Guild Wars 2

I just wanted to create this random topic about my absolute appreciation for Guild Wars 1 music especially from prophecies. Background music that wasn’t heavy handed but also worked to bring the amazing environment to life. It was the first MMO for me where music so perfectly complemented the game. Even now when I play Guild Wars 2 and hear music from the past, I still get pangs of nostalgia.

The new music introduced in GW2, though heavily influenced by the first game, never hits the same quality as the first game for me. I’m not sure if its the same with anyone else, or just me being overly nostalgic, but GW2 just never comes any where near the way the music in the first game complemented the environments, and they aren’t near as memorable as the GW1. I love both games regardless though, and appreciate both soundtracks in their own ways.

Sorry for the random topic, was listening to the GW1 soundtrack and the memories just came flooding back.

I haven’t played GW1, so I cannot compare the two.

However, when I listen to “The walls of Ebonhawke” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ajJX9uTnw) I feel a strange nostalgia about the story of GW1, a game I haven’t played!

Most of GW’w music is from GW1, though. There are originals, sure, but there’s a lot like the pre-searing tune, or the old post-searing Ascalon music. There’s also a few newer tunes which are similar to older ones. I believe this is the case with the Gw1 Asura tune vs the GW2 Sylvari tune.

Seven Star Stalker.1740:

Most of GW’w music is from GW1, though. There are originals, sure, but there’s a lot like the pre-searing tune, or the old post-searing Ascalon music. There’s also a few newer tunes which are similar to older ones. I believe this is the case with the Gw1 Asura tune vs the GW2 Sylvari tune.

And we still haven’t gotten the option to turn off the GW1 music, which was said to be a feature pre-release

Kobi Beef.3895:

I just wanted to create this random topic about my absolute appreciation for Guild Wars 1 music especially from prophecies. Background music that wasn’t heavy handed but also worked to bring the amazing environment to life. It was the first MMO for me where music so perfectly complemented the game. Even now when I play Guild Wars 2 and hear music from the past, I still get pangs of nostalgia.

The new music introduced in GW2, though heavily influenced by the first game, never hits the same quality as the first game for me. I’m not sure if its the same with anyone else, or just me being overly nostalgic, but GW2 just never comes any where near the way the music in the first game complemented the environments, and they aren’t near as memorable as the GW1. I love both games regardless though, and appreciate both soundtracks in their own ways.

Sorry for the random topic, was listening to the GW1 soundtrack and the memories just came flooding back.

Maybe you should check out this topic and post there. You can ask questions to the devs and this time the topic is Audio Production.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Dolyak-Express-Feb-21-2014/first

Kobi Beef.3895:

I just wanted to create this random topic about my absolute appreciation for Guild Wars 1 music especially from prophecies. Background music that wasn’t heavy handed but also worked to bring the amazing environment to life. It was the first MMO for me where music so perfectly complemented the game. Even now when I play Guild Wars 2 and hear music from the past, I still get pangs of nostalgia.

The new music introduced in GW2, though heavily influenced by the first game, never hits the same quality as the first game for me. I’m not sure if its the same with anyone else, or just me being overly nostalgic, but GW2 just never comes any where near the way the music in the first game complemented the environments, and they aren’t near as memorable as the GW1. I love both games regardless though, and appreciate both soundtracks in their own ways.

Sorry for the random topic, was listening to the GW1 soundtrack and the memories just came flooding back.

Nope, you’re not being overly nostalgic.

Seven Star Stalker.1740:

Most of GW’w music is from GW1, though. There are originals, sure, but there’s a lot like the pre-searing tune, or the old post-searing Ascalon music. There’s also a few newer tunes which are similar to older ones. I believe this is the case with the Gw1 Asura tune vs the GW2 Sylvari tune.

Just to clarify, I was referring specifically to the old music from the first guild wars vs the newly composed music in the second guild wars game. I like the music in the second game. I think it works to complement the music from the first one, but to me, the 1st guild wars music was a step above and felt much more natural in the game it was made for.

There are a few completely original GW2 tracks that are as good as GW1. Overall in fact, I’d even say that the best musics can be found in GW2. But overall GW1 music does a better job of setting the mood of the game.

See, the issue isn’t the quality of the music. It helps obviously but GW1 did something better here in that the great musics were also linked to very memorable places. Crystal Desert, Jade Sea, Desolation, Torment etc… Awesome places with fitting music that sets the mood perfectly.

GW2 is less interesting on that front so the music while good cannot really do all the job alone. There are still some very nice places to visit but there’s practically none that combines a good music with a good environment. The best so far is the Zephyr Sanctum event map. A shame it’s temporary only :’(

I do remember some GW2 places through their music alone which for me shows that the quality issue isn’t in the music itself but in the environment which is somewhat less interesting overall than what we had in GW1 I say.

GW’s music was far more epic, far more noticeable, and far more memorable. GW2’s music is good, don’t get me wrong, but sadly just not quite up to the original GW level.

Thankfully they recycled a couple GW tunes. The first time I heard that GW pre-searing music in GW2 I stopped dead in my tracks and got a warm feeling in my chest. Made me very happy.

Jeremy Soule did the music for original Guild Wars.

While he also did some music for Guild Wars 2 as well, he does no longer work with ArenaNet because of some issues. I believe it was something in line of that he was not invited to some kind of release party for Guild Wars 2.

GW1 had nice soundtracks, but became boring after a while.
GW2 OSTs are terrible imo, except some, and I’m replacing it since month 3rd.
No characteristics, no depth, its all feels like an amateur work for Hello Kitty’s Adventures in Candyland vol.II

And the battle musics… seriously demoralising for me.
When the Lore lacks epicness, even the OSTs not helping…

Jeremy Soule is kitten briliant. ES OSTs ARE brilliant. So he is…
And meanwhile I won’t play the next ES game, but will use their playlists here in GW2.
Mixed with others… Even I do mix some now.

Here’s an idea from personal experience.
Turn off the music and play with just normal sounds until you miss music.
Then use iTunes etc. and listen to music like Trance, Drum and Bass, (no lyrics music)
Then turn off iTunes and turn on the Game music again.

I always do this rotation to keep music from getting boring. Turning music off is the
best way. It lets you experience GW2 in a different way.

PS. I take soundtracks from The Witcher, EVE-Online, FFX etc.. and put them in a playlist for GW2.

This is iTunes mini view set to stay on top of open windows.
It’s great for playing custom soundtracks on Guild Wars 2.
Had to take pic with phone because screenshot doesn’t capture iTunes.

Oh I could talk about this all day. I’ve been, for the most part, disappointed with the GW2 soundtrack. It has it’s moments, but like I’ve said before. The best music in GW2 is the music that was carried over from GW1. Jeremy Soule is by far my favorite video game composer. He is brilliant. My theory on this, is that it seems to me that Soule would’ve been scoring Skyrim around the same time that he scored GW2. I’m thinking he might’ve possibly scored Skyrim BEFORE GW2. What I’m getting at here is that Skyrim (in my opinion) is the crowning achievement thus far for Jeremy Soule. It was an absolutely flawless soundtrack. I honestly think that he was exhausted after scoring it, and GW2 suffered the effects. (Hence the music from GW1 being added)

That’s just my theory though. I might be way off the mark. The fact remains though, that GW1’s music is infinitely better.

Over the Shiverpeaks plays a lot in GW2. It brings back major nostalgia when I hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSw0CyFYV4Q

I believe that the music in GW2 is on par with GW1 and compliments it rather well. Jeremy Soule really recaptured many of the subtle sounds and melodies from the first game that made them so memorable. I also truly appreciate the fact that music from the first GW is also mixed into some areas of GW2. Brings back such nostalgia and gives a familiar feeling to a world that has changed so much in the last 200+ years!

X The Manimal.5293:

Huh, I may be in the minority but I believe that the music in GW2 is on par with GW1 and compliments it rather well. Jeremy Soule really recaptured many of the subtle sounds and melodies from the first game that made them so memorable. I also truly appreciate the fact that music from the first GW is also mixed into some areas of GW2. Brings back such nostalgia and gives a familiar feeling to a world that has changed so much in the last 200+ years!

It seems to me like I hear much more of GW1’s music than original GW2 stuff.

Nat.4029:

X The Manimal.5293:

Huh, I may be in the minority but I believe that the music in GW2 is on par with GW1 and compliments it rather well. Jeremy Soule really recaptured many of the subtle sounds and melodies from the first game that made them so memorable. I also truly appreciate the fact that music from the first GW is also mixed into some areas of GW2. Brings back such nostalgia and gives a familiar feeling to a world that has changed so much in the last 200+ years!

It seems to me like I hear much more of GW1’s music than original GW2 stuff.

Wonder if it has to do with starting areas. I switch between my characters a lot and I’ve heard a few GW1 tracks but mostly GW2.

I recall they had a super epic soundtrack at launch, but changed it a few months in and the music fell back to what guild wars 1 music was. Music of GW1 wasn’t bad, but having to turn my windows volume, speaker volume and game music volume to max, while turning all other game sounds to 1 notch short of zero just to have some music to set the mood was more than annoying. GW2 music around the same time as the soundtrack nerf also fell into the audio abyss, where general background music is almost non-existant or just hard to hear without making your sound all weird, and then combat music kicks in, loosens your ear wax, bowels and shifts your house on its foundations…

Again, it isn’t that the music itself is bad, it just needs to be returned to the launch music set, and have the volumes adjusted so I can hear some of that wonderful background music.

As to GW1 vs GW2 music overall, the tracks were well composed overall, but the old southern shiverpeaks music has no home in gw2 since we no longer scale the frosted mountain tops, and the shiverpeaks are melting away to nothing anyway…global warming in an mmo, who’d have thought? /cryofpain
And the rest is well enough in line with the zones that it doesn’t seem out of place.