Crystal Desert is a pain

[Insecticon.3506]

Why does everything have to be 12 on 1 for this map? You can't even travel down the road without being swarmed by everything. This is ridiculous and frustrating to the point of making want to just uninstall this damn thing. I seriously made it to level 80 for this crap?

[Ayakaru.6583]

Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

[Farowin.2896]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

 

I was drinking Pepsi while reading this, now my phone is covered in Pepsi. Lmao

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

 

Toward that end, the raptor mount engage ability is very nice for rounding up groups of enemies and giving you a moment where you can unload a bit of burst before they recover and start swarming you. Alternatively, you can simply use your mounts to travel around enemies. The jackal and griffon are best for this as the jackal has frequent evades and the griffon can often just glide over enemies, although the springer could just take you up to a high cliff and safety as well.

 

I find the mob density a little annoying myself, but mounts do make life better that way!

[Ayrilana.1396]

What mob density though? I don’t recall there ever being large groups except in very specific locations. I only see swarms when I run around and aggro everything imaginable.

[Saphykun.3206]

> @"Ayrilana.1396" said:

> What mob density though? I don’t recall there ever being large groups except in very specific locations. I only see swarms when I run around and aggro everything imaginable.

 

The best I can think of in the Crystal Oasis is the Sand Eel. One of them can summon more eels, much like the Krait Hypnoss.

 

The awakened had an abysmally long aggro range when I last ran in the desert. I could be wrong, though.

[OneYenShort.3189]

What we "learned" in Tyria and HoT is that we can run by mobs, dodge, block, and continue on our merry way.

 

We have unlearn that in PoF, because doing so on mounts is guaranteed swarm screw over. The only thing I can say is that this is buy design by the World Devs, pretty much saying screw the Mount Devs idea of Joy of Movement. If you go OUT OF YOUR WAY to go around mobs you see in PoF, you won't gather the same type of swarm and deal with messes of the standard one got used to in Tyria and HoT. Also some maps are much worse for this than others.

 

I also discovered that I get hit by mobs when all the freaking time if I run by mounted. If I'm on foot, I'm hardly ever hit.

 

Op, also, my apologies, but you are late to complain about this one. You'll either learn to modify how you move about in PoF, or you'll stop playing (PoF or the game. Depends on your level of frustration.)

[Insecticon.3506]

> @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

 

Yes, I have. Or just trying to go around and then a Veteran (whatever) kills my mount and then I'm dead in 3 hits. So much fun <--Sarcasm>

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"Insecticon.3506" said:

> > @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> > Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

>

> Yes, I have. Or just trying to go around and then a Veteran (whatever) kills my mount and then I'm dead in 3 hits. So much fun <--Sarcasm>

 

3 hits? Listen, bro. Everybody knows that the first rule of hyperbole in video games is that it _always_ kills you in 1 hit!

 

[Imperadordf.2687]

Have you tried using escape/evade/block/stunbreak skills that every class has access to?

[OneYenShort.3189]

> @"KeoLegend.5132" said:

> Then quit. We dont need whiners-at-everything like you.

> If you are having trouble with such a meaningless "issue" you should roll over a lv 1 and learn how to play this game again.

> The community here is so good that theres even lots of ppl giving you tips on how to deal with this "issue" i hope you take it into account and stop complaining

 

Take a breath there. Normally posts like the OP are done in a fit of utter frustration. Allow them to vent first without stoking their fire. You'll find they're more prone to listen and be helpful to/for the community at large afterwards.

 

I know when HoT got released, I got my rear end handed to me a LOT. That was ego hurting, but I yelled, screamed, took a breath, then started to try to learn all over again. I have found I had to repeat that process for PoF. I personally don't like it due to the fact that change means the game is really no longer casually friendly like it was. But... thems the breaks with how games evolve over time.

[Anchoku.8142]

I think CD is good interactive fun. Soloing events is even more interesting.

[Sila.6748]

The only areas where I know this is a super pain in the neck thing to deal with is some places with awakened/forged/branded. But those places are, by design, MEANT to be dangerous. You're walking into their territory in a sense. And for most things you don't have to go through those areas for more than a hero point or so. But as someone above said, the mounts are great at dealing with it. Have the right skills on hand, cleave the heck out of the mobs, and target the veteran first so you can make sure to CC it down so it's less of a pain. I flat out died half the time when I ran through there at first, but over time I learned how to strafe, dodge, and evade things so I can run through there without dying. (Not to say that I don't still die, because I do, but that's usually when I'm just screwing around being bored)

[KeoLegend.5132]

> @"OneYenShort.3189" said:

> > @"KeoLegend.5132" said:

> > Then quit. We dont need whiners-at-everything like you.

> > If you are having trouble with such a meaningless "issue" you should roll over a lv 1 and learn how to play this game again.

> > The community here is so good that theres even lots of ppl giving you tips on how to deal with this "issue" i hope you take it into account and stop complaining

>

> Take a breath there. Normally posts like the OP are done in a fit of utter frustration. Allow them to vent first without stoking their fire. You'll find they're more prone to listen and be helpful to/for the community at large afterwards.

>

> I know when HoT got released, I got my rear end handed to me a LOT. That was ego hurting, but I yelled, screamed, took a breath, then started to try to learn all over again. I have found I had to repeat that process for PoF. I personally don't like it due to the fact that change means the game is really no longer casually friendly like it was. But... thems the breaks with how games evolve over time.

 

> @"OneYenShort.3189" said:

> > @"KeoLegend.5132" said:

> > Then quit. We dont need whiners-at-everything like you.

> > If you are having trouble with such a meaningless "issue" you should roll over a lv 1 and learn how to play this game again.

> > The community here is so good that theres even lots of ppl giving you tips on how to deal with this "issue" i hope you take it into account and stop complaining

>

> Take a breath there. Normally posts like the OP are done in a fit of utter frustration. Allow them to vent first without stoking their fire. You'll find they're more prone to listen and be helpful to/for the community at large afterwards.

>

> I know when HoT got released, I got my rear end handed to me a LOT. That was ego hurting, but I yelled, screamed, took a breath, then started to try to learn all over again. I have found I had to repeat that process for PoF. I personally don't like it due to the fact that change means the game is really no longer casually friendly like it was. But... thems the breaks with how games evolve over time.

 

i got torn out like i was lv 1 again with HoT

Died hundred of times. That didn't make HoT bad, it made HoT FUN!

It made HoT a CHALLENGE. When i learned how to play against its mobs, learned the tricks, the puzzles, the maps, the meta,... i loved it! Even some very frustrating parts like getting those hard MPs, once i got them i felt so realized and proud!

 

POF on the other hand i tought it was a bit too easy. Not blaming Anet, they did the best they could, but i do miss vertical maps and the extreme frustration to explore them lol, it made every map of HoT memorable.

 

Guys in these days dont want to have a challenge at all. They get to endgame in weeks, then leave complaining that the game gives no challenge at all

[Ayrilana.1396]

> @"Saphykun.3206" said:

> > @"Ayrilana.1396" said:

> > What mob density though? I don’t recall there ever being large groups except in very specific locations. I only see swarms when I run around and aggro everything imaginable.

>

> The best I can think of in the Crystal Oasis is the Sand Eel. One of them can summon more eels, much like the Krait Hypnoss.

>

> The awakened had an abysmally long aggro range when I last ran in the desert. I could be wrong, though.

 

I think it was just one type of awakened that had a long aggro range similar to the knights in Bloodstone Fen and one of the risen in Orr.

 

I personally wouldn’t consider mobs spawning others as “density” just like I wouldn’t consider four wolves in a cave as eight just because they can each summon another.

 

[czerwoni.9563]

its not that bad, but i ran it on a necro

[AliamRationem.5172]

> @"OneYenShort.3189" said:

> > @"KeoLegend.5132" said:

> > Then quit. We dont need whiners-at-everything like you.

> > If you are having trouble with such a meaningless "issue" you should roll over a lv 1 and learn how to play this game again.

> > The community here is so good that theres even lots of ppl giving you tips on how to deal with this "issue" i hope you take it into account and stop complaining

>

> Take a breath there. Normally posts like the OP are done in a fit of utter frustration. Allow them to vent first without stoking their fire. You'll find they're more prone to listen and be helpful to/for the community at large afterwards.

>

> I know when HoT got released, I got my rear end handed to me a LOT. That was ego hurting, but I yelled, screamed, took a breath, then started to try to learn all over again. I have found I had to repeat that process for PoF. I personally don't like it due to the fact that change means the game is really no longer casually friendly like it was. But... thems the breaks with how games evolve over time.

 

I feel for the folks who enjoy core Tyria gameplay, but the expansions are really much more my speed. I also got my butt handed to me as a new player entering HoT for the first time. However, one of my favorite things about GW2's combat system is how much room there is to improve with practice and tweaking your build. It really does make a world of difference once you start to get the timing down and understand how to exploit enemy weaknesses. This as opposed to more passive games where outcomes are determined more strongly by your equipment than just the moves you make.

 

Thinking back on my earliest efforts in HoT, I thought it was perhaps a bit poorly designed. My class simply can't do that! I'll just avoid those scenarios or find a group. But the more I practiced and learned, the more I was able to do until I was literally soloing champions that initially wiped me out along with a horde of other players! Even now as an experienced player I can see the evolution as I pick up a new class and begin the process of tweaking and practicing the build to get more out of it. That's been one of the more rewarding aspects of GW2 for me, and it simply didn't exist prior to the expansions because core Tyria is just too "casual" to make the most out of this excellent combat system!

 

I never would have imagined as a new 80 exploring HoT that I'd some day be able to do things like this!

 

 

Do you know how many deaths by fire I experienced at the hands of this guy? I don't care to admit it. But it's a lot! And it didn't really matter whether I was with a group or not. Half the time I'd just walk in and die in seconds! What else can I say but that it's been an enjoyable journey from where I was then to where I am now!

[OneYenShort.3189]

> @"AliamRationem.5172" said:

> Do you know how many deaths by fire I experienced at the hands of this guy? I don't care to admit it. But it's a lot! And it didn't really matter whether I was with a group or not. Half the time I'd just walk in and die in seconds! What else can I say but that it's been an enjoyable journey from where I was then to where I am now!

 

And that is absolutely wonderful that players like you and KeoLegend.5132 love this sort of stuff. But not everyone will have the same growth capacity let alone rigs that can help enable such (yeah, it matters.)

I can handle myself out in PoF now, but you know what I still can't really do? Stop and look around. Try to take in all that the graphical devs gave us because of how the mobs are. That is what I miss. I can apprecate challenge, don't get me wrong. But I also want to enjoy what the other groups gave us. Both Tyria and HoT I can look around and enjoy. PoF... not so much. That is what makes me sad.

 

So when people like the OP come in full of rage, I know exactly where they are coming from. So let them yell and scream. Hopefully they'll calm down and then read the observations we can provide rather than just mention basics of game play or resorting to the insult of learn to play as it is commonly tossed out on the forums. That is all my statement is.

 

I hear you on death. My big spot... SAB elite. I think my death count multiplied by 10 with that darn thing, let alone I still haven't completed all of the 2nd world of it yet for the other mix jukebox.

 

[Ayakaru.6583]

> @"Farowin.2896" said:

> > @"Ayakaru.6583" said:

> > Have you tried killing the enemies instead of running in and luring 12 enemies?

>

> I was drinking Pepsi while reading this, now my phone is covered in Pepsi. Lmao

 

Is your phone pepsi now?

[Malafaia.8903]

So, you wanna walk thru an already violent desert, that are being invaded by a god of fire, chaos and war, fighting an army of undead and want all of this to be friendly. Don't seem very reasonable.

 

Now, seriously, i can easily avoid any mobs (except maybe champs if i waste endurance on the wrong time) just by "dodging" at the right time.

You just need to know the mobs a little and bind keys for every mount, practice changing mounts fast and you'll be fine. Need speed? Raptor time. Too crowdy? Jackal them bois. See a route to safety upwards? Bunny it. A rock that looks safe? Griffon to safety. Wanna die? Skimmer!

[Sobx.1758]

> @"Insecticon.3506" said:

> Why does everything have to be 12 on 1 for this map? You can't even travel down the road without being swarmed by everything. This is ridiculous and frustrating to the point of making want to just uninstall this kitten thing. I seriously made it to level 80 for this crap?

 

Did you play HoT maps? <.<

[Doctor Hide.6345]

> @"Malafaia.8903" said:

> So, you wanna walk thru an already violent desert, that are being invaded by a god of fire, chaos and war, fighting an army of undead and want all of this to be friendly. Don't seem very reasonable.

>

> Now, seriously, i can easily avoid any mobs (except maybe champs if i waste endurance on the wrong time) just by "dodging" at the right time.

> You just need to know the mobs a little and bind keys for every mount, practice changing mounts fast and you'll be fine. Need speed? Raptor time. Too crowdy? Jackal them bois. See a route to safety upwards? Bunny it. A rock that looks safe? Griffon to safety. Wanna die? Skimmer!

 

Switching all the time is too much work for me. I just stick with the griffon for everything other than super high jumps, and I survive just fine. See a mob of enemies? Jump in the air and glide over them.

[AliamRationem.5172]

Path of Fire: Where it takes you just as long to get out of combat as it does to defeat the boss!

 

[Zaklex.6308]

All I can say is that the Crystal Desert is a walk in the park compared to Orr at release, unless you played the original Orr maps then you have no clue what enemy density and instant death is like. Almost any veteran will tell you the same thing, a lot of people complained about it, but I happened to enjoy it, just like I enjoy the Crystal Desert the way it is now...the game is an escape, killing enemies is an escape, and it's the only way I can legitimately get away with murder without going to jail.

[Deimos.4263]

The OP is not wholly wrong. The mob density in PoF isn't particularly high, but there are clusters of enemies. If you get dismounted you absolutely can be in a lot of trouble/annoyed/distracted from whatever you were actually trying to do for an extended period of time. Trying to get out of combat on foot while injured (cripple seems like a favorite condition) is significantly more difficult than some other maps. That's probably intentional, and you'll get better at it.

 

Solutions: If you're just passing through, focus on not dismounting in the first place. Get better at weaving and dodging on your mount. The bunny is particularly good at avoiding combat by leaping up where the mobs can't reach. Play living story 4 and get the new mastery that lets your mount share your health pool -- it will help a lot to stay mounted so you can disengage if you're just passing through. Stay in a group when possible to avoid getting mauled by hydras. Learn where hydra alley is and avoid it (and other high-density areas) unless you actually want to fight hydras/mobs. Don't give up.

 

Going slowly is probably also not the best plan. The respawn rate is fairly high out here, and you'll get mobs spawning behind you if you're just creeping up bit by bit. You want to be mounted at all times if you're not in combat. Bind a key for each mount and ignore the drop-down thing...it's much too slow to switch mounts when you need another way of doing things in a hurry.