This sums up what is happening in pvp atm:
* Build diversity is the worst it has ever been. Each class has 1 spec that makes the cut. With little room for deviation past known metas.
* Balance between these specs, on the other hand, is debatably the best intra-class balance we've seen yet. There is a strong role for each spec and a solid rock/paper/scissors amongst them.
* Match making concerning solo/duos is the worst we've seen yet and that is why population within the mists is at an all time critical low. I'm not even going to get in to this here as I do it often in the official forum.
* Match making for 5man vs 5man on the other hand, works perfectly within the guild team ladder. The only problem here is how demanding it is to actually form/maintain/schedule a real 5man team on a voice-chat nightly.
It isn't exactly casual and it isn't exactly fun to do. Players get burnt out quickly when the game begins to feel like a job and this is the #1 reason why the esports scene struggles in GW2.
Not everyone can or wants to participate in very dedicated team play via voice chats and I don't blame them. Though now that solo/team has merged, you either team play and win or you solo/duo and lose to teams.
Players have finally met their end's length on this one and mucho player base has vanished between end of S2 and now, middle of S3. The answer is "bring back solo que" but that is unfortunately never going to happen.
* Match Types - Four years in, nothing new other than Courtyard which has been deleted and Stronghold that no one wants to play. "No idea why, Stronghold is actually fun when you learn it" but - gg Arena-Net.
The pvp is fun in GW2. I've followed it and ran teams for four years now.
But the current system for pip progression is convoluted as fuck, makes no sense and is pushing away player base.
I won't even get in to all of this here but if you want to see my personal best suggestion for Arena-Net, here it is:
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https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/pvp/Best-Suggestion-Ever-For-Ranked-SpvpThis post was edited by TSBoyer on Jun 8 2016 04:43pm