Guild Wars 2: The One Thread

[Zmagoslav]

The character situation is doubly weird if you missed LS1.

Imagine leveling up and going through the story with one set of characters and the story around them and then BAM they're practically all gone and you have this new squad of people out of nowhere. Characters with no real history in the game or setting from your perspective.

Another "new player experience" bit of weirdness from the game.

Been there, done exactly that...
After 2 expansions the "new" members still feel very off.

[Edge-]

After 2 expansions the "new" members still feel very off.

I think that's because of how haphazardly they've been used. I need to replay through the base game again at some point, but IIRC Dragons Edge felt more cohesive. Like, characters that went away for a bit felt like they had a reason to and returned when they were done with whatever, and you're collectively gathered fairly frequently.

HoT and beyond it's been an inconsistent hodgepodge. I can't even remember where Marjorie and Belinda (I think?) are supposed to be nowadays, and I liked those two quite a bit so I'm sad they've basically disappeared.

Finally logged in to check out the big balance update and...I have no thoughts. Figured they'd sort issues yesterday, but went to my equipment tab to swap sets over to my FB stuff and insta-crashed. Poking around reddit/forums, apparently this is not exactly the best update. Mantra changes for mesmers kinda ruined them (but great for FB), they weirdly kept the "need to cast them" mantra icons for FB rather than the "ready to go" icons, CC is supposed to show as purple but shows as red, folks who could get swiftness/fury durations to insane lengths (upwards of a minute) still seeing those times on the skills despite the buffs being capped at 30s.

I gotta say, after the underwhelming second half of IBS I was hoping for a better/more polished balance pass than this. I can only hope that the same skeleton crew working on IBS also did this and the majority of the team is working on EoD because like, it still feels like there's a big quality dip and that Anet doesn't exactly know where they even want to take the game.

[Edge-]

Well, I don't know about you, but I've been hearing the whole, "Maybe this sucks because the next thing is so good!" thing for a long time. Pretty hard to believe.

GW2 has peaks and valleys. We're in a valley now, and maybe one a bit lower than usual given the shakeups at Anet (though amusingly it hasn't hurt their financials, which have remained steady), and I'm hoping we have another peak with EoD. It's got Cantha, and while that doesn't mean much for me it's something GW1 folks have apparently wanted forever so I'm hoping this means they'll do it justice and it'll be as enjoyable as PoF was for me (screw HoT, I can't say that enough).

[Svifnymr]

I think that's because of how haphazardly they've been used. I need to replay through the base game again at some point, but IIRC Dragons Edge felt more cohesive. Like, characters that went away for a bit felt like they had a reason to and returned when they were done with whatever, and you're collectively gathered fairly frequently.

HoT and beyond it's been an inconsistent hodgepodge. I can't even remember where Marjorie and Belinda (I think?) are supposed to be nowadays, and I liked those two quite a bit so I'm sad they've basically disappeared.

Belinda's the dead sister I think, right? Kasmeer is the mesmer, Marjorie is the necromancer. They used to send folks off for other things, but now yeah it's just an odd "hey, who's available to back us up?" "oh, Kasmeer is in the area". Then she shows up in the instance and you're asking her how things are going between her and Marjorie because I guess there was some drama at some point and I'm supposed to not just remember it from a year or so ago, but also care about it...

So yeah, there's no Guild for us and these NPCs, they're just folks that show up sometimes to help us save the world.

[Edge-]

Belinda's the dead sister I think, right? Kasmeer is the mesmer, Marjorie is the necromancer. They used to send folks off for other things, but now yeah it's just an odd "hey, who's available to back us up?" "oh, Kasmeer is in the area". Then she shows up in the instance and you're asking her how things are going between her and Marjorie because I guess there was some drama at some point and I'm supposed to not just remember it from a year or so ago, but also care about it...

So yeah, there's no Guild for us and these NPCs, they're just folks that show up sometimes to help us save the world.

Damnit, it's been so long I forget who's who >.<

I'm hoping they can recapture that feeling again in EoD. I feel like this is partially driven by a lack of longterm planning and contracts with voice actors so they can come back regularly when needed.

[Zmagoslav]

HoT and beyond it's been an inconsistent hodgepodge. I can't even remember where Marjorie and Belinda (I think?) are supposed to be nowadays, and I liked those two quite a bit so I'm sad they've basically disappeared.

I had to actually check on those 2;
- apparently Belinda has been dead since LWS2e5
- her sister was last seen at the charr celebration in Grothmar valley... then Arena Net kinda forgot about her

I'm still a bit annoyed by how they just got rid of Zojja,... to replace her with that annoying Taimi thing

[Katchii]

I had to actually check on those 2;
- apparently Belinda has been dead since LWS2e5
- her sister was last seen at the charr celebration in Grothmar valley... then Arena Net kinda forgot about her

I'm still a bit annoyed by how they just got rid of Zojja,... to replace her with that annoying Taimi thing

Don't you talk about Taimi like that!

While she can be a bit over the top sometimes, she also the only one who isn't emo and dour all the time, everyone else is such a downer....in the interactions that I even remember.

[Edge-]

I had to actually check on those 2;
- apparently Belinda has been dead since LWS2e5
- her sister was last seen at the charr celebration in Grothmar valley... then Arena Net kinda forgot about her

I'm still a bit annoyed by how they just got rid of Zojja,... to replace her with that annoying Taimi thing

Yeah, Kas is part of an event using her clones to train char cubs.

Don't you talk bad about Taimi though, SHE IS THE BEST. (though I can totally understand why she can be annoying as a character, and how as a character she's kinda freakin ridiculous in the context of the game world/story).

[Svifnymr]

Kasmeer was in one of the dragon events, heck if I remember which one though.

I like Taimi well enough, but of course while she isn't emo/dour, she is the one with actual health issues. Braham is all grumpy and emo, but can survive anything apparently.

Not sure why they didn't recast Zojja, if it's just Day not wanting to do it anymore. I never really cared for the character very much anyway, at least as a mentor.

[Edge-]

Kasmeer was in one of the dragon events, heck if I remember which one though.

I like Taimi well enough, but of course while she isn't emo/dour, she is the one with actual health issues. Braham is all grumpy and emo, but can survive anything apparently.

Not sure why they didn't recast Taimi, if it's just Day not wanting to do it anymore. I never really cared for the character very much anyway, at least as a mentor.

Felicia Day is Zojja, not Taimi. I wasn't big into the character either and Day's casting seemed more like they were trying to bring on a notable name in nerd-dome. I imagine she's more expensive than she used to be and they didn't have a longterm contract signed for her, I think she's come back like twice since the OG story wrapped up but that's it.

And yeah, Braham is a grumpypants. He was great as a combo with Rox since she balanced him out with a bit of optimism, but without her (since she's hanging with the Olmakhan) he's more meh. I'm hoping he won't be one of the primary drivers of the story now that he's had his whole arc and can go back to being more of a supporting member. I quite like Rox too, and while I have no clue where the Olmakhan fit in with Cantha and all that I hope we'll be seeing them/her again in EoD.

[Svifnymr]

Felicia Day is Zojja, not Taimi. I wasn't big into the character either and Day's casting seemed more like they were trying to bring on a notable name in nerd-dome. I imagine she's more expensive than she used to be and they didn't have a longterm contract signed for her, I think she's come back like twice since the OG story wrapped up but that's it.

Yeah, fixed it, totally meant Zojja. I'm not even sure what Day is doing now, but I assume she's still doing stuff in her sphere. Her voice is distinctive in some ways sure, but since Zojja has been in a coma for a few years now, a change of voice is no big deal.

And yeah, Braham is a grumpypants. He was great as a combo with Rox since she balanced him out with a bit of optimism, but without her (since she's hanging with the Olmakhan) he's more meh. I'm hoping he won't be one of the primary drivers of the story now that he's had his whole arc and can go back to being more of a supporting member. I quite like Rox too, and while I have no clue where the Olmakhan fit in with Cantha and all that I hope we'll be seeing them/her again in EoD.

Yeah, I wonder if they'll even tie the characters into the new storylines as more than recurring guest stars. The Olmakhan were neat, but like a lot of Living World stuff, they had a session then were forgotten for the most part.

[PACOX]

I've had beef with Taimi since the Metrica DRM. Hell Asura in general. Their logic is asinine (I'm not mad at it in real life but a lore perspective. I appreciate when writers allow characters to do dumb stuff). Trust the manipulative dragon and take out the other dragon that keeps it in check. Surely the power hungry dragon that manipulated the Svanir and Charr will play nicely with the world once its weakness is eliminated.

Taimi's dialogue proves that she is still a child and the adults put way too much stock in help book smarts. Jormag and Ryland flipped on them (the Asura) real quick.


The balance patch is weird. They fixed some pvp/WvW annoyances, smoothed out some open world bits, instanced play is a hot mess though. They gave new specs benefitial boons...the problem is that those specs too well. A mesmer (Mirage) can maintain need 100% boon uptime in dps gear, increasing power creep while negating previous builds. Condi plays received a huge bump but that may due to way previous bosses were designed. A lot of old bosses don't move unless they are being kited by a tank for whatever reason, torment now does more damage to stationary targets...torment is melting through content. I saw old bosses because the couple of encounters we've received since the newest fractal all feature bosses that move regardless of the tank. It could be that things in EOD move more, thus now allowing torment to ramp up ridiculous levels (any why they changed its bonus from moving to stationary targets). We will see. I'm thinking a follow up balance will be in the works sooner than later.

[Edge-]

A mesmer (Mirage) can maintain need 100% boon uptime in dps gear, increasing power creep while negating previous builds.

Been seeing a lot of chatter on this, and apparently FB is like, the meta support specialization due to the defensive boons? Kinda amused since I've been playing that as my fractal build for years while druids were the popular support and FB support was apparently much less common. I do love it, it's got so much defensive utility while having some pretty good boon support (haste/might) while largely being a frontline build. Kinda lame that they appear to have given huge boons to already strong DPS builds that didn't appear to need it, while others are still lacking boons and some support builds are outshined due to their low DPS compared to the pure DPS classes with boons.

I haven't really played since the update, doesn't seem like much changed for my guardian in the open world (power DH greatsword/sword&focus build, FB running...I think grieving? haven't checked my gear in a while and prob need to swap to like, carrion or something). I've gotta find some time to run fractals again this weekend to see how things are after the balance patch.

[PACOX]

Without getting into the nuances of fractals and raids, support roles were filled be FB and Renegade mostly in fractals, Chronos and Druids in raids. You can play them in full support roles (dedicated tank/heal) or as hybrids. Anet wanted to spread boons to more classes, so Mirages got alacrity and Scrapper got quickness (Scrapper was seen as one of the best supports that didn't fit in comps because of its lack off boons to share). The Scrapper change isn't perfect but an adequate alternative to FB. Mirage was undertuned. It can do the job of a support class without trading much dps. So if you need alacrity in your group your choice is a hybrid Renegade that does lackluster dps or a Mirage that can maintain the same boon uptime with twice as much dps...and it's a lot easier to play.

On a side note, FB (non-healer) usually goes full Vipers. Min-maxxes will slap on a piece of two of Grieving but it's not really necessary. I want to say the nerfed FBs ability to take advantage of mixing Vipers and Grieving. I'll ask my guild mates more into theorycrafting later.

[Svifnymr]

I've had beef with Taimi since the Metrica DRM. Hell Asura in general. Their logic is asinine (I'm not mad at it in real life but a lore perspective. I appreciate when writers allow characters to do dumb stuff). Trust the manipulative dragon and take out the other dragon that keeps it in check. Surely the power hungry dragon that manipulated the Svanir and Charr will play nicely with the world once its weakness is eliminated.

At least the Asura reeeeeallllly hate Primordus. The rest of the guys just ignoring the entire history of the Sons of Svanir, just odd. They also didn't seem to really appreciate the Flame Legion stuff very well, but I dunno, just felt off. The "trust Jormag" stuff is a good example of the stuff that irritates me, something obviously stupid that my character says or doesn't comment on another character doing. It just happened so often in GW2's stuff that it turns me off.

[Edge-]

On a side note, FB (non-healer) usually goes full Vipers. Min-maxxes will slap on a piece of two of Grieving but it's not really necessary. I want to say the nerfed FBs ability to take advantage of mixing Vipers and Grieving. I'll ask my guild mates more into theorycrafting later.

Looking at that stat combo I might have that instead...if not I may need to pick up a new exotic set for it (my ascended gear is purely for my support build). I used to roll with Shaman gear for a bit of a "hybrid" build for open world stuff. Plenty enough damage for solo play, super tanky, and some fairly decent support for DE's and zone metas.

I'm not a min/maxer at all, I'm ultra madbad casual and just dick around for funzies. T3 fractals is about as serious as I've ever gotten and those are enough for a "challenge" for me.

[Edge-]

Shit, my build was definitely out of date a bit and my gear janky, and I thought it was doing alright. Playing a more proper FB DPS build and it feels like a lot more damage already. I miss some of the haste I used to have but it seems worth losing it. Thanks for the tips, Pacox.

Apparently my fractal support build was barely changed too and it's been ages so I may as well see if it's still solid.

Finally managed to get in while the Primordius/Kralk group fight and yeah, it's just the same thing with more health. Actually went surprisingly smooth even in a pug and I even got a mastery out of it. Not a bad day!

Hahaha every group is packed with guardians, damnit.

[masterblaster0]

Have been enjoying the WvW boost which is running for the next week. Forgotten how frenetic it can get at times.

[Edge-]

Yeah, the meta group for most(?) fractals is 4 FB/1 Ren, I guess.

Guardian has been a pretty overloaded class for some time. In large part due to Quickness being absurdly overpowered while also being largely limited to one class.

That boon really needs to go away or be reworked, whoever thought that giving players Bloodlust with no limitations, 100% uptime, and limiting it to one class was off their goddamned rocker.

Weird, I thought chrono brought it as well? It's stupidly strong so I have no clue why they'd limit it to so few specializations, and the way it is now holy shit it's trivial to keep up. My FB heal in my ascended gear grants 8s of quickness alone (on a 9.5s cooldown), and even my scrub ass could pretty consistently keep it on my group for the entirety of boss fights. Also realizing how easy it is to trivialize quite a few boss mechanics by being able to functionally spam aegis on the group.

Damnit, I feel like when I was semi-seriously doing fractals FB were the uncool support. I can't feel like a hipster anymore : (

Oh well, it's still a fun build to play even if they do nerf it, or preferably buff other builds. Stupid heals, stupid defense, might, and stupid quickness.

Edit: Playing through some of the DRM's for the mastery points (I still need to farm a dozen more to finish out the last set of dragon masteries from IBS) and...they don't feel as awful as they did the first time around. Still not great or terribly exciting, and they don't seem terribly active, but they're not as awful as I remember. Not great tho.

[Edge-]

Reminder: The free S2 event starts the 25th.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en-gb/new...begins-may-25/

Beginning 25 May we’ll spotlight two episodes of Living World Season 2 each week, in chronological order. Log in during the week to unlock the episodes for free!

As the episodes enter the spotlight, we’ll update them with new permanent achievements you can tackle at any time. Complete all the new achievements to progress toward legendary rewards! Check out our Guild Wars 2 Live: Summer 2021 overview to learn more.

Free LS updates if you missed them, just gotta remember to log in each week to claim them. I'm curious about this new meta-achievement for the legendary amulet and new achieves for the precursor weapon, never even had one of those.