So I should stick to my Knight armor set?
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Guild Wars 2 |OT3| Two Week Updates, One Box, Zero Subscriptions
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So I should stick to my Knight armor set?
You can use it until you feel more confident about the class and your ability. Ideally you'll want to transition to berserker gear for efficiency at some point, but if you don't it's not a big deal. Just use what you find fun. If you're running with GAF no one cares what gear you're using anyway.
There are lots of viable builds. Hokey as it sounds, I recommend doing that which you feel comfortable with and changing up your build as you see fit to be more effective.
Zerker is "optimal" in the sense that if you play absolutely perfectly, you'll always be doing more damage, all the time- but in practice this optimal level of play is not something you see all that often, which ironically makes zerker gear less than optimal in many circumstances.
On my ele, I haven't completed all my builds yet but when speccing for damage outright, I feel quite squishy especially because I'm not taking damage mitigation skills with me. So I use a split of Berserker and Soldier's for a little more "keep-me-up." Knights works fine with this too.
You want to gear around what you're comfortable with. If you feel very comfortable with the class and feel like you never go down in dungeons, it's probably worth it to start mixing in zerker gear. If you go down a lot, think about more survivability. Knight's with full zerker trinkets is actually probably a good starting point for you to feel things out. It is most certainly not "equip zerker and win."
Pumpkin King
Member
To me, zerker gear was too squishy, so I mostly stick to my knights set.
I should try to get back into the game lol.
I should try to get back into the game lol.
Unfortunately, Neko's GAF account is in limbo (last I heard he was waiting for approval, I think?), but you can certainly ask him in-game. If I see him, I'll mention your post and try to get you an answer ASAP.
Off the top of my head though, you're still rocking Power and Precision (though not at the same level as zerker gear, of course) but the toughness should help you survive a little longer which is always useful. I don't think it will make THAT much difference, but we'll see what he has to say.
Edit: Ha, didn't see that we were on a new page and this had already been answered nicely.
Anything to make GW2 play more like this: http://i.imgur.com/zEIowWc.gif
Is a good thing in my book.
Mastodon while killing Tequatl is glorious
Yep if I squint and tilt my head sideways that could be me soloing Ralena.
The Symbol of Swiftness change is really going to suck. I'm already the slowest member of my havoc group with it and "Retreat!". This one bugs me enough I think I might poke the official forums. I don't like this push to "Travelers or die!" at all. I've read the comment, and I still don't understand why it needed to be changed. Why would you want to buff zergs in the first place, especially at the cost of a more involved usage?
Weltall Zero
Member
I'm not one to be proud of it, but I do derive pleasure from the consumption and digestion of others. In fact, I just derived quite some pleasure from the consumption of some curry-spiced chicken dice with vegetables.
... what? That's not what you mean?
Chickens are one of the most delicious kind of others!
Feeling tequatly and dungeony tonight. Be on soon if anybody wants a group.
Can't speak for him of course, but I would imagine that his response would be that critical damage is actually the most important stat on Berserker gear, because power improves both regular and critical hits and your goal in doing damage should be to crit as frequently as possible (high fury uptime).
Feeling tequatly and dungeony tonight. Be on soon if anybody wants a group.
I'm on the fence about it myself. It's great for groups but terrible when solo unless you're running the greater symbols trait, which makes the symbols big enough to get two ticks while running through them.
When I'm on my Guardian myself I just skip using the staff altogether and do whatever I can to be at the front of the group grabbing as many warhorn buffs as possible. If I can't accomplish that and get frustrated I just play some PvP.
Overall though, I think the change should go through because I hate how the symbol interacts with swiftness currently. Unless you spam important shouts, you can't get perma-swiftness anyway, and if I can't get perma-swiftness I tend to just drop the swiftness skills altogether.
Considering some of the official forum chatter, we may get a compromise where it's 6-8 seconds if you don't have swiftness and 4 seconds if you already do.
What other classes can't get perma-swiftness with a combination of skills and/or traits? Is it just Mesmer, Ranger, and Guardian? Ranger has that recent Grandmaster shout, Warrior has Signet of Rage + Warhorn with some combination of cooldown traits and boon duration, Thief has Thrill of the Crime + Swiftness on Dodge + Boon Duration + Steal cooldown reduction (my current build... don't ask), and Engineer has Speedy Kits or something.
If it was 8s we're talking a stack of aoe swiftness for 20s so I guess 17s effective on a 15s cooldown, before any boon duration stuff. Assuming I understand stacking correctly that's approaching a minute easily with three guardians? Have to consider all the contexts in which the skills are used.
Thief 50% movement in stealth + shadow refuge is pretty superior to anything else in the game for getting somewhere quickly, but all of that stuff you said in combination with whatever other movement skills you might have from combat (Sword 2, Shortbow 5, D/P 3) and Shadowstep basically means you just never have to worry about swiftness to any extent even if it's not technically "permaswiftness." Also any vigor or Felice Grace means more dodging which means more swiftness. Thief and Ranger have those signets for wvw too. Mesmer and Guardian are pretty uniquely screwed with swiftness. But focus and staff respectively are both very well-suited to wvw otherwise so it's not like it's illogical. All we classes got out prollems
Which is why they wanted to do 4 seconds of swiftness in the first place, I guess. I'm guessing the symbol ticks 3 times so 6 seconds would still give about 15s swiftness if you stayed in there the whole time. 5 seconds would give about 12s swiftness, so maybe they'll end up going with that?
I know the Thief doesn't have to worry about perma-swiftness, I just like actually having perma swiftness instead of constantly using skills that need me to target something whether it be the ground or an enemy.. So for my build I only have to tap Steal (without target), get 13 seconds of swiftness, and then dodge roll a few times over the course of that swiftness so that I can tap Steal again off its 21? second cooldown. From there I can use Heartseeker, Shadowstep or a number of other things to get some extra distance, or I can save my initiative if I anticipate a fight.
As a bonus, Thrill of the Crime affects allies near me, although the radius is really small.
I asked Neko about this tonight, he said "Knights is fine but eventually rolling in more zerker gear is ideal. The most important part of any ele build is having Renewing Stamina for vigor on crit and omnombery pie for lifesteal. Knights is a good way to learn the class, and Zerkers is for max DPS."
He also said to let you know he'll be updating the guide in December, but to "try Fresh Air dagger/focus for dungeons" as he likes that more.
It pulses 4 times, so 3 after the initial 8s for the first symbol, then I guess it's 16s for each additional guardian...
And Thrill of the Crime never leaves my traits screen on any build ever since I tried it without a target for the first time. I really like bountiful theft as well a lot of the time.
Noisy Ninj4
Member
Agreed that thrill of the crime is an amazing trait. I also love bountiful theft for the boon rip.
Thanks again for the help guys, I wish I knew about Gaf when GW2 came out, must have been insane here xD I think I'll just stick with my set for now and test it in dungeons and see how it goes from there ^^.
Also, I never knew there was another ice dragon in the north. The moment I entered the map I saw the huge dragon in the distance really game me a new appreciation for the game. I know most people are maybe sick of it by now but I really enjoyed it for the first time. Maybe because I never knew about it
Yeah I play with everything on low/lowest...it sucks
AFollowerNotALeader
Member
So for the past few weeks I've been levelling a second (super-cute asura) guardian. For this character I'm going for a ranged + spirit weapons build (staff/scepter+focus) and it works incredibly well. It's really got a satisfying feel of standing back and commanding my troops (the shield of avenger, spirt sword + hammer, defensive golem and hyena from ogre runes) combined with the control aspects from the scepter and staff skills. It's really great fun.
It seems to work ok in WvWvW too, although I'm upscaled. Staff has always worked well in zergs so that's not really surprising.
I've also got a totally sweet look planned for level 80 - full draconic and the tequatl wings. TINY EVIL CASTER GUARDIAN!
Only 8 levels to go.
It seems to work ok in WvWvW too, although I'm upscaled. Staff has always worked well in zergs so that's not really surprising.
I've also got a totally sweet look planned for level 80 - full draconic and the tequatl wings. TINY EVIL CASTER GUARDIAN!
Only 8 levels to go.
lazorexplosion
Member
Amazing night in the borderlands tonight. Crowning moment of awesome - 5 of us have 2 alpha golems (one full health and one half health) with me piloting one and we are running to bay. As we go we spot about 4 yaks bend players with an omega golem trying to punch our tower. We had a straight up golem vs golem punchup, and it ended up with both of our golems surviving with like 5% health each. Our players pretty much just ended up watching and laughing.
We blew through the first OT in a month. I barely remember it, both because I was playing so much, and because it moved so ridiculously fast. Plus it kind of got GameFAQ-y for a while there.
Also, I never knew there was another ice dragon in the north. The moment I entered the map I saw the huge dragon in the distance really game me a new appreciation for the game. I know most people are maybe sick of it by now but I really enjoyed it for the first time. Maybe because I never knew about it
Yeah I play with everything on low/lowest...it sucks
That's still a great shot though, with the Claw of Jormag roaring between two outcroppings. The caption could almost be "Here there be dragons."
I like posts like these though, where people are still discovering things some of us take for granted. Sometimes we tear up the content so fast we don't appreciate how impressive some things are. I still find myself stopping all the time and just sort of soaking the sights in, there are little places that look completely awesome that you might not notice because you're coming from a different direction or focusing on enemies. That's why I don't mind having to get waypoints for alts; if I could just bounce around the map checking off things to do, I wouldn't really be exploring which is a huge part of this game.
The "World of Warcraft is down 100k subs" thread down in gaming side had me thinking; my 'honeymoon' period in WoW ended about three or four months after I started playing (which was March 2005, about 4 months after launch). That was the point where I realized all the quests were just the same kill / collect / fetch, the combat was just trading blows, etc. But most importantly of all, it was when I realized the world wasn't really that big or filled with things to explore. A lot of the caves were just copied and pasted, so even if you did find a mysterious cave somewhere, it was the exact same cave as all the others. Nothing felt off the beaten path, and when you did manage to find some little area that might qualify, there was nothing to see but a dead end. That was when it stopped being "a world to explore" and became just "a game to play," and my opinion and interest both dropped accordingly.
I find it impressive that even after more than a year, I can still be out in Caledon forest (a fucking staring zone!) or Blazeridge Steppes and find something I haven't seen before, whether it's an event, a conversation, or an entire little corner of the map with some little grove or pond. A lot of people (Hawkian included) had never been to the Lightfoot Passage in Straits of Devastation until the Orr event last week. Even though, like most of us, we've been in and out of that zone a shitload of times. There's places like that all over, even without Vistas to lure you there. That I keep finding them never ceases to amaze me.
Okay, love letter over, time to play.
Kos Luftar
Member
Eww! Retro has an e-boner for Guild Wars 2.
There hasn't been any Short Stories on Guild Wars 2 for awhile now. I wonder if they have figure out a way to include them into the game instead of uploading them to the site.
There hasn't been any Short Stories on Guild Wars 2 for awhile now. I wonder if they have figure out a way to include them into the game instead of uploading them to the site.
Kos Luftar
Member
Still not having map completion on any character yet really pays off sometimes.
I've had map completion after 2-3 months of the game and I still find places that I have never seen before which is more amazing than you discovering something.
shysaursoft
Member
Found these three Charr from different guilds standing in LA, all sporting the same armour. Not sure what was up with that, but looked cool. (Heavy gets all the cool styles).
A little Queensdale love:
A little Queensdale love:
Complistic
Member
I dislike the wings so much. I mean they're fun for festivals and such but they look super stupid everywhere else.
Bl4ckSunsh1n3
Member
That's how I feel about the slickpack. At first I was thinking it was really cool but, once I started venturing around more I felt more like a human sized tool.
Anet has been really weird about being consistent with their world. I'm not saying they can't have fun and do some out there stuff, but sometimes I feel like they stretch the universe a bit thin with stuff like metal trailers, holographic wings, and jetpacks. Sometimes they miss the playful mark and just hit "tacky" instead.
I agree but it looks like it's here to stay. After my previous stance of 'never again' with the flame and frost weapon skins (of which I tried an embarrassingly large number of boxes to get)... I decided to try for a dye and got the backlight one on my first try. I also bought a lottery ticket and am anxiously waiting for the results tonight but my confidence is low
Bl4ckSunsh1n3
Member
I'm not a fan of the current implementation of the Black Lion tickets. Actually, it's probably my only real gripe with the game. I don't like that I can buy gems, buy keys, and end up with nothing for it. It feels like they're asking you to gamble with real money instead of just saying, "for $5 you can have this cool skin that you want."
I can see how it would be more profitable the way it is but, I don't like the idea of getting nothing if I paid for something. I actually wanted a BLT skin but, I can't bring myself to buy keys and it costs 343 gold so I guess I'll just go without it.
Although, if ANet is listening, if you let me give you $5 for it I will....
I can see how it would be more profitable the way it is but, I don't like the idea of getting nothing if I paid for something. I actually wanted a BLT skin but, I can't bring myself to buy keys and it costs 343 gold so I guess I'll just go without it.
Although, if ANet is listening, if you let me give you $5 for it I will....
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Found these three Charr from different guilds standing in LA, all sporting the same armour. Not sure what was up with that, but looked cool. (Heavy gets all the cool styles).
A little Queensdale love:
Saw the same with female norns but they all apart from 1 had legendaries
So I have one more slot to create an engineer. I was originally thinking Asura but I'm not a big fan of the clipping issues some of the weapons have with them. I really like the Charr designs but I don't know about medium armors on them.
What I have at the moment.
From left to right
Quinn Ashra - Human Mesmer
El Norra Alila - Silvari Thief
Jibrille Ceres - SIlvari Ranger
Jibrille Ashra - Norn Ele
Foo Quaggans - Norn Warrior
Anneke Stormborn - Asura Necro
Useri - Charr Guardian
I've got a hair kit and makeover kit. Tempted to give Foo Quaggans pink hair.
What I have at the moment.
From left to right
Quinn Ashra - Human Mesmer
El Norra Alila - Silvari Thief
Jibrille Ceres - SIlvari Ranger
Jibrille Ashra - Norn Ele
Foo Quaggans - Norn Warrior
Anneke Stormborn - Asura Necro
Useri - Charr Guardian
I've got a hair kit and makeover kit. Tempted to give Foo Quaggans pink hair.
The only thing I'll say on this is that the metal video is external to the game, like the Taco poster, Halloween trailers, etc. I don't think any of that stuff should be held against the game. After all, we're talking about it, so it did it's job, right? Maybe not in the best way possible, but I suspect they went with that track because it's meant to be re-edited and doesn't really mesh with what most people would use for a trailer.
I agree with this 100%. You should be assured a scrap per chest, so you're ALWAYS building towards something. Then have a chance for a whole ticket, but always at least a scrap. That would go a long way towards making it seem fair.
Bl4ckSunsh1n3
Member
I kind of like the music in the video. The audio gives me the impression of a video that is the exact opposite of what they put up. Something hectic and chaotic, using stuff like live battle scenes, sped up finishing moves, etc. Someone can do some great stuff there. For example, I can see an Asura running through Kessex on it's way to a toxic spore where a huge battle is during a minor portion of the harmonized guitar lead. Sort of like an entering into chaos feel. You could also sync some sort of finishing move collage type reel with the kick drum in a heavier part. Lots of crap to do there.
Disclaimer: I'm a metal head.
Disclaimer: I'm a metal head.
Word. $40 worth of gems landed me one ticket and six scraps. Totally not worth it imo. Felt like enough of a sucker to not ever buy gems again.
Found these three Charr from different guilds standing in LA, all sporting the same armour. Not sure what was up with that, but looked cool. (Heavy gets all the cool styles).
we do get all the cool styles
LiveSpartan235
Neo Member
we do get all the cool styles
Shiny!
Wow. Glad you got a ticket and a half out of it at least. My thing is, gambler's fallacy aside, there's no reason you couldn't spend $200 and still wind up with 0 tickets. For me that just ruins the prospect of spending anything on them.
Spehornoob
Member
Hey guys, been quite a while since I played, four or five months. Thinking of getting back in sometime soon (not immediately though). Stopped due to lack of time, not lack of interest. Are the living story updates going well? Any new permanent content added?
They probably take those "BLKey run!" grinders into consideration. The setup sort of sucks all around. You want new players to get a key or two, but people will go back and grind for them. So you keep the drop rate low, but just makes people see them as a waste of gems. Meanwhile the grinders keep at it.
IMO, grinding for the keys isnt really worth it either. it takes about 20 mins and there's still the same chance to get a scrap or ticket.
It's a shame it obviously works because they keep putting this shit behind the chests. This must be what the whales spend their money on. Until this stops I'll never get another weapon skin again. You'd be better off going gems>gold and buying it if you want.
It's a shame it obviously works because they keep putting this shit behind the chests. This must be what the whales spend their money on. Until this stops I'll never get another weapon skin again. You'd be better off going gems>gold and buying it if you want.
Certainly, in that timeframe permanent stuff you've missed at least includes the redone (now very difficult) Tequatl fight, a new dungeon path in TA, changes to the borderlands maps in WvW. There are permanent activities/minigames on daily rotation and also random zonewide invasions, though the latter are no longer completed frequently. They also added new reward boxes to Champions (with a bunch of new skins), daily gold rewards for dungeons, and ascended weapons via 500-level crafting if you're into that. And right now Kessex Hills is all cray cray (huge open world environmental changes) for the current story events, seems like it will have to be permanently altered to some extent to me.
I would too. It's the gamble that I'll walk away with nothing that keeps me from buying them, even when they're discounted like they were last week. If I knew I was going to get a ticket scrap each time, I'd buy 10 keys for the guaranteed 10 scraps and the chance that I'd luck out and get a full one, not to mention the various other goodies you get.
As it is, it's almost always better to just kick gems into gold and buy the skin you want directly, which is absurd.
Yep. It's funny that Guild Wars 2's gemshop, apart from the claim tickets, is actually pretty fair compared to other F2P games. I can't imagine how gouged people playing other games must feel... and I don't want to try.
We should be getting at least three new Fractals soon, two of which were temporary dungeons (Molten Facility and Aetherblade Retreat). Twilight Arbor has a completely revamped "aetherblade" path now too. Kessex Hills has gotten good and fucked up, and will be the scene of next week's update as well. Other than a few jumping puzzles, the drained lake in the WvW Borderlands and a few bits and pieces, not much has changed. Which seems like a long time, but honestly most MMOs don't add new zones until their first expansion, which usually takes years.
Side note: I was in WvW today and spent some time in the new Ruins, and I have to say they're absolutely gorgeous. When ArenaNet gets around to making a new zone, I feel like the quality is going to be substantially higher than the existing stuff. They've probably learned a lot in a year.
Beyond that, they revamped Tequatl and all champion loot, and a few more things. They honestly add so much it's hard to remember when exactly stuff was added.
If they had to pick between people willing to keep grinding the Personal Story for keys like Chinese gold farmers and people willing to give them money for digital goods, I should hope they'd make the obvious choice and remove the guaranteed keys from the game.
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