Guild Wars 2 Catch All

It's one thing you realise when you've got a high level character that a lot of the fun to a class is initially locked away in traits and slot skills. I can see why they gradually unlock things so not to overwhelm you, but after a while it would be good if you could flick a switch for your alts to give you all the unlocks (and give you a skill point debt until you've earned them, so you can't buy stuff for the mystic forge), and then just scale you to the appropriate level. It's a little annoying before 40/60 to know there are builds and play styles you want to try out but have to play a while longer before you can.

babakotia wrote:

I wish I'd realised earlier what brilliant fun the Engineer class is. My Asura is level 12, has turrets, a flamethrower, grenades, and rocket boots!

Yeah I just have one lvl 80 eng and I love playing it. Very fun and versatile. Zero issues in PvE or PvP.

Scratched wrote:

It's one thing you realise when you've got a high level character that a lot of the fun to a class is initially locked away in traits and slot skills.

After you complete the initial instance introduction you can take your new character to the Mists and play with all the skills and builds in pvp or against target dummies. While it isn't totally reflective of PvE situations it gives a good feel for a class and the different weapons.

I'm a PvE/WvW guy, so it's of limited use.

Imo spvp is a waste of time. Wvw is a direct usage of your toon. Spvp is like a weird seperate game with little crossover so I am not motivated to play it at all.

It's a lot of fun... i wish they'd cycle more maps in though.

Has anyone found a way to check map completion from outside a given zone yet?

ranalin wrote:

It's a lot of fun... i wish they'd cycle more maps in though.

New map is coming with this month's update as well add the ability to set up custom matches.

The only time I've enjoyed a WvW type game was in the old DAoC days. Come to think of it I was in the old Gone Gold guild, the Wanderers at the time. I just remember large guild alliances that would form raids, plan maneuvers well in advance and literally spend weeks crafting all of the materials for seige equipment. Capturing a keep was a major deal and you actually felt like you were accomplishing something. In the very little WvW I've done in GW2 I was just following a zerg and throwing aoe's at everything that moved. I have no clue what we did or didn't accomplish and whether I did good, bad or had absolutely no effect at all.

Oh I understand. I think the gameplay in sPvP is waaay better than world vs world. My point is in the toon disconnect. WvW feels like I am using my developed guy. sPvP is like some disconnected thing. My biggest draw in games like this is character advancement. that makes me not very invested in sPvP. Has nothing to do with the gameplay which I think is actually quite good.

Cobble wrote:

Imo spvp is a waste of time. Wvw is a direct usage of your toon. Spvp is like a weird seperate game with little crossover so I am not motivated to play it at all.

I have yet to have an experience in WvW that makes me think "That was really fun," which is strange because I loved the WvW in WAR (called RvR there).

My "best" WvW situation was when I was with a group that took a keep. They then dispersed and the keep flipped back 10 minutes later. It was pointless and frustrating. It turned out most of the people (20+) ran off to do a jumping puzzle instead of defending the keep. Go figure.

BTW, I keep running around with supplies and I still do not know what to do with them where, because there is nothing in game to tell you that. To me so far, WvW is a confusing mess that practically requires a group to do anything fun (which I believe it must be because so many like it).

Atleast in SPvP, I can say I took or defended a point, helped defeat a Lord, or smahed it up with a treb. In sPvP I can see a real difference in build performance. People keep focused on the goals instead of running around to do random things. I just need to bring me and everyone else is in the game.

I am not trying to argue, just sharing my 2 cents.

Kehama wrote:

The only time I've enjoyed a WvW type game was in the old DAoC days. Come to think of it I was in the old Gone Gold guild, the Wanderers at the time. I just remember large guild alliances that would form raids, plan maneuvers well in advance and literally spend weeks crafting all of the materials for seige equipment. Capturing a keep was a major deal and you actually felt like you were accomplishing something. In the very little WvW I've done in GW2 I was just following a zerg and throwing aoe's at everything that moved. I have no clue what we did or didn't accomplish and whether I did good, bad or had absolutely no effect at all.

Ah yes, DAOC with the GG crew. I remember fondly

Tenebrous wrote:
Cobble wrote:

Imo spvp is a waste of time. Wvw is a direct usage of your toon. Spvp is like a weird seperate game with little crossover so I am not motivated to play it at all.

I have yet to have an experience in WvW that makes me think "That was really fun," which is strange because I loved the WvW in WAR (called RvR there).

My "best" WvW situation was when I was with a group that took a keep. They then dispersed and the keep flipped back 10 minutes later. It was pointless and frustrating. It turned out most of the people (20+) ran off to do a jumping puzzle instead of defending the keep. Go figure.

BTW, I keep running around with supplies and I still do not know what to do with them where, because there is nothing in game to tell you that. To me so far, WvW is a confusing mess that practically requires a group to do anything fun (which I believe it must be because so many like it).

Atleast in SPvP, I can say I took or defended a point, helped defeat a Lord, or smahed it up with a treb. In sPvP I can see a real difference in build performance. People keep focused on the goals instead of running around to do random things. I just need to bring me and everyone else is in the game.

I am not trying to argue, just sharing my 2 cents.

I think you answered your own question there. WvW is NOT for single players to run around UNLESS you are doing jumping puzzles or getting POIs. While there is always a zerg, single parties can run around and take points or supply areas. Also, once you take a keep it is pretty fragile. The point is to get supply there by guarding supply runs or by bringing supply and building defenses through the quartermaster or wall defenses.

If someone isn't happy with that there is smaller group PvP.

See, something for everyone!

karmajay wrote:
Tenebrous wrote:
Cobble wrote:

Imo spvp is a waste of time. Wvw is a direct usage of your toon. Spvp is like a weird seperate game with little crossover so I am not motivated to play it at all.

I have yet to have an experience in WvW that makes me think "That was really fun," which is strange because I loved the WvW in WAR (called RvR there).

My "best" WvW situation was when I was with a group that took a keep. They then dispersed and the keep flipped back 10 minutes later. It was pointless and frustrating. It turned out most of the people (20+) ran off to do a jumping puzzle instead of defending the keep. Go figure.

. . .

I think you answered your own question there. WvW is NOT for single players to run around UNLESS you are doing jumping puzzles or getting POIs. While there is always a zerg, single parties can run around and take points or supply areas. Also, once you take a keep it is pretty fragile. The point is to get supply there by guarding supply runs or by bringing supply and building defenses through the quartermaster or wall defenses.

If someone isn't happy with that there is smaller group PvP.

See, something for everyone!

Just to be clear: I zone into WvW and I literally do not know what to do. There is no flag that says "Small group here" or "Zerg Here." Again, I have no idea what "supply runs" are (why would running supplies be fun anyways. . .), where to expect a quartermaster, or what to do when I find one. I did not know there even were quartermasters before you mentioned it. It is like someone opened an unfamiliar board game in front of me, told me it is awesome, and then proceeded to have me play it without explaining even the basics of it. I just want to know how to actually be successful and useful at it. It is far from obvious and is frustrating, like a burglar standing right outside the US Mint (If I could just get in that building . . .)

In every other aspect of the game, the devs made it easy for you to find action, travel there quickly, make it clear what you are supposed to do, and get out of your way. It is part of what is really awesome about the game. WvW does not seem to work that way. It is opaque, you have to run long distances to do who knows what.

I might add that sPvP at least give you a basic tutorial before you jump into the game. I just wish I had one for WvW. If there is one, I did not get it.

Tenebrous wrote:

Let me be completely clear: I zone into WvW and I literally do not know what to do. There is no flag that says "Small group here" or "Zerg Here." Again, I have no idea what "supply runs" are (why would running supplies be fun anyways. . .), where to expect a quartermaster, or what to do when I find one. I did not know there even were quartermasters before you mentioned it. It is like someone opened an unfamiliar board game in front of me, told me it is awesome, and then proceeded to have me play it without explaining even the basics of it. I just want to know how to actually be successful and useful at it. It is far from obvious and is frustrating, like a burglar standing right outside the US Mint (If I could just get in that building . . .)

As much as there are some very basic tutorials in the game, I would argue the entire Guild Wars 2 experience does a terrible job of really explaining the game to you. WvW is clearly the biggest offender as there really is no explanation at all, but there's a whole lot about Guild Wars 2 you need to either figure out yourself or read about online.

I really don't know much about WvW but I have had fun playing. When I hop on I open up the map and look for blue diamonds. Those are commanders, and they are usually in a large organized guild that is working to control/contain the map. You can join their squad for just follow them around and pay attention to the world chatter.

While reading a wiki probably isn't going to make you more excited about WvW, the Guild Wars 2 wiki does give a good rundown on the WvW basics:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Worl...

I've found it more entertaining than sPvP, mostly because I have little idea of what I'm doing in sPvP WvW gives me safety in numbers so I can feel like I'm in some small part contributing. sPvP I just feel like a liability to my team. I'm not great at surviving and get frustrated at how fragile my character feels. The concept is solid, I just have yet to find the "fun" there. For me I was able to find the fun in WvW pretty easily.

Great thing about Guild Wars 2 is that it has three major components and it seems like all three deliver a quality experience. Odds are at least one of them will be your cup of tea, and you can ignore the ones you don't care for

Part of the challenge in getting into WvW is that a lot of it is a somewhat abstract metagame, learning how to read the map and get a feel for how the crowds will flow, what makes zerg split up, things like that.

some basic info that helps at least finding where the action is:

commander icons(blue pyramid/diamonds) are natural rallying points and the easiest way to find a zerg to join. Some commanders don't know what they are doing but at least you'll find a crowd.

battle icons(crossed swords): pretty straightforward indicator of a fight that includes at least a few ppl from our server. approach with caution.. by the time you get there things may have already gone horribly wrong.

--

WvW is incredibly situational.. often you can log in and not really have anything to do(or within your power to do). A lot of it is just "playing it by ear" : trying to find situations where you can help out and avoiding situations where you're not.

sometimes that means just waiting on top of a wall for a while.

WvW has a lot to learn, and there's a bunch of guides around if you google for them. Lets see how I do:

-The objective is to get the most points.
-Passing certain point thresholds gets your world passive bonuses
-You gain points by owning structures when the clock ticks down
(There used to be orbs which made borderlands a bit more complex, but they're disabled for now)

-Supplies are generated by supply camps, and are used by forts to build upgrades, and by players to build siege or repair fort walls/doors.
-Always try to get supply from a supply camp in downtime.
-Dolyaks run periodically from supply camp to forts to put in their depot. They'll probably get attacked and need defending.
-Forts need supply in-hand in order for someone to buy an upgrade (better walls, cannons, merchants, etc), and then workers will use up that supply to build it. Taking supply from a fort should be a last option.
-There's a bunch of little events you can do with ogre/hylek/dredge NPCs that will help you out a little.

That's really the basic mechanics of the gametype, and the player actions are within that framework to get the most territory.

Scratched wrote:

-Dolyaks run periodically from supply camp to forts to put in their depot. They'll probably get attacked and need defending.

I'm not sure when it got added or how situational it is, but dolyak runs can actually spawn mobs that attack it. In the past you only had to worry about them aggroing nearby roaming mobs, but last time I was in EB, the "escort the dolyak" event would spawn wolves and area appropriate mobs specifically to attack the dolyak.

Tenebrous wrote:

Just to be clear: I zone into WvW and I literally do not know what to do. There is no flag that says "Small group here" or "Zerg Here." Again, I have no idea what "supply runs" are (why would running supplies be fun anyways. . .), where to expect a quartermaster, or what to do when I find one. I did not know there even were quartermasters before you mentioned it. It is like someone opened an unfamiliar board game in front of me, told me it is awesome, and then proceeded to have me play it without explaining even the basics of it. I just want to know how to actually be successful and useful at it. It is far from obvious and is frustrating, like a burglar standing right outside the US Mint (If I could just get in that building . . .)

In every other aspect of the game, the devs made it easy for you to find action, travel there quickly, make it clear what you are supposed to do, and get out of your way. It is part of what is really awesome about the game. WvW does not seem to work that way. It is opaque, you have to run long distances to do who knows what.

I might add that sPvP at least give you a basic tutorial before you jump into the game. I just wish I had one for WvW. If there is one, I did not get it.

I've had the good fortune of getting into WvW after a buddy of mine puzzled out how it worked, and what to do.

- Look for commander icons, and go there to start. Branzol Arken seems to be one of the best, and he's on almost every evening (EST).
- Watch the chat channel.... people - commanders included - use WvW chat to organize attacks & defense.
- Look for crossed sword icons on the map.... if any of these are on our points, go there and help defend.

- Grab supplies (little barrel icons mark them in the world) whenever you see them, and use them to help build up siege equipment when attacking or defending. Unfinished siege equipment is surrounded by scaffolding, and you just need to approach it and hit "F" (default) to use your supplies to help in the construction. The same is true for damage walls/gates during a siege.... approach & hit "F".

- If nothing seems to be going on, try a different WvW map. Quite often there are a lot of people on the Northern Shiverpeaks borderland, so it's a good one to start in if you're unsure.

Stengah wrote:
Scratched wrote:

-Dolyaks run periodically from supply camp to forts to put in their depot. They'll probably get attacked and need defending.

I'm not sure when it got added or how situational it is, but dolyak runs can actually spawn mobs that attack it. In the past you only had to worry about them aggroing nearby roaming mobs, but last time I was in EB, the "escort the dolyak" event would spawn wolves and area appropriate mobs specifically to attack the dolyak.

That's an upgrade at the supply camp. Still, NPCs are nothing compared to players.

This is a good quick list of protips that was linked on reddit a few days back.

There's a bit of difference between reading something and knowing how to apply it in-game, so keep trying to come back and learn new things.

Scratched wrote:
Stengah wrote:
Scratched wrote:

-Dolyaks run periodically from supply camp to forts to put in their depot. They'll probably get attacked and need defending.

I'm not sure when it got added or how situational it is, but dolyak runs can actually spawn mobs that attack it. In the past you only had to worry about them aggroing nearby roaming mobs, but last time I was in EB, the "escort the dolyak" event would spawn wolves and area appropriate mobs specifically to attack the dolyak.

That's an upgrade at the supply camp. Still, NPCs are nothing compared to players.

Not the veteran guards that protect the yak, but enemy mobs that attack it (the ones I saw spawn were wolves and Ascalonian ghosts). When it was upgraded, the guards killed the mobs pretty easily (they did occasionally chase fleeing mobs and get killed by adds), but without them the yaks would die at the first wave (there were 2-5 spots along the route where two non-veteran mobs would spawn).
Edit - They weren't normal roaming mobs that got aggro'd either. They spawned a fair distance away and ran right at the yak.

Lost shores heads up

Something is stirring in the Sea of Sorrows – and we want to make sure that you are not missing out, so here is a schedule (without spoilers) for you, so you can plan ahead:

On Friday November 16th at noon PST (20:00 GMT) the weekend will kick off with an Event in Lion’s Arch that you don’t want to miss. This will trigger events in other parts of Tyria as well.
*On Saturday November 17th at noon PST (20:00 GMT), another phase will kick in.
Each phase is triggered by a special event, but you will be able to enjoy additional content afterwards even if you cannot make the kick-off time. There is one exception:

The event will culminate in a big Finale on Sunday November 18, make sure you will not miss it. This will be a onetime only event chain that will run multiple hours, and it will kick off at noon PST (20:00 GMT). Again, this will only run once, so make sure you will be there! There will be plenty of content available to enjoy that will remain permanently in the world as a result of the outcome of this event on Sunday.

We will give you more details once we get closer to the event, but wanted to give you an early heads up so you can plan accordingly.

I find one-time events to rarely be worth the hassle, but am looking forward to checking out the new content!

They've only had one so far. There's apparently a bunch of little things happening in the world now on the run up.

I need to know, like wow or others mmos, they should do maintenance. So, question is, when is it in the week?

Sometimes I like to log in the morning and do some crafting or shopping.

When I was logged on last night around 10p EST and I got a notification in-game saying they were doing maintenance two hours from then, so maybe they try to do it in the dead of night?

The last downtime I can see was over a month ago for an hour. I wouldn't worry about trying to schedule yourself around it, as regular scheduled maintenance doesn't exist for GW1/GW2. They don't even need to bring the servers down for a patch as they can run two versions at the same time while they move people over.

Superbeard wrote:

When I was logged on last night around 10p EST and I got a notification in-game saying they were doing maintenance two hours from then, so maybe they try to do it in the dead of night?

Yeah, they were doing some maintenance, but people were able to play, craft and hit the trading post during that time. There were complaints I read about people being dropped from parties and such, but overall things were all still playable.

When new builds come out it's pretty painless too. You get a 3 min notification (I think it's something like 45-60 mins if you're in a dungeon to give you time to finish) and then the game restarts and downloads the update and you're back playing right where you left off.

Question for those who have done it: Around how many dungeon runs does it take to get a full set of armor from that dungeon?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dung...
It varies. Go to the page for the dungeon in the left hand column and it'll give you the total.