What happened to the surge?

[xihorus.2804]

From my experience, the release of the ticket system in WvW created a surge of players from PvE interested not in the game mode itself, but because it offered an alternate means of getting legendary armor that didn't involve raids. I'm not trying to bash people who exclusively PvE (I enjoy much of PvE myself), but many of them came in with unrealistic expectations about WvW and what to expect. A smaller percentage were captivated by the game mode, and stuck with it.

 

Most of the reasons I have heard for why people didn't stick with the game mode stemmed from the unpredictability of it. In instanced PvE content like fractals, players can master the content through researching builds, practicing rotations, and learning the encounter and its mechanics. In WvW you have to adapt and react to the situation, which requires you to not only understand your own profession and its weaknesses/strengths, but also that of your opponents. Also, many people seemed unable to come to terms with basic realities in WvW, like when a group twice your size mows you down while your group is trying to capture an objective - this is a normal occurrence and the enemy doesn't care about the unfair nature of the fight.

 

To top if off, the new surge of PvErs was easy pickings for experienced WvW vets. I cannot tell you how many times I would encounter a group of two or three while solo roaming, intentionally land an interrupt while they were in the middle of a super-predictable DPS rotation, and watch them run around like headless chickens spamming auto attacks while waiting for skills to come off cooldown to attempt the rotation again. Then swiftly execute them one by one as none ran stunbreaks or cleanses.

 

Overall, I am happy the surge happened as it injected fresh blood into WvW. I also feel the ticket system was designed well enough that those only interested in WvW for legendary armor have largely returned to PvE.

[Klipso.8653]

> @"Bigpapasmurf.5623" said:

> Thanks to guild recruitment, Ive brought about 3-4 people into WvW in the mast couple months...2 stayed and loved it...one wants to gear better first.

>

> I try to make it enjoyable, win or lose you can have fun if y ou run with people you know or like

 

It's tough to recruit on a server that's been locked for over 3 years (since pre-HoT). I'd love to bring in new players, but that's not an option for some of us.

[Brutal Augus.5917]

They got their gifts of battle

[Zhuul.1759]

> @"Klipso.8653" said:

> When Anet dropped their ticket system, we had a huge influx of players. Ques on every map, every day. And it was awesome, we haven't seen WvW participation like that since season 1 and tournaments.

>

> Where did they all go? And what could Anet add to bring them back?

 

WvW and sPvP tickets are useless.

The required **Grandmaster Marks** to actually use them are so sick to get that even Legendary farming in WoW looks enjoyable.

 

They are only good for Trinkets but Trinkets are everywhere in the Game so no getting farmed in your exotic Gear in WvW required.

[SkyShroud.2865]

The populations have dwindled, if you haven't notice. Well, if you are from fattened server, it is hard to notice but for me who run a pvx guild that take in people from all 3 modes, is noticeable.

[Threather.9354]

Theres still ton of population. Just skillful playerbase has been declining. Too many newbie commanders and guilds going around. There's just barely any reason to leave spawn/PvE/PvP unless you wanna follow some brat with no skills.

[ToPNoP.2493]

Grouping up and pushing circles to win is what is killing the skilled base. Being able to see lows and target them, not being op, is what both entices and enrages, enticing for condition players and enraging for malee that see them in the group but have no chance in bashing them down, even if caught alone for 20 seconds. Making wvw skill based, where faster thinkers out perform bad game play, keeps the skilled begging for more. I think the meme is "same pay for the same work," or something like that.

[henchmen.1856]

> @"Klipso.8653" said:

> > @"Bigpapasmurf.5623" said:

> > Thanks to guild recruitment, Ive brought about 3-4 people into WvW in the mast couple months...2 stayed and loved it...one wants to gear better first.

> >

> > I try to make it enjoyable, win or lose you can have fun if y ou run with people you know or like

>

> It's tough to recruit on a server that's been locked for over 3 years (since pre-HoT). I'd love to bring in new players, but that's not an option for some of us.

 

dont worry. rest easy knowing that the other 23 na servers will bring in the new players for you.

[reddie.5861]

> @"Klipso.8653" said:

> When Anet dropped their ticket system, we had a huge influx of players. Ques on every map, every day. And it was awesome, we haven't seen WvW participation like that since season 1 and tournaments.

>

> Where did they all go? And what could Anet add to bring them back?

 

conditions happend, shitty new "elites" happend.

 

basically i dont have problem with either of the 2 (yes i did quit) but when u do make conditions betters then atleast buff up power also in a way that u cant just stack tons of deffensive shit + do ton of condi dmg.

as power player u basically hitting a tank while some1 is peeing conditions non stop constantly over you.

wanna fix it? do like u did to thiefs that blocks endurance regen when u get out of chill state or w/e it was.

cleanse a condition block re apply of it for 3/4 seconds :) nice huh? no? easy fix.

 

as for the elites i dont really like it how most new elites get pumped to the point that old ones almost render useless.

ofcourse i know u gotta make them better then old and HoT ones in order to get people to buy this extension.

 

tbh i have just had it a little with WvW (well thats gw2 for me) for now.

 

[Shining One.1635]

For many, enough time has passed for them to collect enough WvW Skirmish Claim Tickets to complete a full set of Legendary armor. If that was their only goal in WvW, then they have no reason to stay. I imagine we'd get another surge of players if Anet released Legendary trinkets and an aqua breather for WvW.

[diamondgirl.6315]

> @"xihorus.2804" said:

> From my experience, the release of the ticket system in WvW created a surge of players from PvE interested not in the game mode itself, but because it offered an alternate means of getting legendary armor that didn't involve raids. I'm not trying to bash people who exclusively PvE (I enjoy much of PvE myself), but many of them came in with unrealistic expectations about WvW and what to expect. A smaller percentage were captivated by the game mode, and stuck with it.

 

I agree, and this is the only avenue available *to the devs* for getting fresh blood into the mode.

 

To other people's points, though; adding players to the mode is something that we as wvw players can do, through recruitment and training. That is the only sustainable way to get more players. If we rely upon to devs to bribe them in with rewards, and then are angry when they show up for rewards, we have only ourselves to blame. Bring people in, show them how to play, and we can create a more sustainable pool of people who love the mode for the same reasons we do.

 

 

[Caprarius.4901]

The lack of an overall server goal takes some of the drive out of playing WvW. The original purpose of it was to win to get benefits for your entire server which promoted a sense of community service since the benefits helped everyone out.

 

But now with how the system rewards even more to you when you're outnumbered, feels counter minding the whole sense of a community and encourages selfish individualism. I've seen people actively try to keep an Outnumbered status a secret so they could get more pips.

[SkyShroud.2865]

> @"Threather.9354" said:

> Theres still ton of population. Just skillful playerbase has been declining. Too many newbie commanders and guilds going around. There's just barely any reason to leave spawn/PvE/PvP unless you wanna follow some brat with no skills.

 

Are you not a newbie once before? That kind of arrogance is what make the already declining populations decline even faster.

[Strider Pj.2193]

> @"SkyShroud.2865" said:

> > @"Threather.9354" said:

> > Theres still ton of population. Just skillful playerbase has been declining. Too many newbie commanders and guilds going around. There's just barely any reason to leave spawn/PvE/PvP unless you wanna follow some brat with no skills.

>

> Are you not a newbie once before? That kind of arrogance is what make the already declining populations decline even faster.

 

Agree with this.

 

Some of the open servers are getting new players. Not a ton, but some. Some skilled people doing training would be great. It would help the health of the mode.

[ReaverKane.7598]

> @"Zhuul.1759" said:

> > @"Klipso.8653" said:

> > When Anet dropped their ticket system, we had a huge influx of players. Ques on every map, every day. And it was awesome, we haven't seen WvW participation like that since season 1 and tournaments.

> >

> > Where did they all go? And what could Anet add to bring them back?

>

> WvW and sPvP tickets are useless.

> The required **Grandmaster Marks** to actually use them are so sick to get that even Legendary farming in WoW looks enjoyable.

>

> They are only good for Trinkets but Trinkets are everywhere in the Game so no getting farmed in your exotic Gear in WvW required.

 

Blame the guy next to you...

People complained so much that ascended armor was dirt cheap in PvP that Arena Net, overreacted (as usual) and somehow had the genius idea of involving crafting in buying items from an NPC...