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[flyinpiranha]

Thanks! That sounds excellent, think I'll be picking it up later.

You should! Basically (IMHO) GW2 is the MMO for that player that loves a persistent changing world and the basic interaction of an MMO without having the requirement of grouping for a lot of the content.

Honestly, I know in the past MMO's have always been about strength in numbers and such but I think people like the idea of what this genre offers without having to put in the dedication and 'friend-making'. GW2 seems to strike a nice balance for the people that want that social aspect, and the people that just want to adventure.

I know I'll be doing both, a lot of the guys in the guild seem genuinely helpful and nice (could be all a front to get me to buy them gems) so I think there is going to be some late night ramblings while WvW in the future which is what makes a great MMO experience for me. But sometimes I won't want to hear how bad Diablo III is and stay off Mumble and just fuck around by myself. Luckily, there is no forced requirement and no monthly fee to make me feel 'required' to play.

Although once I start getting into PVP with a team (hopefully) I'll probably get my serious game face on.

I can't even imagine how many pages a guide would have to be to extensively cover an MMO. And as Trin said, it'll be obsolete almost immediately.

So true. Especially when they change quests and items and such due to bugs or glitching. I think the book would be cool to have though, it might have some great artwork and history and more lore involved. Plus basics won't be changing anytime soon like city layouts and such (but who knows with expansions). I think it would help somebody completely new to the game honestly more than it would hinder them. Especially if they are avoiding websites and such.

I just wouldn't use it for builds and such.

 

[Shanlei91]

How much will the official guide help for this on Day 1? I'm much more prone to use something I can have all bound together than a 1,000 different web pages. Anyone getting the guide?

You know, as ridiculous as it may seem to get a physical guide...I kind of want to get it if only to just browse through it. With webpages like the Guild Wars wiki it's tough to browse through and discover content. Those sites work more as a means of finding out more about a specific topic. Where as with a guide I might be able to look through it and find a subject matter I didn't even know existed and is poorly advertise in-game.

I'm still freaking out about how, after playing for years the original Guild Wars, I discovered you could buy Zaishen Keys with Balthazar Faction a month ago. Then discovered that I had accumulated "tournament points" which could be used to buy them. Pretty sure nothing in the game ever told me any of that and I'm not one to talk to random NPCs, selecting every option, discovering stuff.

 

[thetrin]

I think the guide will be good toilet reading material, personally, but I wouldn't buy it to for decent info.

Wikis are updated more regularly, are free, and are likely to be far more accurate.

My advice would be to have an iPad or other tablet around when you're playing Guild Wars 2. That way, you don't have to alt tab out to check something, and you get to have i on your lap or your table while you play.

That's what I do.

 

[gunbo13]

All the really important information isn't even found on wikis.

 

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

I can't even imagine how many pages a guide would have to be to extensively cover an MMO. And as Trin said, it'll be obsolete almost immediately.

This is true. I have the old WoW guide back from when it came out.

Completely useless now.

 

[thetrin]

All the really important information isn't even found on wikis.

Which is good. Half the fun is discovering stuff for yourself.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Tradition dictates that all Pig pets be named "Oinky".

Lots of names you can give to a pig; Chops, Curly(-tail), Kevin, Bacon...
By the way, are pet names meant to stick? As in, when you swap them out, they were lost previously. This actually makes sense from a programmatic point of view, because names (strings) take quite a bit more space than numbers, and storing one server-side for each of the pet types might be something ArenaNet can't afford. I know it doesn't look like much, but most MMOs constrict storage for the same reasons, and your entire bank space would take less than a handful of names.

Out of those I've seen, none really scream "GAF" and none look like they can be customized or fooled with to sort of get the GAF Sphere logo either. Maybe have a vote or something on the Gafguild.com site when we get closer to launch, since it's not really a high priority to start. I'd hate to end up with something generic like Crossed Swords, and even the semi-serious ones like the Tankard of Beer don't really fit. Something we'll have to consider when all the facts are in, but not a priority.

I realized there's a sun/circle background. If we get something similar to an N, a lightning bolt, or mountains, we might be set. Only thing is that the circle background isn't filled, though.

 

[Vinci]

Perhaps the best reason to buy a printed guide would be if it comes with a poster or something. Even then, there's the artbook and other ways to get access to the beautiful art in the game.

 

[Kos Luftar]

Tradition dictates that all Pig pets be named "Oinky".

I think most people took this comment literally lol. I guess not everyone remembers Oinky from Guild Wars 1.

 

[GasProblem]

This is true. I have the old WoW guide back from when it came out.

Completely useless now.

I have those guides that came with the Battle Chest. They're so useless now, but they made good toilet reading material.

 

[Vinci]

I think most people took this comment literally lol. I guess not everyone remembers Oinky from Guild Wars 1.

I don't think Retro knows Oinky. IIRC, he didn't play the first GW.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Only thing that worries me about the upcoming release of the game is the time i will loose OCD´ing my way through each map, just have to get that 100%!

 

[thetrin]

Only thing that worries me about the upcoming release of the game is the time i will loose OCD´ing my way through each map, just have to get that 100%!

I had my bouts with OCD while playing in the recent BWE, and I just fought it by telling myself I'd have more fun if I just wandered and looked for trouble.

 

[Trey]

I don't think Retro knows Oinky. IIRC, he didn't play the first GW.

From memory, wasn't that a kid's pig that fought against the White mantle with you? Around the Chosen/Scepter of Orr story arc?

 

[Retro]

Here you go... http://www.guildwars2-pets.com/

Wow, nice find. I looked around for something like that, but didn't see anything. And such an obvious address too.

I'll add that to the GAFGuild thread for Hunters and we can get a sticky on it.

Lots of names you can give to a pig; Chops, Curly(-tail), Kevin, Bacon...

Porky, Arnold, Pumba, Ham....

I think most people took this comment literally lol. I guess not everyone remembers Oinky from Guild Wars 1.

I actually had no idea about this, "Oinky" just seems an appropriate name for a pig.

 

[Kos Luftar]

I actually had no idea about this, "Oinky" just seems an appropriate name for a pig.

What the fuck is this shit? You never played GW1 and you are an Officer? I must protest!!!!

 

[kayos90]

What the fuck is this shit? You never played GW1 and you are an Officer? I must protest!!!!

Lol. it's all good.

 

[Retro]

What the fuck is this shit? You never played GW1 and you are an Officer? I must protest!!!!

Oh, I've played it, just not very far.

And besides, it seems like people who played a ton of Guild Wars and loved certain aspects of it a lot end up being the ones with the most consistently negative opinions about GW2... Tekno.

 

[Kos Luftar]

Oh, I've played it, just not very far.

And besides, it seems like people who played a ton of Guild Wars and loved certain aspects of it a lot end up being the ones with the most consistently negative opinions about GW2... Tekno.

Tekno is just a mod, and mods are picky. They like to complain because that all they know how to do. Also I think he is just cranky because is Paragons were not included.

I played Guild Wars for 2000+ hours and love Guild Wars 2 even more.

 

[Shanlei91]

Warrior vs Guardian in terms of a) feeling of impact in battle, b) differences between weapons and c) sheer fun. Discuss.

My two favorite classes! The ability to switch between melee and range should keep the class fresh and theoretically keep my alt-itis at bay. (every MMO - I end up leveling a melee character up and then decide I want a range character...then end up switching back and forth and never make up my mind...then pick a hybrid class who turns out sucking at everything)

Yes, I choose to not accept the Ranger's existence and yes, I will eat my hat the day a melee'ing Necromancer isn't a sub-par build.

 

[RepairmanJack]

Oh, I've played it, just not very far.

And besides, it seems like people who played a ton of Guild Wars and loved certain aspects of it a lot end up being the ones with the most consistently negative opinions about GW2... Tekno.

I don't think Tekno is the worst. There was the one guy that just could not get over the fact that the game isn't instanced anymore and that there is no companions.

Edit: Any consensus on if the pet AI improved in the last BWE?

 

[Kem0sabe]

Don´t think ill get as many hours of play till winter, during the summer i try to spend as much free time as i can outside the house as in winter it´s raining 90% of the time.

 

[Quadrophenic]

Edit: Any consensus on if the pet AI improved in the last BWE?

Much improved, but not perfect. Still an issue with pets dumbly standing in AOEs and dying (meanwhile enemy AI was updated to run out of AOEs).

 

[RepairmanJack]

Much improved, but not perfect. Still an issue with pets dumbly standing in AOEs and dying (meanwhile enemy AI was updated to run out of AOEs).

I think the enemies did that the first BWE. At least they did in the second human zone. They didn't in queensdale though. Great to hear the pet AI improved though. Second toon is Sylvari Ranger.

 

[Sir Abacus]

Mesmer can be either ranged or melee, but I don't think their ranged options are very good.

Mesmer currently is a...????

What it says on the box. It's about the application and denial of boons and conditions along with confusion about where the mesmer actually is on the field. Illusions created during combat become either damage, utility or survival depending on what shatter you pop.

It's going to be a class with a high skill cap but will be devastating at that skill cap.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Damnit, poor TSW Gaf is getting smashed in the free weekend thread

 

[BattleMonkey]

I can't even imagine how many pages a guide would have to be to extensively cover an MMO. And as Trin said, it'll be obsolete almost immediately.

Guide for this game kinda defeats the point. Exploration and self discovery of the world is so important to it.

 

[Audioboxer]

Guild Wars noob here, been a WoW player in my MMO days.

How friendly will GW2 be for me and my GF to co-op play (casually?). I'm experienced with MMOs, this will be her first (she's a gamer, so not new to gaming concepts).

The lack of a subscription fee is enticing as I regularly let my WoW sub lapse and she's not keen to be paying monthly and having to buy WoW & all expansions.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Damnit, poor TSW Gaf is getting smashed in the free weekend thread

I didn't even know there was a free TSW weekend, thanks a lot! Downloading now. I don't expect it to touch GW2, but I quite like the setting.

 

[mackaveli]

how is the loot compared to D3?

I hate the D3 loot system (the uniques suck, and nothing ever good drops for me).

 

[Ferrio]

Guild Wars noob here, been a WoW player in my MMO days.

How friendly will GW2 be for me and my GF to co-op play (casually?). I'm experienced with MMOs, this will be her first (she's a gamer, so not new to gaming concepts).

The lack of a subscription fee is enticing as I regularly let my WoW sub lapse and she's not keen to be paying monthly and having to buy WoW & all expansions.

Extremely friendly. You can't out level content. So even if one of you decides to play more than another, you can always show up and do the same content with each other. Also you don't really complete quests, but just experience dynamic events. So even if you've completed one, you can always go back and stumble upon it again with your partner and still receive rewards etc.

how is the loot compared to D3?

I hate the D3 loot system (the uniques suck, and nothing ever good drops for me).

This is not a loot game. If you're in the market of finding a game that's about finding bigger and badder weapons... this isn't he game for you. There certainly is that to an extent, but it's not a main focus.

 

[Complistic]

Guild Wars noob here, been a WoW player in my MMO days.

How friendly will GW2 be for me and my GF to co-op play (casually?). I'm experienced with MMOs, this will be her first (she's a gamer, so not new to gaming concepts).

The lack of a subscription fee is enticing as I regularly let my WoW sub lapse and she's not keen to be paying monthly and having to buy WoW & all expansions.

Possibly one of the most friendly co op MMO ever. At least that I know of. If you're leveled past your GF you'll actually level down in the lower level areas so you can play high level characters in those low level areas. Plus you'll still be getting rewarded for it because the general loot/XP scales to your actual level I'm pretty sure.

how is the loot compared to D3?

I hate the D3 loot system (the uniques suck, and nothing ever good drops for me).

It's mostly appearance based. The stats will continue to get better up to level 80 gear but after that it's more about finding cool looking armor than getting an edge in stats wise.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Fucking hell, lost my old GW account details (only shitty prophecies), are those points easy to get for GWII? i want the armour skins more than anything.

 

[mackaveli]

Extremely friendly. You can't out level content. So even if one of you decides to play more than another, you can always show up and do the same content with each other. Also you don't really complete quests, but just experience dynamic events. So even if you've completed one, you can always go back and stumble upon it again with your partner and still receive rewards etc.




This is not a loot game. If you're in the market of finding a game that's about finding bigger and badder weapons... this isn't he game for you. There certainly is that to an extent, but it's not a main focus.

Are there unique / set items in the game?

 

[Kem0sabe]

Are there unique / set items in the game?

Here http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Armor and here http://www.guildwars2guru.com/news/589-guild-wars-2-armor-sets/ you can see some of the sets.

Dungeons have a weapon/weapon set associated with them, not sure how many armor sets exist out of dungeon loot tho.

 

[theMrCravens]

Fucking hell, lost my old GW account details (only shitty prophecies), are those points easy to get for GWII? i want the armour skins more than anything.

You can easily get those 6 HoM points before GW2 comes out.

 

[LumpOfCole]

Is there going to be an authenticator for this game? I'm a bit weary about 'just' using a password for GW1 and GW2 login.

 

[mackaveli]

Here http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Armor and here http://www.guildwars2guru.com/news/589-guild-wars-2-armor-sets/ you can see some of the sets.

Dungeons have a weapon/weapon set associated with them, not sure how many armor sets exist out of dungeon loot tho.

Cool, so will it be like WoW where you kill bosses and then items drop (drop %) and therefore have to redo dungeons to get the armor that you want?

 

[Deitus]

Are there unique / set items in the game?

Not in the way that you might be thinking. There are no sets that give you bonuses for wearing multiple pieces from the set, or for wearing the entire set. There are plenty of rare items that can only be earned in specific ways, but the bonuses they grant are equal to normal items of the same level. The only benefit of tracking down rare equipment is for cosmetic reasons.

Cool, so will it be like WoW where you kill bosses and then items drop (drop %) and therefore have to redo dungeons to get the armor that you want?

Not really. You get rewards (tokens) for completing dungeons, and you can spend those tokens to buy dungeon specific gear. You will have to run a dungeon multiple times to complete a set, but you will never have to rely on lucky drops.

Edit - Also, every dungeon has 3-4 paths of increasing difficulty, which results in a largely different path through the dungeon and different enemies. So running a dungeon a few times will not feel repetitive.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Is there going to be an authenticator for this game? I'm a bit weary about 'just' using a password for GW1 and GW2 login.

Been playing mmo´s for years, been using webmail for even longer, almost as long as i´ve been buying shit from ebay or amazon... all of it with a simple login and password and never been hacked.

Authenticator only goes so far to protect against user stupidity and lack of common sense

 

[mackaveli]

Not in the way that you might be thinking. There are no sets that give you bonuses for wearing multiple pieces from the set, or for wearing the entire set. There are plenty of rare items that can only be earned in specific ways, but the bonuses they grant are equal to normal items of the same level. The only benefit of tracking down rare equipment is for cosmetic reasons.



Not really. You get rewards (tokens) for completing dungeons, and you can spend those tokens to buy dungeon specific gear. You will have to run a dungeon multiple times to complete a set, but you will never have to rely on lucky drops.

So pretty much you get rewarded for playing more and don't have to rely on luck to get the gear that you want?

Never played guild wars 1 but my brother and I are thinking of getting this game due to Diablo 3 not for us.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Not really. You get rewards (tokens) for completing dungeons, and you can spend those tokens to buy dungeon specific gear. You will have to run a dungeon multiple times to complete a set, but you will never have to rely on lucky drops.

Also, Explorable mode has various ways and stories leading you through different paths of the dungeon, so you won't play the same encounters over and over.

 

[Audioboxer]

Extremely friendly. You can't out level content. So even if one of you decides to play more than another, you can always show up and do the same content with each other. Also you don't really complete quests, but just experience dynamic events. So even if you've completed one, you can always go back and stumble upon it again with your partner and still receive rewards etc.

Possibly one of the most friendly co op MMO ever. At least that I know of. If you're leveled past your GF you'll actually level down in the lower level areas so you can play high level characters in those low level areas. Plus you'll still be getting rewarded for it because the general loot/XP scales to your actual level I'm pretty sure.

Wow sounds great guys, especially the parts to do with areas level scaling. For PC gaming she just has a beastly laptop, no standalone PC, so we usually only play PC games in the same room when at my house. At hers it's usually PS3 gaming.

Therefore it's good to know if one of us is playing without the other we won't be hugely penalized (our Diablo 3 co-oping got a bit disastrous with outleveling each other).

 

[Jack_AG]

You can easily get those 6 HoM points before GW2 comes out.

I have 3 on my account but only have 1 toon. I haven't played in years and cleared my roster and now only have 1 warrior ha!

Also only have Prophecies and Factions... not sure if I should try to get any before GW2... I wouldn't mind but I'm so out of it with the original GW I would have no clue what campaign would be quickest to get some. I'd reinstall if anyone is interested in teaming up to take some baddies out in Prophecies/Factions.

 

[Ferrio]

Wow sounds great guys, especially the parts to do with areas level scaling. For PC gaming she just has a beastly laptop, no standalone PC, so we usually only play PC games in the same room when at my house. At hers it's usually PS3 gaming.

Therefore it's good to know if one of us is playing without the other we won't be hugely penalized (our Diablo 3 co-oping got a bit disastrous with outleveling each other).

There's also lots of non combat things to do.

Jumping puzzles, exploration, huge crafting opportunities, there's minigames (a version of football using a keg, think you can even play the "chess" minigame with other people). There's other stuff too which we don't know much about like explorer flags, and treasure maps (which I linked earlier). For beta they even had a version of the hunger games as the final event... that won't be in the game but is a nice window in showing what directions the game can go.

 

[Vinci]

The only potential problem I saw facing WOW players in the BWEs is when they made a criticism or asked a question that - from their perspective and anyone level-headed's perspective - was reasonable... and some of the die-hards would rip them a new one for it.

As a community, GW2 players need to be helpful - not elitist douchebags.

 

[RepairmanJack]

There's also lots of non combat things to do.

Jumping puzzles, exploration, huge crafting opportunities, there's minigames (a version of football using a keg, think you can even play the "chess" minigame with other people). There's other stuff too which we don't know much about like explorer flags, and treasure maps (which I linked earlier). For beta they even had a version of the hunger games as the final event... that won't be in the game but is a nice window in showing what directions the game can go.

I really hope they put a lot more of these type of mini games in the game later on. Some form of what they do with the beta end events but more pollished and more centered around a set of rules. I wish I had remembered to try out the keg brawal in the BWE. I somehow completely forgot about it.

As a community, GW2 players need to be helpful - not elitist douchebags.

The "You don't understand the game so your complaint is invalid" stuff really needs to go away. On some things it's perfectly understandable, but that answer doesn't cover every single complaint.

 

[Audioboxer]

There's also lots of non combat things to do.

Jumping puzzles, exploration, huge crafting opportunities, there's minigames (a version of football using a keg, think you can even play the "chess" minigame with other people). There's other stuff too which we don't know much about like explorer flags, and treasure maps (which I linked earlier). For beta they even had a version of the hunger games as the final event... that won't be in the game but is a nice window in showing what directions the game can go.

Sounds good, having the ability to do things other than constantly fighting will be a huge plus!

 

[Deitus]

So pretty much you get rewarded for playing more and don't have to rely on luck to get the gear that you want?

Never played guild wars 1 but my brother and I are thinking of getting this game due to Diablo 3 not for us.

As Ferrio says, there is so much to do in this game that is not just an endless loop of grinding/raiding. There appear to be some number of ultra rare items that will require a decent amount of grinding to obtain, but these rewards are entirely cosmetic and only worth it for bragging rights. I think mainly they are even there to appease the hardcore raiders who want to spend 6 months grinding to get the best thing.

It cannot be stressed enough how small a part of the overall game that loot is. You do get random loot drops from enemies while leveling, but 90% of it you end up breaking down for crafting materials, and the rest you only keep because it looks cool. There are stats on items, but they are all comparable for their level range but with different specializations (one armor may give +5 power, while another gives +5 vitality). If you take up a craft, or use the trading post (auction house), it is a simple task to obtain the best gear for your specialization in your level range without relying on an ultra rare drop from a named monster that sells for millions of gold.

 

[Nightz]

I'm a total GW noob, but I've been reading a lot of the wiki this morning and I have to say that I'm getting pumped for this game.