Guild Wars 2

I’ve seen some complaints about the maps in HoT, but I have to say, so far I love it! You can find flat through most of the game. This is giving us a very different experience. Layers and layers of area to explore. A bit like a maze.

Once in awhile it was frustrating. Trying, for instance, to get to the wyvern when I didn’t know how to get there, I missed it- or rather, I would have, if the event hadn’t been broken!

But that was in large part because of the time limit. Having only a limited time to get there, knowing that in an hour or so that was it for this beta run, I felt pressured to try and get there fast.

But once I realized I wouldn’t make it, and started taking my time, I really enjoyed exploring the place. It really was in a lot of ways a maze, stacked up over several levels, cliffs and stairways in ruins and vine bridges and rivers and enormous trees that, if in the real world, would be truly awe inspiring just how huge they were!

It was visually beautiful for the most part, though as a mix of jungle and desert, some of the desert sections were too much like drytop and silverwastes for my liking. Then again, perhaps it makes sense to transition as it did, and as you make your way further into the map it does change into a more luscious area.

The map wasn’t completely open, however. The lowest levels were closed off, and insta death if you fall, not even hitting the bottom. Other areas, horizontally located, were likewise closed off. So who knows what other surprises awaits!

Some events were reminiscent of silverwastes, the ebb and flow of mordremoth vs survivors of the pact. But some of them were very intriguing, although they broke at some points and didn’t completely function.

For example, at one point there were two events running simultaneously, and quite obviously intended to do so. At one area, there was this enormous champion vine, that mortars had to be used to destroy it. Meanwhile the pcs in that area have to protect the mortar supplies. The problem is there is also a champion troll vinetender who protects the champion vine with a shield.

However, on the other side of a – well, I hesitate to call it a chasm, but it is somewhat difficult to cross and survive – are a set of pale reaver snipers who are sniping at the troll vinetender, who need to be kept alive as they kill off the vinetender. So… two events that rely on each other, and it was fun…. if it hadnt broke(or, perhaps the mortar supplies werent being protected adequately, we weren’t entirely sure).

Several events did break across the map but we understood this was still a closed beta and weren’t terribly concerned.

The most fun I had? Was finding the mushroom people and sharing Mario Superbrothers jokes as we ran through it lol