Hard Mode: Discussion

Hard Mode, if it is what Gaile Gray's Dev Update claims, will be the biggest update to GW since the release of Nightfall (Yes, even bigger than the 4/05 Update) Trust me; when Hard Mode is released, you'll forget about the Soul Reaping nerf.

Here's what we know (or don't know and have speculated) so far:

• Hard Mode will be hard; how "hard" is unknown. It might be Realm of Torment "Hard," or Domain of Anguish "Hard." If it's the latter, I imagine intrest in Hard Mode will drop.
• Hard Mode will have better drops. It is unknown if the drops either are normal with a higher chance of being max stats, or it's unique skins...
• Hard Mode will affect all areas (except pre-Searing). Gaile uses the example of "Flame Temple Corridor." "All" may not be inclusive; it may or may not include a Hard Mode FoW/UW or, heaven forbid, a Hard Mode DoA.
• It is unknown whether there will be a requirement to access Hard Mode (because a lv. 6 fighting lv. 20+ Charr after leaving pre-Searing makes sense). If there is, it'll likely require the Protector title of the campaign you attempt to play (since Guardian is Protector Rank 2) or just campaign completion.
• It is unknown how to access Hard Mode after you have unlocked it. Some speculate that it will be a simple toggle; I'd imagine that you'd just get access to special "Hard Mode only" districts, because it could get annoying for Normal Mode people to spam for a Hard Mode group in the same district...
• Sunspear and Lightbringer ranks will be adjusted. It's likely that you'll get some super-bonus (+20 points per kill or something while in Hard Mode) to accelerate these titles.
• New Sunspear only PvE skills. No comment.
• Mesmers will supposedly get their "PvE Buff" with the Hard Mode update. The buff will likely include an entire nerfing of the entire Domination attribute.
• Normal Mode PvE adjustment. A little was in the 4/05 update (the Afflicted Soul Explosion, as Gaile specifically hinted)

And most importantly...

• Hard Mode, according to Gaile, will be released within a month, if not sooner of 3/20. That means that the update will be released this or next week. I'd think it's more likely next week, since the GW team is testing the ATS this week.

Hard Mode will make or break the game until GW:EN. That's a positive.

EDIT: Gaile Gray posted:

if hard mode is much harder then it all is now, i can only see myself curseing the soul reaping nerf more.. not forgetting about it. that one screwed us over good.

I think Hard-Mode will be unlocked once you complete all missions, or maybe Protector is needed. I'm sure you'll be able to toggle between hard- and normal-mode, because it make some titles, like Explorer and Skill Hunter, way harder to do.
I hope they let the bosses in Tyria drop some greens and use some of the designs from the 'design-a-weapon contest'.=P

When they bring out hard mode, they better make the hench/hero ai run out of aoe, its stupid that they update the enemy ai to kite out of aoe, but not heros/hench.

I'm really crossing my fingers for Hard Mode. I'm much more a PvE oriented guy, and I was disappointed by the way that it works.

It can be too easy. You can just run with the same build, same team, through all of the campaigns. The most vital thing you need to do is to just watch your aggro.

Secondly, it can be just plain frusterating. Enemies kiting? No difficulty, just a grind. (Not to mention the annoying as hell Madness Titans...Not much of a counter to Mirage Cloak.)

Then it can be to the point where the difficulty has to be exploited via the cookie-cutter "Holy Trinity" builds. The area with this amount of difficulty makes it near unplayable for the newer professions. Very dumb.

I'm really hoping that Hard Mode makes it as fun as we hope it for. But given how my expectations have been met in the pass, I'm starting to lose a little hope.

I hope it's not torment like......... level 28 mobs are no fun.

I'm hoping it isn't much harder at all.... or at the very least that if it IS obscenely hard, that there aren't specially skinned unique items for it... because they will forever be beyond the reach of anyone without a perfect team of perfect players (or 100k + a squillion ectos to pay)...

I lol'd

But seriouslt im looking forward to this, It looks like a good excuse to go out and have some fun with your friends/guildies other than the usual grind, help someone do this or that, trade this or that. An excuse to just pick a random area and charge head first to you deaths (DoA anyone?)

Also you might want to add lockpicks to your list, aparently there comming with hard mode but its unknown if there only for hard mode. In case any of you dont know, Lockpicks are keys that can (aparently) be use don any chest and have a chance to be recused based on your Treasure hunter or Lucky title.

I would prefer fire islands difficulty.... should be possible with heroes and npc.

It should be doable, but require some tact and slow progress. That's more "satisfying" than getting raped by 3 mobs because you didn't pull far enough...

WOOT! ANOTHER MESMER NERF! And another area where mesmers, ritualists, assassins, and paragons will be denied the opputintiy to play because of the elite cookie cutter builds!

I'd prefer RoT (or a bit harder) difficulty to DoA. I like RoT because it's still henchable, especially if you bring a counterbuild to each area.

What I'd hate to see is protector requirement to activate hard mode. I don't want to waste hours doing retarded bonuses for Nolani Academy, Ice Caves, or Riverside Province (which I don't even have on the map)... I'd also want to play hard mode with more than one character and other than my necro and ele, none are even close to having any prot titles.

Wasn't it said by Gaile that they were testing missions like Vizunah to make sure you could still get masters with a full human and a full AI team.
Which is fine... but what happens when are you keep getting a single person with a useless set of heros/hench making you fail constantly. Vizunah is bound to just piss alot of people off.

At a wild guess you'll have to have completed the campaign to unlock Hard Mode. Presumably you won't be able to enter it with people who don't have it unlocked. Which is all fair imo if thats how it'll work. Just aslong as completed means 'done the final mission'. Doing all the pre missions and jungle missions on all chars just to unlock hard mode would suck.

Anyway... how much are people willing to bet that this Hard Mode update will be a) Late b) Bugged c) Cause lots of problems elsewhere in the game d) Laggy or e) All of the above.
Laggy is understandable, lots of people downloading the update, but for once can you not screw everything else up in the game after making us wait longer than you said!

It will be interesting to see which will be the toughest mission after hard mode comes into play.

But is Hard Mode going to be just for missions?

Sounds similar to diablo's difficulty levels. How similar? Thats the question that bothers me.

For example: I dont think we'll be seeing higher dmg swords...

Hard Mode DOA - gg.

I'm looking forward to hard mode, really excited
pick locks are going to be so ftw xD

just hope it isnt..2 hard..
"Making 4 man Ascalon Team, TS/Vent required" -.-

You're better off using your heroes in those areas honestly.

Nope, it's going to be all areas in the game.

Or most, anyways. Why would you want a hard-mode DoA?

For fun.