Guild Wars 2

So, after spending some time on these forums, I feel like I could share my opinion regarding HoT. I’m trying to focus on a part that I think hasn’t been discussed much.

And that is vertical gameplay.

When I first entered Verdant Brink, I was truly baffled. This map is awesome! All the cliffs and giant vine ranks, one path above the other, this is a truly vertical map! I especially like the cliffy area around the ordnance corps meta. Also the bosses on the flying islands – simply wonderful.
Verdant Brink is by far the best map you have ever created, I applaud you ArenaNet!

Sadly that was the best part of the update…

…when I got to Auric Basin, I was severely underwhelmed. All the amazing paths in the sky and deep cliffsides – gone. Almost everything that makes Verdant Brink great is missing in this map. The only area of the map that contains the “treetop-layer” is the entry point, from there it only goes downhill. The rest of the map is awfully flat, yes there are some ups and downs and hills, but that isn’t vertical gameplay. Tarir itself is one giant drop, but that serves only as a visual because it has nothing to do with the gameplay. It would make no difference at all, if the bottom of the city was just a slight drop, especially since we simply use teleporters to get up and down anyway.
The eastern part of the map is elevated but that serves only as a “fence” to separate it from the rest of the map. Again this isn’t what vertical gameplay means.

Tangled Depths suffers from similar problems, altough much less. There is the giant tree and the entry area, I grant you that, but a lot of the rest is just flat corridors again. That we march downwards when we go from the nuhoch village to its lane plays no big role since everything we do is just happening on the same level anyway. Maybe it’s just my feeling of being enclosed underground but I think this map could have been something more.

Dragon’s Stands design is a little streamlined because because of the meta, I know that, but here we just follow a plain boring corridor again. That is until we get to Mordremoths arena.
What an epic fight! I really enjoyed the implementation of the glider, this is great fun. A pity the rest of the map falls behind by a large margin.

So, dear ArenaNet, what I would recommend/wish is: be confident in this new idea of vertical gameplay! Dare to make your maps unconventional and exciting! Going only halfway is definitely the wrong decision.

I agree, I love the vertical travel! As soon as I got the gliding and bouncing mushrooms, the whole map opened up and it was amazing! Gliding around Tarir is awesome, and I’d love to see more vertical areas around Tyria. (I’m looking at you, Wizard’s Tower)