There are 3 aspects to living story.
But then, there’s the matter of lore. Me and the clique I chill with on GW2 like to refer to these as “filler arcs,” because they’re just gaps until we find out about what we actually want to find out about.(Cantha and Elona, but that’s a tale for another time…) That, and the fact that there are so many other matters of lore that fans of GW have been BEGGING for, and aren’t too revealing about major things that you guys have planned for the future. Will the largos ever get any further lore or depth, and thus be used to allude towards Bubbles’ unveiling? Will Ascalon ever get any lore other than flame legion, ogres, Foefire ghosts, separatists, and renegades, and then have the charr extend their support of their treaty by allowing Ascalonian humans to rebuild Piken Square? Will we ever receive ANY throwback to the original guild wars, as far a lore goes?
I’m sure that there are many ideas that myself and many others could dish out for A-Net to use, but that isn’t the point. The point and reality is that there are many subjects for living story arcs to choose from that fans will GLADLY buy things from the gem store for, opposed to the stereotypical “party gone wrong” scenario. Scarlet is such a poorly introduced Mary Sue, and only the most naive of Naruto fans can find this edgelord McAbyssdye as a good villain. The only thing that she’s got going for her is that she’s voiced by God’s Gift to Voice Acting Tara Strong herself.
And finally, there’s the permanent impact on Tyria of living story, if there ever is any. Many people complained about living story not feeling living at all, because of this. If it truly was living, there would be a much larger mark left on Tyria. People are not content with a stupid model in Lion’s Arch, or a new minigame that people only play for achievement points and not for fun, or a freakin’ bare and barren zone that people only care about during its respective living story arc. Everything fun and appealing is taken away to prepare for the next arc, so that “we don’t get bored of it?” We get bored of waiting for something actually interesting to happen! What about all of the itches that players want scratched, so that we can keep busy on this game? A new zone to explore that you can add more aesthetics to, as well as a couple of JPs, to keep us in it? A new DUNGEON, and not a fractal? A feelsy battle for GW1 players where they fight their hero as a ghost with a NEW soundtrack in the background?
This living story arc was definitely a step in the right direction, but PLEASE read this, the feedback of your players, and blow us away. Living story is all we have.
/endrant