Is the old expansion dead

[TwilightSoul.9048]

> @"Vyrulisse.1246" said:

> Heart of Thorns maps are very centered around map-wide meta events and all of them are still popular so you won't have to worry about being in a ghost town. HoT is still played a lot mostly due to Path of Fire's maps being somewhat disappointing in regards to replayable content.

 

Replace "replayable" with "grindable" and I'll agree.

HoT is still beeing played a lot only because there is so much stuff that you can't get otherwise, you want a gen2 Legendary? Well you're gonna need a lot of Amalgament Gemstones and Crystaline Ore (Am I the only one who'd rather spent 50g per Crystaline Ore than play DS?)

Whereas you don't really need PoF Metas for anything and they don't drop any loot that would make the Metas feel rewarding, I don't want them to be AB Meta 2.0 but it'd be nice to have an opportunity to drop a unique Aura infusion or at least some cool unique skins or at the very least a decent amount of gold in any form, but they unfortunatly don't really pay off in comparison to other metas.

 

Short: HoT is still very much populated with HP Trains and Meta Event Groups.

[KGS.9842]

Thanks you all for your input, I went ahead and bought both expansions. Jumped into POF first to get a mount, but realized I have absolutely no idea who is who and what is going on story-wise so I guess i'll do HOT first and hopefully that will clear things up. I really don't want to spend thousands of gems to get all living story episodes though.. I have 1200 saved up from when I turned all my gold into gems before I left to protect myself from inflation, but that would only be enough from 6 episodes so I'd rather save them in case I really really need something (like the items for Mawdrey that were locked behind episodes).

 

As for leveling a Sylvari, I don't think I'll do that, since I am the kind of person who plays just one character..

 

@TwilightSoul.9048 This sounds like a great opportunity to make gold if you don't want a gen2 Legendary though.. Since I want a legendary GS an there is none right now

 

 

[Vyrulisse.1246]

Don't stress over getting all the episodes at once. Each one has a bunch of achievements and items to get in the maps themselves so they can keep you busy for a bit.

[nosleepdemon.1368]

HoT is by far the superior expansion; PoF is anachronistic in comparison, it's as if PoF was actually designed first, but then scrapped for a cooler idea. Afterward, the developers still had all that content to release so they made the maps pretty and wrote the story in an evening. The HoT maps are huge, rolling events that involve every player in some way - you can team up, you can solo smaller objectives, you can do challenges on the side. Then every couple of hours, everything culminates in a huge and unique battle. It's amazing, involving and challenging stuff. PoF on the other hand brow beats you with a terribad story line and maps which are certainly pretty, but nowhere near the level of technical brilliance achieved with HoT.

[Mea.5491]

PoF is more dead than HoT. :P HoT has many open world events people still do and fun elite specs. PoF seriously lacks replayable content.

[Ayrilana.1396]

Funny thing is that PoF is exactly what a lot of players wanted (or I guess thought that they wanted).

[Mea.5491]

> @"Ayrilana.1396" said:

> Funny thing is that PoF is exactly what a lot of players wanted (or I guess thought that they wanted).

 

Yup. Anet listened to the solo players and turned PoF into a single-player snoozefest. This is why I think solo players should stick with single-player games. I play massively multiplayer games because I enjoy playing with people. As a fan of this genre, I find PoF really disappointing.

[KGS.9842]

> @"nosleepdemon.1368" said:

> HoT is by far the superior expansion; PoF is anachronistic in comparison, it's as if PoF was actually designed first, but then scrapped for a cooler idea. Afterward, the developers still had all that content to release so they made the maps pretty and wrote the story in an evening. The HoT maps are huge, rolling events that involve every player in some way - you can team up, you can solo smaller objectives, you can do challenges on the side. Then every couple of hours, everything culminates in a huge and unique battle. It's amazing, involving and challenging stuff. PoF on the other hand brow beats you with a terribad story line and maps which are certainly pretty, but nowhere near the level of technical brilliance achieved with HoT.

 

at least I'm not the only one who finds the story cheesy

[Hesacon.8735]

Domain of Istan is the only PoF map that has populations on parity with HoT maps. I think the cursed shore sees as many people as the non-Istan PoF maps.

 

HoT maps are super populated, especially during meta time.

[Hesacon.8735]

Domain of Istan is the only PoF map that has populations on parity with HoT maps. I think the cursed shore sees as many people as the non-Istan PoF maps.

 

HoT maps are super populated, especially during meta time.

[crepuscular.9047]

> @"Fyrebrand.4859" said:

> When HoT first came out, I found the maps very confusing, and I wasn't in love with the plot either, so after I finished the story I took a long break from the game. I came back fairly recently and gave HoT content another shake, and I have to say it gets a lot better as you become more familiar with the layout and the meta structure of each map. Some advice I would give:

> * Don't go in thinking you can freely explore anywhere you want on your own, like in core Tyria. Some things are accessible, or easier to get to, depending on timing or what masteries you've unlocked.

> * Check some of the event timer websites to see when the "meta" phases of certain maps are happening.

> * Don't be shy about calling out in Map chat if you need help fighting a champion enemy for a Hero Point. People who have done it already still get rewarded for helping out, and you may be surprised how many people also need it but were afraid to ask.

> * If you don't have one already, consider leveling a Sylvari character. When I came back, I made one, did the Personal Story up until you join the Pact, and ran that character through the Hot story. I gotta say, it was a pretty interesting experience. Sylvari are a fascinating race with a unique perspective. Their story involves certain things that become prominent in later missions, which you don't get as human, etc. And playing through HoT, there are several small but interesting changes in how NPCs talk to you, and how your character reacts, that are unique if you play a Sylvari. It made me feel more connected with the expansion and the plight of the other Sylvari characters, and this character is definitely my new main.

> * Open up that Group Finder. Whether you want to join a squad for map meta events, or to jump onto a carry train for all the Hero Points on a map, this is a great resource.

> * If you can, play the Living Story chapters! They're fun, they flesh out the circumstances for what's going on between expansions, they give great rewards, they unlock new maps. Try to play them in order. Do not skip Living Story Season 3 under any circumstances. The story is awesome, and the maps that come with it are super rad.

 

all HoT maps are not difficult to navigate except Tangle Depth, I only learnt how to navigate it 2 months before PoF because was in a rush to do map completion on the 7 classes I had not finished HoT story beyond Auric Basin, taking those 7 toons in TD HP trains consecutively really helped with familiarising the map

[Rukia.4802]

> @"KGS.9842" said:

> Thanks guys. I think I'll play the original maps a bit to get back into in and if I am still hyped I'll get it

 

I'd recommend at least HoT and to get your new specializations. imo they are 10x more fun than core builds, otherwise you may just get bored again with more of the same. Then again, hopping into the HoT maps can be extremely frustrating, they are super vertical and needlessly complex. They're fine once you learn them, but awful until you do. PoF does a MUCH better job introducing you to new maps, and you can also farm hero points there instead of HoT to unlock the HoT specializations so long as you buy them both. Getting back into rythm for a bit is probably a good idea.

 

In HoT you get a glider rather quickly, and once you max its masteries out you will question how you ever played the game without one, same goes for mounts in PoF.

[Fenom.9457]

You'll hear conflicting reports on both expansions, but in my experience, both are still well populated.