Robbert Monga, I couldn't agree more. I think it is obnoxious that people want to just jump into the game and win win win. What's the point in playing if you don't have the option of failing, and changing strategy, and trying again. I have never played Ursan, for one the title grind isn't for me (even though I am quietly working my way up to Legendary Spearmarshal). I mourn the days of balanced FoW and UW groups having a hard time of it.
One of my favorite experiences of the game was an incredibly hard and long FoW clear as a monk. If we had gone Ursan it would have been easier, faster, but less enjoyable. I was kept on my toes, and had to be alert to all my team mates. It gave me a small sense of pride that my mates could go off and fight and know, not THINK, but know that I would be there to save them, if they got into trouble. That may sound arrogant, but dammit, I've done enough to be arrogant I feel.
To the OP, I have just come back from a four month break, and I am really getting back into Guild Wars. Farming is enjoyable, for some reason, and the sense of achievement, even though nothing has really been done, is still enough for me. I enjoy the game, for the game. I know it's only a game, but it the Guild Wars enviroment, I feel I have achieved something, and met some nice people along the way.
And to all those who say that the game is dying, it is just your desire to play that is waning. The game is still good, it's still great. The magic of discovery may have been lost, but now I feel I have a deeper understanding of the game, and it's mechanics, and I enjoy using those to my advantage. The way you experience the game changes along with your play time. At first everything is new and exciting, and merely seeing everything becomes your goal. After a while, that sense of joy of seeing something new has worn off, and you come to want to defeat the enviroment, and beat. Eventually, that too has passed, and now you are left with a feeling of what next. I had that, but coming back to the game, I see it in a new light. It is a challenge. I have beaten it before, but can I defeat it better? And the thing, no matter what people, the game does reward you for that. It may be just titles, and people may just say that you can grind for them. But if you really have an urge to understand the game, and beat it better (:P), they do have some meaning. It is an emblem you can wear that says, look what I've done, I'm proud I've done it.
And to nip this in the bud, I could write more, the way the I have viewed the game has changed, and so have the challenges it presents me with. Now it's recaptured my imagination, and it has genuine joy for me when I play. If you don't have fun while playing, don't play. Simple as.
