Thread by @eaSyRoca

Lots and lots of people ask me how the new GW2 Challenge Mode compares to FF14 ultimates:

Truth is, they're both so different, it's hard to make any valid comparisons

There are however also many parallels - I think this fight deserves being called the GW2 Ultimate!!

More below

I'll try to break down a comparison and my impressions of the fight.

Disclaimer: I haven't cleared the GW2 fight yet, but I did make it to the Saltspray-Dragon intermission phase, which lets me get a decent taste. In terms of FF14, I have cleared them all, most 20+ times.

In terms of mechanical Complexity I believe FF14 Ultimates still take the lead. Harvest Temple boils down to the variation of 3 repeating mechanics that get overlayed by each phases individual phase-mechanic. That means phases have alot in common and there is less to figure out

In terms of execution, both fights are ruthless. GW2 has no way of letting you recover a teammates death once they get past downstate, so if you make mistakes it's often impossible to recover. What's new for GW2 is the addition of a REAL DPS CHECK

In GW2 a DPS check comes with some problems. The game isn't nearly as well and strictly balanced as FF14. That means alot of classes have a big edge over others. I think that adds a significant hurdle to entry right now - I do however believe that this is a temporary issue

Finally, in terms of length of the encounter, GW2 is close here but it's not quite as long as an FF14 ultimate. The latest FF14 ult had 7 phases spread over more than 20 minutes. That's not neccessarily a sign of quality, but it does make a difference for sure

What the GW2 Fight imo has the edge in is the difficulty of executing the mechanics. There is no huge brainpower required, but in terms of reactions (dodging, timing utility skills, jumping over attacks), the mechanics in the new GW2 fight are more difficult to execute

To sum this up:

Mechanical complexity: FF14-Ult > Gw2 HT CM
Punishment: Equal
Length: FF14-Ult > Gw2 HT CM
DPS Requirement: roughly equal
Execution / Reaction timing: Gw2 HT CM > FF14-Ult

Ultimately, this isn't a competition of which game is better. But I think this is a great signal for all MMO players who enjoy challenging pve endgame: GW2 now has something to offer in this regard. I'd like all hardcore gamers out there to recognize this.

The fact that GW2 has an encounter now that can even be compared to an FF14 ultimate is absolutely insane to me and I am so glad that this niche of content has finally been filled for #GW2.

I encourage everyone to give this a go, both inside and outside the GW2-Community!