We all have things we love about Guild Wars 2, places that make us cheer out and say “yes, this is my ultra-mega place!” We all have classes, abilities, and features we’re passionate about, either negatively or positively. This is a place to share all that. A couple times a week I’ll be raising a Guild Wars 2 question to the community– hopefully an interesting one– and we’ll share our opinions. I’ll start off with my opinion just to get the ball rolling, but these questions will not have any right or wrong answers, so feel free to argue with me to your heart’s content!
So, this past week I’ve been doing quite a bit of crafting on my main. I’m rounding my way to level 40 now as a weaponsmith/jeweler, and still finding myself needing iron and silver (along with, of course, fine materials (fangs, vials of blood, etc.)). I’ve managed to keep my crafting fairly current with my level, but it does take some extra ore farming occasionally. I don’t mind this. In fact, I find it somewhat refreshing that crafting takes a bit of work sometimes. Having goals is a good excuse– er, reason– to explore if you ask me, and it keeps me wandering eagerly.
I enjoy also the item discovery system immensely. The first time I tried discovering a cooking recipe during beta, I instantly fell in love. At first glance the system appears complicated, but it also makes sense. Cooking uses real ingredient combinations, and axes don’t just need ore– they need wood, too, for the handles. The collection tab and the fact that we can now craft from it and our bank adds to my enjoyment of crafting overall. The game’s salvaging system is also solid, in my opinion, since it gives players a few options when it comes to obtaining needed materials.
That said, I’ve heard quite a few complaints about Guild Wars 2′s crafting system lately, especially on the official forums. Some crafting disciplines naturally need more fine materials than others, which I imagine could be frustrating (this may be true for cloth/leather disciplines as well). There’s also the fact that down-leveling and playing crafting catch up isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. Also, it’s a little difficult to play the Trading Post smartly at the moment, thanks to the market’s general saturation of certain goods, which is something that will ideally shift in time.
As a result, I’ve kind of formed the opinion that crafting in Guild Wars 2 is something that isn’t going to satisfy all types of players, but those who enjoy it seem to thoroughly enjoy it. Why, yes, I’m gleefully gathering onions and carrots for when I plan on leveling my charr’s inner chef. On second thought, I may have an MMO addition to collecting onions. I RPed in LotRO as a goofy, onion-farming Guardian. Dang, my secret’s out…
How about you? What’s your take on the crafting system? Is it fun and worthwhile, or is it lacking in one regard or another?
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