State of PvE recently

Kabale

Kabale

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2005

UK

Portrayors of Valour [pV]

I've been wondering what it's like in the PvE world.. I basically stopped playing PvE completely after the AOE nerf which was a pretty long time ago. I didn't participate in either Halloween/Xmas events...mostly because I'm fed up with the bad quality of the average player in PvE.

But anyway, I've got a question for monks in particular. A while back it was discovered that using Zealot's Fire (even at 0 smiting) would scare off anything trying to attack you...Does anyone actually do this? It could work for any /Mo softie like nukers, etc... to basically remain untouched... I dunno.

Defender Of Orth

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

Eternal Knights

W/Mo

So would symbol of wrath, or any other AoE that only works from around you.

Keyote

Keyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

The quality of PvE players is still just as bad. Even at the highest level many players have no idea what they're doing and cant follow simple instructions.

Drops are so bad that recently even the most difficult areas dont give you max damage white weapons. Anet seems to have only 1 direction at the moment, to make all random loot useless.

They did a great job on the xmas content. Everything else is basically the same as it was.

Kabale

Kabale

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2005

UK

Portrayors of Valour [pV]

Geez I would have expected them to change the AoE nerf for it to make more sense...I.e. if a monster is standing in an area where a *considerable* amount of damage is being made, then he should move...but if it's only a little then would you care if you're in AoE? So much for realism if you ask me.
If they did this then stuff wouldn't scatter all over the place from things like Firestorm and Ignite arrows... it's just plain silly to have them disperse like that. Ugh.. I wouldn't mind a bit of PvE in the high end areas but seriously what's the point if you're not into the cosmetics cos that is what seems to be the only thing left for 90% of GW players.

Keyote

Keyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

Yeah I expected them to do something as well. The just left it as it is, and it hasn't done much except make many people delete their eles.

Willy Rockwell

Willy Rockwell

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
The quality of PvE players is still just as bad. Even at the highest level many players have no idea what they're doing and cant follow simple instructions.
LOL, I hate it when some moron starts issuing "simple instructions." You see this now in the 5 man groups forming to farm IDS, they ask you to list your skills and then order changes. Exercise your need to dominate others within your guild, if they will put up with it. The rest of us don't have to.

Keyote

Keyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willy Rockwell
LOL, I hate it when some moron starts issuing "simple instructions." You see this now in the 5 man groups forming to farm IDS, they ask you to list your skills and then order changes. Exercise your need to dominate others within your guild, if they will put up with it. The rest of us don't have to.
Huh?

I'm not talking about telling people what to do with their skill bar, I said simple instructions. Things like stop to regen, drawing on the map for people who dont know the way, calling targets etc.

If nobody does that and everyone in the group just runs around with no direction, well good luck with that...

Auntie I

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2005

Veritas Invictus

E/Me

Personally I've always found the attitude of PvP players worse that PvE.

I'm not sure what problem you have had with the AOE changes but my Ele is doing just fine and still enjoys using Fire Magic to "punish the evil monsters"

Any of the PBAOE skills are effective for causing mobs to run away. Standing in your own Firestorm or Maelstrom work too, since the mobs won't enter. The scattering works on a percentage basis. A certain percentage of the time a particular skill will cause a mob to run away. From my observations each skill has a different percentage and each Mob has a modifier that makes them more or less likely to move. In other words not everything will run away everytime you use a AOE skill. Not every AOE skill causes the same scattering effect. I do think that some of the AOE skills are a bit too sensitive and should be toned down. Ignite Arrows comes to mind. Mobs seem to react a bit too much for a relatively minor addition of damage. It's possible that Arenanet needs to look at individual skill and tweak them but generally the reaction to AOE is appropriate.

Dazzen

Dazzen

Academy Page

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
Things like stop to regen, drawing on the map for people who dont know the way, calling targets etc.
/sign

No wonder many people fail miserably in Thunderhead keep then

Anyway for Kabale, yes zealot fire is a life saver now for me ^^. I use it in a solo build when my health is getting low, thus leaving a 1 second gap to heal or cast those spell that i don't want to be interrupted. This actually make it possible to solo more mobs at once.

Willy Rockwell

Willy Rockwell

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Sorry Keyote, you are right. Everyone should know when to stop and when to agro. These days it is common to team with martinets whose idea of a successful mission is that everyone do what they say. Usually these little generals turn out to be 11 and 12 year olds.

Keyote

Keyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

I know what you mean. I'm not against someone who wants to lead agressively if it gets the job done, but when you're a casual player playing for fun it would be annoying. Telling me what to put on my skill bar would definitely be crossing the line.

Zobi

Zobi

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2005

Europe

FR

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
Telling me what to put on my skill bar would definitely be crossing the line.
This is all people tend tpo do in PvP far more than PvE. The standard of PvE player is far above that of PvP player, except for the top guilds, of course.

I am fed up of PvP players saying PvE is easy and go around shouting R8 Ranger LFG. A Ranger that doesnlt know how to interrupt, or trap or anything other than spike, for example; it is laughable.

FalconDance

FalconDance

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Sep 2005

...deep within the sylvan splendor...

Order of the Migrating Coconuts [ALBA]

Since I don't PvP, I don't know what 'quality' of player is there, but I do know my lower-level monk was doing the Surmia mission yesterday with a group comprised of a warrior, another monk and a necro who informed us all he was an "really good in PvP and usually was on the team that won favor for America". I always take boasting with a grain of salt, and this was no exception. We all started out.....except him. After a few fights, I asked where he was and he replied he was doing homework at the same time. I (as party leader) asked him top please attend to the mission first and he promptly ran up into battle and died (against devourers! No amount of healing we did could save him). After snipping that a shield did not make him a frontline warrior (yep, a shield from pre and a wand of some sort), he demanded to know why I was "being like Rurik". ????

At any rate, he continued to do homework whilst the rest of us fought and although he did't gain any xp from the kills or any drops, we knew that he would gain the mission and bonus without having done anything. Apparently he became tired of being called a leech because at the cutscene, he finally decided to fight as part of the team.

While I'd like to say this is a lone example of the not-good about PvE and pugs, I can't. I've noticed in the past month or so that the ones who are the first to drop out of a party (while some may be disconnects) are the healers---and thats's when you can persuade one to come along without having to pay them.

Drawing on the map is annoying. A simple arrow for the way to go is sufficient but then you get the morons who pretend it's an Etch-A-Sketch and doodle all over. And pinging. OMG. Strategy? Most I have quested with don't know what that is unless it involves charging blindly into the fray and then bitching because they're lying dead (or letting the foe by so the healers and casters are lying there instead--then you discover that the tanks have no ressurect at all).

(Sorry about the soapbox rant. And the typos)

There ARE some very good players in PvE. I always ask to put them on my Friend's List since I would quest again with them in a heartbeat. And the AoE 'nerfs'? All they require is that the player actually *think* about what they're doing rather than sit there and play a cookie-cutter, rote 'toon.

labsenpai

labsenpai

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/E

Getting back to the original query...

PvErs that started when the game was released have likely enjoyed the best experience. Last summer there was a greater percentage of players engaged in the story missions, dedicated to uncovering every aspect of the game. My monk enjoyed this "golden season", which started to fade about a month after the SF update. By the time I was working on a second character, you could detect a souring effect everywhere in post. Contributing factors? Here is a partial list: Mission areas transformed into farming communities. Player backlash against nerfs. Inexperienced players diluting groups because they are rushed ahead. Lack of useful rewards beyond the last 15-attribute point quest. Distinct advantages to adventuring solo or with minimal players.

I enjoy PvE, but I am "looking back" at most of it. Currently, many players need a bonus to "cooperation skills" and a nerf to "volatility".

(Yes, Zealot's Fire has a quasi-interrupt effect now that can help Mo's)

Baratus

Baratus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

Elizabethtown, NC

Deathkings of The Dark Citadel

D/Me

I have been playing PvE since the release of the game and I miss it. The constant nerfs and drops that aren't for shit are my biggest complaints. Primarily on a character I spent ages building up and then getting Drok's armor for, my sword-warrior. For a while he dominated and was very useful in parties. Now sadly, most monks and elementalists can dish twice as much damage from a distance. The biggest example is that when my Mo/N was lv13, I was soloing around Lion's killing off those lv10~13 Caromi. My warrior can't handle more than two or three at a time because he can only dish around 20 damage average with a max damage fellblade and everything in strength and swordsmanship. Now he just sits collecting dust.

Somebody mentioned whites earlier, and those are something that I have never seen. I regularly get blue and purple drops, but it is insanely rare for a gold and I have yet to get a green. I did get a gold last night while capping SoJ for my monk, the first in ages. I also have not recieved a dye drop in over two months, outside of pre-searing.

My final big quarrel with PvE is lack of rewards, as mentioned already. I have explored many areas way outside the scope of what the story or even farming requires. I did it because I like to explore in hopes of finding a high-level item, random or not. ANet doesn't reward you for exploring though, or going the extra mile. That alone disappoints me. I mean why not put a random exceptional drop for said areas in places like the area behind Althea's Ashes? I spent an hour or more exploring that area with my warrior when he was comming through, and I didn't get JACK for it! A Kryta-level item in there woulda' been awesome to have drop off of one of those hydras, for instance.

Basically, every time a PvP player rages about a character being unbalanced, they're gonna' nerf that effect and PvE will suffer. Don't go out of your way because you won't get shit for doing so, and good luck getting a decent drop. I can deal with the immature players. See I either play alone, or with friends on TS. Problem solved!

BBoy_Manchild

BBoy_Manchild

Banned

Join Date: Aug 2005

dayton ohio

N/Mo

if you can only do 20 damage to a lvl 13 monster with a sword, thats your fault for making a crappy char, there are plenty of sword wars that can do enough damage to be usefull

twicky_kid

twicky_kid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

Quite Vulgar [FUN]

PvE is much harder now than ever. Not only do they flee from duration aoe spells you cannot hold arggo forever on a tank. The AI will go after soft targets instead of holding on tanks. Tanks are now pointless and I never invite more than 2 in an 8 man party. Personally I like this part.

Drops are rediculous. Troll, frost griffons, minos, tengu, and ettins drop absolutely nothing. I got a group of 15 trolls together and killed them all and got 3 drops. 2 of which where horns and a candy cane shard. After 2 hours of frosted griffons I came out with 4 purples. Griffs outside rock are the only good drops left on game. Sad thing is this is a brand new accout that has not be tainted by loot decrease. If this is what its like to be a new player I wouldn't buy this game now.

The only 4 quest I do is Fires in the East, Cities of Ascalon, and 2 15 attribute quest. No point in spending an hour for 500 xp when you can get that in 5 minutes. Quest rewards don't make it worth your time.

Condition removal on henches is way overdue. Most real monks are about worthless. For example, doing THK about half way through mission 1 monk drops. I don't care b/c you can still do it with 1 monk. Problem is that the monk was holding king and now he grabbed on to a war. We got to keep and heritic cast his degen on king. The entire time the king was never healed and died from degen only. He didn't get hit once. I can live without hex removal from henches but they really need condition removal.

MoeSyzslak

MoeSyzslak

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

Long Island, NY

Knights of the Alliance [KoA]

"What's it like in the PvE world?"

As far as drops are concerned, I have landed 2 black dyes in the last week after not seeing one in weeks. Also a couple of good if not stupendous items farming UW (i.e. clean max dmg req 8 storm bow.)

The people are a mixed bag as always. I've done a number of late and early stage things with PuGs lately and there are the usual blend of leavers, chat spammers, bossy jerkoffs, Leeroys, and some nice people.

In general, things do improve as the game progresses.

Actually had a good experience re-running Abaddon's Mouth this week to do some skill capping even after one of the group's 2 monks left. A couple of Northern Shiverpeaks missions were a very different story.

Baratus

Baratus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

Elizabethtown, NC

Deathkings of The Dark Citadel

D/Me

BBoy, you speak out of ignorance, and reveal your age. Had you read other posts of mine, you'd know I have Drok's armor, max damage fellblade +11% > 50%, max shield, and I have swordsmanship and strength above the limit thanks to runes. The only possible way to do more damage would be to hack the server and force it to make me do more.

Jetdoc

Jetdoc

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Jul 2005

The Eyes of Texas [BEVO]

D/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baratus
The only possible way to do more damage would be to hack the server and force it to make me do more.
Utilize attack skills?

Griff Mon

Griff Mon

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

In the Elfen Forests of Washington State

Damage Radius

N/

Gosh I love PvE let me offer my 2 cents about some of the complaints I've heard:

Farming and Drops: I've been going crazy trying to collect low level junk to trade for candy canes. In the meantime, I've been picking up inkdrops like crazy (including a black), char hides which I trade for fur, and regular lumps of charcoal. This is all solo and boring but I am gaining a lot of bonus wealth in my quest for Candy Canes.

PvE Missions and Locations: ToA and Sorrows Furnace with my guildies often finds us in a position where we have to bring along other players. We always ask for skillbar from people we bring along, and we insist on a res sig or a res spell if they have it. It just makes sense in those areas. And we feel if we are bringing an outsider into our group, we want to make sure they are cooperative. Having them tell us their skills they are bringing and asking they make adjustments is just part of the privelage of running with us. UW and FoW are still great fun for me and we see a fair share of drops, but not as many as in times past. A lot of people hang out there for extended periods of time so to go with a group that work together regularly is a privelage and we expect certain things.

The storyline missions are getting old for me, but I still do them with new characters I am bringing along, skipping them when I can.

To me PVP players are incredibly rude and I only go into tombs or Team Missions with my guidmates. I find Tombs to be incredibly eclectic and snobish, and I don't want to deal with the attitudes in those places except with the backing of my guildmates.

As far as the AoE nerf goes, I don't really care. It made it just too easy anyway, and it makes sense. Who stands in place while they are being bombed from the sky in a little circle? Some of the crying and whining that came about from this was comical.

Lord Scoopula

Lord Scoopula

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Dec 2005

Fargo, North Dakota

W/Mo

I think PvE is great. For us people who suck at PvP, PvE is a great alternative. I think it's a great way to enjoy gametime, and there's more relaxation in the PvE world in my opinion. I don't care about drops or gold. I just want to have fun and kill some stuff

Shen Xi

Shen Xi

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2005

London, UK

Laziness Appreciation Society [LaZy]

Mo/

I like pve, did it for the longest time before i moved over to pvp completely but there really is nothing left for me to do.
Just for a laugh i satrted my 5th and 6th character but the peopel around just annoy me far too much, as stated, simple things like wait for regen can't be that hard to follow can it?
So glad i made my monk when game first came out and not towards the end of my pve period as even a few months back the quality fo the average pug was getting atrocious.

Cronos Khan

Cronos Khan

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2005

New Jersey

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Scoopula
I think PvE is great. For us people who suck at PvP, PvE is a great alternative. I think it's a great way to enjoy gametime, and there's more relaxation in the PvE world in my opinion. I don't care about drops or gold. I just want to have fun and kill some stuff
and also meet some cool people killing things as well.

AoE issue: It's about time the enemies get out of that circle of doom, people in PvP practically avoid AoE, so I'm glad they made the enemies do so as well (while still taking a bit of damage).

Farming: It's funn, especially with a group of guildies. I won't do UW or FoW without my guild, I just don't like/ can't trust all the puggers who are there. And I've had horrible experences there as well with pug groups.

Areas in game: I'm still in love with all the areas of the game even if I have been playing since WPE, Lion's never gets old..well with the exception of spam, but that's another thing.

D/C during mission: I hate this, people just get up and leave at random times, it's happening more than ever! Maybe Anet could try and get a player rating system where people can rate other people on the mission and have a disconnect history as well (along with a percentage).

PvP players: Meh, that's all I can say. Either they are looking for IWAY groups or rank 3+++ groups.....it's all really silly IMO, thus Tombs is a waste of my time. Dunno if they should put fame in GvG and in SOME parts of PvE(?)

Drops: They should really bump up some of the enemy's drops with some more purple and golds..nuff' there.

Henchmen: Anet needs to give these guys some newer skills to reflect off the RoF area...throw an elite on these guys, make the healers heal more...so on and so forth. If done right, I'm sure we will see more henchies in groups.

Mister Overhill

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Tampa, Florida

Sticks and Stones

R/Rt

I've been in the game from day one, but my all family guildmates just don't have too much time to play, what with work, school, and families. I just parked two characters in Drokners after ascending, deleted one,and he is just sitting there waiting for someone else to ascend (two are in the desert) before taking the game any further. Did the ascension missions alone with henchmen, but it's more fun with teammates.

Jas

Academy Page

Join Date: Oct 2005

Piken Square - American District 1

The Everchanging Path [lost]

Mo/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
The quality of PvE players is still just as bad.
Quality of players may be bad, but it seems that you have had some pretty bad luck with the groups. For me, I've been to various groups with one of each possible category of people, and I think the irritating ones are quite rare. You will eventually meet "bad" players there, but the same would definately go for PvP too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
Even at the highest level many players have no idea what they're doing and cant follow simple instructions.
I know how you feel, but those who don't understand given instructions are mostly the ones that have been rushing through the game, they just use runners to get the missions done, they get power-leveled by their Guildees etc... and they hardly know the basics of the game.
But still, I dare say, there's like thousands of lvl 20's playing PvE and most of them are decent and mature players, who can follow given instructions, if they are given in mature way (i.e. drawn on the radar, typed in Team-chat or in TS - - - without references to things that get censored).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
Drops are so bad that recently even the most difficult areas dont give you max damage white weapons. Anet seems to have only 1 direction at the moment, to make all random loot useless.

They did a great job on the xmas content. Everything else is basically the same as it was.
Yes... I agree that the drops are kinda poor, but can we expect that all the stuff we got as a loot would be max dmg clean weapons that we could put our weapon upgrades on? I just pick up everything and sell them to merchant... done some big money with that
And Snowball-fight was fun... the most fun I've ever had on PvP. The only time ever I wasn't called N00b or flamed for choosing wrong targets or anything. 1st time ever I enjoyed PvP

Lasher Dragon

Lasher Dragon

Draconic Rage Incarnate

Join Date: Apr 2005

Iowa

Alphahive

R/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by Keyote
Drops are so bad that recently even the most difficult areas dont give you max damage white weapons. Anet seems to have only 1 direction at the moment, to make all random loot useless.
LMAO /signed

Oh how I miss the old days, when a monster might actually drop something worth a shit. Or my awesome chest runs. I have yet to EVER get something out of the new chests worth more than the damn key I had to buy in the first place. Also, what's the freaking chance on a key drop from a monster? 1 in a thousand? Sure seems that way.

Yogi's Pain

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2005

E/Me

I'm not sure where you guys are fighting, but drops have increased dramatically it seems over the past few weeks. Dye is a common sight and usually 2 or 3 per trip, including black dye. Took me 860+ hours to get my first black, less than 10 to get my second and about 5 more hours for my third. Gold drops are common as well in the later areas. And while chests usually give items that aren't worth using, its hard to say that a Gold Max Weapon isn't worth the 750 gold you spent on the key. Its just that we all want perfect mods.

PvE is as it should be exploitable and rewarding for the lucky ones.

HardoreHom

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baratus
I have been playing PvE since the release of the game and I miss it. The constant nerfs and drops that aren't for shit are my biggest complaints. Primarily on a character I spent ages building up and then getting Drok's armor for, my sword-warrior. For a while he dominated and was very useful in parties. Now sadly, most monks and elementalists can dish twice as much damage from a distance. The biggest example is that when my Mo/N was lv13, I was soloing around Lion's killing off those lv10~13 Caromi. My warrior can't handle more than two or three at a time because he can only dish around 20 damage average with a max damage fellblade and everything in strength and swordsmanship. Now he just sits collecting dust.

Somebody mentioned whites earlier, and those are something that I have never seen. I regularly get blue and purple drops, but it is insanely rare for a gold and I have yet to get a green. I did get a gold last night while capping SoJ for my monk, the first in ages. I also have not recieved a dye drop in over two months, outside of pre-searing.

My final big quarrel with PvE is lack of rewards, as mentioned already. I have explored many areas way outside the scope of what the story or even farming requires. I did it because I like to explore in hopes of finding a high-level item, random or not. ANet doesn't reward you for exploring though, or going the extra mile. That alone disappoints me. I mean why not put a random exceptional drop for said areas in places like the area behind Althea's Ashes? I spent an hour or more exploring that area with my warrior when he was comming through, and I didn't get JACK for it! A Kryta-level item in there woulda' been awesome to have drop off of one of those hydras, for instance.

Basically, every time a PvP player rages about a character being unbalanced, they're gonna' nerf that effect and PvE will suffer. Don't go out of your way because you won't get shit for doing so, and good luck getting a decent drop. I can deal with the immature players. See I either play alone, or with friends on TS. Problem solved!
I play monk most of the time, and I can say the monk sees EVERYTHING. If anyone knows who is doing what, its the monk. I can easily say, the reason that most of the time it is the monk that disconnects ... is because they can tell from the way the group is playing, they wont make it. Instead of wasting time trying to calm a dispute, bark orders left and right, or continue to heal a hero ... its just wiser to just leave and get another group. Though I don't do that

Effendi Westland

Effendi Westland

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Isle of the dead

[DVDF][LDS]

P/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by HardoreHom
I play monk most of the time, and I can say the monk sees EVERYTHING. If anyone knows who is doing what, its the monk. I can easily say, the reason that most of the time it is the monk that disconnects ... is because they can tell from the way the group is playing, they wont make it. Instead of wasting time trying to calm a dispute, bark orders left and right, or continue to heal a hero ... its just wiser to just leave and get another group. Though I don't do that
Yea, so true, I generally don't leave a party, but with my monk i get so frustrated sometimes that i do...... You notice the good and bad about a party real quick.

So when after a fight i say "wait sec rgen" spam my energy, and one person rushes off to aggro the next group and the rest follows, I give a warning, saying that if they do that again I'll leave...... I find that most of the time they don't stop, so I leave.

And when they get mad at you for not healing, or not rezzing in the middle of the fight, that really ticks me off.... as if i have time to stop healing for 8 secs and rez them when everybody else is getting hurt..... but I don't leave for that, cuz such a group can still make it, the above group won't even if I stick with em.

I find the missions after thunderhead keep quite good, even if there are alot of bossy ppl around, everybody there has finally gotten the hang of a basic concept... if you don't work as a team you won't make it.

Mostly I play with friends or the few who I meet during the making of a new character. by the time I get to the desert I have ussually added 3 or 4 ppl to my friends list and when alot of them are online we all continue. Yer sometimes I have to do a mission twice or three times to get them to the same part as me, but I like that, as long as I know I'm not playing with some imbicel.

Keyote

Keyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogi's Pain
Dye is a common sight and usually 2 or 3 per trip, including black dye. Took me 860+ hours to get my first black, less than 10 to get my second and about 5 more hours for my third.
I've only ever seen 2 black dyes drop since the game released. Both were in UW and both for other people. As you say there a lot of luck involved, but drops certainly have got worse and worse for most people.

I hunt everywhere and I've made a lot of money, but I've put enough time in that I should be one of those people finding good items yet I rarely do. If I got serious about farming then I probably could, but thats exactly what Anet is trying to stop (not that I agree with nerfing solo farmers) and it's only hurting the people who already have trouble getting any items.

kvndoom

kvndoom

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2005

Communistwealth of Virginia

Uninstalled

W/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by twicky_kid
Griffs outside rock are the only good drops left on game.
There is one, and only one, truly unnerfed area left that I know of, where max golds with perfect mods and decent purples drop like flies. Unfortunately 90% of all the gold drops are hammers, which are worthless in themselves since nobody buys hammers, so it still evens out to the suck. I swear, if swords and axes dropped from these creatures instead of hammers, I'd be a trillionaire.

Jas

Academy Page

Join Date: Oct 2005

Piken Square - American District 1

The Everchanging Path [lost]

Mo/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Effendi Westland
Yea, so true, I generally don't leave a party, but with my monk i get so frustrated sometimes that i do...... You notice the good and bad about a party real quick.
I agree... totally. A monk usually gets to know what skills each party member is using, without them spamming them. But what was said that monk knows it all, for me it doesn't count. After playing a monk like a lot, I still have trouble to find my way around in Ascalon because when healing, I have no time to watch the way (the red bars are just flashing in my eyes )

Quote:
Originally Posted by Effendi Westland
So when after a fight i say "wait sec rgen" spam my energy, and one person rushes off to aggro the next group and the rest follows, I give a warning, saying that if they do that again I'll leave...... I find that most of the time they don't stop, so I leave.
I usually inform the team what I do mean by spamming my energy (for example "My energy is 4 of 40"). I simply tell people that when a monk calls for energy, it means same as STOP and wait. If they don't believe, they get no heal as I don't have energy to heal. Simple as that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Effendi Westland
And when they get mad at you for not healing, or not rezzing in the middle of the fight, that really ticks me off.... as if i have time to stop healing for 8 secs and rez them when everybody else is getting hurt..... but I don't leave for that, cuz such a group can still make it, the above group won't even if I stick with em.
That would give me similar thoughts too, that nagging for not healing. Healing monk has some limits too, and if the spells won't recharge fast enough, it impossible to heal fast enough. I have said to few warriors some pretty bad words for that... as they had Starter armor at LA (or somewhere around there).
Also... I get very annoyed when tanks run, sometimes using Sprint, to a fight and die before I get even a slightest chance to heal them. And then they start blaming me for not healing at all, ever... So do those peeps assume my healer would be in the front row with them at all times? For me, my place is in the back where no-one hacks me with an axe.

Maiyn

Maiyn

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Canada

I Excentrix I [PuNK]

The AoE nerf made the mage henchmen completely useless.. and outright dangerous in later missions (monsters running off into other groups of monsters, major aggro nightmare, leave Orion or Cynn at home) Air or water magic ftw...

Um.. farming is great. We've adapted. I think pvp is more balanced but I quit after the SS nightmare. I hear IWAY is "fun"

I really like the variation in builds I am seeing in small party farm teams. People have really spread out over lots of skills and created builds that are both unique but similar and what not. It makes for very interesting gaming and requires you to be very flexible in PVE.. which is actually nice. You need a few different characters with many different abilities to play different areas and team styles. I appreciate that because it isn't the boring hack-n-slash.

Hmm... something that is really driving me nuts, and is sorta related to my last point... is the fact that I've had 4 pve characters for quite some time now, and I really want to make a new one but I play all my characters.. so I can't really delete one, so much time effort. I dunno, I really wish I could make more. I would PAY to make more, but I just think it would be stupid to buy a second account and then have to get two expansions and what not, totally dumb. If Anet would let me buy more character creation space, I absolutely would in a second ... sigh.

The halloween/winter events were pretty fun I must say. I definitely love GW, I haven't been this addicted to a game since Diablo.. :P

wilebill

wilebill

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Dec 2005

Mt Vernon, Ohio

Band of the Hawk

W/Mo

I got my monk full up this last weekend, players are ok for the most part, and some of them are really a pleasure to work with. I've been playing since retail release, and the problem with PvE is not with the players.

1. There has been too much nerfing of skills. Skills should operate differently in PvE than they do in PvP. PvP can be a summer camp pillow fight, but PvE needs some skills that make a difference.

If you have a copy of the old paper strategy guide it is informative, and depressing, to compare its skill descriptions with the current skill descriptions.

2. Drops are very poor at present. We all know the problems with professional farming corporations and bots, but the solution adopted by ANet is like keeping the whole class in after school because of the misbehavior of a few.

My monk is my fourth character, so I could supply him with funds and a nice Yakslapper that I got when greens were still dropping, which they do not seem to be anymore at the moment. The monk completed all missions, explored the desert a moderate amount, did what a new player would do. And the total amount of loot he collected was not enough to buy Forge armor, including purchase of materials.

Save up salvaged materials you say? The salvage drops are way down too. I don't think there were enough.

Baratus

Baratus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

Elizabethtown, NC

Deathkings of The Dark Citadel

D/Me

I finally got a dye drop. You apparently have to solo to get dye now. Wasted a few hours but I got a yellow followed by a red outside Lion's. Henchies nerf drops to the max and usually if a dye drops when I am playing with friends, they get it. Had four drop one night, each one was for my buddy. I got a bunch of blues. He also got a gold. I swear my account has something modified on it to make it more difficult.

PvE is too much of a grind anymore, that's my quarrell. Nerfed warriors, drops suck almost everywhere (found some decent ones in mineral springs), if you want anything good, you better go farm up 100plat or more thanks to the unbalanced economy, and the only way to deal real damage seems to be with a smiter monk. It's a constant grinding cycle until you have the cash to get what you need to advance or do what you want.

Jas

Academy Page

Join Date: Oct 2005

Piken Square - American District 1

The Everchanging Path [lost]

Mo/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cronos Khan
Henchmen: Anet needs to give these guys some newer skills to reflect off the RoF area...throw an elite on these guys, make the healers heal more...so on and so forth. If done right, I'm sure we will see more henchies in groups.
I'd like to say "Make Alesia pure heal". She is like 1/3 healer, 1/3 protector and 1/3 smiter... and she is bad in each area of monking
She would be quite a useful companion if she just would be pure healer.

JiggyFly

JiggyFly

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2006

So-Cal

Forsaken Wanderers [FW]

Mo/

When trying to buy something, do people still offer me completly different items then I was shouting for? Yes (i.e. some guy offered me a black dye when I was trying to buy an +hp axe mod)

Do players in pvp still have no idea what it means when I say I need a shutdown mesmer? Yes (some guy who claimed he was a shutdown, just ended up being a IW Mesmer)

So both categories have there...less than average players (to put it nicely), but although I'm alittle disappointed with the simplisitc aproach taken on the PvE aspect of Guild Wars. I don't think it has gotten anyworse, and every aspect of any game is going to have it's ba dapples (some more than others), but as soon as you dwell on it the game stops becoming fun and you have to ask yourself why even bother playing if it's not going to be fun?

Sister Spice

Academy Page

Join Date: Nov 2005

UK

Dracos Paladin

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by HardoreHom
I play monk most of the time, and I can say the monk sees EVERYTHING. If anyone knows who is doing what, its the monk. I can easily say, the reason that most of the time it is the monk that disconnects ... is because they can tell from the way the group is playing, they wont make it. Instead of wasting time trying to calm a dispute, bark orders left and right, or continue to heal a hero ... its just wiser to just leave and get another group. Though I don't do that
That's curious as I would say the opposite.

I play a monk pretty much most of the time - currently bond monk.
I frequently say I am the WORSE candidate to lead, as a monk I am so busy watching peoples health bars, and my blessed signet, and that Im not running into agro myself, that I really DON'T see what's going on or what needs to be done to complete the mission.

What I tend to do is *form* the groups in the first place, I'm fairly good at picking patient team oriented people - and I have a bias for people who are cheerful and will cope in the face of adversity. We then pick someone else to direct the actual mission. I then have a group of people I am committed to and I have NEVER intentionally dropped, and equally I have never got loads of abuse. I suspect my humility about my own failings prevents me getting monk abuse.

Because of my skill at picking good group members - I now have an epic list of friends and a guild group of people who work together which means less need for random PUGS - but I still recruit for odd slots and it's a way of making new friends.

The one time recenty that I considered quitting a group (before we went into the mission) was when another member joined our group (made up of friends and guild members) - he joined our group, didnt answer any of our questions, and started laying down the law about what we had to do.
Guess what, that person was a monk. I was apoplectic at their lack of manners and told them (politely) that I didnt think they were right for our group, and whispered to my guild mates that I wasn't staying if that person didnt leave. As the other monk in the group I don't need to put up with spoiled brat monks.

Spicecat

Tenaciousgreen

Tenaciousgreen

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jan 2006

Plymouth

W/Mo

First post so go easy guys - I only play PvE. I have no lust for PvP at all. I am also relatively new to the game and the whole online gaming thing really.

The one thing that at times disappoints me is the attitude to some people towards us 'noobs' and our lack of skill. I am level 15 W/mo (Boring apparantly) and am still learning a lot of techniques particulary my secondary skills. I am occasionally guilty of rushing in, but am open to advice and want to learn. Last night was a example, whilst on Frost Gate Bonus only mission, I got a team together one of whom dropped within 5 minutes. I was probably the weakest link in the team and died a couple of times (as did a couple others) but I learnt a lot. No-one got angry with me and we all helped each other and completed the bonus. I realised that I was not making the most of my secondary skills and can now work on that.

My point is that some of you experienced guys really should help some of us noobs to make us worthy team members. As a thirty something I understand that our younger comrades can sometimes be a pain in the rear end, but they will learn (well some of them).

I am really enjoying this game and want to continue enjoying it and I want to get better so help me if i am doing something wrong. Just an observation at the end of my first month playing this game.