I get it, but I really loved how on GW2 launch those early zones were filled with players. I played it some then but then put it down for awhile and when I came back the zones I were in were pretty barren of players. I expect the same will likely happen with the new zones, when this expansion releases there will be a huge surge of players running through it for the first time but later on if I ever get my character to that level they'll probably just be populated by people running specific things and not just progressing through them.
Around mid 2014 ArenaNet introduced MegaServers to the game. Before, maps were separated by servers, so it was hard to find people in maps that weren't overflow when you were playing in some servers. Now maps don't care about your server, and will just fill up with players regardless of what server they are from. As such, ALL maps have players because it's a universal system.
Furthermore, there are dozens of new players starting every day, so any level zone will be populated
Well I just purchased the expansion despite not having played the game since launch or any intention of buying it prior to seeing this thread. Thanks for creating such a rad OT I guess?
I don't remember any of guild wars 2 lol. I'll probably start over.
what has been done to the core leveling experience?
I also remember event farming in the beginning but due to population I remember them getting really hard to do solo at certain points. Did they fix event scaling?
Skill changes that I missed as well?
Do we get a tag along hero lol.....it makes solo leveling so much more enjoyable
Also damn it OP, I just bought my cousin and I the expansion now
Leveling at first is faster, the game gives you tips and rewards for each level up til lv 80, introducing all the game stuff you may need to know.
I also remember event farming in the beginning but due to population I remember them getting really hard to do solo at certain points. Did they fix event scaling?
They completely changed a lot of the leveling process; story quests are now every 10 levels, you get rewards each time you level up, there's a "Content Guide" that's always pushing you towards something new, lots of tutorial changes... You can read about it here; https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/September_2014_Feature_Pack#New_Player_Experience
I also remember event farming in the beginning but due to population I remember them getting really hard to do solo at certain points. Did they fix event scaling?
In the Personal / Living Story chapters, you get a whole team of people to help out and move the story along. Otherwise just bunch up into informal parties with whoever's nearby and doing events or use the LFG tool. Asking in Guild Chat always helps too.
Is there any reason I should pre-order the expansion prior to launch? I haven't purchased yet and was just going to buy it tomorrow when I have time to play.
Is there any reason I should pre-order the expansion prior to launch? I haven't purchased yet and was just going to buy it tomorrow when I have time to play.
Bought the expansion yesterday. Btw, I don't know if it's mentioned in the OP or not (and it's probably too late to do anything about it now considering the time), but:
"If you registered your core Guild Wars 2 game before 23 January, 2015 and register a pre-purchase serial code for Heart of Thorns any time before the expansion is released, youll receive a free character slot! Once you apply a pre-purchase serial code, youll be eligible for the slot regardless of where you bought the core game."
Is there any reason I should pre-order the expansion prior to launch? I haven't purchased yet and was just going to buy it tomorrow when I have time to play.
Leveled up under all three systems. First one had the most freedom. Second one was tedious. Current one has more direction and free loot, but a bit less freedom than the original. I still think of 1-80 as the tutorial, and honestly wouldn't mind if levels disappeared altogether.
Hit "G" to open the guild panel, then click "Join" and "Represent" (you can be in up to 5 guilds, but only represent one at a time). Guilds are account-wide, but you'll need to represent on each individual character. /g is the shortcut for guild chat.
The Highlights theme is really nostalgic even if I don't understand what it has to do with the game.
I haven't really played GW2 since near launch, but hopefully I can find the time to give it another go now that there's apparently some possibility of healing.
I keep trying to get back into this game, but as much as I like it I don't really wanna spend the huge amount of dedication MMOs require. Even so, still tempted to buy the expansion.
oh dear heavens.....I forgot my character isn't on stormbluff because....I wasn't apart of GAF when the game launched.....welp there goes more money lol
I keep trying to get back into this game, but as much as I like it I don't really wanna spend the huge amount of dedication MMOs require. Even so, still tempted to buy the expansion.
It's definitely a great MMO for that. No subscription and no steadily-increasing gear/level ceiling invalidating your past accomplishments. Makes it super easy to enjoy in small increments or take time off.
The Highlights theme is really nostalgic even if I don't understand what it has to do with the game.
I haven't really played GW2 since near launch, but hopefully I can find the time to give it another go now that there's apparently some possibility of healing.
I doubt it'll ever become like healing in other MMOs, more along the lines of how a Guardian provides the whole party a series of buffs. A Revenant with the right Legend (or Ranger Druid) will heal better than anyone else, but healing won't be the primary focus of any one party member, but a group effort where certain players/builds can contribute a bit more than others. And as people get used to content, the need for a heal crutch will become less, and people will run more damage focused builds to burn enemies down faster with more risk.
I think it's by design, that needing a healer should never been a requirement, just useful for people who need/want it, but it's not optimal for people to overly focus on it. But as a retired raid healer, I'm also glad to see the option to help players a bit more as a focused healer exists. I just don't want to see 40 minute LFG queues due to damage/healer/tank imbalances (looking at FFXIV here).
It's definitely a great MMO for that. No subscription and no steadily-increasing gear/level ceiling invalidating your past accomplishments. Makes it super easy to enjoy in small increments or take time off.
Ya it is the most friendly but still requires quite a big timesink, especially when I'm the type that has to have the best shit in an MMO.
edit: Question: My character has a bunch of shit gear, how friendly will the new content be to me? Does it offer exotics naturally through the new content?
Fun OT, OP! I wanna jump back in. Haven't played since original GW2 launch as I just couldn't get into it, but now seems like as good a time as any to give it another go.
oh dear heavens.....I forgot my character isn't on stormbluff because....I wasn't apart of GAF when the game launched.....welp there goes more money lol
There's no need to switch servers to play with us unless you want to do WvW with us. A lot of the guild isn't on SBI and we still play together due to the megaservers.
Unless you're on EU of course, but you can apply for help with us if you want to transfer.
It's today! I can't believe it. Hopefully there are no major server issues.I thought there's going to be a preload?
There's no need to switch servers to play with us unless you want to do WvW with us. A lot of the guild isn't on SBI and we still play together due to the megaservers.
The short version: I was looking for something fun and interesting to do instead of the usual Community OT, and while wandering around google looking for inspiration I noticed there's a TON of jungle-themed coloring / activity books. It appealed to my dark sense of humor to contrast the in-game events (
The combined military might of the world was just violently destroyed in like 20 seconds and an entire race of allies was revealed to be minions of the expansion's villain that can turn at any second)
with the bright and colorful themes. It was different from anything I've done before creatively and I wanted to give it a try, and it ended up being really fun to make.
When it came time to make the OT for the expansion launch, I decided to carry the concept forward with a few changes. GW2's moment-to-moment gameplay reminds me so much of the games I grew up with (one GAFer made a very apt comparison to old-school brawlers like Golden Axe and I haven't been able to not see it since), and the developers have specifically mentioned both Zelda and Metroid as inspiration for the new progression mechanics. I felt like the Highlights reference and catalog clipping both fit comfortably with the same brand of nostalgia as coloring books and old-school games (and how could I pass up that iconic "H"?).
I guess the theme really only applies in so far as I wanted something unique and visually interesting but not so image-heavy that it becomes impossible to read, but I wanted to convey the kind of excitement I'm feeling for the launch, the kind I had when I was a kid and completely hyped for stuff like Mario Bros. 3 and such.
I keep trying to get back into this game, but as much as I like it I don't really wanna spend the huge amount of dedication MMOs require. Even so, still tempted to buy the expansion.
It really doesn't have as much of a time investment as you'd think; because there's no gear treadmill (and no level cap increase with the expansion) you could have started playing 3 years ago at launch, gotten full Exotic-tier weapons and stopped playing this entire time. You'd be able to log in and pick up right where you left off, the only thing you'd have missed was the huge amount of content they've added.
You can pick it up and play it when you have free time and never worry that you're falling behind everyone else or missing out on whatever's new. Heck, you can even replay the Living Story (they add a bunch new content in episode-format every two weeks during each "Season") on your own time now, for free if you remember to log in when each episode is live.
oh dear heavens.....I forgot my character isn't on stormbluff because....I wasn't apart of GAF when the game launched.....welp there goes more money lol
No worries, as long as you're on a North American server you can play with GAF in every game mode except WvW (which is restricted since it's server vs. server play).
Ya it is the most friendly but still requires quite a big timesink, especially when I'm the type that has to have the best shit in an MMO.
edit: Question: My character has a bunch of shit gear, how friendly will the new content be to me? Does it offer exotics naturally through the new content?
If you had gotten full exotics a month after launch, you'd be in the same position you'd be now; capable of doing all of the existing content except high level fractals (Ascended gear is needed, but it's a long-term goal).
To answer your second question, Exotics are perfectly fine for the new content, I imagine they tuned it to be doable in rare (yellow) or even masterwork (green) gear. This isn't the usual MMO expansion where everyone's work is immediately invalidated by new gear tiers, so you're all good.
oh dear heavens.....I forgot my character isn't on stormbluff because....I wasn't apart of GAF when the game launched.....welp there goes more money lol
Fun OT, OP! I wanna jump back in. Haven't played since original GW2 launch as I just couldn't get into it, but now seems like as good a time as any to give it another go.
Officially, nope! But, with the addition of tonight's Action Camera, the steam controller will be a VERY GOOD way to play the game. It's already *pretty good*, but there are a few annoyances that prevent it from being AWESOME -- until tonight that is.
The new profession, Revenant, and Thief's elite spec, Daredevil, gain access to melee staves, which they wield similarly to how dervishes wield their scythes. Some of the staves in this game also have scythe skins, although they're uncommon, so you can pretty much simulate a dervish-looking character. Thieves also have access to hoods, which it helps. Somewhat related, Necromancer's elite spec, the Reaper, wields a huge looking scythe whenever you transform them with their profession mechanic.
Back to the new profession, one of the legend's stances that Revenants have allow them to use an elite skill that transfoms them into an avatar, similar to Dervish elite skills. They have no boon stripping mechanic, though, but Revenant's elite spec is all about mantaining passive effects and sacrificing them for immediate effects, so you can geta somewhat similar playstyle to dervish, even if only vaguely. (In reality, it plays a lot more like a bard-ish kind of support profession, because it's all about aoe/ party-wide passives, but the concept of stripping passive effects for active effects is there nonetheless).
