired core experience, so have fun with that o/

i read the forums, as you doi write on them, same as you ( you prolly do it WAY more than me)but. because i have a different opinion, than you, i am a crazy person now?i am not surprised to see you use the shame tactics to make me go away. but i AM offended, and i will report youif you dont like my opinion, then DONT READ IT

Did you even understand what you read? I play the game, so I participate on the forum. You don't play the game for half a year now (as you claim), you dislike it and yet you keep lurking the forum apparently just to tell everyone else enjoying the game that everything's so bad and people will/should stop playing (because that's pretty much all you do). Nobody cares you think people shouldn't enjoy it, if you prefer playing something else then play something else and participate on that game's forum. Try undestanding what you read, it was never about "just being on the forum" in a vacuum.

And I didn't say you're "crazy", mental health is about much more than just labeling someone "normal"/"crazy". Stop putting words in my mouth.

[AliamRationem.5172]

@battledrone.8315 said:

@"AliamRationem.5172" said:Also wanted to add a couple of general combat tips:

1) Keep your eye on the enemy, not on your skill bar. Get into the habit of making quick glances, but don't allow your eyes to remain on your bar. I know it seems obvious, but it's easy to not realize you're doing it and a fraction of a second is all it takes to miss what should be obvious visual cues. In fact, you might try some practice runs against bosses that give you trouble where instead of focusing on dealing damage you just watch the boss for those visual cues and see how well you can avoid them when you aren't busy trying to perform a rotation.

2) Stay in motion. If you notice many of the attacks in this fight are projectiles or have "spreading" circles. The indicator appears under your feet well before the attack lands, so if you're already moving you shouldn't have to dodge. This will let you reserve those dodges for attacks that can't be avoided by simply moving out of the way. If you're at close range, strafe in a tight circle around the boss. Especially against larger, slower enemies this will often force them to turn before they can attack you and directional attacks are likely to miss.

if i can miss it in a fraction of second, then it isnt that obvious. that is literally the blink of an eye. and circlestrafing is often impossible due to knockbacks and adds.and none of them are casual mechanics either.

This advice was intended for players who play the game and wish to overcome the challenges they struggle with. I've provided video examples to demonstrate that it is not impossible to avoid attacks with movement, dodging, and use of defensive cooldowns. Knockbacks didn't prevent me from doing anything, despite running a build that has no reliable means of breaking out of stuns or granting stability on demand. I ignored the adds in this fight as killing them is just a waste of time and you can grab the object you need and walk away.

On whether or not this is "casual" content? I suppose we'll have to consult the Casual Handbook. Wait. What do you mean there isn't one and this is an action combat game - a genre defined by the concept of watching for telegraphs and actively avoiding them? Outrageous! I demand we reconvene the Casual Council and write a Handbook immediately!

[Joote.4081]

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@Joote.4081 said:I have a big problem when it comes to bosses indicating they are going to let a big one go.

Most big strikes that don't put down a big red circle happen on intervals that are either timed or trigger at a given point of the boss' health.I wonder what it is about their game engine were they don't seem to have any control over the effects?I find it unfortunate that after all the advice and help in this thread you are still blaming the game.

I have lost count of the times I have seen people requesting a option to cut down the visual effects. It seems the options that look as if they might work, don't.How ever much you object they are a problem for a few more people than just me.I'm sorry you object to me being here and speaking my mind. Would you like me to shut up?

[AliamRationem.5172]

Since battledrone.8315 brought up the idea that active avoidance (i.e. dodging) is not a "casual" mechanic I wanted to further demonstrate the impact build can have on the assumption that one must be a wizard at dodging in order to succeed in this game.

Here is solo of the avatar of Balthazar hero point in Auric Basin. I stand in place at melee range and I neither dodge nor use any active healing skills. Instead, I use high damage to push the phases quickly. The fight only lasts 40 seconds, with the boss either running away, dodging, taunting me or being stunned for about a third of that time. I am using a condi tank (full trailblazer stats) build with huge passive mitigation so the boss isn't able to hit me very hard and again because I push the phases quickly, he isn't able to capitalize on the double buff he gains when you kill his dogs as we roll right into the 50% breakbar after he gains it.

This is a viable open world build and not a gimmick. It needs no passive stunbreak or emergency save because it's very tanky and most open world enemies melt too quickly to its damage to ever be a threat even if they do spam knockbacks. You can play this way if you want to. It is an option if dodging is not your thing. However, for those who prefer to dodge a lot I also have a fire/arcane variant that relies a lot more on active avoidance. Here's a video of that build soloing the vampire broodmother HP in Verdant Brink while only getting hit twice the entire fight!

That's two very different ways of playing what is otherwise the same class: sword/focus condition weaver.

The moral of the story here is this: Instead of resting on the idea that everything is impossible, you should dig into buildcraft and figure out solutions to the issues you're having. You might be surprised what you can do with the right build.

[Joote.4081]

Yeah, I've spent the morning playing with build templates and testing them. They are a great little feature.It's hard to pull myself away from sword + focus. I have near enough perfected fighting with these weapons. I soloed my way right into the heart of one of the Branded fortresses and picked up the hero points there. It was virtually constant fighting as what I killed soon respawned, but it was a proud moment. :)

[Nephalem.8921]

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:Hard to do damage when parked on your bum.

Then don't drop down and the problem will be solved. As @"mindcircus.1506" said above, this is more of a problem of gear, build, playstyle or a mix of those. Also, since you are talking about Scruffy 2.0, you can always stay inside Braham's shield which blocks all his attacks. Do your high damage rotation while the shield is on (it has a very fast cooldown) and keep running around when it is not. The achievement there is very hard, but the boss itself is not.

What do you mean? Bratham's shield is only up for a few seconds around every few minutes. How much damage can one do in 2 or 3 seconds? Also if your not near it (been blown to the other side of the area) when his shield goes up it's down long before you get there.I have a shield of my own but for some reason every time I activated it nothing happened and I was yet again blown on my bum.

Do you think Scruffy is going to oblige by entering Bratham's space? And before you say use the bow, as far as I'm concerned the dragon bow is a tickling stick.

As a Guardian you can use the Scepter for that fight. Scepter 2 works very well on a stationary target, with a LARGE hitbox, so it hits many many times. As for the duration, the duration of the shield is plenty to allow long casting skills, for example Meteor Shower from an Elementalist. If you are a Guardian then I guess you don't really need it as your burst has low casting times and is very mobile.

Plus, as a Dragonhunter you can use your Aegis to block attacks or use Wings of Resolve to jump to Braham when he uses his shield. Then, once his shield is up, turn to Scruffy, use Spear of Justice, Scepter 2, Sword of Justice, and if you are a bit closer maybe a trap or two, otherwise range the boss and use Bane Signet for extra damage and "Feel my Wrath" as your elite skill.

As I said all of that is useless when your flat on your back. A fart in the general direction spell would be a good spell to have for times like this. The times I do get in I do heavy damage, that sort of kicks the boss into high gear and they really start piling it on. Back on the floor, get up cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up, cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up move, no wait, back on my bum. And it goes on and on and on and.....This sort of thing is not fun. It's not challenging it's repetitive nonsense. Don't they know that?

It seems it is challenging if you are spending the entire fight in down state. The game is nice enough to carry you through even so, but I assure you that is not the intended way of completing this content. Neither is it designed for groups (although you can bring friends!), as you asserted previously. As several people have now explained, you are doing something wrong. Perhaps once you understand what that is and correct it, you'll find this content more enjoyable. As always, other players on the forums can assist in that. However, if you continue to blame the game instead of looking for ways to improve, you'll likely find this a frustrating experience.

If I change my skills and gear will that give me protection from getting knocked on my bun ever 2 seconds?

I've not found any of the boss fights hard I can punish them when I can get my hands on them but the game doesn't want me to do this . It want to disable me in some way (cheat). So as to chain me down while it pummels me into submission. Then I'm suppose to say 'wow, that was hard' when it wasn't hard, it was fixed. I am at a loss how some of you guys can't see that.How many times I have gone into a fight and visually had 3 to 4 other creatures spawn out of thin air right next to me. Yeah, challenging not? That is the game trolling me. It doesn't bother me anymore I'm use to it but it is a reality.

I went ahead and recorded a video of the Scruffy 2.0 encounter using my typical open world build for weaver. The fight for me consisted of about a minute of actual combat and 5 minutes of running around grabbing orbs. I picked up the achievement for surviving the final 60 seconds without going down or leaving the platform for good measure. The combat didn't seem very high pressure. The boss spams CC, but it's well telegraphed and pushing phases doesn't take very long. Again, if you're dying repeatedly and feel like the boss has a trillion HP and is designed for a group of players, you are definitely doing something wrong.

I also have videos on the channel of the final Caudecus encounter from LS3 and the Eater of Souls from PoF storyline if you're interested.

Gawd! I wish my encounter had worked out like this. Is as if the game loves you but hates me. All those earlier attacks were on my head were they seem to avoid you, and you could also find a clear space.

Good video and well played Jigglypuffsings .This video has helped in one particular area, I need to turn my graphical effects down. I was blinded by the fire effects and couldn't see my character for a lot of the time. I missed a jump several times when collecting the orbs because of the smoke coming off me. Jumping as a ball of smoke is not all that easy. :)

I am not that far in LW3 yet and keep having to stop to train up mastery skills. The eater of souls mission I found really grated on the games mechanics in a bad way. It sort of throws all of the rules we are accustomed to out of the windows. I have a low enough regard for my character as it is, I don't want it going lower. How can I be any sort of hero, why would the pact make me their commander? Most encounters I have later game are with people far more qualified and stronger than me. The only thing I have going for me is that I am immortal.

He used lots of evades and invulns to get through the mechanics. The only really threatening one is the wave knockdown thing. Both the wave and the moment when he punches the ground do damage and cc. A very simple way to avoid this if you dont have 3 dodges is to just go out of range and wait until it is over.There is just one other attack that needs to be dodged, the jump. Everything else can be sidestepped.This video isnt even showing a very fast kill btw. It is a trailblazer condi weaver. Some other builds can melt it in half that time. Thats why experienced players just roll their eyes when somebody on forum calls story bosses hp sponges.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Nephalem.8921 said:This video isnt even showing a very fast kill btw. It is a trailblazer condi weaver. Some other builds can melt it in half that time. Thats why experienced players just roll their eyes when somebody on forum calls story bosses hp sponges.Dire, if I am not mistaken.... but close enough.Much cheaper to gear.

[AliamRationem.5172]

@"Joote.4081" said:Yeah, I've spent the morning playing with build templates and testing them. They are a great little feature.It's hard to pull myself away from sword + focus. I have near enough perfected fighting with these weapons. I soloed my way right into the heart of one of the Branded fortresses and picked up the hero points there. It was virtually constant fighting as what I killed soon respawned, but it was a proud moment. :)

Hey! Sword/focus! My favorite weapon set! Although I play elementalist and not guardian, obviously. I've never really played a "warrior-mage" or "spellsword" type that plays anything like this, but it feels great! Glad you seem to be finding your thing with guardian as well.

Keep practicing and trying different things and eventually you may find that challenges you never even considered possible are within your reach!

[AliamRationem.5172]

@Nephalem.8921 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@AliamRationem.5172 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:

@Joote.4081 said:Hard to do damage when parked on your bum.

Then don't drop down and the problem will be solved. As @"mindcircus.1506" said above, this is more of a problem of gear, build, playstyle or a mix of those. Also, since you are talking about Scruffy 2.0, you can always stay inside Braham's shield which blocks all his attacks. Do your high damage rotation while the shield is on (it has a very fast cooldown) and keep running around when it is not. The achievement there is very hard, but the boss itself is not.

What do you mean? Bratham's shield is only up for a few seconds around every few minutes. How much damage can one do in 2 or 3 seconds? Also if your not near it (been blown to the other side of the area) when his shield goes up it's down long before you get there.I have a shield of my own but for some reason every time I activated it nothing happened and I was yet again blown on my bum.

Do you think Scruffy is going to oblige by entering Bratham's space? And before you say use the bow, as far as I'm concerned the dragon bow is a tickling stick.

As a Guardian you can use the Scepter for that fight. Scepter 2 works very well on a stationary target, with a LARGE hitbox, so it hits many many times. As for the duration, the duration of the shield is plenty to allow long casting skills, for example Meteor Shower from an Elementalist. If you are a Guardian then I guess you don't really need it as your burst has low casting times and is very mobile.

Plus, as a Dragonhunter you can use your Aegis to block attacks or use Wings of Resolve to jump to Braham when he uses his shield. Then, once his shield is up, turn to Scruffy, use Spear of Justice, Scepter 2, Sword of Justice, and if you are a bit closer maybe a trap or two, otherwise range the boss and use Bane Signet for extra damage and "Feel my Wrath" as your elite skill.

As I said all of that is useless when your flat on your back. A fart in the general direction spell would be a good spell to have for times like this. The times I do get in I do heavy damage, that sort of kicks the boss into high gear and they really start piling it on. Back on the floor, get up cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up, cast, no wait, back on the floor, get up move, no wait, back on my bum. And it goes on and on and on and.....This sort of thing is not fun. It's not challenging it's repetitive nonsense. Don't they know that?

It seems it is challenging if you are spending the entire fight in down state. The game is nice enough to carry you through even so, but I assure you that is not the intended way of completing this content. Neither is it designed for groups (although you can bring friends!), as you asserted previously. As several people have now explained, you are doing something wrong. Perhaps once you understand what that is and correct it, you'll find this content more enjoyable. As always, other players on the forums can assist in that. However, if you continue to blame the game instead of looking for ways to improve, you'll likely find this a frustrating experience.

If I change my skills and gear will that give me protection from getting knocked on my bun ever 2 seconds?

I've not found any of the boss fights hard I can punish them when I can get my hands on them but the game doesn't want me to do this . It want to disable me in some way (cheat). So as to chain me down while it pummels me into submission. Then I'm suppose to say 'wow, that was hard' when it wasn't hard, it was fixed. I am at a loss how some of you guys can't see that.How many times I have gone into a fight and visually had 3 to 4 other creatures spawn out of thin air right next to me. Yeah, challenging not? That is the game trolling me. It doesn't bother me anymore I'm use to it but it is a reality.

I went ahead and recorded a video of the Scruffy 2.0 encounter using my typical open world build for weaver. The fight for me consisted of about a minute of actual combat and 5 minutes of running around grabbing orbs. I picked up the achievement for surviving the final 60 seconds without going down or leaving the platform for good measure. The combat didn't seem very high pressure. The boss spams CC, but it's well telegraphed and pushing phases doesn't take very long. Again, if you're dying repeatedly and feel like the boss has a trillion HP and is designed for a group of players, you are definitely doing something wrong.

I also have videos on the channel of the final Caudecus encounter from LS3 and the Eater of Souls from PoF storyline if you're interested.

Gawd! I wish my encounter had worked out like this. Is as if the game loves you but hates me. All those earlier attacks were on my head were they seem to avoid you, and you could also find a clear space.

Good video and well played Jigglypuffsings .This video has helped in one particular area, I need to turn my graphical effects down. I was blinded by the fire effects and couldn't see my character for a lot of the time. I missed a jump several times when collecting the orbs because of the smoke coming off me. Jumping as a ball of smoke is not all that easy. :)

I am not that far in LW3 yet and keep having to stop to train up mastery skills. The eater of souls mission I found really grated on the games mechanics in a bad way. It sort of throws all of the rules we are accustomed to out of the windows. I have a low enough regard for my character as it is, I don't want it going lower. How can I be any sort of hero, why would the pact make me their commander? Most encounters I have later game are with people far more qualified and stronger than me. The only thing I have going for me is that I am immortal.

He used lots of evades and invulns do get through the mechanics. The only really threatening one is the wave knockdown thing. Both the wave and the moment when he punches the ground do damage and cc. A very simple way to avoid this if you dont have 3 dodges is to just go out of range and wait until it is over.There is just one other attack that needs to be dodged, the jump. Everything else can be sidestepped.This video isnt even showing a very fast kill btw. It is a trailblazer condi weaver. Some other builds can melt it in half that time. Thats why experienced players just roll their eyes when somebody on forum calls story bosses hp sponges.

Correct. The boss only has 500k health and the longest phase requires you to deal half of that. With a bursty power build like dragonhunter, it would be easy to push that phase in 10 seconds and the other phases in half that. By comparison, I'm actually working at a very leisurely pace here (even by trailblazer standards! 8k DPS on the first phase? What was I even doing?). Even so, the boss has very little time to utilize its attacks which is the key to making these fights easy.

I understand if it seems impossible when you're dealing 2k DPS. Under those conditions, a phase that takes a proper damage build 5-10 seconds or 15 seconds with my tanky build at slacker pace will require a minute or more, during which you're repeatedly forced to deal with the mechanics of the fight (all those knockbacks!). At that point it would certainly seem like the boss is an HP sponge designed for a squad!

This is why I recommend players grab arcdps and study up a bit on builds. It's extremely important in GW2 because the build system is freeform. You don't just pick a DPS class/build and off you go, dealing better damage than any healer or tank build just by rolling face across keyboard! Here you can design any sort of build you want! Maybe you're a healer that also deals damage and is tanky? Oops! Maybe the reality is that your build doesn't heal very well, but also doesn't deal any damage or do anything useful and your sustain is wasted because you can't just facetank everything in this game!

That's the problem I think a lot of new players run into here. There is nothing pointing out to them the vast disparity between builds/strategies. It really can be the difference between 2k DPS and 20k DPS, which means you might literally be taking TEN times as long to push phases! No wonder it seems like an HP sponge with unfair knockback spam!