zombyturtle.5980

I see no issue with listing maps as full in lfg and do it myself. There are several resons why;

-Main one being bottlenecking is a thing, so while a map may appear full, there are still spaces and people can continue to join if they wait

-If someone wants to try their luck and spam to join a full map, I think its fine to give them the option to do that

-Maps fill up very fast but people still do leave slowly.

It is more courteous to mark it full than make it appear to have spaces in lfg. Listing a full map when squad has space is not in any way against TOS so i see no reason to report it.

Agree it takes way way too long but I think they already made troop moral increase faster this patch.

Definitely want your last 2 points to happen. Downtime in the middle of the meta is just bad design and should be moved to the end, with the northern chests being condensed.

While this doesnt really affect me as I havnt even made T1 yet, I will say I think the 'warning' they gave on the weapons was terrible inadequate and I dont blame people for not noticing it.

- It took the place of flavor text, which most people dont read

- It was in plain grey writing, instead of red

- There are multiple other systems in game designed to prevent people destroying important items which work 10x better which anet chose to not use

- Bjora set the expectation that even if the weapon was destroyed, a replacement could be bought for a small amount of gold/currency

Agree except for smodur. I dont think he did anything wrong last chapter, his actions were fitting for a charr, and the choices I would have made, if given the option. Humanizing all the charrs was a horrible choice.

However those actions were unfitting for smodur himself. Anet ruined him with story bias meant to make him into the impuslive baddie, and retconned his whole character who was suppost to be level headed and diplomatic. At least they cant make it worse anymore.

I preferred the story in this release over the previous. Charr felt more charrish and less human. The events in A simple negotiation were unexpected but at least fixed some questionable character directions made in the previous one. It wasnt anything spectacular, but given how much I hated No quarters story, I am happy with this.

The map itself is just more of the same. I am meh about it. Its good enough as filler content. Final boss battle was disappointing, literally just another 'smack the foot' boss and no more innovative than the original jormag we had 7 yrs ago. I was hoping for them to incorporate some of the advancements they have made in content design and combat to at least make it interesting. Reusing drakkars model was pretty bad too. We already have a full claw of jormag model so why chop him in half?

The keep wasnt a very visually impressive area. Was hoping for more ice palace than frozen dredge base. I still think the rest of the map is beautiful and its my favorite of all maps from a purely aesthetic point.

I really dont like how the old meta needs to fully complete to start the new. I appreciate they have made participation easier to get, so its more of a drop in and out type of map, but 2 hours to complete the full meta is pretty extreme for a LW map. The WvW feel they were going for has failed IMO. The whole point of WvW is the back and forth between enemies capping bases but the dominion charrs are never a real threat and dont even push back in the new meta. Defeats the purpose.

The new adventures are half baked imo. The OX one is ok and fits well enough with the adventure model. The eagle one was disappointing, it should have been alot more challenging. The wolverine is literally just a boss fight instance that they called an adventure, it feels out of place and should have been just a story mission/strike imo.

Finally im disappointed there was no new fractal OR strike in this release. They could have easily made wolverine a strike boss without much effort. I am also still waiting on the legendary armory each release which seems to be never coming.

> @"Obtena.7952" said:

> > @"yann.1946" said:

> > > @"Cristalyan.5728" said:

> > > > @"Cyninja.2954" said:

> > > >

> > > > Yes, you coming and basically saying:

> > > > "Oh I don't accept the fact that using the guild system or organizing yourself for raids is a valid approach"

> > > >

> > > > is hardly an argument. Joining a raid guild and having fixed raid schedules or making out times with guild members is one of THE main ways to address the issue you are talking about. I know because that is literally how EVERY raid guild and casual raid guild does it.

> > > >

> > > > Yes, if all you accept is the PUG and LFG, then organizing 10 people will be hard.

> > >

> > > I think that reading this we can easy find the main reason of the raids state - It is something abnormal for this game.

> > >

> > > Let's explain: in order to raid we should first join a guild, adapt our schedule to the raid schedule of the guild, make trainings, and **after** all of this we can successfully raid. Did you see? The raids, as concept, breaks one of the main points of this game (you can find it in the Manifesto): "**we don't want you to prepare to have fun**".

> > >

> > > With this in mind the game started and created a playerbase pleased by this approach. And these players are the majority - it is the oldest part of the playerbase.

> > >

> > > And suddenly - starting from a certain point on, ample preparation before doing something in this game are required. What? As a consequence:

> > >

> > > **Yes, if all you accept is the PUG and LFG, then organizing 10 people will be hard** - YES, it is hard. But many players played this game because for LFG you did not use a planning activity before. It was SIMPLE, not HARD. And it was for 5 not for 10. BTW - the things were very simple. The game started without LFG if I remember correctly. And still the players completed 5 man instanced content.

> > >

> > > As a conclusion - the main reason for the raid state is the simple fact that this anomaly exists in GW2 in the actual form.

> >

> > We'll that ignores the portion of the population who finds this preparation fun

>

> It sure does .. but the argument here is that it should have never existed in the first place because of the expectation in the manifesto by Anet to the original adopters of the game. We can see the consequences of Anet's decision to ignore their OWN commitment to players ...

>

Id argue that the current living world model breaks the commitment to players just as much as raids ever have done.

Firstly, as I mentioned above, 90% of achievements in the living story are 'do this event 20 times' 'kill 500 of these mobs' which directly go againt the manifesto.

Furthermore the manifesto promised that new content wouldnt leave old content obsolete which it absolutely does.

Shortly after launch anet made a promise to rework old content regularly to keep it relevant, and never followed through, instead choosing to release new maps.

I dont feel the current living world model is bad for the game, its probably better than anets original ideas, but it does break all the initial promises anet made. The argument 'it should never have existed because it breaks the manifesto' just doesnt hold up when you look at the game as a whole. I think raids were absolutely beneficial for the long term health of the game, and the game is worse off due to their , and every other side modes, abandonment.

> @"Cristalyan.5728" said:

> > @"Cyninja.2954" said:

> >

> > Yes, you coming and basically saying:

> > "Oh I don't accept the fact that using the guild system or organizing yourself for raids is a valid approach"

> >

> > is hardly an argument. Joining a raid guild and having fixed raid schedules or making out times with guild members is one of THE main ways to address the issue you are talking about. I know because that is literally how EVERY raid guild and casual raid guild does it.

> >

> > Yes, if all you accept is the PUG and LFG, then organizing 10 people will be hard.

>

> I think that reading this we can easy find the main reason of the raids state - It is something abnormal for this game.

>

> Let's explain: in order to raid we should first join a guild, adapt our schedule to the raid schedule of the guild, make trainings, and **after** all of this we can successfully raid. Did you see? The raids, as concept, breaks one of the main points of this game (you can find it in the Manifesto): "**we don't want you to prepare to have fun**".

>

> With this in mind the game started and created a playerbase pleased by this approach. And these players are the majority - it is the oldest part of the playerbase.

>

> And suddenly - starting from a certain point on, ample preparation before doing something in this game are required. What? As a consequence:

>

> **Yes, if all you accept is the PUG and LFG, then organizing 10 people will be hard** - YES, it is hard. But many players played this game because for LFG you did not use a planning activity before. It was SIMPLE, not HARD. And it was for 5 not for 10. BTW - the things were very simple. The game started without LFG if I remember correctly. And still the players completed 5 man instanced content.

>

> As a conclusion - the main reason for the raid state is the simple fact that this anomaly exists in GW2 in the actual form.

Almost nothing of the original manifesto is left in current gw2. New achievements have you grinding mobs and events 20+ times. When the manifesto said grind would never happen. We have dedicated healers in all game modes, and tanks in raids, when they said they would get rid of the trinity. They said pvp would be developed around esports and now its half dead and full of bots. The manifesto says environmental weapons would be a huge part of combat, but they are almost never ever used.

And yes the manifesto said you shouldnt prepare to have fun, but 2 months after launch people were leaving in masses saying there was no endgame content and no challenge left to the game.

As the game has grown, anet has realized alot of what they originally envisioned just doesnt work in the context of an MMO, at least for long term player retention.

Edit: players created their own LFG outside the game for instanced content before LFG in game existed. http://gw2lfg.com/ and you still had to learn the speedrun strategies from guides or other players in order to farm dungeons.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Attribute_combinations will help you find gear with decent stats.

https://snowcrows.com/ for the most optimal builds. you dont have to play these to be good enough to raid, but they are a good starting point if you are clueless.

For new and learning groups you are expected to have exotic gear with stats relevant to the role you are filling.

- For power dps this means power precision and ferocity stats on gear.

- For condition dps this means expertise and condition damage

- For Boon supports this means concentration

- For healers this means healing power

Most supports are expected to do both healing and boon providing. Therefore will need gear with both concentration and healing power.

Some boon supports can also hybrid dps, which means they will need concentration as well as the relevant dps stats.

Its not worth having defensive stats on dps roles, as your healers mitigate any damage you will take. Having defense or self sustain just reduces both their, and your effectiveness. However if your gear has some vitality, e.g marauders, alongside the core stats, it should be fine to train in. Do not take any toughness on a dps role, you will steal aggro from the tank.

> @"Magnedeus.4713" said:

> That's one of my biggest gripes with this game. If your profession and build isn't meta then you don't get to raid

>

> Other mmos: All classes can raid as long as you're well geared, have good dps/heals.

>

> GW2: Can only raid if your class and build are part of the meta.

Any class can raid in gw2 as long as its well geared and gives decent dps or heals. Problem is gw2 has such a big variety of stats, and 90% of them are useless in PVE, so most peoples custom made builds will NOT have good dps or heals. Only hardcore 500LI+ speedclears demand full meta builds. Average pug will be happy to take any off meta so long as it does its job.

If you do choose to run a custom build, you better be prepared to play well though, so the squad can see you are fulfilling your role. Raid community has lost all trust for play how you want builds due to so many 2k toughness , 3kdps players joining.

LS1 era when speedrunning dungeons was super popular. Doing daily dungeon runs was the most fun I've had in this game. I wouldnt want the game to go back to that state, some really horrible design decisions were still present then, but I havnt had as much fun since then.

If you could post a link to your build and gear, people could give you an idea if its suitable for raids or not.

No. games need at least one piece of content that you have to put in effort for to keep players engaged. We have enough skins and gear that can be bought with RL money. Armor is available in all 3 modes and you can get some trinkets from open world. Only if you want a full set, will you have to enter modes you hate and thats up to the player to decide if its worth it.

It would help if you clarified what 'trash attitude' 'worst behaviour' and 'elitism' refer to. This is just a rant.

I would like dungeon lfg to be condensed into 1 tab only. In general there are only 1-2 lfg's active at any point so clutter would not be an issue. This would also make dungeon LFG's more visible and allow groups searching for 8 paths for frequenter to have a suitable place to post.

> @"Hannelore.8153" said:

> I've run the meta hundreds of times successfully, and commanded it quite a few.

>

> The spray does nothing; its a holdover from other events in the map and they just re-used the same bundle item which works properly elsewhere. Contrary to popular belief, its not supposed to remove the brambles around the Octovine; they're damaged just fine by turrets (which are also meant to be used at like 2000 range by charging them like siege in WvW), and the reasons for putting turrets inside the brambles, is because when the Octo becomes vulnerable from losing its stacks, the brambles disappear anyway.

>

> That's technically an exploit, but "tricks" like that are prevalent through the game and the devs rarely seem to care. But you can slowly clear the brambles with turrets from the outside and this happens from time to time in PUG maps.

>

> Mounts don't help much with the bomb, the most powerful skill for it is Spectral Grasp (Necro), which can move it further than any other skill in the game, since its a pull with an incredible range of 1200 (even the most powerful pushes are half that.)

>

> Little known fact: In addition to the 27 chests underground, there's 49 or 50 small chests around pylons, etc. Since these chests don't give rare quality items, its still possible to multimap them with excess Exalted Keys.

I am 100% sure when the meta was first released, the spray worked correctly and removed the vines around the octovine. Somewhere in the next year after release it was changed/became bugged and has never worked since.

> @"Linken.6345" said:

> > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> > > > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > > > @"Walhalla.5473" said:

> > > > > > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > > > > > @"Lyttle.9426" said:

> > > > > > > > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > > > > > > a big fat NO

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > a little skinny WHY NOT?

> > > > > >

> > > > > > because all it does is bread negativity, discrimination and nothing but a bad flow in-game.

> > > > > > if it was up to me i would ban arcDPS from the game and ban ppl from using it, DPS is absolutely useless when you suck at the game.

> > > > >

> > > > > Actuaklly a DPS meter does the opposite. I created an environment where its easier for people to go into groups and prove themselves. Class discrimination was also diminished hard by arc dps.

> > > > >

> > > > > Let me take you back to a time where we had no legal means of seeing each others dps. Back in HoT times where in raids we had the infamous mirror comps, with 6 supporters and 4 dpslers. Those dps roles? Reserved for eles. The community had the perception that an Ele would always outdps just everything. Other classes in most groups were only taken if no ele would show up for a while and if the group would not meet the dps requirement, the non ele would always be kicked. Example, No updraft Gorseval. Group has 3 Eles and one Dragonhunter but fails to do enough damage to do no updraft Gorseval. Who gets kicked? The Dragonhunter. Because it was "common knowledge" that the ele would always do enough damage and so it was the Dragonhunter who was the weakest link for not building an Ele. Doesn't matter if the DH actually did the most damage or not, he would still getting kicked because everyone thinks that he was the weakest link in the group and if the one who actually did no damage is still in the group then nothing was solved and the group would still wipe on that boss.

> > > > > Now same scenario but with an actual dps meter. Group fails and leader looks at the damage the group did and finds out, 2 Eles and the DH were doing enough but one of the eles was just doing as much as the chrono tank. The leader now knows where the problem is and can act based on actual information instead of perception and class discrimination. Also the new place would be free to any dps class. Even a reaper could show up and pull its own weight ( reapers had the reputation of doing kitten damage, and without an actual dps meter it would have no chance of getting into the group )

> > > > >

> > > > > Today, most raid groups ojnly kick you for bad dps if your damage is actually bad ( like under 10k without doing mechanics or even worse doing as much as the dedicated healers ). Doing just enough is actually that. Enough to actually stay in the raid group.

> > > >

> > > > anything that prevents me from actually playing is a bad idea, if DPS is the only thing ppl care about then Anet needs to do something about that like actually making the game challenging without focusing on DPS.

> > > > also, as long as this kind of discrimination happens i will always hate raids, it's nothing but toxicity and doesn't add anything to the game.

> > > >

> > > > but please, convince me otherwise, have a group that doesn't care about DPs as long as it's fun but don't come to me crying when that very thing is impossible because of arcDPS.

> > >

> > > It's not impossible because of arcdps. It's impossible because this game already lacks defined roles. We have DPS and then we have DPS-lite which we call support, but which basically exists only because it produces higher group DPS than filling those roles with more DPS. What would you replace that with? Nothing? So what do these roles do exactly? Just run around performing...other mechanics? Is this a battle or a puzzle we're talking about here?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> > your lack of imagination is mind blowing, do you really know only DPS and nothing more?

> > what about mechanics that kills a boss easier, what about challenges that makes DPS only useful when needed and nothing more?

> > for example, a boss that weakens by taking down it's shields but you need tanks to get to the generators, DPS players would die way to easy while tanks can get trough with ease.

> > also, the whole problem with arcDPS is that no-one can play for the fun of it, it's always way to serious without a hint of fun.

> > if something isn't fun enough in a game it should not exist, i would ether make raids actually fun (lower difficulty) or change it so DPS isn't the main way to play raids.

>

> Yea the green big circles at Drakkar really helps when 90% of the people dont stand in them to avoid bos room damage and a get a 1 minute damage buff, even if Yelled in map chat.

> So what are anet supposed to do really, people ignore mechanics that help kill bosses already.

I mean.. I dont stand in that green circle either but thats because its poorly designed imo. You have to move away from the boss and range during the best burst window when hes standing still to get it, so thats already a dps loss. Then as soon as it hits, drakkar goes into the ice and is untargatable for 20s, wasting 1/3 of it. When he comes out he will most of the time breathe his knockback , or start his foot stomps meaning the rest of it is mostly wasted too.

> @"Lumikki.1725" said:

> > @"Taril.8619" said:

> > The measurement tools required in the case of all enemies dying near instantly, would be player count measurement tools, because there'd be 0 people playing the game since it would be super boring if everything died as easily as OW trash mobs (OW content is very popular, but that's due to more interesting encounters such as Bounties, World Bosses, Meta's with bosses and events that scale with people making the trash actually tanky and dangerous)

>

> That's just personal playing styles choises as what player want's from content. Not all players want high challenge. I don't mean that game should not have challenges, I just say that this reflects just for personal taste of content.

> >

> > We literally have active defence though. Dodge rolls. Many classes also have utilities that provide defense too.

> >

> > Active defence has zero impact on the focus of DPS though. Even where it's required, it's still "DPS" as the priority, you just work in the active defence where necessary.

> >

> > The only things that compete with DPS are Defence and Healing which are completely disregarded by DPS players and are only relevant to Tanks/Healers.

> >

>

> Dodge rolling is avoiding to be hit by enemies, that isn't active defence. Active defence is where you deside to stay same place and block or reduse attacks amplitude by defence tools what you have. Example soldier raising shield, mage casting magic barrier. Now that doesn't mean you can allways do that, because like all skills they have recharge time.

>

> At the moment the challenge in this game is nothing more that increase of enemies HP (and some damage) and player counter effect that by trying to maximize they DPS. Base combat is same from start. Without active defence you just move and dodge as avoiding been hit. This isn't bad think it self, because at least it's movement compared to "Holy Trinity" combat. But this combat still has major flaws in defencive side as been too offensive only.

>

>

Fractals uses tons of active defense. Especially CM's. 99% of it comes from firebrand spamming aegis/stability. DPS dont need to take it as the fb will cover it for whole group. For the other 1% in raids ect, heal scourge can cover it with barriers. Again supports provide the defense, not dps.

> @"AgentMoore.9453" said:

> > @"Yggranya.5201" said:

> > There are no sweep areas, nothing will get done.

>

> I know you're a fatalist, but devs whispering suspected perpetrators of tomfoolery is a real thing that really happens. I know this because I've got a handful of friends who have had devs whisper them to check in over the years. You don't have to accept that the check-ins are effective or that enough action is taken against people who break the TOS, but to act like the situation is hopeless or that the company doesn't at all care about its community helps no one.

>

> OP is clearly showing some optimism and trying to suggest possible solutions, so for people to respond so negatively only reinforces the idea that something is terribly wrong. Should they report cruddy activity in-game instead? Probably (and maybe they already have). Does it hurt anyone to state the issue on the forums and look for potential solutions? No.

>

> Show a little sunshine, would you?

I dont know about PVE but in PVP at least nothing is ever done about the botting. Its close to 50% bots in games now in off hours and is only getting worse. Cant really feel like the company cares when its in that state.

> @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > @"Walhalla.5473" said:

> > > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > > @"Lyttle.9426" said:

> > > > > @"sorudo.9054" said:

> > > > > a big fat NO

> > > >

> > > > a little skinny WHY NOT?

> > >

> > > because all it does is bread negativity, discrimination and nothing but a bad flow in-game.

> > > if it was up to me i would ban arcDPS from the game and ban ppl from using it, DPS is absolutely useless when you suck at the game.

> >

> > Actuaklly a DPS meter does the opposite. I created an environment where its easier for people to go into groups and prove themselves. Class discrimination was also diminished hard by arc dps.

> >

> > Let me take you back to a time where we had no legal means of seeing each others dps. Back in HoT times where in raids we had the infamous mirror comps, with 6 supporters and 4 dpslers. Those dps roles? Reserved for eles. The community had the perception that an Ele would always outdps just everything. Other classes in most groups were only taken if no ele would show up for a while and if the group would not meet the dps requirement, the non ele would always be kicked. Example, No updraft Gorseval. Group has 3 Eles and one Dragonhunter but fails to do enough damage to do no updraft Gorseval. Who gets kicked? The Dragonhunter. Because it was "common knowledge" that the ele would always do enough damage and so it was the Dragonhunter who was the weakest link for not building an Ele. Doesn't matter if the DH actually did the most damage or not, he would still getting kicked because everyone thinks that he was the weakest link in the group and if the one who actually did no damage is still in the group then nothing was solved and the group would still wipe on that boss.

> > Now same scenario but with an actual dps meter. Group fails and leader looks at the damage the group did and finds out, 2 Eles and the DH were doing enough but one of the eles was just doing as much as the chrono tank. The leader now knows where the problem is and can act based on actual information instead of perception and class discrimination. Also the new place would be free to any dps class. Even a reaper could show up and pull its own weight ( reapers had the reputation of doing kitten damage, and without an actual dps meter it would have no chance of getting into the group )

> >

> > Today, most raid groups ojnly kick you for bad dps if your damage is actually bad ( like under 10k without doing mechanics or even worse doing as much as the dedicated healers ). Doing just enough is actually that. Enough to actually stay in the raid group.

>

> anything that prevents me from actually playing is a bad idea, if DPS is the only thing ppl care about then Anet needs to do something about that like actually making the game challenging without focusing on DPS.

> also, as long as this kind of discrimination happens i will always hate raids, it's nothing but toxicity and doesn't add anything to the game.

>

> but please, convince me otherwise, have a group that doesn't care about DPs as long as it's fun but don't come to me crying when that very thing is impossible because of arcDPS.

As long as game content requires a enemies hp to be reduced to 0 to win, DPS will be the focus. It is entirely possible to make content that needs 0 dps, like capturing points in spirit vale, however this type of content ends up being boring as it requires no use of player skills, just running back and forth for 5 minutes. The entire skill system in gw2 is designed around doing damage and therefore anything that is challenging is going to need some form of combat.

There are niche roles in raids btw that dont need any dps at all, like handkite at deimos. Tanks and healers arent expected to do dps either so if someone really hates having their dps judged they can learn those roles instead.

It is not toxicity to expect people to contribute to the group and bring builds that are appropriate for the content. I have found much, much more toxicity from open world players, especially on forums, than I have ever found in a raid group. PVP is even worse. I hate pvp but it would be toxic myself, to say it adds nothing to the game.

> @"assasin oates.3018" said:

> Why are you people even playing this game?

I like the combat.

If anet can create a dps meter thats as good as arc, with equal or better features, and no excessive monetization, Id love to see it in game. Due to their past record with build templates I dont trust anet to make that happen, so Id rather they dont make one.

> @"Lyttle.9426" said:

> > @"Besetment.9187" said:

> > The burst capability of ele is absolutely mental. A Power Weaver with boon support can burst over 100k/s during exposed debuff (after breaking a defiance bar).

> >

>

>

>

> I dont "weaver" because I dont like melee. I find melee very limiting. At ranged, I can do damage both at a distance and up close, whereas I have to be "in their face" for melee to take affect. I dodge a lot for my own survival.

>

>

>

Then you are ignoring literal core game design. Boons are melee range. If you dont stand in melee with your team you get no boons. You can play however you want but to then come on forums and complain people kick you and insult them when you play in the literal least useful way for your team, in a way that goes against all the fundamentals of combat in this game, is daft.

> @"maddoctor.2738" said:

> > @"Astralporing.1957" said:

> > If you want to compare like that, you might as well start comparing top tier gw2 dps with magi tempest auramancer. that's dead half of the time.

>

> This is true and another reason why I don't like the whole argument (especially coming from a developer) of "top players are doing 10x more damage than the average", that average does include magi tempest auramancers that are dead half of the time

Average DPS in open world does about 3k though. Run a DPS meter for a day and you can see it clearly. In general you will have 4-5 people in a squad of 50 doing 25k, 10-15 doing 10-20k and the rest hovering between 3-6k max dps.

Fractals:

Fall of Abaddon - was offered as an alternative to thermonova back in year 1/2 of gw2 but wasnt chosen by the playerbase. Would love to see it finally.

Raid:

The wizards tower - above kessex hills

Strike:

Mad king thorns castle for halloween

The thorn dragon from LWS2

Eater of souls from POF story