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Team Name: Bleiddud
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Character Name: CommanderNoahPie
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Class Build: Archer – Ranger - Hunter 3 - Falconer 3 - Mergen
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CPU: i7
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RAM: 32 GB
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Graphics Card: AMD Radeon R9 200 / HD 7900
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OS: Windows 10 64bit
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Internet Connection Speed: Cable - Broadband
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Country/State: Canada - Alberta
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Comments
Hi been playing TOS since early access but ignoring the world while doing so, I’m currently in the Lotus guild with too many in game hours accumulated. I usually just ignore the world outside of my guild or friends, am overly sarcastic, and mostly stick to PVE.
I’m not 100% sure on how to start this due to me putting this off for the past few days making all things that were organized initially into a jumbled mess. But here goes!
Scheduled and allotted time needed for GVG and the maps available
Honestly, I did enjoy the multiple applicable maps that where available for testing after day 1. I think it adds more team work elements and strategies if you have multiple fields that people can take over. Wither it was by intention or not I preferred the 1 hour for multiple zones as opposed to the 30 or so minutes for multiple zones (day 3 I think) or the 1 hour for just one (day 1). Once or twice a week would be fun but to many days will burn everyone participating out.
Sometimes we ended up defending our main tower other times attacking with some time restraints. At the same time i do understand that it can be daunting for smaller guilds that have people less geared or just less members.
Balancing and Participation
I don’t think just reducing trans output would be a proper solution to the problem since it’s one of the ways you can work towards improving your equipment without RNG. This being said as someone who was lucky enough to get +21 weapon there are numerous people in my guild that are stuck on +12 - 16 or less due to equipment upgrading being so RNG based. But to make up for it they try to go higher trans levels.
If you focus on trans reduction there will be a further glaring gap. But at the same time if you just reduce overall weapon output. It will still be hard for lower geared players, because there is no hp reduction. So, you will just end up with con builds and higher trans gear from higher invested players just slowly getting chipped if hit.
This will discourage people from playing their mains or characters they’ll enjoy playing. Some might switch to another build more suitable for assistance with other players that are more invested, that they want to help or as a request from others in guild. Further they might just try not to participate in the system.
On Guild Alliances and Accessibility
As such my guild did test out trying to do a temporary alliance with one guild with the beta system for one of the test days. It was a challenge trying to make sure there was no casualties from the other guild but doable. At the same time, I believe an alliance system would be better for lower level guilds who don’t have as much room for error.
But it could be overpowered if used by higher level guilds. A way that this could be combated is if guild alliance was only available for lower guild levels. But that isn’t always going to stop lower level guilds from just straight up being run over by high level drive by’s.
It still might discourage them from trying or getting a good amount of practice in GvG if they’re just getting 1 shot left and right. If you separate the territories by guild level entrance with additional fields it might make it more enjoyable for them and help players work up to being versed enough to compete when they do get higher guild levels.
At the same time have enough fields so the higher-level guilds can just continue, to go on their focused blood baths. If there was a two-tier entry system for fields though; the rewards for the higher-level guild would have to be higher in order to try to encourage people to grow their guilds and also discourage higher invested players from just making an alt guild and over taking it for rewards.
On Templars
Templar’s are very powerful in GVG. To be honest, I’m actually okay with them being so powerful – a decrease in power would be fine. But, I like how it brought the class which was originally thought of as useless besides guild creation back to having a use and a more in depth one. Especially since guild reworks made it so guild creation and some management can be done regardless of the class or not. Having it have further uses that excel in GVG is nice.
I don’t think it should just be skills given to guild leaders due to the fact guild leaders aren’t always going to be available every GVG. Plus, multiple Templar’s in guild can increase ways to plan multiple map runs if your willing to organize and communicate with your guild enough. Buff share is powerful but as with Spiritual chain not all buffs are applicable. In fact, there is differences with the buff list available for sharing between the two skills.
A reduced buff duration in GVG could overall help remedy it being too powerful for some of the buffs that are applicable but over powered. Warping people can only go so far with load screens and the chance of enemies just being able to bash and kill players while they’re still loading.
Consumables:
Consumables such as dispeller’s, Miko charms, some skill scrolls. I’m fine with them because, despite them costing more over all, it will help with the market economy for crafting classes. TP pots are available for use currently, some guilds use them heavily others not so much. I can’t pretend I haven’t used them, but to be fair despite being at a higher transcendence gear level,I am still applicable to getting one shot. A TP potion healed me for almost the same as a regular potion. But are still abused non the less with higher con builds healing even more.
Bugs Bugs Bugs~
It’s really no secret that ToS ends up with a bunch of bugs; that are sometimes in effect in long stretches at a time. In fact, a lot of the bugs experienced through this GVG test period originally have been discovered by people via participation in TBL or PVE. Just with the sheer size and number of those testing GVG, they become amplified and glaringly oblivious. With numerous desyncs also included.
Excluding the day when certain territories became inaccessible thus cutting GVG short or the visual display bug with the points system. I can’t get into the point system and how it works. Due to the fact I just never saw that UI.
Some of the bugs, such as the Guevara bug where it will straight up just VGA most people on screen, will have to be addressed sooner then later. Other bugs like Ein Sof not always applying it’s effect but still registering on the skill bar, though important can be worked around at times. I’m not going to get further into all the bugs experienced as this post is rather late, I’m pretty sure you can find others go more in depth and numerous bugs already posted.
Actual overall experience,
As someone who usually would rather quest instead of TBL I had fun. Despite the crashing, desync, balance and other errors. I had a surprising amount of fun, it was nice playing with players that came back that we’re more PVP orientated. As well as a nice change to PVE and the only PVP being TBL. It encouraged the guild to spend more time together wither it before during or after said GVG.
With that being said, I clearly think things could be improved but luckily as it being a beta period it was nice to test upcoming content that still has the chance of being changed and tweaked before it is introduced again. Getting a view of things to come and it was nice seeing in depth forum posts from players looking forward to improving it while testing it.