Guild Wars 2

It doesn’t look like we’re getting new zones, new playable races, or new Personal Story content before next year, but the game is starting to stagnate for me. The throw-away content and the filler nature of the Living Story isn’t doing it for me anymore. There’s only so many times I can chase temporary content through existing zones before I start longing for that sense of exploration that can only come from new zones.

What’s more, I’m tired of being silent protagonist as we chase Scarlet from one event to the next. This game started with a beautiful cut scene and the line, “this is my story.” I want to get back to that, but the nature of the Living Story ensures that won’t happen without a more substantive content release.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there for me. The constant Living Story updates is going to lessen the enjoyment I’d otherwise have got from the holiday festivals. Since we’ve been bombarded with festivals and updates all year long, I find myself approaching these events with a “meh” attitude where I otherwise would have been very much looking forward to them.

I know the paradigm has shifted since release, but I’m sorely wanting something “meatier” than we’ve been getting through the Living Story. It’s been said several times that the team is working on a “big project” behind the scenes…I’m thinking it’s time to shed some light on that project. Wallowing through one Living Story update to to the next, not knowing if anything better is coming anytime soon, doesn’t leave me with anything to look forward to. More of the same just isn’t cutting it for me anymore. So here’s hoping the developers aren’t far from telling us there’s something in store that doesn’t involve the words Living Story, Scarlet, or festival.

Today’s update is a good example (as is the new path in the TA dungeon) of the kinds of stuff I’m talking about. Gone are the “painterly” cut scenes and the fully-voiced back-and-forth dialogues we were treated to in the Personal Story and original dungeon paths. The Living Story just won’t allow for voiced protagonists (or a great many other things I enjoy about the game, it would seem). Removing my character from the story is a good way to lessen my interest in the story. Relegating me to a silent protagonist – standing around with my hands in my pockets – is not the best way emphasis the “living” part of the Living Story.

It just underscores my point that the Living Story just doesn’t live up to the quality of the original release. And if the Living Story is all we’re going to get – if there’s nothing new (new Personal Story, new zones, etc) that matches that original quality that sold so many of us on the game, I’m afraid things are going to stagnate quickly (if they haven’t already).

While we could have an interesting discussion and I partially agree with some of your points, allow me to focus on a little detail first.

You liked the Personal Story? Moreover, you liked those cutscenes?! As in, seriously? Yes the PS has a lot of voiceover, but most of it was of a terrible quality (monotonous salad, my character talking about a dead friend like it was reading a script, etc) and the “cinematics” (more like 2 people talking with moving backgrounds) aren’t half as good as some of the newly released one (Queen’s Jubilee or Marjory come to mind). Don’t get me wrong, GW2 launched with some serious quality in certain aspects, but PS certainly wasn’t one of them.

P.s. all MMOs’ stories will never be centered solely on player character for the simple reason that there are millions of them. See GW1 stories, or GW2 salad campaign

Frankly, I’d rather just buy expansions every few years with a massive amount of content in them than the Living Story barely has enough content to keep my attention for, literally, 10 seconds. To be honest though, I would not buy an expansion for Guild Wars 2 because my interest in the game has completely deteriorated into oblivion. Almost nothing Anet can do will bring me back.

Oh no Who will show me the Guardian DPS math you did then

Galtrix.7369:

Frankly, I’d rather just buy expansions every few years with a massive amount of content in them than the Living Story barely has enough content to keep my attention for, literally, 10 seconds.

I wholeheartedly agree. The fact that the story in this Living Story update time-gated behind Daily Achievements says in bold, underscored letters that the Living Story just can’t deliver meaningful content in meaningful quantities.

Wolfheart.1938:

P.s. all MMOs’ stories will never be centered solely on player character for the simple reason that there are millions of them. See GW1 stories, or GW2 salad campaign

IMO, they should have stopped the Personal Story after joining an Order, since that’s when the transition from personal story to overarching story takes place.

Basically in the same boat right now.

Tired of the Living Story. They all have holes, they are just random and some don’t make a lot of sense. And to top it off, it is just an achievement grind for some backpack skin or a mini pet. It’s getting stale. Every two weeks is the same thing. A bunch of new achievements to grind for some skin or mini that has been temporary (most have been temporary, not all).

It just feels like filler content to keep us playing, something they said they would not do. All this heavy grind and time gates is exactly that. Content to keep us playing if we want the rewards. And temporary content that we have to do within a time limit. It just feels like an act of desperation to hold onto their players with all this grind and gating, instead of just making enjoyable content for the sake of having fun.

For me this is not enjoyable. I’m just tired of this same thing every two weeks and all these limits and “punishments” that they put on us. Guess this game is just not for me anymore with the direction they are going in.

Good news then!

Newer MMOs are on the way and there are tons out there right now. Since Anet had no problem doing a bait and switch with their original design and what we’ve since then got (vertical progression, item grind as content) I have zero qualms about dropping my dedication to the game.

As should anyone who doesn’t like the direction the game is going and feels misled from what we were originally sold.

I’m sure you didn’t expect the Halloween content to be permanent. That would be odd, to say the least. The reason the cut-scene format was changed was exactly because of player feedback. Most complained about the two talking-heads, and wanted a full scene reminiscent of those in GW1. Not sure how ArenaNet can please everyone, as many have opposing desires.

I, for one, am enjoying the Halloween update. It’s just as I thought it would be…plus more. The last 3 updates weren’t my cup of tea, so I patiently waited for this one…without complaints, as I understand others enjoy dungeons and large-scale content. The minis and backpacks aren’t important to me, either, so nothing to lament over losing.

We can hardly expect changes to happen overnight. Remember, each month’s full patch is on a 4-month turnaround. You never know, maybe November’s patch will release a new area, just as last November’s patch did. =)

I do long for some more exploration. From memory, there’s only been two new areas since release (being Southsun Cove and Labyrinthine Cliffs) with only one of those being permanent.
Exploring is genuinely interesting for me! I like looking through all the hidden nooks, searching for surprises or areas where the developers just had a bit of fun.

Sadly since release, and all the focus now on Living World, with no news of expansions, I can’t see there being a “whole new world” for me to explore
I would love to see another 10+ full sized map areas, and less 2-week-story events that usually just revolve around a mass group of people moving from one way point to another.

Hmm what an absolute shock. At the time of LS-every-2-weeks announcement, a handful of people demanding something sustainable were shouted down by the majority of content locusts, some of whom are now becoming fed up and switching sides.

Who would have thought…?

-_-

Young Somalia.1706:

Hmm what an absolute shock. At the time of LS-every-2-weeks announcement, a handful of people demanding something sustainable were shouted down by the majority of content locusts, some of whom are now becoming fed up and switching sides.

Who would have thought…?

-_-

The living story still seems to have a following…just saying.

Guild Wars had a following.

Look where it ended up

Young Somalia.1706:

Guild Wars had a following.

Look where it ended up

Where, exactly, did it end up? One of the better selling multiplayer fantasy games of all time? I don’t know that I’d mind ending up there.

Young Somalia.1706:

Guild Wars had a following.

Look where it ended up

With a (by all accounts outside of this forum) a very successful sequel?

I agree with most of your points however the one on one dialogue wasn’t working for me at all. I’d much rather have the bubbles and talk outside of that backdrop, I’m still waiting on my character to have it’s own voice however.

been waiting for the meat of the world for a long time too and when I say that I don’t mean more dungeons or more hearts or more gear, I mean the types of activities that flesh out the world and make it seem real.

/silly, /joke, housing, fishing, farming, props, cosmetics (not sold in the store), outfitter/wardrobe, hunting mini games, rare pet skins for rangers, lotteries, mobile apps, collecting artifacts, guild halls, fun crafting (I miss making a motorcycle mount in WoW engineering, a loot-a-rang for collecting loot from a distance, a dimensional device for getting around easier and for free, attaching rocket launchers to my gloves to fire occasionally things like that were fun!)