Guild Wars 2

With the re-release of SAB this year I thought I’d come on here and post about why I love SAB so much. I don’t see the same enthusiasm in friends or guildies that I have for it, so I did some self-reflection and found out why.

I’m not good at PvP. I’m not good at WvW. I’m only decent in PvE. I’m no good at optimising my builds and my gameplay for different encounters or bosses or whatever. I’m an accuracy freak. I’m good at jumping puzzles. I’m not usually one to brag, but I’m kitten great at them. This time of year is MY time of year. This is the time of year that I am actually rewarded for being good at something so niche that not many people even think about it, except when Empyreal Fragments are needed.

I understand that for a lot of people it’s a bit of a nostalgia trip. I wasn’t well-off growing up, and didn’t even get my first computer til I was 12, and it was a very low-end one. Consoles – to me – were for the insanely rich. I can totally understand and respect the nostalgia that people have because of SAB, but that’s not why I love it.

When SAB came out in 2013 I was having a hard time at home and it was a distraction. I had almost lost interest in the game entirely when it came out, so it kept me here. The graphics were something I’d never seen before, the music was amazing and I loved the typical “save the princess” storyline, and all the tropes that came with it.

Come last year’s re-release I was in tears because I was so happy. It had been 3 years since I felt like there was something I wanted to do in the game besides grind for skins. SAB is actual content I want to play for the content itself, not just for the reward it gives me. I don’t feel that in any other area of the game.

When I heard about tribulation mode I was a little skeptical of how I would cope, but with a lot of practice I was doing it with ease. I love the difficulty in trib, and I love that I can overcome it. Yes there are still parts where having 250 ping average blocks progress (I’m looking at you, trampoline area in w2z2), but I’ve made it through and was able to unlock all King Toad and Storm Wizard skins completely solo.

This is why I love SAB, especially tribulation mode. It gives me a chance to really refine my accuracy in jumping puzzles, while creating an entirely new environment to experience it in. Only in SAB do I enjoy the journey towards the reward. It’s also the only content that actually rewards me at what I’m good at.

So thank you, devs, so so much for bringing SAB back and making it a yearly festival. This means the absolute world to me.

Share your reasons below why you love SAB!

skins ap and cool guild kitten

Three years ago, I posted this in another SAB thread:

Rasimir.6239:

Every now and then, my 8-year old daughter comes up to me playing gw2 and talks me into going back to Rata Sum and checking if the SAB has magically opened the gates again. She’s desperately waiting for the box to get back and to try it herself. Last time the box was online, she hadn’t mastered the game controls enough to play, but enjoyed watching me play it for hours.

She’d be ever so happy if the box finally opened its gates again, and so would I. As much as I like the content available now, the SAB is special, and I can’t wait to have it back.

My little one turned 11 the week before last, has her own account by now (bought with her own pocket money last halloween so she could play the clocktower to her heart’s delight), and is thoroughly excited the SAB is opening up again this week . She’s mostly looking forward to doing things for herself now, instead of only being allowed to play with mom’s characters like last year .

Personally, I’m not good at jumping puzzles, but I love the SAB to bits nonetheless. I’m actually too old to be nostalgic about console games and hardly played any of them (again mostly because I’ve never been good at them), but I love the bright colours and the music that’s giving me a good mood. Watching asura ears flop around while they jump through the box is awesome.

Plus way back in 2013 I was home sick when SAB was a thing and it taught me to actually jump in GW2 and become somewhat decent at jps (as long as they aren’t timed … looking at you winter wonderland ) instead of being a total failure like before.

When they announced SAB returning last year, I actually took a week off work to enjoy it to the fullest. I won’t have the luxury this year, but I’ve already warned my family and friends that I won’t be available for three weeks starting tomorrow, as I’ll be “living in the box” .

SAB is hands down my favourite festival in Tyria!

It’s currently the one time of the year where music I created can be enjoyed within a major video game.

Also, the nostalgia factor.