ArenaNet: Linsey Murdock unveils High End Ascended Gear (2012-11-13)

[Jim Hunter]

That doesn't mean the game is going to become a gear grind. I truly believe that's in your head. But it's a great excuse for people like me to get better at playing. As I learn and play the game, it gets easier and easier, so if the balance the game for the higher gear (and it's not that much higher) as more players get it, it will give me just enough challenge to keep me interested.

I don't understand how anyone can see this as anything but a gear grind. They aren't just adding new tiers but they are making it mandatory for future content since you can't infuse exotics. It's great that you can still have fun exploring but eventually if you want to play the future content you will have to jump on the treadmill.

[Fey]

The problem with content getting easier isn't necessarily the mechanic or the new tier. Honestly I think if there had been the 3 tiers in from the get go, I don't think anyone would be mad. It's that they told us that once we hit 80, the world would be our end game and it would be challenging at all levels. And when we found out that wasn't the case they seem to have scrambled into giving us a new tier to fix it.

They specifically said numerous times, "You can go back and play with your friends, get scaled down and still be challenged". Yet here we are, face rolling through anything that's several levels below us. What the hell happened? Is everyone on the ANet team that bad at the game that it truly seemed challenging?

I'm sure all of us are aware how important first impressions are. If they had told us about these changes in a different way, worded them better, had given us the entire story from the start and not given us this much time to speculate. It would have been better recieved, I think.

[frunk]

Looking at the items and reading about how the fractal dungeon will work, it's pretty clear that this is pure gear grind and nothing else. Ugh.

[Delvoire]

Whew.. this one is still going on?

I think they upped the drop rates on rares and exotics just to help ease the outrage they made over the new Ascended type. In the long run, I don't think they'll add more types of armor in rarity at least. I believe their way of thinking now, is that the Ascended gives them that Infusion option, so new content can be added and new infusions to help people progress with. JIMO

[Fey]

You know they really shouldn't have called it "progression" or "tiers" either. Now that I stop and think about it.

[bokiz333]

. If there is "no item treadmill" then is, with the "Ascended" items, with 100% certainty the maximum reached, or will the whole thing start again all over again in a year or two?

We simply cannot give you a percentage. You saw how an old announcement about Exotic/Legendary weapons was treated "But back then you said..." - so if I tell you that with 100% certainty there will never be anything higher, that would not be helpful. Even if in e.g. Guild Wars 1 we never made any substantial changes, there were still green items (also in later chapters) which enabled weapon combinations that simply were not achievable in the Prophecies times (15-staff of energy for example), and still it wasn't a gear treadmill.
.

Whew.. this one is still going on?

I think they upped the drop rates on rares and exotics just to help ease the outrage they made over the new Ascended type. In the long run, I don't think they'll add more types of armor in rarity at least. I believe their way of thinking now, is that the Ascended gives them that Infusion option, so new content can be added and new infusions to help people progress with. JIMO

Well at least you're 100% on it right? Because AN sure isn't.

[Delvoire]

Haha yeah. that's just how I was looking at it.

You never know. Their models and projections and ideas have to evolve and change depending on the player base. It's how it would need to work if they want this game to be heavily active over the years to come.

[bokiz333]

Please don't ask what this dead horse did to me. He's innocent, I'm a monster!!!

From: http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/qa-w...ah-cartwright/

“Q: how important for you is vertical progression in GW2?

A: All progression is important to us, we want to make sure our rewards and progression systems hit a spectrum of players and makes everyone feel excited to play the game."

Looks like gear treadmill is here to stay.

[Vayne]

Please don't ask what this dead horse did to me. He's innocent, I'm a monster!!!

From: http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/qa-w...ah-cartwright/

“Q: how important for you is vertical progression in GW2?

A: All progression is important to us, we want to make sure our rewards and progression systems hit a spectrum of players and makes everyone feel excited to play the game."

Looks like gear treadmill is here to stay.

The constant repetition of the word treadmill does NOT make it true. They added types they felt were missing because you know, they were missing. They should have been included from the onset.

But there's a vast difference between a new game putting in something that a lot of people felt was missing, and gear grind in other games, where they constantly add tier upon tier upon tier.

If you think that's going to happen, that's fine..but I find it extremely unlikely. I mean, legendaries are hard enough to get where I don't see Anet adding another tier until at least expansions are released, which would hardly qualify as gear grind.

[bokiz333]

The constant repetition of the word treadmill does NOT make it true. They added types they felt were missing because you know, they were missing. They should have been included from the onset.

But there's a vast difference between a new game putting in something that a lot of people felt was missing, and gear grind in other games, where they constantly add tier upon tier upon tier.

If you think that's going to happen, that's fine..but I find it extremely unlikely. I mean, legendaries are hard enough to get where I don't see Anet adding another tier until at least expansions are released, which would hardly qualify as gear grind.

My good friend Mr Vayne. I'm sure you are right. It's just that I'm a bit slow you see. And I get confused really easily. You have to excuse me please.

The thing is, when they said they introduce a tier that was missing to bridge that gap as maybe it was always intended, I'm with them...I'm its hard for me beign not so bright and all, but I tried really realyl hard and followed them on that. It was intended and came late and it's to bridge that gap...(immaginiary gap since legendaries = exotics but I digress) but ok, I grasped that concept.


But here's where i'm puzzled, as I often am you see....why did tehy say there's more comming? Why did they say that they can't be 100% more tiers are not comming when flat out asked? Why did they say that vertical progressing is something that they care about now? That doesn't smell like a one time adjustement. And thus I am perplexed. Dumbfounded. Stupefied. I'm terribly wexxed. Perhaps even boggled.