Embark Beach: Complete Failure for Grouping

LOOK AT ALL THAT TRADE SPAMMING!

Look at all the parties. :/

I don't get the logic of having two sets of party searches for an area. You have the mission outpost and another outpost that traders don't even visit. It should work and be treated as another district when looking up an area so you can zone into a party that's doing what you want.

qft....

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I'm pretty sure the Embark Beach and 7 heroes were both implemented for the exact same reason: Guild Wars 2.

Let's face it, once Guild Wars 2 is released, there is going to be a mass exodus, and a mere fraction of the current population will be playing GW1 (unless the HOM benefits are huge). Embark Beach will be a way for that fraction to actually find each other, and 7 heroes will be a way to ensure that they don't need to find each other to experience most of the content of the game.

Also reddog91: the one you have highlighted, the aurora glade -- I was chilling in embark beach, killing time, and helped them through aurora glade hard mode. The system works!

I disagree, but there's no more reason for GtoB to host ZM/ZB.

So after a couple of days of having EB, I've got some new thoughts...

I like having it. Even if no one ever uses it for partying up, I still like having it. I start and end my game day there. I grab the ZV, grab my ZB and ZM, and go off into the world. No matter where I am, I know that I can quickly travel to EB and have access to my chest, a merchant, a rune trader, etc. I don't have to try and remember what outposts have what services. I don't have to go get utterly lost in Kaening Center which I still cannot find my way around without my brain going 'splodey.

I like that it's an easy place to hook up with everyone I play with, since we're not all in the same guilds at the same time (depends on which of us is working on Kurzick or Luxon).

I like that there aren't so many people afk'ing around the chests that you can barely get to them without accidentally clicking on a dozen names, first.

I like that all the services I might need in an average day are at hand.

I find it convenient in general. I like the look and feel of it. I like that I don't have to stop off in LA, KC or Spamadan as a step-off point to get elsewhere on the maps, and I don't have to deal with the whole "your party is too large to travel there" crap. Actually, I especially like that part.

I understand that the devs intended it as a central place for grouping... but since I don't PuG and I'm unlikely to start anytime soon, I'm somewhat indifferent as to whether it gets used that way or not. I still think that as people get used to having it, more will gather there, for good or ill.

But as of right now, I'm enjoying its existence, and feel glad it was created.

While partying up may not be happening, Embark beach is amazingly useful for another purpose: convenient travel.

-you no longer have to travel through Kamadan/Lion's arch with their 4/6 party size limit and therefore no longer have to split the party or re-add heroes when you travel.
-the zaishen objectives are right there, all handy, with useful NPCs like xunlai, merch, rune trader etc. right next to them.
-looks nice, too

Now that I've got almost nothing left to do but drink (2.5k drunk points to GWAMM), I'll even actually try to party up there

I know it's not quite the same in terms of socializing, but are you not in an alliance with a full guild hall?

Oh, there is ONE bit of annoyance: the merchants of Embark beach don't sell sup. ID kits. Annoying.

Actually, I am. But I can't get my ZV/ZM/ZB there when I start playing, and I can't exchange my copper coins for silver, silver for gold there when I'm done. In addition, we have three guilds between us - two in a Luxon alliance, one is Kurzick. EB gives us a central place to start from, with services - no need to split up, no worry about party size.

I like it because you can use it to hop between campaigns without having to constantly re-ad heroes to take your party back to 8

Yes ok , but did we really need such an update only to remove some lazyness ? Actually , vanquish quest isn't really done much because the reward is too low (from what i've heard) and there are not that many people who are up to form teams there ( which is what the area was about ...).


It would have probably been more " smart " to make an access to Uw/FoW/Deep/Urgoz/DoA....
Assume it's dead hour. 3 players wanna do urgoz , 2 DoA and 4 Deep. They could easily join together and then all would do 1 area at least....


Probably more important things should have been done ....

Agreed on Urgoz and or Deep. Sometimes it costs you a scroll to find it completely empty there.
I think it's a great addition, and the lack of pugs is ofcourse because most are just using their 7 hero parties to finish it all. Btw the ZV is rewarding enough imo.

Eh? The one in Ice Cliff Chasms gave 3,500 rep and so far the schedule has been giving easy zones. I can agree on the Nightfall VQ (750 pts.), I've never understood why NF is so stingy with title points.

I think this update defeat the purpose of itself... promoting grouping... but making it easier to play by yourself.... this should of been added BEFORE 7 heroes to establish it as a mission hub.... Ive been sitting here for 30 mins trying to get a group for sanctum nm cuz i gots no heroes yet...not even one inquire

I wouldn't overrate the "fail" of Embark Beach as a pugging area. The problem with pugging is that most people want to play independently and heroes provide the perfect solution to the playstyle. GW is designed to be a party game, but a lot of players just see other party members as an extension of their own. ANet needs to buff groups with a low player headcount to make it possible for players to reduce the risk of having players in their group they don't even know.

If it was possible to complete missions, quests and areas with only 1 or 2 other players, they would stop worrying so much about the downsides of additional players and concentrate more on having fun with a more autonomous playstyle and enjoying the game with other powerful allies.

Perhaps ArenaNet should invest in an offline game with the same depth of Guild Wars, after GW2 is complete? Think about it. Look at how successful Guild Wars is with build customization, and see it put to use on a mode not held back by mmo play

Would be the best damn RPG ever.

There is not alot of pugging going on..... if anet wants this to work... they either need to offer incentive rewards for ppl to group... or make players more efficient than heroes... just PvE skills isn't going to cut it...

im still a bit unclear on why EB is considered a better option for group to get through a specific mission than simply traveling to that mission and grouping with someone in that specific zone