Guild Wars 2 |OT4| The only subscription you need is this thread.
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That is correct. Hearts didn't exist at all initially. It was only due to playtesting and what ANet found was people would run right by NPCs yelling for their help because "They didn't have an exclamation point above their head'. Even after having NPCs flag down players, visual queues in the environment such as something burning, and giant orange rings to show off DEs, players STILL didn't grasp the fact that you had to explore to find content. So they put in Hearts for players who absolutely must have directed and linear gameplay, but then on the flip side of the coin you get those same people who the Hearts were created for bitching all the game is is grindy quests (while they are oblivious to DEs). So either way ANet was damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
You saw the level 90 transmuation stone. I think there must have been more parts of Orr and Crystal Desert that were open. He is right when he says its way to detailed. It also always just seemed weird how closed off it is in Ebonhawke. Its like there is an area behind it.
Not only that, it also makes sense in the context of exploration. 72 - 80 is Orr, and then from southeren eastern Orr, you go towards Crystal Desert and have more end game. Frostgorge was probably not even supposed to have been a lvl 80 end game zone! just a regular 80 zone!
Was tickles my butthole is this - What about southsun? was that always planned? Was there a landmass in the location of southsun and maguuma waste before we got this added landmass?
Kos Luftar
Member
After watching that WP video I feel like ANET has build environments for all the places that it has named on the map and maybe might have been accessible during development but were not as polished and had to be cut out so they just put in stuff like the Desert Gate and inaccessible portals (Brisbane) instead.
Loving how green the wvw map looks these past two days.
Loving how green the wvw map looks these past two days.
Kos Luftar
Member
They probAbly want to go back and win bronze.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
GAF doesn't have much player activity lately. Will probably pick up this september.
Kos Luftar
Member
Feature pack has killed GAF. Dead guild, dead game.
Spehornoob
Member
I had a thought "I wonder how City of Heroes is doing?" Then found out it was shutdown and came across this:
Well now I feel mortified for enjoying this game.
Loved City of Heroes. I would kill for a Superhero MMO with an events system and action-oriented combat. DCUO has the action combat but it's quest system is boring.
shysaursoft
Member
It's not a traditional MMO, but try Marvel Heroes sometime. It's a Diablo style loot game, with great action combat. Granted, you can't make your own character - you play the stable of Marvel superheroes (the more you have, the merrier due to Synergy Bonuses).
I just unlocked Rocket Raccoon, so I'm happy. You can unlock everything just by playing, their F2P model is pretty fair. You only pay for impatience, cosmetics, or boosters.
This probably isn't far from the truth. There was an interview a long time ago where they talked about the technology needed to get the desert right and I don't think it was there yet.
I'm guessing dry top, skyhammer, and edge of the mists were testing grounds for some of that stuff.
Also hello! I love your thread here.
Not an MMO at all of course, but I'll probably try Marvel Heroes when I get the itch to play a game of that sort again. Diablo III (vanilla) really left a bad taste in my mouth, I'm honestly surprised.
Played through Dragon's Reach - Part 1 on my mesmer last night. Personally, I find replaying these missions on different characters legitimately fun and challenging. I especially enjoyed the statue boss fight this time. Because they can be done whenever, I think I eventually will hit all the LW episodes on all my 80s (well, as long as I enjoyed the episode to begin with). The expository missions are boring to replay but the per-race dialogue changes are wonderful, and they can be breezed through.
I'll be setting up the first guild event to work on Episode 1's optional achievements, which I still haven't done at all, shortly.
edit: Hi Lmo! Are ye in the guild with us?
Played through Dragon's Reach - Part 1 on my mesmer last night. Personally, I find replaying these missions on different characters legitimately fun and challenging. I especially enjoyed the statue boss fight this time. Because they can be done whenever, I think I eventually will hit all the LW episodes on all my 80s (well, as long as I enjoyed the episode to begin with). The expository missions are boring to replay but the per-race dialogue changes are wonderful, and they can be breezed through.
I'll be setting up the first guild event to work on Episode 1's optional achievements, which I still haven't done at all, shortly.
edit: Hi Lmo! Are ye in the guild with us?
Spehornoob
Member
I've played some Marvel Heroes and I liked it enough, but I'm not too into that Diablo-style of game. It seems like a lot of fun for people who are more into that thing though!
I just think an events system would be perfect for a Superhero MMO. City of Heroes already had small little crimes happening around the city, but they didn't give any XP or rewards or anything.
I just think an events system would be perfect for a Superhero MMO. City of Heroes already had small little crimes happening around the city, but they didn't give any XP or rewards or anything.
shysaursoft
Member
2.1 just came out. Greater Rifts are a ton of fun.
Kos Luftar
Member
Also hello! I love your thread here.
Oh thank you for recognizing all the hard work I do into keeping this thread looking as good as it does.
Spehornoob
Member
Does anyone ever use dungeons for leveling? If so, what was the experience like? I've always done them at higher levels because it seemed like people get pissy real easy if you're not 80 (or so). I'm leveling my thief and I'm getting a little bored with just doing map completion + personal story.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I kinda prefer CO but with how the Alerts system is implemented and how the avian costume pack is only limited to 900 days subscribers soured me.
shysaursoft
Member
Dungeons give some of the most XP in the game - always 70% of a level. Many people use dungeons for levelling, I did that with a few of my alts. It depends on the group you end up in, of course, but if you LFG and explain you're levelling alts or inexperienced, you'll do fine. Or just run some explore modes with GAF.
Heck, if you just make your own group, and list as "level 35 (whatever) doing dungeons, newcomers welcome)" I'm sure many lowbies would be happy to find a non-80 group.
I haven't had to level anyone in a long time, but I imagine AC is gold for leveling, 2 or 3 quick runs, you already likely outlevel the dungeon, and extra gold at the end to boot.
Hell yes, of course. AC Story is ludicrously good leveling come ~30. All dungeons reward an equivalent of amount of XP regardless of level.
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/crafting-backpacks-new-leveling-items-and-more/
Crafting stuff sounds nifty, I might well be able to get something out of this on my Engi doing huntsman
Crafting stuff sounds nifty, I might well be able to get something out of this on my Engi doing huntsman
that's kinda cool; I wonder how noticeable it will be.
Kos Luftar
Member
"Crafting Backpacks..." oh we can craft back-items now...*reads*...oh no we can't really.
I don't really get that first part? You will be able to get exotic level 30?
http://imgur.com/a/e4D2e
I don't really get that first part? You will be able to get exotic level 30?
http://imgur.com/a/e4D2e
I reread that section 3 times. I still don't get it. The wording is mighty awkward.
Kos Luftar
Member
I don't get why you would get an extra rifle when you get that level 36 rare rifle...whats the point?
Ok I read it again.
It seems like when you get a level 35, they give you a weapon of your level so that that level 35 rare is not useless...maybe I don't get it.
shysaursoft
Member
When you max out a crafting, you'll probably unlike that crafting's skin.
As for the new Levelling Items. it just means you can find "better" greens, blues, yellows and exotics (but only up to 79), and when you find one you get to choose between two stats it might have, and it'll be slightly better than a regular blue, green, yellow or exotic of the same level. And account bound, so it's kind of like a heirloom.
I'm unclear if it gives you an additional weapon when you choose the stats, or if it replaces the one you found.
Pretty sure this is meant for Lump:
I think he was just trying to say that you can just choose between the stats when you get it. There's only one rifle. I think?
But it's tacky.
I think he was just trying to say that you can just choose between the stats when you get it. There's only one rifle. I think?
shysaursoft
Member
Your fault for hyping yourself up then. Quite a few of the things revealed so far are Pretty Big Deals, even if they don't directly impact you (commander tags, crafting UI improvements, megaserver improvements, global guilds, etc). Granted, most of it seems nip and tuck so far, improving the overall quality of life, especially for new players - which is a bit more important than immediately satisfying people who've been playing for two years and have an 80 for each profession. Fresh blood is what keeps a game alive.
I really don't know what people were expecting. It's like the old joke is true - unless precursors rain from the sky every patch, people just cannot be happy.
Not as sexy as the last one, but still some nice additions to me.
Kos Luftar
Member
I don't think it is anyone's fault for anything.
We only had one other feature pack before and comparatively this one at least on paper seems a little underwhelming for some. They still have 5 more days of previews to go so it might still compare better to the first pack but we have to wait and see.
Calm down with jumping on people just for sharing an opinion...this isn't reddit or official forums.
theMrCravens
Member
I'd kinda agree if only we had gotten more than fractal for endgame for these 2 years.
I mean, the new Season 2 personal story missions are great, but for 2 years worth of content without expansion it is lackluster.
Spehornoob
Member
As someone who's finally starting to level alts, I'm actually kind of psyched with this update. I never seem to find anything great or fun on my thief, so I'm hoping this helps that a little bit.
EDIT: Man, reddit is again not happy.
EDIT: Man, reddit is again not happy.
I'm pretty convinced that these days the only people who are posting in update page threads on reddit are a complete all star lineup of every whiner in the GW2 community. This crap has turned everyone into entitled babies who are now crying they don't get the exact thing each and every one of them want (which is impossible). At this point I'm expecting a TP overhaul to be the major feature of the pack but we shall see. It's really become bad enough to the point where the community has turned into toxic shit and I don't think I want to be a part of it anymore. Can't even look at a comment thread for new stuff without 80% of the page be whining, almost as if reddit is now identical to the official forums where as it used to only be a select few whiners. They all came back out of the woodworks once that interview thing happened.
What was announced so far are nice little additions and i'll gladly take them, but as a whole, nothing yet seems as game changing as what we got for the first one, and the way they explain them by trying to hype them more than they should doesn't help.
Considering even that some of them are not new content, but things already developed for the Chinese launch that they are carrying over, considering the little scandal of last week, timing might not be the best ...
(Especially if tomorrow's one 'A fresh Start' is about the few changes they made with the addition of tutorials and tweaks to the personal story for the Chinese launch ...)
Considering even that some of them are not new content, but things already developed for the Chinese launch that they are carrying over, considering the little scandal of last week, timing might not be the best ...
(Especially if tomorrow's one 'A fresh Start' is about the few changes they made with the addition of tutorials and tweaks to the personal story for the Chinese launch ...)
Ah, after watching WP's video and this new update I kinda have the itch to level up by exploring again, as opposed to doing PvP for tomes of knowledge. I really miss that sense of wanderlust we had at launch.
Also, people on reddit can be so infuriating at times. People complaining all over that this feature pack is not as good as the first one when Anet said that they want to push more feature packs across the year instead of one big bulky patch. Of course it won't be on the same level and if Anet can keep up a pace of releasing say, 3 feature packs a year like this one then I would much prefer this baby steps approach.
Although I still agree that they do need to put a bit more effort into improving and changing WvW. And they can start by realizing the full potential of Edge of the Mists for the great map that it is instead of it derailing into exp and karma trains.
Also, people on reddit can be so infuriating at times. People complaining all over that this feature pack is not as good as the first one when Anet said that they want to push more feature packs across the year instead of one big bulky patch. Of course it won't be on the same level and if Anet can keep up a pace of releasing say, 3 feature packs a year like this one then I would much prefer this baby steps approach.
Although I still agree that they do need to put a bit more effort into improving and changing WvW. And they can start by realizing the full potential of Edge of the Mists for the great map that it is instead of it derailing into exp and karma trains.
Yep, totally what I wanted.
It's not like ANet didn't set the expectations for feature packs with the last one or anything.
Well, the biggest thing here that makes it feel disappointing is that this feature pack this far actually only contains one new feature! Standard Enemy Models for PvP- a welcome addition. But in purely technical terms, everything else thus far is a refinement, polish, enhanced QoL, new items, tweaking numbers, etc. There are fundamentally solid core changes to existing systems, especially for new players, but no new systems.
So stuff like a balance pass, dungeon instance owner changes, guild/megaserver enhancements, crafting UI changes- these are equivalent to stuff from FP1 like dyes and ascended gear becoming account bound, LFG UI updates, trait resets/armor repair being free. But alongside those aspects, the first pack included the Megaserver system itself, PvP reward tracks, the Wardrobe system, and the new trait unlocking scheme (not that the latter was all that well-received). These are wholly new features, aspects of the game experience that simply didn't exist before the pack.
Even the Story Journal, which was actually not part of a feature pack, was way more of a feature addition than the enhancements that have been presented so far.
All that said... everything presented here so far is also a good thing. I also acknowledge that not every feature pack is going to have brand new systems, by nature. I also acknowledge that regardless, eventually the vocal complaints will reach the point where an expansion will be announced as a hush puppy.
I understand and even sympathize with people who are dying for an expansion. I don't even expect them to be able to sympathize with me- there's a degree of conditioning as to what you expect from a game in this genre; a sort of "special relationship" syndrome has very clearly taken hold. I want tons of new content and gameplay options of all varieties and depth, but I have no need to get it all at once in a huge burst to eat through for as long as it lasts, with a required upfront purchase to boot. That might be interesting to me if I were no longer really playing the game at all or even playing on a regular basis, but I certainly still am. Furthermore when such a purchase inevitably does come, there's an overwhelming likelihood it will bring with it all those MMO tickboxes I actively don't want like a raised level cap, possibly invalidating all our gear for the toughest content... I just want no part of it. Of course I'd buy an expansion and play it, but I'd be going along with those "additions" solely out of necessity... exactly, by the way, like I didn't have to do with the rollout of Ascended gear.
I still play GW2 plenty, more than any other game I own... and I own a lot of games I haven't yet played. I like being afforded the luxury of getting new stuff frequently, for free, without the sort of sense that I'm missing out or falling behind if I feel like playing something else on any given night of the week. To me, an expansion is being hit with a cowprod while I'm enjoying things at my own pace and paying for the privilege. But oh well. I'm just enjoying everything we get big or small in the meantime.
So stuff like a balance pass, dungeon instance owner changes, guild/megaserver enhancements, crafting UI changes- these are equivalent to stuff from FP1 like dyes and ascended gear becoming account bound, LFG UI updates, trait resets/armor repair being free. But alongside those aspects, the first pack included the Megaserver system itself, PvP reward tracks, the Wardrobe system, and the new trait unlocking scheme (not that the latter was all that well-received). These are wholly new features, aspects of the game experience that simply didn't exist before the pack.
Even the Story Journal, which was actually not part of a feature pack, was way more of a feature addition than the enhancements that have been presented so far.
All that said... everything presented here so far is also a good thing. I also acknowledge that not every feature pack is going to have brand new systems, by nature. I also acknowledge that regardless, eventually the vocal complaints will reach the point where an expansion will be announced as a hush puppy.
I understand and even sympathize with people who are dying for an expansion. I don't even expect them to be able to sympathize with me- there's a degree of conditioning as to what you expect from a game in this genre; a sort of "special relationship" syndrome has very clearly taken hold. I want tons of new content and gameplay options of all varieties and depth, but I have no need to get it all at once in a huge burst to eat through for as long as it lasts, with a required upfront purchase to boot. That might be interesting to me if I were no longer really playing the game at all or even playing on a regular basis, but I certainly still am. Furthermore when such a purchase inevitably does come, there's an overwhelming likelihood it will bring with it all those MMO tickboxes I actively don't want like a raised level cap, possibly invalidating all our gear for the toughest content... I just want no part of it. Of course I'd buy an expansion and play it, but I'd be going along with those "additions" solely out of necessity... exactly, by the way, like I didn't have to do with the rollout of Ascended gear.
I still play GW2 plenty, more than any other game I own... and I own a lot of games I haven't yet played. I like being afforded the luxury of getting new stuff frequently, for free, without the sort of sense that I'm missing out or falling behind if I feel like playing something else on any given night of the week. To me, an expansion is being hit with a cowprod while I'm enjoying things at my own pace and paying for the privilege. But oh well. I'm just enjoying everything we get big or small in the meantime.
Ooh, new backpack skins are always welcome! It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out come release.
shysaursoft
Member
My bad. That came across harsher than I meant it to. All I'm saying is, people need to learn to temper their expectations. We go through this song and dance every major patch. It feels like I'm stuck in endless reruns.
Spehornoob
Member
The GW2 twitter account posted this and it's really sweet. A guild sent them a little picture book for the second anniversary. I hope the Devs know that, even with all the forum and reddit negativity that can arise, plenty of people, even the ones who complain, absolutely adore the game and the world that they've created.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/sets/72157646485761737/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/arenanet/sets/72157646485761737/
Oh, they're gonna know. I pitched in for cupcakes.
I think this reaction is the price that comes with ANets stance on communication. You have a very vocal set of people clammoring for updates and improvements with absolutely no word for months, then you hype up a new feature pack (the first one of which is basically impossible to replicate given the amount of time) but don't come through with anything really game changing for many players despite further hyping the changes in the blog posts themselves. I'm left to think they're fine with the criticism because the game is doing well despite the vocal online minority or they're some of the most tone deaf and oblivious marketers of any game I've followed in awhile.
My hope is they just go back to rolling out features as they're done like they did in S1 LS releases.
My hope is they just go back to rolling out features as they're done like they did in S1 LS releases.
They've stated that the reason they stopped rolling features out with Living Story updates is that they were a distraction from the content. Their numbers apparently showed that when a large feature dropped, the number of people participating in the Living Story did too, because people were off grinding Magic Find or Champions or whatever. Of course, now that you can go replay the Living Story, there's no reason you can't let people just play it later if they really want to dig into the features.
It probably makes it easier to schedule things like WvW Tournaments (where balance changes have a lot of impact, obviously) though.
UltimateIke
Member
I'm interested in improving my personal level of play, so I tried soloing some group stuff this morning just to see what I could manage.
I completed Caudecus's Manor (story mode) and a couple of level 1 Fractals (Aquatic Ruins and Molten Furnace) alone before Zeroth had to show up to help me finish the Cliffside Fractal and the Molten Boss Fractal. I also tried the Uncatagorized Fractal alone, but I ended up quitting on the boss at the end. I'm not sure how to manage fighting the golems at the same time as dodging the asura shooting balls of death at you.
I may need a little work before soloing Arah.
I completed Caudecus's Manor (story mode) and a couple of level 1 Fractals (Aquatic Ruins and Molten Furnace) alone before Zeroth had to show up to help me finish the Cliffside Fractal and the Molten Boss Fractal. I also tried the Uncatagorized Fractal alone, but I ended up quitting on the boss at the end. I'm not sure how to manage fighting the golems at the same time as dodging the asura shooting balls of death at you.
I may need a little work before soloing Arah.
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