This video is an excellent example of why it is such a bad idea to "unlock every tool for your account first" / "get (flying) mounts before all else". You take away so much challenge from yourself. I cannot share the sentiment that making things easier for yourself is always good. A wise-beyond-his days sapling once said about Ventari's second tenet: The second tenet says, "Do not fear difficulty. Hard ground makes stronger roots." In other words, that which is gained through difficulty is a better prize than that which is gained easily. With opposition, we discover strengths we didn't know we had. The prize thus doubles in value. This is an excellent way to engage challenge in games. Another sage salad (sagelad?) has this to say to young valiants: You will face four challenges in your travels: Fear, addiction, power, convenience. Just remember it. You'll recognize them when you face them. Hopefully before, not after.
interesting deep dive! I remember how when first started out at launch, I was stuck for a good half hour trying to get to the vista at the western Divinity Dam in Queensdale :D
The Vista in Rata Novus was in my opinion the hardest one. Not because it is hard to get to, but because before mounts people had a really hard time figuring out how to get up there. I remember helping at least a dozen people get to it, just because the way to get there wasn't straight forward, unlike the one you mention with the updrafts.
You forget how much bigger the world is when you have all the mounts. Every so often I make a new character and play them through the game without the mounts and gliders, walking every road, completing events and quests along the way as if I'm actually a part of the world around me. It's refreshing when doing map completion to stop viewing the world as 'space between where I need to go next.'
I think there are two different types of difficulty - trying to work out how to get to the vista, and trying to get to it, once you have worked out the route.
man this us making me wanna do casual on-foot map completion all over again. especially as I'm super curious how I feel about the jp vistas, cuz finally after 4 ingame years (and 6 years in between thati just didn't play), I have FINALLY developed enough hand eye coordination to be able to do moving clock tower. and my jp ability really feel like have improved by a ton. if only I have the time to play more 😭 I barely havd enough time to play current content, nvm doing a full replay/map completion!
Cowtapult's implementation is definitely a big disappointment. Maybe the technology wasn't ready when Diessa Plateau was first created, but it should be possible to yeet players up there nowadays.
I found the whole idea hilarious and was looking forward to seeing my character getting thrown only to see a fricking loading screen. Such a disapointment on that part. But hey, I still absolutely love the guys beneath the tower arguing about flying cows!
Tribulation? Have to agree! Clambered up there (and fell!) so many times on my Reaper main because I stupidly decided to do all content in a strict order of release. Then did it again on my Engie alt for Map Completion only this time I had Gliding. Nightmare.
in my opinion, the Viziars Tower in Straits of Devastation is the hardest Vista to get to, and arguably the hardest HP to get to as well. i hate this JP, the number of times i've had to do it only because i wanted to get all the HP's with all my characters because HP's have a value beyond just "map completion" so if i ever "fancy" a different character than the one i thought i'd be playing i have all of base tyria's HP's already done. Fun fact, Silverwastes, Dry Top, and the HP you can get in your home instance do not count toward the completion total.
The Tribulation Rift vista isn't trivialized by the skyscale because mounts are not allowed anywhere near it. You actually have to do the jumping puzzle half-way.
You can absolutely skip that one with the Skyscale. You just follow the left side near the cliffs and you can land on a domed roof and run to the vista.
This video is an excellent example of why it is such a bad idea to "unlock every tool for your account first" / "get (flying) mounts before all else". You take away so much challenge from yourself. I cannot share the sentiment that making things easier for yourself is always good.
A wise-beyond-his days sapling once said about Ventari's second tenet:
The second tenet says, "Do not fear difficulty. Hard ground makes stronger roots."
In other words, that which is gained through difficulty is a better prize than that which is gained easily.
With opposition, we discover strengths we didn't know we had. The prize thus doubles in value.
This is an excellent way to engage challenge in games.
Another sage salad (sagelad?) has this to say to young valiants:
You will face four challenges in your travels:
Fear, addiction, power, convenience.
Just remember it. You'll recognize them when you face them.
Hopefully before, not after.
interesting deep dive! I remember how when first started out at launch, I was stuck for a good half hour trying to get to the vista at the western Divinity Dam in Queensdale :D
The Vista in Rata Novus was in my opinion the hardest one.
Not because it is hard to get to, but because before mounts people had a really hard time figuring out how to get up there.
I remember helping at least a dozen people get to it, just because the way to get there wasn't straight forward, unlike the one you mention with the updrafts.
You forget how much bigger the world is when you have all the mounts. Every so often I make a new character and play them through the game without the mounts and gliders, walking every road, completing events and quests along the way as if I'm actually a part of the world around me. It's refreshing when doing map completion to stop viewing the world as 'space between where I need to go next.'
I think there are two different types of difficulty - trying to work out how to get to the vista, and trying to get to it, once you have worked out the route.
man this us making me wanna do casual on-foot map completion all over again. especially as I'm super curious how I feel about the jp
vistas, cuz finally after 4 ingame years (and 6 years in between thati just didn't play), I have FINALLY developed enough hand eye coordination to be able to do moving clock tower. and my jp ability really feel like have improved by a ton.
if only I have the time to play more 😭 I barely havd enough time to play current content, nvm doing a full replay/map completion!
Lordy i do not miss needed WVW maps for Gift of Exploration. did it twice too ugh. And now that we have BlishHud doing the map is way easier.
At launch, with my garbage ping and frame rate, the Dredgehaunt Cliffs one was a nightmare...fun times...
Cowtapult's implementation is definitely a big disappointment. Maybe the technology wasn't ready when Diessa Plateau was first created, but it should be possible to yeet players up there nowadays.
I found the whole idea hilarious and was looking forward to seeing my character getting thrown only to see a fricking loading screen. Such a disapointment on that part. But hey, I still absolutely love the guys beneath the tower arguing about flying cows!
Tribulation? Have to agree! Clambered up there (and fell!) so many times on my Reaper main because I stupidly decided to do all content in a strict order of release. Then did it again on my Engie alt for Map Completion only this time I had Gliding. Nightmare.
The ruins of rin vista was pretty painful before mounts were available.
Nice video
in my opinion, the Viziars Tower in Straits of Devastation is the hardest Vista to get to, and arguably the hardest HP to get to as well. i hate this JP, the number of times i've had to do it only because i wanted to get all the HP's with all my characters because HP's have a value beyond just "map completion" so if i ever "fancy" a different character than the one i thought i'd be playing i have all of base tyria's HP's already done. Fun fact, Silverwastes, Dry Top, and the HP you can get in your home instance do not count toward the completion total.
It can be cheesed with a skyscale or maybe even glider, maybe not to all the way to the top but close enough
The Tribulation Rift vista isn't trivialized by the skyscale because mounts are not allowed anywhere near it. You actually have to do the jumping puzzle half-way.
You can absolutely skip that one with the Skyscale. You just follow the left side near the cliffs and you can land on a domed roof and run to the vista.
I threw in me flying there on a Skyscale and leap at 6:01