[2020] “The Head of the Snake” devs here – ask us anything!

Originally posted by mrfaceroll

On the topic of raids; are there any plans for practice versions of any sort? I've personally not raided but may be soon with some guildies, but I know a huge number of people who want to raid but just can't get easy access due to lack of experience and find it difficut to find teachers. There are many mentors out there, yes, but they can't help everyone and I feel an in-game method would help.

For example; WoW has a "pug" group version of raids with reduced rewards but is easier because pugs typically lack as much coordination as a dedicated team.

Originally posted by Mike-OBrien-ArenaNet

A note about mystic coin prices. We’re continuing to monitor them but aren’t taking any action at this time. I know the question of the moment is: why increase supply of leather but not of mystic coins? Mystic coins are a currency that all players get in small quantities and then can sell to wealthy players who want to use them to craft aspirational or luxury items. Seen in that light it’s not inherently bad for them to be expensive, nor is it unnatural for them to increase in price as wealthy players continue to accumulate more wealth. We can measure their success more in terms of their use: are they actively traded between players and actively used? And the answer to those is a resounding yes. John will fill in some details. Mystic coins are doing their job. Having said all that, there are arguments on both sides, and I don’t mean to imply that there aren’t, but there isn’t a compelling case at this time that would make us go in and change the supply or sinks.

Mo

Originally posted by GaileGray

I wonder if his apartment smells of rich mahogany...

Originally posted by CreeperVemon

A question for the raid team: Do you play/research other MMOs raids to get idea for mechanics that would work in GW2?

Originally posted by nononsenseresponse

Are all recipes which use Mystic Coins considered balanced?

I know a pain point for a few recently was the amount of Mystic coins required for recipes used in Winter's Presence. I presume it was intended that these recipes become more expensive so to increase the prestige of these skins?

Might we expect a change to some recipes that are perhaps less prestigious as a result of Mystic Coins being more prestige? (e.g. creating a masterwork recipe like this)

Originally posted by eaSyRoca

On The topic of raids:

I haven't gotten to play the new Raid myself yet unfortunately, but it seems like the new raids bosses aren't terribly hard in normal mode (the last one seems to be tough but the first three were cleared rather quickly).

However, they all have a Challenge Mote. Is your approach to raids leaning towards making the normal encounters reasonably easy (in order to make them clearable for the less hardcore part of the PvE community), while adding challenge motes to, well, make it challenging for the hardcore players? If yes, are these Challenge Motes rewarding enaugh to make them interesting enaugh to do regularly?

The Challenge Mote on KC looked like a cool idea at first, but ended up being a "once for completion" kinda thing, so I'm wondering if that will be different for BotP.

Originally posted by [deleted]

Hints for that hidden chest in bottom right of map?

Originally posted by Anet_Kirk

What chest? :)

Originally posted by Caius_GW

How long is the typical production cycle to develop a fractal?

Originally posted by [deleted]

This one! https://i.imgur.com/9gEctF1.jpg

Originally posted by PM__ME___ANYTHING

I won't mention any names but there's a gravestone in the new map. It's in kind of a dead end area among some cliffs. Is it a tribute to anyone?

Originally posted by JinnAxel

For the raids team /u/CrystalRAID

Are there any plans to rework raid rewards and making Challenge mote more worthwhile to do? (akin to WoW heroic/mythic raids)

What do you think of unforeseen player behaviour and strategies that you could consider bizarre becoming the defacto strategy to beating some encounters? (ie. Dragon stand circle method, Triple trouble egg blocking/destroying)

Originally posted by RagnarokHorizon

Have you guys been tracking the accounts primarily associated with these regular suspicious behaviours? Cause these hotfixes on recipes feels a lot like a band-aid to the problem.

Originally posted by Frenk_

WvW Team

• We desperately need a goal, a purpose, a reason to play WvW and actually win the match-ups. Any info on that?
• What are your plans regarding population and preventing bandwagoning?
• Are we gonna see an overhaul like PvP had, sooner or later?

PvP team

• this season has been great, but the latest tournament of groucharoo shed some lights on the uncertain future of competitive gw2. Is there a chance you will be able to create an automated tournament like that one without having the community organize it? That tournament helped a lot of teams to get better gut right now, aside from organizing scrims, the entry barrier for new teams is very high due to the abscence of automated tournaments where they can practice.
• any word on a balance update regarding underused or completeley unused skills/traits/sigils/runes?

Originally posted by RisingDusk

Is this factoring in the constant added sinks that come in the form of new legendary items being introduced? They not only require Mystic Coins for Mystic Clovers, but also use a stack of Mystic Coins outright for the Mystic Tribute.

Originally posted by NaotsuguGuardian

What was the inspiration for the HMS Divinity Rifle?

Originally posted by pattyboywales

Which one of you evil people designed the last boss in the this episode. I was naked by the end of it!

Originally posted by Angeels

I know there are no balance devs here - but I really feel I must ask this question again.

As an engineer main it currently feels like we have been consistently shafted on balance patches for quite some time now. Are there any real plans to actually make this class stronger in PvE through the core traitlines to take the class that currently has the most complex rotation upwards in terms of damage?

Originally posted by Amadan

Bloodstone Fen Gliding Skills and Hablion

They are really fun. I know you can't tell us anything, but it would be awesome if they appeared in more places than just one single map.

Originally posted by Iroh_the_Dragon

Skelk Regurgitant in Tangled Depths

Yasss!! Of all the extra events that happen after completed camps, this one is my fav. Assist-o-matic is a pretty funny little guy, but there's something about that fight....

Originally posted by [deleted]

[deleted]