Guild Wars 2

As a former player who’s tried to return to the game several times lately, the “ruined” version of Lion’s Arch makes the game unappealing and not worth playing. I thought it was silly enough when the Mad King destroyed the statue, but entirely destroying the central hub/social area of the game makes it so that I have no familiar frame of reference, no place to lurk general chat to feel the pulse of the game or get a sense of what people are doing, etc.

I know the people who have been playing constantly from release will probably just think this is whining because to them the game world, character traits, items, etc have changed gradually, and they don’t need a “familiar” area the way some one like me does, but for me this is enough of an issue that I simply won’t play the game until Lion’s Arch exists in a form similar to what it was at launch.

Does any one know if this is even planned, and if so, what the timeline for that might be? If it’s six months or something then so be it, but I don’t want to waste my time checking back from time to time hoping for progress if Lion’s Arch has become a permanent casualty of a “dynamic” vision of the world.

I apologize if this answer exists some place and I have overlooked it. I did some Google and scanned the forums but didn’t see any one asking this question.

I don’t know if they will rebuild it. After all, the gem sales are up now since you have to pay for a pass to access the all in one place features you had for granted in old LA.
Never have I heard of an MMO destroying their social hub tho. Must be a new strategy to keep players entertained.

Have you had a run around in there and had a look? I had my first proper look at the place in a couple weeks yesterday and the rebuilding is going on. Looks like the portals have found a new home. I’d say eventually it’ll be back to its original function. How long it will take who knows? There may actually be an answer for this in a sub-forum somewhere. The search function here is a little ordinary.

Why you wouldn’t play a game because a map has changed is beyond me but I’ll leave that alone. Each to their own.

Voxdeus.1034:

As a former player who’s tried to return to the game several times lately, the “ruined” version of Lion’s Arch makes the game unappealing and not worth playing.

Deleted due to poor wording.

EDIT:

I am not trolling or anything like that. What I meant is that if all you cared about in the game was Lion’s Arch then you should probably find another game, because MMOs change over time.

There should definitely be a social hub for players to gather, but there already is – it’s the Vigil Keep now, instead of Lion’s Arch.

So there is no need for the city to return immidiately, because everything the city offered is still in the game, just a little north of where it used to be.

zenleto.6179:

Have you had a run around in there and had a look? I had my first proper look at the place in a couple weeks yesterday and the rebuilding is going on. Looks like the portals have found a new home. I’d say eventually it’ll be back to its original function. How long it will take who knows? There may actually be an answer for this in a sub-forum somewhere. The search function here is a little ordinary.

Why you wouldn’t play a game because a map has changed is beyond me but I’ll leave that alone. Each to their own.

If I had been playing constantly since release maybe I wouldn’t care, but coming back to an MMO after you’ve been away for a long time you really want a familiar social hub in which to meet new people, see some zone chatter, etc in order to get a “feel” for where the game is at. Plus, with all of the changes to class balance, traits, gear, etc there’s enough to re learn without having to figure out where the banks, crafters, auction house, trainers, etc are located.

For me, this is not a game I’m going to play more than 10 hours a week, so if the barrier to re entry is too high then it’s just not worth it.

This is not a complaint. If the players who have been playing for the past six months like the game this way, if they demand that the world be shaken to this degree, then so be it. It’s Anet’s game, I just play it some times.

I just wantd to know if I should keep checking back, and it sounds like the answer is that players believe it’s going to be rebuilt in some fashion but Anet hasn’t actually said so.

The latest Twitch Livestream may answer some of your questions. =)

Naus the Gobbo.5172:

Voxdeus.1034:

As a former player who’s tried to return to the game several times lately, the “ruined” version of Lion’s Arch makes the game unappealing and not worth playing.

If the only reason you played the game was to stand in Lion’s Arch, then I don’t think MMOs are for you.

Perhaps Skyrim is a better fit for your personality.

If you think a game like this shouldn’t have a central hub for players to gather, then I don’t think MMOs are for you.

Perhaps Skyrim is a better fit for your personality.

You don’t pay enough taxes to the empire to have it rebuilt in a single month, it takes years to rebuild a city. I’m saddened by the idea that players can’t handle change, but that change was that they couldn’t stand in a little tiny area of a big city and do nothing all day long… Perhaps this is the wrong MMO for those people, perhaps something a little more static would be their speed.

After thinking for like 15 seconds, I thought to myself “why does a game need a central hub at all?” and the conclusion was that all cities in the real world have them, they’re called Malls and it’s a gathering place for teenagers and it’s why I don’t go to them anymore.

But what if the real world was a little more like GW2 where there were cities but only one of them was the central hub? It would be like Los Angeles being the central hub for the U.S. and people just loitered near random Starbucks all day — oh wait… that totally happens… nvm.

MMO’s don’t need central hubs, you just insist they do. My hub is a little place in Wayfarer’s with crafting stations. I rarely ever need to use any other services that only exist in one place like the Mystic Forge – what if Zommoros wasn’t the only Djinn? cause he isn’t. I remember killing many of them in GW1, Zommoros isn’t special, he’s just the only one that got captured alive is all – or whatever his lore says.

Every racial city should have a mystic forge, it doesn’t make sense that he is the only one that can do RNG crafting magic.

Naus the Gobbo.5172:

Voxdeus.1034:

As a former player who’s tried to return to the game several times lately, the “ruined” version of Lion’s Arch makes the game unappealing and not worth playing.

If the only reason you played the game was to stand in Lion’s Arch, then I don’t think MMOs are for you.

Perhaps Skyrim is a better fit for your personality.

Sorry friend, I have played one MMO or another nonstop since Ultima Online. I could probably teach a course on MMO design at this point. I think I understand if MMOs are “for me.” I don’t play an MMO for the specific purpose of standing in a social hub, but it’s a good launching pad. Of course if I did just want to stand around in a social hub looking pretty, I’m not sure how that would harm you.

I don’t know if you are trying to be genuinely helpful or just trolling so I won’t say any more about it. If you read my other posts I think you can understand why having a familiar social hub to come back to matters to a (potentially) returning player like me.

P.S.— Skyrim is also an excellent game, which I also enjoyed and will probably play again at some point.

Lil Puppy.5216:

You don’t pay enough taxes to the empire to have it rebuilt in a single month, it takes years to rebuild a city. I’m saddened by the idea that players can’t handle change, but that change was that they couldn’t stand in a little tiny area of a big city and do nothing all day long… Perhaps this is the wrong MMO for those people, perhaps something a little more static would be their speed.

After thinking for like 15 seconds, I thought to myself “why does a game need a central hub at all?” and the conclusion was that all cities in the real world have them, they’re called Malls and it’s a gathering place for teenagers and it’s why I don’t go to them anymore.

But what if the real world was a little more like GW2 where there were cities but only one of them was the central hub? It would be like Los Angeles being the central hub for the U.S. and people just loitered near random Starbucks all day — oh wait… that totally happens… nvm.

MMO’s don’t need central hubs, you just insist they do. My hub is a little place in Wayfarer’s with crafting stations. I rarely ever need to use any other services that only exist in one place like the Mystic Forge – what if Zommoros wasn’t the only Djinn? cause he isn’t. I remember killing many of them in GW1, Zommoros isn’t special, he’s just the only one that got captured alive is all – or whatever his lore says.

Every racial city should have a mystic forge, it doesn’t make sense that he is the only one that can do RNG crafting magic.

And how many friends of yours are hanging out in your little hub in Wayfarer’s? Or strangers who can give advices, or take advices from you. Or check that cool skin that guy has and ask him where he got it from. I could give you so many examples why an MMO needs a central hub. That’s why they call them you know, MMOs.

This isn’t Skyrim. Comes Alduin and wrecks a city, great stuff. Adds to the beauty of it.

But to destroy the heart of an MMO is just wrong. And to be blunt, in my opinion they did it to rack up on gems sales.

As far as I can tell, there is a central hub. It just moved one map away, for now.

Voxdeus.1034:

zenleto.6179:

Have you had a run around in there and had a look? I had my first proper look at the place in a couple weeks yesterday and the rebuilding is going on. Looks like the portals have found a new home. I’d say eventually it’ll be back to its original function. How long it will take who knows? There may actually be an answer for this in a sub-forum somewhere. The search function here is a little ordinary.

Why you wouldn’t play a game because a map has changed is beyond me but I’ll leave that alone. Each to their own.

If I had been playing constantly since release maybe I wouldn’t care, but coming back to an MMO after you’ve been away for a long time you really want a familiar social hub in which to meet new people, see some zone chatter, etc in order to get a “feel” for where the game is at. Plus, with all of the changes to class balance, traits, gear, etc there’s enough to re learn without having to figure out where the banks, crafters, auction house, trainers, etc are located.

For me, this is not a game I’m going to play more than 10 hours a week, so if the barrier to re entry is too high then it’s just not worth it.

This is not a complaint. If the players who have been playing for the past six months like the game this way, if they demand that the world be shaken to this degree, then so be it. It’s Anet’s game, I just play it some times.

I just wantd to know if I should keep checking back, and it sounds like the answer is that players believe it’s going to be rebuilt in some fashion but Anet hasn’t actually said so.

I’m not a terribly social person so i don’t mind not having to put up with the (sometimes appalling) chatter there. Every time I went to Lion’s Arch one of the first things to pop into my head was the Ben Kenobi quote about Mos Eisley.

I think I get your thing now, though. Needing a point of familiarity after a break would make the coming back a bit more comfortable.

If I came back to a game after a long time I think I’d rather see that things have changed rather than stay the same.

If you need a point of familiarity, go to your race’s home city. They haven’t changed at all, except for the Queen’s Jubilee area in DR.

Honestly I’m glad they destroyed LA. And sad, of course, it was a nice area to explore the underwater without being attacked.

But I’m glad they destroyed it because it means when it’s rebuilt it’ll be NEW. I hope so anyways. Social Hubs are all well and good, but if LA being destroyed means I have new hidey holes and nooks to explore, I’m all for it.

I think they will, far too many story quests refer to lions arch and when I did the second half of my personal story it seemed stupid telling me to go somewhere that no longer exists.

If they don’t rebuild it some of their storylines wont make any sense to new players, looking for where Lions Arch is and instead being sent somewhere nearby.

I really hope everything will stay in Vigil Keep. Lion’s Arch was just so laggy. And too big and all that. VK is awesome.

I never used LA as a hub. I have always used one of the race cities. The MF is a PvP hop away, same with WvW. The one thing missing was the daily activity NPC and since I don’t care for mini-games in MMOs so I lost nothing.

On top of all that LA was laggy as all get out because everyone choose to congregate in the area of the MF and Bank even if they weren’t using either for long stretches of time.

I’m sure LA will be rebuilt over time, likely using parts of the giant drill the way beached ships were used in the original LA. But we’ve only had one patch since the battle was one and it should take time for the city to be reborn anew.

Voxdeus.1034:

As a former player who’s tried to return to the game several times lately, the “ruined” version of Lion’s Arch makes the game unappealing and not worth playing.

Wat.

People never like change. This is what the gaming companies should realize. Yes they ask for innovation, for changes to the world, for new mechanics and ideas, yet when they come, they always complain about how the old was so beautiful and how what they awaited was something else.

This is human-nature, not even exclusive to gaming and it is one of two, either the player-base should stop asking for any innovation and go play the old content over and over, or they should try to accept the new and go on with it.

after the destruction of Lions Arch ive basically been spendin more time in the grove since its my sylvaris home city and enjoyin its natural beauty and tranquility:)

I just hope they won’t go the lazy way to turn it back at what it was before with missing npcs. Maybe we will see an LA with airships and actual defenses for once.

You do realize the social hub just got moved a map over, right?

My god people will complain about everything.

I’ve gotten to where I avoid the highly populated maps due to the loading time, even on kitten. I can’t stand it, the Black Citadel is where I do most things now.

Not looking forward to the megaserver crap for above stated reasons.

LA may or may not be rebuilt. That is the point of a living world. how the players voted, affected the world. This is the first game to really try this and it was good and bad.

Dusty Moon.4382:

LA may or may not be rebuilt. That is the point of a living world. how the players voted, affected the world. This is the first game to really try this and it was good and bad.

+1

People buy those stupid passes? That’s news to me. What isn’t available in the keep is just a few feet away in the town portals.

Ionut.2307:

I don’t know if they will rebuild it. After all, the gem sales are up now since you have to pay for a pass to access the all in one place features you had for granted in old LA.
Never have I heard of an MMO destroying their social hub tho. Must be a new strategy to keep players entertained.

Just ridiculous that the keep doesn’t have free access to all services!!! I am never buying a pass. The Air Ship needs to crash and burn and give us back the one stop forge/crafting etc. And if they don’t want to do that-put a mystic forge in all home cities.
I can’t see very many buying those tickets unless they have more money/gold/gems than they know what to do with.

Blude.6812:

Just ridiculous that the keep doesn’t have free access to all services!!! I am never buying a pass. The Air Ship needs to crash and burn and give us back the one stop forge/crafting etc. And if they don’t want to do that-put a mystic forge in all home cities.
I can’t see very many buying those tickets unless they have more money/gold/gems than they know what to do with.

Don’t the racial cities have all services?

The only thing missing from places like Hoelbruk and Rata Sum is a Mystic Forge.

And these days, the racial cities are fairly busy.