Guild Wars 2

Sorry if this is not the right place for this feed back, but I don’t see a BETA sub-forum so I think this is the best place to put it.

~/~SPOILER ALERT~/~

As I played the demo story I noticed that Canach was part of my npc team. Now I don’t know if this is exactly how players will start the story in HoT, but as is, there’s a disconnect as far as Canach’s involvement goes (a similar thing happened during Caithe’s Reconnaissance Squad). Yes, after the The World Summit, during LS: S2, Anise told him to join the Pact. However when a player starts the demo story instance, Canash is simply there and is already a part of the group, which doesn’t make total sense. This can be confusing specially for players who didn’t play the LS1 and/or didn’t catch Countess Anise’s dialogue during The World Summit instance. Even though I know who he is, and know why he is there, I still felt that his presence in the instance and in the group was very un-organic.

I believe the simplest solution is to have Canach be introduced again, sort of speak, when the story instance starts. Have him come to the player and say something like "Hello Commander. Due to the current blow to The Pact’s troops, I’ll be joining your team. ", then have him and the player walk over and meet up the rest of the group. Or perhaps have a “Scout” tell you about him joining, or have him mention on the dialogue options that lead to the instance. So far when Canach shows up as a NPC aiding players, he seem to just be there. I believe that he needs to be given a clear reason as to why he’s part of the team. Even if that reason is simply because Countess Anise told him to.

Pretty sure the beta living story isn’t the first campaign mission. I’m willing to bet it starts outside Verdant Brink and then transitions into it. Things probably kick off in the Silverwastes.

I agree with Tyloric. We’re probably missing the very beginning of the story where Canach decides, or rather forces us to let him join our group (with some disapproval from the others no doubt, as he’s a Sylvari).

Didn’t Anise assign him to us after the attack on the Pale Tree?

Canach is there because he’s a survivor. He’s not “part of the group”.

We are most likely mission the mission where he joins since there may be more missions before the current Beta Mission.

videoboy.4162:

Didn’t Anise assign him to us after the attack on the Pale Tree?

All I remember was her asking Canach to join the pact, not to team up with the Commander personally. Regardless, you go through 4 more story episodes after that without Canach making an appearance, so for him to show up now with no explanation is unusual.

We went without Canach because he went with the Pact. He was probably one one of the ships.

Canach was not in our group, he was bunkered down with the rest of the pact group. It’s like asking when Lanthir joined our group because he went along and helped us with the mission. He didn’t, he was a survivor of the crash.

Durzlla.6295:

Canach was not in our group, he was bunkered down with the rest of the pact group. It’s like asking when Lanthir joined our group because he went along and helped us with the mission. He didn’t, he was a survivor of the crash.

Am I remembering it wrong? I’m pretty certain he was with the group when you enter the Brink.

OP here, sorry for a super late reply.

Yes, he was with the group. As you walked into the area, him, Marjory, Taimi, Rox, Braham, and Kasmeer were together as a group. You’d then move on a little further to activate a cut-scene, at which point the group see new survivors. Then when you choose the only available path for the beta, he would join you and the other (sylvari) pact survivor in the search for the Pale Reavers.
We all know that the main group was not in the ships, and that they were going to help in the new area. So when the player get’s to the new area, it should be just the main group and the player. However we find Canach there with them and it seems weird, specially since he’s rather quiet through that whole instance.
Countess Anise had indeed ordered him to join The Pact, as others have mentioned here, but he never became part of the main group. So because he was part of The Pact, it wasn’t weird when he showed up randomly in the end of Living Story 2. However the Commander (aka the player) is also second in command in The Pact, so having an npc, specially a Sylvari (considering the situation), just join his group without a word or explanation doesn’t make complete sense.

Canach is there cause he’s a sylvari we can care about. sorta a new face that we can see for his situation

imagine if it was Trahearne that was there as a survivor of the massacre…..well trahearne is pact commander and so they would have to do what he said. there would be no one saying “screw you sylvari, i dont trust you”

and honestly, if it was trahearne in canach’s place. i wouldn’t care about the sylvari and i would be in favor of killing them….just to kill Trahearne.
-i’d skip the dialogue and jsut choose the “murder trahearne” option…..regardless of how many innocent sylvari might die by my action.

but Canach isn’t the known leader. he’s a new face(kinda). he’s someone that people can go “can we trust him, he doesn’t have a solid position of power.” and as a result people can choose if they trust him or not.
Because its Canach, and not Trahearne. i’m actually listening to his side of the story and deciding if i want to trust him or not.

and ironically, because its Canach, i actually choose to side with him and save the sylvari in the BWE.
which surprised me afterwords because i hate trahearne so much…..

Canach is just so…..normal? relatable? interesting?
in a way that Trahearne isn’t.

Canach seems like the type to stand up on his own and fight impossible odds…..a bit like Tybalt did on claw island.
and because of that, i actually like him.

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Canach, being a new face and voice, made it so i actually listened to the story and enjoyed it

while every time i see Trahearne start talking i skip dialogue cause i relate Trahearne to “boring lecture about stuff i give 0 craps about”.
if Trahearne was dong what Canach is doing, i’d likely skip the story as soon as Trahearne showed up. and end up not enjoying HoT

JayMack.8295:

I agree with Tyloric. We’re probably missing the very beginning of the story where Canach decides, or rather forces us to let him join our group (with some disapproval from the others no doubt, as he’s a Sylvari).

So what if you main a sylvari? I do, the group didn’t seem too upset over that (the main group not the pact members).

videoboy.4162:

Didn’t Anise assign him to us after the attack on the Pale Tree?

As it was stated, she assigned him to the pact not us. I have feeling, again as someone else pointed out, we are missing something at the start of the story which has him appear. Where the story starts is just a good lead in to the new zone

JayMack.8295:

Canach, being a new face and voice, made it so i actually listened to the story and enjoyed it

while every time i see Trahearne start talking i skip dialogue cause i relate Trahearne to “boring lecture about stuff i give 0 craps about”.
if Trahearne was dong what Canach is doing, i’d likely skip the story as soon as Trahearne showed up. and end up not enjoying HoT

While I agree it’s nice to see Canach a little more since the time of South Sun Cove, I don’t agree about what you say on Trahearne, but I rather like the “boring” details he gives us and the insight into Orr as well as just the fact he was a scholar who rose into the position he did with our aid. I just like Trahearne for many reasons and I do understand why people don’t like him as well. There are times I get annoyed with him but it’s more the fact he will sometimes not attack when I am during the personal story and not actually him over all (so more just a bug where I am standing too far back for the programming to register I’ve engaged a target).

I have a feeling part of the story will either go over us killing Trahearne because he’s fallen to corruption, saving him from the corruption like Glint was saved centuries ago, or just saving him and the rest of Destiny’s Edge since they were with him at the time of the airships being destroyed.

But to each their own opinion there and on Trahearne in general. There was an entire forum over him and why people hated him with an argument going between the two groups (who hated him and who didn’t). Though, I could just like Trahearne because I can relate to his character. Who knows.

frayon.3984:

JayMack.8295:

I agree with Tyloric. We’re probably missing the very beginning of the story where Canach decides, or rather forces us to let him join our group (with some disapproval from the others no doubt, as he’s a Sylvari).

So what if you main a sylvari? I do, the group didn’t seem too upset over that (the main group not the pact members).

videoboy.4162:

Didn’t Anise assign him to us after the attack on the Pale Tree?

As it was stated, she assigned him to the pact not us. I have feeling, again as someone else pointed out, we are missing something at the start of the story which has him appear. Where the story starts is just a good lead in to the new zone

JayMack.8295:

Canach, being a new face and voice, made it so i actually listened to the story and enjoyed it

while every time i see Trahearne start talking i skip dialogue cause i relate Trahearne to “boring lecture about stuff i give 0 craps about”.
if Trahearne was dong what Canach is doing, i’d likely skip the story as soon as Trahearne showed up. and end up not enjoying HoT

While I agree it’s nice to see Canach a little more since the time of South Sun Cove, I don’t agree about what you say on Trahearne, but I rather like the “boring” details he gives us and the insight into Orr as well as just the fact he was a scholar who rose into the position he did with our aid. I just like Trahearne for many reasons and I do understand why people don’t like him as well. There are times I get annoyed with him but it’s more the fact he will sometimes not attack when I am during the personal story and not actually him over all (so more just a bug where I am standing too far back for the programming to register I’ve engaged a target).

I have a feeling part of the story will either go over us killing Trahearne because he’s fallen to corruption, saving him from the corruption like Glint was saved centuries ago, or just saving him and the rest of Destiny’s Edge since they were with him at the time of the airships being destroyed.

But to each their own opinion there and on Trahearne in general. There was an entire forum over him and why people hated him with an argument going between the two groups (who hated him and who didn’t). Though, I could just like Trahearne because I can relate to his character. Who knows.

you misunderstand me

When Canach tells me whats going on, i listen cause he says things at the appropriate time and with the right mood/emotions.

while Trahearne will start lecturing about orr immediatly after i help professor gorr stop risen from destroying his lab by using a new weapon.
aka, NOT THE TIME for exposition
and Trahearne does it all in the same bored voice that sounds like the voice actors doesn’t give a crap about the situation the character is in.

in the mission with professor gorr, after we kill the risen, you can tell from gorr’s voice he is a bit tired, still a bit jumpy, but happy that his invention succeeded. and the player character seems a bit jumpy as well.

but trahearne just starts lecture(NOT A GOOD TIME) in a bored voice like that entire fiasco didn’t just happen

Trahearne as a character is fine. he’s a scholar. and advisor.

but Anet needs to kick his voice actor in the butt to get some emotion out of him.

and think carefully about when the time for exposition is. and when it isn’t.

for example. discovering the corpse of a risen under lions arch that stands out. but there are no moving risen nearby. good time for exposition about orr and how the risen relates to orr

example 2. destroying a lab during a mad fight using experimental weapons to stop risen from killing us, followed by MORE risen when the person on the golem-phone mishear you. durign an epic, and slightly funny fight. finally after its calm for a bit and your excited about the new weapon……
that is NOT the time for exposition about how “trahearne wandered orr for years” blah blah

the story is NOT about trahearne in that mission. or about orr!
its about Gorr and his new weapon that corrupts magical energy and redirects it at the risen to destroy them from the inside out!

and yet….Anet throws trahearne’s backstory in there….why? it ruins Gorr’s moment of glory!

time is IMPORTANT. you need to know when an exposition dump is needed, and about what. you can’t throw it in randomly.

in short. Give Trahearne emotion (in the voice acting. people hated emotionless girl from twilight. and for the same reason they hate Trahearne)
time when he dumps exposition on you better(aka when its appropriate.)