Curse

Uber Mass · Aug 28, 2007, 08:01 AM // 08:01

Overall i loved the whole preview.... good AI on enemies but could be more challenging tho.... Dungeons were really nice... Tho they werent too hard me and my guild formed real human teams to figure them out and had fun playing them.... The hall of monuments tho despite they are character based i would rather see them account based... tho i understand the difficulties it might bring....

Overall good job Anet

Etta · Aug 28, 2007, 08:13 AM // 08:13

Well I don't have much in term of complaining really, everything were great. HOM on the other need to be look at and fix, fast. The reputation ranks are rather annoying also, lower them a bit would be nice. Those new pve skills were ace! I love that aspect of Bear skills, I was killing those charrs left, right and center, over power?, maybe, fun?, you bet.

The M.Bison 1 on 1 match was fun as well, a bit tricky but not impossible. The rest of the downside had already been said by above posters, so I wont get into it. Overall I can't wait for the final release this Friday.

TheodanUK · Aug 28, 2007, 09:45 AM // 09:45

EoTN storyline 10/10
EoTN new monsters and skills 10/10
EoTN new heroes 10/10
EoTN missions 10/10
EoTN new pets 10/10
EoTN Hall of Monuments ZERO/10

SetsunaSamurai · Aug 28, 2007, 10:06 AM // 10:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheodanUK

EoTN storyline 10/10
EoTN new monsters and skills 10/10
EoTN new heroes 10/10
EoTN missions 10/10
EoTN new pets 10/10
EoTN Hall of Monuments ZERO/10

My thoughts EXACTLY.
I really miss Jora.

tmakinen · Aug 28, 2007, 10:09 AM // 10:09

Agree on most points. For me personally multiclass monsters were what made my day, and the reward/effort ratio seemed to be just right instead of way off in one direction (Factions newbie island) or another (last part of NF).

For those that dislike the reputation point limit to even see the armor, remember that these are all 'ascended' sets, comparable to Factions or NF endgame armor that you can only access after completing the entire campaign (with the added inconvenience that you have to beat the end boss every time that you as much as want to talk to the crafter). I'm quite certain that ANet has set the reputation limits to such a level that when you've played through the GW:EN content in the normal way (and kept accepting the hunts and other bonuses that raise your reputation while playing) you'll also have enough points to access that armor. In a sense this system gives even more freedom of choice than before, since you're not forced to go through the storyline to get the armor. If Magni's tournament is in your opinion the best invention since sliced bread you are free to stop right there and after many, many, many rounds of one-on-one (or two or three depending on the opponent(s)) fighting you'll qualify for the armor as well. Or you may be a farmer whose only interest in the game is to rid Varajar Fells of every bison, repeatedly. Lo and behold! Eventually that will qualify you for the armor, too (just remember to accept the hunt every time when you exit Olafstead).

In almost every area ANet has scored bullseye, with the exception of that gigantic middle finger called HoM ...

And quite frankly, Jora gives me the creeps. Words like 'inflatable' keep floating up every time when I have to watch another cutscene featuring her.

Cryshal · Aug 28, 2007, 11:49 AM // 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crom The Pale

I have to aggree with what most people have posted, the expansion was good with a few problomatic areas.

One of them not disscused just yet is the layout of the dungeons.

While I love the look and the rewards the actual layout needs some work.

For those that have Factions and do lots of exploring you will recall the Tahnnakai Temple (Explorable) area. It has a multi floored section where you battle your way from the Undercity to the top of the city.

I was hoping to see such multi-level designs in the GW:EW dungeons, rather than just a single level instance leading to yet another single level instance.

Adding some more labrinth like areas would also be nice, though getting lost can be frustrating it lends itself to the possibility of a party spliting up to find the way out/switch for a door/boss monster/ect....

All in all GW:EN looks very good, but has lots of room for improvement

I was in a multi-level dungeon when the game stopped, Monday morning. It was listed as Master, and it was tough, but I kept moving on. I was on the third level when the game froze. The quest was given to me by a Norn hunting party I ran across, but I can't remember the area.

Actually, I was quite impressed with Jora. That is one big girl! All the Norns are huge. But, you did make me laugh, tmakinen.

SetsunaSamurai · Aug 28, 2007, 11:54 AM // 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cryshal

I was in a multi-level dungeon when the game stopped, Monday morning. It was listed as Master, and it was tough, but I kept moving on. I was on the third level when the game froze. The quest was given to me by a Norn hunting party I ran across, but I can't remember the area.

Frostmaw's Burrows.
Don't let the Master's tag fool you. It's easy.

Wings of Fury · Aug 28, 2007, 01:34 PM // 13:34

After seing a lot of the foe's builds i get the impression a-net wants every1 to start playing pvp after gwen, i also noticed a deep hatred against ele's so they want them to play a more defensive role as well ehem like in gvg.I have my doubts of these pve only skills they are too powerfull and very proffession friendly so its gonna be a identidy loss for proffessions.I liked to play the preview though but i get the feeling this game is taking a different step away from the previous games.Cant wait till we can start exploring again though

Big_Iron · Aug 28, 2007, 01:49 PM // 13:49

You pretty much nailed it right on the head Chthon, IMHO. Overall, I loved the preview but I agree with pretty much everything you said.

My single biggest disappointment...HoM.

Ferret · Aug 28, 2007, 03:58 PM // 15:58

Mostly i enjoyed the preview, though at first i did find it rather frustrating, mostly due to the solo missions.
I have generally always gone out with parties (either players or hero/henchie) and dont do a lot of soloing, so i had to quickly sort out builds for that.

To steal a format used above, here are my scores...

EoTN storyline 10/10

EoTN new monsters and skills 8/10 (probably a bit over-the-top, especially in normal mode and given that henchies dont 'think' any better).

EoTN new heroes 10/10.

EoTN (party) missions 10/10.

EoTN (solo) missions 5/10 (My low score is because you have to do these to get some skills and heroes and if you are not used to solo farming, they can be very difficult. The Norn Tourny Bison guy took me ages to beat and only due to a build given by a guildie).

EoTN new pets 7/10 (The Eagle is interesting, but the rest are just old skins in new colours).

EoTN Hall of Monuments 5/10 (I did like what it had, BUT i expected so much more. I was very underwhelmed by it and the character-based mini-pet thing is a bit silly).

EoTN Skills 8/10 (Some very good skills, i liked many of the PvE ones, but really didnt invest in many of the others, so cannot say this is an exhaustive view).

Overall EoTN Score 8/10 (Very good, but needs some issues to be sorted).

Well, that's about it,

Ferret

Solas · Aug 28, 2007, 04:10 PM // 16:10

yeah, bar HoM (Whish i hope will be improved by launch) i would rate the game highly form what i saw

tyche7 · Aug 28, 2007, 04:19 PM // 16:19

My 2 cents...

I agree with almost everything said - I too thoroughly enjoyed the preview and thought it went GREAT with a few minor hitches that could (IMO - should) be fixed.

The heroes, the new missions (dungeons), the mini games and the enemies new AI with dual professions -- I loved.

I do think it's perhaps a bit more grinding than it should be if we're going to a handful of areas (norn, asura, etc) and each one has it's OWN title that you need to level up to get skills and such. One thing I did NOT like was titles only applied to areas. For example, I spent a lot of time working on my Norn title once I found out it gave you a slight HP boost - I thought it was freaking awesome (to put lightly). I also noticed that boost applied to heroes much the same as lightbringer does. I was overjoyed. Then I left Norn territory to grab an elite skill in Cantha...bam...bonus for wearing that title gone. I was extremely disappointed personally. Now I feel that title is next to worthless other than getting SOME of the skills SLIGHTLY better. meh.

The drops sucked big time - and so did locked chests. I blew probably 30 lockpicks over the weekend and got maybe 3 golds tops and they weren't that great - I hope that changes with the full release or as you get further into the game. That being said - the chests at end of mishs (dungeons) DID give rather good items and I was rather surprised and pleased with that!!

pets - I think we need more. Most of those are regurgitated pets with new skins. Given - I love them (heck the eagle rocks IMO) but we need more variety. (-: Now this is only a part of the game and there are whole parts we haven't seen yet so I hope we see more as it goes. *fingers crossed*

Finally, Hero / Hench AI needs improved now that the monsters have better AI and skillbars. This has been a long-standing issue but now it really needs fixed with this and with hard mode out there.

Again - only my opinion - and I think overall it was GREAT ..just a few things I was surprised/disappointed by.

tyche7 · Aug 28, 2007, 04:28 PM // 16:28

EoTN storyline 10/10

EoTN new monsters and skills 9/10 (but hero/hench AI needs redone now).

EoTN new heroes 10/10.

EoTN (party) missions 10/10.

EoTN (solo) missions 9/10.

EoTN new pets 7/10 (I like them all - but more variety perhaps? - there was a post on a TON of good ideas for pets on this forum, some of those implemented would rock).

EoTN Hall of Monuments 5/10 (To be honest I steered WAY clear of this from all the problems I heard -- like minipets being suddenly attached to a character -- eck).

EoTN Skills 9/10 (I really like the skills but fear some will get nerfed *sigh* ).

Overall EoTN Score 9/10 (Very good - just needs some polishing).

OlMurraniKasale · Aug 28, 2007, 04:29 PM // 16:29

One aspect of the game I wish would be improved would be to increase the height (z axis). Give that Eagle room! Let that Eagle come swooping down in vicious clawing attacks!

Argg! My eyes, my eyes! <--- now that would make a great skill for beastmaster. Or how about "Argg! My one good eye!": Causes blindness for 1 second per level if it hits, or roasted bird on a spit if it fails to hit.

I guess GW2 will have a z axis (as it should since Aion, the new game coming out from NCSoft will have you flying around).

PnoyPlaYa · Aug 28, 2007, 04:41 PM // 16:41

I agree with totally everything you said!

speaking of negativity, what the heck is up with the Star of Transference? at the Consumables

who would actually craft it when the effect is to "double-click to gain 1 skill point" but when your crafting it your already using 1 skill point AND EXTRA 25 wood, 25 fibre and 250g, so basically your gaining your skill point back but giving the crafter FREE 25 fibre 25 wood and 250g :P - what a ripp.

OlMurraniKasale · Aug 28, 2007, 04:47 PM // 16:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by PnoyPlaYa

. . . what the heck is up with the Star of Transference? at the Consumables

who would actually craft it when the effect is to "double-click to gain 1 skill point" but when your crafting it your already using 1 skill point AND EXTRA 25 wood, 25 fibre and 250g, so basically your gaining your skill point back but giving the crafter FREE 25 fibre 25 wood and 250g :P - what a ripp.

I believe its for those skill hunters who do run out of skill points, so they transfer one skill point from some other toon that has a gazillion and give it to their skill hunter toon. Other than that, I certainly wouldn't have any need for it.

Seissor · Aug 28, 2007, 04:51 PM // 16:51

I wish GWEN was out now

im havin withdrawls. I need to speak to Pooh Bear so I can get a heffalump hunt buff. And then fight Piglet the Bison in a 1v1 tourney and get some tigger skills like "Bounce" and "That's What Tiggers do Best!"

Emanuel Zorg · Aug 28, 2007, 06:06 PM // 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chthon

The big problems is that, in the face of these improved monsters, the hero/hench AI is just as dumb as ever. In this new light, two of the weaknesses in the hero/hench AI really stick out like sore thumbs: (1) the heroes/hench still bunch up like idiots and make themselves sitting ducks for these mobs' AoE effects, and (2) the heroes/hench have no sense of priority for interrupting or hex removal.

Interesting that you should mention this, because I found myself admiring the hero/hench AI and wondering if it had been improved! I remember in particular one gigantic battle in Jaga Moraine where I noticed the henchies were all over the battlefield and even zoomed out to admire their positioning. Mhenlo, Gwen, Norgu, Olias -- all of the casters were at worst "in the area" of each other and running halfway across the battlefield, if necessary, to escape attackers. Only Talon was right beside me.

I personally find the mesmer is a better place to put hex removal than the monks. I gave Gwen the touch-range Hex Eater Signet, and I noticed:

During battle, she would primarily use it only on other casters
Only occasionally did she run to melee range to use it on me, after which she would run away.
More often, she would wait until the battle ended, and then run up to use it on me.

Awesome.

I do find that bunching is still a big problem at the beginning of a battle and I wish they would spread out more quickly.

All in all, I didn't have any problems with mobs in GW:EN while using all hero/hench, but it could also be because I had 8 interrupts across the bars + 1 daze, so the question of interrupt priority never entered into it. My mesmers just interrupted everything, and the rest of us mowed them down. Things like mandragor and jotuns never even registered as "hard".

I think that a player can work with the hero/hench AI as it is to find a solution that works. The answer may just be that you can't run through GW:EN using the same team build you used before. For example, I rarely use a mesmer in the other campaigns, because 2 SF elementalists cut down the mobs so well. But as soon as Gwen was unlocked, I added both her and Norgu to my team with different builds. And I had no problems. So I think the monsters in GW:EN may be handled better with a more tactical and balanced build, rather than an offensive steamroller build.

Tijger · Aug 28, 2007, 07:35 PM // 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by PnoyPlaYa

I agree with totally everything you said!

speaking of negativity, what the heck is up with the Star of Transference? at the Consumables

who would actually craft it when the effect is to "double-click to gain 1 skill point" but when your crafting it your already using 1 skill point AND EXTRA 25 wood, 25 fibre and 250g, so basically your gaining your skill point back but giving the crafter FREE 25 fibre 25 wood and 250g :P - what a ripp.

Oh, I dont know, how about if you make a new char?

ALICE WInterLand · Aug 28, 2007, 07:51 PM // 19:51

am not complainning about the Bison norn tournament.besides this EXpanstion is meant for the LOyal fans of GW.so it means its meant for Vetern...
i find that...IN gw:en's dungeons it really tested my Knowledge of mesmer skills like no other previous 3 campaigns...I really LOOOOVE it!..oh and the ENviornment Effect.the SNowball rolling about crushing me and my heroes??! " NICE"!!... makes me smile .i think its cute...I Especally love the " follow the bunny part"..It is one of the most Beautiful Place i ever saw in Guild wars..the Bright autumn Leaves falling all over.the Huge lively tree hovering over the Bunnies....well,b4.the nightmare spawn....I think its such a Beautiful Lie!.
ALice in wonderland indeed...I simply LOve gwen.