Issues With Difficulty...

Um. Play the Ascalon missions again?

Charr didn't get owned, Ascalon didn't get saved. Prince Rurik FLED Ascalon with some people of Ascalon, heading to Kryta to make a new colony there. King Alderbeen [however his name is spelled] staid back with rest of Ascalonians, still attacked and harassed by Charr army.

'Owning' Ice area cost Rurik's life, and fled from there as well, no 'owning' unless running with tail between your legs is concidered owning. The reason you had to go through ice area, is because it's the only way to Kryta where the new colony should be started.

Watch the cinematics before complaining about the game story.

It's 'multiplayer' for a reason. Either learn to master your profession well enough so you can solo, or play with henchies.

Well considering you got run everywhere in Ascalon, it's a wonder you even got to Kryta. Learn to play.

Dario I would like to compliment you on one thing in your first post.
At least you used paragraphs
Most people that make such a huge rant never bother with them.

As for everything else you said
This is a game. Games should be fun. If your not having fun with it this may not be the right game for you!

This entire game is based on balance and skill and you seem to hate everything that makes the game balanced and if removed to your liking then it would require no skill.

If you have a ranger and can't play solo you may want to look at the rest of the skills given to that class. They just so happen to be one of the easiest classes to play solo with.

I played my first character w/n solo 'without henchies' through the game up until the desert where my life changed suddenly and I realize that maybe I may have to meet some of the other people in the game. And while it was obvious before then that the game wasn't meant to be played alone it was still possible but rather time consuming.

You can acheive anything in this game with however you choose to do it but just because you don't like aspects of a game that you have barely even played yet is no reason to bitch about how bad it is. If you really hate it that much I know there are other games out there that require much less thinking and may save your keyboard from you having to type out a rant about something you honestly have little understanding of.

Have fun in WoW

Dario D.

You say that the storyline is lacking. And that you just went out of LA and killed things. Did you try to do any of the Kryta Missions? Missions, not quests, like D'Alessio Seaboard etc. There is a storyline, but Kryta just has different problems than Ascalon

And maybe, just maybe, your 'powerful, carefully selected set of spells and abilities' isn't as good as you think it is

So much frustration...

If Kryta is already too difficult for you, then either you should stop playing and move to another game, or you - as a GW player - need to improve, or you should find a decent team and understand GW is based on team play and basic strategy, not about diablo-like superhuman feats. No offense intended, but experienced player can complete the game with henchmen only and Kryta is *incredibly* easy compared to what's coming in the last missions.

Last but not least, please don't make a fool of yourself making ridiculous statement about game balance when you haven't seen 25% of the game.

Hi,

I agree on the storyline, it has some really odd twists. When finished the game, you still have the feeling there's a lot of unfinished business. I disagree partly on the difficulty of the game however, appart from some missions and quests, I find it to be too easy. I completed the game with all quests in about 3 weeks with my first char (W/E, later W/Mo). With my second char (Me/Mo) it took me only 5 days. Most of the difficulty depends on the group you're playing with. Since all missions/quests are replayable, chances are that you'll end in a group with ppl who've done the mission already and who know exactly what to do, already have the best gear etc etc. A way of solving ths problem could be that, when entering the mission, a message pops up saying that there's a player in the team who has completed the mission before. In this way, other partymembers can decide if they want the aid of an advanced player or not. In this way the game can be challanging for those who want to play it in an "honest" way.

With my second char things were awfully easy. First, I had about 100k in my storage. After leaving pre-searing I immediatly had green weapons on my mesmer. I had enough cash to buy the best armor. Me and my guildmate rushed the ascalon mission with all quests and bonusses in about 2-3 hours, gaining XP quickly cause we were only with 2 ppl.

Then there's the much debated droknar-run. Ppl who can afford it already have droksarmor when reaching Gates of Kryta. Doing this is the players own choice of course. But when I was playing from Kryta and onwards, about half of the ppl (including myself) were wearing droksarmor, making the game a lot easier. (I rushed my mesmer through the game cause of PvP)

And last, there are sites like these where all the info you need can be found. Again, this is the players own choice if they wanna read it or not.

The game's difficulty stands or falls with how you and your partymembers, manage their skills. Having a good build makes the game easy as pie. Havind a bad build makes it a pain in the arse. Take FoW for example. May ppl have come up with builds that even that area becomes relatively easy. Yesterday I was in a party with 6 (me being a mesmer, for those who don't know, backfire/interupt memsers own in FoW ). We completed all the forgemasterquests in an area which is supposed to be challenging for an 8-man party.

I could give an entire list with examples but I think I've made my point clear.

My advice to you, since this is your first char, is: don't use spoilertactics. Read everything in the game carefully, especially your skills. Try to play PvP. And last but not least, be innovative. In this way GW is a very rewarding and interesting game.

Cheers.

Erm, TBH I actually thought you was joking - untill I read that.

Most GW players actually think that the PvE part of the game is ridiculously easy (although I'm a PvPer, I've done lots of PvE too and completed the game with 3 chars).

If you find even PvE too difficult for you ... why not read forums about builds/strategies that other people use in areas where you are having difficulties? Read and learn about pulling (you do *not* have to fight a gazillion mobs at the same time), and other useful tactics. How can PvE be too difficult when my level 6 W/E in presearing armor, with a candycane sword, can do all Beacon's and Yak's Bend skill quests with ease?! Henchies have been improved so much that they practically do everything for you ... you just need to target.

Lack of storyline ... when I played through it for the first time, I actually enjoyed the storyline alot - so I think it's fine for first time players (I did watch all the cinematics tho - didn't sound like you did! :O ). GW simply is not a RPG, it's a cooperative PvP game, there is just much more depth and versatility in PvP, and the shallow and repetitive PvE areas are only there to let new players learn the basic skills and for farming perfect greens =p.

/sigh
I think the spell casting sea shells refers to the Spined Aloe's... the monk skilled creatures. I originally read the title of this thread and assumed it was in regards to the lack of difficulty through much of this game.

I will try to address your points in the format you provided...

Act I
Glad you enjoyed, I felt the same sense of wonder and success as I slowly progressed through the Ascalon storyline.

Act II
The Charr threat was not overcome; you, Rurik, and company left Ascalon because the King banished Rurik. Many of the folks from Ascalon tagged along with Rurik and fled what they thought was a doomed Ascalon. They moved with Rurik, and you, across the Northern Shiverpeak Mountains to Kryta. The storyline continued here with the introduction of the Deldrimor Dwarves, a group that you become very... familiar with later in the game in several missions, quests, and explorable areas.

Out of the critters in Kryta, only the Spined Aloes fit the description of sea-shells. These critters are simply a monk based monster, they just have different skill setups than the Charr monks from Ascalon. The mixture of spells you are describing sounds more like a bad pull of Skales, Aloes, and Mergoyles. Luckily, there are no hydras there.

As for the Fire Imps, Troll Ungent or Healing Breeze (if you have monk 2ndary) can reduce or completely remvoe the health degeneration caused by the burning attacks. The Fire Imps never presented a huge challenge to me but the Mergoyles did (I had problems with many Mesmer monsters). As for your powerful and carefully selected skill lists... no idea there, sounds like you may want to reconsider them if you are unable to use the henchies as a team in this area.

Not quite sure what happened to Act IV, is that gonna be in a sequel or something?

Act V
Rangers form an important part of the game, I have found myself kicking myself in the hind quarters for want of a Ranger. Rangers have a utility belt sort of skill set up, with good ranged, traps, self healing, condition inflicting, and even melee capability (through their pets).

As for the monsters getting harder... ummmm... look at nearly every game, cRPG, MMORPG, 1st persons, so on and so forth. Normally, the skill level and power level of the monsters does not decrease as the game progresses. You don't continue to advance and all the monsters just keep on being the same. I will admit that its not realistic to see a Level 10 collector standing out in the middle of a volcanic wasteland with Level 24 monsters milling around next to him, but it is a game where magic, dwarves, minotaurs, plants, and dragons are the like. The loot of the game gets progressively better, kill a Charr and get 8 gp than it becomes kill a mergoyle and get 30 gp. Though you have more slots for party members, you still don't have to fill them, and even if you did, 8/4 = 2 gp each... 30/6 = 5 gp each... the loot is progressively better. The xp for these monsters also goes up. I found that most of the experience in the game, initially, came from quests... kill 40 Charr with henchies get like 25 xp each, so 800 xp. Or do 1 Mission and get 1,000 plus a skill point, plus all the xp along the way, +1,000 more if you do the bonus.

As for going outside Kryta (I assume you mean Gates of Kryta or Lion's Arch) and leveling up 2 times... I can recall going outside Augury Rock and leveling up 4 times in a setting. Level 20 character, Level 22 monster... 136 xp each.

As for the enemies being there to annoy you... I suppose thats part of the idea... I'd hate to play a game where I just went from location to location without over coming anything, being handed xp and loot. The only importance of enemies is for small xp (until end game), loot, and to provide some modicum of challenge.

Henchman take a portion (equal share) of the cash dropped, they are after all members of your party. They additionally get a chance for any items dropped. As for the merchants offering PENNIES for super expensive stuff... ummm... I can't think of anything besides dye drops and a couple of runes I got in Kryta that were worth anything to anybody besides the merchant. Remember to hit the vendors with materials, dyes, and runes. And as for major runes, well, unluckily they are kinda like the red-headed step child of the game. Minors get a +1 bonus for no health, stick them until you can grab a single superior that you want...

As for the comparison to Diablo. I assume you mean D2. Diablo was a inventory and click game. It relied heavily on the mathematics of stats, far more so than GW. In D2, you simply loaded up on the currently available best gear went out and clicked until every opponent was dead. GW is a bit more about skill and using the right ones for the right situations, especially on the PvP end of things. Grab the best rune of vigor you can for one, stick to the minor runes to avoid the health penalties... The caster classes seem to gain a very largely apparent advantage from runes compared to the more subtle physical damage dealers which still get some great advantages.

Now in conclusion, not sure what to tell you... if you are not enjoying the game that much, I'd tell you to move on. Unluckily, most of the things you call problems are something that have been part of the game for a long time and have little chance of being changed. As for the noobish looks of the monster Aloes... I can't come up with anything to tell you. I hate to say something like this, but either buck up and figure out the game isn't about soloing every monster so you can get everything, its about finding a party, guild, and group of folks to go play and have fun with. The 20 levels, small skill bars, and so on make this game far less DIFFICULT than other games out there and make the game more about skill than endless grind.

Good luck.

You talk to much about XP leveling up ect.

You have a "diablo" mentality, if it cant be beaten up go levle up and come back stronger.

Guild wars dosnt work like that, you have to choose better skills and win by skill. And without tyring to sound nasty, if you keep getting pwoned as you put it its not the game, but your skill that needs looking at.

Again think outside the box

there is no 400+ damage sword that kills in 1 hit, that adds 150 to attack rating ect ect.

A super rune ads +3 and -75 health, now if you think -75 is just stupid, then you dont understand anything about game balance and how builds work. That +3 can be waaaaaaaaaay more important than losing a measly 75 health.

Its up to you to THINK of what skills to applly in what area, and no you CANT solo kill the whole game. Most areas are designed to be to tough to kill solo, thats why you have party sizes of 6 in the jungle/kyrta area. (and im talking general play here not exp farmers).
well said

You asked for opinions from people who play classes like rangers and monks. I play a monk and a good friend of mine is a ranger and we're both enjoying this game immeasureably. It most definitely is NOT so difficult a game that it can't be played. Just takes some time, like any decent RPG or MMORPG.

Storyline aside (you can either take it or leave it, but good luck finding a decent storyline in any of the other multiplayer online RPGs out there), we've had a LOT of fun with this game.

But, I think the main reason why we are is that it's definitely a social game. Three good friends of mine and I play all the time... rarely will one of us get on and solo or even if we do, it's just to do a bit of collector quest item hunting. Sometimes two of us will get on and do a little mapping (we're not through the Crystal Desert yet). But we try to do most of the quests and missions together as a team.

Like I said, it's a social game, hence GUILD Wars... it's not Solo Wars. The game, both PvE and PvP, is designed with the notion of working within a team framework. This doesn't mean you can't solo... by all means feel free to do so, but I'd strongly suggest taking henchmen if you don't already. The game's mechanics are NOT meant for you to go out and play the missions and quests alone. There are some that you simply can't do without at least some henchmen along.

Join a guild. Or if you don't like that idea, join some Pick Up Groups (PUGs) - the people in the towns that shout "Looking for group" for whatever mission or quest they might need help with. Myself, I'll stick to playing with the guys I do. When the four of us get online, as frustrating as the game can sometimes be, we still have a good time in the long run.

If the whole idea of this being a "multiplayer" game is not cool with you, then perhaps you picked up the wrong game in the store. My suggestion: keep playing. The area you're in isn't even remotely difficult. The parts of the game that are, aren't even that bad with the right teamwork.

I actually enjoy the increasing difficulty as I progress through the game. If it didn't then it will certainly bore me silly. When I return to earlier areas and the foes can be killed quite easily, it sometimes bore me to the point where just walk/run pass them rather than waste my time whacking them.

Yes, there have been times when I found things seem quite impossible to do, enemies appear invincible but they're not...not after you've worked out their weakness or come up with a good strategy. Just because you have carefully picked a set of skills that seem powerful, it doesn't mean they are for every part of the game. I play a warrior, a mesmer, a ranger and a monk. And each one of them has had their attributes and skills tweaked more than once. Most of the time I use a particular build, but more often than not, I have to make adjustments to deal with the type of foes in the area.

If you're finding it difficult to kill or get pass an area then it's time to revisit your skillset. Furthermore, there are times when you need to know who to attack and who to avoid. There was a time when I couldn't get very far out of Bergen Hotsprings, the mass of undead just beat me up. These days, with good aggro control, I can get pass them easily without them knowing and just fight the odd group that I think will pose a problem.

i always found that the desert was easy for that point in the game, with my first character i had more trouble with the end of maguuma/kryta part deux then with the desert
but then thats when i started to really use henchies.... I LOVE HENCHIES

Good point!

I'd just like to make it known that it wasn't for a LONG time that I learned to use henchmen.

That means, as a mesmer, I SOLOED quite a few of ascalon quests (not the missions, did those with people). And people wonder why my death-count is so high (3050 or so)

You think you had it hard? Pshh! Mesmer is also one of the worst classes to lead henchmen as because you don't have armor or healing to lead... and lets be honest people, mesmer firepower + henchman firepower does not equal very much in the early game.

But I quite liked the difficulty level of most of the game, Kryta was my favorite part of the whole Prophcies campaign.

True, this is the reason my brother has stopped playing GW, th story moves along so quickly and in such a fragmented way he lost the plot. I sent him this link http://www.guildwiki.org/wiki/Storyline to help him get his head round it. Hope this helps for you too.

Good post, sorry I only have time to comment on this little bit

1. GW is intended to be a party game, you must use a full party either of players or henchmen until you are leveled up. The PvE balance is not intended for a single warrior, and solo adventures are really for those who have fully leveled up and have all the skills and the best equipment. Even then, it does not always work.

2. I would agree with many of your points, though. GW PvE has never had the satisfying feel of other games, such as WOW (plug plug), but it has really improved a lot since release.

3. Even so, just follow the missions, do some quests, with a full party, get all leveled up, and the story will begin to make some sense.

i know that you've been bashed enough, so i'm going to keep this short and sweet. the source of your problem lies here:

i cannot disagree with this more.

as a first time player, you SHOULD NOT get yourself run everywhere. the reason why you don't know how to survive is because you've been taking the easy way out and didn't actually take the time to learn how. some parts of post sear ascalon might be tough for a low-level first time player, but it certainly isn't impossible. i don't recall any parts where you absolutely need someone of higher level to run you through.

with that said, the difficulty you find with the game doesn't lie with the game itself, but with your own shortcomings. as many have already stated, learn to play the game.

also, the game is not meant to be done solo. as invincible as you might want to be, you just can't. if you don't want to form a group, then henchies are your friend. with alesia, thom, stefan, and company by your side, you will have no trouble dispatching those pesky sea shells.

in short, stop paying for runs and learn to play.

This is your mistake, you should be with a group of your peers fighting your way from town to town. Maybe even form a little guild for yourselves. Not getting ran, especally your 1st time playing, I'm not blaming you for this because the culture of the game has changed, where this has went from embarassing to perfectly normal and acceptable behavior. But if you didn't take the time to learn the survival skills at an early level, you maybe lacking experience in the environment and playing catch up now. Not to mention you still got fog on your map.

As far as the storyline goes, yeah it reads like a bad comic. But you can overlook it and still enjoy the game. GW is a great game and yeah you will be broke going though the storyline, getting just enough to survive and get armor and skills nothing more. Riches await in the ascended endgame content, but dont rush it just have fun. Dont need money for storyline.

I made it though the storyline as a ranger with my 1st charactor and its not for everyone , if you dont enjoy the class, dont play it. Most PUGS arn't gonna want you so plan on 90 minutes to find a grp at times, and it takes a while to master the class. But if you stick it out with ranger in the end you will pwn the game in both PvP and PvE, but a newbie ranger got a hard road so you can may want to try something easier if you are having to much trouble to bear.

DevilStick was happy to get to Kryta. DevilStick longed to see green after all the brown of post-Searing Ascalon and white of the mountains.

I will not browbeat you here. The first time through it took me 3 months. I now get my characters ascended in a week or two. It does seem confusing and the story is a bit convuluted, but I found that the 2nd time through it was more fun because I knew what to expect and was able to equip my characters better. My latest character got Drok's Armour before starting in Kryta and it is rather easy.

On my later runs through the game I found out how to better use henchmen and also saw some of the characters like Cynn, Mhenlo, and Aida appearing in the story only to join you later in the game as henchies. Ascalon is a chapter that closes, even though you can return to it. The White Mantle and Shining Blade are another part. The Dwarves are another part. Connected, but not very tightly.

Take a hard look at your skills and see how best to combine them. Look for quests that offer up skills, some are in obscure parts of the game. As a ranger there are more things you can do than you realize. Traps, Spirits, Pet attacks, combining different arrow attacks, draining enemy casters and healers energy with Disrupting Shot all create different results. Are you staying back from enemies and picking your target before you rush in? Are you looking for the healers from a distance and attacking them first? I find the TAB key to be especially helpful when I first approach a group before I aggro them. In the jungle I found the spiders to be infuriating until I learned to move slowly through the trees and wait for them to drop and back off for the attack without aggroing the others. Think about what went wrong and adjust your strategy. Rangers do much better back with the casters and healers than in the thick of the fight.