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Guild Wars 2: Ascalon Catacombs Dungeon Experience

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

During this past weekend's limited press closed beta of Guild Wars 2, we had the chance to check out one of the dungeons players will have the opportunity to play through. Check out what we thought of the Ascalon Catacombs and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Right away you get an eerie feeling. The environment was very well done. Broken rubble was everywhere, the floor was dirty, and the signs that life once walked through these halls littered everything. Things weren’t very cut and dry either, as just like the world outside of the dungeon, there were multiple layers of elevation. Both enemies and bosses were able to hit me off a ledge. There was one time though where I embarrassingly rolled out of an attack to evade it, right off the cliff to my death! Go ahead and laugh. If that doesn’t amuse you, I did it in front of a two developers who were guiding us though! There, you’re probably laughing now.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: Ascalon Catacombs The Dungeon Experience.

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Comments

  • ForumPvPForumPvP Member Posts: 871

    Holy trinity                          Chuck Norris

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                                 ArcheAge  -- -- -- --  GW2

    Let's internet

  • Thunder073Thunder073 Member UncommonPosts: 108

    ^^

    Agreed.

  • brett7018brett7018 Member UncommonPosts: 181

    Looks like it is shaping up to be a very good game and I am really looking forward to it!

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  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Wasn't too happy to see a person have to confront the last boss with no armor on because of the broken armor thing. He couldn't leave to repair because it would have locked him from the instance.

     

    Take note trolls- THAT is a serious issue the game has.

  • IroncladIronclad Member UncommonPosts: 71

    How many players can be in a dungeon party?

  • BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565

    Originally posted by Bunks

    Wasn't too happy to see a person have to confront the last boss with no armor on because of the broken armor thing. He couldn't leave to repair because it would have locked him from the instance.

     

    Take note trolls- THAT is a serious issue the game has.

    This is true.  Hopefully they'll just put an armor repair person near one of the portals, or allow people to carry kits with them.  Because it's not about being hard at this point, but being brutal.

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  • protomunkprotomunk Member Posts: 30
    The armor thing may or may not be an issue. You have to die (not downed) at least 5 times before something breaks.10 times before it ALL breaks. There has to be some penalty to death. People need to realise there IS a chance of failure in dungeons and its not based on DPS/HPS.
  • BanegrivmBanegrivm Member UncommonPosts: 262

    Honestly, the fact that the dungeons are THAT difficult is going to be an issue. I can see them scaling them back in difficulty and later adding a hard mode. The dungeons sound a little too "hard core" for the mainstream player base. I think there should be a certain amount of difficulty, but people who play well should be able to finish a dungeon without dying. If a death is "guaranteed" to happen, I think that's a serious design flaw. Most people that play games want to enjoy themselves and not have a negative experience every time they enter some part of the game. It's fine if it happens as a result of bad play, but I don't think that's fine if it's an intended part of game play. I'll reserve judgment for when I get to play my first dungeon on my own however. One thing my experience as a gamer has taught me is that what you often hear versus what you actually experience are often two very different things. 

    Banegrivm
    Leader of the 1st Fist of Light
    www.1stfistoflight.com

  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749



    Originally posted by protomunk



    The armor thing may or may not be an issue. You have to die (not downed) at least 5 times before something breaks.10 times before it ALL breaks. There has to be some penalty to death. People need to realise there IS a chance of failure in dungeons and its not based on DPS/HPS.




     

    Tthat is not fun for most people and these games are first and foremost about fun.  We're not talking about raids here, they are dungeons meant for the general population.  Make them too harsh and you'll have most people avoiding them like the plague.  I do find it odd, because ANet tends to think of little things like this and it doesn't bode well that they forgot or don't intend there to be repair kits or personnel within the instances.


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  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    And to imagine Explorable Mode is supposed to be even harder.


    Note: If you want to repair your armor you could just use waypoints to travel to the entrance of the Dungeon, and into the open world.


     



     


    "You can leave the dungeon and come back as long as the entire party doesn't leave. We had a bug in the beta that would sometimes lock out the party leader. It's fixed now."

  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Originally posted by BillMurphy

    Originally posted by Bunks

    Wasn't too happy to see a person have to confront the last boss with no armor on because of the broken armor thing. He couldn't leave to repair because it would have locked him from the instance.

     

    Take note trolls- THAT is a serious issue the game has.

    This is true.  Hopefully they'll just put an armor repair person near one of the portals, or allow people to carry kits with them.  Because it's not about being hard at this point, but being brutal.

    I hope so, because I am all for brutal, but Im also for brutal fun. having to carry extra sets of gear and packing like a boyscout to run a dungeon is more annoying than fun.

  • steusssteuss Member UncommonPosts: 130

    The first thing that jumped to mind when reading the posts about the dungeon being too hard? "you're all a bunch of whiney pussies."

    Then i realized that you're either too young to remember games that were difficult and that you died in a lot which added value to your successes, or you're too jaded and lazy to appreciate doing something well and carefully.

     

    its as simple as Greater consequences, greater rewards.

  • protomunkprotomunk Member Posts: 30
    The solutions would be to have backup gear or coordinate well enough to avoid deaths. Tip 1. Rez downed teammates.

    I understand the concept of fun, but do you really think the community is looking for easymode dungeons with no chances of failure?

    A group of players who just have very little experience with the game found it difficult. They also did complete it. I hardly think this is cause to call for a revamp yet.
  • dreldrel Member Posts: 918

    I wonder if dungeons are going to be PVP. I remember in DaOC when the different factions could control a dungeon.

    Was the dungeon instanced? Or could you come upon it in your travels? Or was if found through a quest?

  • thekid1thekid1 Member UncommonPosts: 789

    Originally posted by steuss

    The first thing that jumped to mind when reading the posts about the dungeon being too hard? "you're all a bunch of whiney pussies."

    Then i realized that you're either too young to remember games that were difficult and that you died in a lot which added value to your successes, or you're too jaded and lazy to appreciate doing something well and carefully.

     

    its as simple as Greater consequences, greater rewards.




     



    It's a game..

    Safe that for real life.

  • MumboJumboMumboJumbo Member UncommonPosts: 3,219

    Originally posted by Alot

    And to imagine Explorable Mode is supposed to be even harder.

    Definitely needs to be esp. for Explorer mode. That mode needs to cater to the type of player most interested in v challenging PvE-structured content. It also works to contrast with the slower paced, perhaps less defined/more flexible (objective/timed etc) and more regular PvE staple.

    Esp. if the various prof combinations make for interesting challenges to completing it. : )

  • AldersAlders Member RarePosts: 2,207

    My mind is blown at people complaining about dungeon difficulty and the masses.

    I'll say this until i'm dead: I don't want easy content that i can complete in 2 weeks.

    Rift's original expert dungeons took 2-3 hours to complete. People raged and they got nerfed. Hopefully Anet doesn't listen and i don't think they will since there's no monthly fee.

  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Originally posted by protomunk

    The solutions would be to have backup gear or coordinate well enough to avoid deaths. Tip 1. Rez downed teammates.



    I understand the concept of fun, but do you really think the community is looking for easymode dungeons with no chances of failure?



    A group of players who just have very little experience with the game found it difficult. They also did complete it. I hardly think this is cause to call for a revamp yet.

    See, that would annoy me, having to carry around extra gear just in case someone says, hey lets go in here.

     

    I am all for gear repair kits costing more than the loot you get from a run, making doing it wrong a costly adventure, but it's pure pebble in the shoe stuff like having to carry stuff around for no reason.

  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • ClobClob Member Posts: 130

    Wasn't too happy to see a person have to confront the last boss with no armor on because of the broken armor thing. He couldn't leave to repair because it would have locked him from the instance.

    Take note trolls- THAT is a serious issue the game has. 

    ------------------

    Too late. HA!  Eric Flannum just posted this on guru:

    You can leave the dungeon and come back as long as the entire party doesn't leave. We had a bug in the beta that would sometimes lock out the party leader. It's fixed now.  

  • someforumguysomeforumguy Member RarePosts: 4,088

    Was this dungeon in exploration or story mode?

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  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749

    Originally posted by protomunk

    The solutions would be to have backup gear or coordinate well enough to avoid deaths. Tip 1. Rez downed teammates.



    I understand the concept of fun, but do you really think the community is looking for easymode dungeons with no chances of failure?



    A group of players who just have very little experience with the game found it difficult. They also did complete it. I hardly think this is cause to call for a revamp yet.

    That is what exploration mode dungeons are for.

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  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Originally posted by Clob

    Wasn't too happy to see a person have to confront the last boss with no armor on because of the broken armor thing. He couldn't leave to repair because it would have locked him from the instance.

    Take note trolls- THAT is a serious issue the game has. 

    ------------------

    Too late. HA!  Eric Flannum just posted this on guru:

    You can leave the dungeon and come back as long as the entire party doesn't leave. We had a bug in the beta that would sometimes lock out the party leader. It's fixed now.  

    Ok , now Im worried.

     

    These guys have spies listening to me bitch to my wife at 1am? :)

  • FangrimFangrim Member UncommonPosts: 616

    Listen to all the idiots saying it needs to be made easier already! Does my head in! Stop bitching,it needs to be hard.You people are whats snuffed all the challenge out of mmo's.Stay with WoW or SW and stop trying to make mmo's solo experiences!


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