I don't really have a view.  I would like to run some dungeons in this game someday, but I'm not much of a dungeon runner anymore.  Rift dungeons and raids burnt me out almost completely on that concept.  It's just bleh.

I don't have ascended and I do fine in WvW.  I do fine in overland content (solo and group) too.

So with that said, I guess it gives me something to acquire someday, but I'm not super motivated in that direction.

Originally posted by Torvaldr

I don't really have a view.  I would like to run some dungeons in this game someday, but I'm not much of a dungeon runner anymore.  Rift dungeons and raids burnt me out almost completely on that concept.  It's just bleh.

I don't have ascended and I do fine in WvW.  I do fine in overland content (solo and group) too.

So with that said, I guess it gives me something to acquire someday, but I'm not super motivated in that direction.

I'm the same way generally I run a dungeon once or twice and maybe a couple more times if guild members need help.. but never really been the type to run the same dungeons over and over and over

Originally posted by Aerowyn

that's the whole point though some people feel ascended turned the game into a "gated" content game like wow.. even i thought 30+ you needed some ascended gear but if that's not the case then how can anyone say they turned this game into a  gated gear grinder type game?

saw your edit.. so you can progress through it just might not be able to complete the even ones.. but you arern't really gated from doing the content  so I really don't see the issue

None of my GW2 friends that have played WoW or SWTOR or Aion believe that to be the case, ie: you're being held back from truly enjoying the game.  I don't know what the precise issue is either, they're doing whatever level of dungeons they feel comfortable with.  I consider higher level fractals to be akin to Hard mode in GW1, so for people who want a real challenge, it's there. 

The gated content argument is kind of grasping at straws at this point.

Ascended items dont really bother me much. I still can do everything everyone else can. And i kinda want to improve my chars anyway. Its nice to feel like im progressing instead of knowing my chars will always be the same when i finish them.

Originally posted by Eir_S

Originally posted by Aerowyn

that's the whole point though some people feel ascended turned the game into a "gated" content game like wow.. even i thought 30+ you needed some ascended gear but if that's not the case then how can anyone say they turned this game into a  gated gear grinder type game?

saw your edit.. so you can progress through it just might not be able to complete the even ones.. but you arern't really gated from doing the content  so I really don't see the issue

None of my GW2 friends that have played WoW or SWTOR or Aion believe that to be the case, ie: you're being held back from truly enjoying the game.  I don't know what the precise issue is either, they're doing whatever level of dungeons they feel comfortable with.  I consider higher level fractals to be akin to Hard mode in GW1, so for people who want a real challenge, it's there. 

The gated content argument is kind of grasping at straws at this point.

This all just comes down to yet another illustration of how developers can NEVER win. Some people complain about GW2 not having enough progression. Others complain that fractals are too much. People are never happy.

The simple truth, though, is that a very small number of people playing GW2 go after ascended items for the stats. I've been playing the game since beta, and have server hopped a few times (currently on Sanctum of Ral), since the fractal update. During that time I've seen the demand for fractal groups decline considerably. Currently, the only reason people seem to do them at all (out of a pool of ~500 I've grouped with / talked to / are guildies) is to make money. They want to obtain ascended gear not because of the stats, but because it allows them to do higher lvl fractals, which gives them more money.

A number of people I know, myself included, are actually sick of getting ascended items, because they drop quite often after lvl 20, and your bank starts getting cluttered with gear you literally have no use for (ascended items). You can't transmute them into anything of value atm, and the stat advantage is barely noticeable aside from the agony resistance. This is all just a case of a few very vocal players making a mountain out of a molehill.

If you think that the higher scores won't affect WvW you are really bad at math,

If you think that content in the future won't be cut off via dungeons that require agony resistance you aren't paying attention to the devs own announcements

so basically their are making this a necessity.

if it were really as innocent as providing agony resistance for dungeons and no other advantages over other players there would be NO increase in stats.

people who say otherwise either aren't paying attention or they are completely in denial. 

end of story.

Originally posted by itgrowls

If you think that the higher scores won't affect WvW you are really bad at math,

If you think that content in the future won't be cut off via dungeons that require agony resistance you aren't paying attention to the devs own announcements

so basically their are making this a necessity.

if it were really as innocent as providing agony resistance for dungeons and no other advantages over other players there would be NO increase in stats.

people who say otherwise either aren't paying attention or they are completely in denial. 

end of story.

You are grossly underestimating the skill factor in this game. If you think that the amount of stat increase this game gives from exotics -> ascended items is even remotely close to that which other MMOs have, you are very bad at math. (i.e. an ascended piece of gear may give ~13% stat increases over gear that amounts to roughly 1/3 of your stats. In WoW, a tier upgrade is roughly a 50% stat increase on gear that gives you most of your stats)

They've mentioned doing more w/ agony resists. They've never said anything to imply this being a major aspect of the game. While I'm not keen on the way stats exist in GW2, the whole ascended gear really isn't working much differently than infused gear did in GW1. Yes, there is a minor stat increase, no it doesn't really effect much outside of fractals.

In WvW I've consistantly been in groups that decimated opponents with better gear, and more buffs. Skill > gear in this game, by quite a large margin. Even in Tier1. In regular dungeons, no one cares if you have ascended gear, because it just doesn't matter. Heck, I've beaten most dungeons in this game naked  just as a joke, and the amount of time saved from gear upgrades is purely mental. Best case scenario in a 100% perfect run, it shaves off a few seconds at best.

Group comp, player skill, and build, make far more of a difference in this game than gear ever has. It's been proven time and time again, even if certain people choose not to believe it.

Originally posted by NaughtyP
Ascended items don't matter when they are part of the invisible zerg Hulk Smashing me in the face.

LOL even tho you are disagreeing with me I thought you had the funniest post about it! Good one!

i think its a good move for now, coz people kept whining and whining about the gear

(its a good move till they improve progression systme)

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Originally posted by jpnz

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Originally posted by mikahr

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Fractals aint gated by ascended gear. You can do fractals in greens if you want.

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This is factually false.

Fractals requires 'Agony' gear.

Agony gear also has higher stats than 'exotic' gear.

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but i will say this if they add a new tier every 6 months i will stop playing but cause im not doing this again(WoW). if ascended gear is final step im cool with it.

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by Gaia_Hunter

Originally posted by moosecatlol

Originally posted by RizelStar

I'm seriousely not trying to make a point but what exactly do I need from fractals now that I can get laurels?

I'm dead ass about this questions to, cause I honestly could be missing something here?

Is it the infusions or something? 

Weapons are the current exclusive to fractals of the mist aside from the capacitor, however the weapons come with no stats and need to be transmuted for stats in order to gain access to the infusion slot.

Also doing fractals at 26+ will yield a chance for a pre-infused ring, which is a very nice money/time saver should you be so lucky.

...

Okay, so in all honesty I really don't need to do  fractals in order to get ascended gear. I only asked because some people are still saying fractals are being forced or somehting like that. Which in return confused me, but then also wouldn't this make GW2 not a gear treadmill or it still is despite current an incoming options to get Ascended gear, maybe I'm confusing gear treadmill with something else.

Don't think anyone mentioned it, but you can craft Ascended back pieces (Quivers and Books) from Pink (Glob of ectoplasm) mystic forge drops found in the Fractals. It is also far easier to get 10 Pristine Fractal Relic tokens at lvl 10+ for a Ring instead of 35 Laurels - which is a rip off IMO.

OK, time to combat the tears with actual numbers, and may the gods forgive me for doing so. I'm going to use my mesmer as he's set up right now with a relatively balanced build. Here's the numbers:

Ascended Amulet:  126 power, 85 precision,  9% crit
Ruby-ori  Berserk:   115 power, 79 precision,  8% crit
Base: 1867 power, 1684 precision, 35% crit

The Ascended amulet is replacing the Ruby Orichalcum amulet of the berserker. The base numbers are without an amulet equipped at all. The ascended amulet gives me an increase of 11 power, 6 precision and 1% critical damage. In other words, after changing amulets we see this:

Power:  1982 -> 1993

Precision: 1763 -> 1769

Crit dmg: 44% -> 45%

C'mon people... are you really raging over numbers this marginal? You can practically change a gem and have a bigger impact.

Originally posted by itgrowls

Originally posted by NaughtyP
Ascended items don't matter when they are part of the invisible zerg Hulk Smashing me in the face.

LOL even tho you are disagreeing with me I thought you had the funniest post about it! Good one!

I would agree except that there is no point (to me anyways) because there are bigger fish to fry. Like invisible zergs. If I can't even see my enemy their gear means little. One problem at a time...

Originally posted by Volkon

OK, time to combat the tears with actual numbers, and may the gods forgive me for doing so. I'm going to use my mesmer as he's set up right now with a relatively balanced build. Here's the numbers:

 

Ascended Amulet:  126 power, 85 precision,  9% crit
Ruby-ori  Berserk:   115 power, 79 precision,  8% crit
Base: 1867 power, 1684 precision, 35% crit

 

The Ascended amulet is replacing the Ruby Orichalcum amulet of the berserker. The base numbers are without an amulet equipped at all. The ascended amulet gives me an increase of 11 power, 6 precision and 1% critical damage. In other words, after changing amulets we see this:

 

Power:  1982 -> 1993

Precision: 1763 -> 1769

Crit dmg: 44% -> 45%

 

C'mon people... are you really raging over numbers this marginal? You can practically change a gem and have a bigger impact.

People dont look at numbers all they see is one piece IS better, not that it is marginally better. People still think this is Rift, WoW, etc where there is UBER gear that you can 'PWN N00BS WITH'. It is a basic non-issue.

I think A.Net will be releasing armor/weapons with newer skins, for the look, not that they will be 'UBER' over the weapons that are out now.

Regarding your numbercrunching:

One piece will not make much difference but eventually you will have 10 or 12(?) pieces.

Then it really starts to add up. 

Originally posted by geremady

Regarding your numbercrunching:

One piece will not make much difference but eventually you will have 10 or 12(?) pieces.

Then it really starts to add up. 

you can do all the content in master or rare items set

you can kill ppl in WvW in master or rare items

ascended gear doesnt make you more powerfull than any exotic gear

even if you get 10 pieces that give you 5 power on each piece its nothing :)

becouse game have base stats and traits system that makie stats pretty high - above 2k

so 50 more power or precision or whatever doesnt change anything

Originally posted by saurus123

Originally posted by geremady

Regarding your numbercrunching:

One piece will not make much difference but eventually you will have 10 or 12(?) pieces.

Then it really starts to add up. 

you can do all the content in master or rare items set

you can kill ppl in WvW in master or rare items

ascended gear doesnt make you more powerfull than any exotic gear

even if you get 10 pieces that give you 5 power on each piece its nothing :)

becouse game have base stats and traits system that makie stats pretty high - above 2k

so 50 more power or precision or whatever doesnt change anything

They had the same issues in GW1 - example was the 15% above 50% health weapon mod. It was a pretty rare one but you could find loads of 14%above 50 but people thought, 'They had to have the 15 above 50 or they were not uber' the difference was minimal in damage output and no matter how much you explained or showed how little it did, people didnt care - they wanted the max number. Same thing here - comapred to your overall traits - the amount the Ascended gear gives is not much over exotics and sometimes less.