Tuesday, October 23, 2012

GW2- Trick OR Treat?




Yesterday was suppose to be the release of GW2's first content patch which also included the Halloween event. No time was really given, I figured I'd log in late morning and check it out. Nothing showed up, so I figured I'd check twitter and FB, which said afternoon. When afternoon passed with nothing, it was then changed to evening, evening passed and I went to bed as I couldn't stay up all night waiting on a patch. Now I didn't wait all day, I checked in and out, puttering around in the game and overall having a decent time. Some people did take the day off, I mean some people do that, which is cool, they waited and waited without much word on anything. Before going to sleep, I saw the forums had word that the patch was up but there were errors with downloading it. This was almost midnight over on the east coast. EU had to wait another day, but heck we all did it seems.

My biggest beef wasn't that the patch was late, though I wasn't happy- It was how this whole thing was handled  It's this afternoon, was said on twitter (PST- NA time) with silly remarks like:


 If someone told you that the update was not coming today, I'm afraid they were messing with you. :) ~RB2

Are you sure, RB2? Heh. Because it really was pretty late when the patch went out, 11:30PM on the east coast, much later when people could actually download it. If you're having problems with a major update, don't try to be cute, don't ignore players questions. Let them know what is going on, touch base, give out some word. We know you're working hard on it but just show us you think enough of your customers to do so. Honestly it put a sour taste in my mouth, the whole ordeal, how it was/wasn't handled. I'm not impressed at all. 

So, let's get to the nitty-gritty. The actual event. You log in and you're handed a couple items in your mailbox. DO NOT eat that candy corn, like I did. I just started clicking on things to see what they did. You'll have to buy another one, or go find one. There are events to do, I found them confusing and hard to look for with all of the brawling going on in LA. There is a storyline but I haven't even gotten that far. Doors, which appear around the world, not sure what they do. Seems okay, not sure if/what the rewards are. I cannot really comment on this aspect yet, more to come in my next post- I hope. [Quick guide for events in this post.]



Costume brawls are fun, I had a costume but you don't need one. You can click on a feast table and get one to use (a buff), you'll be a silly bird or something random. Doesn't really matter. However, you really can't see much past all the brawlers running all over the screen. I like the idea, fun little aspect. I had fun with it, just running around brawling with other players.

The cool stuff? It's in the cash shop. Okay, not all of it. The crafted items are awesome looking but they are a massive pain to create because of all the materials required, that's the word on the forums. Huge let down there. Now if you wanted to buy them out of the cash shop, they are in the black lion chests. Random rewards, as are the shoulders. Cool holiday pets, but once again you must buy them ALL in the cash shop, unlike normal pets these are account bound.

Don't get me started on the BL chests. I opened 16 and got nothing, nothing for the event, just a lot of junk to take up valuable bag slots. I've read people opening a much higher number with no luck. I do not mind funding a game with a cash shop but when you try to bleed me with random chances for holiday items, it turns me cold. I'm HUGELY disappointed how this was handled. Just let me buy the items. I'll spend more that way than on a random chance. 



Cool holiday armor? It is all town clothing within the cash shop. That is fine, much easier than trying to get a weapon. Sure, you can use candy corn to buy weapons... that last four hours. Why A-Net? If you need cash that bad why not just go the subscription route? I feel this event really tries to milk players.

The decorations are gorgeous, some neat stuff to do. The quest lines could offer some cool stuff, I don't know. We'll have to see after all four acts have been played through. At first glance, I feel pretty soured on the game and the holiday. I did drop some money on it but I feel the whole random chest thing for a holiday is a horrible way to start off your first event/content patch. After I had a good look and everything soaked in, I wasn't happy but I did get some neat pets and some bunny ears. 

If I sound bitter, I'm just sorely disappointed this is the route the company chose to take for the first exciting event. I expected much more, not a milking. At this point I think they just might have me running back to Azeroth... or Norrath in fear... with my walled clutched to my chest tightly. Just my first impression on the GW2 holiday event, which I was so KITTEN excited about.












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