AFollowerNotALeader
Member
I can't decide if there's any point in shooting for the 16 achievements for the quartz node. On the one hand it's access to a limited resource. On the other the stat combination for the gear is of limited appeal...
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Guild Wars 2 |OT3| Two Week Updates, One Box, Zero Subscriptions
- Thread starter Retro
- Start date
- Status
Johnlenham
Member
New op is nice. Might want to make it VERY obvious that the guild server is an NA one and that EU people still play on it as most will start, pick Eu then realize they are stuffed if they dont delete like I did 
A+ to my first experience with ANet's support. I decided to format my phone and didn't take my authenticator off my GW2 account first so I ended up in a bind. So I put in a ticket at midnight PST and they had it taken off in two hours. Impressive turn around, even more so given the time.
you should put this OP
http://gw2nodes.com/index.php
one of the most updated resource maps I can find. if someone has better post too, this falls behind in a few zones sometimes.
http://gw2nodes.com/index.php
one of the most updated resource maps I can find. if someone has better post too, this falls behind in a few zones sometimes.
Jest Chillin
Member
I really like the look and idea of this thing but I'm concerned that it will get trolled like every other community sourced tracker has been. ;/
It's worth it for the additional AP and even if you don't want the resource, it will likely be in decent demand for a few more days for people that want to make the stuff but don't want to farm out 25 pieces. They do drop like candy but never underestimate peoples laziness.
Alright, time to make my first Mega Post of the new OT.
That was the idea, yes. The initial idea was to phrase it like an equation; 2 week update + 1 box + 0 subs = 3 OTs, and we whittled it down from there. We wanted to hit all of the notes of the first OT title (One purchase, no subs) while including the two-week update announcement.
Alternative titles were "Evilore does not play Guild Wars 2" and "Updates so often you will skritt your pants".
Maybe not for long; even though we're voting for two different candidates, both want to keep trade open with the Bazaar and Zephyr Sanctum. And unless they move the Belcher's Bluff NPC out, they kind of need to have it come back relatively soon.
I like the zone, a lot. I even like the size; it's not a large area like Southsun but it feels like it has a lot of 'play space', if that makes sense.
And yeah, I have the same opinion on OT titles as Jira; if it's an inside joke or reference, you're just reinforcing the idea that community threads are insular, scary places where newcomers fear to tread; they don't get the reference so they're automatically out of sorts before they even enter. That directly opposes the goal of the GW2 thread; to get people into the game and community.
Done. I added some emphasis to that section to make it clearer. Though I wish ArenaNet would find some way to allow for international Guesting. I wonder if they're even working in it or if that's a complete non-issue.
I'll add it in, but with a disclaimer that it may be wildly innacurate since it doesn't use the API. Thanks.
That was the idea, yes. The initial idea was to phrase it like an equation; 2 week update + 1 box + 0 subs = 3 OTs, and we whittled it down from there. We wanted to hit all of the notes of the first OT title (One purchase, no subs) while including the two-week update announcement.
Alternative titles were "Evilore does not play Guild Wars 2" and "Updates so often you will skritt your pants".
Maybe not for long; even though we're voting for two different candidates, both want to keep trade open with the Bazaar and Zephyr Sanctum. And unless they move the Belcher's Bluff NPC out, they kind of need to have it come back relatively soon.
I like the zone, a lot. I even like the size; it's not a large area like Southsun but it feels like it has a lot of 'play space', if that makes sense.
And yeah, I have the same opinion on OT titles as Jira; if it's an inside joke or reference, you're just reinforcing the idea that community threads are insular, scary places where newcomers fear to tread; they don't get the reference so they're automatically out of sorts before they even enter. That directly opposes the goal of the GW2 thread; to get people into the game and community.
New op is nice. Might want to make it VERY obvious that the guild server is an NA one and that EU people still play on it as most will start, pick Eu then realize they are stuffed if they dont delete like I did
Done. I added some emphasis to that section to make it clearer. Though I wish ArenaNet would find some way to allow for international Guesting. I wonder if they're even working in it or if that's a complete non-issue.
I'll add it in, but with a disclaimer that it may be wildly innacurate since it doesn't use the API. Thanks.
Ahhh new thread!
You rock Retro + Jira. Stellar first post. Thanks for making everthing so shiny.
Just to quote a few things from the oldie.
edit: I like the title but now I think it should have just been "This game has zero subscribers"
edit again: omfg at the fedora and quagganhatception quaggans aahhahaha
You rock Retro + Jira. Stellar first post. Thanks for making everthing so shiny.
Just to quote a few things from the oldie.
Aaaawesome job guys!Nice job on Karka Queen everyone
Totally.
edit: I like the title but now I think it should have just been "This game has zero subscribers"
edit again: omfg at the fedora and quagganhatception quaggans aahhahaha
It was in the running for a while, honestly. We got the sarcastic stuff out of our system pretty early, especially the snippy, semi-antagonistic ones. It'd just lure the wrong kind of folks to the thread and drive the right kind away.
Yeah, that was actually the last one I did. I had wanted to have a Quaggan with a Quaggan Backpack because I actually do like the thread title change of the OT2 and wanted to reference ethat, but it didn't look right.
The hat was a second choice, I think it turned out... okay.
Mr. Luchador
Member
Good work Jira!
Nah, it's a really good one. Actually very informative for 7 words.
I think he's perfect! Daww!
I know there are a couple more links of crap I put together I want to add, I'm just trying to remember them and I'll compile them for you. I know there's one on the Super Adventure Box, one on using GW2LFG, and I've been working on a really streamlined "How to Controller" post for a long time (made a cool button mapping graphic over on gafguild that hasn't made it over yet).
I also had the idea of making a brief guide to the big (bonus chest) world events. They've become such a ubiquitous, key part of daily gameplay and lots of new players don't now about them at all. Plus, some of the more off-the-beaten-path ones are incredibly cool content.
You are a riot
I'm not sure if you're intentionally trolling or just thrown off by the small army of Quaggan avatars.
Whatever you've got, I'll add 'em. It's nice being able to update our own OT again, we can keep useful information available for newcomers instead of... eh, OT2 is just about done, no sense in complaining about it again.
Okay how is it not "Snug as Foo"
Staff eles are actually asked for a lot in the planned events so nothing wrong with that.
........
God damn it.
My only excuse is that I was preoccupied with getting everything to look right at that point. The alignment of the banners just didn't look right so I had to shift them to the right a bit.
Depending on the last time you played, a lot may have changed. What kept you from enjoying it the first two times?
At the very least, take the boat out of Lion's Arch and give the Labyrinthine Cliffs a look; you're scaled up to level 80 and there's very few enemies outside of ones spawned by player action / ignorance of ancient, cursed artifacts.
Ahahaha awesome. you're the best
Ash better switch his avy
Ash better switch his avy
Are you playing on SBI/with us? GAFGuild improves GW2 by a factor of 78.532 repeating
I love having a staff ele around. My ele Control build will be one, but I haven't fully worked it out.
Just had this pop up on Twitter;
10 Things All GW2 Players Should Know
I admit I had no idea there are Improved Experience Boosters, though the Philosopher's Stone is a tad steep for just two hours of extra XP and it's not like they don't throw it at you enough already.
10 Things All GW2 Players Should Know
I admit I had no idea there are Improved Experience Boosters, though the Philosopher's Stone is a tad steep for just two hours of extra XP and it's not like they don't throw it at you enough already.
kanamechan
Member
Are there, by any chance, some good guides that give a good indication where to start with either an Ele or an Engi to play them to their fullest the way you mention?
I have some interest to giving the game another chance, and both happen to be what I'd try.
I am particularly interested because I dislike the "power/krit only" stuff going on with most classes. We got all those stats, SOME class got to be able to do good with more than p/k
irfaanator
Banned
YOOOOOOOOOO I feel more powerful already!
you can't fight my dormammu dawg
yessssssssss sick New quaggan avatar. im going to have to use it as well.
Although it's geared towards dungeons, I would imagine a lot of useful info could be gleaned from Neko's ele guide.
My engineer is only level 60, but he seems to do more than a respectable amount of damage with a condition-heavy build.
Wow. All but the female quaggan are spoken for. With the addition of the Thor one, that's 8 quaggans running around. Pretty confusing, but it's only temporary, I'm sure.
It was a while ago. I think the beginning of the year maybe? I lurked in the previous OTs from time to time, and I have read about a lot of the changes. I never leveled past 7 or 8 before, so I don't think it's really fair me to to critique the game. I think the issue I had was that I was coming off other MMOs which had decidedly different systems in place, so I had issues getting comfortable with the style present in this game. I was used to stuff like the Holy Trinity, standard quest system, etc.
This time things are a little different. I haven't been playing other MMOs, so I'm not really invested in any certain system. In fact, I've been playing mostly casual handheld games for the last several months, so I'm hoping that this will be the breath of fresh air that I'm needing.
I plan on doing a lot more exploring this time around, and less focus on trying to complete every single little objective I come across. Perhaps I'll even dabble in more PvP this time around, too.
No, I think I'm on a different server. In fact, I'm positive. I can still join the guild though, right? I'm pretty sure I remember reading that in Retro's first post. Maybe I will go ahead and do that, and then I'll decide on if it's worth transferring servers, or just re-rolling altogether. After all, in the grand scheme of things I have not done much with this game yet.
Cheers guys.
Best way to answer this would be if you can give some context as to what you think is grindy/not grindy re: other games
A safe answer is that all grind in the game is either optional or self-made. My first character reached 80 literally without having experienced a single moment of "grind," and I am not exaggerating.
In terms of the main story/progression: extremely. Everything but the final mission (which is a dungeon) is completely soloable, and without the need for NPC fillers a la GW1.
Outside of that, most content in the game is soloable as well. Dungeons are not, Guild Missions are not (obviously), and some large open-world events are either extremely challenging or impossible to do alone.
Yes. I don't know how serious you are about it but for a not-quite-so-hardcore player the PvP is an absolute blast. It is very fast-paced and you can jump into it (literally) immediately. There is no "leveling/gearing up" for PvP. In terms of class-based MMORPGs it is certainly my favorite engine for PvP. The combat really shines, though I like many others wish there were more "official" game modes.
WvW is another beast altogether and massively fun in its own right. Many people consider it worth the price of admission alone.
1. Not very. First, the game has a leveling curve that flattens;
Once you reach about level 30, each level takes about as long as the last. So whereas in other games, as you approach max level, the time and experience it requires to level increases, GW2 just sort of keeps on at the same pace.
Second, everything gives you experience; achievements, crafting, dailies, dungeons, dynamic events, exploring (renown hearts, skill challenges, points of interest, waypoints and vistas all give experience upon discovery/completion), Fractals, gathering, killing enemies, monthlies, personal story, reviving players, WvW... they all dump experience at you.
Third, the game down-levels you based on where you're at, but you'll still gain experience as you normally would. That means if you get tired of one zone, you can go to another, even one that's 50 levels below you, and still advance. When I create an alt, the first thing I usually do is explore the 5 capitol cities and Lion's Arch, then do all of the starter zones. Even though I'm getting close to 30 at that point, I'm still getting plenty of experience from level 1-10 zones.
That said, the "grind" seems to be a common complaint against the game, and I'm sure others will hop into the thread to disagree with me any second now. I've never quite figured out where they think the grind is, beyond holiday achievements (which are only grindy if you try to do them all at once).
2. Very soloable, though don't be surprised if you enjoy sticking with people rather than avoiding them. Since there's no quest mobs to fight over (everyone contributes equally to event progress), resources are instanced for each player, and kill stealing doesn't exist, you really don't have a reason to solo anything beyond your Personal Story (which exists just for you anyways, though you can bring folks along if you're grouped).
Dungeons, Fractals and Guild Missions are really the only things you can't do alone in the game.
3. I don't play a lot of sPVP, but it's not as good as it could be from everything I've heard and read. It scales everyone to 80 and unlocks all skills/traits, with standardized equipment, so skill and profession choice more than anything determines victory.
Since it kind of falls under the umbrella of PVP, World vs World is in much better shape. Unlike regular PVP (which is small teams fighting for control of a map), World vs. World takes place on four large maps loaded with supply camps, towers and keeps to fight for, using siege and large-scale tactics. Each week 3 servers are matched up and fight to control as much of each map as possible. It's pretty damn fun, honestly. You can start playing it immediately, but I would wait until you've got a few utility skills and traits unlocked so you can be more effective (around level 20-30 is a good time to start). But since you gain XP from WvW and a lot of fights come down to sheer numbers, you can contribute from the minute you jump into the game.
Right on, spend some time with us and I think you'll really get a lot out of the experience. This game really is what you make of it. There's a metric ton of stuff to do, but it doesn't point you toward any of it- you have to decide what interests you and then go for it at your own pace.
First thing I'd do is hop the boat to the Labyrinthine Cliffs, where an airship called the Zephyr Sanctum is currently docked. It'll be there for a while, but you'll wanna check it out as soon as possible (no level requirements). It's pretty breathtaking.
As long as it's an NA server, you can Guest with us to do just about everything with the exception of WvW- so depending on how much that means to you, you might not even need to transfer.
Of course, if you really don't have a character above level 10, I'd recommend just deleting and remaking your guys on Stormbluff Isle. Leveling in this game is actually really fast, in comparison to most RPGs. People use this chart:
But in all honesty, I truly believe that the pace of leveling actually accelerates the closer you get to 80.
edit: Damnit Retro.
Aw...
That's actually my preferred style of play. Ravious at Kill Ten Rats calls it "Guild Wars 2 Kung Fu":
Just sort of wander around, helping people out and taking in the sights. Since everything but standing around earns you experience, it's not a bad way to play and you can find all sorts of interesting things.
If you're on a North American server, you can Guest over to Stormbluff Isle as often as you want for free. On the character select screen, click "World Selection", find Stormbluff Isle and click "Guest". Your character will be on SBI until you log out or return to the character select screen.
The only thing you won't be able to do is WvW, since that's server vs server.
If you have access to the right karma vendors (and with the Bazaar open, a lot of them are in one place now) you can level cooking to 400 for a ridiculously low 1.46 gold. Craaaaaazy.
Not bad for basically being window dressing for a PVP map. With all the news / speculation in the last thread, I hope we're headed towards the Crystal Desert in the near future. I'm pretty sure July's second update will stick to the Bazaar, but we have no idea what's in store for the August updates (though some kind of anniversary celebration is certainly in order). That seems a bit too soon, honestly, but at the very least it might give us a few more puzzle pieces.
If nobody is on, you can post your name.#### and one of us will get you an invite. The new thread seems to be moving at about the same pace as the last one so I don't think you'll fall through the cracks.
That's actually not bad, I thought they said at one point that they'd add Living Story fights in as bounties.
I'm happy with any new Guild Challenge as long as it lowers our chances of getting the Save our Supplies one for the umpteenth time.
My advice to new players is: If something feels like a grind, you have two options:
1. Do it with the guild. The guild is nice people who will help out, and doing mundane things is much more fun with a goofy, fun group.
2. Don't do it. This game has plenty of stuff you can do, and most activities will give you what you're looking for anyway. Example: Some people don't like going through fractals to get ascended gear. If you don't want to do that, just go for the laurels you get from dailies/monthlies. And now you can even get laurels through the global account achievement situation, which accumulates points from just about any activity you could want to do.
People who go nuts about a grind are usually stuck on one or two things. Usually it's holiday achievements or dungeon gear. I think holiday achievements used to be a bit grindy, but I definitely think Anet has improved them with this update. The "grindiest" event is the crystal scavenger hunt, which I actually found to be a blast. But if you don't want to do that, you can just explore the new zone or try out the new racing minigame. But if you don't even want to do that too much, you can still find the big kites out in various jumping puzzles. So really, it's made so that you never have to do one activity for a long time, unless you want to.
In terms of Dungeon Gear grind, I've found that the guild has made this a surprisingly enjoyable activity. Also, if you're only getting dungeon armor/weapons for the stats, not the skins, you can go to multiple dungeons for that stat spec. So you don't even have to do one specific dungeon the entire time.
Most importantly, take your time. This is a very casual MMO. And I don't say this in terms of difficulty or lack of depth. I'm referring to the fact that there's no subscriptions, so you're not under some time/money obligation to get as much out of each month as possible. The game is designed to give you flexibility. Getting burned out? Take a break. The game will be there when you get back, and probably with more stuff than when you left.
I wanted to avoid hyperbole, but if I had to describe the evolution of Guild Wars 2, I'd say it's like a fine wine. It takes a bit of time and patience, but the game is absolutely getting better with age. Most of the issues I've had with the game are resolved fairly quickly, and any time I've burned out on any one activity, I was able to supplant it with something even more fun. I hate crafting in video games. It's one of the least interesting aspects of RPG's to me. That's why I've barely crafted in GW2, and my experience hasn't been hindered in any way. I'm not hunting for Legendary equipment, because I'm uninterested. However, over time, by doing events that I did enjoy, I've actually gained a lot of the stuff I would otherwise need for a legendary. For a game that supposedly "has no end game", I've been playing for nearly 9 months after reaching level 80, and I've only ever had one character on my account. I think that's a testament to the longevity and density of the game's activities.
I think a lot of people come from other MMO's and are so trained to just find the fastest grindable path and focus on that. But that's just not how this game was made and that's why I really enjoy it. Therein lies the core of my advice. Take your time and do what you want to do.
Lastly, join the GAF Guild. It's the finest community I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. In it you will find the support and friendship that this game thrives on. It's the absolute best way to maximize your enjoyment with the game.
P.S. If all else fails, just roll a Guardian.
1. Do it with the guild. The guild is nice people who will help out, and doing mundane things is much more fun with a goofy, fun group.
2. Don't do it. This game has plenty of stuff you can do, and most activities will give you what you're looking for anyway. Example: Some people don't like going through fractals to get ascended gear. If you don't want to do that, just go for the laurels you get from dailies/monthlies. And now you can even get laurels through the global account achievement situation, which accumulates points from just about any activity you could want to do.
People who go nuts about a grind are usually stuck on one or two things. Usually it's holiday achievements or dungeon gear. I think holiday achievements used to be a bit grindy, but I definitely think Anet has improved them with this update. The "grindiest" event is the crystal scavenger hunt, which I actually found to be a blast. But if you don't want to do that, you can just explore the new zone or try out the new racing minigame. But if you don't even want to do that too much, you can still find the big kites out in various jumping puzzles. So really, it's made so that you never have to do one activity for a long time, unless you want to.
In terms of Dungeon Gear grind, I've found that the guild has made this a surprisingly enjoyable activity. Also, if you're only getting dungeon armor/weapons for the stats, not the skins, you can go to multiple dungeons for that stat spec. So you don't even have to do one specific dungeon the entire time.
Most importantly, take your time. This is a very casual MMO. And I don't say this in terms of difficulty or lack of depth. I'm referring to the fact that there's no subscriptions, so you're not under some time/money obligation to get as much out of each month as possible. The game is designed to give you flexibility. Getting burned out? Take a break. The game will be there when you get back, and probably with more stuff than when you left.
I wanted to avoid hyperbole, but if I had to describe the evolution of Guild Wars 2, I'd say it's like a fine wine. It takes a bit of time and patience, but the game is absolutely getting better with age. Most of the issues I've had with the game are resolved fairly quickly, and any time I've burned out on any one activity, I was able to supplant it with something even more fun. I hate crafting in video games. It's one of the least interesting aspects of RPG's to me. That's why I've barely crafted in GW2, and my experience hasn't been hindered in any way. I'm not hunting for Legendary equipment, because I'm uninterested. However, over time, by doing events that I did enjoy, I've actually gained a lot of the stuff I would otherwise need for a legendary. For a game that supposedly "has no end game", I've been playing for nearly 9 months after reaching level 80, and I've only ever had one character on my account. I think that's a testament to the longevity and density of the game's activities.
I think a lot of people come from other MMO's and are so trained to just find the fastest grindable path and focus on that. But that's just not how this game was made and that's why I really enjoy it. Therein lies the core of my advice. Take your time and do what you want to do.
Lastly, join the GAF Guild. It's the finest community I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. In it you will find the support and friendship that this game thrives on. It's the absolute best way to maximize your enjoyment with the game.
P.S. If all else fails, just roll a Guardian.
Mobs down there? Interesting.
Edit: Dude got owned by a sand wurm. That's the GW I remember. Damn sand wurms.
Hopefully we'll be heading in the direction of the CD going forward, even if we don't quite make it there this year. Move into Elona after that. I want to see what Palawa Joko did with Kralkatorrik at his doorstep.
Awww thanks lunar you're good people too.
Right? Why even bother to go to the trouble...
I'll be honest, the Pinatas and Fireworks were probably the grindiest I've seen Guild Wars 2 get. I knew I had a month to take care of them though, so I just played as I normally do and smashed a few pinatas if I saw them and shot off fireworks when I got them. The only thing I really had to 'grind out' was tracking down the last dozen or so effigies.
The Crystal Scavenger hunt a Grind though? Noooooooo, it's more like... a parkour obstacle course for wizards. Going back to other zones after soaring, light-dashing and lightning-jumping feels weird, and I'm going to be sad as hell for as long as it takes them to get that zone back into the game.
As to the rest of your post, excellent stuff. "Take your Time" really is the best advice you can give, especially for anyone coming from another MMO. The world isn't just something to grind through to get to the "real game", it is the game. That sort of bait-and-switch never set well with me in other MMOs, which is probably why I had so many alts.
Of course, I have a lot of alts in GW2 too, but that's just because the professions are different enough and a blast to play.
My logic: The game scales difficulty to account for blue items. (i.e. if you have green items, the game is easier while leveling) With the introduction of yellow items at 60, the game is much easier. Plus you have access to all your traits.
So basically, at 70-80, things die quicker and as result you accomplish tasks faster. All while giving the same percentage of XP for each task such as at level 20. This makes the last 10 levels zip by.
The Crystal Scavenger Hunt is not a grind, and that was really my point. If it's the "grindiest" thing in the update, I think we can safely say that this a supremely "anti-grind" update. I think it's helped that I really love sanctum sprint, though.
I have always heard "70-80? Go to Orr!" And on all my characters, I have tried heading there to level up quickly upon hitting 70. And on all my characters, I have managed to level to 80 before hitting Orr.
The XP just flies at me.
JetBlackPanda
Member
wow love the OT! great job!
Thanks for all the compliments on the OT, guys. I wanted to keep it simple but still look decent. I cheated though, Trajan makes everything look better, which is why you see it everywhere.
Yeah, I knew what you meant, I just can't imagine the scavenger hunt and 'grind' appearing in the same sentence unless it's to make that point. That, and I just wanted to work the imagery of wizards doing parkour into the thread.
Really, depending on who you ask, anything can be a grind. If you take the Dulfy route, getting all of the Crystals can be a grind if you're just alt-tabbing to the guide every time you get one like you're working through a checklist of chores.
Yeah, I knew what you meant, I just can't imagine the scavenger hunt and 'grind' appearing in the same sentence unless it's to make that point. That, and I just wanted to work the imagery of wizards doing parkour into the thread.
Really, depending on who you ask, anything can be a grind. If you take the Dulfy route, getting all of the Crystals can be a grind if you're just alt-tabbing to the guide every time you get one like you're working through a checklist of chores.
Jest Chillin
Member
It actually seems to change randomly in a couple parts of the course. Sometimes it's jumping pads. Sometimes lightening pulls. Occasionally there won't be a shortcut at all.
Oh, that's good to know. I played like 8 times before at it was always the jumping shortcut.
Edit: Just won my third consecutive race, Seda was right, Aspect Master + 2 + 1 is OP... The head start that it give you is crazy...
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked