When I played GW2 I really enjoyed the art style, maps and music. I feel that their living story content is really great and a lot of fun as well. They also definitely have drastically superior holiday events, character customization and mount systems!
Even so though, I don’t know… I burn out on it so quickly I could never get very much into it. They are bogged down with even worse system overload than current WoW. At least from my perspective. It’s a plague in modern games sadly.
I only play Wow.
I’ve tried Star Wars, LoTR and Rift.
Oh forgot to answer the last. Yes, but you need scrapper. Scrapper is pretty good as a healer.
I still think the video they released called “manifesto”, before the game actually came out, was EXACTLY the game I want to play.
It’s just … GW2 isn’t that game. Much like Blizzard, they talk up some good ideas, but their implementation is horrible.
Dynamic Events should have totally changed the MMO industry!! Instead, they did it all wrong, and even worse, Blizzard was once the company that took poorly done ideas and made them PERFECT … and instead, did their own version of dynamic events and it was TERRIBLE.
I played for about 6months and then just couldn’t maintain interest. I heard it got better, I went back some time later … and my account was locked. The CSR were helpful in giving me info to get my account back but … I couldn’t be bothered. In 19 years, I’ve never had a problem with my account with Blizzard. After less than a year, GW2 screwed that up??? Nah… I walked away.
That’s where I assume the game still sits. But I wish them well. They have GREAT ideas. Just poor direction.
So, because of this - I decided to log in and run some numbers.
The materials to create Twilight is currently valued, once broken down via Gems->RL money to $377 - that does not include the two must farm self items. To buy the item outright with gems would cost you $457 and some change. If you were to buy all of the materials to create Dusk, and then buy the materials + farm the materials to make Twilight, this would cost you $347… But again, would cost you three must farm materials.
The greatsword Sunrise is priced almost identically, with the sword Dawn price points being almost identical, but noting that the price is actually about $5 higher for Sunrise.
Combining the two Which, if purchased, costs roughly $1,000 requires also buying Philosopher Stones - which aren’t readily available. You have to buy Laurels, to trade for Spirit Shards, to buy Philosopher Stones - just like the 200 Shards previously required.
Puting the total cost of “I bought gems, and transferred them into currency to make these 2 weapons to create the 1 weapon” at roughly $1,150.
Buying the sword Eternity - the item both combine into to create the item I mentioned outright is roughly $1,350 atm.
This is not to mention that buying such a substantial amount of items will drive your cost-to-gain efficiency down significantly. You will start paying more for materials, and receiving less currency for your money after a certain point. I’m not going to account for that.
It’s not pay to win? Then when can I pay to be made stronger and save several months of grinding materials/global unlock soulbound materials?
Look man. It’s a great game. But don’t sit here and tell me there’s no “pay to advance” aspects of it.
Inb4 “DAZ WRAWNG” - Trading Post website has Eternity valued at 3,380g at time of writing this. Gold is roughly 3.2:1 purchasing power via “Gems”, which are bought via gold. This puts the immediate global cost evaluation at roughly $1,300.
Also this is Just one of multiple weapon types that have ultimate archetype weapons like this. This is also just the first season’s, and there’s multiple seasons. There’s roughly 60 pay-to-advance “Ultimate/Legendary” weapons you can credit card your way into without earning.
Its pay for convenience though.
The stat weights between legendries and ascended gear are the same. and the jump from exotic to ascended is only a couple percent. You can go toe to toe with someone decked out in full legos in full exotic gear with literally no issues. You gain nothing but the convenience of being able to swap out stats on demand. Is it technically more powerful I guess. But its such a marginal number its near null.
I stand corrected on Eternity I was thinking about Sunrise. Either way that $1150 dollars you spend does not make you any stronger than someone in ascended gear. So really its a thousand dollar mog.
If the items purchasable with a credit card put you head and shoulders above someone who never spent a dime on the game that is a pay to win game. I just hate seeing people spread this view because alot of people refuse to play it because they think its pay to win. It objectively is not. Can you save some time for the convenience of being able to swap builds on a whim without farming out/throwing gold at armor with different stats sure. Does not make it pay to win. The only lego weapons purchasable on the marketplace are the first gen. Unless that has changed in the last year. Not that it really matters 1st gen has the same stat weights as the later gens.
Ahh, and the goal posts move. You’re not paying for strength, you’re paying for convenience. It just conveniently happens to be stronger equipment. It conveniently would save you roughly 6 months of grinding to try and earn considering the multiple self-only items via global unlocks.
The stat weights are the same, but your avenue to access/earning it costs time/game experience that can be completely circumvented via credit card. That’s like saying “Well, buying ilvl 421 gear isn’t pay to win, you can get it via vault.” if WoW slapped “gear tokens” on the shop.
It’s not “pay to be the best in the game”, it’s “pay to be equal to the best in the game with zero effort involved outside of hitting my saved payment information”. Maybe you have to call your bank and authorize the charge? Idk.
Again… Great game. But if I had endless money, I could day one hour one be equal in strength to people who have played since day 1… And that’s lame.
You can effectively do that for just purchasing an expansion and using a lvl 80 boost that comes with the purchase of the game. It has nothing to do with buying that item. It has everything to do with the games progression being horizontal not vertical. Exotic gear is near identical to legendaries based on stat weights. You can buy full set of exotic gear for less than 10 gold. You can stomp on people in full legendaries wearing full exotic gear. So no you don’t need an endless amount of money to compete with players who have played for years. But again, horizontal progression. That is a lot of peoples gripe with the game. The lack of vertical progression. Which is 100% understandable.
I’ve tried it a few times and managed to get a couple of level 80s, but overall I find it a really shallow, spammy experience and I don’t really enjoy it enough to want to reinstall it. YMMV.
So… to clarify… you can pay to win in multiple avenues?
I don’t really see how they’re even comparable. They aren’t close enough, really.
I prefer a lot of MMOs over WoW except for the one thing that’s most important to me day-to-day: the smoothness of combat.
LotRO, GW2, even Age of Conan have beautiful, well-thought out stories and worlds. The actual gameplay, you know the thing you’re actually doing most of the time, is unfortunately much more clunky than WoW.
What this post fails to mention is 2 things. 1) This is sooo much more of a skill based game. Bosses will eat you alive if you don’t know the mechanics. This is a psuedo roles game. No tank or healer will save you as its practically every man for himself. You will get destroyed by pvp’ers if you don’t have skill. No amount of money will help you win.
Second, you effectively missed all of the great content in getting some of these parts. And in some instances, the achievements still exist that give you other good things, and you muted the point of doing the endgame content. You aren’t climbing any fractuls and would still be a deteriment to the group because you don’t have the correct type of gear for infusion slots.
So where is the pay to win? You effectively removed your farming to gain no advantage. All you did is not allow you to ever have to farm for gear ever again no matter what the devs do to classes outside of ascended gear. If thats all you wanted was the legendary, I guess anyone can buy legendary’s and then never play again. You would just be useless as a whole. Then I too would feel whats the point of playing. Is this a win to you? This game is horizantal and they meant it. I only started my journey with legendaries for one thing. I can have the convenience of never having to buy gear again, because Elementalists have been, and still are getting shafted a lot with changes to the spec. Not to say I can now have a pvp or pve advantage.
Unless you are rich or no lifer, life has its toll, why would you wanna do difficult content to entertain your self , i mean thats just me thinking
1- what? First off “skill based” is entirely subjective. I would argue that with the wild disparity in class balance ala Specter being so strong, etc – removes a huge portion of skill from game play. I would also argue that since GW2 content is created/designed to be completable by all people, it has to be accessible with a low barrier of entry. The ultra-ultra top end GW2 is still designed to be participated in by everyone. Then moving to PvP - all PvP is templated PvP. There’s not much skill expression to it beyond using a meta weapon set and playing your role in a team. When you take away choice, you take away skill expression.
2- No, I didn’t at all. You can complete all of this without participating in end game content. Everything I mentioned can be done without touching a single iota of endgame. You can farm bags for mats, grind for spirit shards, and explore for the tokens. Also – what ? Legendary weapons have readily accessible swap stats. They’re considered BIS due to that - for Fractaals and Awakeneds.
The pay to win is being able to swipe my credit card and be equal, day 0 minute 1 - to the person who’s played 20 years. Pay to win doesn’t care about “missing the epik story linez!” or “omguh da seenery!” or whatever. It’s about paid progression. The rest of the game is still there, paying for strength doesn’t remove it. You can still access it.
Removed farming? No, removed unnecessary steps/busy work and obtained all of the advantage: player power. Winning is again entirely subjective. You’re using your personal opinion and claiming it as factual. Winning, and fun are totally subjective and up to each and every individual to decide what matters to them. Some people only care about being the strongest. Some people only care about the story. Some people don’t care about either, and want to pet critters in town.
Your final line comment about “pvp advantage” seems bizarre considering that, again, GW2 PvP is templated. Your gear is completely irrelevant in GW2 outside of weapons… and to that, you could have any weapon in the game on provided it’s the correct type you’re wanting.
What your post fails to mention is:
Irrevocably, you can pay for power in GW2. You can pay to advance, skip story line, skip gearing progression, and skip grinding. You can pay with your IRL money to be made more powerful, equal to the best players in the world in terms of equipment based strength.
And that sucks. That’s gross. You would hate if WoW had a instant-70 full i425 skip for $1300 in the store. So would I.
After reading the first line, I know you are lying. We who actually play know for a fact you will still get destroyed with legendaries. This isn’t even an argument.
Welp, if you were to go look in the in-game GW2 PvP hall of fame - you’ll find Semi Casual the Warrior - running Greatsword + Sword/Shield as the Season 1 World Champion for highest accumulated RP.
That’s me. I created the shield charge/flag/rage/haste → Hundred Blades meta in S1.
We who actually played the game know what we’re talking about, random internet troll.
You know I continued to read more. This is a lie too. You can’t farm gw2 for legendaries and not do endgame…wtf. Do you even play?
The Season 1 legendaries, specifically Dusk/Dawn, Twilight/Sunrise, and Eclipse can be completed without touching a single iota of end game. You can get the soulbinds via map discovery, the soul shards can be done via dungeons, and the mat bags can be farmed via PvE grinding. The Laurels can come from gated/timed rewards, seasonal rewards, and achievements. Absolutely none of the Season 1 weapons requires raiding/fractaals/strikes/raids, and I dare you to link me a single part that says otherwise.
I’ve done it myself. There’s like, four hundred guides on google on how/where to grind to complete season 1 weapons most efficiently.
You didn’t mention that you have to roll Mystic Forge to forgo farming yourself for the endgame of vanilla GW2. Also Raids and Strikes weren’t part of T1. That doesn’t refute the fact that you forgo content/achievements that gives other things. And does not prove you become better at playing with a legendary.