Alaris | Guild Wars 2 – GWOnline.Net

Author Archive - Alaris

Are rangers actually under-powered?

Posted 09/05/13 by Alaris

It got crowded in the elevator

I’ve heard it a few times lately… rangers with pets are terrible in dungeons. Rangers with pets are no good in small places. A ranger without a pet is just worthless. And so on. This leads to rangers not trying to get into difficult content, and/or not being accepted/invited to play there. Fortunately, I’m in a great guild where people can join in activities with whatever profession they want, so getting a team of rangers wasn’t difficult.

Now I know from my psychology/statistics work that people can develop incorrect beliefs. I noticed in forums that many of the complaints came from rangers who don’t play their rangers in difficult places (because they’re so underpowered, why bother). And there is the common assumption that rangers are underpowered because their pets die, and they are weak without their pets. And then, as supporting evidence, I’ve heard of people turning down rangers when making groups.

But here’s a different theory: rangers are just as good as any other profession, and the only thing they need is someone to undo the bad rep they’ve been getting.

Two competing hypotheses… It’s time for some science!

Read more & comment >>

The Molting Alliance

Posted 30/04/13 by Alaris

Fire blender of hurt

If you just came out of coma as I did, it may seem that a new story dungeon has just appeared out of nowhere! But no! Apparently there’s this cool extended ad going on in Guild Wars 2 (they called it living story) that has been playing for a while to announce this new dungeon.

So I was willingly grabbed and coerced into this story dungeon thingy that has you fight some silly creatures with pointy hats and some cats on fire. Hey, it’s a fantasy game, whatever goes. And I like those flaming kittens. Here’s my review.

Note: The Molten Facility dungeon will be available until Sunday, May 12 at 12:00pm Pacific

Read more & comment >>

10 Tips to playing Guild Wars 2 better

Posted 25/04/13 by Alaris

Thief is a good profession to learn to play.

I create the opportunity for learning, so that I can keep improving. I do that by seeking ways to challenge myself on specific gameplay skills. Here’s 10 ways you can use to keep learning too.

10 Trigger combos

You can trigger combos by yourself on many professions by using a skill that creates a combo field, then using a skill that triggers it. Self-triggered combos is a good way to learn and practice which of your own skills are what part of a combo. Sometimes, you can combo skills differently to trigger different effects like defensive or offensive effects. Once you learn that, expand your combo knowledge by triggering combos with other players either by triggering their fields, or by setting up fields where they will naturally trigger them.

You can likewise take some time to learn how to combine skill effects. Breaking armors is good just before doing high dps. Or snaring is good before hitting those large AoE’s.

Read more & comment >>

I thought it meant Super Plants vs Pandas!

Posted 09/04/13 by Alaris

Temple of the Silent Storm

I found out that sPvP wasn’t some minigame that pokes some fun at the latest WoW playable race in a juiced up sequel of the game Plants vs Zombies…

Instead, I got another monthly done in maybe 4-5 hours of play on my first real try playing sPvP, and I am close to getting it done again. Not too shabby for a sPvP noob.

Read more & comment >>

Dailies: an updated guide

Posted 26/03/13 by Alaris

Dailies are easy extra income, mystic coins, laurels, and karma. This is a short guide giving some pointers on ways to make the dailies easier, by giving hints on how to incorporate them into normal play or combo-ing them.

I would suggest you start with the following if you plan on completing them… they are relatively short but also fairly specific. These dailies are also pretty easy to synergize with other dailies.

Read more & comment >>

Dailies and Monthlies: A Starter’s Guide

Posted 13/02/13 by Alaris

This is a short guide giving some pointers on ways to make the dailies and monthlies easier.

Dailies and monthlies are a relatively easy way to boost your income and get some extras like laurels and karma. However, some have complained that they make you deviate from normal play… that is not necessarily so, and this guide is meant to give ways to incorporate dailies and monthlies into your routine.

Read more & comment >>

Endgame: An alt-a-holic’s perspective

Posted 13/02/13 by Alaris

I’ve always liked playing different characters, and now that I have a few at max level and with somewhat decent gear, I feel I have some *cough*authority*cough* to talk about what to expect from your characters in endgame. The good news is… the game remains pretty similar to early- or mid-game, so whatever profession you like early on is likely going to be your favourite still later on.

I regularly switch between my so-far 7 characters, and I will eventually have all 8 professions afterall. The main thing that influences who I play though isn’t what profession I like best… I love them all for different reason, and I especially love that they give me different experiences. The main thing that influences my pick is whether I plan to PvE, do dungeons, or do WvW. I find that while each profession can be useful in all three places, some professions adapt better to my playstyle in those different areas…

Read more & comment >>

Psst! Your noob is showing…

Posted 24/12/12 by Alaris

How would Tybalt treat noobs?

One thing I like about dungeons is that every once in a while, it makes you feel like a noob. And the way to get past this is to figure out how to change your gameplay to adapt to the situation. However, dungeons are made for 5 people, so this means that your noobiness will be shared. Others will see you for the noob you are, when that happens. And not everyone is nice about it.

This blog is for all those moments when people mock you for being a noob. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all been there… or at least, on either side of it. So in this holiday season, take a moment to reflect on the proper elite-noob etiquette, so we can live in a world with less drama, and more learning.

Read more & comment >>

Dungeons: don’t just zerg, think!

Posted 16/11/12 by Alaris

The new “dungeon” is not all indoors

I’ve done a few dungeons now, mostly in pick-up-groups, mostly with people who don’t know the dungeon well. And while we almost always complete the dungeon, here’s a common scenario… we get stuck, we die and wipe a few times, we struggle, we find it’s dumb and frustrating, and we finally succeed. But there’s a pattern to the success… success usually means someone in the team figured out how to beat the task at hand.

We’re about to get a new dungeon added. It has 9 sections, each with its own challenges. It also has a few different bosses. I hope this tutorial on past dungeons will help you prepare for this next dungeon, by giving you the ability to figure out the challenge, and how to beat it.

Why zerg if you can learn to play better?

Read more & comment >>

Some facts about GW2 skills you might have missed…

Posted 12/10/12 by Alaris

A few tips everyone can use…

So you think you are a Guild Wars 2 pro by now, right? You have your favourite skill rotations programmed into muscle memory, efficiently dispatching foe after foe? But don’t be fooled. The true martial artist doesn’t stop at being an efficient killer… the true martial artist seeks true mastery of his weapons.

Here’s a few advice for those grasshoppers who really want to become pros at the game. Here’s a few ways to really take advantage of your weapons’ strength.

Read more & comment >>

The Ancient Guardian Art of Bashing Faces

Posted 01/10/12 by Alaris

Welcome to Guardian weapons training. My name is Zervish Alaris, I will be your instructor today. This training is meant to give you a brief review of weapons and how to use them. It is not an in-depth analysis however… for this, you should talk to a scholar, or try it out on foes in the field.

Without further delay, I introduce you to your new friends…

Read more & comment >>

PvE Levels 1-50, What Changes?

Posted 05/09/12 by Alaris

Yeah, I fought that thing

I have often played games, only to find out that the more I played it, the more things changed. In MMORPGs, I find that generally, as you level up, you start having to manage your energy more and more, and you are also pushed into specializing into a role. I also find that leveling slows to a crawl. Meanwhile, I find that the increase in power due to experience and gear is mostly negated by increased monster level, thus making the whole leveling experience moot.

What of Guild Wars 2?

Well, I have not gotten to level 80 yeeeeeet, something I plan to remedy promptly if my daughter and my boss will let me. (Changes of that happening are slim to none)

However, here’s how I think the game changes in the first 50-ish levels…

Read more & comment >>