Curse

Ado · Mar 06, 2006, 11:31 PM // 23:31

Of course we've all noticed the sharp decrease of IWAY groups in HA. However, somehow the update also effected the number of balanced groups forming in HA, especially R3+

This is what happened yesterday to illustrate that.

I was playing at aroung 7 pm CET and there were 6 international districts at that time. I joined a group and we did four rounds.

Round 1: jumped to HoH after 2 matches
Round 2: jumped to HoH after 3 matches
Round 3: jumped to HoH after 1 match
Round 4: jumped to HoH after 4 matches

About 75% of our opponents were spikers, rest was iway and balanced. Most of them were guildteams.

Jumps like that never occured during that time of the day before the update, certainly not when there are 6 districts.

Before the iway-nerf i could find a balanced group without too much trouble. Nowadays however, virtually all the balanced groups forming are r6+. Because I'm r5 (651) i can't find groups anymore within a reasonable amount of time. Not to mention the effect this has on gaining fame. If you jump so quickly to HoH it's a hell of a job to gain fame quickly, nomatter which build you play, unless you hold the Hall of course. And then the unranked ppl. If I already have so much problems finding a group being r5, how difficult it must be for them?

All I do now is joining the so called "pick up and go" teams, and hope the best of it.

Unless you're in a PvP-active guild, the future for PvP doesn't look too bright atm for ppl under r6.

wheel · Mar 06, 2006, 11:35 PM // 23:35

If you don't have a solid friends list by the time you've hit Rank 5, it's not going to be any easier finding a group when you get to Rank 6. Arbitrary ranked groups are no more likely to succeed than friends who you know are good. Less teams in HA means more fame, because you've got a lower probability of facing a good team when you're holding halls. If your build isn't built to hold halls, then why even bother in the first place?

dbgtboy · Mar 06, 2006, 11:45 PM // 23:45

spike builds can be loaded with defense since you only need 1-2 skills to spike, leaving the rest of your skillbar, you have better chances in 1 vs 1 and much more holding power, yeah and tombs is becomign really dead now, all the pugs suck, barely any teams go in, i tried a couple of runs and would get to hoh after 3 matches.

Ado · Mar 06, 2006, 11:50 PM // 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheel

If you don't have a solid friends list by the time you've hit Rank 5, it's not going to be any easier finding a group when you get to Rank 6. Arbitrary ranked groups are no more likely to succeed than friends who you know are good. Less teams in HA means more fame, because you've got a lower probability of facing a good team when you're holding halls. If your build isn't built to hold halls, then why even bother in the first place?

Of course I like to win the Halls, who doesn't? But I just like to play PvP, nomatter if I'll hold the Halls or not. You probably know that balanced is very well capable of holding the Halls. But you are right about my friends list. It's rather small, which makes it more difficult to get into a descent group. And about less teams = more fame. Those 4 rounds our group played, we were probably lucky that we didn't encountered r9+ teams untill the Halls (we met the same team all 4 times there). Other times I've been playing, most of the groups I fought we're r9+. Needless to say I lost to most of them. This makes it even more difficult for unranked ppl to get any fame.

But this is a bit off-topic, point is that there are less groups forming since the update, and that is what troubles me.

Nerdy · Mar 07, 2006, 07:03 AM // 07:03

Only 2 American districts were open last night and that was approaching prime time. Map skips are also getting ridiculous due to the lack of people in there. Some major changes are needed to bring people back to HA.

Nerfing IWAY was good that it has removed the fotm fame farmers but it's opened up the fact that HA is dead.

Spike (mainly blood) and double e-surge. That's all I'm seeing in there now. Oh maybe the occasional double e-surge with a migraine mesmer.

Correct me if I'm remembering this wrong but I used to see and average of 12 - 18 districts open every night in both American and International zones, now it's gone down to 2 or 3?

tafy69 · Mar 07, 2006, 07:04 AM // 07:04

Its pretty obvious to me that less teams are playing in HA because of the IWAY death, this is a good thing. Maybe good players will return to play there now.

Ado · Mar 07, 2006, 10:14 AM // 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerdy

Nerfing IWAY was good that it has removed the fotm fame farmers but it's opened up the fact that HA is dead.

Without wanting to change this thread into an IWAY discussion, but many ppl played IWAY for other reasons then farming fame. Simply cause they liked to play it. Me for instance, have a busy job. When I got home and was tired and wanted to relax a little, I played IWAY. Not for fame, but just for the fact that I didn't have to think too much about skills etc, and being able to get into a group in about 1 minute. It's similair to farming griffons/greens etc. Many ppl who did that usually did everything there is to do in PvE. They didn't all start to farm to get rich but they farmed for the thrill of finding a very cool item or inventing a new solobuild (Racthoh for instance).

I know A-net is trying to keep the game balanced, but they should be carefull not pushing away a lot of ppl from the game.

(and PLZ, don't change this thread into a debate about IWAY itself, we had enough of those threads already)

Vermilion Okeanos · Mar 07, 2006, 10:43 AM // 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by tafy69

this is a good thing. Maybe good players will return to play there now.

Even if you are godly, as long as you are not r6+, you are put aside.

tafy69 · Mar 07, 2006, 10:45 AM // 10:45

If people quit GW because no IWAY then thats their prob.

Balanced teams have just come a hell of a lot more fun, now you dont need to dedicate half your skills to anti IWAY and you can start packing counters to them annoying double surge teams.

At the moment most teams are running 2 mesmers, 1 warrior, 1 necro, 1 ele, 3 monks. But things will change just give it some time.

yazaga · Mar 07, 2006, 10:58 AM // 10:58

Ok a new player here, European servers. Last 2 weeks i have been trying to get into HA, because right now i am guildless and bored with TA and CA already. Generally in prime time there are 2, mostly 3 districts in Euro zone. Curiously enough there usually are 4 or 5 french and german districts. Before the iway nerf there were mainly IWAY forming for unranked groups. I was astonished at the level of incompetence going on there. Seems like most people try to approach HA, just like they approach random arenas. They have very vague idea about the builds, just make Wa/r and jump in the fray. Several times we went into battle, only to find out we had 2 or 3 pets. Most of the warriors didnt have the spirits unlocked or didnt know when or where to use them. One time we spend around half an hour, trying to find a resolve trapper who had NR, and we had to kick around 10 trappers who didnt even know what this skill is. Anyway it wasnt so bad, had some nice runs made around 40 fame one night

. Not so difficult to find fairly competent players, who at least knew how IWAY is supposed to work. I tried all the roles in IWAY team ( tainted i enjoyed most ), got to see the first 4 maps for the first time

and generally what i was supposed to do. I cant say i was bored, probably because I didnt play the build too much. This was all before the update. Now when i went to HA it was like the place was nuked. People running around anouncing " something LFG no noobz plzzzzzz " and nobody forming groups. Only guild teams looking to fill in their teams with 1 or 2 roles, mostly monks. It seems nobody can come up with a build or just doesnt want the responsibilty of making a team and being a leader. I literally spend 1 hour and a half and all the same people kept spamming the messages. At last i tried to make a build of my own, of course revolving around 2 surge mesmers

, which seems to be fairly popular, not too complicated and doesnt rely so much on coordination. Probably something in my anounce gave out my noobness, so after another half an hour and nobody wanting to join I gave up. Finally i get an invite from a necro/monk and as soon as I join the party I see he is one of those " Invite the whole district ". I stayed anyway, the group is formed quickly and we jump to the zaishen. The necro starts by casting mending on several members of the team, somebody starts the clock early and here we go. After 1 minute the first zaishen monk is dead and I see a second necro trying to raise bone fiend out of him. After 3 minutes we defeat the zaishen and proceed to be stomped in first round ( heroic 5 minute fight

). The leader promptly leaves before the end of the match and I am now leader. I type " dont leave, we will reform and try again ", but by the time we are back into HA the group have disbanded altogether. So that is the state of the Euro servers right now. Nevertheless i am not entirely discouraged and will try again.

Ado · Mar 07, 2006, 12:07 PM // 12:07

yazaga, your expierences with how good/bad parties were, is not what this thread is about. Stay on topic plz.

leeky baby · Mar 07, 2006, 09:29 PM // 21:29

Yazaga- german and french and so on have more districts because most europeans will use internatial districts because there are more people but they al speak english!

Passing Death · Mar 07, 2006, 10:59 PM // 22:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by T Waters

well as far as i know all the old school vets if I may say so moved on to heavy gvging after getting their account rank9-10..some sticked thru getting rank 11...i can easily say that entering a international tomb dis i dont recognize 75% of people i used to...they just moved on to gvg after tombs got boring with fotm...

This is 100% accurate. When you do see a guild that has turned to primarily gvg in HA, they generally roll every team they face (a la Rift)

Guardian of the Light · Mar 08, 2006, 12:31 AM // 00:31

Low number districts hold IWAY (yes its still there but less) and other spike or unique builds. Go a bit higher and you'll see more balanced.

This was true also before IWAY got nerfed.

Nerdy · Mar 08, 2006, 12:53 AM // 00:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guardian of the Light

Low number districts hold IWAY (yes its still there but less) and other spike or unique builds. Go a bit higher and you'll see more balanced.

This was true also before IWAY got nerfed.

Ok, so low numer district is district 1 and high number is either dis 2 or occasionally a half empy 3?

I think we may as well just accept that HA is as dead as a dodo.

derrtyboy69 · Mar 08, 2006, 01:02 AM // 01:02

CA ftw, always someone to play with there

Passing Death · Mar 08, 2006, 01:12 AM // 01:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nerdy

Ok, so low numer district is district 1 and high number is either dis 2 or occasionally a half empy 3?

I think we may as well just accept that HA is as dead as a dodo.

Umm....were you to take the time to really check, you would realize that id1 and 2 are filled with pugs, while id5 is the home of people who get annoyed by pugs filling up the district...this is where youll find the real HA groups

Passing Death · Mar 08, 2006, 01:57 AM // 01:57

theres no real definition for a balance build...i guess a build thats versatile, whereas a non-balance build performs only 1 function (ie spike)

Illusion · Mar 08, 2006, 02:04 AM // 02:04

just off topic any one notice now after update america has been holding favor for longer and more often =) thank you Anet

Bowstring Badass · Mar 08, 2006, 02:24 AM // 02:24

The nerf of order of vampire is the cause of less iways but non the less ranger spikers with a nec with 16 blood+awaken the blood can still lead an r spike to victory even w/o order of vampire.