Do raids need easy/normal/hard difficulty mode? [merged]

[vesica tempestas.1563]

started playing eso here a couple months ago, just sick and tired of pvp builds getting wrecked because of pve parses. Interestingly I have been happily pugging normal mode trials and its been a blast, No emo, no 'must have build x or dps y', because normal mode raids don't need it, people do it for the fun and loot ( I know little about the fights at the moment). I get to learn the fight mechanics in a relaxed environment. As it should be.

[Lonami.2987]

So, how are you guys doing? Nowadays 95% of my guild doesn't raid anymore, and the few who do are players who never raided before, and got into it due to boredom, since there's nothing else to do lately due to the content drought.

 

I no longer raid either, mostly because LFG times are horrible, and I have no motivation for the game overall, since I don't know if End of Dragons will be any good, so why even invest any time into GW2 endgame?

 

> @"vesica tempestas.1563" said:

> started playing eso here a couple months ago, just sick and tired of pvp builds getting wrecked because of pve parses. Interestingly I have been happily pugging normal mode trials and its been a blast, No emo, no 'must have build x or dps y', because normal mode raids don't need it, people do it for the fun and loot ( I know little about the fights at the moment). I get to learn the fight mechanics in a relaxed environment. As it should be.

 

I guess that's what they intended with Strike Missions, the problem is they use different encounters, and people should be learning/training the same encounters, so they can accumulate experience on the mechanics of each boss.

 

Strike Missions should have been a raid wing with easy mode, plain and simple. On their own, with just easy mode, they just don't work.

[Hypnowulf.7403]

The raider perspective is an interesting one and perhaps one not so commonly shared. I think the most genuinely interesting takeaway from the three years prior when this was posted was an assumption that one mightn't want to play "easy mode," as it were, indefinitely. That we should all want to ascend eventually.

 

A curious notion. It's as though there isn't any reason to play other than for the sake of competition and to watch one's numbers growing ever bigger towards some kind of orgasmic finale that never truly occurs. It feels like raiding leaves one in a constant state of blueballs and perhaps that's the reason for the lack of interest—as the effort moves from play to work, and the joy deteriorates into chores, the pay-off then must be so remarkably great, unlike anything seen e'er before. Such a thing is unlikely, yes?

 

At the end of the day, all one is left with is the operant conditioning chamber effect of watching numbers grow higher and that growing, encroaching, inevitable predator looming just over the horizon—the feeling you've been conned, that you've wasted your life, that this was a fruitless endeavour, and that perhaps a video game should never be mistaken for any act of worth. I'd imagine that most would play for other reasons. Curiosity, perhaps; simply for the fun, the novelty. Others might find they've become enthralled with the narrative. There are reasons beyond comeptition and numbers.

 

I, myself, am a steadfast advocate of "easy mode" as a game is a game, and what worth hath a game if you're not having fun? The only assumption I can make is that this is felt by many, and thus why raiding lacks impetus or motivation for most. What, then, does this experience offer but a pale imitation of what can be done elsewhere? One tarred with frustration and marred with hostile interactions with others whom one might otherswise enjoy the company of.

 

I'm sure that some might hear the sickly call of the raid, yet I'd surmise it isn't the desire for challenge they have, but rather lore, narrative, and novel experiences. They seek new content, not more difficult content, and if raids are indeed the last vestige of that once all else has been exhausted, even those who dislike them might become a little curious. I'd say that, indeed, adding an "easy mode" to existing raids and focusing on dungeons henceforth might be to ArenaNet's benefit.

 

Gauche it might be to say, yet I will repeat myself, all raiding can do is lead to a case of blueballs—this operant conditioning chamber is akin to a drug. You need more. You will always need more. The challenge will never be enough, and the reward can never match what you feel you have earned, so only withdrawal from this addictive path lies ahead. It's not healthy, it's quite toxic, and in lesser games it has lead to deaths.

 

Indeed, in World of Warcraft, a mother became so ensorcelled by the ways of the raid that she forgot to feed her children. It was a sorry fate that befell them, and I'd personally not see that soon repeated. To wit, the question must be raised: Is raiding healthy? Is it worth the cost? What is it that you truly get from the experience that you couldn't gain elsewhere? And indeed, its vile nature ensures that others are indentured to this task. Wouldn't you say that's a little unfair? When can they walk away? When it affects their job, their family, their health, their life?

 

Questions like these are why clever companies have moved away from the raid. It brings attention that you sorely do not need.

 

Entitlement was spoken of—indeed, that must be met. Truly, no one is entitled. So why is one entitled to a raid? Why is one entitled to bind others to the service of a guild for the purposes of these raids? The further we investigate, the more questions asked, the greater a folly it seems. This is why most do not raid.

 

To bring down the difficulty of content that would lead to health concerns would only benefit ArenaNet's bottom-line. Yet to add difficulty, to create this indentured servitude, to have others bound to the point of poor health? This can only lead to bad press. If it is truly difficulty you seek, why not create your own? It's a fair question, yes? After all, I know it's a simple matter to _reduce_ one's numbers. If one were truly in it for merely the challenge alone, then one could seek the inverse-meta, find the least likely builds with which to brag about successes with.

 

You could do that, yes? Except it isn't challenge you seek. If it were, you could do this. You could master the unlikeliest of champions—your task could be to find new, varied, and interesting ways in which to limit yourself. This isn't about limitation though, it's about excess... It's about the dopamine hit accompanied by rising numbers. Yet as I've said, this can only ever dampen over time... The next hit has to be ever greater, far more potent than the last. What then? Very hard? Extreme? Ultra-Extreme? X-Edition L33T? Where does this sordid road end?

 

An addiction is an addiction and it is never healthy. There are already eyes on both mobile and online titles alike—to invite addiction and the poor health of players isn't really something ArenaNet would reasonably want to court, it wouldn't avail them of aught, this process could only be to their detriment. You must examine what it is you think you want, and then ruminate on whether you truly do indeed want it.

 

The road to raid is paved with pathos, so let's not?

[Firebeard.1746]

I didn't even see that the OP was saying easy mode doesn't give Leggie rewards/achievements, I would have left this alone if I had noticed. I'm fine with the hard mode having certain unique rewards, but not legendaries. Legendaries are the end game and by locking them out of any easy mode, you're locking people out of long-term engagement, because that is the long term engagement in this game outside of sheer enjoyment. I'm fine with the LI or equivalent drop rates being lower than the hardmodes, but feel it would be a mistake not to have access to legendary rewards at that level.

 

I support hard modes because I accept that there's players that want hard challenges and want to be rewarded for them, and that's completely fine. The elite in this game are tired too and feel abandoned. They know everything and my understanding is the last wing was a bit of a disappointment in terms of difficulty. Right now, raids in their current state aren't serving either end of the community, and ideally, Anet should want to cater to both. I know I'm going to be flamed by hardcore raiders for my suggestion, but in reality, if the only reason they raid is for a reward others can't have, then they're driven by toxic elitism, and not by love of the game mode. And I'm actually not opposed to something special, like maybe an infusion with a low drop rate for the harder modes.

[Tseison.4659]

A 100% agree that there needs to be a “medium” mode so atleast first timers can immerse themselves in the lore of the raids and actually get to experience what others do.

 

I still have yet to do the path of fire raids but the other raids I did with FRIENDLY players who actually trained and were very patient. Not saying we don’t need them but it would be preferred if there was an “easier’ ish” mode that anyone/profession can take part in.

[Ayrilana.1396]

Legendary armor tied to **normal** raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on **easy** to get better.

 

There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Ayrilana.1396" said:

> Legendary armor tied to **normal** raid mode would be the incentive for those who are playing on **easy** to get better.

>

> There are already several raid encounter which a group of new raiders can more easily complete on a weekly basis and gradually earn LI for a legendary armor.

 

I would disagree, I think, just like pvp, if the easy mode took longer, the incentive for normal mode would be to complete the Armor quicker, much like Pvp, the better you do the less time it takes.

[Nightcore.5621]

We already have a easy mode doin none cm is easy mode