Guild Wars 2 details upcoming end-game additions

Guild Wars 2 is getting several changes to keep the game going for players who have hit max levels. These include a new Agony condition, which can be cured with Infusion upgrades, which are slotted into Ascended Gear.

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The Guild Wars 2 Lost Shores update is right around the corner, but that isn't all that ArenaNet has planned for the future of the franchise. In response to data collected from watching the game in a live environment, the developer is planning various tweaks to the end-game to help players enjoy themselves after hitting the level cap.

A blog post details the changes, which are all connected and meant to work together.

When the Fractals of the Mists dungeon launches, a new monster condition called "Agony" will come with it, which slowly chips away at player health and can't be cured through normal means. The only way to save yourself is to build up resistance with another upgrade, called Infusions. These are special upgrade components that can be slotted into special Infusion slots. They'll come in Offensive, Defensive, and Omni flavors. But, they can only be slotted into a new rarity rating for gear, called Ascended. This gear has Infusion slots instead of upgrade slots, and the stat upgrades normally achieved through upgrades are inherent to the gear itself. Some rarer Ascended gear also comes with its own Agony resistance.

"We designed the process of getting Legendary gear to be a long term goal, but players were ready to start on that path much sooner than we expected and were becoming frustrated with a lack of personal progression," said developer Linsey Murdock. "Adding item progression is a delicate process normally undertaken in an expansion, but we feel it’s important to strive to satisfy the basic needs of our players sooner rather than later."

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  • reply
    November 13, 2012 11:30 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Guild Wars 2 details upcoming end-game additions.

    Guild Wars 2 is getting several changes to keep the game going for players who have hit max levels. These include a new Agony condition, which can be cured with Infusion upgrades, which are slotted into Ascended Gear.

    • reply
      November 13, 2012 11:46 AM

      When the Fractals of the Mists dungeon launches, a new monster condition called "Agony" will come with it, which slowly chips away at player health and can't be cured through normal means. The only way to save yourself is to build up resistance with another upgrade, called Infusions. These are special upgrade components that can be slotted into special Infusion slots. They'll come in Offensive, Defensive, and Omni flavors. But, they can only be slotted into a new rarity rating for gear, called Ascended.

      Haha, what? That sounds fucking horrible. This isn't a feature, it's a penalty for getting to the end game. Have fun with that.

      • reply
        November 13, 2012 11:52 AM

        [deleted]

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        November 13, 2012 11:53 AM

        Yeah that does sound terrible and counter to what I would think GW2 is about, always thought they wanted it to be as accessible as possible where gear wasn't the driving focus. This makes it sound like they are adding gear checks to the game.

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          November 13, 2012 1:14 PM

          /shrug. So skip it. What I like more in GW2 is that you can start as many alts as you want because you can just buy more character slots with your gold. This new spergy content may be silly or it might actually be fun, but there's plenty else to do with the game anyway.

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          November 13, 2012 6:33 PM

          dont do it

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            November 13, 2012 10:36 PM

            Not gonna do it, read my lips, thousand points of light

            Playing LOTRO anyway!

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        November 13, 2012 12:00 PM

        It's the same thing they had in Guild Wars 1. And as of right now they are only adding in Rings and back slots.

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          November 13, 2012 1:37 PM

          Yep. In the original GW1 campaign you first had to Ascend, then get your gear infused so that you could fight the Murrsat. They had an effect that was a health drain. Originally, you had to get a drop for each piece you wanted infused, but later it was changed to infuse all of your worn armor when you turned the drop in.

          From the sounds of it, this will be a resistance type that is only useful against one type of mob... and not something "Required" for everything else.

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        November 13, 2012 1:41 PM

        [deleted]

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          November 13, 2012 6:03 PM

          They did not do the same thing in the first game. In the first game you could get all your armor infused for free in multiple places across the world. It took 5 minutes.

          In GW2 they've made a new gear tier with better stats and new upgrades. Basically it makes everyone that has currently max gear go grind for another set of gear 5% better. No news on how bad the grind will be, but it will sure as hell take more than 5 minutes.

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      November 13, 2012 9:45 PM

      Item progression is the one thing blizzard are pros at, arenanet should stay awhile and listen (and learn). Its what makes mmo's an mmo and more importantly rewarding and enjoyable. Its not just about looking pretty... which is all the item progression gw2 has currently. A prime example is legendary weapons... they just look different, no new stats or procs. You can go against the tried and tested formula to try and be different and revolutionary all you like, but its there for a reason, because it works long term, if done right. /end rant ;p

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        November 13, 2012 10:11 PM

        Its what makes mmo's an mmo and more importantly rewarding and enjoyable.

        No. Just no x1000 :(

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          November 13, 2012 11:27 PM

          Well I don't mean go crazy with it, not even to the level wow has done, but just... some form of it... at the end game. It's a great game that does everything right, apart from this imo.

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      November 13, 2012 11:18 PM

      I love this game.. It's just what I wanted.
      I can pick it up for a few minutes, or play it for hours. A bit now and then, or leave it for a while. It's a real casual MMO.

      I play with my own agenda, not being forced into a specific style and that really lets me do the things I enjoy most. In this case, I'm having a blast just exploring. Up to 73% map completion and am only just now heading back to early low-level areas, but even those are a treat. Still extremely powerful at 80 when running around there and every time I find an actually low level bud in the area, I still help them out, and always get a thanks out of them :D

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