Originally posted by rastapastor

Next update is planned for 28th of May, so 2 weeks after this one, but unfortunately there is no info what it will contain :).

It seems that ArenaNet is going to release smaller chunks of content but more frequently.

Look at Southsun achievements... Canach will come back and we need defeat him inside a dungeon - there is one achievement for defeat Canach and other achievement for pass Canacch's dungeon without get trapped. And Canach fit the image we see at https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/ for the "Last Stand on Southsun".

There is too an achievement for defeat Subdirectorr NULL, and it is interesting that it is not Subdirector NOLL, the asura we all know and hate. The name is mispelled or there is something we don't know?

Opener,

sincerelly, I think you need try the game for see it yourself. Try get a key for next BW or just pre-purchase the game. You are trying understand how GW2 works, but you you use a mind frame from who is trained to play WoW-clones. "Trash mobs" happens at WoW-clones (ever and forever), but GW2 is NOT a WoW-clone....

With relation to hearts, they can be quest, but not the traditional quests. A player can complete it and not kill any mob. "Kill 10 rats" is not mandatory. However, hearts are not the main meat. DE are most important than hearts, and hearts where put on map just for players don't get lost while looking for DE.

Hearts are things for do while players look for DE. And while a player complete a DE, that player can just complete 1-3 diferent hearts too, just from killing mobs from the DE. 

OP,

I know you don't like PvE, but just one advice, try more PvE. Aparently you saw mostly hearts and not enough events. I just saw people get teh game wrongly because they think it have the same old way of chain of quests. I just saw a guy saying it leveled farming mobs, figures....

At PvE, hearts are not the main thing, hearts are thing you do while look for events. Need to explore the world for see more events and how they change the world.

I tryed BW1, stress test and BW2. It was fun to see that the fortress centaurs have at level 15-25 human zone, that I found impossible to take at BW1 (too few players level 20 helping it), was human owned at BW2. There are a full line of events that bring the human to conquer that fortress and after it is conquered the centaur try repeatedly conquer it.

But people just see too few events, mostly stay close to some hearts at starter zone, and have no idea how they work (some people thing they are timed and constantly repeated, well, after teh world is set for a stable point  - centaur or human fortress owned - teh evetns for take a place start to repeat themselves, but that is not permanet).

So, my advice is: next beta just try explore the world more and try PvE more (I know you don't like PvE, however).

IMHO, WvW will be more fun when players and guilds learn the best strategies and tatics.

Wait and see! Soon other guilds too will build golem armies... and the GOLEM WARS  will start....

Well, my wild guess... Tank Wars is overrated. We will see Golem Wars at GW2!

All PvP guilds will want create a golem army....

I played BW1, stress test and BW2. I will answer only the question 4, all other questions had good answers.

I think you are talking about that skill point at south of starter norn area. If not, sorry, my mistake. I only found how to get to it at BW2. Let me just say... swiming and underwater combat is your friend when exploring underwater caves.

Sincerelly, I see a lot fo people saying this game is an "evolution" and not a "Revolution". Well, guys, the fish now have legs, it is evolution, right, but there is a new world for explore and conquer, the dry land...

The events are scrypted, that makes GW2 a themepark, but it is a diferent themepark from all other we know, the fish now have legs.

Sorry to say it, I am sure I will piss the naysayers, but the world REALLY CHANGES, the level 15-25 zones had all places owned by mobs last BW1... now at BW2, with more players at 20+, I just saw level 15-25 zones with more player dominated places. I was happy seeing that that big centaur fortress being human owned at BW2, for me it was impossible to take it at BW1, few players at that zone for help it. The only problem is mantaining it human owned, the centaurs periodically make a raid for try retake it.

My guess? With player population more evenly distributed from level 1 to 80 we will see a lot of zones at constant flux, places changing from player owned to mobs onwed frequently. But at launch we will just see a "wave" of players conquereing places from level 1 to level 80 zones...

Anyway, you need remember that  "sandbox" it is not the same than PvP game, if Syncaine can admit it why you cannot?

Sanbox=PvP  is a mistake that ever will make the sandbox MMO a niche game (yes, Darkfall will ever be a niche game, sorry). Sandbox isn't the same than PvP, please see "A Tale in the Desert" (and it is more niche than Darkfall because PvE is only crafting).

Most players are not hard PvPers, the hard PvPers can be more vocal, but they are not more than a minority. I think it is interesting everyone forget that at EVE, 80% of players never get out 1.0 to 0.8 systems, that says a lot about what is wrong with sandbox MMO but people don't like the truth.

I can foresee they will add a lot of new features at future expansions, And everyone can see that they have expansions planned, there new races scattered all places (frog people, polar bear people, tengu) waiting for expansions. So, GW2 launch will be just the start, the fish with legs will explore a new world. It is not hard for them add some real sandbox elements to this game, there are full continents waiting next expansions and a lot of places for put  "player cities" and "guild halls". Themepark games as Aion added player houses at first expansion, and it is a game from NCsoft, that owns Anet. If Anet wants it (and if they feel players want it), they can add player houses and player cities and guild houses at future expansions, for add some "sandbox' features. They are using NCsoft engine, anyway.

 People, just evolve, if you cannot adapt you will go extint. It is not the same themepark everyone knows. The fish have legs and it will wander to places where the MMO we know cannot go.

Originally posted by Raxeon

im getting akey thursday most likly is the game diffreant enoughf rom other mmos to warrent apurchase?

I advice you to read some posts and blogs about the diferences GW2 have to other MMO. The best resume I saw about GW2 is "IT IS EVERYTHING WARHAMMER ONLINE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!"

So, read a few and make your opinion.

Just some points:

1- PvP: everyone is level 80 with max gear, blue, red and green teams cannot talk one another (to be true, they cannot see enemy players names) - I am sure we will not see kids screaming "i owned you", the game mechanics don't permit it.

2- WvWvW PvP - people will need learn to work with everyone from same world

3- cohoperative PvE - no loot stealing, no mob stealing, no holy trinity (sorry, no healers... or tanks... learn to dodge), everyone can rez,  players need learn to cohoperate.

4- GW2 don't spoon feed you - from level 2, after tutorial, you are free to go where you want go.

I am sure we will see kids playing the game, but I am too sure they will not be a problem for mature players....

Originally posted by Robokapp

Originally posted by gladosrev2

The PvP alone is worth the 60$ and the content in the beta I've seen so far, which is a tiny fraction of what will be in the released product.

I'm always skeptical of this argument. Between the lines I'm reading that the stuff you've seen is barely worth it, but the stuff you didnt see...you hope to be the really good stuff.

 

that's how mmo's die. that's hype.

However, PvP guilds really liked GW2 PvP, just look at their sites... 

And WvWvW  was at BW1 and the stress beta, they had enough time for test PvP and have a good idea how it will work. 

I just hope Anet try manage what servers that PvP guilds will be at launch, like Bioware managed TOR guilds, send that guilds to pre-choosed servers. 

Originally posted by JBieber

Originally posted by Derros

Even if it only lasts you a month, its still more than you would get from the the multitude of 8-10 hour $60 xbox/ps3 games out there.

 

 

any ideas about when it is officially released? :)

"When it is ready" (tm)

Take note that the BW are really BETA, they are not a marketing beta. They are testing stuff. IMHO, we will see more 3 or 4 BW, maybe we have an open beta (well, that will be the marketing beta), and the game will be ready for launch.

To the OP:

1- there is no NDA: just read wiki, blog sites and look at youtube;

2- if you like GW, you will problably like GW2, same world, 250 years later, but now you can play a charr, I remember a lot of GW players that wanted play a charr... or an asura... or a norn...

3- no sub, your only investment is buy the game, $60

4- if you pre-purchase you are paying for play the game and the BW (sincerelly, I think it is a bonus), but just remember that BW is really a beta, bugs happen.

Originally posted by p_c_sousa

i bet asura and sylvari races only be available on release.

hope BW2 will be the last BW 

IMHO, they are using the Betas Weekends for REALLY test the game. So, I think we will see asura and sylvari before launch, sooner or later, because it is a good idea test that areas, no one wants bugs at launch day, you know, bugs as a DE not working as intended (too much people at an area and DE not being activated, for example).

So, I think we will see at least one more BW with asura and sylvari areas open. Possibly more 2 or 3 BW before launch, I think.

They certainly want launch GW2 the most polished and bug free they can. And, sincerelly, they don't need go fast, they can use their time and "launch GW2 when it is ready" tm, because they have some money for it: we paid for beta...

Originally posted by iller

Standard MMO Achievers are not going to be happy with this game. 

I disagree. Achievers will open the map and see "1% hearts completed". They will want complete all hearts, all skill points, complete all places, get all titles, complete all dailies.

IMHO, Achievers will try complete hearts while they look for DE.

BTW, I am Archiever Social, with a few Explorer and very few Killer, and loved GW2. 

Originally posted by illyana

 

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Originally posted by 7rouble
Has anyone heard if Asuran or Sylvari will be playable this go around? 

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no info yet on scope of next beta

No asura, no sylvari. Maybe BW 3, but not next one.

IMHO...

If Anet makes an open beta, GW2 score at this site will go above 9.0.

Just my HO....

Remember too that players gain xp exploring the area and completing the hearts and geting the skil points. So, it is productive go to other race starter zone and play there.

Originally posted by itgrowls

Originally posted by Aerowyn

Originally posted by Soandsoso

Originally posted by BadSpock

Originally posted by Soandsoso

Originally posted by Aerowyn

Originally posted by Soandsoso

{snip}

npcs will sit at the farm till killed off allowing the farmer to return and reset the DE..if its indefinite i cant say for sure

Actually no that's one of the things i've witnessed on this game, is the npc's alone can't always handle the mobs by themselves thus the failure of a DE factor and thus the factor of having consequences to inaction, the world moving on without you feel that this game brings. The starter zone ones might but every other one i've seen has been a no go due to the power of the mobs coming out and attacking the npcs in an area.

Just for complementing this info: at the zone level 15+ just after the human starter zone I saw a lot of camps and fortress occupied by bandits and mobs. When players get up to that levels, they will start to freed that places and DE will start to chain.

Other thing important: some DE chain. If you defeat a group of mobs from an event (or you are defeated), other event can be triggered. At human starter zone, if the players cannot stop the centaurs from capture human farmers, open an event for freed the slaves at centaur camp, then other event for destroy centaur weapons, then open last event for fight centaur boss.

At norn area (level 10+), the norn army try to conquer the west and east fortress from an enemy base (if players don't help, npc will lose and fortress will not be conquered), if the fortress are conquered the norn army try conquer the enemy base main castle. If they win, a champion will spawn for reconquer the base for the ice dragon. That champion really hit hard (1 hit kill, normally) and need a lot of players for deal it.

Take note that starter areas have less chained DE, because devs don't want smash players while they are learning the game tatics.

It is easy for players lost chained DE. Players complete an event, then move to other place, but a chained event can be starting as consequence from the first event but the player moved to other place. DE sometimes not cicle repeatedly forever, a final situation can be set (for example, the farm occupied by bandits, they wil stay there forever if the players don't come for kill them).

After read 17 pages of this thread, I come to the conclusions bellow:

1- there are people that don't played BWE: they have no idea if GW2 will deliver the promises or not, they have no idea how DE work or how the "no holy trinity" classes work, they just feel the game will not deliver the promises and they think that "feeling" is a rational opinion...

2- there are people that played BWE: they have a solid notion that GW2 is delivering the promises they made, at least they played it, sadly group 1 call it hype because they have no idea what they are talking about... aparently ignorance is bliss...

3- Christopher Lye is right... devs need stop to make WoW clones, like Rift and SWTOR...

From what I saw at BWE and Stress Test, GW2 is the game that WAR promised us.... and that is a big thing.

See you all next BWE, I want try a new guardian build... and if asura race is open, maybe an engineer...

From what I read at wiki:

the initiator skill is an atack that have an area effect, ever. For example: healing rain (elementalist staff water), symbol of wrath (guardian greatsword). 

the finisher skill have 4 kinds: blast, leap, projectile, whirl. That finish need enter the area of the initiator skill  or cross it.

So, IMHO, for use effectivelly these combos:

1- learn the attacks your class have that can start it, the initiator will have an area effect (a circle or a wall): for my guardian I read that the symbols I like to use are light initiators and my necromancer I tested last stress beta had Chilblains (staff) that is poison initiator; elementalist have nice fire area initiators and healing rain (elemntalist staff water) is initiator for healing combos;

2- learn the attacks you have that finisher the combo: blast, leap, projectile and whirl. If you see an area effect (a circle or a wall), use them immediatly. It will need some training, but eventually everyone can learn it.

3- self combos are possible and you can train for use them: I just see that my guardian can self combo with greatsword, symbol of wrath ------> whirling wrath or leap of faith

4- rangers: your companions can have initiator skills, just learn to use them. 

5- some traits make the initiator area effects stay longer: longer the effect, easier to use the finishers for get the combo.

My wild guesses:

1- before they launch GW2, they will make an open beta, one week duration, that is "marketing" beta: for it the game will need be polished, no lag, all starter races, optimization done, most bugs debugged.

2- they said will do ONE beta weekend each month.

3- IMHO, they need at least 2 beta weekends for test asura and sylvari starter areas, because they need debug and see if events are working fine.

4- they too need at least 2 or 3 beta weekends for see if optimization is working fine.

5- that say me they need at least 2 or 3 beta weekends  before try an open beta;

6- so, we have at least 3 or 4 months before launch (2 or 3 months for more beta weekends and one more month for open beta).

7- take note that it is possible that the test need more time, that 3 or 4 months is minimal I think they need.

8- that brings the launch to august or september.