Alternatives to grinding?

It’s pretty clear by now that ANet’s answer to keeping people interested in GW is grind, yet there are still people on these forums who insist grinding is optional. My question is this: if you believe grinding actually is optional, what are you doing to avoid it? How are you pacing yourself to avoid grind-related exhaustion? What non-grind activities fill up your GW time?

If Guild Wars = Grind....then No Grind = No Guild Wars, unfortunately. Deductive reasoning.

The only thing you can do, PvE-wise, in Guild Wars after you've cleared GW:EN is to start another character...which is somewhat pointless in itself, because you have to grind for that character too.

Quests, missions, exploration, you know... playing the game. If you don't want to grind, just don't. It's easy. For that matter, if you take bounties when they're offered you'll find those "grind" titles go up faster than you'd think.

If all you've got left to do in the game is grind, as you seem to imply, and if you don't enjoy grinding, why are you still playing the game?

Ah, but Zinger, I am asking the people who do still play GW, unlike yourself

See, if someone says "grinding is optional," it means they either a) are a hypocrite because they spend their GW time grinding, or b) do something in GW they don't consider grinding. I'm a good little ANet corporate slave - I grind with the rest of them - but I'd really like to know if there are people out there who don't, and what it is they do with their time

I've got a bit of an obsessive-compulsive side. I can't leave things unfinished, especially not after I've invested so much time in them, so I'm grinding away like the obedient GW fan that I am. But I'm also pacing myself. Right now, I'm getting all of my characters to complete all the Nightfall quests instead of rushing into GWEN with them, and I'm also grinding titles on my main in between. Quests, missions and exploration are what I love, but I'm delaying gratification knowing that there won't be any more of it once I'm done with GWEN.

The examples I've heard are a) Helping Guildies (which really doesn't count), b) Using GW as a really fancy (and CPU draining) IRC client, and c) Spending time spamming in a city for trading (which is theoetically grinding)

EDIT: I spent most of my time after NF and clearing everything running people through missions with my super Hero/Hench builds, for free. I stopped after people kept abusing the "for free." (Yes, I'll help you with one mission, but not the entire campaign, stop PMing me!)

OK, then I suspect the only real conflict here is a difference of perspective. I play through the game strictly for entertainment. Right now I still have plenty of fun things left to do (I've got six characters, I've only completed one campaign on one of them, that's how much game I have left). If ever I reach a point where grinding for titles is all that's left, I'll just stop playing the game. That's fine, because even right now I've already chalked up 800 hours of gameplay (over 21 months) and thus consider my $170 investment in the game well returned in entertainment value.

When people say "grinding is optional" they mean it isn't necessary to grind to get through to the end of each campaign. Max titles aren't necessary to enjoy the game, at least not for me, so there's no need for grinding.

It would the player who plays say for an hour a day or just completes a couple of quests or 1 in EoTN and does one mission.They are very casual more so than others.

I enjoy the story of the game. I follow the plot with one character and then, often, with other characters, for a while - like watching a movie again that you like, it can be fun. Some missions I re-do often because I like the pattern and talking to completely random people. I help out friends, and sometimes strangers. There are times when I just stand around in a busy outpost and talk to people.

I don't ever want the game to feel like work. If it does, I take a break. I've left for months at a time, before, and always came back.

The GW:EN titles really don't need any grind if you just do the quests, pick up bounties as they are available and take a look around an area. No compulsive clearing necessary. Besides, I really like kicking CHarr ass.

alternative to grinding = just go have fun doing whatever it is you wanna do in the game and screw everything else.

I take screenshots. If there was a Photo title, I'd probably be at rank 2158721908561.

Ha, I'm on my sixth screenshot folder. Each one holds 999, just so all who don't know now do.

Bryant has a good point. Go into places you've never really explored or payed attention to, and just look at the scenery. The island chain with the bell in Cho' Estate explorable, all the frozen sea creatures in the Jade Sea, et cetera.

Grind is a state of mind, not a game mechanic.

Agreed, if you like doing it, it isn't grind. Grind is sitting and doing something that sucks because you think the reward will be worth it.

I play around in low level PvP, and do a lot of hard mode and dungeons.

QFT...

There is still so much a person can do without doing the grinding thing over and over...

A person can simply go to an area and help random people out, it would really make their day, go into RA with some off the wall build and get people to laugh, there is so much to do, without having to grind at a title(s).

That's probably the best comment I've ever seen on the subject, and nicely sums up (far better than I could) my feelings on the subject.

Indeed, grinding is absolutely optional. Here is what you can do to avoid or alleviate it.

Ask yourself if you really need that elite armor, max title, rare weapon, etc. Do those pretty pixels really worth hours of your life? To learn about yourself a little more, you can take this test. If you are determined to get that item of your dreams, then you need to choose a way to acquire it.

Some things such as FoW armor or max allegiance title would require you to do this (Source). To make grind less boring, you can grind moderately, but regularly and vary types of grind. This will make you a little bit less depressed grinder.

If your goal is less ambitious, you could try to achieve it via completion of quests / missions / areas. A good example is rank five requirement for GWEN armor. This requirement should not be there, but can be easily achieved without any grind if you are willing to wait a little longer. You'll have about 11K Asura faction after you finish storyline.

Beating GWEN and taking blessings on the way = 11 K points
Turning in Hero Handbook for faction: 2.5K
Shards of Orr dungeon: 3K
Oola's Lab dungeon: 0.5K
Bogroot Growths dungeon: 1K
Arachni's Haunt dungeon: 1.5K
Tarnished Coast Quests: about 1.5K
Getting blessings while doing all of the above dungeons and quests: probably above 5K

Do not turn play into work!

Kitsune, spoiler. Edit it please.

EDIT: Goodboy. >O

not if you have multiple characters lvl 20, than you just do the dungeons and grind gwen not the whole game.

[QUOTE=Dr Strangelove]Agreed, if you like doing it, it isn't grind. Grind is sitting and doing something that sucks because you think the reward will be worth it.QUOTE]

QFT.

Grinding in GW really is optional. If you think it isn't, then you're doing something wrong, or your attitude on somethings need a recheck. It has been said that making a new character to go through the game again is a grind. No it isn't, it's a different play style, if it's a grind to you, then don't do it.

If you want to see grind, go play WoW with their 60-70 level cap. People crying about grind in GW is just that, crying. It's usually the same people who want people to play the game for them.