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Guild Wars 2 public Beta is here for pre-purchases! [Stress Test June 27th]

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nataku

Member
I won't be doing videos, I don't think my system could really handle it plus the game, but I'll take a ton of screens.
 

Shrennin

Didn't get the memo regarding the 14th Amendment
Hopefully a LOT of things become standard for MMOs after this (i.e. Overflow servers, no server restrictions, etc.). Not that it matters since I've found my MMO for the next decade and a half, but.... yeah.

True on both accounts. GW2 is going to be my definitive MMO for at least a decade (if I'm still playing games by then haha)!

I think the overflow server idea is genius in particular too. However, even the core concept of competitive PVP eliminating gear grinding and basing it on pure skill could revolutionize MMOs from this point forward.

I'm probably going to be a WvWvW player myself if I ever delve into PVP though...
 

Zeal

Banned
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.
 

Retro

Member
Don't forget they have cashshop. You are right though. I retract my previous statement. We'll probably get yearly expansions that cost around 40 bucks. If it's more I'll be shocked. They will also all come out in November.

OYJNS.jpg


I won't be doing videos, I don't think my system could really handle it plus the game, but I'll take a ton of screens.

Likewise, I always regret not having the screenshots I took my first month or so of WoW, when I was taking pictures of my character on a mountain with the moon over her shoulder, little areas I 'discovered'... I was a tourist in a virtual world of possibilities. Then after a month or two the veil dropped and I realized it was actually quite limited and there wasn't actually anything surprising around the corner that wasn't meant to be there for some quest or another.

I plan to capture as much of the magic of GW2 as possible. Plus it gives us something to put up on the Podcast rather than just a white screen or yogscast videos.
 

Orayn

Member
What class will I play :(

Pretty much all of the classes can be played in a way that emphasizes support, it's just that healing won't be your only job. Guardian, for example, combines healing with crowd control, buffing, and some aspects of a traditional "tank."
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
not playing necro again... it just doesn't suit me anymore... Gonna try out Mesmer and Thief this time around.
 

Retro

Member
Pretty much all of the classes can be played in a way that emphasizes support, it's just that healing won't be your only job. Guardian, for example, combines healing with crowd control, buffing, and some aspects of a traditional "tank."

Guardian has some skills that definitely make it feel like a "Combat Medic". Most notably the "Resolute Healer" major trait, which generates a Shield of Absorption (knocks back foes and absorbs projectiles) when you start reviving an ally.

Chriswok, if you're concerned about your role in GW2, I recommend reading over this blog, which discusses how GW2 ditches the Tank/Heal/DPS trinity in favor of Control, Support and Damage; http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/combat/healing-death/
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Guardian has some skills that definitely make it feel like a "Combat Medic". Most notably the "Resolute Healer" major trait, which generates a Shield of Absorption (knocks back foes and absorbs projectiles) when you start reviving an ally.

Chriswok, if you're concerned about your role in GW2, I recommend reading over this blog, which discusses how GW2 ditches the Tank/Heal/DPS trinity in favor of Control, Support and Damage; http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/combat/healing-death/

I like the idea of a Ranger, but don't like the Pets. I might just go off-track and play a Warrior with a longbow (since only rangers and warriors can use longbows AFAIK), it will be interesting.
 

Retro

Member
I like the idea of a Ranger, but don't like the Pets. I might just go off-track and play a Warrior with a longbow (since only rangers and warriors can use longbows AFAIK), it will be interesting.

Yep, Warrior and Ranger are the only two that use Longbows, while Thieves and Rangers can use Shortbows. Warrior definitely has the widest selection of weapons to chose from, if that makes any difference.

I'm gonna guess that not having a Pet out will also lower a Ranger's effectiveness too much to be viable.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Yep, Warrior and Ranger are the only two that use Longbows, while Thieves and Rangers can use Shortbows. Warrior definitely has the widest selection of weapons to chose from, if that makes any difference.

I'm gonna guess that not having a Pet out will also lower a Ranger's effectiveness too much to be viable.

Exactly, that's why I don't wanna play Ranger with longbow and no pets, feels like you're not using its biggest strength and will be UP. So maybe Warrior with Longbow, rocking the crit & power, and if anyone gets too close punch him in the face.
 

Retro

Member
Exactly, that's why I don't wanna play Ranger with longbow and no pets, feels like you're not using its biggest strength and will be UP. So maybe Warrior with Longbow, rocking the crit & power, and if anyone gets too close punch him in the face.

Yeah, just dug up an old Q&A with Eric Flannum;
Q: I want to play a ranger without a pet. Are pets mandatory for the profession to be effective? Can you have a non-pet ranger like in GW1 and not sacrifice a lot of your effectiveness?

Eric: Rangers must use their pets to achieve maximum effectiveness. A ranger could choose to mostly ignore his pet and leave it on “auto-pilot” so to speak and still be very effective, but a ranger who doesn’t even have a pet out will be a good deal less effective than one who does. There are many other professions in Guild Wars 2 that have effective ranged damage or ranged utility like the ranger for players who don’t want to use a pet. (Source)

It's worth nothing that there are ways around having a giant animal companion; the Bird family of pets are actually pretty small, so you look more like a Falconer rather than having a giant Pterodactyl-sized Owl flutter around like in WoW. Doesn't solve your pet problem, but visually it minimizes it. You'll still have to deal with pet management (and the AI the last few Betas has been a little lacking).

Longbow for the Warrior puts emphasis on Burning damage, with two skills (3 if you count the Burst skill) providing single target, cone-shaped (Well, it fires 3 arrows in a spread) and AOE burn options. There are only two traits relevant to longbow currently;
  • Burning Arrows: Deal extra damage with a Longbow against burning foes.
  • Stronger Bowstrings: Increased Longbow range.
However, that might have changed and there may be more in there now. I'm planning to go Warrior for the Beta, so I can look for you.

It's worth mentioning that the crit-heavy trait line (Arms) focuses on Bleeds, which is actually a strength of the Rifle weapon (I was looking at a bleed build and Sword/Sword + Rifle is definitely the way to go). Just throwing that out there as a Rifle still kind of fits the "Huntsman" style. Plus its 5th ability is a Rifle Butt attack that knocks enemies backwards. It's not the punch in the face you mentioned, but it works.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Yeah, just dug up an old Q&A with Eric Flannum;


It's worth nothing that there are ways around having a giant animal companion; the Bird family of pets are actually pretty small, so you look more like a Falconer rather than having a giant Pterodactyl-sized Owl flutter around like in WoW. Doesn't solve your pet problem, but visually it minimizes it. You'll still have to deal with pet management (and the AI the last few Betas has been a little lacking).

Longbow for the Warrior puts emphasis on Burning damage, with two skills (3 if you count the Burst skill) providing single target, cone-shaped (Well, it fires 3 arrows in a spread) and AOE burn options. There are only two traits relevant to longbow currently;
  • Burning Arrows: Deal extra damage with a Longbow against burning foes.
  • Stronger Bowstrings: Increased Longbow range.
However, that might have changed and there may be more in there now. I'm planning to go Warrior for the Beta, so I can look for you.

It's worth mentioning that the crit-heavy trait line (Arms) focuses on Bleeds, which is actually a strength of the Rifle weapon (I was looking at a bleed build and Sword/Sword + Rifle is definitely the way to go). Just throwing that out there as a Rifle still kind of fits the "Huntsman" style. Plus its 5th ability is a Rifle Butt attack that knocks enemies backwards. It's not the punch in the face you mentioned, but it works.

Thanks, that'd be great. By punch in the face I meant the warrior elite, but yeah, it might not be perfect for Longbow, but at least there's something, and since traits are switchable I can always just use the longbow for fun and if I'm about to enter a fight I know will be trouble, pick a more viable build.
 

Negaiido

Member
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.

Luckily gameplay is more important then graphics so Guild Wars 2 is alright if you compare it with TERA.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.

TERA's development cycle was also shorter and its assets weren't built from the ground up. GW2 is entirely new. Also, Graphics are on par if not slightly less detailed than TERA. Polygon usage has been dedicated for more particle and painterly effects in GW2, rather than sheer technical raw power. It's all preference. To say TERA crushing GW2 visually is a disservice and you don't understand the direction ANet is going for.
 

Ferny

Member
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.

I don't even care THAT much about the graphics if the gameplay is great, which it looks to be the case in this regard. If it looks great and plays well then even better.
 

DJIzana

Member
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.

Have you seen the game on the highest graphic settings for yourself? (Serious question.)

I absolutely love the aesthetic for the game, the attention to detail is phenomenal.

Edit: I guess I should say that I was referring to Guild Wars 2, I've never played TERA, I've seen it but it's not my type of game.
 

Retro

Member
Thanks, that'd be great. By punch in the face I meant the warrior elite, but yeah, it might not be perfect for Longbow, but at least there's something, and since traits are switchable I can always just use the longbow for fun and if I'm about to enter a fight I know will be trouble, pick a more viable build.

Oh, don't get me wrong, Longbow looks viable as a ranged choice, but I don't see any potential for basing a whole build around it. Warriors don't have anything that can take advantage of the Burning status, nor can they cause it with anything other than the Longbow (I was surprised, I seem to remember them using Torches at one point).

There's the potential for a Combo attack, using Combustive Shot (Burst ability) relatively close to you to generate a fire field, and then any finisher (The hammer's "Staggering Blow", for example, would be a whirl finisher and knock back your target).

You can use Pin Down to immobilize a foe (3s duration) to give you some breathing room, or Bolas as a Utility skill (4s immobilize) to get some range, but you're never going to get the evasiveness of a ranger. The only ranged Cripple warriors have is on the Rifle though.

I think it will certainly work to frontload a lot of damage, and burning stacks on duration so you can dump a lot of it on them it they will continue to take damage through the close-range fight. But unless the traits change (and it's very possible they will), I don't see it being something you can build an entire character around with any degree of effectiveness. Could be fun as hell though if that's your cup of tea. I don't think anyone will be able to complain you're not pulling your weight, if that's what you're worried about.

I will check to see if they changed the traits a bit. Two traits for a whole weapon seems kinda thin, honestly.

If you're looking for a non-range bow-using profession, Thief might be a better option, honestly. You can also back up your bow with Pistol + Melee combination or just Pistol/Pistol. Otherwise, I think you're looking at a Ranger for non-magic ranged class.
 

Ettie

Member
I've been playing TERA this weekend for the OB, and yeah, it's beautiful. It's not a sub-worthy game however. It's a lot like Flyff so far, I've taken a warrior to 10, so admittedly not very far.

Anyway, I've not played GW2 but based on the streams I've seen, it's a very different aesthetic than TERA. I think I perceive that TERA is better graphically, just because it's all neon and pink and rabbit ears; that stands out.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Oh, don't get me wrong, Longbow looks viable as a ranged choice, but I don't see any potential for basing a whole build around it. Warriors don't have anything that can take advantage of the Burning status, nor can they cause it with anything other than the Longbow (I was surprised, I seem to remember them using Torches at one point).

There's the potential for a Combo attack, using Combustive Shot (Burst ability) relatively close to you to generate a fire field, and then any finisher (The hammer's "Staggering Blow", for example, would be a whirl finisher and knock back your target).

You can use Pin Down to immobilize a foe (3s duration) to give you some breathing room, or Bolas as a Utility skill (4s immobilize) to get some range, but you're never going to get the evasiveness of a ranger. The only ranged Cripple warriors have is on the Rifle though.

I think it will certainly work to frontload a lot of damage, and burning stacks on duration so you can dump a lot of it on them it they will continue to take damage through the close-range fight. But unless the traits change (and it's very possible they will), I don't see it being something you can build an entire character around with any degree of effectiveness. Could be fun as hell though if that's your cup of tea. I don't think anyone will be able to complain you're not pulling your weight, if that's what you're worried about.

I will check to see if they changed the traits a bit. Two traits for a whole weapon seems kinda thin, honestly.

If you're looking for a non-range bow-using profession, Thief might be a better option, honestly. You can also back up your bow with Pistol + Melee combination or just Pistol/Pistol. Otherwise, I think you're looking at a Ranger for non-magic ranged class.

I tend to go for the more fun builds, even if they're not top level competitive ;) so as long as it's not completely unviable it's good enough for me. Also, I like the idea that people might mistake my warrior standing in the back for stupid and then get nailed by arrows that hurt, and if they get too close I can switch to weapons/skills with knockback, then switch back to bow etc etc. I'm just a huge fan of logbows, if thiefs got to use them I'd play thief, but as is... Well. We'll see what skills are there in the final game and then I'll decide :p thanks for the info though :)
 

Retro

Member
I tend to go for the more fun builds, even if they're not top level competitive ;) so as long as it's not completely unviable it's good enough for me. Also, I like the idea that people might mistake my warrior standing in the back for stupid and then get nailed by arrows that hurt, and if they get too close I can switch to weapons/skills with knockback, then switch back to bow etc etc. I'm just a huge fan of logbows, if thiefs got to use them I'd play thief, but as is... Well. We'll see what skills are there in the final game and then I'll decide :p

Yeah. The nice thing about GW2 is that you can make up for a less-than-stellar build with skill, and have fun doing it. If you know how to take advantage of the environment, your utility skills, second weapon set, traits, crafting (we've seen components that increase Condition damage, for example), and even the people you're grouping with in terms of combos (lots of classes have +Damage against Burning foes).

Hell, there are even sigils to compliment your style:
Sigil of Superior Smoldering:"When you apply burning it lasts 10% longer. "

And the list of Sigils is pretty short right now, and there are hints in the list that suggest there will be some rather interesting choices in there (Sigil of Demon summoning? Nice). Putting all of that together, you could make an interesting Warrior build that loads up on burn damage and immolates the target through the entire fight, especially if you're able to keep away from your foe to switch back to the bow to kick the duration up.

thanks for the info though :)
Happy to help. Not like we're doing much else in this thread besides answering questions, comparing Guild Wars 1 e-peen play time and counting the minutes until Beta starts (4 Days, 19 hours, 51 minutes and 54 seconds for those of you not sitting with the countdown timer open).
 

Stuart444

Member
I've been doing a lot of work today with TERA trying to record it with high quality using FRAPS (already got screenshots looking pretty HQ in 720p)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nzDS4KY0g

Does this look good to everyone? (hope posting this is not against the rules since this is not a TERA thread) If so then I should be able to record some pretty good GW2 videos, going to try and record as much as possible.

I also plan on trying to stream the first couple of hours on twitch at 720p.

Can't wait until Friday now, still unsure of what profession I'll play at first but I plan on trying them all over the weekend.
 

Achtius

Member
I thought that this would be a bit broken something I'd be interested in trying when I saw that signet trait...

I think they've mentioned that traits have changed yet again since the press demo, but I can't find a source on that so believe what you will.



i heard that specific combo doesn't work
 

Andiie

Unconfirmed Member
Nice write up Retro, I appreciate the time you took to write it.

Meta events.
I appreciate this design.

No aggro. Holy trinity removal.
I still have some reservations with this. I guess I can't wrap my head around the idea of it working perfectly just yet without thinking of flaws in the old system when trying to think about how certain scenarios would play out.
I wonder if the new downed state + easy res. system would then make us think of 'dying' as less of a failure given it'd be so easy to get each other back into a fight. I don't know, knowing how we react to players dying in other mmo's makes me feel like players will take a while to adjust and will need to change their mentality with it.

Thinking about it now I hope there's a possibility you can ace most tough encounters with smart play and perfect execution instead of always just accepting dying as being the only way to succeed.

Can't wait to try this stuff out, seeing first hand how it all feels will give me a different perspective on it I'm sure.

Skill bloat.
This is one of my biggest complaints with mmo's and good riddance to it too. This is one of the things that caught my eye at first with combat when I was cold on it before. I just thought it was a smart system.

I do feel like a lot of my 'complaints' with the game stem from mostly seeing how other games do it and trying to wrap that around the concept of this game. The game decisions seem thoughtful enough and intelligently designed that I'm sure they've thought about it at great lengths and in greater detail than I have that it shouldn't even be a big enough problem that it'll even matter.

I'm excited to play the beta.
 

Jira

Member
Nice write up Retro, I appreciate the time you took to write it.


I appreciate this design.


I still have some reservations with this. I guess I can't wrap my head around the idea of it working perfectly just yet without thinking of flaws in the old system when trying to think about how certain scenarios would play out.
I wonder if the new downed state + easy res. system would then make us think of 'dying' as less of a failure given it'd be so easy to get each other back into a fight. I don't know, knowing how we react to players dying in other mmo's makes me feel like players will take a while to adjust and will need to change their mentality with it.

Thinking about it now I hope there's a possibility you can ace most tough encounters with smart play and perfect execution instead of always just accepting dying as being the only way to succeed.

Can't wait to try this stuff out, seeing first hand how it all feels will give me a different perspective on it I'm sure.


This is one of my biggest complaints with mmo's and good riddance to it too. This is one of the things that caught my eye at first with combat when I was cold on it before. I just thought it was a smart system.

I do feel like a lot of my 'complaints' with the game stem from mostly seeing how other games do it and trying to wrap that around the concept of this game. The game decisions seem thoughtful enough and intelligently designed that I'm sure they've thought about it at great lengths and in greater detail than I have that it shouldn't even be a big enough problem that it'll even matter.

I'm excited to play the beta.

The idea is that the downed state doesn't mean you died, it's just an extension of your HP bar where you've been weakened, but are still holding on much like Left 4 Dead. The idea is that your allies have to work together to get you up, two people might fend off enemies while another gets you back on your feet. Downed =/= death.
 

zulfate

Member
Exactly, that's why I don't wanna play Ranger with longbow and no pets, feels like you're not using its biggest strength and will be UP. So maybe Warrior with Longbow, rocking the crit & power, and if anyone gets too close punch him in the face.

but...but what about my beastmaster build...mid to close range combat for me...ill prove you wrong! lol
 

Retro

Member
I'm still confused on how some of the combos work, finisher and all. Guess I need to play more to figure them out.

A combo requires two parts: a Field (also called an Initiator) and a Finisher.

Fields are generally Area of Effect spells that have some kind of lasting duration.

Finishers come in four varieties:
Blast Finisher: The player causes AOE damage in the area, spreading the effects. (i.e. Stomp in a Smoke Field grants stealth to all in the area)
Leap Finisher: The player leaps through the area, causing the field's effects to those on impact (i.e. Leap through water = Heal everyone on impact)
Physical Projectile: Something is shot or fired through the field and carries the field's effect with it (i.e. Arrows thru fire = Fire Arrows)
Whirl Finisher: The player performs a spin attack, usually spreading the effects via projectiles. (i.e. Whirling Defense in fire = fireballs launched in all directions)

We don't know all of the initiators or finishers yet, nor do we know their outcome. You can read more here; http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Combo#Combos

Nice write up Retro, I appreciate the time you took to write it.

Hey, no problem. We're not doing much else at this point beyond watching the clock and if you guys have questions that can get you on board, we're happy to help. Spreading the good word and all that.

I still have some reservations with this. I guess I can't wrap my head around the idea of it working perfectly just yet without thinking of flaws in the old system when trying to think about how certain scenarios would play out.
I wonder if the new downed state + easy res. system would then make us think of 'dying' as less of a failure given it'd be so easy to get each other back into a fight. I don't know, knowing how we react to players dying in other mmo's makes me feel like players will take a while to adjust and will need to change their mentality with it.

If you've played Left 4 Dead or Borderlands, it's the exact same thing; instead of dying and getting a "Game over" screen (or in the case of MMOs, a corpse run), you instead get a second chance to claw your way back from the brink. If you manage to kill an enemy, heal yourself up (there is a small health gauge above the 4 buttons) or other players revive you, then you rally and you're back in the game.

If you're defeated before you can rally, then you simply respawn at the nearest any Waypoint you've unlocked (Thanks Jira), with one piece of armor damaged. That's it. Once all of your armor has been damaged, another defeat will cause a piece to break, and you will no longer receive its benefits until repaired.

The important thing, however, is that you only get killed if you make mistakes or bite off more than you can chew, not because the boss rolled a higher ATK score+crit% vs. your Block Chance%-dodge% and the healer was watching youtube videos instead of whack-a-mole'ing your health bar. That shit is gone.

Thinking about it now I hope there's a possibility you can ace most tough encounters with smart play and perfect execution instead of always just accepting dying as being the only way to succeed.

If you can read enemy attacks, dodge effectively, watch your surroundings for traps and area of effect spells (they appear as red circles on the ground), use your skills wisely and use caution, then yes; you can ace tough encounters. In theory, a skilled player may never die (exception: the Human tutorial forces a death on you so you learn the mechanic, but it's essential to the story). That's why we're so excited for GW2; instead of standing there trading blows with enemies, winning only if the RNG is in your favor, you can actually be good at video games and beat your opponent because you're better than they are.
 

Jira

Member
"If you're defeated before you can rally, then you simply respawn at the nearest Waypoint, with one piece of armor damaged."

You can actually choose any waypoint that you've unlocked so if you don't want to go back where you died, you don't have to.
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
"If you're defeated before you can rally, then you simply respawn at the nearest Waypoint, with one piece of armor damaged."

You can actually choose any waypoint that you've unlocked so if you don't want to go back where you died, you don't have to.
Are you serious? That's brilliant. Never would have thought of that.
 

Arksy

Member
My sylvari necro will be a master of dead meat puppets.

Not this weekend, they won't be. :( Necromancers do look awesome but the Necromancer has permenant pets right? The mesmer just spawns clones and phantasms and then they dissapear at the end of a fight.
 

Complistic

Member
Not this weekend, they won't be. :( Necromancers do look awesome but the Necromancer has permenant pets right? The mesmer just spawns clones and phantasms and then they dissapear at the end of a fight.

Rangers have a permenant animal pet. Necros raise an army of undead to fight for them, and mesmers have various types of clones.
 

Arksy

Member
Thanks for the info. That gives me a bit of extra time to grind up 30/50 in GW1. If only it wasn't for the horrible horrible rubberbanding. :(
 

Valnen

Member
I am honestly disappointed with the graphics after playing TERA. It crushes this visually, and it's a year older or more.

Not even attempting a troll. I was really looking forward to this, but the textures and models in some parts look extremely dated.

Will withhold further judgement until release.

I thought Tera was one of those games that was pretty in screenshots but pretty boring when I actually got in game. Just felt bland somehow. It's hard to describe why, it just does.
 

Arksy

Member
It was the opposite for me, I didn't realise quite how beautiful TERA was until i got into the game and got to see the tree in the Isle of Dawn and Velika city myself. The High Elf city was perhaps the most gorgeous thing I've seen. Saying that though, I don't think I've ever seeen such expertly crafted cities as i have in GW2....
 

PewPewK

Member
A little off topic, but I like Jira's avatar so much that I decided to make one for every profession.

Elementalist.png
Engineer.png
Guardian.png
Mesmer.png
Necromancer.png
Ranger.png
Thief.png
Warrior.png


Not pixel perfect, but I think they look good, yes? :)

Also available in their large, unedited forms:


 
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