Finally after several attempts, I got this to work on Youtube (I really wish there were a better video-hosting service with as wide a range of exposure). Here’s the first of my SPvP videos, completely with SPvP hot-join strategy commentary. Remember to let me know if you have any questions, requests, or ideas for posts or videos!

So I’m a little late since this post didn’t come out until just before the beta weekend when I was working on other beta-related stuff, and I’m sorry. But, Jason Winter at Gamebreaker TV compiled all of the ANet posts from last week’s Ask Me Anything on the official Guild Wars 2 subreddit. Tons of interesting stuff. Later tonight or tomorrow I’ll pick out the ones I think are most interesting and then cover them over the next few days. But, for now, which ones do you think are the most interesting?

Thank you to everyone who reads what I write here. Seriously, many thanks! Anyways, I write a lot of stuff and create a lot of video, but I can only come up with things that I think are interesting. If you have any questions, feedback, things you want to read about, etc., please tell me! Use my email (“Contact Me” section) or the questions and requests button on the right, or sign up on the GW2 WvW forums (which you should anyway) and reply to the thread there!

Hey guys! So, I decided to do you all a big favor tonight and prowl through the post history of all the devs on the forums so that you don’t have to. I have come out of the forums unscathed, carrying bags of treasure: three posts that I thought were the most interesting. So, let’s jump into them (click the posts to make them bigger).

‘

Let me sum this one up for you: in each map out in the world, there’s a little area of crafting material supernodes that provide a rare material. Each area has 8, and they’re the only place (or one of the only two places) where you can get these materials. You can only get them once a day, but they’re extra special. It’s a nice way to have rare materials other than hoping to maybe find a randomly generated rare node.

‘This one’s really awesome. If you aren’t familiar with the Mystic Forge, it’s a way to recycle items. In the center of Lion’s Arch is this big blue shiny thing. You use it, give it four items, and it spits out a new item based on what you gave it. If you give it a bunch of weapons, it’ll give you a weapon. If you give it a sword, it’ll give you a sword. If you give it specific lists of stuff, it will soon start giving you specific dyes. We’ll have to work out what ingredients make what colors, but this will be a nice way to get those  couple dyes out of the list of 400 that you really want.

More aesthetics, this is huge. They’re putting in a dressing room. If you haven’t played an MMORPG with this feature before, let me explain it: essentially, when you have an item linked in chat, or on the Trading Post, or in your inventory, and you don’t want to buy it/soulbind it yet, you can open a new window that shows your character wearing that item. To say that it’s a mandatory requirement in a game in which gear progression is driven by degrees of awesome looks is an understatement. Not particularly huge news, but significant just the same.

At some point I’ll try to look at the Reddit AMA from last week, but that will be a while. Videos should start coming out tomorrow, including more videos featuring me on camera.

This is not my video, but it’s absolutely hilarious. Team Legacy and the Crystal Desert server made 120 siege golems and WRECKED WvW. This was the only server to beat us all weekend, and when I say “beat us”, I mean “they owned everything all the time and we had no hope”. Why? Because they could do this.

Notice the using mesmer portals to suddenly appear golems at the door like I mentioned in my WvW strategy post many months back! Proof that I’m smart.

I’m tired as hell, but here’s what I think about this weekend’s beta and the changes that have been made.

Okay guys, the beta’s over. Here’s video I got:

A little WvW action running around with some guys for like two hours

Part of the only thing more frustrating than golf: the WvW dungeon/jump puzzle/holycowwhydidIwastesomuchtimeintheredamnmynetforcrashingonmerightbeforeIgottotheend.

Something like three hours in Ascalon Catacombs explorable mode (lots of stops for breaks, but it was all just part of one attempt, we gave up).

Tons of SPvP

Some other screens and various stuff

I forget the rest

I’ll start working on it tomorrow night.

Hey everyone! Just a reminder that for anyone that hasn’t chosen their server or wants to leave their server, I’m going to be on Darkhaven with the Gamebreaker TV community! Either way, my elementalist that I’ll be playing a lot is named Yoshi Gwtwo, and you’re all more than welcome to pm me during the day and ask me questions. I’ll answer you as soon as I’m not in the middle of recording!

Here’s a bit of info on some updates we’ll see in WvW in addition to all of the new features. Nice to know that they’ve promised an improved chat system and fixed some bugs. I’m sure Gamebreaker TV will have a stream up at some point, so watch us kick some ass over the weekend.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the special Beta Weekend Event 2 edition of The Structure! While TS is a column dedicated to SPvP, this week we’re talking about both SPvP and WvW. I’ve got some helpful tips for everyone regarding both, but first we’ve got big news on both fronts. Earlier this week, ArenaNet posted on the official blog what we would be seeing added to the game for this weekend, and everyone’s excited about it. What do us PvP nerds get to geek out over this weekend?

For everyone that’s into SPvP, we get to finally see automated tournaments! We don’t yet have player-defined matches or tournaments yet (something we have been promised at launch), but this is a big step up from having just a “Join a Match” button. They’re also drastically expanding the WvW experience. Things to be excited about include skill challenges to help WvW as a viable leveling method, dynamic events to provide more PvE components, and a PvP mini-dungeon that includes a chest and loot!


Now, on to business as usual. I know a lot of people in the last beta that did virtually (or literally) nothing except play WvW. I know a lot of people that did only SPvP and no WvW. Some of you reading this are probably in one of those two groups. Sure, there are going to be new things on both sides to go back and check out, but this weekend I hope that you’ll give the other a chance as well. That’s why for this pre-beta edition of TS, I’m coming up with a list of tips to take with you as you go from one into the other.

For Going From WvW Into SPvP

If you’ve played WvW and are going to try SPvP for the first time, follow these few tips to make yourself more successful in your new endeavor:

• Big fights over an objective are actually not helpful. If three of the enemy team are at one objective, that’s the last place you want to be. That means there are two other objectives with one player each (where you can simply fight them off) or no players at all simply waiting to be captured.

• The objectives in SPvP are small. While you can stand anywhere and nuke things in WvW to help break into a keep in WvW, nothing you’re doing actually helps win in SPvP if you’re not in the circles.

• SPvP matches are short. It takes very little time to go from winning to losing in SPvP. Even if you have every objective in SPvP, it takes less than 30 seconds for the enemy team to run in and take over two objectives very quickly and suddenly be gaining the lead on you.

For Going From SPvP Into WvW

If you’ve played SPvP and are going into WvW for the first time, follow these tips to make yourself more successful in your new endeavor:

• Killing off the defense actually helps take the objective. Kill enemy siege weapons quickly, and stop new ones from being built. Since it takes very few players to erect a siege weapon and wreak havoc on your team, all enemy players are a significant threat.

• There are four maps to choose from. It sounds like it should be obvious, but a lot of people don’t understand that there are other maps aside from the Eternal Battlegrounds. If your side is getting completely demolished in EB, grab a bunch of guildies/friends, pick a Borderlands map you don’t have much of, and you can often ROFLstomp your way through most of the map before other players figure out what’s how to stop you.

• Figure out who you’re running with. While you’re not going to want to get everyone on your team into Skype like you will for SPvP tournaments, it’s very important to know who the people on your side are. If there’s one large guild running together, talk to them. Chances are someone in that guild may be running a stream to help coordinate people. If no one’s running a stream and you can, offer to do so. It may seem insignificant, but that tiny amount of coordination is all it takes to decimate the unorganized masses.

Extra Tips

Lastly, everyone have a ton of fun this weekend! As usual, I will be with the Gamebreaker TV folks on Darkhaven (unless they announce a server transfer, in which case I will follow them), and you can add me as Yoshi Gwtwo. For more beginner’s tips for WvW and SPvP, read my guide for each (link: WvW, SPvP). Happy pwning!