Guild Wars 2

I’m tired of video games and mmorpg jumping right to some big epic story to save the world! Sometimes smaller is better. Does the personal story have to be a giant over-arching linear story?

Some of the best moments in rpgs are the side-quests. Because they are shorter they can be more focused and more character driven. They can also be more varied in tone— humorous, tragic, mysterious, heroic. I want a story where we have to decide how to stop a necromancer who is tearing apart reality to try to bring his little girl back from the dead. Or the story of a town who is trying to make peace with the centaur instead of fighting them. Or maybe just a “personal story” of a guy who is trying to find a date for the latest ball in Divinity’s reach.

The most important thing to me is character. It’s not interesting to see a bunch of people overcome a dragon— but it is interesting seeing a character overcoming their personal problems and then being able to succeed at killing a dragon.

I sort of liked how the story panned out by the end, but I definitely see what you’re getting at.

The early portions of the personal story were my favorites. I haven’t done every possible combination yet, but I really liked how the Charr personal stories start with solving issues that were in your back yard. It felt more… Personable.

Every character would want to stop a world-killing dragon, sure, but most people wouldn’t care about some scrap thefts in Ascalon. My character does, though. There’s a time and a place for the large scale, but I think it’s good to have a mix of small-scale things in there, as well!

Likewise I really preferred the earlier portions of the story too, but it flagged very badly towards the end. Rushed, confusing and not especially compelling for a player. I applaud their attempt but wish they had remembered more of the lessons they learnt in GW1 when making it.

I agree. I find it impossible to find my story “personal” when I’m in a position that’s so freakishly powerful (commander of a coalition of the 3 most potent orders on Tyria…), and I’m well aware that everyone else in the game shares that position.

I would definitely appreciate the story more if it were the journeys of a normal person, not the Mary Sue who saves the world because they are just that awesome. Seriously, there are more than enough of those in the genre already.

If the personal story were to branch out into multiple possible endings, that would be amazing as well. For example, if you made a choice midway through the story, your final questline could be,

1. Fighting the undead in Orr (not as a commander).
2. Fighting Jormag’s minions in Frostgorge sound.
3. Finding a long lost brother that defected to (Sepratists, Nightmare Court, Inquest, Sons of Svanir, Flame Legion)
4. Crafting the ultimate weapon of ultimate destiny

and the list goes on of possibilities…

Though that would take a monstrous amount of development time, I firmly believe it would make the story more personal.

Best part of the personal story was where you had each unique race story. Once you join an order the story becomes generic and bland.

For now PS is only feeling Incomplete for me. That mostly because Act 1 (Zhaitan Act) only set the stage for the future Personal Story so there are many open question we will not have answered until Anet starts expanding the Story.

I like how they stripped all our previous interactions and choices in the racial storylines.. or wait, no I dont. Npcs you’ve met before, interacted with, even saved.. act like they have no clue who you are and might claim things that happened opposite of what you actually did! Helped save a sylvari from an orrian mirror, not with the help of that idiot Trahearne but with the help of an asura scientist? Seemingly not, or the sylvari you saved has severe memory loss (the ego trahearn then must have filled in the blanks, where he is the master of all and everything and the saviour of the kitten universe).

My least favorite thing was that the “personal” part of the Personal story ended way too fast. I mean, the White Mantle killed my parents and I get no other explanation? I really hope the expansions expand on the personal stories as well.

Really, finding my parents was the most disappointing thing ever.

Story is just a side dish in this game, that’s ok-ish with me though. I did enjoy 1-50 alot more then 50-80, both in story and npc development (Sieran really grew on me, oh god the puns) and encounters (battle of Klaw Island felt like a dire situation turning worse, then during the similar mission in fort trinity it was all very lifeless and boring).

I think with the ability to instance any portion of the game world, if they decide to make good future stories they can do that. Should probably put a bit more time into it though.