• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Guild Wars 2 - Path of Fire |OT| Mount and Shining Blade

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I wish there's a way to go to CD without doing story or using items. In HoT I smuggled characters via guild hall.
 
Awesome OT Massicot!

@Hawkian, officerize Massicot!!!

Only in Crystal Oassis and done first 3 story steps. Having lots of fun with my Holosmith, and loving the maps and how story is flowing so well, from one instance to open to world to another instance.

Have pretty much turned off all chats accept for party and whisper because want to read all the ambient dailouge asi go through the game.
 
Mirage is... different. It's really hard to get used to the way dodge works now. Over the course of 5 years you really get used to the mobility and when it's not there, it's jarring. I went from rarely dying on my Chrono, to dying quite a lot. Maybe it's just my build(I suck at choosing complimentary traits), or just a matter of time before I adapt.

Right now I am using Axe/Torch and Scepter.
 
I wish there's a way to go to CD without doing story or using items. In HoT I smuggled characters via guild hall.

IMO after your first character got to CD, your other characters should have the first WP open...

Edit:patches seem to fix my crashing, in game for an hour and every thing ran great, playing at 2 times Dynamic res and hitting 70 plus frames in some areas, other areas with a lot of players/NPC it will drop into the high 50's..
 

Taffer

Member
I gave up after an hour or so last night because of disconnecty rollbacks boo hiss.

do you get a free max level character again when you purchase Path of Fire?

I want to jump in again. I really quite enjoyed Heart, but never made it out of the second zone. Still feel bad for wasting the last free max character on a Guardian, only to find out that I hate the class. Necro and Mesmer 4 life

e: also, where the hell do I get one of my character names for the account reactivation from

Level-80 Boost comes with PoF, as for your character name I have no idea but you should be able to log in with your e-mail address or at least reset the password.
 

Aim_Ed

Member
Full zerkers, Smokescale beast mode, Moa Stance, Strength of the Pack, Sic Em... Everything just melts before I can switch off my longbow, which sucks because there's a new trait that increases boon duration 2 seconds and Moa Stance increases boon duration by 66%. Bosses in the story mode are a breeze.

I think I'll play a bit of scourge today, so far this is way more enjoyable than HoT.
 

Violet_0

Banned
Level-80 Boost comes with PoF, as for your character name I have no idea but you should be able to log in with your e-mail address or at least reset the password.
thanks

password reset requires both a character name and game ID, neither of which I have. I sent a ticket to support and fully anticipate to never hear back from them

other question, are the living world seasons solo content?
 
Is there a way to get into the new zones without doing the story?

You're going to have to do the prologue. Press H > Go to Story Journal > Path of Fire, and do the intro mission.

From there you can move to all the new zones without doing the story steps. However it's not easy. You're gonna need your best raptor jumping skillz to get past places that are meant for the other mounts. And some places you just cannot go because of height, portals, quicksand and other stuff.




other question, are the living world seasons solo content?

Yes they are. Of course the rest of the content is group based (the new zones themselves). Season 3 introduced six big new areas designed for group play.
 
You're going to have to do the prologue. Press H > Go to Story Journal > Path of Fire, and do the intro mission.

From there you can move to all the new zones without doing the story steps. However it's not easy. You're gonna need your best raptor jumping skillz to get past places that are meant for the other mounts. And some places you just cannot go because of height, portals, quicksand and other stuff.

Thanks, I just wanted to get my other characters into the zone without doing it. I really dislike that Anet does this.
 

Violet_0

Banned
Yes they are. Of course the rest of the content is group based (the new zones themselves). Season 3 introduced six big new areas designed for group play.

so, like, dungeons, or just normal zones with events?
I've decided to stay away from any dungeons or pvp modes, because I really don't feel like building my character according to what the internet thinks is best
 
Thanks, I just wanted to get my other characters into the zone without doing it. I really dislike that Anet does this.

If you have Teleport to friend item, you can get a guildie/friend to join your party and move your characters to PoF...i did it with a few of my characters that don't have enough Hero Points for new elite specs..
 

Ettie

Member
Loving it so far, what Anet can do with a desert is incredible.

Really need that 1st party build template solution, like, right now.

Since I like to clear the maps and advance the story as I go, the stuff that requires a mount/ability from later on is frustrating. Wish there was a way to mark that stuff so I didn't spend time trying to figure it out only to discover that I'm not supposed to be able to reach it yet.
 

Stuart444

Member
and so the people of tyria cried tears of joy


so does it get its own mastery or...

Yes, in the thread, in the comments, someone has posted what I assumed is datamined info with images of the mastery track.

Is there a way to get into the new zones without doing the story?

Only way right now is using the Lily of the Elon pass if you got it. If not, then TP to friend is the only other way I think.
 

Abhor

Member
Glad Anet already hotfixed the crashing. Wouldn't bother playing if it kept randomly crashing.

I got the greatsword, staff, shield, axe, and focus from the war god set. Love the set. Especially the greatsword.
 

Violet_0

Banned
just wondering, will I still be fine with a Berserker Reaper (greatsword) and Berserker Mesmer (greatsword, sword/pistol) in PvE? And do you need more suvivability now or can I still go glass cannon?

I also have a dragonhunter which does pityful damage, guess I'll try the new elite specialization

oh, is there finally an easy way to salvage everything or do I still have to carry around dozens of salvage kits?
 

Stuart444

Member
just wondering, will I still be fine with a Berserker Reaper (greatsword) and Berserker Mesmer (greatsword, sword/pistol) in PvE? And do you need more suvivability now or can I still go glass cannon?

I also have a dragonhunter which does pityful damage, guess I'll try the new elite specialization

oh, is there finally an easy way to salvage everything or do I still have to carry around dozens of salvage kits?

As always, for general PvE, anything is fine, anything at all. Glass Cannon included.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Ahahahaha

JPwV9yT.jpg
 
just wondering, will I still be fine with a Berserker Reaper (greatsword) and Berserker Mesmer (greatsword, sword/pistol) in PvE? And do you need more suvivability now or can I still go glass cannon?

I also have a dragonhunter which does pityful damage, guess I'll try the new elite specialization

oh, is there finally an easy way to salvage everything or do I still have to carry around dozens of salvage kits?

As a memser snob elitist trash, sword+focus / sword+sword is much better than pistol in most situations. I'd only ever go with a great sword if I know I will have 0 chance of surviving in melee range of a target. I'm pretty sure three sword phantasms do more damage on their own that three greatsword phantasms+ greatsword auto attack. And focus is the best cleave the class has access to.

Anyway Berserker is perfectly fine. Though Assassin's gear is generally better in open world.

This expansion is fucking massive. I think in terms of land mass this is bigger than the base game. I was exploring Elon Riverlands and I was like "why is this called Elon Riverla... oh. ohhhh. ohhhhh jesus fucking christ!!".

The expansion is huge. I'm very happy with it's size and scope. But you're really underestimating just how huge core Tyra is.
 

j-wood

Member
I'm really torn on what to do! When this was announced I bought the combo pack of this with HoT. I had a level 80 ele that I beat the original campaign with, but stopped shortly after that.

So I'm playing my ele again, and I bought the living story season 2 content. I'm trying to get through that and then moving into the HoT stuff, but I want to experience the new content with everyone for the first time!

I guess what I'm asking is, what would I be missing out on? Is it worth me continuing my current course?
 

Stuart444

Member
Quick question: Are all four base mounts required to complete the story? Just wondering since one of the story things in the second map looks like it requires the springer mount (
contact Taimi, big tower place near the start that looks like it's springer only
) which in turn requires trade contracts + level 3 Raptor.

Now that it's a big issue (most people will want all the mounts anyway lol), just wondering if people near the end had to get all the mounts to proceed with the story.
 

cyress8

Banned
Quick question: Are all four base mounts required to complete the story? Just wondering since one of the story things in the second map looks like it requires the springer mount (
contact Taimi, big tower place near the start that looks like it's springer only
) which in turn requires trade contracts + level 3 Raptor.

Now that it's a big issue (most people will want all the mounts anyway lol), just wondering if people near the end had to get all the mounts to proceed with the story.
Yep, will need them a few times.

You can also beeline to the skimmer also. I grabbed it right after I got the bunny. Just save your MP to get the bunny or skimmer to level 3 so you can grab the jackal. Did that last night and was not too bad.
 

Stuart444

Member
Yep, will need them a few times.

You can also beeline to the skimmer also. I grabbed it right after I got the bunny. Just save your MP to get the bunny or skimmer to level 3 so you can grab the jackal. Did that last night and was not too bad.

Ty, I'll try that later on. Just getting an insight first for Raptor 3 since I need that for Bunny. I'll probably forgo any level 4 training until they all get to Level 3 just to be safe as well.
 

Violet_0

Banned
As always, for general PvE, anything is fine, anything at all. Glass Cannon included.

ah yeah, that's always been the case. I'm mainly concerned about damage output
As a memser snob elitist trash, sword+focus / sword+sword is much better than pistol in most situations. I'd only ever go with a great sword if I know I will have 0 chance of surviving in melee range of a target. I'm pretty sure three sword phantasms do more damage on their own that three greatsword phantasms+ greatsword auto attack. And focus is the best cleave the class has access to.

Anyway Berserker is perfectly fine. Though Assassin's gear is generally better in open world.
I always like the greatsword and pistol phantasms and the greatsword ranged autoattack, just creating a little army of clones that don't just puff immediately. Basically, I like minion-summoning classes :p

been my Mesmer setup since when GW2 came out (I played the game a little more than a month in total including Heart). I guess I'll just need to do some test on dummies, but I was under the impression that the pistol phantasm is pretty good for substained damage and rarely needs to be resummoned. Is the sword phantasm that much stronger?

having read a bit about all the new elite specs and checked out a few vids, I think I'll either go with Holosmith or Renegade for the boost. Was surprised to learn that Revenant is an unpopular class, seeing how I frequently ran into them in my short time with Heart
 

Morokh

Member
Quick question: Are all four base mounts required to complete the story? Just wondering since one of the story things in the second map looks like it requires the springer mount (
contact Taimi, big tower place near the start that looks like it's springer only
) which in turn requires trade contracts + level 3 Raptor.

Now that it's a big issue (most people will want all the mounts anyway lol), just wondering if people near the end had to get all the mounts to proceed with the story.

I completed the story with the Raptor (long jump), basic bunny and Skimmer.
 
ah yeah, that's always been the case. I'm mainly concerned about damage output

I always like the greatsword and pistol phantasms and the greatsword ranged autoattack, just creating a little army of clones that don't just puff immediately. Basically, I like minion-summoning classes :p

been my Mesmer setup since when GW2 came out (I played the game a little more than a month in total including Heart). I guess I'll just need to do some test on dummies, but I was under the impression that the pistol phantasm is pretty good for substained damage and rarely needs to be resummoned. Is the sword phantasm that much stronger?

having read a bit about all the new elite specs and checked out a few vids, I think I'll either go with Holosmith or Renegade for the boost. Was surprised to learn that Revenant is an unpopular class, seeing how I frequently ran into them in my short time with Heart

An important change you've missed is that unless the enemy is actually targeting a clone/phantasm/minion ect. they will take something like 99% less damage from AOEs and cleaves and will be basically invincible. Phantasms getting cleaved down is a thing of the past in PVE. I honestly can't recall the last time I've seen it happen. Which allows Sword to really shine.

Sword Phantasms do the most damage by quite a big margin, plus if you land the physical attack component to the skill it grants 8 might instantly to you. Pistols are the best phantasms for condition damage when properly traited. Focus destroys projectiles / reflect projectiles if traited and cleave 5 targets at a time plus with Temporal Curtain you can pull enemies into them as they're whirling. Pistols are still good for power if it's an encounter where sword phantasms can't keep up for whatever reason.

I'd always have all offhands on hand (HA) and use them appropriately.
 

Llyrwenne

Unconfirmed Member
Have you downloaded everything?
I always, and I mean always, wait for the entire update to be downloaded, no matter how big or small.

Looking around a bit more and it seems to be an Anet server issue. I really expected them to have their shit together for this launch, but it seems I'm far from the only one who is not able to get in. Most of my Guild can't, neither can the players I know irl.
 

Violet_0

Banned
An important change you've missed is that unless the enemy is actually targeting a clone/phantasm/minion ect. they will take something like 99% less damage from AOEs and cleaves and will be basically invincible. Phantasms getting cleaved down is a thing of the past in PVE. I honestly can't recall the last time I've seen it happen. Which allows Sword to really shine.

Sword Phantasms do the most damage by quite a big margin, plus if you land the physical attack component to the skill it grants 8 might instantly to you. Pistols are the best phantasms for condition damage when properly traited. Focus destroys projectiles / reflect projectiles if traited and cleave 5 targets at a time plus with Temporal Curtain you can pull enemies into them as they're whirling. Pistols are still good for power if it's an encounter where sword phantasms can't keep up for whatever reason.

I'd always have all offhands on hand (HA) and use them appropriately.
oh, I like this change. Thanks, looks like I'll have to switch around my setup. I don't even remember the pistol phantasm doing condition damage, it's been a while
 
I'm really torn on what to do! When this was announced I bought the combo pack of this with HoT. I had a level 80 ele that I beat the original campaign with, but stopped shortly after that.

So I'm playing my ele again, and I bought the living story season 2 content. I'm trying to get through that and then moving into the HoT stuff, but I want to experience the new content with everyone for the first time!

I guess what I'm asking is, what would I be missing out on? Is it worth me continuing my current course?

Contrary to the plot summaries posted on Reddit etc., there was some significant story stuff in season 2 that this expansion is dealing with. I don't think you'll be lost exactly if you skip it, but I also don't think it's a bad idea to go through season 2. Of course in your case you're missing a lot more than season 2, so it could take you a long time to get caught up with. Up to you, ultimately, but I just want to say I don't feel season 2 is as optional as a lot of people felt pre-release.

On an unrelated note, this is a really good expansion. It's definitely exceeded my expectations so far. A particularly nice surprise is that the prerelease trailers almost entirely showed off stuff from chapter 1. The writing is also excellent, which is something I was afraid of after whatever they were trying to do in season 3 episode 6. It strikes a great balance of likable, clever dialogue without turning into a zero-stakes Marvel flick. It also deals with some serious issues without becoming too serious or maudlin. The tone is perfect.

Not a major spoiler, but just something I loved while exploring the second map:
You're climbing a mountain in the snow and rain, and through the mist you can see giants walking around.
I'm not exact sure why this struck me as being so neat, but the way the art, tech, music all worked together gave me an emotional kick that the more game-y environments of the rest of GW2 really haven't. I truly felt like an explorer in another world.
 

Massicot

Member
Just finished mapping out the last zone. Man, this zone especially is like Nightfall fanservice cranked to 11. The whole time I'm like "I wonder if we'll get to see that OH SHIT THERE IT IS" at least 3 times. So much nostalgia.
 

Stuart444

Member
Just finished mapping out the last zone. Man, this zone especially is like Nightfall fanservice cranked to 11. The whole time I'm like "I wonder if we'll get to see that OH SHIT THERE IT IS" at least 3 times. So much nostalgia.

Man, looking forward to it even more now :D.

I just got the Bunny, gotta save up Trade Contracts for Skimmer now. I won't worry too much about Jackal since it needs like 20g/200 contracts and level 3 Mastery of other mount. Can just get that at some point when all conditions are met and I'm in the right zone lol.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm on the last mission of the story. Maybe 2nd to last. No spoilers. And this has been hands down the best GW2 story there's ever been. It isn't objectively bad and cringey like how the Personal Story and Season 1 could get at times. It doesn't feel bland and without stakes like how Season 2 did. The campaign has been great in length and I've mostly focused on just it. It's been exactly where I wanted the story to be tonally, the overly comedic tone has been a problem with the game's story for quite a while and it's far more appropriately here and when the tone is comedic it's at appropriate times.

No grading on a curve. No caveats like with other seasons. Path of Fire's story is just great. It's scale is epic. It's an extremely enjoyable adventure and hands down the best the game's story has ever been.

I think one of the things that really help this expansion is the variety of cultures. From Amnoon Oasis, to the Priesthood of Kormir and especially the Awakened you're interacting with other cultures far more than Heart of Thorns or even core Tyria. Yeah you had the Itzl and Nuhoc but you really didn't encounter them much and they were barely footnotes in the story. And frog people can never compete with a civilization of undead in terms of how interesting they are. The exalted were promising, but the story never focused too much on them for them to really shine.

The cities and even the smaller camps and outposts feel more alive than other areas of the game. Amnoon feels far more like a real city than Tarir or Beetleton ever really did.

If there's any complaint I think people might have, it's that the main character is waaaaay more of a hard ass than usual and not putting up with anyone's shit, which some people might not find appropriate for them.

The mounts all feel fun, unique and fantastic. It really creates that metroidvania style feel the developers wanted for the game since HoT when you see a mastery point on a cliff and can use the Springer's super jump to rocket yourself up to it. Or using the mount to cut across the terrain and get to events quickly. The Jackle having to interact with portals similar to Nuhoc Wallows feels a bit like cheating from a "Make this mount unique and useful" game design perspective but it's teleport is still cool. The mounts could use more dyable parts to them but I also share what has to be the developer's fear of that. Still, I just want a white raptor without the yellow underbelly. That's all I want.

The zones are massive, incredibly detailed and surprisingly varied. Awakened Strongholds sell the whole "undead empire" far more impressively than all of Orr did, especially a particular late game area. The brand has never looked better. It's not just a really intense lighting change. The brand really does have an intense magical feel to it, with architecture and debris suspended in the air.

Just going back and comparing Core Tyria maps, not only are these leagues more vibrant and detailed but the team have improved so much on making a map in terms of gameplay and also just creating a map that leaves an impression on you.

The biggest standout map from Core Tyria has always been Queensdale. Almost entirely because of how much of an impression having Divinity's Reach loom in the background leaves on you. But so much of core tyria really doesn't have all that much interesting to look at and the biomes being so similar makes them all sort of blend into each other. Just think about how few Ascalone zones actually have notable landmarks.

The Crystal Desert in GW2 has tons of amazing, vistas and locals that just shows how far the team has come from those early days. From colossal tombs to temples floating in the sky and other otherworldly locations, there's just so much unforgettable stuff here.

I've been running through the story on a Spellbreaker, which has been really fun. It doesn't shine in damage, but in open world pve and the story the Spellbreaker's mix of damage and high sustain has made it practically unkillable. A bit of build theory crafting here, going Strength and picking the Might Makes Right + Spellbreaker's Magebane Tether trait = win. I'm curious if there's any crazy stuff I can solo with this. Basically Might Makes Right heals you every time you grant might. Magebane Tether tethers you to your opponent, pulling them if they run out of range and granting you an absurd amount of might while it's up. Between this and Natural Healing spellbreakers have a ton of sustain while still being quite bursty and glassy. I'm excited to try it out in PvP.

Also Magebane Tether has voice acted dialog. An optional trait in a build have voice acted dialog for when you use it. That's neat.

I'm going to try Mirage Holosmith and Weaver next. Probably in that order.

I've basically played all day and night and holy shit am I having a blast.
 

Massicot

Member
There's a fairly cool event in Vabbi involving
Zommoros
thats pretty cool. It takes you to a chamber with pedestals carrying
legendary weapons.
https://i.imgur.com/wvfgm3M.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TvPsPIV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XjskSKr.jpg

I know some people are sad about the lack of "Metas" (even though there are some huge event chains that I haven't seen yet, like whatever happens at the Ruptured Heart) but I think I enjoy having a bunch of varied quests like this instead of events that just feel like cogs to a manufactured "meta".
 
oh, I like this change. Thanks, looks like I'll have to switch around my setup. I don't even remember the pistol phantasm doing condition damage, it's been a while

The Duelist's Discipline trait gives all the bullets from the pistol phantasm a 50% chance to bleed. The Sharper Images trait, also in Dueling, causes your opponents to apply bleed when they hit. Combine the two and it means Pistol phantasm is dropping 6-8 bleeds on a target per Phantasmal Unload.

Speaking of which

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?vhA...fAwJBgc6HIoyvyt/gGVC2OQAYVVBbbbNtttttSBsoyK-e

This Mirage build is benchmarking at about 31,00-33,000 damage per second based on realistic benchmarks. Not bad.
 

Dizzy-4U

Member
Just finished the story, it's good and epic, their best so far in production value, actual story, boss encounters, with no major mess-ups like in HoT.
There is a weird chapter in there that seems a bit arbitrary but that's it.
But it's actually damn short >_<
Is the final battle meant to be solo'd? Just curious because I did all HoT solo up until the last fight where it kicked my ass pretty badly (I know it can be solo'd if you're really good but it wasn't meant to be for most people).
 

Morokh

Member
Is the final battle meant to be solo'd? Just curious because I did all HoT solo up until the last fight where it kicked my ass pretty badly (I know it can be solo'd if you're really good but it wasn't meant to be for most people).

It is, but it's obviously the hardest and longest fight of the story so depending on your class/build and skill level your mileage may vary.

Extremely minor spoiler :
You are granted a kit that, if used properly helps immensely.
 

Stuart444

Member
Story spoilers (if you haven't reached the Desert Highlands map and done the story instance in it, don't click):

I'm currently wtfing over the fact that Balth was trapped in the mists. I'm now VERY curious as to where the other gods are. Did the gods not abandon the world afterall and are trapped or what? Doesn't excuse the whole Balth going for mass genocide but I'm still very curious

Also for those who have completed the story, how is the length of the full story compared to HoTs story. the whole 3 acts that you can see in the achievements makes it seem shorter so I'm curious.
 

Morokh

Member
Story spoilers (if you haven't reached the Desert Highlands map and done the story instance in it, don't click):

I'm currently wtfing over the fact that Balth was trapped in the mists. I'm now VERY curious as to where the other gods are. Did the gods not abandon the world afterall and are trapped or what? Doesn't excuse the whole Balth going for mass genocide but I'm still very curious

Also for those who have completed the story, how is the length of the full story compared to HoTs story. the whole 3 acts that you can see in the achievements makes it seem shorter so I'm curious.

iirc (can't get ingame) 13 story steps instead of 16 for HoT, but overall way better in every way.
 
Story spoilers (if you haven't reached the Desert Highlands map and done the story instance in it, don't click):

I'm currently wtfing over the fact that Balth was trapped in the mists. I'm now VERY curious as to where the other gods are. Did the gods not abandon the world afterall and are trapped or what? Doesn't excuse the whole Balth going for mass genocide but I'm still very curious

Also for those who have completed the story, how is the length of the full story compared to HoTs story. the whole 3 acts that you can see in the achievements makes it seem shorter so I'm curious.
It feels about 8-10 hours in length compared to HoT's 4. That does include mastery leveling. I also really take my time in story missions.

iirc (can't get ingame) 13 story steps instead of 16 for HoT, but overall way better in every way.

All of the missions feel much longer and more fleshed out and in depth than the HoT ones. There aren't any really insignificant story missions in terms of game play like Sign Cutting and the one where you find Taimi's holodisks.
 

Morokh

Member
It's not nearly that long I had 3 hours left on the primer I used at the beginning (12h uptime), and that's with having to struggle with one of the first instances, and having to redo two of the longest ones.

HoT is only that long if you already have all the masteries unlocked.
 
Top Bottom