Tildorel.4723

I tend to interpret Pay2Win to mean "spend RL money to trivialise game content in terms of either the skill or time required to achieve success in that game"... in the same way people use terms like "press 1 to win" to describe game activities that they consider trivially easy to do (often when referring to a perceived dumbing-down of content). On that basis I wouldn't say GW2 is P2W because I can't think of anything in the store that has that big an impact on game progress. Expansions might be the closest, but I'm inclined to agree with those who don't see full expansions as P2W, firstly because they contain a lot of content that you're paying for beside any "boost" you might get, but also because you typically have to work through content within the expansion in order to get the boost. Neither especs nor mounts are available to you if you don't do the hero points and quest lines, for example. Expansions have existed in many games for many years and they often include an ability to progress beyond the base game, both in terms of character progression and content, but I've rarely heard them described as P2W - more like P2P. I'm not claiming mine is a definitive definition, and I doubt such a thing exists - I'm not aware of any source that could legitimately claim to be the unique authority on the subject. Of course, a broader interpretation is possible, but that does run the risk of just encompassing the vast majority of games - basically anything with an expansion or paid DLC that confers any kind of benefit (and if it confers no benefit, why would anyone buy it?); arguably any game you pay for, since you can't "win" the game if you can't play it! Different people will have different views on what constitutes "winning", especially in an MMO that is designed to cater for various playstyles and interests and that has no definitive final achievement (as some SP games do) - so on this point there will be no right answers, only opinions. As to whether the paid transactions in GW2 harm the game (which is perhaps the more important question), I'm inclined to say they don't significantly. The benefits they confer are minor and the positioning much less predatory than other games. The only way you'll get away from a game like this pushing microtransactions is to switch to a sub model, which I suspect would harm the game a lot more! Tildorel

Couldn't agree more on the mounts. Whether they were "needed" in the game or not, the mounts in GW2 are an excellent feature. Unlike most MMOs they're actually an extension of gameplay, rather than just a movement speed boost with a skin. Picking the right mount to get where you need to go and using its abilities effectively has become part of the game. They do arguably invalidate some of the lower level content, which is one of the reasons I chose to play through Core and HoT before getting a mount, even though I started playing after PoF. Regarding your main discussion topic, I'm pleased to hear you've warmed to HoT. I think it's an excellent expansion. While I enjoy most maps in one way or another, for me the story and maps of HoT were more engaging because they tie together: most of the stuff you do in HoT maps is about advancing the state of the map, which is part of the story. I always found the HoT metas pretty fun, but tastes vary of course.I'm not sure I agree that the things you object to are bugs or design flaws. A lot of people, including me, have found some irritants in the expansions - pocket raptors were my bane when I first played HoT, and the aggro range in PoF is a bit annoying. But, as others have said, sometimes it's about picking the right tactics and build, using the tools you have effectively. Reading your posts I can't help but wonder if that might be part of your frustration with these maps. To take my pocket raptor example, when I entered HoT I was running a build focused on single target DPS - minimal AOE, little in the way of defence and not much crowd control. That's a pretty bad build to go up against a swarm of small mobs that each have minimal health but collectively kick out a lot of damage - by the time I'd targeted and burned down a quarter of the group the rest of them had eaten me. Throw in a couple of AOE abilities, preferably with some crowd control, and a group of raptors just evaporates.I certainly don't regard myself as a top-end player, but I've played through HoT and PoF, done all the story episodes, maxed all the materies (although I've not actually got every mastery point - there are more than you need) - so I wouldn't say the challenges of HoT and PoF are so bad as to make progress impossibly frustrating. Mostly I enjoyed my time in both expansions.A few thoughts based on some things you've said: If you accept a map switch in the middle of an open area be ready to deal with what's happening on the map you arrive in. While things like meta start times are usually in sync across maps, the rest can vary. You might land in the middle of an event or a pack of wandering mobs. Sometimes I do that. Sometimes I die. That's on me.Don't look at your map in an area likely to have wandering mobs unless you're ready to switch back really quickly and deal with whatever has turned up. If you need more than a quick glance, tuck yourself away in a corner or up on a ledge - springer can be useful for getting onto a ledge where nothing is likely to bother you.If mobs are respawning faster than you can kill them (or so quickly you can't progress the task) it might be that your DPS is rather low. Perhaps your build is defence-focused so you can survive well, but don't have the damage to clear the mobs. If you haven't already, look at some guides for whatever class you're playing and see what is recommended for open world play.Some groups of mobs in PoF aren't worth taking on. If there's a big group clustered together, eye them up from a safe distance and decide on an approach - fight them, blast through them with your raptor, try to bypass them with your springer, or find another way around.Sorry if you've already picked up those points. If not, hope it's of some us in helping you enjoy the expansions more.