Guild Wars 2

First off, let me say that I am a huge fan of the overriding story arch. I am totally enthralled by bringing the fight to Mordremoth, I’ve found myself delving into the lore, and I even dig the side stories involving Rytlock, etc..

Still, I feel like all of this puts a little too much emphasis on the main story, and it would be cool to see a few more little progressions out in the world.

I know it becomes a question of development time, etc., but as a guy who was a longtime tabletop player, the side stories can be the most intriguing.

After all, we’re heroes, and heroes don’t just slay the dragons. We rescue the hamlets, we solve the crisis that saves dozens (not just entire planets). We did a lot of that as we were leveling up and doing world completion, but now it seems like we’ve elevated above all that.

Take for instance the town of Garenhoff. It’s an amazing little spot in the game. It would be kind of cool for something to happen there without “Elder Dragon” written all over it. What if Isgarren got into some trouble and we needed to mount a rescue into his castle? What if Isgarren died and we needed to defend the village from swarms of suddenly untamed elementals, all the while trying to figure out who can replace him, as it turns out that the magic he controlled is intrinsic to the location and needs a master to be held in check?

Some other games do a pretty cool job of introducing dungeons and other content that isn’t all tied in to the “big story”, but still relevant to our players. While I am (all in all) satisfied with the Living World, these little side changes could push me over the edge, going from someone who casually recommends the game to someone who effectively sells it to friends.

The opportunities across the world are nearly limitless. Yes, there are limitations on man hours, development priorities, etc., but I think these types of things would do more to draw players, purchases, etc. than having all development power focused on the main story arch.