Xtreme Mode

Hi everyone

So, my friends and i tried this over at IncGamers but it got shut down and now its only a GW2 site anyway so i thought why not try it here.

So, introducing Xtreme Mode, aka. XM. It's a game-mode that my friends and i made to put the challenge back into GW PvE.

There are only four rules for XM:
1. Party size limit is 50% of the normal limit, i.e. part size 4 in 8-man areas etc.
2. No consumables are allowed, this is considered anything that gives a buff (i.e. DP removal and res scrolls are allowed but morale boosters are not).
3. No Shadowform is allowed. This abused and broken skill is banned.
4. Hardmode is a given. (Wouldn't really be Xtreme otherwise).

So, my freinds and i have beat Urgoz and the Deep in parties of 5 (and 4 in the case of the Deep) on regular basis, beat FOW and Tombs in a party of 3 and UW in a party of 4. We are currently also working on beating DOA in a party of 4 (all DOA areas with the same builds, not specific builds for each area).

If anyone wants to put the challenge back in GW you can try it out. We are constantly revising our builds, re-inventing strategies to complete elite areas as fast and effectively as possible under these constrictions. This usually ends up involving crazy builds, insane tactics (often without monks or healers) and lots of fun.

If you are interested in joining us sometime let me know, we usually play XM Sunday, Monday and Thursday evenings (GMT+1) but you can also set up your own XM team if you have friends who want to try. New ideas are always welcome and nothing is too crazy to not try out.

If you have questions for tactics or builds or want to join us sometime you can post here.

I would like to see how you guys are going to vanquish 'eastern frontier' with a party size of 2... I found that area to be incredibly hard with the healer grawl everywhere even with a 4 paety size. But a nice idea tho, just a little too hardcore for some, perhaps.

Wish you good luck.
Personally I would prefer more 'natural' challenges, not invented ones.
Mostly I'm talking about not introducing things that wasn't there to start with. In other words:

* Full party size ok.
* No cons
* Mainly hench or local heroes when needed.
* No Shadow Form
* If possible try use skills more native to the campaign your doing OR your characters origin. Nothing enforced though, just not going standard PvX meta builds.
* Encourage own builds, again not PvX. While it might not always be as effective, I'm sure it will be more fun and challenging in the end.

Largely agree with Bristlebane.
I wouldn't like having party size halved.
I would not only ban SF, but also Obsidian Flesh.

I guess I would make a rule-list like this:
*full party
*no cons (including DP removal and rez scrolls)
*Only henchies, no heroes (heroes are allowed in areas where henchies cannot enter, but only slotted with the skills of henchies of that campaign. In core areas fow/uw you can use any hench-bar of the three campaigns and eotn)
*No sf or obbi tanking (dunno about spellbreaker, but I would ban it as well if used to keep it up perpetually)
*Can use skills of all campaigns, but no PVE-only skills

Only henchies, no cons of any kind, and no pve-only skills should balance out the use of a full party I'd think.
But in the end, everyone should play however they like. I wouldn't be able to pull off full UW run in HM with 4 people; hell it's been so long I did UW I can't even clear it with heroes in NM anymore; so kuddos to you and your friends for pulling it off^^

But I do think pve-only skills should be banned if you call it XM, because ome of them are just too OP (SY, TNTF, summon spirits, battle standards, sniper support, technobabble, IAU, FH, mindbender, PI are some that pop into my mind)

It is of course up to each individual how they would like to play the game, the main reasons for us designing XM in this way are because:

In a full team of 8, the role of the individual is minuscule. Each individual is only 12.5% of the team and each skill is only 1.5% of the total number of skills. In a team of 12 (Urgoz, The Deep) it is even smaller with each person only amounting to 8.3% and each skill only counting as 1%. This effect is enhanced even more by the use of minions spirits summons and pets which eventually turns GW into the same zerg-fest that is GW2. In a party of 8, one person screwing up is hardly felt at all since there will be another to take his place or fill his role.

Reducing the party size by 50% puts a much larger pressure on each individual and on the skills that the individual brings. In small teams the number of skills and strategies are severely limited and suddenly every single member of the team is a vital part of every strategy. In a party of 3, 4 or 5, the individual is extremely important, teamwork is essential and every single skill is tested, optimized and tested again to make each build perform optimally. Builds like BiP, full time bonders or imbagons become unfeaseable because the bonus they provide is not supported by the loss it is to be one man down. Even monks and healers are often not optimal because they mean the loss of a player who could otherwise be damage or support.

This means that often each person has to fill multiple roles, with unique strategies and builds for each area. Things like defending multiple fronts (4H in UW) or split offenses become increasingly difficult with a tiny party size.

Finally XM is a social thing, bringing henchmen and heroes into the mix would defeat the purpose.

Also the Eastern Frontier Vanquish is an interesting challenge, and we do actually have a vanquish duo set up for XM vanquishes of areas in Kaineng City so it would be fun to try.

This sounds great, reminds me of my 2006 solo SF grenths balance farm. For f-ing Victos green stuff.
That Victos guy solo
Thats extreme!
Ahhhhhhhhhh, memories.

Stupid idea. Changing the way the game is designed.
Btw, you can choose to go 2-4 man and use no consumbles. If you think HM is too easy why not make it harder instead of this?