Guild Wars 2

The concept of having factions, or the idea I will propose or take up for discussion, is the idea of our character being able to join a certain group or order that somehow impacts the world around them.
- I’ve written about this a good while back.
A post I read recently suggesting that it would be nice if we could join the Seraph brought it back to me as an option that should be weighed.

First off: Why would we want factions?
- Think of it as part of your character progression. The people you meet, who you make friends with and who you become enemies with. You don’t choose it from the very beginning. It is something that evolves through the game as you progress.
- RP’ers would probably love it, because it can help them define their character.
- If the faction have unique rewards, like unique weapon and armor skins, it would also appeal to other types of players. It adds to customization, if you will.

What will it add to the game?
- Well, as said, there was this guy suggesting that it would be nice if we could join the Seraph. Lets take that as an example:
- Players can join the Seraph, but maybe that is not for every player. Some wants to be the bad guy, the bandits and thieves that plague the streets of Divinity’s Reach and the roads of Kryta (I know my characters are far from what the Personal Story describes them as).
There are these “Assault/Defend” Dynamic Events around the Open World. Well, what if players can pitch in from either side, depending on where their loyalties lie?
- Help the Seraph and gain status with them, or help the bandits and gain status with them (of course, if you help the bandits, the Seraph will not be pleased, and your status with them decreases).

- There can be race specific factions like the Seraph/Bandits, Inquest/Peace Keepers, Charr/Flame Legion – Just to throw some suggestions out there.

Flagged for PvP?
- A huge issue to a lot of you, I’m sure. I didn’t enjoy playing WoW and then getting killed by some random player of the opposite faction who just happened to pass by with epic loot and a thirst for blood.
So lets discuss it: When should players be flagged for PvP in the Open World?
- My own suggestion, as I think it fits the game better, is that we have a “Factions” panel where we can set “At War” with, say, the Seraph, and then when a Dynamic Event pops up we fight alongside the bandits (and vice versa).
- I don’t think there should be a “flagged for PvP” in the Open World, unless it is in these Dynamic Events, because a lot of the content is designed for players to come together… like fighting against centaurs in Harathi Hinterlands, or fighting World Bosses.
- Being able to fight other players in certain Dynamic Events would truly make them Dynamic. And it would be enjoyable since it is exclusively during these events.
People will have to look out for when opposing players might trigger the event to try and take over the strategic points (which could add buffs to your faction, or decide when you can get unique weapon/armor skins from your faction quartermaster).

In closing
- As I said, I wanted to take this suggestion up for discussion as a way of doing it. Sure, it’s not something making its way into the game anytime soon, but if it’s something the players want, we can discuss how to best implement it.
- I’m not a PvP’er myself, but I like the idea because it doesn’t mean that other players can “grief” me. Rather, it is a way for my character to progress, and a way for me to immerse myself in the world (just in case people would be like "Nuh uh, you’re just a PvP’er who wants to make life hard for the rest of us in the Open World. Stay in the WvW and sPvP)

- So bring the feedback. Do you like it or not? Why? Or maybe you have something to add or a different way to do it, which might be better overall.
Feedback is, as always, welcome.

I’m not a fan of flagged PVP but I do have to say your idea sounds very interesting

Firstly, I’d say that the current Orders that we’re a part of should be fleshed out:

• IMO, they missed something when implementing the Personal Story. Instead of gaining a rank every, say, 3 PS steps, they could have put ranks in, with the PS being unlocked as you hit the apporpriate rank. These ranks could then have translated into unlocking vendors, titles, skill skins (For example, Warrior Banners could display the Order emblem, while the Thief elite could summon 2 agents from the order) ect.

• Order Missions – Not neccessarily daily, but maybe randomised (so you’re requested on a ‘as needed’ basis)? To add the extra RP element, maybe even lose ranks if you fail to attempt x number of missions in a row, with a system that allows you to suspend this if you’re not going to be playing for a few weeks / months for whatever reason.

As it is, the PS makes a big deal out of you becoming part of an Order, and yet it has no link to you outside of the PS itself, apart from being able to buy the Order specific armour and weapons.

Latinkuro, the idea here is that we are in no need of “flagged” PvP. That’s what I like about it myself.

TheDaiBish, I definitely agree with you that the Orders need more content with them than just the missions in the PS (getting to, say, mentor an npc that we can grow fond of, when we’re high enough rank, would be one little detail to add there, maybe)
- Factions, as I suggest, serves to give you reputation with a certain group. I think the Orders are in a different category entirely, in terms of what they mean to our characters (along with the Pact) in comparison to my idea with factions – even though they are a “faction” or a “group” that we get to choose with our characters as we progress (I say they mean something different to our characters because of the PS).
- Still, there is a lot of potential in terms of content that can be tied to our character and the Order that he/she joined.

Asuras vs humans vs norns. Vegetables and furballs can do PvE.

The game already has Factions, only point is, Anet has poorly worked out the system yet by having not implemented any kind of Reputation System that affects our characters and the environment around us based on which faction our character has chosen, so that NPC’s recognize us differently in regard to which faction our character is belonging to.

GW2 needs Order Missions, special instanced GW1 Style Missions that you can play with like 1-20 Players, that can have Raid Content, so more players participate in your opened Instance with different tasks and goals and also bonus missions in them depending on how many players your group has, that reward the player with Reputation on successfully fulfillign these Order Missions and Extra Rewards for every Bonus Mission that you complete on the way too.

The Game absolutely doesn’t need more Factions. If that thread was just an intentioned cheap try to get to the topic on Luxons and Kurzicks.
Forget this bullcrap, both don’t exist anymore, they got both terminated by the current emperor of Cantha and all of the remnants from both factions who survived the battles with the canthan empire either were given the choice to join their forces, or were killed for rejecting the offer. So theres no way that we will see those old factions back in GW2. So if that was at any moment the thought of your OP as a reason for this thread, you can directly erase it out of your head. It will never happen.

Something like special race bound Factions is also very unlikely, because basically only the humans have currently a race specific Faction with the Seraphs and they are a human only faction. You don’t have any Asura/Charr/Sylvari/Norn-Seraphs and this will also never happen, because it simply fits not to the lore of GW2 as the seraphs are a special human only unit of destinies reach, the human main town and they are like their “police” thats just there for law and order tasks in the name of the queen.
The other human only faction basically is the Shining Blade, which are the queens elite guards.

The other races practicalyl have factions, but we can’t and will never be able to join them, because they are evil factions that are our enemies, or again it are race specific factions that count only for them and are just very similar to the ones, that the humans have, like for example the charra Adamant Guards, which are basically the equivalent to the humans Shining Blade/Seraphs together.

If we will see further factions in GW2, then it must be something, that all races of GW2 can join, nothing race specific.

Example: Once we should be able to get to Cantha, players could decide, if they join either:

A) The Rebel Group “Hotaru”, that is fighting against the Empire
B) The Mercenary Guild “Rengeki”, thats fighting for everyone, who pays them off good enough.
C) The Sanctuary “Zen”, that is also fighting against the Empire, but with different methods and ideals, that go against the ideals of Hotaru

And here, the game would decide in regard of which faction you gain Reputation, by whose group you help out more, where 2 of these factions are antagonistic to each other, the 3rd is mroe neutral and can be found just on both sides or fight for their own neutral ideals.

TheDaiBish.9735:

• Order Missions – Not neccessarily daily, but maybe randomised (so you’re requested on a ‘as needed’ basis)? To add the extra RP element, maybe even lose ranks if you fail to attempt x number of missions in a row, with a system that allows you to suspend this if you’re not going to be playing for a few weeks / months for whatever reason.

^This please.

Sinifair.1026:

Flagged for PvP?
So lets discuss it: When should players be flagged for PvP in the Open World?

NEVER. EVER.

Any form of open world PvP and i’m gone. I can live with a lot of bugs, problems and things i don’t like, but that is an absolute no-go. After i raged quitted AION at some point i decided that i never ever will play such a game anymore.

And the whole system of the dynamic events will just give so much room here for griefers where they can destroy the fun for all players, even if there is a flag that you can’t be directly attacked.

Orpheal: No, I did not intend for the Luxon and Kurzicks revival.
- I like your idea, however, about the Rebel Group, The Sanctuary and The Mercenary Guild.

Beldin: As stated in the OP, with Dynamic Events being the only way of being “flagged” for PvP as you fight on either side, I don’t see how griefing could become a problem. It’s a battle between the two, where players can join in with the NPC’s and other players of their faction for the duration of that Dynamic Event.
- That way, players who join the Seraph can clear out Bandit Settlements, whereas those joining the bandits can try to hold or retake them by, say, triggering an event. It is not an entire zone being taken over and unavailable for the opposite faction of the ones holding these few points. It also makes it seem more Dynamic instead of just an AI that triggers that event.

You will have to specify the room for griefers for me, because I fail to see where that is.
- I’d expect to see a lot of people on either side. Some people really like the idea of being a Seraph, and likewise I know people who’d love to be with the bandits (if we take the example I made as a starting point).
- I would say that the players playing as Seraphs would have some form of “connection” with one another, as some people take their duties as Seraph very seriously, and likewise with the bandits where certain people have a “code” they follow and share with their fellow bandits (and then there’s of course the people who’d like the “tokens” or whatever for the rewards that come with either faction).

And Beldin: it was kind of my point that there’d be no need to “flag” people out in the Open World, but rather that they could pitch in with the Dynamic Events.

I’d say the only problem would be the players of different races not being able to gain reputation or “choose sides” but rather just help out…
- Again, the idea here is a rough sketch of something that could have some potential in the game. It’s not the finished product.

I came here for Cantha.
Not impressed.

Rym: There already is an official Cantha Thread..?

I’d much rather get player run factions than ready-chewed ones. With consensual PvP.

Sinifair.1026:

And Beldin: it was kind of my point that there’d be no need to “flag” people out in the Open World, but rather that they could pitch in with the Dynamic Events.

So if i can’t even flag outside of events, its really even worse, since that means full ganking everywhere. Yay.

Why want you people all destroy the game just because you have maybe fun with ganking lowbies for a while, until there are no more newbies and then the highlevel chars that get fed of beeing ganked leave, and at last the gankers go because there are no victims left.

Orpheal.8263:

GW1 style missions

There should’ve just been GW1 style multiplayer missions for the main story etc in the first place. Personal Story is just plain bad, it doesn’t feel like it’s your story and I facepalmed so hard my hand went to the other side of the room when I realized you can’t lose. “Retry from a checkpoint” = Get respawned a few steps back with all of the mobs still dead. Oh, you died? No problem, there ya go pal, you’re alive again. Now go get em, champ.

Beldin: I think you misunderstand here. As said, I’m no PvP’er and I have no intention on ganking “lowbies” or give other players a hard time.
- My point is that you’d ONLY be PvP’ing or flagged for PvP during the Dynamic Event where the two factions would be fighting over a stronghold or some such. Not always be flagged for PvP with the possibility of being ganked at all times.

SirMorgenStar: While I agree that it would’ve been awesome to see GW2 adopt this from the Original GW, I’ll have to ask that we stay on the topic of having factions in GW2 (also, I have to add, it worked well in GW1 because we had one race. In GW2 we have to consider all five races having individual storylines/multiplayer missions. – I’ll have to say I think the PS works better with GW2, but replayability, and dying means dying, should definitely be looked into. However, that is for another thread).

Sinifair.1026:

The concept of having factions, or the idea I will propose or take up for discussion, is the idea of our character being able to join a certain group or order that somehow impacts the world around them.
- I’ve written about this a good while back.
A post I read recently suggesting that it would be nice if we could join the Seraph brought it back to me as an option that should be weighed.

First off: Why would we want factions?
- Think of it as part of your character progression. The people you meet, who you make friends with and who you become enemies with. You don’t choose it from the very beginning. It is something that evolves through the game as you progress.
- RP’ers would probably love it, because it can help them define their character.
- If the faction have unique rewards, like unique weapon and armor skins, it would also appeal to other types of players. It adds to customization, if you will.

What will it add to the game?
- Well, as said, there was this guy suggesting that it would be nice if we could join the Seraph. Lets take that as an example:
- Players can join the Seraph, but maybe that is not for every player. Some wants to be the bad guy, the bandits and thieves that plague the streets of Divinity’s Reach and the roads of Kryta (I know my characters are far from what the Personal Story describes them as).
There are these “Assault/Defend” Dynamic Events around the Open World. Well, what if players can pitch in from either side, depending on where their loyalties lie?
- Help the Seraph and gain status with them, or help the bandits and gain status with them (of course, if you help the bandits, the Seraph will not be pleased, and your status with them decreases).

- There can be race specific factions like the Seraph/Bandits, Inquest/Peace Keepers, Charr/Flame Legion – Just to throw some suggestions out there.

Flagged for PvP?
- A huge issue to a lot of you, I’m sure. I didn’t enjoy playing WoW and then getting killed by some random player of the opposite faction who just happened to pass by with epic loot and a thirst for blood.
So lets discuss it: When should players be flagged for PvP in the Open World?
- My own suggestion, as I think it fits the game better, is that we have a “Factions” panel where we can set “At War” with, say, the Seraph, and then when a Dynamic Event pops up we fight alongside the bandits (and vice versa).
- I don’t think there should be a “flagged for PvP” in the Open World, unless it is in these Dynamic Events, because a lot of the content is designed for players to come together… like fighting against centaurs in Harathi Hinterlands, or fighting World Bosses.
- Being able to fight other players in certain Dynamic Events would truly make them Dynamic. And it would be enjoyable since it is exclusively during these events.
People will have to look out for when opposing players might trigger the event to try and take over the strategic points (which could add buffs to your faction, or decide when you can get unique weapon/armor skins from your faction quartermaster).

In closing
- As I said, I wanted to take this suggestion up for discussion as a way of doing it. Sure, it’s not something making its way into the game anytime soon, but if it’s something the players want, we can discuss how to best implement it.
- I’m not a PvP’er myself, but I like the idea because it doesn’t mean that other players can “grief” me. Rather, it is a way for my character to progress, and a way for me to immerse myself in the world (just in case people would be like "Nuh uh, you’re just a PvP’er who wants to make life hard for the rest of us in the Open World. Stay in the WvW and sPvP)

- So bring the feedback. Do you like it or not? Why? Or maybe you have something to add or a different way to do it, which might be better overall.
Feedback is, as always, welcome.

Your faction is your server. Seems cut and dried to me. That way there is no competition on a server. Only cooperation. If you want competition, play pvp or WvW. It’s a great way to do it.