An Update and Musings on Roleplaying

So I had intended to cover the Lost Shores in this post but I think that the internet has more than covered it so I will say that I enjoyed it despite it's flaws and look forward to being a guinea pig in the future as Arena Net perfects it's major world events.

For this post I wanted to talk about my most recent server move. Yep, I've moved again, this time to Tarnished Coast. As much as I really loved the community on Yak's Bend, I was really lacking something that I need to completely enjoy all aspects of Guild Wars 2, roleplaying.

I know what you might be thinking. Roleplaying - isn't that those nerdy guys who pretend to be chicks so the can cyber people? As with everything, it's amazing how much damage to a reputation a small handful of people can do to the vast majority who are nothing like that. Most roleplayers create full, well-rounded stories, not unlike books, and immerse themselves deeper in the world, lore and character than most other players do. In the simplest terms, all roleplaying is, is cooperative visual and literal storytelling.

For me, it gives my characters purpose beyond what the game tells me and it adds longevity to the life of those characters as I hit levelcap and run out of things to strive for on them. Involving them in a story with others gives me an infinite amount of play. An example of this in Everquest 2 where I have a character who I rarely play these days as I can't stand the game anymore but I still log in an play when those I roleplay with are available to continue a story that we've been working on for two years straight that has yet to get stale or boring as characters develop, get killed, meet others, etc.

If you've never tried roleplaying, I definitely suggest putting aside any misconceptions you might have and giving it a try. It's no different than immersing yourself in the storyline of say, Mass Effect 1, except with RP the story is in your hands and the hands of others around you, as much or as little as you want.

Anyways, roleplaying aside, I also want to say that this will probably be my last post before the upcoming holidays. I wish you all a Happy Holiday season and a fantastic New Year!

Mounting Pressure

As it's been a few months now I thought I'd write about my thoughts on mounts in Guild Wars 2, or rather, lack thereof.

I'm honestly still on the fence post about it. Both arguments for and against mounts are valid and have some pretty even pros and cons.

I say it often, "if they don't add mounts soon I'm going to slap a saddle on a Quaggan and ride them around." But, what if they do add mounts of some kind with say.. 40% run speed? How would that change the game?

The knee jerk reaction is that it won't affect the game. As an Elementalist I can get close to that speed near permanently if I stay in Air. Other classes can get close but very temporarily. So given that we can go fast temporarily how could a mount change the feel of the game? Very easily.

How fast you move on the ground changes the scope and feel of the environment around you. The world of Tyria feels massive when you're running around all slow (especially on a Norn) but if you're always running fast, suddenly the world begins to shrink and you begin to miss out on a lot of the world around you as well.

An example that may be hit or miss for some, back in World of Warcaft, in the Burning Crusade expansion, we got flying mounts. This was awesome but it had some unintended consequences. Suddenly I could fly high, avoid all mobs on the ground and just jet to where I wanted in not time at all. Literally, no time at all from one side of the map to the other without flight paths because it was cheap, fairly fast and without aggro.

Sounds great, right? But think of what I missed in doing so: gathering nodes, mob exp/loot, named spawns, etc. That all sounds like an inconvenience when all you want to do is get where you're going without trouble but that's what you have a flight path for, to save you that trouble and to be a money sink.

So what does all that mean for Guild Wars 2? If we're given mounts our world will shrink and it will take away from the basic rewards of exploration which is so key to the gameplay.  Ground mounts with 40% or so speed won't pose a Point A to Point B problem as it did with flying mounts; you'll still need to fight mobs if you get dismounted in combat, can still gather, etc but it will reduce, though not substantially, our Waypoint money-sink.

However, if implemented right (and only for PvE), I think mounts can do a lot of good, too. I would like to see mounts be given as a buyable option of fair expense (50g or more perhaps, account bound) to characters who have achieved 100% map completion on at least one character. It could be argued that making it account bound will lead to it being abused by players and botters alike but my logic is this: if the mount requires one level 80 character with 100% Map Completion and a good deal of money to buy one for that character and then alt characters, that's a considerable money-sink that I highly doubt will be very attainable for a majority of players. Mounts will offer experienced players not only a faster way around but something to work for and spend money on (as well as real cash for possible Gem bought mount skins), as well as collection possibilities of different mounts.

In the end, I can see the reasoning both ways. I would love to see them implemented for Map Completion but I would be just fine if they're never put in at all.

Translated Danger Sign on Lion's Arch Beach

Danger

Enter at Your Own Risk

Lion’s Arch authorities cannot be held responsible for missing / stolen / damaged and/or devoured appendages, small children, dinghies, fruit baskets, Skritt, pumpkin flavored marshmallows, spoons, goofy hats, Ascalonian salads, pocket watches, earrings, in-laws, spirits of the wild, eye patches, war machines, Seraph, rhubarb pies, mystical artifacts of unquestionable power, mystical artifacts of questionable power, seeing-eye squirrels and carp.

Pack Your Bags Vacation Flyer Translated!

Avast!

Ahoy all ye landlubbers!

The hardworking members of the consortium are proud to announce the upcoming unveiling of your dream vacation! Coming soon we will open the gate – the asura gate – connecting Lion’s Arch to a veritable tropical paradise of magnificent proportions!

Swim in the radiant waters*!

Relax on the beaches*!

Dance the night away*!

Prepare to hoist your jolly roger and to embark on a most majestic adventure with your favorite band of salty dogs!

Arr you ready?

*Towels not included. The consortium cannot be held responsible for aquatic related and rhythmic related injuries

(or other injuries related to misadventure or otherwise). Our medical staff will be on call to happily ignore your needs should they inevitably arise.

*Photo courtesy of, and belonging to ArenaNet.

Halloween Impressions plus Rants!

As we enter Act 4 of Guild Wars 2's Halloween event, I wanted to take the time and write down my thoughts on it.

This has been AMAZING. Each Act has introduced a little more to see and do without being overwhelming. It really felt like it was ramping up to the Mad King's return which was truly exciting to behold and led to a new and very visually well done dungeon. For me, the whole event has gone off without a hitch. I've found no bugs but I understand that hasn't been the case for everyone. Overall, I think ArenaNet nailed it. They breathed life into the holiday again and brought back with a vengeance a much loved (and feared) character from the first game. And a big shoutout to the wiki and walkthrough community like GuildWars2Insider who were on the ball with the Scavenger Hunt walkthroughs within an hour of each Act.

Now for the rants and I've got a couple this time.

Let me say first that this does not include the vast majority of the playerbase despite my generalizations, that being said: I am sick and tired of the whining, self-centered, entitled asshats who complain about everything.. and I do mean -everything-.

ArenaNet is not at fault or responsible for the fact that a hurricane is tearing apart the east coast despite the insistence of certain posters on the official forums. Now I admit, I don't often have my priorities straight but I think most everyone can agree that worrying more about yourself, your family, and your property before a hurricane hits is quite a bit more important than begging for a holiday extension because you can't bear to miss a cutscene that hundreds will be recording and posting on Youtube within 30 minutes of it.

That made me shake my head but it doesn't get under my skin the way that the loot obsessed masses do. I had a conversation in map chat in Lion's Arch recently that went a bit like this:

Asshat: The loot rewards for the Mad King's dungeon are pathetic.

Me: You could've gotten nothing.

Asshat: Nothing would've been better. A 10 slot bag is just insulting. Who uses 10 slot bags anymore?

Me: Um, everyone who can't afford 5g for 20 slot bags?

I can't even begin to put into words how ridiculously entitled and how much of an ass that person sounded. I felt a little better that many people in map chat joined me in calling that person out. What really gets me is that person's sentiments are shared by a lot of people. I've seen it over and over in various chats, be it map, party, or guild - "this loot is crap!"

I come from a time in gaming where you were -lucky- if you got loot for your time. And I know how dated and old that makes me sound but it's true. I would spend hours raiding Molten Core, several days a week and I would only see one item a month for all my time. ONE ITEM. Whether the guild used DKP (dragon killing points) or seniority (whatever person of a certain class was there longest had first choice of the loot) or whatever other system you can devise, you rarely got loot and when you did it was exciting. But, as the years wore on, things changed and people began demanding that things be given to them for minimal effort or that any effort be rewarded and out of fear of losing customers, gaming companies gave into those demands and set the stage for that expectation of every game. ArenaNet doesn't have to award loot for every encounter and for some world bosses they simply don't and when they do it's a chance to be good loot, not a guarantee.

TL;DR version: Stop whining about loot. Guild Wars 2 isn't even a game that relies on stats. There comes a point where you will not find anything better than what you have and ectoplasms are meant to be rare. Use +magic find and take the luck of the draw.

Attack of the Plague Bearers!

Some of you might undoubtedly noticed a lack of posts for a couple weeks now, I seem to have come down with something that has just utterly sapped my strength and will to do anything but mindlessly zone out. It's my hope that I'll be able to kick whatever this is and get back to writing.

Thank you all for your patience and have a Happy Halloween!

Catching Alt-itis

I've been thinking a lot this past week about alts, specifically that I never really have in other games but that's a completely different story in Guild Wars 2.

In Everquest 1 I had my warrior to start but eventually switched and stayed on an enchanter. In Star Wars Galaxies I had my dancer and no other characters. In World of Warcraft I bounced around a lot in the first year till I found my niche and then stayed with being a Holy Priest for almost 5 years. And finally, in Everquest 2 I've been a Fury (and still am) for 2 ½ years with no other alts that I play.

Not hard to see the trend there, I find what I like best and never switch up in any game I play for a long time. It's always been that way...until now.

Right now I have my main (Elementalist) at level 80 with still plenty more to do on her and I love playing her but I'm also actively leveling a warrior, a thief, and a ranger. I've never felt the need, want or compulsion to make alts after I find my niche and any alts I do make are then left on a shelf to become dusty and neglected... poor little unloved alts.

I think the best part of it for me has been that no matter how many times I've been through the starting zones, and I've been through them a lot (Caledon: 4, Queensdale: 3, Wayfarer Hills: 4, Metrica Province: 1, Ashford: 2), it's different. Every time I go through these zones the only repetitive part for me is the hearts. Even if the dynamic events are the same they don't happen the way they did on other characters and I've seen events on some that I have never seen on others. That alone has made it worth it to go through again and again.

So what about you, readers, do you like making alts in Guild Wars 2 more or less than other games? Do you find the content tedious and exhausting after the first character or do you relish finding new events and undiscovered nooks you didn't see the first time through?

Endgame: Hope for the Future

This topic is one that's being covered a lot lately and with good reason. This post is just my two cents and I will try to keep it brief and without repeating a lot of points already made or veering off into a rant. So, here we are, a month into the game and a lot of people have hit a wall of sorts, myself included. Before I start in on this topic, let me first say that I still love Guild Wars 2. I think it's a fantastic game even with it's flaws and I am not giving up on this game.

There seems to be two trains of thought when it comes to Guild Wars 2 and it's endgame: those who have wholly embraced the idea of getting off the gear treadmill and taking a laid back attitude towards leveling and simply enjoying the game for all it's beauty and splendor and those who rush to level 80, finish all maps quickly and then are unhappy when there's no gear to pursue or raids to keep them busy.. or anything to keep busy with, honestly.

No matter which side you're on you may have begun to feel the emptiness I have felt nipping at me. The lack of draw to log in each chance that comes along. I could play every day but I don't as often as I did in the first few weeks. There's things I want to do in game, sure. I want to get my crafting skills to 400. I want to get my map finished. I want to make my Legendary. I want to level my other characters. I have so much I want to do but I feel no pull to log in and do them. Why?

I think Tr1age and the gang at ALTTABME.COM have some great thoughts on Endgame in their podcast and I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to come at the issue from all angles. (Warning: there are a few Zhaitan spoilers in this video.)

What some people may not realize, and I certainly didn't as I never played the first, is that Guild Wars 1 has a lot of the amenities that we lack in Guild Wars 2. What does that mean? It means that in the future we can look forward to ArenaNet adding in things like guild halls and possibly housing (which could mean the inclusion of a carpenter tradeskill, I hope!) because the infrastructure is already there in the game. We may see something like the Hall of Monuments and actual titles we can display, collections that give rewards, new achievements, et cetera. We know that they can put in these things, and I believe that they will and that they will make good on their commitment to adding new events Live to change the feel of a zone.

At the moment, Guild Wars 2 feels incomplete and released before it was ready but I have hope that in the coming months patches will alleviate a lot of that feeling and give me even more reason to log in every chance I get. It's that knowledge and that hope that is going to keep me in this game for a long time to come.

Elementalist Tactics: Solo Skill Combos

I've written before on some basic tactics to get a beginner Elementalist started on the path to getting the most out of their elements but today I want to talk about combos that an Elementalist can do via switching to aid themselves in combat.

The following is a list is combos for each weapon set. This list does not include Utility Skills or Elite Skill combos. For more information on combo effects check out the official wiki.

The first skill listed is the first one that should be cast to perform the combo.

Staff:

• Eruption (Earth) + Geyser (Water) = area healing
• Eruption  (Earth)  + Healing Rain (Water)  = area healing
• Healing Rain (Water) + Stoning  (Earth autoattack) = regeneration
• Geyser (Water) + Stoning  (Earth autoattack) = regeneration
• Healing Rain (Water)  + Shockwave (Earth) = regeneration
• Geyser (Water) + Shockwave (Earth) = regeneration
• Eruption  (Earth) + Static Field (Air) = area swiftness
• Eruption  (Earth)  + Lava Font (Fire)  = area might
• Eruption  (Earth)  + Burning Retreat (Fire) = area might
• Lava Font (Fire) + Stoning  (Earth autoattack)  = applies burning
• Static Field (Air) + Stoning  (Earth autoattack)  = applies vulnerability
• Static Field (Air) + Shockwave (Earth)  = applies vulnerability

Dagger/Dagger:

• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Churning Earth (Earth) = area might
• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Earthquake (Earth) = area might
• Burning Speed (Fire) + Churning Earth (Earth) = area might
• Burning Speed (Fire) + Earthquake (Earth) = area might

Scepter/Dagger:

• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Phoenix (Fire) = area might
• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Earthquake (Earth) = area might
• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Churning Earth (Earth) = area might
• Ring of Fire (Fire)  + Stone Shards (Earth autoattack)  = applies burning
• Ring of Fire (Fire) + Rock Barrier/Hurl (Earth)  = applies burning

(Note: If you time it right you can use Dragon’s Tooth for an Area Might combo as well)

Scepter/Focus:

• Flamewall (Fire)  + Phoenix (Fire) = area might
• Flamewall (Fire) + Stone Shards (Earth autoattack) = applies burning
• Flamewall (Fire) + Rock Barrier/Hurl (Earth) = applies burning
• Flamewall (Fire) + Magnetic Wave (Earth) = area might
• Flamewall (Fire) + Comet (Water) = area might

(Note: If you time it right you can use Dragon’s Tooth for an Area Might combo as well)

Dagger/Focus:

• Burning Speed (Fire) + Magnetic Wave (Earth) = area might
• Burning Speed (Fire) + Comet (Water) = area might
• Flamewall (Fire) + Magnetic Wave (Earth) = area might
• Flamewall (Fire) + Comet (Water) = area might

As you can see there is a lot of combos an Elementalist can perform by themselves. Of all weapons, the staff does have a huge advantage in combo generation with it's wide variety of AOE combo fields to pick from in any element. No matter your playstyle or your preferred weapon, knowing how to combine your attacks can give you a definite edge in PvE, PvP, and WvW.

Yak's Bend: What Makes a Server Home?

I've been looking around at the many servers available in Guild Wars 2 before free transfers finally close, trying to find a good fit for me that Desolation (EU) just didn't seem to be. While I think I've found my new home on Yak's Bend (America), it made me think about what it is that makes a server home to me.

Part of it is definitely the atmosphere. Even though the /map chat in Lion's Arch on Yak's Bend still had it's fair share of Trolls and Nerfers (those complaining about or whining for) it was overall helpful in nature. No one attacked or trolled the random person asking about a Roleplaying guild which can be a big "kick me" sign, much like asking a question like I did where it's clear I'm not from that server originally. In any other game and on certain other servers, these things would invite trolls like vultures on a dead body.

I found that the helpfulness extended well beyond large cities and into /map chats in the world where people talked more and offered to group up for jump puzzles. People called out events more consistently and it just seemed to me that most on Yak's Bend had embraced the community building that GW2 facilitates and it's that atmosphere of community and friendliness that I look for now.

I've been playing MMOs since Everquest 1 and I've played many since. I've been a competitive bitch - stealing nodes, kills, whatever - because if I didn't the other person would. That's the way I was trained to think, that I was against the other players. They were there to hinder and inconvenience me at every turn. Even in raiding with my guild, I wasn't working with them, I was cutting corners and doing all I could to be the best on the parser to prove that I deserved the loot more than the others in line behind me.

I've never acted like that in real life. I was never an overly competitive person, let alone enough to do the things I did for loot that was just going to be replaced in a few months in a never-ending treadmill grind. To be able to step off that treadmill and not be afraid of being screwed over at every turn by other players has been amazing but I still feel the old learned emotions rise up when I see other people coming to the same gathering node I'm at, that knee-jerk territorial reaction and adrenaline that I have to get to it first. It's going to take awhile to unlearn that but with the right game, and the right server, I think I can.

So what's the other part of it? This was a lot harder for me to answer, in fact, I don't think I really know. I have friends on Yak's Bend already, friends from other games, whereas Desolation had been a completely fresh start. I knew no one there but the people I brought with me. While moving to Yak's Bend is also a fresh start in that I have no guild on the server yet, it feels less isolated with others that I know and I think that has played a major factor in my decision to move and to stay on Yak's Bend.

So what is it that makes a server home to you? What do you look for or does it even matter what the server is like? Do you form an attachment or sense of loyalty to the server you play on over time? What are some of your experiences with MMOs or the atmosphere of your server? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

Elementalist: The Basics of Getting Tactical

Lately I've noticed a lot of people have some misconceptions about how to play an Elementalist. One of the things I've heard the most, and I am hoping against hope that I misunderstood in some way, is people who build for specific elements and never change elements in combat.

So what was it specifically that made me want to write this post? "Fire is overrated. It doesn't have the utility of the other elements." That comment (paraphrased, of course), is one I have seen a few times from different players. So let's go through the basics of the four elements and why they work together.

Before I begin, I am a Staff Elementalist. I prefer the abilities of the staff to almost any other combination so my examples will be based on that.

Fire- This is your damage and dot element. You're going to find yourself in Fire more often than not because it has the most burst damage of any other element. If you invest in Condition Damage you're going to see some great rolling damage from Burning as well. Fire also has a lot of combo capability with other professions.

Water- This element is chill and heal based and is one of the lowest damage autoattacks, regardless what weapon you're using. However, if you're using a staff, your autoattack also has a small heal that affects melee players on impact. If you're using a dagger, it will apply Vulnerability to the mob.

Air- This element has some decent damage and some utility such as blindness and weakness with certain weapons, as well as a stun.

Earth- This element has a lot of utility. You can bleed and cripple enemies, immobilize them, protect yourself from projectiles, and increase your toughness.

Each element has it's own merits but none of them can stand alone. To get the most out of an Elementalist it requires some tactical thinking and a willingness to experiment. Cycling through elements is nearly instantaneous but there is a cooldown. The best piece of advice I can give is not to fear the cooldown but to plan around it.

Let's look at an example of switching elements and working with the cooldown that's pretty basic and happens to me a lot where I find myself facing a pack of mobs. Remember, I'm using a staff for this example.

Most the time I'm in Fire to start so in this situation I'd switch to Earth immediately and lay down Unsteady Ground just in front of the mobs to catch the majority, dropping an Eruption just in front of that adding in a Shockwave for good measure. From there I switch back to Fire now that the cooldown has just about gone away and drop a Lava Font just in front of the Eruption and Flame Burst into the crowd. Chances are, the mobs are just about to me at this point so I will likely use Glyph of Storms at my location and dodge through the pack while switching to Air and dropping a Static Field behind me to slow down the mobs and using Windborne Speed to give me a little more mobility, using Gust to push back one that might be too close. By this time Fire should be cooled down or just about giving me another round of burst damage. Most the mobs should be dead or able to be autoattacked down while strafing. If I had taken some substantial damage before getting behind the mobs again I would've switched out Air for Water, tossed a Frozen Ground patch in front of them and used my personal heal or Geyser before dodging again and switching back to Fire. A lot of times you will run into the back end of your cooldown and it's during this time you'll need to dodge and kite while you switch.

It might sound complicated or like a bit much work but remember, not every fight is going to call for switching but many will. Knowing what each element can do with your chosen weapon and how best to use it to your advantage with your playstyle will keep you alive and your repair costs down.

The Launch of Guild Wars 2

This being a new blog about Guild Wars 2, I thought it would be a good idea to start with the launch of the game and my impressions of it thus far.

While many might disagree with me, this was one of the smoothest launches I've yet seen. Even though there was intermittent outages of the login server, the servers themselves never went down. Once we got through that and into the game, we could play.. with a lot of bugs. Still it was tolerable and didn't impede gameplay too much.

I could forgive them all the bugs based on how much I enjoy the game but what I had the hardest time forgiving and maintaining my patience with, was the utter lack of a Trading Post for weeks following the launch. While the economy is slowly stabilizing it could have already been nearly stable in setting the value of finite resources at the very least. Instead, we're seeing things at or below the vendor price still because people, myself included, saved things to sell while it was down and flooded the market. I give ArenaNet props for their solution to the overstock, though. The incentive to toss the excess into the Mystic Forge for goodies is working to bring down the volume finally.

Hackers and gold sellers are a problem for any MMO but I wasn't quite prepared for the amount of gold sellers that would be in GW2. The logical part of my brain, and admittedly stupid part in this case, thought they wouldn't bother trying. After all, ArenaNet put in an in-game currency exchange that was safe and easy. Why would anyone use a gold seller at all with the risk of losing their account, their personal information, etc all for the sake of saving a few bucks? I underestimated the tenacity of the gold sellers and their strict avoidance of logic.

I give a lot of props to ArenaNet for their handling of hacking attempts and gold sellers but (there's always a but), the email authentication should have been ready immediately when the game pre-launched. Being unable to authenticate my account and then unable to change my password to a more secure one to put my mind at ease really bothered me.

Last but not least, a small rant. One of the things that has gotten under my skin the most since the game launched is the population, especially on my server, that act like spoiled children when the game needs to be patched and/or maintenance done. Every restart patch, every 10-20 minutes of downtime was met with outraged cries of "Are you serious!?" They're trying to fix the game for us as fast as humanly possible and more than that, they're doing most of it live and trying NOT to cut into our game-time. The complaining went on to "it's at a bad time." Really? Midnight PDT is a fine time, regardless of the day it is until the game is fixed. Does no one remember consistent 8 hours or more downtime in WoW every time a new, big patch came out or an expansion released or what we went through at the launch of vanilla WoW? Grow up and learn some fucking patience.