Nine things in Guild Wars 2 that turned an uninterested person into an interested one, part 3
on August 30, 2011 at 8:35 am 
Continued from Nine things in Guild Wars 2 that turned an uninterested person into an interested one, part 2
Gathering and crafting in Guild Wars 2
Players that each others’ company at different levels won’t be bored while one of them gathers for their crafting discipline either. Everyone can gather anything, even from the same node. Unlike other games, where there’s a race to a node or a fight on top of it, GW2 gives the same node to all players. A huge horde of people can collect from the same node because all the node does is lock out to each individual player opposed to being removed from the world when harvested. Not to mention, no skill is required to gather. Everyone just knows how to gather all types of materials in the world. This makes a harvesting node a quick stop that’s beneficial for everyone.
But what does gathering everything in sight afford the player? Luckily, players are not restricted to one crafting profession or discipline. Although crafting is usually labeled as an alternative to questing, it’s always very restricting in its own way. In several MMOs, the player picks a crafting profession (or two) and is stuck with them. Sure, the gamer can “unlearn” those skills to pick up new ones but the old profession is completely lost. In GW2, characters can freely switch between crafting disciplines while retaining what they’ve learned for non-active disciplines. Gamers can make new weapons, armor, accessories, and foods with their disciplines. Nothing crafted is any better than anything found in the game. Letting players retain their recipes and knowledge for disciplines they’re not currently using is a fine way to encourage crafting. With everyone able to gather anything, prices should stay low, and crafting items should become profitable for those with the patience to learn new recipes.
Of course none of that would be worth a copper piece if the combat mechanics weren’t outstanding. Not many can live on crafting alone, and GW2 provides excellent combat. With just 10 buttons on the gamer’s screen, GW2 might seem limited at first. It’s quite the contrary, though. The first five buttons’ abilities are determined by the weapon in the players hands. Switching weapons, going underwater, and special profession mechanics all offer a new set of five skills when the item in your hands changes. The last five abilities are comprised of a healing ability, three utility skills, and an elite ability. These are determined by the player and are based on profession and race.
These details just extend to what a player sees on his or her hotbar. How does the game actually play, though? Currently, GW2 is more about watching those around you than any other MMO. Tougher players can jump in front of attacks to block them from more fragile players, active dodging plays an important role in evading damage, and certain abilities transform depending on player position.
The lack of a dedicated healer
This is certainly influenced by the lack of a dedicated healing role. Personally, this was the biggest hurdle for me. I play healers in MMOs, that’s what I do, and I like the control it gives me. That control undoubtedly came with frustration, though. Keeping those around me alive was great, but if someone should fall, I was the first to be blamed regardless of responsibility. Furthermore, it isn’t always fun to watch raid frames and health bars. In GW2, healing exists for all professions. Of course, some classes have more heals but one skill on everyone’s hotbar is a self-heal. That puts a little more responsibility in the individual’s hands and some power there as well.
Continue reading Nine things in Guild Wars 2 that turned an uninterested person into an interested one, part 4
