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Guild Wars 2 |OT5| We've got fun and games
- Thread starter Retro
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advanced combos brah. I even realized that if you wait until the last second to pull (I used to pull enemies straight away) you do more damage from 5's DOT
Robin64
Member
So I finally picked this up again after a long absense. I previously played an engineer (never past Queensdale) and didn't like the game that much, but a friend told me it's probably because I picked engineer.
So I rolled a warrior and now I'm level 22 and loving it. Currently I've 100% map completion on Divinity's Reach, Lion's Arch and Queensdale, with Kessex Hills being close. This time I was even able to beat the Sharkmaw Caverns puzzle, though it was a bitch.
Glad I gave it another chance.
So I rolled a warrior and now I'm level 22 and loving it. Currently I've 100% map completion on Divinity's Reach, Lion's Arch and Queensdale, with Kessex Hills being close. This time I was even able to beat the Sharkmaw Caverns puzzle, though it was a bitch.
Glad I gave it another chance.
hockeypuck
Member
IIRC, if you hit GS 5 inside an enemy's hitbox you actually do a little burst damage since 2-3 binding blades can strike a single target. Three simultaneous binding blades makes it the second highest GS burst for a guard. The DOT isn't additive, though. The condi removal combo with the symbol is so good that Purging Flames is my only other source for any type of condi removal.
I'm meditation guard in PVE because I love to teleport. A LOT.
I'm lucky if our runs drop a green item for me to salvage.
Sounds like it's time for you to kill some players. Pick your poison, PvP or WvW.
Living Story: Buy season 2 or tag along with someone who has it (you won't unlock any of the rewards that way though).
World vs. World: Depending on your server, this could be a snooze fest, frustrating as hell or intense.
PVP: Can be immensely enjoyable if it's your kind of thing.
PVE : See more events, zones, work on world completion.
Skin / Achievement Hunting: Doing all of the JPs is a good place to start, avoid the grindy ones.
Stop playing: Seriously, the game will be waiting when you come back, your gear will still be good and you will not get left behind. Go read a book, knit a sweater, climb a mountain, learn French, wrestle a grizzly bear, write Golden Girls erotic fan fiction, discover the truth behind the Kennedy assassination, overthrow the pope, ride a tyrannosaur, invade Luxembourg, become the Mother of Dragons, transcend time and space and be reborn as a Star Child, etc.
Finally, the greatest of all MMO traditions; Roll an alt. This is made much easier here thanks to the account wallet, bank and the fact that each class plays radically different from each other. And on that point...
You are not the first and definitely not the last person to pick a class that sounds cool or similar to what you've experienced in other games, only to find it doesn't quite click with you. Profession choice is probably the biggest determining factor of your enjoyment of Guild Wars 2, since each one is so different. The gameplay, approach and mindset I have when I'm on my Thief is completely different from how I tackle things with my Mesmer or Warrior. I don't care for Necro but love Engineer, yet I know folks who can't stand engineer but love Necro. It doesn't mean either are bad, just that the professions and our tastes are different, and that's a good thing (especially when most MMOs give you classes that are essentially variations of each other with differently-colored buttons to spam).
Hawkian often compares profession selection to picking a fighter in a Fighting Game, and that's an apt observation; the game is the same for all of them, but the way you play, say, Chun-Li is completely different from how you'd fight with Blanka or Dhalsim.
They should have a disclaimer on the profession selection screen: "If you don't like a class, try a different one." I've lost track of how many posts we've had since launch where someone comes back, tries a different profession and the game just clicks with them on a whole new level. My wife had a similar experience, going from Ranger (her experience in WoW was as a Hunter) to Elementalist and ending up loving Mesmer, something that was completely off her radar at first.
UltimateIke
Member
I went in knowing almost nothing about the game, picked Warrior to start with, and never looked back.
For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of casters in other action RPG / MMOs, preferring to be up close and personal. I think the big reasons I like Elementalist and Mesmer is that the former can go dagger / dagger, scepter/dagger or conjure weapons and play like a melee caster, and the latter is just such a unique class concept (not just in MMOs, but all of gaming) that putting it in the 'caster' box at all seems wrong. Necro, on the other hand, feels too tied to minions, conditions and ranged combat (dagger is really the only melee option, though I'm pumped for greatsword) to really break outside the caster archetype, in my opinion.
I can't rank the professions in terms of preference since it changes depending on my mood. I can only rank the extremes; Engineer is my absolutely favorite (a far cry from my attitude at launch, which was "either Guardian or Warrior") while Necro is my least (though I still like what I played enough to get to 80). All of them are fun in their own ways.
I can't rank the professions in terms of preference since it changes depending on my mood. I can only rank the extremes; Engineer is my absolutely favorite (a far cry from my attitude at launch, which was "either Guardian or Warrior") while Necro is my least (though I still like what I played enough to get to 80). All of them are fun in their own ways.
Y'all are doing a serious disservice by recommending anyone purchase the Living Story Season 2 episodes. Neither the content nor rewards are exclusive to owning them. But moreover it's all dreadfully unfun content that no one but achievement point hunters ever replay.
With distance can we now acknowledge that Season 2 was a significant step backward from Season 1? As players we traded memorable open world events for forgettable instanced motion comics. Already I can barely remember anything from Season 2 other than waiting for NPCs to move into place, but I will keep the Karka Roll, the Bazaar of the Four Winds, the attack on the Queen's Jubilee, chasing Scarlet all over the map, and of course the sacking of Lion's Arch with me for a while.
Worst of all, it feels like we sacrificed
part of the game's original vision for mechanics with better monetization. Its only positive aspect, replayability, is negated by the quality of the content. I know this post is harsher than my usual tone, but there needs to be a countervailing voice warning new and returning players to save their gems.
With distance can we now acknowledge that Season 2 was a significant step backward from Season 1? As players we traded memorable open world events for forgettable instanced motion comics. Already I can barely remember anything from Season 2 other than waiting for NPCs to move into place, but I will keep the Karka Roll, the Bazaar of the Four Winds, the attack on the Queen's Jubilee, chasing Scarlet all over the map, and of course the sacking of Lion's Arch with me for a while.
Worst of all, it feels like we sacrificed
another
???
I vastly preferred season 2's content to season 1's. Not only was the story more coherent and driving, the content was plentiful and lead into a lot of larger world events. In fact, I feel like we got more open world events in season 2 than we did in season 1.
It wasn't perfect, the story stuff still needs a ton of work in terms of mission variety and maybe better ways to link the open world with the story instances other than requiring an event to be completed before you can move on with the story, but overall I thought it was a huge step forward. Gave me good vibes for the expansion. I've often said that GW2 development after launch has been a bit like throwing darts at a dartboard, but with season 2 it felt like the darts were beginning to get a bit more precise.
Now, can I recommend people actually go out and buy it? Nah. Just wait for the expansion and read the story on the wiki.
I vastly preferred season 2's content to season 1's. Not only was the story more coherent and driving, the content was plentiful and lead into a lot of larger world events. In fact, I feel like we got more open world events in season 2 than we did in season 1.
It wasn't perfect, the story stuff still needs a ton of work in terms of mission variety and maybe better ways to link the open world with the story instances other than requiring an event to be completed before you can move on with the story, but overall I thought it was a huge step forward. Gave me good vibes for the expansion. I've often said that GW2 development after launch has been a bit like throwing darts at a dartboard, but with season 2 it felt like the darts were beginning to get a bit more precise.
Now, can I recommend people actually go out and buy it? Nah. Just wait for the expansion and read the story on the wiki.
I liked season 1 a little bit better as well, it was a lot more fun. It's all because players are pretty vocal about those one time event.
appletoasty
Member
I rolled at least 3 classes before finding elementalist and settling on it as my first main. Must've deleted at least 4 or 5 characters and floated in and out of the game for about 4 months before sticking with the game and my current/first main.
I don't "get" warrior in PvE but I love having one in the party, and the difference without one is noticable
. I almost exclusively play warrior in PvP though. So much fun.
I wasn't around for Season 1 but I enjoyed Season 2.
I don't "get" warrior in PvE but I love having one in the party, and the difference without one is noticable
(not just because of the banners 
)
)I wasn't around for Season 1 but I enjoyed Season 2.
I don't "get" warrior in PvE but I love having one in the party, and the difference without one is noticable. I almost exclusively play warrior in PvP though. So much fun.(not just because of the banners
For warrior pve, kill it before it kills you. Hundred blades for short lol.
appletoasty
Member
Yea, I get what you're supposed to do, but I don't find it compelling enough to choose it over my preferred class.
They have a strong dps and high survivability.
I rolled 2 Guardians, a Mesmer, a Necro, 2 Warriors, an Engie, and a Ranger, before discovering I really really like Ele. But it could also just be my mood and 2 years of playing other clases. ^_^ (Will probably never level my thief to 80)
Some trading went down between the functionality of Season 1 and 2. Season 1 had a scale of epicness to it, with large open maps and different unique functions popping up. Queen's Jubilee is probably the best content they put out - an arena where you can fight against certain opponents with certain handicaps...it was great. Story wise - not much happened and I didn't even register who Bram or Rox was. Where as Season 2 was far more story based with their instanced missions. Season 1 felt like its own thing where as Season 2 felt like a continuation of the Personal Story. I do appreciate the fact that Season 2 can be experienced again where as Season 1 was all about it being a one time thing. "You had to have been there!"
That said, I didn't find season 2 to be mind blowing and can only recommend it to people who really like the story and the lore.
best ac1 pug run ever feat. avatar and adriaaa
When did this game become Demons Souls?
I don't suppose anyone knows if there's gonna be another sale for the game anytime soon?
After the guild missions last night and the dungeon run, which were all super awesome, I started playing some other games with my friend and I talked quite a bit about the missions + some other stuff in GW2 and he sounded quite interested. Earlier this morning he tried out the game with my account and now he'll pick it up when there's a sale. Problem is, we just missed one (I found out that there was quite a nice one last week) and have no idea when/if another one will be coming.
After the guild missions last night and the dungeon run, which were all super awesome, I started playing some other games with my friend and I talked quite a bit about the missions + some other stuff in GW2 and he sounded quite interested. Earlier this morning he tried out the game with my account and now he'll pick it up when there's a sale. Problem is, we just missed one (I found out that there was quite a nice one last week) and have no idea when/if another one will be coming.
I always make sure to include the caveat that they can play the season with a friend who's previously unlocked it. Some people are really into story and their mileage may vary, and they may enjoy it more than they would, say, an outfit or two. Also, the carapace armor is also Season 2 exclusive, so it's also for skin hunters. =p
The rest of your post deserves a longer response than I have at the moment, but the short version is that it's a mixed bag and Kanik has the right idea; there are strengths and weaknesses to both seasons.
As much as I hate giving them any business, Gamestop has it on sale for $19.99.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I really wish we could dye weapons
Argh, I forgot to mention that he's in Canada and he checked the EBGames but apparently it's all out of stock.
And a bit off-topic, but does anyone know why am I greeted with this error when I try to visit the gamestop, ebgames and game informer websites?
Ah, sorry then. The sales seem to be pretty often lately, considering they're ramping up for the expansion. I don't imagine you'll have to wait more than a few months at the most.
As to the error, my guess would be "because Gamestop sucks."
Ha alright, hopefully I'll get to play at least a bit with him before I'm drafted to the military this fall.Ah, sorry then. The sales seem to be pretty often lately, considering they're ramping up for the expansion. I don't imagine you'll have to wait more than a few months at the most.
As to the error, my guess would be "because Gamestop sucks."
UltimateIke
Member
10/10 dungeon tips right there. ^_^
That's not Adriaaa
"AFK before it kills you."
Wow, really? :/ How old are you?
Warrior is a bit trickier to play that it seems like. People assume warrior is all about DPS with skills like Hundred Blades, but the truth is that warrior is far more valuable when they know their strengths and weakness. For example, a good warrior DPS rotation will give vulnerability that helps the entire party, not taking in consideration the banners that add so much to a party. Furthermore, they have lots of useful stuff like an AoE insta-revive technique.
Trying it as a "I'm a buff guy who can kill stuff" is fine, but a more experienced warrior is that plus a valuable asset in any team. It's the class with the highest skill entrance point (to be "good"), so that's not surprising.
Trying it as a "I'm a buff guy who can kill stuff" is fine, but a more experienced warrior is that plus a valuable asset in any team. It's the class with the highest skill entrance point (to be "good"), so that's not surprising.
Alright. I'm digging into this post now. I'm not going to quote and pick apart your post line by line, but there is an interesting discussion to be had here and now is as good a time as any to have it. Spoilers abound, obviously.
I most definitely disagree on the "significant" part, but in terms of comparing the two seasons I think they both have their pros and cons.
The most obvious difference (and thus, the one that's quickest to cover) is the storytelling, both in terms of structure and presentation. S1 lacked coherence for a long time (Scarlet didn't even shown up until it was almost half over), had the story occurring in too many different ways / places (dialogue boxes, short cut-scenes and worst of all, outside the game as blog posts), and threw characters at you only for them to disappear just as quickly (Rox and Braham especially, but Kiel as well for long stretches). In terms of story telling, the "instanced motion comics" of S2 are a huge step up from S1; Hidden Arcana alone with the Priory basement and Glint's Lair solidly beats any storytelling in S1 by a country mile. So I feel, in terms of making us care about what's happening to the characters and the world, giving the lore junkies stuff to chew on and moving things in a clear direction, S2 is a vast improvement.
I disagree that we've "traded" big set pieces like the Marionette, Nightmare Tower and (my favorite) the Battle for Lion's Arch; the big open world stuff came in the form of Dry Top and the Silverwastes, which took the lessons gleaned from those big events and made them more permanent features. That point there cannot be stressed enough either; things like the Marionette were incredibly cool, but the fact that they're no longer available is a huge negative and another big plus for S2. The impermanence of S1 was one of it's biggest issues, and probably the biggest complaint the community had with the Living Story.
While were on the topic of zones though, it's worth noting that S1 only added Southsun Cove, which was quickly abandoned by everyone but farmers and those unfortunate souls forced to endure Karka Rush, while I would put Dry Top and the Silverwastes up as two of the most impressive and content-dense bits of real estate in the whole genre. I also think peoples' memories of how it was added are also a bit off; as neat as it was to be invading enemy territory in real time in theory, the reality is that most people were getting 4 frames per second while culled Karkas insta-gibbed dozens of people at a time for hours on end, not to mention the drama over getting disconnected and not getting the chest with the absurdly high precursor drop rate.
There's also something to be said for the overall quality of S1 vs. S2. Season 1 had all of those great, memorable events, but there were just as many duds; Flame and Frost was a slow burn until the Molten Facility, the two "Return to Southsun" chapters amounted to very little, there was a whole two weeks where the Tower of Nightmares was visible but you couldn't get into it, etc. Season 2 definitely had some dry parts as well (especially early on), but I don't think a chapter went by where I ever finished the story up and then didn't log in for two weeks (though the abrupt ending of a few chapters definitely had me asking "Wait, that was it?" but at least there were other things to do)
I'd say a lot of the much-lauded events from S1 fell completely flat as well. Both the Queen's Pavilion (not the Gauntlet, which was awesome) and the Scarlet Invasions turned into giant farming orgies (the latter being purposely sabotaged by farmers, in fact). Dragon Bash (since it hasn't repeated, I don't think we can give it a pass for being a holiday) gets lumped in there as one of the worst as well with the godawful achievement grind. On that note, the achievements for S2's story chapters have actually had a measure of skill-based challenge, feeling like actual accomplishments rather than repetitive nonsense).
I don't feel like anything was "sacrificed," for monetization or otherwise; there are still big events, but they're tied to zone meta events so new players can experience them after the fact. That's also why S2's re-playability is important; playing through once or twice is usually enough, but having them available forever if players want to experience them is important (again, the reaction to content being made unavailable after a certain point was a big point of contention, just look at how the community acts about SAB). Whether you think the quality is good or bad, players have the option to play it if they want, and that's kind of important.
(Aside: If we want to talk about monetization schemes, this week in the Elder Scrolls Online has been... educational, to put it mildly.)
Neither season was perfect; Season One's highs were magnificently high, and most of my favorite moments in GW2 (Labyrinthine Cliffs and the Battle for LA) are from that first year. I wouldn't trade S1 for all the world, but having said that there were also some pretty low lows. Season 2 felt more even overall; the highs weren't as high, but the lows weren't as low either. The big set pieces were also meant to play out over a longer period and continue indefinitely, so they didn't have the immediate impact where you need to do, say, the Vinewraith or you'll miss it forever.
I still believe that things like the permanent state of Lion's Arch and the ruins of the Nightmare Tower are important because the promise of MMOs has always been a big, persistent world where things change to reflect ongoing events. So you can look back and go "Oh damn, I remember when this was all green fields before the war." (and to some degree we have had that in Season 2, just on a smaller scale, namely Fort Salma and Concordia). But I can also imagine how shitty it must be to play the game and have everyone talking about the cool stuff you missed and can never experience.
So I think a combination of the two seasons would be ideal; dramatic, world-changing, temporary events (so long as they're built to come back later as special events / fractals, which are criminally underused for preserving old content) with a mix of the permanent story-and-lore driven instances. I want an instanced version of the Battle for LA where players can go witness that (to some degree) first hand, or dropping the Marionette down into the Pavilion as a special yearly event, and things like that.
Take it as an excuse or a reason, but the Living Story is still a fairly unique approach and I get the impression that ArenaNet is trying to get it right while simultaneously juggling the demands of the community (namely that they want both lots of content often but also a big expansion). Season 2 rolled out much smoother than Season 1 and will be accessible to new players forever, so I'm very curious to see what ArenaNet plans to do after Heart of Thorns is released. In a perfect world they would pick right back up with a Season 3 that delivers the best of the previous two, but it's all one big unknown at this point.
---
As a final note, I disagree that there needs to be a "voice in opposition" to the mere suggestion that players pick up Season Two; people can decide if they want it or not, and I think everyone has made it clear that it's not a necessary purchase if you have friends who've unlocked it or just aren't that interested in the story. I know I've always been careful to point those two facts out, both here and in-game. I'd also add that whether you feel the quality merits the purchase or not, that a system is in place for when it is considered good enough to replay is itself a very important thing.
I most definitely disagree on the "significant" part, but in terms of comparing the two seasons I think they both have their pros and cons.
The most obvious difference (and thus, the one that's quickest to cover) is the storytelling, both in terms of structure and presentation. S1 lacked coherence for a long time (Scarlet didn't even shown up until it was almost half over), had the story occurring in too many different ways / places (dialogue boxes, short cut-scenes and worst of all, outside the game as blog posts), and threw characters at you only for them to disappear just as quickly (Rox and Braham especially, but Kiel as well for long stretches). In terms of story telling, the "instanced motion comics" of S2 are a huge step up from S1; Hidden Arcana alone with the Priory basement and Glint's Lair solidly beats any storytelling in S1 by a country mile. So I feel, in terms of making us care about what's happening to the characters and the world, giving the lore junkies stuff to chew on and moving things in a clear direction, S2 is a vast improvement.
I disagree that we've "traded" big set pieces like the Marionette, Nightmare Tower and (my favorite) the Battle for Lion's Arch; the big open world stuff came in the form of Dry Top and the Silverwastes, which took the lessons gleaned from those big events and made them more permanent features. That point there cannot be stressed enough either; things like the Marionette were incredibly cool, but the fact that they're no longer available is a huge negative and another big plus for S2. The impermanence of S1 was one of it's biggest issues, and probably the biggest complaint the community had with the Living Story.
While were on the topic of zones though, it's worth noting that S1 only added Southsun Cove, which was quickly abandoned by everyone but farmers and those unfortunate souls forced to endure Karka Rush, while I would put Dry Top and the Silverwastes up as two of the most impressive and content-dense bits of real estate in the whole genre. I also think peoples' memories of how it was added are also a bit off; as neat as it was to be invading enemy territory in real time in theory, the reality is that most people were getting 4 frames per second while culled Karkas insta-gibbed dozens of people at a time for hours on end, not to mention the drama over getting disconnected and not getting the chest with the absurdly high precursor drop rate.
There's also something to be said for the overall quality of S1 vs. S2. Season 1 had all of those great, memorable events, but there were just as many duds; Flame and Frost was a slow burn until the Molten Facility, the two "Return to Southsun" chapters amounted to very little, there was a whole two weeks where the Tower of Nightmares was visible but you couldn't get into it, etc. Season 2 definitely had some dry parts as well (especially early on), but I don't think a chapter went by where I ever finished the story up and then didn't log in for two weeks (though the abrupt ending of a few chapters definitely had me asking "Wait, that was it?" but at least there were other things to do)
I'd say a lot of the much-lauded events from S1 fell completely flat as well. Both the Queen's Pavilion (not the Gauntlet, which was awesome) and the Scarlet Invasions turned into giant farming orgies (the latter being purposely sabotaged by farmers, in fact). Dragon Bash (since it hasn't repeated, I don't think we can give it a pass for being a holiday) gets lumped in there as one of the worst as well with the godawful achievement grind. On that note, the achievements for S2's story chapters have actually had a measure of skill-based challenge, feeling like actual accomplishments rather than repetitive nonsense).
I don't feel like anything was "sacrificed," for monetization or otherwise; there are still big events, but they're tied to zone meta events so new players can experience them after the fact. That's also why S2's re-playability is important; playing through once or twice is usually enough, but having them available forever if players want to experience them is important (again, the reaction to content being made unavailable after a certain point was a big point of contention, just look at how the community acts about SAB). Whether you think the quality is good or bad, players have the option to play it if they want, and that's kind of important.
(Aside: If we want to talk about monetization schemes, this week in the Elder Scrolls Online has been... educational, to put it mildly.)
Neither season was perfect; Season One's highs were magnificently high, and most of my favorite moments in GW2 (Labyrinthine Cliffs and the Battle for LA) are from that first year. I wouldn't trade S1 for all the world, but having said that there were also some pretty low lows. Season 2 felt more even overall; the highs weren't as high, but the lows weren't as low either. The big set pieces were also meant to play out over a longer period and continue indefinitely, so they didn't have the immediate impact where you need to do, say, the Vinewraith or you'll miss it forever.
I still believe that things like the permanent state of Lion's Arch and the ruins of the Nightmare Tower are important because the promise of MMOs has always been a big, persistent world where things change to reflect ongoing events. So you can look back and go "Oh damn, I remember when this was all green fields before the war." (and to some degree we have had that in Season 2, just on a smaller scale, namely Fort Salma and Concordia). But I can also imagine how shitty it must be to play the game and have everyone talking about the cool stuff you missed and can never experience.
So I think a combination of the two seasons would be ideal; dramatic, world-changing, temporary events (so long as they're built to come back later as special events / fractals, which are criminally underused for preserving old content) with a mix of the permanent story-and-lore driven instances. I want an instanced version of the Battle for LA where players can go witness that (to some degree) first hand, or dropping the Marionette down into the Pavilion as a special yearly event, and things like that.
Take it as an excuse or a reason, but the Living Story is still a fairly unique approach and I get the impression that ArenaNet is trying to get it right while simultaneously juggling the demands of the community (namely that they want both lots of content often but also a big expansion). Season 2 rolled out much smoother than Season 1 and will be accessible to new players forever, so I'm very curious to see what ArenaNet plans to do after Heart of Thorns is released. In a perfect world they would pick right back up with a Season 3 that delivers the best of the previous two, but it's all one big unknown at this point.
---
As a final note, I disagree that there needs to be a "voice in opposition" to the mere suggestion that players pick up Season Two; people can decide if they want it or not, and I think everyone has made it clear that it's not a necessary purchase if you have friends who've unlocked it or just aren't that interested in the story. I know I've always been careful to point those two facts out, both here and in-game. I'd also add that whether you feel the quality merits the purchase or not, that a system is in place for when it is considered good enough to replay is itself a very important thing.
Kos Luftar
Member
Retro is right, Moondrop is wrong as usual.
19, I volunteered for the service, rather get it done asap than wait every year anxiously wondering "will I get picked this year?".
It's just 9 months, I'll be paid a fair amount too, I'll get to buy all the gems! The expansion pack too! >
In other news, I made a Charr warrior, got him to 5, deleted him, a few minutes later remade him as an elementalist, lv5, deleted, repeat as thief, now I have an empty slot. I think I have a love/hate relationship with the Charr.
It's not nearly that black and white, and I tried hard not to frame my post in absolutes. There's no way to objectively determine which was better because personal preference accounts for a lot. However, I believe that Season 2 was a smoother, more level experience and I think that being able to replay these events (in some capacity) is vital to the game's future.
I agree with Moondrop that Season 1 had the bigger impact and the more memorable events, but I don't think Season 2 was "significantly" worse. Like all the not-so-great releases of Season 1, I'm willing to overlook the rough patches of Season 2 because I know that making them playable in the future was something they had to work out and, in retrospect, that they were also busy working on the expansion.
Or were you just being a smart ass?
I got all eight professions to 80 without a single Charr (and only one norn) because the slower run animation makes me feel like I'm moving slower. My OCD, however, has dictated that I have to be fair and try to balance things out. Since I'm not as insane as Xeris, I've managed to talk myself down to "one of each armor weight per race". So, for example, my Charr Guardian is a male because my existing 80 Guardian is a female human, my second thief is a male Asuran because my existing one is a female sylvari, etc.
I'm weird like that.
My advice: save the charr / norn for professions that have traits / signets / combos for perma-swiftness. It helps.
The problem with season one is that the pacing was atrocious. Things took WAY too long to happen to the point it was easy to forget what the hell was going on. The upside is that when things finally happened they felt epic.
Season two had pacing problems as well but for a different reason. The bi-weekly (yeah I know there were breaks) schedule meant that whatever they did had to be shoehorned into that time frame. That made some parts feel rushed whilst others were too drawn out. It also meant that you were as likely as not to have a (IMO and all that) entirely drawn out encounter (the flashback to the Fortress of Solitude for ex) that relied on gimmick encounters way past the point of them being fun. It didn't help that the writing was pretty spotty as well.
Looking at my last season 2 Xeris Review (tm) I gave the whole shebang a 7 out of 10. I don't think I'd change that as I experienced it. I do think that someone new that bought all of them in a lump might have a slightly better experience since the initial pacing becomes a non-issue. Season 1 I'd probably give an 8, but mostly for the last couple months (the tower on pretty much). Take those out and it'd be a 5.
The point, and yes there is one, is that if they can fix the pacing and writing ANet has the platform there to improve on what they've done and come up with something amazing. With maybe a couple of exceptions, nothing in either season makes me feel all stabby or like I want my time back. Lord knows I have a megaton of complaints about GW2 now (ask Retro) but they're related to mechanics changes and not the living story.
Season two had pacing problems as well but for a different reason. The bi-weekly (yeah I know there were breaks) schedule meant that whatever they did had to be shoehorned into that time frame. That made some parts feel rushed whilst others were too drawn out. It also meant that you were as likely as not to have a (IMO and all that) entirely drawn out encounter (the flashback to the Fortress of Solitude for ex) that relied on gimmick encounters way past the point of them being fun. It didn't help that the writing was pretty spotty as well.
Looking at my last season 2 Xeris Review (tm) I gave the whole shebang a 7 out of 10. I don't think I'd change that as I experienced it. I do think that someone new that bought all of them in a lump might have a slightly better experience since the initial pacing becomes a non-issue. Season 1 I'd probably give an 8, but mostly for the last couple months (the tower on pretty much). Take those out and it'd be a 5.
The point, and yes there is one, is that if they can fix the pacing and writing ANet has the platform there to improve on what they've done and come up with something amazing. With maybe a couple of exceptions, nothing in either season makes me feel all stabby or like I want my time back. Lord knows I have a megaton of complaints about GW2 now (ask Retro) but they're related to mechanics changes and not the living story.
I respect your opinion Retro and I misspoke if I insinuated you had been misleadingly pushing the episodes. I meant to imply that the consensus opinion should be a firm "don't bother." And I'm pretty sure all of the carapace skins can be obtained without purchasing the episodes.
And though you make many good points, particularly about the mixed bag of season 1, I think you've engaged in a bit of sophistry about season 2. I won't dispute that the standard deviation is lower in season 2, but my proposition is that the average is significantly lower. Averaging the highs and lows of S1 still puts the mean way ahead of S2 by my math. What were the high points of season 2- new zones (that are playable without the episodes)? What about the child-appropriate difficulty level of the instances? What about that I never hear about anyone going back to replay any of it?
Is it really unknown? Has there been any indication that Season 2 isn't our new paradigm? Consider that both seasons ended with catastrophic destruction. In Season 1 we experienced and fought through an event we all agree was one of GW2's signature moments. In Season 2 we watched a motion comic. If you can't reasonably expect another Battle of Lion's Arch- and please, give me reason to hope- then how can one dispute the design of the Living World is moving backward?
And though you make many good points, particularly about the mixed bag of season 1, I think you've engaged in a bit of sophistry about season 2. I won't dispute that the standard deviation is lower in season 2, but my proposition is that the average is significantly lower. Averaging the highs and lows of S1 still puts the mean way ahead of S2 by my math. What were the high points of season 2- new zones (that are playable without the episodes)? What about the child-appropriate difficulty level of the instances? What about that I never hear about anyone going back to replay any of it?
Is it really unknown? Has there been any indication that Season 2 isn't our new paradigm? Consider that both seasons ended with catastrophic destruction. In Season 1 we experienced and fought through an event we all agree was one of GW2's signature moments. In Season 2 we watched a motion comic. If you can't reasonably expect another Battle of Lion's Arch- and please, give me reason to hope- then how can one dispute the design of the Living World is moving backward?
Yep, you're right; it's the Luminescent ones you need the episodes for (and it's kinda gaudy so not worth it).
I think we can maybe meet halfway on buying the episodes; "Don't bother unless you don't have any friends and actually care about the story." Which would kind of end up as a long way to say "Don't bother" since most GAFers can tag along with a guild mate and anyone coming to the story now has no real affection for the story (especially since Season 1 can't be played, so there isn't even a sense of getting the 'complete' story) and can just find the cutscenes on Youtube.
Oh, I definitely agree Season 1 beats out Season 2, and that Season 2 averages out to be less enjoyable overall than Season 1, even with all the crazy dips in quality. I just don't think Season 2 was that bad, and even surpasses Season 1 in some ways that help make up the difference.
For example, I like lore and discussing where we think the story is going, so the loregasm that is "Hidden Arcana" is a big deal. People who aren't into the lore will just see it as a bunch of pointless text-based fluff and some weird crystal dungeon. Likewise, I enjoyed playing as Caithe with all of her crazy skills and the chance to play through a bit of Guild Wars history (I am a big proponent of the gaming version of "Show, don't tell", "Play, don't show."). I also liked the consistent direction of the story; things moved forward along a logical path at a realistic rate, instead of the weird build up and let down that accompanied every Season 1 release until Scarlet's plans were revealed (at which point it was more or less almost over). It shouldn't sound like a big deal, but given the way Season 1 was all build up with very little pay off it was a welcome change.
But again; that's me, and if you played Season 1 and wanted more of that (and you wouldn't be wrong in doing so) then Season 2 would totally be a bit of a disappointment. My point is that Season 2 isn't a total loss because it does a lot of things much better than Season 1 while also addressing some of it's bigger flaws (overall consistency of episodes and re-playability) That's why I said a Season 3 that could manage to have the heavy-hitting moments like The Battle of Lion's Arch with the attention to lore and pacing (far too many cliffhangers) of Season 2 would be incredible.
And a quick note on difficulty; I agree they were on the easy side, but I have a theory that GAFers are terrible judges when it comes to difficult anyways. People who post here are generally pretty dedicated to the hobby with a long history of gaming, so what we consider easy is probably just right for some people (I'm fairly certain the general tone on Reddit is that they were too hard). That's why Dark Souls is so beloved here while everyone outside of GAF I've ever talked to about it hates it.
Oh no, I'm not talking about the direction of the Living World, I mean it existing at all. There was an interview right after Heart of Thorns was announced that raised a big red flag for me as far as the Living World is concerned;
That they won't even say "Oh yeah, we'll be doing Season 3" even if they're not willing to talk about pacing or anything is alarming, and the bit about passing the baton to the expansion sort of sounds like they're saying "Okay, the Living Story thing didn't pan out, so we'll just be doing expansions now."
I figure the absolute worst reading of that quote is that ArenaNet has decided the Living World was an experiment that failed or wasn't sustainable in the long term and they're just going to go with expansions and feature packs from now on. And that's a shame because even with the ups and downs of either season, the two-week update cycle has been exciting as hell and ensured that even if this week wasn't great, you didn't have long to wait. And for an MMO that can't phone it in and rely on subscription fees, waiting can be dangerous.
Edit: Kind of skipped over this part, wanted to answer you;
I agree, that is moving backwards (though still further ahead than the end of the Personal Story, natch). The player character should have been on the Pact Fleet when it was being destroyed, and either "miraculously survived" (lame) or in a relatively safer position like the rear guard (safe enough to crash back into Dry Top or the Silverwastes so you can get around your character not being in the jungle due to storyline limbo), so that when HoT begins we're in the thick of the aftermath instead of just showing up after everything happened because we were too busy dicking around with the Egg McGuffin. This is another example where we're chasing someone or something (then: Scarlet, now: Egg) that's important because we've been told it is, but not because we've been told why (and again, the endless series of mysteries / cliffhangers has plagued both seasons).
That's the thing about a warrior. You really don't have to know how to play it and it can be decent (you can have adequate dps and high enough surivability to cover your mistakes).
All in all, pretty much all class can give you wayyyy better result if you "know their strengths and weakness", "rotation" or just know the class. It is not limited to a warrior. It's just a warrior get the "hundred blades" vibe because it is a new player friendly class
Vigilant Walrus
Member
+1 Warriors always get a bad rep. It was the same in GW1. Particularly if you played Warrior/Monk. It took years before people really saw the virtue of them!
Kos Luftar
Member
I would recommend Living World Season 2 to any new player who has enjoyed the game till level 80, and was slightly interested in where the story is now.
I'd recommend Season 1 as well but it isn't replayable.
The main reason I would recommend them and hope most players play them and enjoy them because I want them to keep doing living world even after expansion and with more people on it because I think they can make the release even better if they had more people dedicated to livig world.
On another note, we might be hearing about "revealing the more exciting features" soon. Hope it's this week but I don't know when exactly.
I'd recommend Season 1 as well but it isn't replayable.
The main reason I would recommend them and hope most players play them and enjoy them because I want them to keep doing living world even after expansion and with more people on it because I think they can make the release even better if they had more people dedicated to livig world.
On another note, we might be hearing about "revealing the more exciting features" soon. Hope it's this week but I don't know when exactly.
Complistic
Member
Better be skill templates.
It might be because I had only a couple hours of sleep last night and thus I'm tired as hell tonight, but "like a raaaaawr animation" is one of the funniest thing I read & pictured all day. Too good.
I think I'll go get some sleep now.
Just wait til you see "splosh"
Why would anyone want that?
So I don't have to frantically swap traits, utilities, and gear between encounters in dungeons while hoping I dont auto run off a cliff or get into combat and get locked out.
appletoasty
Member
It might be because I had only a couple hours of sleep last night and thus I'm tired as hell tonight, but "like a raaaaawr animation" is one of the funniest thing I read & pictured all day. Too good.
I think I'll go get some sleep now.
I'm glad someone likes my A++ explanations
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