The Factions Update- Things You Weren't Impressed With

Im loving it, I would complain about all the small stuff but no game is perfect and I dont expect this one to be (especially if its free, and this is only a preview event) Sure the DL's were big at the zones but what did you expect? ANET to come over and install them on your comp directly?

Im digging the new monsters, the new territorys are awesome! Alot more popups and I think its great how a nice controlled fight can turn into gang rape via patrols real quick

There was one instance (when I was on my way to the Jade Quarry) I was running up the ramp and I noticed a boss down in the rivine all by himself, looked to be an assassin so I thought I would make a little detour (since he was a sitting duck) i went down and around and engaged and just when I landed my off-hand attack I noticed there was about 7 groups of enemies that popped up around us and devestated the henchmen.. luckily I was able to get away and make it to the quarry on my own.

Though this event has made me further question linking my accounts together because I like the hair styles and character creation options for the cantha race. And if I were to link accounts I would only be able to have 2 characters that looked of the cantha origin. It will be a tough decision.

I have to say...I got bored really quick...

Just did a few minor quests and thought it was pointless.

Found much more fun in PvP, the new armors rock!

the female ritualist dance is ummm.....almost porn lol! I feel she is now the hottie in the GW game also I loved the dances for all of them, good job, Napolean Dynamite FTW!

i was totally underwhelmed unfortunately, preorder cancelled. disappointed, saying that certain anet policies where leading to the cancellaton anyway.

Loved the graphics. Quests were fun and challenging.
Missions on the other hand were the worst experiance I have had ever with Guild Wars. I honestly hope that I will not have to do a PvP mission to get further in the PvE side of the game. Tried 2 missions, they were both random teams and neither one of them seemed very random as far as the other team was concerned. First mission i had a team of 8 assasains against 2 monks 2 warriors 3 assasains and a ritualist. Next mission my team was 6 assasians and 2 ritualists against 3 monks 2 warriors 3 ritualists. I will buy the game but if I have to suffer PvP to further my PvE game I think I will be spending alot more time in prophecies.

In the full version you will be able to select your co-teams, as far as I know. And it generally helps if your 4-man team has a monk in it and is not all assassins

Gota say a little dissapointed so far.

Nothing really different from Chapter 1 yeah new skills items and weapons but gameplay is the same. OH they made it more difficult by over adding mob bosses in one area all with AOE spells and enchantment stripping messmers. counted over 40 foes in one area against my 8 man team? I wrong lure and your history/

The IQ of the henchies seems to have been lowered. They are off fighting anything unless you now call the target.

Quest resets if you go to town halfway through. No good with a -60% DP and you still have half the quest to do.

Maybe better when you can bring your chapter 1 chars into chapter 2

so far for me 5/10

hehe, looks like somone needs to play more prophecies , and also try to be smart and dont aggro things you cant handle, pull and kill the monks first, its a very nice and challenging game , and i love it the way it is.

I played some more and just had enough after a few hours, compared to me constantly playing the beta for prophecies. I'm sure it won't be as difficult in the full game but some of those mobs just felt equivalent to some of the harder missions in prophecies with bots. New players won't be as experienced I'm sure anet knows that. I don't care for pvp anymore so there is nothing there for me. It's probably a great game for those without guild wars but as an owner of the original I see nothing that draws me in and makes me stay.

He's talking about the 8v8 battles, not the 12v12. In 12v12, you can team up with 3 other people in your guild and head into the mission. In the 8v8, you're teamed with completely random people no matter what. Hopefully, Anet will at least give the option to form teams in the 8v8 missions.

People seem to forget. This is a PREVIEW. Obviously certain parts of the content aren't going to be handed to you on a platter. You start the preview with a level 20 character and maxed out armor. And the explorable area. Seems like people who found some things not impressive are being ungrateful.

Nothing new at all. Dissappointed with everything.

Same skills, same graphics.

Went to HA, same iway teams.

New weapons, same stats

Further imbalance with uber collector's items. Good for canned PvPer. Pointless for PvErs to adventure in hope to find a nice weapon. The best weapons are in front of you.

Full price for same stuff.

Absolutely NOT worth paying 50 bucks for. it should be a 20-25 dollar EXPANSION for existing players.

You are utterly retarded. Stop trolling badly.

Does anyone else see the irony in that?

I like the game over all and can’t wait till April 28th.

Other then one mission on the Kurzick’s side, where you fight to point A to kill boss then to talk to person B, only to zone to point B talk to person C, then to re-zone the area you where just fought the same mad mobs to point C talk to person D, back to point D where you got the quest to talk to person E, only to find out that point E is in the same area as person B,D to talk to person F. and that’s about as far as I have gotten because I know what’s next and getting frustrated with the Henchmen with the AI as smart as road kill I had to walk away. I just have to remember this mission because the xp and points earned it’s really worth it and I will skip it.

But I hope they work on henchmen,

Love the PvP. If only people wouldn't drop out when the side they're on is down by 50 kills (that's NOTHING, and in my last match I had people start dropping when it was 40 vs 70!).
Also would like some way of maintaining coherency of the squads.

But why isn't it bright & sunny anywhere? The Kurzick side is just damn dark, and the Luxon side is at perpetual dusk/dawn.

Yeah, thus far I'm not too impressed with the preview - for one, you don't get to experience the bulk of the new mechanics - such as guil alliances. The Alliance/Faction system is the one thing that many players I've had discussions with are worried about, and its the one thing we don't get to test to its full capacity, so we're pretty much going to wind up with little more useful information than we did before this weekend.

Visually, I do like Cantha - the tigers are spectacular. Unfortunately, this weekend is turning out to be what I expected it to be: Anet's attempt to show us the eye candy they've been working on and hoping it blinds us to the problems many GW players think Factions will turn out to be.

Hanok Odbrook
Real Millennium Group
Truth * Knowledge * Peace

PS: The horrid Yu Gi Oh hairstyles have GOT to GO, both in the character select screen and on some NPC's. That's way to kiddie and console gamey for me.

PPS: I hope neutrality will be taken into account with the full game - what if I don't want to decide on who to join at the very onset, but just want to explore and learn more about each side? Right now, this Faction thing is way to limiting in where we can explore and what NPCs we can interact with. It shouldn't be "you're either with us or against us," it should be "as long as your not an enemy, we will demonstrate some hospitality towards you."

I like it, 12v12 are awesome new armors are awesome, girl rit's dance is awesome , i think if the 8v8 missions arent different in the real game, they want people to have to improvise, but that isnt new player friendly.

Overall I was disappointed - I like the new area and am looking forward to Faction's but playing this weekend is a waste of time and just spoils the early part of Chap 2 imo - I did 4 quests but couldn't see any point carrying on because:

1. I have to re-do them when Chap 2 comes out anyway, so don't want them spoiled.

2. I had to use a different account and not the one I'll be linking Faction's too as no spare character slots, so any faction I earn or skills I unlock are totally useless.

3. Any items I find will be deleted, so I don't want to risk finally getting a nice drop only to lose it.

This could have been such a good weekend to with a bit of thought - all it needed was allowing us to take an existing character to Cantha, allowing any quests completed to be credite when Chap 2 is linked and allowing any items found to be kept and locked till a chap 2 key is added.

That's why I've decided not to do any PvE this weekend. Knowing my luck something like that would happen, so I'm sticking to the 12v12 matches. They are fun.

Yes... Yes I do.

I'm just using the weekend to farm weapons to take screenshots off. Think of it like as wish list for when factions comes out. I've got over 30 weapon screenshots already.

well i wouldnt like to spend to 3 days u get to play this preview for lvling! i want to explore and see all the new stuff

I've been trying it out and it's as I thought it would be.

Seems the PvPers are really enjoying the new 12v12 play. The eye candy is nice (I've already been spoiled by Oblivion though, so I wruined it for me here).

Quests are all pretty much been there done that on both sides. No real PvE missions to try out, that I can find anyway... anyone point me to one? I have 10k faction in both Luxon and Kurzick already.

My experience so far is pretty dull though to be honest. Friday most of my guild was in for trying it out. Friday night they were back to Prophecies as they were already bored. I've been the most critical of Factions and the faction system, and yet I've played it more then they have. Go figure.

Still, unless there is a major change in the way the game figures access to that content, I see no reason to really buy it.

PS. PvP is dull, so please don't point me to those /cough missions. /cough I am looking for the storyline missions though.

Hmm, after playing 2 days: I'm not impressed by some background graphics: they look like background paintings in cheap 20 century movies

Aspenwood Pvp is not really balanced. For one, the siege turtle who fires off Area Effect 250damage shots at the rate a ranger can fire off arrows is a tad unfair.

It would be ok, if it damaged the both teams. However, it doesn't and pretty much one MM can win that map, with such an abundance of bodies the blue team kindly provides.

The forced PUGs and when you are in the 'mission' places, where you are unable to form parties to leave that outpost, unless you fly out.

Been playing 2 days as well.

gotten like 20k faction for kurzich, 10k for luxons. Unlocked all cities that are accessible, gotten a couple of rare drops, will pain me to lose them but ooh well. Done a couple of pvp matches, but i deem it so frigging boring... your waiting forever to get a group (had to wait 20 mins 2 times before i gotten a group to do that fortress place) then i gaver up and just did the regular quests.Most of the skills that i have seen being used are non coreskills but still knockoffs of prophecy skills... if you have them double, then they are coreskills... once more an affirmation that they have had problem themselves to not look upon it as an expansion whatever their marketingcampaign states.

some of the skills really need a change (dash for instance is a crappy skill, it should at least be a 5 sec speed skill, even sprint at 0 str was better then dash...)

I won't bother buying 15k armour since i deem it a waste of money. Now if it had been 5k with on top of that the amber and jade(or maybe even less money and more jade or other special stuff), then maybe i would consider it, but 15k is to much for my tastes especially since i have no clue ahead of time how it will look. (so I won't buy it untill they add a little paperdoll to the buying of armour, so you can actually see how it would look like).

found 1 big pve mission and another semi big pve mission for each side, which wasn't to bad.

But after the novelty of the pvp was gone (doing it once just for giggles is ok) after that its more of the been there done that , move on characteristics. So quite dull. Seems more grind then having fun doing some missions... yeah i need x more factions so i can conquer city x... lets go and do x more factionfights...

Although i did notice that in most cases faction is faster through pve then through pvp. Found a couple quests that can be redone and involve a quick little in out trip of 10 mins tops for 1kfaction (henchies ftw). While pvp can easilly take 30 mins in forming/finding a group and winning it with then still the chance of loosing and receiving even less faction. I so really hope that there will be an option to if you export your old character that it would start anew in cantha as any other person would do, and will only get access to the skills from prophecies after ascension in cantha. I would have much more fun with it, and i'm sure many more of the pve crowd would while not having to make people do so. Even if it is only 5 hours of quests etc it ould still be more fun. (and it shouldn't be that hard to impliment)

I understand this is a preview and that the developers would not release everything. It certainly is a teaser. I am very disappointed with the lack of information about the faction and alliance systems.

WIll alliance battles always be random. Why are the 8v8 missions random? I don't feel like I have enough information regarding the key elements of the game to help make critical decisions for my guild.

I have to agree with most that you had to say. I was a big supporter of Factions until I got to experience the Preview. Support has turned into worry and disgust.

The Preview Event has been pretty much underwhelming. Either my expectations were set too high or Anet slipped somewhere. Everything they told us looked amazing....on paper...Then when the event comes, everthing is not exactly how I pictured it.

ITs the same game from before. Some of the Weapons, have been seriously underwhelming. The Armor is pretty decent but nothing I would break my back to aquire. Some of the landscapes are pretty amazing while some just reminds me of more of the same ol' thing, More like Presear Ascalon on steroids.

The Uber mobs are also unimpressive. They done that in the first game and it is nothing but annoying. There seems to be an early discrimination of Assassins and Ritualists. Most "experienced" groups won't take either and will keep the original 5. If the trend continues then introducing them was a waste of time.

They are also recycling monsters which is VERY unimpressive. If I see ONE OUNCE of Devourer from the screenshots, I will not be buying Factions for that reason ALONE. Call me crazy but I will not kill 10 varieties of mutant scorpions again. This is supposed to be a new continent and a NEW ecosystem. Let's get with the program.

The Effects are the same as before. Ritualist effects are seriously bland. "Opening up a rift to the spirits to attack nearby foes" is an green, orb ball of lightning striking branched at the ground?! C'mon ANET get creative. Assassin effects are nothing but violet smoke, there is only so many variations of that you can do until it gets old. All other effects were ported from the original game untweaked. AND THAT was a huge disappointment.

I know it was a preview and somethings were omitted but I just can't help to know what was going on in the minds of new players that experienced the same thing that I did. Now if the Alliance/Factions system is as good as they claim it is, then it might hold my intrest until the next release but things are looking sour for this game so far. If this is close to production then I might have to pass up on Factions and wait for the next installment.

wow, im amazed by how many people dont want to buy factions. Its pretty sad, i myself LOVE every inch of the preview, im spending my time PvP-ing more than PvE-ing because everything will be gone, but its allright i get to keep the factionsi earned on the Kurzik side.

-I REALLY liked the graphics, they have changed, the Kurzick forest is amazing(my wallpaper is with a screenshot from the game)
-The monsters are amazing,
-12 vs 12 i didnt like it but now, i love it . Its like in the movies with big battles
-The new items are nice(not all of them) but some of them are really nice
-Why are people throwing dirt at this preview?...i dunno , thats how it was last year with Prophecies, people were all dissapointed and stuff, but its still a great game.

PS: folks remember this is just a beta, im sure things are going to change a little bit, and try to be positive about it.

Part of BETA is getting constructive crticism from the beta testers so they can make improvements to the game. Yes be positive but it wouldn't be a good BETA session if ANET didn't get constructive criticism so they could make some improvements. If FACTIONS was written in stone it would have been released already.

Major gripes: Competitive Missions. Let us form parties. PLEASE.

The Jade Sea seems ridiculously tough in comparison to the Petrified Forest, but that just might be me.

Incur a penalty for leaving Alliance Battles.

That's all I see wrong. Everything else (graphically, story, skills, everything) is everything I hoped it would be.

I'm quite annoyed by all the teleporting around the map (not assassin skills, but zoning). The lift guy is particularly aggravating -- I just wanted to get down the cliff to slay the stuff down there for that one quest, and there didn't seem to be a way at all.

The maps are amazingly small. Who ever said that explorable areas were a bad thing?

It's #$ &^#)$(*#$)(*&$#! that we can't talk to Kurziks once we've done one tiny little quest for the other side and vice verse. Especially since Faction is per-account -- that'd make it impossible for one account to be able to experience the whole game, would it not? That's not a good idea at all. Neutrality is necessary.

The tengu henchman's noises are enough to make me turn off my speakers.

I do dig the new monster models though.

PS: I predict those assassins that climb down like spiders will be the new devourer.

Uh. I did every quest I could find for the Kurzicks, and then went over to Luxons, and found no shortage of new quests.

you wont be able to access merchants etc though.

Did you not try to use any of the vendors?

LOL! I had to keep looking around when he made those noises since I just KNEW something was going to use Seeking blade on me. :P

And if the bush bandits are going to be the New Devourer then I hate it already. They are ultra annoying. Jumping out like they were bad and all they manage to do is kill focus on dominating the monsters that were there already....similar to Devourers...

I do say, some of you people have way too much time on your hands o.O Here I was proud for getting 1000 factions points to get some skills... and peoples have 20k alliance based factions... I have 0 on one side and 640 on the other :P As for the map... ehh maybe 1/10 of the way to unlocking all the cities available.... maybe >1/10 hahahaa

Iunno, I thought it was quite enjoyable I played for a few hrs in PvE, did some stuff witht he guild, then some PvP. I was suffering from horrendous lag for some reason... it isnt as bad when I switch to prophecies... but when I switch to cantha it gets very very bad... Im confused about the storyline, and how any of this fits in with prophecies. No mention of charr, nor ascalon, *primal98 is confused*

If the two have nothing to do with each other... then I hope that ANET will still add some updates to prophecies for the next few months... my lil bro enjoys the underworld and fissrue of woe a lot... I wish there was some way to make the two world more connected too each other... even involve one world in another worlds quests/missions... would keep the player base even on both


~prime

This is false. You won't be able to use a vendor until you have about 400~ faction in that group. So, you can go through one side's story, then go back and do some quests to build up faction on the other side, then you'll have full access.

I love the new Competitive missions at Fort Aspenwood and the Jade Quarry.

However, the one thing I can't stand is the wait. Seriously, it can take anywhere from 3-30 minutes just to enter the damn thing.

"No opposing party joined. Restarting countdown timer."

5 minutes later...

"No opposing party joined. Restarting countdown timer."

10 minutes...

"No opposing party joined. Restarting countdown timer."

Arrrgh...