[GW2]New thread is go. We are still doing pretty great at WvW.

Corehealer

FOR INVITES TO NICE, PLEASE CONTACT COREHEALER.4562, VARG.7951, STRYFE.2396 AND DYSPROSIUS.5608. FOR INVITES TO OUR OVERFLOW GUILDS PLEASE CONTACT COREHEALER OR ENTARU PHENYHELM (PHENYHELM.8326). WE WILL BE CULLING NICE OF EXCESS INACTIVE CHARACTERS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS TO ALLOT FOR MORE WVW AND ORR FARMING ACTIVE PLAYERS STARTING AROUND THE TIME OF THE HALLOWEEN EVENT(S).
IF ANYONE AT ARENANET READS THIS; PLEASE RAISE GUILD CAPS AND ALLOW US TO SEE PLAYER ACTIVITY TIMES/TIME SINCE LAST LOG IN STATISTICS, SO AS TO MAKE THESE PROCESSES EASIER. THANK YOU.

Welcome to the Guild Wars 2 Thread! (Wherein is discussed Arenanet's upcoming font of gold plated awesome, their sequel to their original MMO hit, Guild Wars).
For PA GW2 Teamspeak 3 server info and FAQ, as well as Launch Server and PA Guilds Info, please scroll down to posts 3 and 4. Launch server is (ostentatiously) Fort Aspenwood.

As you might remember, Guild Wars was an interesting hybrid multiplayer RPG game with MMO elements released during the early years of WoW's dominance in the MMO market, a stylish, robust offering most notable for being free to play without any restrictions or item shops with the purchase of the retail box. It featured six core classes, PvE content containing 25 storyline missions of epic scale and scope, and a PvP component, the fondly remembered Guild vs Guild and World vs World style combat. With the level cap at only 20, players could reach it rapidly or even start new characters for PvP at the level cap and fully trained. Since 2005, it's gotten 3 expansions and countless patch updates. It's still going strong on it's own and is one of NCSoft's most successful forays into the MMO market.
And now, ArenaNet, the developers behind the game under NCSoft ownership, are back with a new beginning for this great franchise, the highly anticipated and 6 years+ in the making...



Important Videos:

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em0Sd60iI2w

Guild Wars 2 Design Manifesto: (The real reason you should have a boner for this game despite past MMO genre failures)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJJA_veYQ5s

Behind the Scenes Retrospective Video: (Another reason to have a boner for Guild Wars 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GwKGbNKQHE

Various ArenaNet devs talking about the game and the community it has already built around it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZMJ3sw_IcY

Need more? Angry Joe has a review of every important aspect of the game that's got you covered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-_06Acj8Y&list=UUsgv2QHkT2ljEixyulzOnUQ

Those videos sure are great, but how about a bit more detail on what makes GW2 different and awesome? Here's the straight poop you need to know, and if you want more details, read on!

- No monthly fees. GW2 requires only the box purchase to play, and has a microtransaction store in game that sells optional consumables and cosmetic stuff; no pay to win items.
- Dynamic Events, or, imagine actually looking forward to running into other players in an MMO world. The dynamic event system replaces traditional questing with a system of events, some independent, some tied together, that play out in the world independent of player action. You automatically enter and leave them at will, and do not need to ask a quest giver for them or return to one after it's completion. All you need to do is participate, and everyone involved is rewarded based on how much they participate.
- A Truly Personal Storyline. Be a hero, make choices, learn about the overarching situation in the land of Tyria, Save the World, etc. Your character can experience a tailored, GW campaign style story in addition to the dynamic event system that you shape with your choices.
- Epic-scale PvP. Love sieges, keeps, chaos? Want blood for the Blood God? WvWvW, lovingly nicknamed wuvwuv, is three servers pitted against each other in vicious combat to dominate an inter-dimensional battlefield known as the Mists for glory and for the benefits victory brings to one's server. Think DAOC Borderlands skirmishes and sieges, but with no factions. Servers are unified against other servers.
- We also have Small-scale E-sport PvP. Think WoW battlegrounds/arenas, but more finely tuned and balanced.
- Sidekicking allows you to always be able to play with your friends, no matter what level you are.
- No Holy Trinity means you will always be able to play with anyone and not need to spam chat looking for tanks and heals for hours. Players need to be more skillful, self-sufficient and work as a team to succeed at challenging content.
- No grind. Thanks to the variable level sidekick system and dynamic event systems, the devs have little reason to drag out the leveling process. It follows a linear progression of about 1.5 hours per level up to a max level of 80.
- No gear treadmill. As in GW1, max-stat gear will be readily available as soon as you reach the max level. The challenge of dungeons, PvP and other high-end content will provide your character more awesome looking equipment and give marginal upgrades to stats and some unique abilities, but you can’t out-gear your problems in GW2.
- Beautiful graphics, smart user interface, extensive Armor-Dye System, and more! Such as:
- Useful and convenient Crafting system,
- Multiplayer Skill Combos,
- Complex Trait System for Character Skill Customization,
- A Fully Featured Auction House known as the Marketplace, with buy orders and other economical trend reports (like EvE) and,
- For quick fixes of fun and bar brawls, Fun Mini Activities. Think carnival games and tests of skill.

If any of this has piqued your interest, continue reading, watching and checking out the many links and articles.

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Playable Races Section:

The 5 Races: (It isn't just humans anymore!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEdr8HHJ-zU

The Humans:

The resiliency of the noble human race has been tested many times. They have paid a dear cost for their security and liberty, yet their spirit remains unshaken. Only through courage, will, and unity can the humans retain their storied culture and reach once more to rise above. The characters you played in the original Guild Wars won't be able to follow you here, but the human race still struggles on in their name to find a place among the new scheme of things, and this time they will need your help. They have also gotten a lot of upgrades in the last 2 centuries, which will be interesting to see when compared to the original game.

The Charr:

Ascalon's conquerors, the charr are ferocious, warmongering creatures--the intractable foes of humanity. Now, as greater dangers threaten their conquests, charr legions and their war machines prepare for battle. Think steampunk meets bipedal sabertooth cats. With guns! These guys are no joke, and guaranteed to be the most rolled MMO race since the blood elves.

The Norn:

The norn are towering brawlers from the frigid northern lands who can shape-shift into mighty bestial forms. Driven from their homeland by a force beyond reckoning, the norn have regrouped among the dwarven ruins of the Shiverpeaks. The Vikings have nothing on these guys. If you ever wanted to become a polar bear and tear your opponents limb from limb, this is the race for you.

The Asura:

The asura, who once ruled the caverns and tunnels below Tyria, are an advanced race of small size and great intellect. Now that they have risen from below, the asura aim to rule the surface world with their powerful golems and ingenious plans. This aesthetic feels similar to many a small yet smart race from other lore (Gibberlings in Allods, Gnomes in WoW and elsewhere, Halflings from LoTR and D&D, etc), but what these big eyed fellows lack for in originality they more then make up for in technology and and having enough differences in viewing the world around them to make them unique among those who love being small and mischievous.

The Sylvari:

Not much is known of the sylvari, save that they are a race of sentient plant-beings, newly blossomed into the world. The sylvari are the youngest of the races, bound together by a common dream and awesome power. They are a race that was created at the end of a long quest in the original Guild Wars involving a peace loving centaur who planted his dream of a better world in the form of a tree which is now a forest from which this race has been born. I think this was a great idea for a new player race and i'll definitely be interested to see where their story goes.

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Professions Section: All classes are now revealed. We all agree they are all awesome and alt worthy; the big question is, which one will you play first? Klyka has a helpful chart to get you started:

3 Scholar Professions:

Elementalist. The Mage/Shaman-esque caster class who calls upon the four traditional elemental powers of Earth, Air, Fire and Water to do everything from nuke things to healing allies, buffing their abilities, modifying their attacks and generally making things explode. They use an Attunement system to focus the elemental powers to the element most suited to their needs in any given situation. GW2 Site link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/elementalist/.

Necromancer. Anyone who knows anything about time honoured fantasy IPs, like D&D and Everquest, know that Necromancers are feared, dark magic using spellcasters, who create vile diseases with their evil spells and summon up terrifying undead minions from the very earth to smite their enemies. In Guild Wars 2, they are very much akin to this ideal, and can be seen as a WoW warlock turned up to 11 with more AoEs and, in this game's case, a monopoly on fear mechanic skills, as well as many deadly attacks that hurt opponents while healing allies and giving the Necromancer an exclusive energy type known as life force, with which they can fuel their most potent skills. Another fine, and certainly scary, addition to the profession list. (Now officially confirmed after the Gamescon reveal.) GW2 Site link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/necromancer/

Mesmer. Do you like being FABULOUS? How about shooting laser beams? Teleporting around the battlefield and fucking with your enemies? Then mesmers are for you. These masters of illusion and charm can change the flow of a battle and distract and fool enemies with a wide variety of cool abilities, including splitting into mirror images that shatter and damage close foes, AOE invisibility and mantras, abilities which can be charged up prior to an engagement and then used in conjunction with other skills at any time for powerful combos. They are among the more complex classes in GW2, but are sure to delight anyone interested in a unique magic profession that can do some pretty incredible fakeouts and tricks. And look great while doing it! (Officially confirmed after a short pre-reveal by some European game journalists who linked the skill trailer (in French) to Youtube two days early, thus spoiling Arenanet's humorous "Minstrel" class reveal stunt, which still went ahead and was still full of fun and bad vocals. The first of many Mesmer tricks to be sure). GW2 Site link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/mesmer/

3 Adventurer Professions:

Ranger. The bow and arrows trailblazer, a survivalist of the wild who is the master of the lonely places of the world and nature, calling forth a loyal animal companion and the spirits of the elements to aid them and their party in any situation. Versatile and awesome, think WoW's hunter with less retarded pets and more interesting skillsets. This profession was a fan favourite of the original and promises to be all that and more in GW2. GW2 Site Link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/ranger/

Thief. This is the trademark rogue style class, a sneaky and stealthy assassin who sticks daggers in mans and dances around the battlefield picking enemies off at will. This incarnation of the rogue style class structure comes with some marked differences over a WoW style rogue, among the biggest being the limited, tactical nature of stealth, the use of small firearms as active weapons, and the ability to steal generic objects from a target (and not their inventory) which creates new, powerful skillsets on a whim to be used against the target with devastating results. Thieves are all about being subtle, graceful, ambushing from the darkness and keeping an enemy preoccupied, as well as setting traps, and will fit in nicely with support groups in need of a backup plan. GW2 Site Link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/thief/

Engineer. Engineers are a sexy departure from regular MMO class conventions. They throw down turrets like Team Fortress 2's beloved practical problem solver, concoct grenades and alchemical healing potions among other things to aid in battle and help allies, and generally control the tactical situation of the battlefield with mines, traps and a good old fashioned firearm at their side. This class, the much hypothesized gun class of GW2, as well possesses tool kits and other useful skills to further customize their role in the field, making Engineers that much more expert at what they do. These guys are no joke, and are sure to be the bane of many a foolhardy player in PvP. GW2 Site Link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/engineer/

2 Soldier Professions:

Warrior. The typical damage sponge plate wearing melee fighter. Warriors have a variety of skill and damage options related to the variety of weapons they can use in game. They use an adrenaline system, similar to WoW warrior's rage, to build up the energy nessecary for performing a variety of cool abilities, including burst abilities for quick attacks. They also use a variety of buffing abilities related to Shout commands and the use of banners to target enemies and buff allies on the fly in combat. (Now officially confirmed, this class was in the previous Guild Wars and has been mentioned in various Guild Wars 2 Combat and Gameplay articles released so far, side by side with the released Elementalist. It's safe to say Warriors will be returning to GW2, and their combat videos attest to not only their awesomeness, but to the fluid appearance and natural flow of combat gameplay in GW2). GW2 Site Link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/warrior/

Guardian. The penultimate paladin-esc class described aptly by Ravious of Kill Ten Rats as "a warrior steak with a side of monk potatoes and a small helping of ritualist carrots all covered in paragon gravy". Guardians excel at battle control, defence and support of their allies without the need to make red health bars go up or hold aggro on big scary monsters, preferring instead to think more like a tactician and leader. They can put up wards and shields, buff themselves and allies, and put the hurt on enemies as good as any other. Roll this profession if you want to play Guild Wars 2 as a more support minded character, minus the strict role settings of the Trinity design. (Confirmed by ArenaNet, this class is the second Solider plate wearing class in GW2 as well as the noteworthy first major game reveal of 2011. Grab your popcorn! It's only going to get better as the months pass). GW2 Site Link: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/professions/guardian/

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Dungeon Section:

In a bold move, Guild Wars 2 features dungeons. How about that.

Dungeons are entered for the first time in a setting known as Story Mode, where your characters interact with one or more members of the adventuring group known as Destiny's Edge. These characters will guide a group through their personal story and connect it to the overarching plot as well as what's going on story wise in the instance, and aid the player in combat.

Explorable Mode unlocks afterwards for when you return each time to the instance once you've beaten it in Story Mode. Explorable mode is a random generation dungeon type where the actions you took with your group in Story Mode have consequences to what enemies will spawn and what events will occur within the instance. This is intended as being a replay friendly mechanic, so that dungeons remain vibrant and fun after the first few runs.

Both modes will have loot, including sets for each profession, and grouping is reported to be very easy, in lieu of as of yet unreleased game systems for grouping. NPC heroes like those from GW1 will not be returning, so expect to group like in other MMOs with players for GW2, which is arguably better anyways.

Dungeon Name Story Mode Level (Explorable Mode Level)
Ascalonian Catacombs 30 (35)
Caudecus's Manor 40 (45)
Twilight Arbor 50 (55)
Sorrow's Embrace 60 (65)
Citadel of Flame 70 (75)
Honor of the Waves 76 (80)
Crucible of Eternity 78 (80)
Arah 80 (80)

Corehealer

Part 2 of the OP:

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PvP Section:


I considered writing something thoughtful and provocative here, but really, all you need to know about how amazing this game's Player versus Player components are can be found in the below image:

The WvWvW map. 3 server territories and one neutral area in the bottom middle. Takes about a half hour to walk from one end to the other, for size scale, though you probably will never need to do that as there is plenty of fast travel waypoints between key areas available.

And some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyMRoB8Xff8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxeffOuV_5o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk06sCaB0l4&feature=plcp&context=C4d2cf69VDvjVQa1PpcFMc28lyYkGpjV3hVRvtVv7h-QgyH5q85hA=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ay5np0078

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygFJ1n7f1eo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHzuwBOzH6w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZmnY6J3k0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvHV7HB2BDc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXc1JwHGNik

You got World versus World versus World, which is three servers fighting over an inter-dimensional battlefield filled with castles and stuff to capture, and you have more structured PvP formats like the Battle of Kyhlo, where the focus is smaller and more traditional and very skill based. All of this is separated from the PvE experience to prevent griefing and factional server splits. ArenaNet is committed to creating a PvP experience that is both accessible to the wider playerbase found in PvE and making it exciting and engaging for them to try from time to time, while also making the system balanced and deep enough so as to support competitive E-sports style PvP on both a large and small scale.



You better believe a lot of us here on the forums will live and breathe GW2 PvP. Commander Corehealer is looking for a few good men to take that keep up on the hill...

If you haven't got the patience to play EvE's PvP scene or you missed out on DAoC's borderlands skirmishes and keep sieges, or you are simply bored of WoW's stale format and want something different, here is where your server pride will be resurrected in a crucible of fire. Get ready to kill some mans.

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OCD Guide to GW2's economy and resource system:



Gems = Currency bought with real money which can be traded within the in game economy for gold and services. Gems are used to purchase in game store vanity items.
Gold = In game currency, acquired through various means, such as selling in game goods and services, PvP and PvE dynamic events. It is used for the majority of in game item and service purchases, much like in other games.
Karma = A resource procured along with gold and experience from dynamic events and completing personal story objectives, among other things. It is used to purchase the PvE versions of gear upgrades for every 5 levels, up to the max of 80.
Glory = The PvP version of Karma acquired in WvW and battleground PvP. Used to purchase the PvP versions of gear upgrades for every 5 levels up to a max of 80.
(Note: All gear acquired in PvP and PvE, regardless of how, is useable in both PvP and PvE without any serious handicaps, and both can be upgraded using crafting skills as well).
Supply = A WvW exclusive resource acquired from various control points and resource nodes found across the WvW maps. After they are captured for your server, players and caravans must transport limited amounts of supply from them in waves to keeps and other strong points to build up the defensive structures and traps of said areas, as well as hire NPC guards to defend them. They must also transport supply as well as a schematic (acquired at any large keep from a quartermaster for gold) for the specific type of siege weapon they wish to build at the site of a keep siege as an attacking force. Siege weapons include battering rams, catapults, trebuchets and Asuran siege golems. Supply cannot be used outside of WvW.
Another resource, Renown, exists for guilds, but we do not presently know what it's function is in relation to guild advancement and the rest of the game economy.

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Press/Media Section:



Video Compilation Section: See previous OPs for video of 2010 video releases, primarily PAX Prime 2010 and Gamescon 2010 videos). Also check Google and Youtube.

PAX East 2010 Guild Wars 2 Designing Dynamic Events Panel Playlist!: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...69292ECAAB7B5E

PAX East 2011 Demo Videos (For 2010 PAX Prime Demo videos, see Youtube and the previous thread OP, linked at the top of this one; this Demo focuses on the norn, the guardian, the thief, and various gameplay systems such as crafting and has an improved gear stat system in place over last year's Demo):

Guild Wars 2 PAX East Panel, Parts 1- 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgPS1jHUMbw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lctnKVlj-Zs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMFqmxXP71c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSfuEqtHse8

Alienware Booth Presentation of the Thief Class in the Demo at PAX East (Long video from a streamed original, the good parts start at 14 min in and end at 45 min in, good quality): http://www.justin.tv/alienwarearena/b/281335903

Gamescom 2011 Video Compilation: (Featuring Cynical Brit Totalbiscuit, PvP first looks and Playable, Redesigned Sylvari and Asura)

New GW2 Gamescom Game Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x83sQfGJBmg

Totalbiscuit's interview with Izzy Cartwright on GW2 PvP:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvHV7HB2BDc

ArenaNet faces off in 5v5 Battlefield PvP with a Pro e-sports German team on the demo feature map, the Battle of Kyhlo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXc1JwHGNik

Tequatl the Sunless, presumed Dragon liutenenant of ethier Zhaitan or the unnamed sea based dragon, battles a demo raid group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1JfSbKjHHI

Totalbiscuit's WTF is Guild Wars 2 Parts 1 and 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ttfOuxB6Gc&feature=BFa&list=WLFB28825DDA3768FC&index=19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVGEYGE8hs&feature=BFa&list=WLFB28825DDA3768FC&index=20

Work in Progress Revealed and Detailed Character Customization Compilation Video (Shows all Race appearence customizations for both genders currently available):

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

ArenaNet showcase of the Tequatl fight and related mechanics and scaling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNtwF6UjkR0

Asura Character customization (In German, no sound):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtN3ncmDIjk

Asura Guardian Gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cobq3Z4KOmo

GW2Live's Youtube Demo Videos in HD (good quality and played by people who played the first game extensively and know what they are doing, shows off skills and other gameplay features in some videos):

Elementalist Showcasing the Fire, Water and Air Attunements Tactically to great effect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW4sGjWJK_0

Charr Ranger with Pet Action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofUCav0GTww

Dye System Demonstration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sBvWMF44JA

Elementalist and Thief General Gameplay:

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

GameSpot Norn Interview/Customization Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFTSv4CSTAI&feature=related

10 Minute General Combat Montage Video:

GameSpot 10 Min Combat Video

A Q&A Video from June 2011's Fanday chalk full of interesting tidbits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Los-MliDhY

GW2 Fan Trailer Contest:Winners got to go with a friend to ArenaNet's new Seattle Development Studio and play the game with the developers.

Winning Entries (First one is better then second but they are both good and informative):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wm9NMZDN-A

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

Art Section: (Some of the most beautiful fantasy artwork I've ever seen, watch in HD.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8KdzIvzY1I

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61H5yzj0jyQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0PWUBOdzmI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxIhTZEEWL8

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Relevant Site Links Section:

http://www.guildwars2.com/en/ The Official Game Site.
http://www.arena.net/blog/ Official ArenaNet Blog
http://twitter.com/#!/guildwars2 Official Guild Wars 2 Twitter Feed (Best place for updates and FAQ clarification).
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/473/Guild-Wars-2.html MMORPG.com's GW2 Page, (With frequent updates on the game.)
http://www.guildwars2guru.com/ MMOGuru's Guild Wars 2 Community Site.
http://www.massively.com/category/guild-wars-2 Massively.com's Guild Wars 2 News and Updates Page.

Be sure to check the thread as links with new info come in all the time as well!



And to tie up the end of the link roundup, a really weirdly awesome comic shared with us courtesy of reVerse, creator unknown:

reVerse wrote:

To conserve OP space, and because the FAQ has changed somewhat in the years this thread has been following the game, I'm providing a link to it rather then a wall of text from now on. Read the official site's Frequently Asked Questions here: http://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/game-faq/

Also (as a outsider opinion piece attachment to the somewhat old FAQ page), a really good article you should read which eloquently details various innovative design systems and functions which will be in the game, why they are innovative and awesome, why they will most likely be pulled off, and why you might not like them now, but might learn to love them later:

sidhaethe wrote:

I don't like much about mmorpg.com, but this article by a regular forumer (and GW2Guru denizen) really nails, in exquisite detail, what has me so excited about GW2:

The Tao of Arenanet

If you have any suggestions for the OP/info that should be in it, let me know here and i'll get it updated.
A big thanks to reVerse, Sidhaethe, Loki, Enig, zZulu, Arthil and everyone else who has contributed to the OP and the thread, and our resident ArenaNet insider, World as Myth, for providing us with art assets, up to date info and kind words. Let the WE HATE LOGAN THACKERAY discussion re-commence!

Corehealer

Because it's just as much about the people you're with as it is about crushing skulls and storytime.

The Venerable Wall of Erections (now located here to conserve OP space. Bask in it's swagger!):

ghost_master2000 wrote: »

God... Every time I come in this thread I need a change of pants.

Joshmvii wrote: »

Every time I come in my pants I visit this thread.

Zzulu wrote: »

I feel I don't even need any more info on the game. I've been sold for many months now and I just want to buy it and play it already.

Klyka wrote: »

I have to be completely honest here:

I would pay double price if I could have the game NOW.

Chubby Bunny wrote:

I can't look at this topic any more. I'm so hard I can't even breathe.

Avynte wrote:

GW2 is going to force me to see a doctor because I don't think holding an erection until Q1/2 is going to be good for my health.

Sarksus wrote:

DROP THIS GAME INTO MY MOUTH ANET I WANT IT

naengwen wrote:

Coming into this thread is like Christmas.

Dr_Keenbean wrote: »

The most important thing I've gotten out of this thread is that ice cream is god damn delicious. So I went out and got some.

Thank you.

Enig wrote:

I'm getting pretty concerned that GW2 will just be too much fun, and people won't be able to handle it. This could really hurt the game long term.

unintentional wrote: »

YOU'RE A LOOSE CANNON, COREHEALER

ironzerg wrote:

I know nothing about GW2 other that what I watched a couple hours ago. The manifesto video. My body is still trying to recover from the sudden explosion of blood that rushed into my penile extremeties.

Caedere wrote:

There is no other game coming out that I am excited for more than Guild Wars 2. In fact, there are no entertainment properties that I anticipate more than this game—no book, movie, TV show, videogame, nothing.

Rend wrote: »

I'M STILL NOT ON THE WALL

We aim to please.

This post is reserved for guild(s) information/how to get in/PA community stuff.

LAUNCH/POST LAUNCH STUFF:
Official PA Server is FORT ASPENWOOD. Overflow server is KAINENG. Please go to Fort Aspenwood if you wish to play with the main PA peeps guild, and contact Draygo if your unable to get on Aspenwood due to overpopulation and wish to play with PAers on Kaineng. Our guilds are all cross server and account/character wide anyway, so once you join, you'll be able to chat with people regardless of server. Server transfers are available now, but it will take some time to certify transfers and you will be locked into one server at any given time for PvP WvW purposes.

Guide for switching Servers:

In character select, right after login. In the Bottom left corner of the screen.

Select "World Selection" > Select "Transfer World" > Select "Server you want".

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OFFICIAL PA GUILD(S):
- What A Nice Guild [NICE] (GM: Corehealer/Sarah Corehealer/Trajan Corehealer, various officers including Geod, Kakos, Draygo, Enig, Vivixienne, etx.)
- Chaps Wot Guild (EU Guild on Gandara. GM: Thorrhel, Officers are Kafka87 (Dedryr) and Fantasyrogue (Mellan). Website: www.tpreview.co.uk/cwg)
- The Merch [MRHI] (Fort Aspenwood PA Guild, small EvE Corp based guild. GM: TheKoolEagle (Gorhir/Mr Fuzzywhiskers), Officers are Anehii (Anehii) and Fiatil(Fiatil).
- I Require Frozen Treats' [IRFT] (On Fort Aspenwood, Just Bri's Guild of Fun times and Frozen goodies. GM: Narawen Blake).
- The Candymancers (Basically the continuation of the WAR guild, our official overflow guild on Fort Aspenwood, ask myself or Entaru Phenyhelm here on the forums or on TS3 about it or refer to Entaru's sig).
- Your guild name here [Your tag here] (GM: Your name here)
This list is subject to change in release, but will serve for now as a list of guilds we create now or later for more specific purposes in PvP and PvE. The GW2 Guild system allows players to be in multiple guilds simultaneously, so we will be using a prime guild (NICE) for networking between smaller, specialized guilds that will be focused on specific aspects of the game. More on all that later as we get closer to release. If you have suggestions for this list, names, or are creating a guild for EU/AU or a subset of one of the main guilds, please contact me or one of the officers in NICE.

Guilds are also trans-server and account wide; as long as you select to represent a specific guild on a specific character, you will be able to chat with and see the status of anyone on any server in that guild. You will not lose membership in your other guilds, you will simply not be actively representing all but one of them on a given character.

You can find PA people using GW2 UI's social networking style Contacts tab, shown in a few of the press beta videos, to search for familiar faces and the above guild. When I am in the beta, I will do my best to manage the guild and get the PA peeps in each event networked, so PM Trajan/Sarah Corehealer in game to get in touch with me (all my characters have the last name Corehealer). If nothing else, try asking in general chat for any PA people, specifically in starting areas or cities.

VC INFO:
For VOIP communication we will be using the following Teamspeak 3 server provided by Draygo (seriously, look at how much effort he put into this thing):



Server IP: 66.135.59.185:9999
Password: pa
Admins: Corehealer, Entaru, Draygo, Enig, Geod

The below spoiler contains the Penny Arcade Guild Wars 2 Teamspeak FAQ, written by Draygo for everyone's convenience. Please refer to it for any queries regarding the GW2 PA TS3 setup. Server seats 100+ people and everything you want to know about it can be found below or by asking Draygo, as he put it together and has been hosting these servers for years.

Q) Where do I get it:

Download teamspeak here: http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads
You can get teamspeak for windows, mac, and linux. As well as your Ithing and your android, if you so prefer.

Q) Cool, I installed it, now what?

Now you must connect to our totally awesome server. In order to do that you must first run teamspeak. Then hit Connections at the top. Select Connect.



Now you must enter the server details:

Server Address: 66.135.59.185:9999
Nickname: Your forum or In Game Name
Password: pa



Q) What does the banner in the top right do?



The community thread banner when clicked on will open the most recent guild wars 2 thread on penny arcade.

Q) How do I add a class or race icon next to my name?

You do this by right clicking yourself, put your mouse over server group, then left click any of the categories named with the race or class you want to choose. You can uncheck them at any time to remove the icon.

Q) Who are the server admins?

They are Draygo, Corehealer, Entaru, Geod, and Enig.

Q) So is there a skin/theme for this?



Yes and you can download it from our lobby. Right click the lobby, and select open file browser. You will see the installer file at the top. Download and run that file to skin your client.



In order to activate the theme/skin you need to go to settings->options, and click design on the left.



Then select Theme and change it to PA Guild Wars 2.

Q) Who made the theme?

Draygo did.

Q) How do I change my name?

Right click yourself and select change nickname. You can do this at any time. Do not change your name to impersonate an admin.

Q) What rules can I expect?

Don't be a dick. No personal attacks except 'silly goose', forum rules apply. If it is not appropriate on the forums, it is also not appropriate in teamspeak.

Q) Someone is breaking the rules, or is being disruptive, but no server admins are online. How do I complain.

First, I hope you can all be gentlemen and resolve disputes by yourselves. If someone is being a dick, you can fill out a complaint. Right click someone and click make a complaint. Do not abuse this feature. If 5 people complain about one person in a short amount time, that person will be temp banned from the server. Do not abuse this. Admins will see the complaints that lead to the temp banning and will be unhappy to fix it.

Q) Can I make my own channels?

Yes!
Teamspeak is setup that you can make your own channels in any of the major channels (Except Admin HQ, Lobby, and Afk, for obvious reasons) First enter the channel you want to make the sub-channel in. Right click the parent channel and select, create sub channel. You can enter a name, even a password, as well as set any description you want. After you create the channel, make sure the Audio Codec selected is high enough audio quality.

Right click the channel you created and click edit channel. Click the audio tab and increase the Quality slider. Also decrease the latency slider to reduce lag time. Quality 7, latency 1 are the recommended settings.
These channels are temp only, when the last person leaves them they are automatically cleaned up.





The person who created the channel is the op of the channel and can kick people from the channel (not server). So if you created your own channel and want to remove someone, you can password protect it and remove the troublesome individual.


Q) Is there an overlay plugin?

Yes. There is a built in overlay plugin. To enable it, select settings then plugins. Check the teamspeak overlay plugin and then click settings on the bottom to configure it. Here you can configure any color of each of the elements, as well as transparency settings. I recommend you change the input settings to enable mouse polling, and change the initialization mode to minimal. Minimal mode only displays the one person who is talking, the other mode displays everyone in your channel even those that are talking.

Q) Does teamspeak work with my G15 keyboard.

Yes. There is a plugin for that. Pretty easy to configure again settings->plugins, and enable the G15 keyboard.

Also:

Geod wrote: »

TS3 Overlay for GW2:

Here's how to get the overlay working without graphical glitches:

1. Go to Settings->Plugins in TS3.
2. Select GW2.exe in the Profile dropdown.
3. Uncheck all the Direct3D options, except for Direct3D 9 (which is what GW2 uses).
4. Switch to Input tab
5. Check "Enable Mouse Poll" and "Use in-game" cursor
6. Switch to extended, and check "Used ID3DDevice:Present hook..." (This is what fixes the animations not showing in GW2)

This is most likely a permanent setup for the BWEs and future events/release now because Draygo has put a lot of work into this solution and has swayed myself and Entaru with it's beauty, icons, functionality and abuse of admin power. It also holds 100+ seats up to a maximum of about 300, more then we really need but excellent nonetheless.
It is very unlikely that we will need help funding any server upkeep at this time. If we do we will put it up here.

Livestream: (ON HIATUS AGAIN WHILE I GET IT SET UP AND PLANNED OUT BETTER FOR POSTLAUNCH. WILL DO SOME TESTING POSTLAUNCH. HELP APPRECIATED).
Also, I have a livestream that I'm currently playing around with and tweaking in preparation for GW2, with it being the main focus of my channel. Expect to see it and assorted other games there with live commentary by yours truly with some guest commentary via our GW2 Ventrilo/Skype. Link is here and in my signature. http://www.twitch.tv/corehealer

Corehealer

Post away you ravenous hordes. I enjoy talking about how terrible Logan is.

Bethryn

When doing Caudecus Manor, Logan died to a Door Guard.

We now can see how he failed to kill Kralkattorik.

eeSanG

Logan also abandons Caithe in Twilight Arbor when she tries to give him another chance.

Enig

Huggles wrote: »

From GW2 Twitter

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/info/news/Free-World-Transfers-Limited-to-Once-Every-24-Hours

EDIT: Also https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/mike-obrien-on-account-security/

Quoting this from the previous thread because it (the 2nd link) is a good read about security.

Darmak

buttes

doomybear

The Tyrian Enquirer: Hottest Headlines Brought to You by Lion Arch's Finest Journalists!

Queen Jennah on Thackeray: "He's a terrible kisser!"

Rytlock Rumors: Did Thackeray Choose Jennah Over Rytlock?

Plagiarism! New Accusations Zojja Stole Research!

Caithe & Cocaine? Details Inside!

Illustrated News: Eir Takes Garm for a Walk

Acharenus

Enig wrote: »

Huggles wrote: »

From GW2 Twitter

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/info/news/Free-World-Transfers-Limited-to-Once-Every-24-Hours

EDIT: Also https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/mike-obrien-on-account-security/

Quoting this from the previous thread because it (the 2nd link) is a good read about security.

It's awesome to see them taking it seriously.

manwiththemachinegun

So, Ebonhawke armor, I have yet to see it. Anyone seen it yet?

Delphinidaes

Enig wrote: »

Huggles wrote: »

From GW2 Twitter

https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/info/news/Free-World-Transfers-Limited-to-Once-Every-24-Hours

EDIT: Also https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/mike-obrien-on-account-security/

Quoting this from the previous thread because it (the 2nd link) is a good read about security.

Nice they touched on pretty much every point and even a few they didn't even have to. Very comprehensive post on the subject. That post should go in the OP somewhere noticeable so new players and old player alike have good chance to come across it. It's great information. @corehealer

Caedere

That is an absolutely outstanding post on security, one of the best I have read anywhere. I'm passing it along to my non-GW2-playing, security friends; I'm sure they'll be really interested.

Unlucky

Indeed it is, as it just taught me how to upgrade my gmail security.

Yay Anet!

Axen

doomybear wrote: »

The Tyrian Enquirer: Hottest Headlines Brought to You by Lion Arch's Finest Journalists!

Queen Jennah on Thackeray: "He's a terrible kisser!"

Rytlock Rumors: Did Thackeray Choose Jennah Over Rytlock?

Plagiarism! New Accusations Zojja Stole Research!

Caithe & Cocaine? Details Inside!

Illustrated News: Eir Takes Garm for a Walk

Shocking Secrets From Traeherne's Second-in-Command, "He uses fertilizer."

eeSanG

Bleh, attended Jormag from the beginning and my internet cuts right before he dies.

Then I salvaged 3 lvl80 rares and only got 1 Glob of Ectoplasm :<

steejee

I've had no previous exposure to the Destiny's Edge before GW2 itself, and the lack of ingame backstory on them is really jarring. DId I just miss something huge? I feel like there was some big explanation that I was supposed to have learned and completely missed unless I read the book. Things make more sense after reading this thread (I at least now know WTF they were doing when Logan ran off), but there really needs to be a better tie in for them in game.

Seems that if Logan got killed off the rest of them would probably be able to get together pretty easily (only done through Twilight Arbor, which enhanced Logan's dickishness).

Arthil

I find the idea that Arenanet's response to people complaining about difficulty is a non-answer is completely silly. Because... this is precisely what did happen when they released DoA. The game isn't even a month old yet, but people seem to be under the impression they have to have all their pretty shinies already by now.

Badwrong

Arthil wrote: »

I find the idea that Arenanet's response to people complaining about difficulty is a non-answer is completely silly. Because... this is precisely what did happen when they released DoA. The game isn't even a month old yet, but people seem to be under the impression they have to have all their pretty shinies already by now.

I've had no issues with difficulty in explorables. Then again, I'm playing a support guardian and try to maximize teamwork. I think the majority of people try to maximize their DPS and assume that will get them through a dungeon.

I also read what Anet said about DoA's initial diffculty and how the response to that is identical to what we are seeing here.

People just hate to admit they are doing something wrong, its easier to just blame the game. Anet already said that their dungeon testing showed that everything should be made even more difficult, but they decided not to for now.

Klyka

I still need to say that I am not bitching about the dungeon difficulty, I am bitching about them being horribly designed, boring and buggy.
The last three are not part of "omg this is harrrrrrrd you guuuuyssssss".

Badwrong

Klyka wrote: »

I still need to say that I am not bitching about the dungeon difficulty, I am bitching about them being horribly designed, boring and buggy.
The last three are not part of "omg this is harrrrrrrd you guuuuyssssss".

My experience has been totally opposite from yours then.

I've found some of the activities in the dungeons to be very fun and unique. Its not always just "clear trash, kill boss". There is a large variety of things that are entertaining in the dungeons. There is a bug here or there, but nothing even close to "horribly designed, boring and buggy".

Bethryn

Arthil wrote: »

I find the idea that Arenanet's response to people complaining about difficulty is a non-answer is completely silly. Because... this is precisely what did happen when they released DoA. The game isn't even a month old yet, but people seem to be under the impression they have to have all their pretty shinies already by now.

This is bad on two levels. One, that you don't recognise a bad answer when you see it.

For example, this would be akin to Mitt Romney saying, "well, people complained about the Great Depression and we got through that; really, people complaining about the trouble they're having with their jobs right now is a storm in a teacup."

It completely ignores the specific experiences people are complaining about in favour of talking about "how people will cry when something is too hard for them."

And trying to paint the people complaining as doing so purely out of impatience is even stupider, because most of the people complaining are doing so because there's not much enjoyment in actually playing the dungeons. Regardless of the loot in WoW, I enjoyed the mechanical aspects of the dungeons on my first trip through all of them. There hasn't been a single dungeon I can say that of in GW2; even when individual bosses have been interesting, they've been overshadowed by bugs, horrifically large HP pools, and deeply obfuscated mechanics.

Nocren

Question: I don't have GW2 (and don't plan on getting it for awhile), but I do have GW1 (with all campaigns/expansion/upgrades)and I haven't finished a single one yet.

Is it too late to get those legacy/carryover bonuses?

Bethryn

Nocren wrote: »

Question: I don't have GW2 (and don't plan on getting it for awhile), but I do have GW1 (with all campaigns/expansion/upgrades)and I haven't finished a single one yet.

Is it too late to get those legacy/carryover bonuses?

Nope, you can continue to unlock GW1 bonuses for GW2.

DemonStacey

@Kupi

Have... have you played other MMOs? This game so much less skill bloat and less bindings required.

Beltaine

My brother has started playing and I'd like to get him into NICE with me. Is there a waiting list?

Seidkona

At some point I'm sure we'll start culling NICE and letting people in the Candymancer overflow group who still want into NICE in. That's as close to a plan that we have.

Badwrong

Bethryn wrote: »

This is bad on two levels. One, that you don't recognise a bad answer when you see it.

For example, this would be akin to Mitt Romney saying, "well, people complained about the Great Depression and we got through that; really, people complaining about the trouble they're having with their jobs right now is a storm in a teacup."

It completely ignores the specific experiences people are complaining about in favour of talking about "how people will cry when something is too hard for them."

And trying to paint the people complaining as doing so purely out of impatience is even stupider, because most of the people complaining are doing so because there's not much enjoyment in actually playing the dungeons. Regardless of the loot in WoW, I enjoyed the mechanical aspects of the dungeons on my first trip through all of them. There hasn't been a single dungeon I can say that of in GW2; even when individual bosses have been interesting, they've been overshadowed by bugs, horrifically large HP pools, and deeply obfuscated mechanics.

No one goes back and praises the great depression for being a great time in history... however people do praise DoA as one of the best times they had in GW1. So that comparison doesn't work.

I still laugh at the large HP pool thing... if anything some of them should be larger, as with good teamwork bosses drop very fast.

Acharenus

Badwrong wrote: »

Klyka wrote: »

I still need to say that I am not bitching about the dungeon difficulty, I am bitching about them being horribly designed, boring and buggy.
The last three are not part of "omg this is harrrrrrrd you guuuuyssssss".

My experience has been totally opposite from yours then.

Right back at you.

Not only that but I find it just isn't worth doing for the rewards presented.

Klyka

I don't even care about the item rewards, I just did the dungeons to have fun.
Out of my time spent in them I would say about 20% of the content was fun and the rest was tedious.
That is not a good fun/work ratio!

Huggles

Don't forget that Arenanet have said that although they do not intend to make the dungeons easier they do intend to improve loot rewards for running them. That's all we know so far.

This to me, apart from bugfixing, is all that really needs to happen; right now dungeons are a challenge but there is little incentive to run them beyond the cash reward and explorable tokens when drops and chest rewards are no better then what you'd get from PvE.

HamHamJ

steejee wrote: »

I've had no previous exposure to the Destiny's Edge before GW2 itself, and the lack of ingame backstory on them is really jarring. DId I just miss something huge? I feel like there was some big explanation that I was supposed to have learned and completely missed unless I read the book. Things make more sense after reading this thread (I at least now know WTF they were doing when Logan ran off), but there really needs to be a better tie in for them in game.

Seems that if Logan got killed off the rest of them would probably be able to get together pretty easily (only done through Twilight Arbor, which enhanced Logan's dickishness).

You get some of the story if you listen to the kids in your level 30 (ish?) personal story, when you go to Lion's Arch. (Or at least I did, and I assume it was not a Sylvari only thing).

There's an actual exposition cutscene about it in Sorrow's Embrace.

Badwrong

Acharenus wrote: »

Right back at you.

Not only that but I find it just isn't worth doing for the rewards presented.

Because its to grindy or you want big stat numbers?

From the start, doing explorables I already had full exotics. I'm sure you know its just for weapon/armor skins?

Maybe you haven't been in an efficient group that makes tons of marks? I dunno. Since I bring support/healing with me, I've always had decent groups and sometimes amazing groups. So making about 200 badges in 2 hours or so is not hard at all. Dungeons are also the fastest way of making gold, other than extremely rare drops that sell for lots of gold. At the same time they can be the slowest way of gaining gold if your group is slow. Same with exp, they are by far the fastest way to grind skill points, period... its not even close in exp gain when compared to high level events. Again, it comes back to how well the group is doing things, because they can also have the worst rewards in gold/exp if you aren't blazing through them. So I'm happy because I've been farming them at a very fast rate.... I could easily see how someone wouldn't enjoy them if they weren't maximizing their purpose.

Anyway, I'm glad to read what ANET has said about it all and that they wont change their game because of the vocal minority.

unintentional

Wait who the hell thought that DoA was the best part of gw1

My favourite parts of gw1 were the regular storyline missions and the random arenas
Where's my team deathwatch with strangers, winner moves on format : (

I only tried DoA a couple times and it was awful compared to the rest of the content

Seidkona

I gave the warrior a second chance last night. The weapon interactions are surprisingly fun and interesting and there's a lot of complexity under the surface if you don't just strap on a Greatsword and never take it off.

Definitely an alt I'll keep around.

Bobble

So I'm a complete moron. For 5 days I've thought that the Spectral Hammer skill challenge in Cursed Shore was bugged. For 3 days it's blocked me from 100%ing the zone. Last night I even world transferred about 15 times trying to find a server where it wasn't bugged.

Well I'm a moron. It's not bugged at all. I googled it and I thought the stupid thing was on the beach, but it's inside the fucking ship 30 feet above my head.

Bethryn

Badwrong wrote: »

I still laugh at the large HP pool thing... if anything some of them should be larger, as with good teamwork bosses drop very fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEdKF2XFHh8

2:00

Badwrong wrote: »

From the start, doing explorables I already had full exotics. I'm sure you know its just for weapon/armor skins?

Actually, no.

It's for the fun of playing the game; of pitting your characters against new, well-balanced encounters that are more challenging than standard enemies in the world.

Acharenus

That's a great attitude to have when you only want the very vocal minority to ever have any real progress in dungeons.

Things change though and given that I'm not that keen on the appearance of the dungeon sets light/medium anyway I can live without the frustration of current dungeons, just a shame that aanet took two steps forward with the rest of the game and went back to the stone age of mmo's for dungeons.

I can get the look and stats I want for my character at level cap for chump change, and it's what I plan to do.

It's worth remembering that anyone posting on a games forums is already the minority, and unless I misunderstand the meaning of the term it seems to me that the majority believe the dungeons need to be revisited. So in our case it's more them not listening to the vocal majority.

Joshmvii

Here are my thoughts on the dungeons, both story and explorable:

1) Story modes have some bosses that are a bit tough for what story mode is meant for. The idea is you do story mode in pugs as you go through your personal story, hence why you get mail in game about them, and it's fun to get to see the stories. I have no problem with the difficulty here personally, but I can say for an uncoordinated group many fights would be a huge nightmare.

2) Explorable modes are very fun, but all the dungeons need something like the final boss of the dungeon is guaranteed to drop a yellow for everybody. Getting nothing but blues and greens and 1/10th of one exotic item worth of tokens is not good enough.

3) Many of the explorable paths probably need their difficulty increased. All 3 paths in Ascalonian catacombs for example are very easy, with the only thing that can even really slow you down being the buggy burrows on the 2 fights that have the small burrows, because you get obstructed messages trying to hit them with ranged and melee weapons just outright do no damage to them half the time. I like that they're a challenge that you have to be a skilled player to beat, but as I mentioned above, the rewards need looked at again, but it sounds like they recognize that.

One thing about dungeons is that it seems some people think you should be able to just go in there with any 5 people in any builds and succeed, and that's simply not true. There's a difference in no trinity and not needing to do the right stuff.

If you're a thief for instance, you better be comboing your 4 and 2 on your shortbow to do area weakness to keep every pack of enemies weakened(50% chance of glancing blows). You better be using smoke screen to block projectiles on packs of ranged enemies. Better be using immobilizes and cripples on the melee enemies that run after your squishy teammates and will down them if they get there, etc. If you're a guardian, be ready to use your aegis shout or virtue to give your party aegis to block big single hitting abilities. Everybody has a million little things they can do to create success.

Also, on bosses, for the love of god people, learn and understand how the defiance stacks work. You designate people in the group to peel the stacks off, then you have somebody as the designated CC person for when the stacks are off, and use a daze, stun, knockdown, knockback, pull, fear, etc. to interrupt the boss's abilities. I've yet to find a dungeon boss who didn't have a tell to let you know when you need to interrupt their big abilities.

Badwrong

Bethryn wrote: »

Badwrong wrote: »

I still laugh at the large HP pool thing... if anything some of them should be larger, as with good teamwork bosses drop very fast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEdKF2XFHh8

2:00

So, what's the issue?

Bethryn

Badwrong wrote: »

So, what's the issue?

That's at around 4x speed.

The boss takes around 15-20 minutes. He only has 4 abilities, all of which are basic ranger abilities buffed up to have high damage. It's not even remotely interesting, it's just "repeat this for 20 minutes".

It's the kind of awful extended encounter design that you read about in FFXI.