New player finds personal story level req boring and confusing

[ExCentya.4305]

I recently finished a course in UX-design (user experience) and found this interesting and wanted to communicate it on the forums and to the team at Arenanet.

Two days ago I finally got one of my friends to start GW2 and it was great!😀 Atleast for me.

 

My friends experience was kind of different with the story and its level requirements. What I mean by level requirements is after you finish the introduction and dropped into the world of Tyria there is nothing that tells you about the next story chapter. When will it be? What level do I need to be?🤔 Or atleast, we couldn't find it in-game.

 

I, who also made a new character with him was confused to why this was the way it is. Through the years I've been playing I've collected over 700 level books (counting just now) and about 10++ lvl 60, 50,40,30,20 boosts. So I've never had the issue to go through leveling again.

 

I checked the Wiki and saw that the next story chapter began at level 10, 20, 30 etc. So we had to level of course.

 

- My friends issue whit this was it felt boring for him. "What? I have to wait for the story?" was what he said and that he felt bored to "wait" for progression.

 

- The issue for me was the lack of communication about how the story chapters was gonna get delivered and when. Can it be hinted at the top right corner? "Next story chapter will be unlocked at level 10" or can it actually be in the story journal? Or why not both?🌱

 

The play session ended with him being bored and considered buying a level 80 boost but they are  not in the gem store right now.

 

 

Have you also had this issue with new players?

 

 

 

[Balor.8432]

Original story level requirements was changed to be every 10 levels from every few levels awhile back and a few things was lost  when they did that and i think the in game mail you got telling you about the next story was one of them if i remember right.

[Dawdler.8521]

Level 1-79 is basicly a tutorial. Tutorials are boring by design because they are trying to teach you something.

[Danikat.8537]

I can't log into the game right now but if I remember correctly the story journal does tell you that the next step will unlock at level 10, but you have to know where to find the story journal (or be looking through all the menus) to find that.

 

It probably is confusing for some players but I think it makes sense that the game doesn't funnel you into a specific activity and instead leaves it open for you to explore and see what you can find to do, because that's how the rest of the game works. The same update which changed the story to unlocking every 10 levels also added the content guide (the 'compass' arrow in the top-right) which is intended to help new players find things to do (I think it starts off pointing you to the scout and then to the first few hearts).

 

16 minutes ago, Torn Fierceslash.6375 said:

Original story level requirements was changed to be every 10 levels from every few levels awhile back and a few things was lost  when they did that and i think the in game mail you got telling you about the next story was one of them if i remember right.

The mail still happens, but it happens when you get to level 10, not right away.

[DeanBB.4268]

The level 2 level-up guide introduces the hero panel. I assume they just blew right past that, though. Kids these days can't be bothered with reading. And stay off my lawn!

[Sobx.1758]

58 minutes ago, ExCentya.4305 said:

- My friends issue whit this was it felt boring for him. "What? I have to wait for the story?" was what he said and that he felt bored to "wait" for progression.

What an interesting take, where leveling up and getting better gear isn't considered to be "progression".

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

If I recall correctly with the old way where the story unlocked immediately at level 2 there was the opposite problem. Some people would rush to do the story and quickly get to the point where they would need to travel to maps above their level and would get repeatedly one shot by mobs on the way there and have a hard time doing a story that was above their level but was open for a low level to do.  Really, no matter how it’s set up someone is not going to like it. 

[Dante.1763]

11 minutes ago, Sobx.1758 said:

What an interesting take, where leveling up and getting better gear isn't considered to be "progression".

Maybe for them they only view progression as coming from the story. Cant progress my characters story = no progression. I can certainly understand that view.

[Sobx.1758]

17 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

Maybe for them they only view progression as coming from the story. Cant progress my characters story = no progression.

Yeah and that's a pretty interesting take, where literal progression isn't progression for some reason 😄 

And for mmorpgs, what's the alternative there? A story bringing you right from the start to max level? And then what, if story is all you care about?

Edited August 3, 2021 by Sobx.1758

[LSD.4673]

...the game tells you on level up when the next one will be unlocked. You can reference it at any time by clicking your level in the bottom right corner.

 

The problem i've had with new players is "this is boring". The core game is rubbish a d gated. Why do you have to be 71 to unlock your 3 specs? Why do you have to be like 15 to unlock all your weapon skills? It's dull and dumb, and the gameplay itself isn't rewarding enough to keep people playing  

[Moradorin.6217]

56 minutes ago, Just a flesh wound.3589 said:

If I recall correctly with the old way where the story unlocked immediately at level 2 there was the opposite problem. Some people would rush to do the story and quickly get to the point where they would need to travel to maps above their level and would get repeatedly one shot by mobs on the way there and have a hard time doing a story that was above their level but was open for a low level to do.  Really, no matter how it’s set up someone is not going to like it. 

I cant remember cause I think we are talking about 7-8 yr ago, but I think they added the level caps for stories to resolve issues. The biggest one I can think of would be Black Lion Key farms. If you could skip leveling and speed farm up to 3 keys without even bothering to level that could become an issue. IIRC back then the key farm also had NO weekly limit. People would farm keys all day some times.

[ASP.8093]

1 hour ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

Level 1-79 is basicly a tutorial. Tutorials are boring by design because they are trying to teach you something.

Problem is, it's a real slow tutorial that drips out abilities much more stingily than the GW1 get-to-level-20 tutorial scheme.

[Dante.1763]

22 minutes ago, Sobx.1758 said:

Yeah and that's a pretty interesting take, where literal progression isn't progression for some reason 😄 

And for mmorpgs, what's the alternative there? A story bringing you right from the start to max level? And then what, if story is all you care about?

Pretty sure you originally could play the story as you gained levels, if you didnt mind being underleveled? Before the NPE it looked like this:

 

Part 1 was level 1-10, part 2 was level 11-21, part 3 was level 21-30, part 4 was level 31-39. Part 5 was level 41-47, part 6 was levels 48-61, part 7 was levels 62-71, and part 8 was levels 72-80.

 

You could do then all at once or play them as you level.

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, Moradorin.6217 said:

I cant remember cause I think we are talking about 7-8 yr ago, but I think they added the level caps for stories to resolve issues. The biggest one I can think of would be Black Lion Key farms. If you could skip leveling and speed farm up to 3 keys without even bothering to level that could become an issue. IIRC back then the key farm also had NO weekly limit. People would farm keys all day some times.

My post above has the old story progression ^^, i just cant remember if there was any locks on it or not.

[Ayakaru.6583]

I've always disliked leveling requirements for quests. 

Let players run into a brick wall, let them learn the hard way they're weak, pitiful, and to devourered by that lv5 rat they thought they could take at level 23

[Sobx.1758]

11 minutes ago, Dante.1763 said:

Pretty sure you originally could play the story as you gained levels, if you didnt mind being underleveled? Before the NPE it looked like this:

 

Part 1 was level 1-10, part 2 was level 11-21, part 3 was level 21-30, part 4 was level 31-39. Part 5 was level 41-47, part 6 was levels 48-61, part 7 was levels 62-71, and part 8 was levels 72-80.

 

You could do then all at once or play them as you level.

You can play through the story every few levels now as well. I don't see how that changes anything I wrote above? You didn't level 0-80 through the story. This is not a telltale game where story is intended to be 100% of the content.

[Dante.1763]

Just now, Sobx.1758 said:

You can play through the story every few levels now as well. I don't see how that changes anything I wrote above? You didn't level 0-80 through the story. This is not a telltale game where story is intended to be 100% of the content.

Ahh but often when i was leveling i would just run from story instance to story instance to story instance doing events/killing foes as i went and it was very easy to stay leveled with the story. The hardest part was getting a group for Arah Story at level 80(a group isnt needed now. The instance has been nerfed alot.)

 

But yes, story isnt everything in this game. However, they can still provide a decent story experience. And honestly imo the level gates they added take away from that unless one waits like i do. OP and his friend seem to think similiarly as well.

[Nico.9361]

2 hours ago, Dawdler.8521 said:

Level 1-79 is basicly a tutorial. Tutorials are boring by design because they are trying to teach you something.

I do agree with both statements. "Trying" is sadly somewhat accurate.

There are 2 things, that are missing. Break bars and proper dodging. Everyone gets the timing wrong from time to time, but there are fields of dead bodies in open world. Some bosses just have that you're insta downed AoEs, people need to walk out of or simply dodge at the right time. Rolling through a spike trap doesn't teach you about it.

I enjoy gw2 a lot (for quite a few years now), but I understand new players getting lost or confused.

[Faridah.8431]

Yeah I am personally not a fan of the new way they do the story, not to mention the weapons where you only have the 1 auto attack at the start and each level unlock a new skill. No wonder people just spam 1, its the very first thing they are taught to do! I think one of the reasons they level gated to level 10 was that people were farming the Black Lion Key reward you get at the end of that story part. Still they could do a better job of explaining how instead of the story you should do hearts and map explore till you get to level 10.

 

The other thing that is disgusting in design is that you might be only up to Orr or something in the Personal Story and once you hit 80 it'll continually spam you to go to HoT to unlock masteries, which is completely dumb for Central Tyria mastery tracks. They really ought to do something about that so you are not encouraged by the game itself to play the story out of order.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Faridah.8431

[Moradorin.6217]

1 hour ago, Dante.1763 said:

My post above has the old story progression ^^, i just cant remember if there was any locks on it or not.

I remember being able to go as far into the story as your ability (underleveled) woud let you get away with. As someone else mentioned the biggest hurdle some times was getting through higher level maps to reach the next instances.

[Faridah.8431]

1 minute ago, Moradorin.6217 said:

I remember being able to go as far into the story as your ability (underleveled) woud let you get away with. As someone else mentioned the biggest hurdle some times was getting through higher level maps to reach the next instances.

Exactly, there were no gates aside from being under leveled for some maps/story content getting you killed.

 

It was one of the Feature Packs (I want to say 2013 or 2014?) that changed it if I recall.

[DeanBB.4268]

I just checked one of my new accounts. I have a level 57 with 16 hours played. That's what, 15 minutes per level? 20 hours to get to max level is just too much now?

[Dante.1763]

2 minutes ago, Moradorin.6217 said:

I remember being able to go as far into the story as your ability (underleveled) woud let you get away with. As someone else mentioned the biggest hurdle some times was getting through higher level maps to reach the next instances.

That answers that question! Thanks for that. 🙂

[ArchonWing.9480]

The personal story is definitely not the best part of the game; I think I finished it like, in 2019 (lol?)

 

But you're not supposed to rush the story; you're supposed to explore the maps and level. I mean, I think the restrictions were silly, but honestly the story should not be a make or break thing.

 

And no, I've never had this problem, but most of my friends know beginner story mode of most games is usually boring.

Edited August 3, 2021 by ArchonWing.9480

[Dante.1763]

1 minute ago, Faridah.8431 said:

Exactly, there were no gates aside from being under leveled for some maps/story content getting you killed.

 

It was one of the Feature Packs (I want to say 2013 or 2014?) that changed it if I recall.

"New Player Experience" Was the release.

 

They also removed some events from low level areas(Including one my favorites, the arena fight out in Plains Of Ashford,) but left the UI text for "Do X" for heart progression in. It also changed around alot of the lower maps(Added hearts, changed heart requirements). The story order got shifted around at lvl50 and they reduced the total number of missions for the Orrian Frontier before Zhaitan.(if i remember correctly).

 

My guardian has a longer Personal Story log than my Ranger for example, and the Orrian story is one thats very different.

 

The patch was a mess honestly, and it really didnt make the experience any better imo for lower levels. Not having access to weapon swap, all your weapon skills, the downed state etc all came with that patch too.