A.Net,
Thank you for everything in the game. First let me just state that everything that came in the basic box was more than my money’s worth for the $150 (CE owner here, have all the prints framed on walls and Rytlock on a shelf). The game was very fleshed out, tons of fun that me and my guildmates enjoy immensely. But, that wasn’t good enough for you as you just had to keep adding content each and every month. Great content. Fantastic content. So, I want to thank you…
Thank you for….
…Halloween What a blast, literally! Mad King blasting through the Lion’s Arch fountain, all the fun tiny things with the event. The jumping puzzles, ghost Yaks, skeleton mobs, candy corn nodes, costume brawl, item skins, Reaper’s Revenge, the Labyrinth, Mad King’s fight. It was all so fun and there was content for every play-style.
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…Lost Shores Somewhat of a bumpy “shipwreck” (ha!), it was still great enjoyment. The best part was how there was the mystery that led up to the events, with the signs on the shores, the Consortium showing up, the washed up whales. All those things culminating towards the Karka’s invasion of Lion’s Arch, the big fights against them, and eventually the chase to Southsun Cove. The final fight was long (4hrs on my server), but very challenging and rewarding at the same time. Another temporary event that’s not only cemented in that new (at the time) zone, but in the encased Ancient Karka statue at the basin of the nest.
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…Wintersday A great holiday for one and all. Another great holiday jumping puzzle, mini-games in the form of Snowball fights, free mini-pets, free everlasting potions, cool toy weapon skins, bell choir, and tons of good ol’ holiday cheer. ***A personal note: my guild was one of many that created their own events by all taking Reindeer potions and running as a ‘herd’ through the WvWvW battlefields. The confusion and laughter that it created as very entertaining and fun.
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…Flame and Frost Though a bit slow to start, this arching story line adds to this being a Living World and not just a static game that many others are. Each time updated, there are things like more refugee camps, more signs of warning, more enemies popping up on the roads. The climax of this event should, based on the description, be an entertaining end to an odd alliance of cats and mole people.
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…Super Adventure Box It’s a dungeon! No, wait, it’s a jumping puzzle! No, wait, it’s a game within a game! No, wait again, it’s an educational stimuli for training future generations of Tyrians! No, wait further more, it’s 8-bit inception! No, wait one more time, it’s a device to make all of Tyria hate monkeys! Wrong! It’s all of the above and then some. An exceptional distraction from the everyday norm of the game, which is fun and exciting. The mode known as “Infantile Mode” makes the content enjoyable for even those who are jumping-puzzle inept. The skins for the game are amazingly cool for skins that are free from the dreaded Black Lion Chests; also being able to get the Super Fun Boxes from the even, rather than just the Gem Store, is a really sweet touch too.
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…Mini-Dungeons This is something that many are unfamiliar even exist or were patched in. Vexa’s Lab is one of the most amazing dungeon experiences I’ve had in the game. The boss fights in these are uniquely fashioned, the puzzle aspects make one think, and overall they present a distinct challenge that can be either soloed or taken on with friend, guildmates, or PUGs.
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…Fractals Love and hate content, for sure it is. The addition of the new gear Tier stirred the bot of boiling anger amongst many, but the new dungeon content that came with it brought love and enjoyment. Though there are quite a few that speed run these solely for daily tokens, attempts at chest rings; there are also those that run these for the interesting fractal zones for the fun of it (maybe I’m the only one?).
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…WvWvW Ranks & Changes A much beloved change to that section of the game, these ranks give purpose and “progression” to content that some deemed lacking direction. Though some adjustment may be needed to the WXP gained from doing PvE mob events (worm, Warg, Centaur, etc.), overall it’s a welcome change. And the removal of culling: AWESOME! That one change alone has brought back many who could not stand getting stomped by otherwise invisible enemies.
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