GW2 No raids in GW2...THANK GOD!

[TIG]

I was thinking today about either logging on or catching up on some of my recorded tv, and realized I didn't have any anxiety about not logging on.

Let me explain, I am an accomplishment whore. I want to achieve something because its put in the game. Not necessarily all the actual achievements, but the things that few others can do. In wow that was raiding and being one of the first guilds on the server to get bosses down. Then it was having the best gear, or the most gold before it was common place. What this meant was I had adhere to a schedule for raiding, AH babysitting, daily, monthly and specialty achievements, special runs of old raids to get rare mount drops, etc.

All this translated into me having to choose between what I wanted to do at that moment and what I wanted to get done in the game. I felt locked in, or trapped into playing the game just because the way the game was built. That caused me anxiety and resentment if I chose to do something else.

Now in GW2 I still have that accomplishment complex. I wanted to get to 80 quick so I could take advantage of the economy before the zerg got there. I did, and I did well for myself, but with the way they set up the TP the economy is surprisingly stable and fair (mostly). I wanted to strive for the best gear and coolest weapons, well I can do that at my own pace and not have to be on anyone else's schedule. Legendaries are an epic undertaking, and I wont be the first to get one, but it will be a huge accomplishment to get one and I will have mine. Many ways to get the best gear means I can go whatever route I want to get mine and still have the best. 100% map completion? doable on my schedule. PvP titles and achievements? Again, doable on my time.

What all this does is free me up for more time to spend with guildies. I don't have to say no to a group because I have to do an hour of inscription before I do some dailies and get mats to make raid food on my alt so I can go to a raid at 7:00 sharp. If I want to sit in LA doing some work on my trade skills I can and I can put it down when someone wants help with a skill point or a personal story quest. I can listen on mumble and not worry if someone says they are gonna do a piece of content that I want to do, because I can leave what I am doing for later to go do the thing I want to do now.

I am amazed that I found a guild in wow that I could make lasting friends that I ran content with after looking back at all the obstacles I had to overcome to do so. In GW2 the whole design of the game helps bring people together and make all those things easier to do.

When I was deciding to get into GW2 I was looking hard for a guild that could recreate the connection and relationships I was lucky enough to foster in wow and with Arcanix I found that and more. With the guild events, forums, and mumble participation I am getting as much or more from this guild than any I have been in before. I knew there would be a group of people in Arcanix I would run well with and become friends with by the way tristan and crew have built the guild and alttabme.com. I just didn't realize how much a game could facilitate that feeling. Instead of the 10 or so members I figured I would be close with I now expect that number to be a much larger portion of the guild.

So, this post has strayed from the original thought and title, but to me its all related to why I keep wanting to log on. Thank you ArenaNet. Thank you Arcanix, members and leadership for making this game something I want to come back to day after day.

 

[Worin]

It is nice to be able to do what YOU want, rather then feeling obligated to play the game according to a certain schedule or spend so much time preparing for something that you 'have' to do in order to progress. I enjoyed certain aspects of the raids in WoW, the coordination and strategy of learning new encounters, but eventually everything gets tedious in it's own way. I find myself wishing I worked a more normal work schedule so that I could take part in some of the weekly events, but for the time being I am happy getting to know people and doing things with them when I am online!

 

[Raene Droppe]

This is exactly how I feel about GW2 and how I feel about the lack of end-game raiding. After 5 years of raiding in WoW I am absolutely burned out on the whole prospect of it, even though I still want to get the best gear I can and my Legendary, etc I don't feel chained to the grind anymore. Great post!

 

[Keleynal]

It will take a little mind adjustment for me to get used to the idea of everything end game NOT based around 10-25 man raids, but after reading your take on it, I think I can dig it. I'm looking forward to the more dynamic and open ended nature of GW2. After spending the last month or so running the same D3 acts over and over, something that isn't a grind sounds like heaven.

 

[Raene Droppe]

It's a breath of fresh air not to have to grind unless you really want to. Even repeating content hasn't been awful. I've been through Caledon Forest four times, Wayfarer Hills three times, and Queensdale twice. Every time I go through I see a lot of the same events, sure, but I also find nooks I didn't see before or events that didn't trigger when I went through the times before. It's always slightly different...enough to keep me from dreading it at least, hehe.

I'm writing a blog post to come out this week on it so I won't babble on it here, but GW2 is the first game that I haven't loathed the idea of alting on. That's absolutely huge for me. I usually can't stand the idea of having to level all over again once I find a class to main.

 

[TIG]

I can't remember what podcast # it was but the guys talked on a very similar track as this recently. Since I posted this and have played more, I have realized that as a player with in a game with no built in structure you really need to be proactive in running with other players you like. A guild like Arcanix that sponsers content is the best way to get the most out of Gw2. Take advantage of our weekly events because they are some of the most fun things I have done in the game.

 

[Waldemar]

Take advantage of our weekly events because they are some of the most fun things I have done in the game.

Couldn't agree more

 

[MFire]

Also the lack of monthly subscription fee make it feel like you're not wasting your money if you don't play this game everyday because you don't have time.

 

[EBK Demise]

I kind of miss the raiding that WoW presented us with. I played for quite awhile but stopped playing, though they do not have this aspect in GW2 I do enjoy the end game content that GW2 presents us.