Hello everyone!

[Meledelion]

The theorycrafting community didn't get any support at the start of the game, many people got abused by others for weeks/months. People giving support about the ranger SB "fix" at the start are a great example, people not believing GS>axe war is another, burst>sustain is in the same line of thinking, EA build being awesome is yet another one, AH guard sucking (with the entire concept of anchors),...

I once posted advice on how to make a speedkill on lupicus even faster (on reddit) and I got downvoted into oblivion, ofc the next time the record got broken they followed my advice.
I remember posts with actual math being ridiculed cause "it's not spreadsheet wars 2" and so on, after that many people just stopped sharing the knowledge unless asked for.

(yes I'm salty about this shit)

[Svifnymr]

I once posted advice on how to make a speedkill on lupicus even faster (on reddit) and I got downvoted into oblivion, ofc the next time the record got broken they followed my advice.
I remember posts with actual math being ridiculed cause "it's not spreadsheet wars 2" and so on, after that many people just stopped sharing the knowledge unless asked for.

Partly it's because of this perceived "best = required" thing. I am not highspeed/lowdrag, but I still like to read what works best. If GS/Axe is best for warrior, and I LIKE greatsword/axe, then I'll use the advice. If I want to do something else, I will. Most content can be completed either way.

But seriously, when you say "this is the best build", folks think you're saying "this is the only build, use it or you're an incompetent idiot who shouldn't play the game", rather than "hey, if you want the most efficient build for this type of content, here it is". There's a lot of backlash against elitism and perceived elitism.

(yes I'm salty about this shit)

Oh, yeah, like you're ever not salty! :-p

[Triptych]

I very rarely browse any of the online forums -- I'll typically enter search terms in google and then select from the results based on my needs. And sometimes I'll find what I want on the official forums, other times GW2 Guru, other times the subreddit, occasionally a blog or youtube.

Idly browsing through the forums of an online game community is not something I'd generally consider fun or entertaining. You occasionally come across some very helpful and friendly and mature posters, but more often than not, the threads are full of squabbling and rants and hyper-inflated ego.