Archive for the Guild Wars 2 Category

June 11 Update is Live. Come Dragon Bash With Us and More!

Posted 11/06/13 by

Anet has released the update notes for today’s update. Follow this link, or check out our forum post with the details and let us know what you think.

A few tidbits from the update: Dragon Bash is live, fireworks event from 9am Pacific (4pm UTC) June 14th to 9am Pacific (4pm UTC) June 17th, “Added a new combat/movement toggle option: “Right-Click to Attack/Interact”.” “Globs of Ectoplasm can now be salvaged into Piles of Crystalline Dust.” Skill updates. sPVP matching tweaks. “World Ability Points have been refunded to all players who earned them.” “Named after Lion’s Arch’s founder, Cobiah Marriner, the Marriner’s Horn is a permanent instrument themed for spreading festive tunes.”

And recent GWOnline original content:
Guided Daggers’ Event Notifier. Forum thread… Gorani’s Elementalist Focus write up. Forum thread…Nemeon’s forum post on Combos in GW2… Gorani on Elementalist Conjures. Forum thread.

Plus incgamers are taking names and kicking reportorial heinies this week at E3. Check out their recent blog post for more details. (Cool detail from that link: Our own post making machine, Alaris, has an incgamers write up on the game he is making! Woohoo, go Alaris!)

Read more & comment >>

Future of WvW, Dragon Bash, GW2 Videos

Posted 05/06/13 by

Devon Carver has just posted a new update on the status and future of World vs. World. Click here to read it, or you can see the text in our forums as well as comment on the post yourself! Title headings to whet your appetite: Current State | Future Plans | Player Roles | Zergs | Variety | Siege | And More…?

Last Stand at Southsun Cove is finishing up with the big Karka Queen event live. Remember that not all of this content is permanent, so check it out soon if you want to try out anything that isn’t sticking around. Next update is June 11th, so that’s probably the deadline. Harvest Sickle is available until June 24th too, FYI. If you want to complain or praise it, click here to be heard! Anet also just released a new video about Southsun’s creation and future effects and lore. Clickly linky.

Show me.

I know Kung Fu!

As noted below Dragon Bash has been announced and will be hitting the game on June 11th. Come tell us what you think about it in the forum. For GW1 vets, DRAGON ARENA is back! And you can bet on Moa races! lol Sounds like a lot of fun.

Speaking of fun, here are a few funny or interesting GW2 fan created videos/costumes and what not:
Youtube video by Sharm who rewrote and performed Les Miserables’ Castle on a Cloud in honor of the Guild Bounty for Poobadoo. Les Poobadoo.

GW2 fans Liza K. & Sophie L. will represent the Netherlands at the European Cosplay Gathering for their portrayal of Caithe and Faolain.

Also, apparently Anet sent out some Dragon pinata’s to various media outlets to promote Dragon Bash. Here’s the video Curse put up of the unboxing and demolition of their pinata. Pretty funny.

I killed one, Rick... the thing I love most in the world.

Fae…that’s a good look for you.

And GWOnline forum Moderator and frequent WvW poster, Fae, helps show off the new Panda Hat in the gemstore. (Bear and Quaggan hats are available too.)

To close this out, we had some recent GWOnline content you should check out:
Forum member Guided Daggers had made an Event Notifier with the new APIs Anet has released. Forum thread for more info.

And Elementalist Forum Moderator Gorani has also put out a great new piece explaining why the Ele Focus is weak and how to fix it. I really like these kinds pieces as the also usually help you understand the finer details of general game play too.

Read more & comment >>

Dragon Bash Event Details

Posted 04/06/13 by

Mark your diaries, the Dragon Bash events are incoming.


 

Lion’s Arch honors the defiant spirit of its citizenry with the rousing Dragon Bash festival, when revelers laugh in the face of fear! Sponsored by the Captain’s Council of Lion’s Arch, Dragon Bash is a month-long celebration packed with all-new activities, fireworks, exclusive rewards, and surprises galore! The festival begins on June 11 and ends on July 9.

Dragon Bash Events
Dragon Bash Activities in Lion’s Arch – Begins June 11
Lion’s Arch is the bustling epicenter of the Dragon Bash festivities. The Captain’s Council has spared no expense in decorating this proud, battered city, as evidenced by the giant holographic dragon harmlessly soaring overhead.

Bash the Dragon! – Begins June 11
Look for holographic projectors scattered all across Tyria during the celebration. These mini-projector devices contain hologram minions which can drop a Dragon Bash surprise… a Dragon Coffer! Starting June 18, you’ll also find dragon effigies all across Tyria during Dragon Bash. Perform a ritual dance and light the effigy to receive a temporary boost!

Developer Livestream – June 11 at 12PM PDT
Take an inside look at Dragon Bash with ArenaNet devs during the livestream on our Twitch channel on Tuesday, June 11 at 12PM PDT.

Dragon Ball – Begins June 11
The ancient Tyrian pastime of Dragon Ball returns! Teams of players test their Dragon Ball skills against one another in this fast-paced game of skill and reflexes. Get ready to dodge!

Moa Racing – Begins June 11
Pick the fastest moa! Farshore Ward in Lion’s Arch is the site of fast and furious Moa Racing, where you can bet on your favorite moa racers!

Dragon Piñatas – Begins June 11
In major cities around Tyria, you’ll find dragon piñatas strung up in honor of the festival. Break these open to receive tasty Dragon Bash candy!

Dragon Bash Fireworks – June 14-17
Watch the skies above Lion’s Arch come alive with an explosive fireworks show every night in-game. The fireworks begin at 9AM PDT on Friday, June 14 and will go off every two hours until 12PM PDT Monday, June 17. Stay through the spectacular finale and receive a unique festival helm – The Horns of the Dragon!

The Dragon Effigy Lighting Ceremony – Begins June 18
Join the Captain’s Council and other dignitaries as they light dragon effigies in the Grand Piazza of Lion’s Arch starting June 18. Hosted by the jovial Magnus the Bloody Handed, this ceremony will be full of merriment and surprises.

Horns of the Dragon
This unique helm is only available to players who attend an entire fireworks show in Lion’s Arch, which occurs every two hours during the in-game evening from June 14 to June 17.

Holographic Dragon Wings
This dragon wing back item is only available as a very rare drop in the Dragon Ball Arena and throughout Tyria during the celebration. Ambitious adventurers who collect a large amount of Dragon Bash candy can obtain these exclusive holographic festival wings.

Holographic Shattered Dragon Wings
Dedicated festival goers who earn the Dragon Bash Meta Achievement will receive this imposing back item – a set of holographic Shattered dragon wings!

Dragon Coffer
This special reward chest, which drops only during Dragon Bash, is packed with treats and a chance for fireworks, a hologram minion mini, and Dragon’s Jade weapon skins!

Dragon’s Jade Weapon Skins
Show your Dragon Bash spirit with these cool new weapon skins with a distinctly draconic look. You can find weapon tickets inside Rich Dragon Coffers and (rarely) in Dragon Coffers, and exchange them for weapon skins from Black Lion Weapon Specialists in every major city!

Helmed Moa Racer Mini
You’ll only find this adorable helmed version of the moa mini during Dragon Bash! Purchase this mini with vouchers earned from the Moa Racing activity.

New Features in this Release 
Fight to Keep Your Spot on the PvP Leaderboards
We’ve improved the way that the PvP leaderboards reflect excellence! Inactive players will automatically start to slip down the leaderboards over time, allowing new and active players an opportunity to fight their way up to a higher rank. This means that the leaderboards will more accurately represent the best PvP players.

Authorized Shoutcaster Program
In the new Authorized Shoutcaster Program, when highly rated PvP teams are matched-up in rated play, authorized shoutcasters will receive a notification and be allowed to enter that match as a spectator to bring you the action on a slight time delay.

Read more & comment >>

Meta Event Notifier

Posted 01/06/13 by

Guided Daggers has done some updates on his awesome meta event notifier that he created with the official Guild Wars 2 API. If you haven’t been using it, give it a try here! If you have any feedback or questions, check out the relevant thread in our forums.

Read more & comment >>

The Elementalist’s biased, off-hand choice: Focus?

Posted 31/05/13 by

The Focus is one of two weapons available to the Elementalist for his off hand weapon slot. The other weapon is a Dagger. Currently, the Focus weapon has a lot of drawbacks, compared to the Dagger. In the next few paragraphs, I want to point out those disadvantages, analyse the individual skills a little bit and give you some ideas on how to get those two off hand choice on equal grounds again, by suggesting a few small buffs to the Focus.

1. Your choices in Fire Magic

The two skills available on the Focus are “Firewall” and “Fire Shield“. Firewall is a ground targeted area spell that has to be compared to “Ring of Fire“. The possibility to put down the wall at 900 range is not a big advantage, as fire fields are most often used in a combo with a blast finisher (e.g. “Evasive Arcana” trait or “Arcane Wave“), so it will not benefit the Elementalist a lot to have a ranged skill. Ring of Fire on the other hand is PbAoE and has great synergy with the #5 skill “Flame Grab“, whereas “Fire Shield” offers no synergy effects and is no great source for a “might stacking endeavour”. In addition: The flame aura effect is probably the weakest of the aura effects. You need to get hit to get the might stacks, which are on internal cool down – and who wants to get hit anyway?
The point in this duel goes to the off hand Dagger.

Read more & comment >>

Baby Minis Return to Gem Store and a Sale!

Posted 24/05/13 by
Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money.

How cute is this?

This Friday May 24 through Sunday May 26, Evon Gnashblade is hacking 20% off the price of Black Lion Chest Keys and restocking the shelves with Spring minis – including the Mini Hippo Calf, Mini Moa Chick, and Mini Lion Cub!

Read more & comment >>

Putting the Spotlight on the Elementalist’s Conjures

Posted 16/05/13 by

CJFlameMost Elementalist players will agree that the non-elite conjure skills are not exactly the Elementalist’s strongest tools. In this article I will take a closer look at these skills and analyse why that is, and perhaps suggest a way to make them better.

The Elementalist is the only Guild Wars 2 profession that has access to the skill types Conjures and Glyphs. And while the Glyphs include a range of skills both great (e.g. Glyph of Storms) and bad (e.g. Glyph of Renewal), the Conjure skills are generally seen as inferior and not worth equipping on your skill bar. The elite conjure Fiery Greatsword is, today, the only exception to this rule.

How Do the Conjure Skills Work?

The conjure skills Conjure Flame Axe, Conjure Frost Bow, Conjure Lightning Hammer & Conjure Earth Shield are all utility skills, which are slotted to the  utility section of your skill bar. Unlike Signets conjure skills have no passive effects.

Once an Elemenalist casts a conjure skill a conjured weapon manifests in her hands, replacing her weapon skills with the five skills of the conjure. A second conjured weapon is spawned at the same time, to be placed on the battlefield for any ally to pick up. Once someone picks up a conjured weapon, it will remain in their hands until they drop it, or its 15 charges are used. The trait “Conjurer” adds 10 additional charges to the weapon.

Read more & comment >>

Southsun Cove Update Notes

Posted 14/05/13 by
Hey, is that a new Asura Gate I see?

Hey, is that a new Asura Gate I see?

The May Upate is now live, bringing us the new Southsun Cove content. Jump in and enjoy the sun and surf as it will only be available through June 4th. Don’t get too close to the animals though…

A few highlights from the notes:

  • New weapons skins and minis added
  • New Guild Treks for Southsun Cove area
  • WvW EB Jumping Puzzle now a separate map
  • WvW now has traps
  • New Gem Store item How to Dance 400 gems
  • First Skill Lag fix is in (more to come)

Follow the little red icon link to the right to read all the notes, or check out the full notes in our forum. Then come join us in discussing the new Southsun Cove content here.

FYI, Cragstead not being accessible is a bug and they hope to have it fixed today.

Reginal also posted a short “things to do list” for the new Southsun Cove content here.

Finally, GWOnline’s Alaris created an interesting article about Rangers’ (generally bad) Dungeon reputation vs their actual performance in a more casual or medium level ability group, which has sparked a very lively forum debate. Come on in and join the fun. And check our RD’s piece on the problems with Town Clothes and then let us know what you think in the forum!

Read more & comment >>

Small squad tactics in WvW

Posted 10/05/13 by

Earlier today, Isaiah Cartwright live streamed some WvW, showcasing some of his favorite tactics for running small groups in WvW. Check out a link below!

http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/c/2265971

Read more & comment >>

Are rangers actually under-powered?

Posted 09/05/13 by

It got crowded in the elevator

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 >>

Redesigning Town Clothes

Posted 06/05/13 by

Note: This article is an opinion piece. It does not reflect the views of GWO, nor does it represent any upcoming changes to Guild Wars 2.

Town Clothes are a great idea. They are an evolution of costumes from the original Guild Wars. If you did not play GW1, you can check out the wiki article on costumes for the full rundown and images, but here is a quick overview: You purchase a costume in the store, equip it, and can then toggle it on or off to change your armor’s appearance, in or out of combat.

Fast forward to Guild Wars 2: You purchase a piece of town clothing and you never wear it ever. If you’re wondering why not, it’s because in GW 2, you can only wear Town Clothes when you are out of combat. This is, by far, the largest problem with the current system. While I really do not like how it functions right now, there is definitely hope: Other MMOs have systems that work well, so there’s no reason we can’t see one here. Below, I have outlined what I consider the biggest problems with the current system and some recommendations on how to improve it. Reminder that these are my opinions only – discussion is absolutely welcome, of course.

Issues

RD Town Clothes

I haven’t even dyed mine!

No Combat
 As mentioned above, the number one reason most people do not bother with Town Clothes is that they cannot be used in combat. As a result, even if you remember to turn them on (and I often forget they are even an option), there are very few situations you will be able to keep them on in: They are automatically turned off if you draw your weapon, take damage, or go underwater.

One-Time Use
If you purchase town clothes in the gem store, you only get one set to use. This means if you like a skin and want to use it on all of your characters, you have to buy multiple versions of the same item. Not only that, if you destroy it, it’s gone forever and you need to purchase a new one.

Limited Selection
This will probably solve itself over time, especially if the system were to change and more players took advantage of the system. While there have been some pretty cool additions, so far there is currently only one pant skin available for purchase.

Suggestions

GW2 Image

Maybe one day…

Always On
You can wear them anywhere. Once you toggle them on, they stay on until you turn them off. Costumes worked like this, so why not Town Clothes?

Allow Armor
Limited to armor usable by your profession only. This may be a little controversial, as it effectively removes Transmutation Stones from the game. However, I believe it is way more valuable to be able to change skins whenever you want instead of a one-time use. I played Mesmer in GW1: I owned and carried around several sets of armor just because I liked the skins. In GW2, I have one. I am afraid to buy any new armor because I don’t want to lose my skin or transmute a rare skin on to exotic armor: It feels like a waste and it’s too permanent. If you want to use an old skin after transmuting, you need to farm a new set. Bonus: This would immediately expand the available selection of fashionable clothing.

Wardrobe
This is simple: Storage for your town clothes and skins. It could be expandable with gems and shared between all your characters, just like the bank. It would be accessible as a tab within then bank, like Collectibles. This also solves the issue of losing that first set your character starts with.

Skin Selection
Instead of being limited to a single set of Town Clothes, let players have multiple choices. Two are standard, with additional slots purchasable with gems. (Account slots? Pretty please?) This gives all players a minimum choice of three outfits: Standard armor, and two style sets.

No Consumption
You would not actually equip the piece of clothing. Once you put it on your character’s style tab, you can put it back in your Wardrobe. This would allow you to use the same piece of clothing across multiple characters.

I know I did a bit of bashing here, but I do really want this system to work out. I love the idea of customizing my outfits and changing them depending on my mood. And, to be honest, I’m not too crazy about the armor skins to begin with, so this would give me some great stuff to play around with instead. Plus, I really, really want to buy one of those hoodies for my warrior and one of the vests for my mesmer. I can’t justify spending the money until I can use it in combat.

Read more & comment >>

The Molting Alliance

Posted 30/04/13 by
Fire blender of hurt

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 >>
« Older Entries