PvE too easy? Try "no storage, only PUG" challenge!

Since we've already completed the game on normal mode with heroes and henchmen playing with our toes, I propose a challenge for you veterans to get a fresh start for the game.

Rules are simple, but the mentality you must have might be a more difficult thing to adapt to. It's similar to Diablo II's "ironman" mode. First things first: make a new character for your account, since this can't be done with existing characters. Aim of the game is to finish the campaign (I recommend Prophecies) under these rules:

1. Don't use storage. Ever. That means no transferring items, materials and money from your level 20 characters. Pick up stuff from the ground and sell them. If you're really hardcore, don't use crafters either but instead wear collector armor and weapons.

2. Don't use heroes or henchmen. At all. Make a human party for every mission and quest (this will be the real challenge) and be on the lookout for opportunities to level up your character. If you can't get Monks, adjust builds to have self-healing capability. Do your best to help and guide your team to be as effective as possible.

Basic philosophy of this challenge is to get away from the attitude of being compelled to min-max everything and return to state when gaming was pure fun of exploring the world and "being a noob".

This would also be good thing to try for you ANET people to realize just what kind of game you've made.

That's completely and utterly pointless.

That doesn't make PvE more difficult; it makes PvE masochistic.

I would think the most fun way to make PvE harder is to play in small groups.
Small groups are fun!
When hard mode first came out people seemed to really like the old 4 player missions in hard mode.

But see, it's just not terribly fun anymore. It's like being able to beat Doom on the hardest difficulty and going back and playing through the game on the easiest setting.

What?

A game should be able to be hard enough to not have to come up with a million different player mode difficulty modes.

Hay guyse! Lets complete the game with no armor on! It will be challenging and fun.

PUGing and "pure fun" are polar opposites.

I'd rather gouge out my eyes with a spoon and eat them. While being mauled by rabid raccoons and having my skin scraped off with sandpaper.

It's not like I H/H because "i hate dem noobs", I just don't have the time to set up for a party.

I don't have time to set up for a party that'll most likely fail the mission anyway, when I can keep my non-annoying H/H who actually listen and complete everything on the first try.

Also, I hate dem noobs. <_<

Well uh, that's a totally different perspective.

Which is why I posted it.

- But that's the thing, when you have heroes and henchmen which follow your every command and use optimized builds for every situation, it makes the game seem much easier than it was originally intended (for non-optimal human parties that is).

- Gaile has said that the designers are reading these forums from time to time. Doing this kind of challenge might be a good "reality check" for two things:
1. How common people prefer to play. Just read what they're typing in chat and what they're requesting.
2. What are the biggest problems of Guild Wars as a social game. How well you found parties and what were the difficulties with them.

I like the idea. That is the closest you will ever get to the feeling you got playing your very first character. No lvl 1 using weps your lvl 20 had in storage. Remember how it felt getting your first max dmg weapon drop. I do. I still pug whenever I get the chance and enjoy it.

PUGing can be fun when you're in the mood to take the good with the bad.
If I'm not in a rush to do anything in particular, I'll go and put together groups with people asking for help with a mission and more often than not I'll have fun simply because I had no expectations.
The mood I'm in is that it doesn't matter how well we do, simply that we are willing to keep trying in order to help someone. Yeah, sometimes we just couldn't do it, but it wasn't a waste in my eyes.

Being a noob is not fun. Not even being around people that are noobs is fun. I don't see where you get the idea that sucking at the game is fun. I did not have fun with pugs when it was prophecies only. 3 days of failing THK with PUGs or beating it first try with hench? I pugged most of the game up to the south shiverpeaks, but once I got there I just henched it.

ROFL.

I don't mind PUGing. I mind genitallia drawn on maps and people cursing and pinging "I'm wieling a Sundering Sword of Leetness" 80 times every 30 seconds.

Pardon me, I have a question. Why would I do this with the knowledge of PuGs and crafter armor I have?

- That's a good attitude to have.
I always felt that having to face hardships makes the reward worth it, rather than just getting always rewarded by using the completely deterministic "win button" that H/H party has become. Also being able to coordinate PUGs will also help one's social skills, which makes big difference in PvP world where you have to succeed in human team.

Like said, it's a challenge for changing the perspective away from being flooded with luxuries to earning each thing and appreciating it.

I think we should add "with groups composed of female characters, particularly Rits and Paragons".

... what? I can't be the only one thinking that the appeal here is a group of girls in underwear, can I?

That aside, I wouldn't want to complete the game with all PUGs; for someone with a life/job it would pretty much be impossible. But there's nothing wrong with PUGs, I actually rather like PUGs. I considered taking my monk through all of Nightfall and PUGging all missions, but I ended up chickening out. :P