I can help and lead North or West, although I prefer to do north
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Guild Wars 2 - Heart of Thorns |OT| Welcome to the Jungle...
- Thread starter Retro
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I can help and lead North or West, although I prefer to do north
Nobody mentioned it, but you were invited earlier today. Welcome!
appletoasty
Member
nothing to see here
LumpOfCole
Member
New emblems!
The way servers work in GW2 is significantly different from how other MMOs you may have played handle it. Your characters can play with anyone at any time, regardless of server, as long as they're in the same region (i.e. North American players cannot play with people on the European data center). Your choice of server really only affects what team you play on for the World vs. World game mode (where three servers fight each other for control of foir huge maps), otherwise you can play with anyone and join any guild regardless of what server you pick. You can also belong to up to 5 guilds at a time, for what it's worth (that's not really important, but I thought I'd mention it).
Having said all of that, GAF originally organized on Stormbluff Isle (NA); if you're not really concerned about which server you're on, you might as well make it that one.
then can I join the guild walkrue.8279 I think I'm choosing the NA server
New emblems!
Have to admit I'm curious why a puffer fish is wearing a skull. That's damn metal of it.
Since people have been asking for a while, that_shaman tweeted that Tuesday's update had a lot of new hair styles in the DAT file.
https://twitter.com/that_shaman/status/667289087334739968
https://twitter.com/that_shaman/status/667289087334739968
Kos Luftar
Member
Need beardstyles, already enough hairstyles in the game.
[GAF] killed Vale Guardian yet?
Can you feel it in your heart? Right on the main valve closest to your left lung. It's the vibrations of my future minstrel pounding inside you. Let my music note particle effects wash over you euphorically.
Groove with me. Just need world completion and a tiny bit more gold and we can rock it.
Groove with me. Just need world completion and a tiny bit more gold and we can rock it.
Kos Luftar
Member
Don't you have the JBiebs look?
It took me nearly 200 gold... but I did it. 80 Bowls of Black Pepper Cactus Salad. Ready to be queued up and also bump us up another level.
Next time there's a really expensive material due to scarcity in the mix, I'm going to beg for donations. Of the material, not gold.
Next step is to finish HoT storyline so I can reliably donate something other than kegs and PvP Potions.
Next time there's a really expensive material due to scarcity in the mix, I'm going to beg for donations. Of the material, not gold.
Next step is to finish HoT storyline so I can reliably donate something other than kegs and PvP Potions.
No I have the angelic but sorta elvish long hair with those little braids thing going on
Mate you are doing Gods work. Thank you.
What level will we be soon? I want that 28 so bad
Last night we were about there to 25 I think.
Jormunaattori
Member
So hard to find raiding guilds.
Huh, none of the usual suspects have responded yet. Guess I'll pretend to be Retro for a minute.
No there isn't. Around launch there was an EU offshoot that was created without collaboration from the NA side, but it imploded after a month or two stranding some players on the EU datacenter. EU players are welcome to play with GAF on any NA server, or GAF's home server SBI. With the way megaservers work, as long as you are on any NA server you will be able to play with GAF. There several EU players in the guild who report decent ping so it is a viable option. Additionally I believe there is a transfer fund you can apply for (assuming you're already on an EU server) if you can't cover the cost of the transfer yourself.
Yep.
I transferred from a EU Server to US. It's only 5 bucks, and the ping is most of the time no issue (~160, but you won't notice it). There were some spikes around HoT launch, but I haven't had them since 2 or 3 weeks.
I'm beautiful
your cat beats gravity!Also a bonus pic of my cat gliding upside down.
Yeah wow, well done.
I'm in the same position. I don't want to drag any groups down during the introductory phase where optimal strategies are being worked out but hopefully in a bit some groups will be willing to take on a weakling like me if they have a solid strategy in place already.
hockeypuck
Member
I'm kinda disappointed a guild leader would say this. Virtually everyone will be dragging down everyone else during the introductory phase, by definition. I would hate to think a member of our guild would not want to join a raid because of fear of ruining it for everyone else. On the same token, we can't be carried by Seda, Steve Olson, StarMie, Soph, etc for the rest of time. They'll all die one day and we'll have to carry on for ourselves.
The first boss should be doable with exotic armor if you have ascended trinkets/weapons. It might be doable with full exotics but the players will have to be very skilled at the fight and with their profession. The extra dps from ascended is extremely useful as we work out strategies and compositions.
That was incredibly generous of you, and I went ahead and activated the PVP Reward Buff upgrade.
We're now Guild level 25! Be sure to swing by the Tavern before you hit the mists and pick up your 5% PVP Reward buff, folks!
Hey, that was pretty good...
.... almost too good...
/glances suspiciously at Home Cloning Kit.
[Dramatic chord]
I think it's just the opposite, offering to wait and not to take up a spot when someone else may really want to go. Maybe that's just me.
I'm actually almost sure I agree with the point you're making even if I don't totally understand what it is. Per the bold, it doesn't really appear to make sense to me in the context of what I was referring to, namely that I don't have Ascended armor.
I don't have a fear of ruining the raid experience for anyone else so much as an understanding of why some people do have full ascended gear while I don't. I won't begrudge groups at all for wanting every possible edge in their squads during the phase where it's difficult for groups just to beat the encounters at all.
I'm actually almost sure I agree with the point you're making even if I don't totally understand what it is. Per the bold, it doesn't really appear to make sense to me in the context of what I was referring to, namely that I don't have Ascended armor.
I don't have a fear of ruining the raid experience for anyone else so much as an understanding of why some people do have full ascended gear while I don't. I won't begrudge groups at all for wanting every possible edge in their squads during the phase where it's difficult for groups just to beat the encounters at all.
I highly doubt that everyone attempting raids in our guild is running with full ascended, optimal runes/sigils/food/etc. Maybe if groups are consistently hitting the enrage timer and the only thing holding them back is dps would full ascended actually be a requirement. Every little edge helps but you shouldn't feel like you're holding a group back.
There's Retro and then there's Retro. I'm not cracking puns at every opportunity so there's no need for you to worry.
...yet.
UltimateIke
Member
The problem GAF raid groups are going to be running into is finding enough people with the -right builds- to fill every role in the raid, exotic or ascended either way. Vale Guardian (only the first boss) needs a tank, needs healing support, needs berserker level direct DPS, and needs sinister/viper level condi DPS. It needs everyone running the best weapons, skills, and traits for the job, and it needs people who know what they are supposed to do and are very good at doing it. All 10 people need to be running the best builds, and anything less is leaving very small amounts of wiggle room for others to pick up the slack.
We've always prided ourselves for not being strict about how we approach stuff like this, but people need to take some personal responsibility if they intend to succeed with something at this difficulty level.
We've always prided ourselves for not being strict about how we approach stuff like this, but people need to take some personal responsibility if they intend to succeed with something at this difficulty level.
Squall ASF
Member
That's what I was about to say, this doesn't have to be difficult, just make sure you go in with a like minded group. There's certainly a place for groups that simply want to learn the mechanics and get practice in and don't expect to get past a boss on the first run. All that's needed in that group is patience. Meanwhile the highly spec'd and skilled can pull together a group with the skills and stats composition they desire for a serious and concerted run.
Only one of those groups will succeed though. The enrage timer exists to make sure you will do a minimum damage threshold or your team will wipe. It's not possible to just "play your own way" through raids as such, which was Ike's point. If you wish to succeed at any point, you will need to make commitments, because everyone will.
Squall ASF
Member
The groups I illustrated have different goals. The first would be aiming to learn the mechanics while the second would be the group optimizing with the intention of taking down the bosses. Knowing what you're doing reduces error and limits panic and just knowing how the mechanics work in general are the first obstacle. Not everyone is expecting to beat the bosses their first time in the Raid. It would also give you sense of how your build holds up and what you need to tweak. The people that feel that way could form a group and those that want to seriously push to clear will form another. I've already seen people post online that they've spent hours and hours getting their ass kicked but are loving it because it's fun to play. There's a place for people just wanting to try it out and get their bearing, you just don't want them mixing with those that are really trying to beat it so no one gets frustrated. Forming a group with like minded people is key.
Stealth Edit: I don't mean to say the first group wouldn't want to seriously try to beat it but rather, they are primarily concerned with experiencing and learning the encounter and won't get frustrated if they lose.
human onion
Banned
Ascended weapons and trinkets I can do, but armor just seems too much for too little.
human onion
Banned
Yeah, it seems the greatest asset is knowing all the tools of your profession and switching up when needed. The difficulty people will face is gear, since that cannot be so easily switched without cost.
But both groups will do what you're saying? I feel like people are misunderstanding Ike's post. He is not talking about meta pugs who use meta builds and when they fail blame it on that and ragequit. He's talking about how raids require one to be geared properly and that it requires commitment from people to change not only their playstyle but their roles and gear to match the needs of their team. This team will go into a raid and will fail and learn as much as "those who go in to practice", but at one point you will need the gear geared toward your needs, and this is where the line that Ike is talking about will be drawn.
Raids have a pretty vicious gear check (speaking of the second boss here, in case people actually manage to beat Vale Guardian with common builds), and it's the ability to adapt to that will define if you'll win or not. You will never succeed at a full raid with a team on celestial gear.
I guess I'm reading his post wrong. Yes, players will need to realise they have to have a good build and gear if they want to succeed. Raids are supposed to challenging content that requires you to maximise the potential of your class and role. If you don't want to do that then I don't think the content is for you.
Squall ASF
Member
Oh I understand that, I'm just saying people can go in for the experience and learn that themselves, they just have to make sure everyone's on the same page so someone properly geared doesn't get frustrated by those with all exotics.
From what I've read online, the second boss is where the line is really drawn. Many seem to think Zerker, Viper and Sinister are the only stats that will cut it. I have ascended weapons and trinkets that are zerker but planned on going Valkyrie with the armor as a Herald can afford to drop Precision if you trait to compensate. After reading some impressions, I wonder if it's still the way to go so I'm obtaining all the resources to make the entire set of armor at once to buy myself time on choosing an insignia. I figure there's plenty to be learned on how to approach the second encounter in the coming week or two so I should have the info I need to make the decision. I'm close to making the armor, just pesky Dark Matter getting in the way since I can't buy it straight up ;P
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