While the first beta weekend is now long behind us, we can't stop thinking about ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2. This week, David North gives us some more thoughts on the "explorable" mode of the Ascalon Catacombs dungeon.

After yet another week I’m still thinking about the Guild Wars 2 Beta.  I experienced a lot on that weekend, but one thing tested my skills in a way no MMO has ever done before.  I’m talking about how I got to run through the explorable (that’s not a word, but we’ll make it so) Ascalon Catacombs.  I went through the explorable mode of the dungeon with a member of the ArenaNet Development team, and we were still given a grim outlook.

Read the rest of David North's Guild Wars 2: Exploring the Ascalon Catacombs Dungeon.

Sounds awesome, I've been waiting for this game for years already and I cant be any more excited for this game, Im really just praying that ArenaNet sticks to their guns and doesnt lower the difficulty of stuff once the game is launched and the endless whinning of things being too hardcore ensues.

Having read the "Ghost of Ascalon" I would expect nothingless than something that would have me and the rest my party feel as though we earned every bit of treasure we unlock.  I'm looking forward to this ;).

Shame you didn't have a gameplay vid to share, because all we've seen are vids from press, facerolling through the story mode. Oh well. Here's hoping that it truly is and will remain challenging. That even the supposed hardcore raiders will struggle through it. Also...

"So we tried to fight against the boss time and time again, and soon we were all naked.  The dungeon had beaten us!"

Best quote ever. :D

Originally posted by Master10K

Shame you didn't have a gameplay vid to share, because all we've seen are vids from press, facerolling through the story mode. Oh well. Here's hoping that it truly is and will remain challenging. That even the supposed hardcore raiders will struggle through it. Also...

"So we tried to fight against the boss time and time again, and soon we were all naked.  The dungeon had beaten us!"

Best quote ever. :D

Same here...I was expecting a video

Originally posted by Dalgor

Sounds awesome, I've been waiting for this game for years already and I cant be any more excited for this game, Im really just praying that ArenaNet sticks to their guns and doesnt lower the difficulty of stuff once the game is launched and the endless whinning of things being too hardcore ensues.

 

I agree, but on the otherhand I hope there is not the same type of Elitism that can come from those that have been through already and live to tell the tale...There is going to be a steep learning curve on these dungeons.  I quote Han Solo,"Don't get cocky kid!!" to those that think they will have these dungeons dialed within just a couple of visits.

"It’s just that brutal!"

~ Explore unlock mode for dungeons: If ArenaNet makes one area of the PvE game v v v difficult, this would be it, and a good choice to ensure it's v difficult / Top Percentile Only Difficult.

cant fucking wait for this game any more.

Brilliant, love a challenge, and if it means multiple attempts, all the better! Really excited for this game :)

Yea, I would be thinking about this game if a had a chance to play beta.  :(

Not to be the negative in this thread, but I will. I am really not interested in the game anymore but still enough interest to read these articles and see if something is actually ground breaking. Point is, how is this so new and epic compaired to say the elite levels of guild wars one? We had such instances that where difficult beyond difficult to get the top gear grind. So while the illusion of choices are great and a boss fight another boss (seen that before), just curious what is so unique about this? Eh people will hate my comment but I am a realist, I don't see anything here that says "new and innovative" , maybe it's just people are exciting for the game over-all, but the only thing I have seen unique in this version compaired to the previous is some of the combat tweeks.

While there are things people will ramble off as innovative or unique (world missions) , they have actually been done before just in different ways. Point being, did you the author really have fun? or was the fun of it being a new game? Everyone praised swtor and while a fun game, it isn't all that innovative beyond the story part of it, the immersion is nice because you "feel" like actually helping npc's etc... but beyond that it's the same MMO, so how is guild wars two so much greater then one? This dungeon article just seems like a rehack of underground in gw1.

I think the reason we dont have a video is they were so bad they are ashamed to show it :)

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Originally posted by chaintm
Not to be the negative in this thread, but I will. I am really not interested in the game anymore but still enough interest to read these articles and see if something is actually ground breaking. Point is, how is this so new and epic compaired to say the elite levels of guild wars one? We had such instances that where difficult beyond difficult to get the top gear grind. So while the illusion of choices are great and a boss fight another boss (seen that before), just curious what is so unique about this? Eh people will hate my comment but I am a realist, I don't see anything here that says "new and innovative" , maybe it's just people are exciting for the game over-all, but the only thing I have seen unique in this version compaired to the previous is some of the combat tweeks.
While there are things people will ramble off as innovative or unique (world missions) , they have actually been done before just in different ways. Point being, did you the author really have fun? or was the fun of it being a new game? Everyone praised swtor and while a fun game, it isn't all that innovative beyond the story part of it, the immersion is nice because you "feel" like actually helping npc's etc... but beyond that it's the same MMO, so how is guild wars two so much greater then one? This dungeon article just seems like a rehack of underground in gw1.

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The glass isn't half empty for you. Unless the glass magically refills as you drink it you won't be satisfied. Why should it be THAT innovative to be good or worth looking forward to? Quests had been done before WoW, but you can't argue that it wasn't a big change from everquest. Having "world missions" as you call it be the main form of levelling is not the same thing as having a single rift open occasionally in a zone that everyone has to drop what they are doing and run to. "Some combat tweaks" really trivializes how much the combat was changed. Even if it's only small changes or improvements to what has existed already, it's still an improvement. I can't picture a guild wars 2 that would impress you.

It seems like you are more swayed by all the fanboys who think GW2 is the second coming than you are by the game itself. Of course the game wont live up to the hype, but that doesn't make it BAD.

Also that was pretty off topic lol.

I'm not sure I like the sound of these hard dungeons for myself. I really don't like failure, and I also don't like scenarios I've had in other games where the one guy who knows the whole thing just tells all his underlings exactly what to do and when. That just takes all the fun out of it for me. I'm worried this explorable dungeon will be like that for me, but if so, at least the story dungeon will still be there and I won't miss out on that. And I also know there is the type of player who really wants it to be hard, so I'm glad it sounds like Arenanet will be doing there job there! Would like to see a video of this though :(

Doesn't seem all that special to me, sounds just like any other dungeon in WoW, SWTOR, DDO, LOTRO, etc. Not saying it won't be fun, but it really doesn't scream 'INNOVATION' at me like most seem to believe it does.

for thos ho dont know you cans ee  a full run into ascalon catacomb on youtube and get an idea on how beat theyr boss and dung.

Originally posted by Rednecksith

Doesn't seem all that special to me, sounds just like any other dungeon in WoW, SWTOR, DDO, LOTRO, etc. Not saying it won't be fun, but it really doesn't scream 'INNOVATION' at me like most seem to believe it does.

Where is the requirement that all new games should only have innovation?

It's funny how the haters suddenly trash the game by claiming it's not innovative or new, yet nobody in this thread said it was.

Mostly you can just check a person's avatar before reading their post, and already know what kind of bullsh*t you're about to read in their post.

Another perfect example of how it's not the GW2 fans who claim that this game will be the second coming. It's the haters that claim it to be.

Originally posted by chaintm

 Point is, how is this so new and epic compaired to say the elite levels of guild wars one? We had such instances that where difficult beyond difficult

 

In GW if you bring the right builds you win. GW2 seems much more fast reaction/changing playstile on teh move/team play/tactics... etc + the right build again. Add a lot on top of GW and it should be harder, theoreticaly. (need to play it to confir it, but it must be)

Originally posted by mazut

Originally posted by chaintm

 Point is, how is this so new and epic compaired to say the elite levels of guild wars one? We had such instances that where difficult beyond difficult

 

In GW if you bring the right builds you win. GW2 seems much more fast reaction/changing playstile on teh move/team play/tactics... etc + the right build again. Add a lot on top of GW and it should be harder, theoreticaly. (need to play it to confir it, but it must be)

 

Indeed if this was the case, at least there is something there, have (as you well said) yet to see it thou, only time will tell. I just can't fall to the hype on this title.