Guild Wars 2

I think the only truly dark (as in blackness) place I have been is the part of the jumping puzzle in LA that has intermittent light where you jump through the pools. It would be interesting to have a dark jungle or cave system to explore.

I will make you fear my legendary bow that shoots rainbow unicorn!!!

Because it’s a casual facebeook mmo.
No, but honestly, I agree. GW1 had better and more diverse looking areas.
Cantha slums made me feel depressed.
Domains of Anguish was the best though.

Yeah, it definitely lacks dark and insane places where you can’t escape mentally unharmed. Even fairy tales are more gruesome. Well, the original ones, not the Disney versions.

Terror is not the only way to have atmosphere. Ascalon in particular with environment, visual design, music, conveys a great sense of regret and loss to me.

And I dunno, there’s some creepy places in GW2. Not really whole zones, but parts of them certainly. Couple of creepy wooded areas out there, to be sure.

The problem with what you’re describing is that I can also describe it in a word: empty. Yes, emptiness can add atmosphere sometimes when done intentionally, but other times empty is just empty.

check out SAB 2-3 trib mode

the environment/theme is still a bit lighthearted for what you probably want, but its literally dark. maybe if orr was dark like that…

Check out the Forsaken Hall, Dredgehaunt Cliffs.

Hawkian.6580:

Check out the Forsaken Hall, Dredgehaunt Cliffs.

I love that place so much. I really want to explore the dwarven front.

Actually, Primordus could be pretty much what we are looking for if we want dark theme.

Imagine: you are in a dark tunnel system, with fading screams and clash of dwarven warhammers penetrating destroyer shells. Suddenly, a dragon champion appears from a tunnel, tearing down the tents and small fortified positions, unleashing hell upon the stone dwarves.

Have you ever gone swimming in the northeastern section of Malchor’s Leap?
At some point, if you swim deep enough, you’ll be in pitch black waters. You can’t see anything that’s happening around you. There’s almost little to no visibility.
There are even mobs that will attack you in some sections, which you won’t be able to see until they get close enough to you.
Honestly, it’s one of the more scarier places in the game for me.

Actually, certain areas in Orr can do that to me, like the beached ship in Cursed Shore. If you get lost there for a second, be prepared to get hunted down by every Risen in there… I used to get super panicky when I first came across it… Also the catacombs in the South Western section of Straits can give off an eerie vibe. Mind you that fear is subjective, so while I found this stuff creepy and scary, other would not have felt anything at all.

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

Yea, it’s odd so many companies get away from any “darkness” or potentially morbid sights with in games. I remember in EQ there was one dungeon (dark elf) where you saw decapitated npc’s and the like, torture chambers ect. It made the dungeon very menacing and it had that “feel” that you were gonna be next if you weren’t careful. It was eventually revamped for a more “family friendly” environment when EQ was short term placed on consoles. But i still remember that dungeon to this day very well, even though its been over a decade since i played (or more, yes im old :P).

I would like to see environments similar to those from time to time just to give you that feel that evil does exist in the land and it’s not just like a cartoon where everything explodes but no one gets hurt.

Vayne.8563:

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

I firmly believe the fact is the very things that are necessary for an MMO to exist make immersion almost impossible.

Vayne.8563:

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

Why must everything be dark, gritty and realistic to be immersive? What happened to games like Okami and Shadow of the Colossus? Games that could be immersive and captivating without the dark and gritty realism.

While I do agree and wouldn’t mind something with a more macabre of a feel to it (Orr might benefit from a Silent Hill type makeover), by the same token, I have to think that it could be the grittiest, darkest, most sinister atmosphere/landscape imaginable, and then someone goes trundling past with their plush Quaggan backpack, blasting out tunes on their SAB Boom-box and just like that, the immersion is dissolved.

Vayne.8563:

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

you dont need realism to instill fear. realism can only add so much.

you need the unknown, or something different enough from what you consider normal to unnerve you.

again with the SAB, when i first dropped into the owl room beneath the shop in 2-1, i was scared for a few seconds by the surprise of suddenly having glowing eyes all around me without being able to see whats looking at me. no realism there.

Quarktastic.1027:

Vayne.8563:

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

Why must everything be dark, gritty and realistic to be immersive? What happened to games like Okami and Shadow of the Colossus? Games that could be immersive and captivating without the dark and gritty realism.

I contend that Shadow of the Colossus was fairly dark and gritty, even if it wasn’t necessarily hyper-realistic.

Girly wars 2 where girly elements are prevalent throughout the game

insanemaniac.2456:

check out SAB 2-3 trib mode

the environment/theme is still a bit lighthearted for what you probably want, but its literally dark. maybe if orr was dark like that…

Made me happy when I realized my monitor had night vision setting.

You do NOT need realism to give you a sense of unsettling or fear. There’s a reason RE2 and Silent Hill 2 are still mentioned today about games that make you poo yourself. Aside from that there’s stylized unsettling as long as you’re devoted to it. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has wide open unsettling areas that are deathly quiet which makes you look for threats when there are none. LIMBO is stylized consistant of absolutely no “realism” but it’s incredibly unsettling. Then there’s Lone Surviver which is an absolutely chilling game capable of non-jump scare based fear.

What GW2 lacks is consistency and depth. GW1 was originally a fairly shallow game and anyone who denies that is diluted. It wasn’t till…I would say probably Prophecies that a conclusive, tangible story began to form. I’m fine with GW2 so far, it’s just passed year 1. They’re been testing a lot and been extremely experimental with everything. They’re juggling around a lot to see what hits and what sticks with the community. That said however, they NEED to flesh out this world more. There’s very little “lore” at work here. I won’t get too far into it here but I think it’s time for ANET to stop throwing stick/miss and start specializing in what they want to do.

Focus your teams, give them clear directions, bring GW2 up to GW1 quality. Hire some real writers, your “pub” cutscene for the aetherblade storyline was amazing, keep that format for cutscenes. Give us tangible threats that actually DO something when we fail.

If you keep making a “general” all around built game, you’re going to lose people. GW1 was a very specific genre that got a very fierce following. GW2 is as broad as possible to try and rope in people. Sacrificing depth for accessibility isn’t something I want to see this game continue to do.

KeyLimPi.9031:

What GW2 lacks is consistency and depth. GW1 was originally a fairly shallow game and anyone who denies that is diluted. It wasn’t till…I would say probably Prophecies that a conclusive, tangible story began to form.

Prophecies, huh? You mean the original campaign? It wasn’t until the original release that a conclusive tangible story began to form?

Note: When they started releasing expansions, they renamed the original campaign ‘Prophecies’.

*My bad I did honestly mean Factions It’s been ages lol

They need a Silent Hill type of ghost town, with zombies and spirits jumping out everywhere to ambush the player. Left 4 Dead time.

We don’t need this to turn into a horror game, but I definitely feel this game has a certain “aloofness” of enviroment that kills the mood of areas that might seem dark or dangerous in other games. GW1 was sufficiently dark as well as WoW (when it wanted to be) – It’s not even the art style of GW2 that’s the problem. There’s something I can’t quite put a finger on. Maybe the lighting? The shaders? UI? I’m not sure what it is, but there’s a definitely nothing remotely approaching a dark or morbid feel, even in areas one would expect to find it.

To scare the players, they need to give the players an illusion that “monsters are everywhere, and can attack at any time.” On the front, few games do it as well as the Dead Space series. Watch this short clip to get an idea. Notice that they did this in both open field combat and narrow passage ways.

Of course, the lighting, atmosphere and music have a lot to do with it.

Maybe something like this for a Halloween special. :P

The headless Risen Plague Carriers are pretty creepy.

This thread is exactly what I’ve been saying is missing with the game. The storyline is too PG, the armor is for the most part very tame. I mean there is maybe one creepy looking armor available and it’s stuffed in a dungeon. Don’t even get me started on the whole fluffy legendary weapon concept, rainbows flowers and ponies. Where’s the dark drama that comes with a land full of turmoil and war, where’s the scary villains, the creepy content. Far too much fluff for me to be honest and way over the top PG! Girly Wars 2 nailed it! What’s next pandas?

An area I would consider dark would be the Langmar Estate guild puzzle. I absolutely LOVE the lighting found at the giant fan area and towards the exit.

Its all about rainbows and unicorns and making every buddy feel like there in happy happy land were everyone is the same and there’s nobody feeling left out.

deathklock.4961:

Its all about rainbows and unicorns and making every buddy feel like there in happy happy land were everyone is the same and there’s nobody feeling left out.

Really, tell that to anyone trying to do Teq on their own server lol!

The blizzard level in FotM has a very dark night in the forest part while heading to the final boss.

I always felt that is how ‘night’ should be everywhere in the game. Frankly, I’ve never really cared or noticed much when night changed to day or day to night in GW2. If it weren’t for my weapons changing effects, I’d probably never notice at all. It’s always bright in Tyria.

I’d welcome mature dark themes such as slums, corruption, officals abusing their position and such. But no, I don’t want them to rip off corny horror cliches from b class movies.

I don’t think the engine is modern enough or can perform well enough with dynamic lighting… as amazing as the art is, the world of Tyria will age quickly especially when compared to some newer tech games coming out (like WildStar, for example.)

Corian.4068:

Ascalon in particular with environment, visual design, music, conveys a great sense of regret and loss to me.

Same here. But yes- the game needs some more dark, frightening, seriously strange and scary places.

Zeldain.5710:

I don’t think the engine is modern enough or can perform well enough with dynamic lighting… as amazing as the art is, the world of Tyria will age quickly especially when compared to some newer tech games coming out (like WildStar, for example.)

Lol WildStar, I hope that was a joke. The graphics in that game aren’t very impressive technically, though I quess they have their own charm. Star Citizen would be an upcoming mmo with graphics that are technically quite impressive.

ThePedroKid.2580:

The blizzard level in FotM has a very dark night in the forest part while heading to the final boss.

I always felt that is how ‘night’ should be everywhere in the game. Frankly, I’ve never really cared or noticed much when night changed to day or day to night in GW2. If it weren’t for my weapons changing effects, I’d probably never notice at all. It’s always bright in Tyria.

Yup, that Snowblind Fractal has a totally dark forest. It would be cool if Anet can implement that kind of darkness in more maps.

yea, i mentioned this a few months back in the suggestion thread.

imagine if it became dark in WvW, name tags off. there will be a hell of a fun.

I think by dark, you mean like ‘morbidity’ and ‘unfriendly’ ?

If so, I agree.

Orr has a more WARZONE like environment and less of an uncanny one.

I’m gonna pull a “do you remember in GW1?” here, but…
~Prophecies had Ring of Fire, Searing Ascalon, sometimes the bleakness of the Shiverpeaks (like the Azure Shadows and the Stone Summit + Sorrow’s Furnace)

~Factions had the sewers, the slums, and the overall poverty. Also I would think the Echovald Forest would match, but it’s less of an “everything is dead”, but more of a “frozen” one

~Nightfall had the Desolation, the Realm of Torment ( + Domain of Anguish) and the First City Fahranur.

~Eye of the North is where it loses track. Not really anything morbid or anything to remind you of your mortality here, unless you count some dungeons like the Cathedral of Flames (the old CoF lol)

Here in GW2, I can count only a few times I’ve had this feeling of hostility, and it was the swamps that were filled with Risen (not the Personal Story, because those missions were a little cheezzzzyyy). Not even the Branded caused much hostile feelings.

But who knows? We may be looking back at GW2 when/if GW3 releases in 10000 years and say, “Do you remember how bleak and dark it was when we faced Tequatl?”

edit: I think what I’m describing is a feeling of “This world is going to end, everything is out to kill us” or “Wow this place is really…. crappy. I would not want to be here.”

In gw2, even though the dragons signify the end of life in Tyria, it just doesn’t feel that way

I agree,Gw2 need to have some dark areas,With questing system they have and dark-goth areas this game whould be lot more fun to lvl and if they put some events there to give people of all levels reason to be there this game whould be lot more epic.Arena net please give us more dark content here

Oh man Domain of Anguish. That was the stuff. Agreed OP.

Quarktastic.1027:

Vayne.8563:

I posted something like this a while back..but I called it “grit” instead of dark.

The game lacks the realism to make you afraid. You’re always aware you’re playing a game. I’d hoped this game would have been more immersive than it is, but several design decisions conspired against that. Frankly I’m beginning to run out of hope that anyone will ever make an immersive MMO.

Why must everything be dark, gritty and realistic to be immersive? What happened to games like Okami and Shadow of the Colossus? Games that could be immersive and captivating without the dark and gritty realism.

When I’m a poor person, in my home instance and it looks the same as a rich person in my home instance…there’s no litter, nothing at all like that…that’s not immersive. The original Cantha in Guild Wars 1 was an immersive city because it felt like people lived there. Even a slum type area would have been nice in DR. Just something to make it feel real and lived in.

I don’t use dark, I use gritty because there should be some grit in this kind of world and I don’t feel/see it. I’m not saying everything should be that way.

Vlad Morbius.1759:

This thread is exactly what I’ve been saying is missing with the game. The storyline is too PG, the armor is for the most part very tame. I mean there is maybe one creepy looking armor available and it’s stuffed in a dungeon. Don’t even get me started on the whole fluffy legendary weapon concept, rainbows flowers and ponies. Where’s the dark drama that comes with a land full of turmoil and war, where’s the scary villains, the creepy content. Far too much fluff for me to be honest and way over the top PG! Girly Wars 2 nailed it! What’s next pandas?

Next probably a Kodan backback cover but I am often wrong. :P

The only location where I call home in this game is the Mad Realm, home to King Thorn. If you have been there which I am sure you have, it is absolutely extraordinary. The Mad Realm for me is the type of environment I want to be in where I pass. Gloomy by your standards, almost perfect by mine.

For Orr… It is the presence of the Pact and the whole undersea theme it has going for itself, undeath mixed with the sea is not very frightening for me. It is not only that but the thing that absolutely kills it for me is the Risen, they are far too fast for movement and their dialogue is rather absurd. They just do not feel or seem dead to me. Orr in general feels like one massive mental asylum to be honest.

I made some similar suggestions in Orr could be scarier

It would be nice to have a Dev reply on this post. I remember In the Elder Scrolls at night it was really dark in the forest and raining hard it was so creepy. It also had quite a few dark crypts. It would be nice to have stuff like that and have an animal jump you.

the waters under hoelbrak are scary kitten

completly black and the water has strange forms changing all the time
and it takes like 20 minutes nonstop diving to reach the ground

but i agree… there should be at least 1 real dark place where you can play
it doesnt need more just 1 cool dark place…
and i agree with Nightarch that Mad Kings Realm was pretty dark and epic already

Yeah I totally agree! Dark souls was a game that comes to mind. The dark environments in that game are rediculously awesome. Alot of the online games I’ve played have gotten progressively deeper and darker, so there’s still hope! Maybe they’ll “update” the legendary unicorn shooter to fire decapitated quaggan heads or something. That would be a fun little surprise.

I’d love to see more genuinely dark places, but if that is going in, they need to also implement a “light” or lantern that isn’t the torch – even Dark Souls has this.

Maybe turn your lighting down in your options then every zone would be dark, hehe…

Odokuro.5049:

Maybe turn your lighting down in your options then every zone would be dark, hehe…

Haha :p

But what people really want is the contrast – a light in the darkness, you know? It’s visually cool and exciting, but rarely seen in MMOs – GW2 has more light vs dark than say WoW, but less than older MMOs.