In Guild Wars 2, a new update was released yesterday, bringing back an annual event. However, the developers made a small change to the gameplay that is making many players angry.
What was changed? The new patch brought back the annual event “Festival of the Four Winds.” Along with this came some balance changes to the classes and a general gameplay change. The latter is a major issue for many players.
The gameplay change revolves around the fact that players used to stack many buffs to prepare for a fight, entering battle well-prepared. This was especially done in Fractals and Dungeons, but also in WvW or before World Bosses.
With the latest change, buffs are now removed whenever players:
- Switch a build template
- Switch an equipment template
- Change a trait or specialization
- Swap weapons
- Respawn
Officially, these changes were made to improve the game’s stability. However, many players are calling this change “the worst ArenaNet has ever made.”
Why is this change a problem? Stacking buffs before the fight is generally considered an important mechanic in the game and has been done since release.
Players have stacked blessings like Might or Quickness to go into battle with a lot of damage right away. This differentiates “normal players” from “really good players.”
Because stacking requires the right use of abilities at the right time and, of course, everything has to be done quickly, since the buffs usually run out quickly.
This change does not affect all players, but those affected are threatening to withdraw from the game
What do players criticize? Especially the hardcore players from Fractals and WvW are complaining about the change:
- The game would lose an important mechanic
- Good players can no longer distinguish themselves as clearly from weaker players
- The meta will shift towards condi damage, as it generally makes the game easier and does not require as many pre-stacks as power builds
- Some skips are no longer possible because it is now difficult to stack invisibility
Roul, a member of the raid guild Snow Crows and a well-known speedrunner, commented on the topic to MeinMMO:
I find the change to be very thoughtless and reckless. Unfortunately, this is not the first time ArenaNet has been unaware of its actions, but now, in my opinion, they have gone too far. The change is a negative for every type of PvE and punishes you for putting in more effort than others. […]. I admit that as a speedrunner, the change probably affects me the most, but it would be dishonest and pointless to claim that it is therefore “okay” or “does not change anything.” The patch is a deterioration in every conceivable sense.
Nico from the Snow Crows is also puzzled by the change. He argues that if so few players are affected by the change, it would hardly impact server stability. He also believes that ArenaNet should be responsible for providing new servers instead of implementing such a change.
On reddit, it is suspected that the adjustment mainly targets WvW, which is starting the beta for the new alliance system this summer. Here, several hundred players usually meet. However, many find it incomprehensible why the change is also implemented for PvE.
How many players are really affected? On reddit, there are now initial threads that somewhat relativize the extent of the change. For regular groups, where players simply execute their buffs with their existing weapons and skills, the adjustment will not change anything (via reddit).
The average player, who just wants to explore the world and do a dungeon, is therefore not affected.
However, speedrunners, fans of GvGs, or large battles in WvW, and generally players who want to get the most out of their class, see the change as a setback. Because new records – basically no matter in which area of the game – seem impossible for now.
Even in jumping puzzles, one had stacked buffs across different weapons.
What are the consequences? The change has already led some players to announce their withdrawal from Guild Wars 2. However, it must also be mentioned that a lot of frustration has spread within the hardcore community over the last few years.
Since 2019, there have generally been very few new fractals and group content, and there has been a complete lack of new raids. For these players, the latest change is the nail that closes the coffin of the hardcore community.
Additionally, the new expansion End of Dragons will not include a raid. However, the assault missions there are supposed to be equipped with higher difficulties. You can find all information about the expansion here:
Guild Wars 2: Everything we know about the new expansion End of Dragons
