Starting quarterback for the raiders, Korten!Hey guys, so I need an opinion on which weapon you guys think goes better:
(Note these two options are just showing GS, but also will be for 1h sword and Shield.)
Note: I already have Zojja's Ascended, I would get the new ascended just for the looks, not the stats.
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Guild Wars 2 |OT3| Two Week Updates, One Box, Zero Subscriptions
- Thread starter Retro
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*shrug* Actually I think the Celestial and White greatswords are kinda beautiful, and like a handful of the rest (guns, axe, torch, mace) too. First ones I finally make will definitely be for the skins.
I dig the mistforged stuff, but if I understand the system right, it'll likely take two seasons before any of us on SBI have enough for one. Unless we can somehow beat FA or whoever doesn't make the cut for gold.
Oh hey, I was wrong. Anything above 5th seems to do it. For some reason I was thinking it was 300 for the winners and lower for everyone else. Derp. Looks like nearly everyone should get one.
Oh hey, I was wrong. Anything above 5th seems to do it. For some reason I was thinking it was 300 for the winners and lower for everyone else. Derp. Looks like nearly everyone should get one.
Kos Luftar
Member
I thought it might be possible for most of us to get a regular weapon and the use the mystic forge to upgrade it to mistforged versions.
Hey guys, so I need an opinion on which weapon you guys think goes better:
(Note these two options are just showing GS, but also will be for 1h sword and Shield.)
Note: I already have Zojja's Ascended, I would get the new ascended just for the looks, not the stats.
The first GS looks better for your current armor/dye setup. If you were going for an alteration on the Terra/Lingering Sentiment look (which I think you've pulled off pretty well) I don't think the Mistforged GS is quite good enough. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then follow everyone else's suggestions.
I looked up Terra/Lingering (Kingdom Hearts?) and I do see the resemblance.
Yeah, Kingdom Hearts. That helmet and another, combined with some ascended pieces, is what I was considering somewhere down the line for my own Guardian. It's like the only set I've thought of making that actually mixes armor pieces around.
LiveSpartan235
Neo Member
A bit of a follow up to my previous post here http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=104967545&postcount=15783
ArenaNet on the GW2 CN site announced some changes to the level unlocks will be made.
http://gw2.kongzhong.com/announce/20140319/1318.html
Also it confirmed that once you unlock these mechanics on 1 character they will be unlocked for alts.
ArenaNet on the GW2 CN site announced some changes to the level unlocks will be made.
http://gw2.kongzhong.com/announce/20140319/1318.html
Also it confirmed that once you unlock these mechanics on 1 character they will be unlocked for alts.
Kos Luftar
Member
That's nice. Hope it does the job to teach the game better to people.
Looking at it that way, a lot of stuff makes more sense.
LiveSpartan235
Neo Member
Precursor crafting will not be in the Feature Build
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/for...-recipe-scavanger-hunt-news/first#post3780700
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/for...-recipe-scavanger-hunt-news/first#post3780700
Speaking of which, I'm about to make my third thief in an attempt to get the piggin' 'Press F1 to steal' hint to appear.
Probably will be year 2 when I get my Sunrise, then.
shysaursoft
Member
Huh, weird. During the Sylvari personal story your character makes it a point each time to invite the various main characters you meet and help, to come live in his/her garden. And of course, they do then show up in your home instance from that point forward.
This 'mechanic' happens with all races - but I can't recall it ever having been made so, clear, for the lack of a better word. Especially not with the Charr personal story. I mean, you help people, then they show up in your home instance, but your character doesn't explicitly invite them like the Sylvari do. I find that odd.
This 'mechanic' happens with all races - but I can't recall it ever having been made so, clear, for the lack of a better word. Especially not with the Charr personal story. I mean, you help people, then they show up in your home instance, but your character doesn't explicitly invite them like the Sylvari do. I find that odd.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
So when do we expect the first season 2 update?
They're friends with benefits. Although in my PS (which I have completed) I don't see the NPCs. The only one I see is Dinky in the bar.
They're friends with benefits. Although in my PS (which I have completed) I don't see the NPCs. The only one I see is Dinky in the bar.
shysaursoft
Member
They're there - check the 2nd floor of the building to the left when you walk in, and the upper levels of some of the buildings in the back. I was surprised at how hidden some of your alliances are.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
...what the hell are they doing in those buildings possibly owned by other people (or worse, another legion)
shysaursoft
Member
Exactly. They're placed very haphazardly in the Charr home instance. We know the home instance is an unfinished, half-baked idea, but sometimes I wonder just how late in the game they left doing all the home stuff.
I did not explicitly expect it, but I'm still a little disappointed. I'm glad its being given more thought though.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
You can't even talk to your old allies.
I'm not sure what response you really want to this post; there's no questions really asked, and though you invite people to 'pick it apart', it's more of an opinion piece. I didn't want it to just fall away without getting a response, for the same reason I answer with at least "not me" or "I don't know" when people ask about something in guild chat.
Anyways, here we go;
You boil all of the game's mechanics down to a rock-paper-scissors setup, then quickly attribute how you feel each profession performs those roles. I guess I can't disagree strongly on any of your assessments given they're either fairly accurate (Warrior, Thief, Engineer) or I haven't had enough experience with to know (Ranger, Mesmer, Ele, Necro). I would put damage above CC for Guardians, but even there I think you might be right (alas, I haven't played my Guardian much lately).
I also think breaking them down to basic groups is useful for quick discussion, but that's a poor tool if you want to dig much deeper. For example, kiting is a technique that requires at least a little thought, while aegis and blind are both passive methods of damage resistance. To lump them under the umbrella of "CC" stops working when you factor player skill into the equation. A skillful player can theoretically kite forever, but boons/condition application are strictly limited by the game's design. Quantifying something like 'ability to kite' is hard, which is one of the reason I like snare / slow mechanics more than passive mitigation (I do not, however, like stun / immobilize, but that's a whole other thing).
Also, I think you set up a complaint about warriors being really good at all three metrics, but gloss over why that is; "CC is also currently weapon based", you say, so of course the profession with the most weapon choices is going to have the most versatility. That's the big reason I went with Warrior over Guardian at launch. However, you suggest that more performance should be built into traits when I would go the direct opposite direction; other professions should be built up to match in terms of weapon selection. Your way is more realistic, but also puts more of the gameplay into the mechanics that exist under the hood (we'll circle back to that in a second).
I don't disagree that "not enough power is tied to traits", but I think you and I have different ideas of why that is, or at least different definitions of power.
This, however, I strongly disagree with. The RPG elements (stats, gear, most traits) are the least exciting elements of Guild Wars 2. +x% damage, y% chance to, etc. are all passive, math-y traits that need to be rooted out and replaced.
The problem with making Guild Wars 2 "more RPG than action game" is that RPG elements put all of the power into the black and white math running 'behind' the game. And while that may be great for balance (it's certainly great for checkbooks) it sucks the fun right out of the game.
Balance is impossible in a game this complex, not just because there are 8 professions with different combinations of 16 weapons, with access to a dozen and a half different utility skills and a gazillion possible trait configurations. A lot of it comes from player skill, strategy and reaction time.
Instead, there should be more grey area, which is where the combat log stops being a useful method of determining balance. The opposite of balance isn't necessarily imbalance if you make player skill the determining factor. Fighting games are a great example where even "overpowered" characters can be taken down by a player with skill and strategy to counter those attributes. Pushing for more RPG mechanics in an action driven game like this only creates more room for imbalance, when one profession is beholden to the math than another.
As an example, I would be shocked if many Warriors took the "Missile Deflection" trait. Here is a trait that can be absurdly useful (we all know how valuable reflects are in PVE), but one that requires a great deal of skill to use. You have to be able to tell when a powerful attack is coming, especially since all warrior block skills have very small windows. In the right hands, it can be extremely effective (reflecting a Kill Shot back at another Warrior would ruin their day), but it chews up an entire Major Trait slot, and it's surrounded by very safe, passive traits that don't require any skill.
Traits like "Missile Deflection" are difficult to balance; it can be very powerful, but it has a high skill requirement. It could turn the tide of an entire fight, but only if the person knows how to use it in the right situation.
So much of Guild Wars 2 feels primed for that kind of situational use (that weapons do so much of the heavy lifting and are swappable is a bigger shift than most people realize) but the traits run counter to that. You can be a Greatsword / Axe warrior, and there are traits that specifically boost Greatsword and Axe damage (Slashing Power and Axe Mastery), but what if the situation changes and you'd be better served with a hammer or longbow? Gimped. This falls pretty close to your comment about feeling like "it's about being really good at one thing."
This is getting pretty long so I'll end here, but in short, when I beat an encounter, I would rather it be because I'm good at playing the game, not because I have the best trait setup, the ideal gear configuration and the optimal rotation. You say the "Action RPG as a genre has a pretty large spectrum", but moving more towards the mechanical side of that spectrum is just the wrong direction, in my opinion.
I still have that Trait write up I was working on. Since this last update is relatively light on content I'll have to wrap that up soon.
shysaursoft
Member
I really wish there was a PTR I could play with. I'd remove a zero from all enemy health pools, and add a zero to all their skill damage counts. Just to see how it goes.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Is Belcher's Bluff easy to complete
shysaursoft
Member
I didn't find it that hard, actually.
The Norn competitor is bullshit, but the rest aren't too difficult.
shysaursoft
Member
There needs to be more traits that basically expand a single skill use into multiskill. Like a Guardian Spirit Weapon trait that, when you pick it, if you summon any spirit weapon it summons them all. That kind of stuff.
I trait for certain weapons, but I don't let it stop me from swapping. Guardian and Warrior do this a lot, usually its swapping out for a ranged weapon and well worth it. It does seem like a waste during those moments, but I always thought it was part of some checks and balance system.
But I wouldn't mind seeing the weapon traits removed. Seems like it pushes you to specific builds.Then there's the whole Spirit weapon mess too.
But I wouldn't mind seeing the weapon traits removed. Seems like it pushes you to specific builds.Then there's the whole Spirit weapon mess too.
Looks better to me. I swapped my warrior to the short hair/bead one from the last set. Almost seems like its better rendered than the old hair.My female norn currently has the hairstyle that I swear 90% of players picked. So makeover kit yes/no?
https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/for...-recipe-scavanger-hunt-news/first#post3780700
Can't wait to see what they're putting into the feature build now.
Can't wait to see what they're putting into the feature build now.
shysaursoft
Member
It's really hard to get good action shots of the Maw fight - which is a pity, since the actual shape of the thing, whatever it is, that the Shaman summons, is really cool.
And yet, people tell me all the time GW2 is an ugly game. They're ugly.
Hey guys, remember when there was this giant tower in Kessex? I hope they never totally clean it up, going to be cool still seeing it in years to come.
Okay, this cat. This cat is ugly. I nearly choked on something when it walked past me.
Game does need more yellow grasslands though. This concept art during the one loading screen made me kind of miss Elona. I'm an African kid after all. The veld seems more normal to me than endless Euro woodlands.
How cool was this mission, if you've ever seen it. You get to launch little munitions golems into an undead infested area, and use them to lay down mines, lure enemies into them, and explode yourself.
Yes. That was the hairstyle I had for my Norn before I blew her up.
I dunno about that, but I've always subscribed to the school of "Make it, then break it" when it comes to the rules behind game design. For example, you have 3 utility skill slots and an elite. But not every class has an elite that fits with their design, so you end up with cases like Engineers all taking Supply Drop because it's just that much better than Mortar or Elixir X.
Have something in the trait system (or whatever replaces it) that lets you break the rules, something like "A tool or weapon kit can be equipped in place of an Elite skill, but this increases the cooldown on all toolbelt skills by an additional x seconds." You're giving up an elite skill and taking a global penalty, but you're also gaining a fourth utility slot and for an Engineer that can be a much bigger advantage. If there are lots of "Rulebreakers" like this, you'd also be picking this one over something else that's very useful.
CanthaPlayableTenguGreatAxeMountsElonaBubblesCapesBuildTemplatesWardrobeGvGTybaltsAliveFishingSandwichmancerPlayableKodan
shysaursoft
Member
I agree with this. I'd KILL for a fourth utility slot, even if it meant losing the Supply Crate Drop.
Exactly. For some builds, that would be HUGE. I run an Elixir / Flamethrower build, but I hate Elixir X. I'd love to have room for, say, Elixir R so I could run more support and not give up my Elixir B (Vital to my damage) or C (vital to survival).
And there's room for stuff like that all over. I'll have to write up that Trait thing I mentioned a while ago, I just don't know how close to play it to what already exists or really spread out into a while new approach. /shrug
Look for a sword Icon in any of the towns, they sell generic white weapons. You may also want to look at the Trading Post, the prices on blues at that level can sometimes be just a little more expensive but a whole lot better.
It's a tad early to be thinking about builds, but I guess it's never too early to start learning about them. Alas, my Ranger is only Level 45 and I'm in no place to give advice on them. Yet.
shysaursoft
Member
I'd say until you hit 80, just experiment. When you find the weapon vendor, buy one of each of the types you can use, and play around with them. You'll want to unlock all the skills, and play around with the Traits as you unlock them.
When you hit level 20, you can buy your first Trait book which lets you assign points up to 10 in any Trait line. Each time you buy a book (at 40, then 60 again I think), it refunds all your traits, so you can retrait based on what you learned since.
The weapons the weapon vendor sells are basic whites, nothing great, but functional. Note: the weapons and armour vendors 'level up' as you do, and will always sell things close to your level. So if you're say, 50, and haven't found anything decent yet, you can always go back to one.
However, it's equally cheap to buy blues, greens, or yellows off the auction house, especially from 50 onwards. Though that's another kettle of fish.
When it comes to level 1 through 80 though, if you keep doing Hearts in areas that are around your level, the Heart vendors tend to sell armour and weapons ideal for your level. Once you've completed a Heart, go to the NPC that the Heart icon represents on the map, and see what they have.
On your first playthrough, you can generally go all the way to 80 and be geared up by the Hearts, as well as Personal Story rewards.
Universal leveling up tips -> Power weapon/armor. Cheap +power food off the tp. Buy green gear off the tp on odd levels, the 10/20/30/etc stuff is inflated.
I leveled my ranger by using sword & warhorn (for swiftness) and with an ice drake pet. Axe was great for mass tagging in zergs, but single target dmg seemed meh. The reef drake would probably be ideal, but getting one of those at low level is nearly impossible. Longbow probably trumps shortbow since conditions for leveling is bleh.
I leveled my ranger by using sword & warhorn (for swiftness) and with an ice drake pet. Axe was great for mass tagging in zergs, but single target dmg seemed meh. The reef drake would probably be ideal, but getting one of those at low level is nearly impossible. Longbow probably trumps shortbow since conditions for leveling is bleh.
Nemesis121
Member
I mention this on the official shitty forums about a year ago, i said why did you force us to take Elite skills? but as usual that forums sucked and most people just attacked me..
Honestly I think they need to make GW2 even MORE like an Action RPG. Make Bosses in Dungeons have multiple phases to them, make them large and have pieces you need to break off.
Make it so you don't learn all of the mechanics of the boss within the first minute. I think that's the crux of GW2's PvE problem, it's not the gameplay itself, it's the AI or Enemy Mechanics are just way to simple. That's why it's so easy to zerg rush everything, because the enemies are stupid.
In Dungeons at least, imo they should be longer (or at the very least have a harder mode that makes them longer), with more mini-bosses with fun and interesting mechanics. I love the puzzles, but many of them are rather dull, defend a laser as it charges up, pick up some bombs... They're all short and end fast.
I don't know any way to fix this but they need to do something.
Make it so you don't learn all of the mechanics of the boss within the first minute. I think that's the crux of GW2's PvE problem, it's not the gameplay itself, it's the AI or Enemy Mechanics are just way to simple. That's why it's so easy to zerg rush everything, because the enemies are stupid.
In Dungeons at least, imo they should be longer (or at the very least have a harder mode that makes them longer), with more mini-bosses with fun and interesting mechanics. I love the puzzles, but many of them are rather dull, defend a laser as it charges up, pick up some bombs... They're all short and end fast.
I don't know any way to fix this but they need to do something.
I mostly wanted to post out my thoughts on another way of thinking about the game. It's like every RPG has trinity this or trinity that, but what it comes down to is how you avoid damage, keep yourself alive, and kill your opponent. It comes down to how much of each system is rules linked to a baseline mechanic for everyone. And I wanted to know if it can be refuted or if I can use it as a way to think about just about any multiplayer class/unit/character based game whether or not it's cooperative or competitive and or even an RPG.
The setups fit into the GW2 "trinity" of Control, Damage, and Support. So I was trying to go from there. Picking it apart this way also helps me explain how I gauge certain balance changes and why I think certain things will or won't work instead of going with my gut or trying to figure out an explanation for each and every thing. As can be seen, I'm not that great at being concise or properly explaining myself.
Reading your post and putting more thought into it, I agree that you have to factor skill into things and that's why it's so hard to balance. And why Thieves were hit hard with damage nerfs right off of launch. But I disagree that it's theoretically possible to kite forever. Many attacks lock on and home. And that's besides the fact that while condition/boon application is limited by the system, there are many other things not taken into account that are also limited by the system. From endurance regeneration to gap openers and closers, snares and roots along with cleanses. Every class also has differing qualities of each which is why Thieves can keep up to almost any class in the game while Warriors can outrun everything if given a flat plane of land. It's in factoring these things that you take a stab at balance.
Your post has helped me refine the concepts, however. When it comes to Control, and preventing damage, you have options that protect yourself (dodging/kiting) and options that protect both yourself and others (stuns/roots/etc.). Same with Support, the art of recovery, where you have sustain for yourself and abilities that also support others, primarily in recovering health, mitigating unprevented damage, cleansing conditions, and returning endurance. Damage comes about through not only abilities that deal high damage, but abilities that help you deal more damage to your opponent (self stacking Might or Fury) or helping everyone deal more damage (Vulnerability). And of course there are ways to do more than one of these things at a time, and many of those methods are some of the strongest abilities in the game.
I would say you're misunderstanding me when I say RPG mechanics. The biggest thing I look at when I think about RPGs are choices and tradeoffs. Tradeoffs can be stat based but only when they're a meaningful stat change. An example would be in Team Fortress 2, where a Soldier taking a Rocket Launcher that does less damage isn't just "Oh, I'll do X% less damage and be fine," but more along the lines of "If I take this I can still kill a Medic with 2 rockets but it'll take me 4 instead of 3 rockets to kill an enemy Soldier. At the same time, I take less damage from rocket jumping so I can travel farther and for longer."
So really, I'd like a complete trait rework that would put more trade offs into a player's Damage, Control, and Support abilities. You asked what I meant about Warrior so this is the perfect place to talk about it. I was most concerned about all the arguments I've heard concerning the Hammer/Longbow build that's casted a shadow over PvP. One factor the fact that Hammer is too good at control without any trade offs. There are only a handful of traits that affect your Hammer abilities and most of them are just "do X% more damage" but the game isn't really set in a way where that does anything meaningful beyond making yourself generally more dangerous.
And this issue spreads across all of the Warrior's weapons. They're all so narrow focused and really good at doing things without traits being much of a factor. Longbow with Pin Down and Combustive Shot deals a noticeable amount of condition damage even without stats. Arching Arrow does the same but with direct damage. Mace always has a 3-second stun at max adrenaline. Greatsword is the primary weapon that makes Warriors nigh-impossible to catch in open field.
Putting much of this effectiveness in traits is what I'd be looking for, and it doesn't even have to be bland "X% more something" traits. But yes, we could also go the other way and provide more of the same powerful but more focused weapon sets to the other classes and then change up traits from there. The issue is that while it makes the game interesting, it doesn't help with PvE.
In PvE, you have the option of tailoring your weapons and skills to each encounter. That's part of the reason why we have the Berserker meta right now (the other reason, as we all know, is encounter design). But I look at PvP and see how that easily happens to be the area of the game where the variety of gear stats matter the most. You're also locked into your gear/weapons/skills/traits and have to make the most of your choices or use your teammates for the rest.
Before I forget about the Warrior, the other half of the Hammer/Longbow dominance is the fact that Healing Signet + Cleansing Ire + Burst Mastery don't involve much of a tradeoff for the amount of synergy and self sustain you get. Hammer and Longbow not only make it easy to activate Cleansing Ire while helping to prevent damage for Healing Signet to keep you up, they also do a ton of damage when just running a Berserker or Soldier's Amulet. Instead of needing to take a trait to boost your damage back to dangerous levels like Unsuspecting Foe you can just pop on some gear that makes it all mute.
Of course another option would be to rip out the gear system as it exists right now and figure out a better way to make choices on stats. Or have more ways for your stat choices to interact with your skills. But I feel the most potential of the game is locked in the trait system. It would also be better to change up traits rather than stats or gear considering the time and gold sink people have had in PvE when it comes to swapping sets.
Hurry up and finish your trait rework, Retro.
Sounds like it will include the "dyes are account bound" update from the chinese version. This makes me really happy, and far more likely to make a third character in the future.
Note: nothing in the above link says this, it's the yet-discussed topics on the side that hint at this. Plus, Anet mentioned as much in their interview about the Chinese version.
Note: nothing in the above link says this, it's the yet-discussed topics on the side that hint at this. Plus, Anet mentioned as much in their interview about the Chinese version.
Bl4ckSunsh1n3
Member
Dyes being account bound is a good thing, and something I've wanted since I realized that they weren't.
It's not surprising that the game is moving in a direction towards GW1's setup: those fans are going to be the loudest.
We'll see what else they have coming up, but if it doesn't address severe issues with the game's combat flow, this game isn't going to draw in new swaths of people.
We'll see what else they have coming up, but if it doesn't address severe issues with the game's combat flow, this game isn't going to draw in new swaths of people.
I really hope saving builds is in the feature patch. It'd fit so well with them making trait resets free.
Also, feature pack confirmed for April.
EDIT: Toooons of blog posts incoming.
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/feature-packs/
March 21st: The Art of Combat
March 21st: Critical!
March 24th: A New Way to Explore the Looks of Guild Wars 2
March 24th: A Colorful Outlook
March 26th: Looking For Group?
March 27th: Removing Restrictions
March 27th: Account-Bound
March 28th: A Solid Foundation
April 2nd: Facilitating Friendly Play
April 3rd: Facilitating Friendly Play: Part Two
April 4th: Facilitating Friendly Play: Part Three
Also, feature pack confirmed for April.
EDIT: Toooons of blog posts incoming.
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/feature-packs/
March 21st: The Art of Combat
March 21st: Critical!
March 24th: A New Way to Explore the Looks of Guild Wars 2
March 24th: A Colorful Outlook
March 26th: Looking For Group?
March 27th: Removing Restrictions
March 27th: Account-Bound
March 28th: A Solid Foundation
April 2nd: Facilitating Friendly Play
April 3rd: Facilitating Friendly Play: Part Two
April 4th: Facilitating Friendly Play: Part Three
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