Guild Wars 2

First of let me say that the overall work is still impressive (and i do not sneeze at the amount of work you have to shoulder). The releases so far have shown that you`ve taken the criticism with S1 and the PS to heart and that you are trying to enhance the story experience on all levels.
So far you are certainly doing a better job than before, however, as always, it is still not enough.
While it will never be enough to satisfy everyone, it is more along the line that you are aiming to high at the moment and all the good intention you have to get a “better story” out there are being held back by the flaws you work in.

While I am no writer or professional designer for MMOs, I can still see problems on a very basic, human level of a casual/experienced player/story aficionado.
So please take the following criticism with a grain of salt, but please think about it.

1. The setting and it`s translation into game

1.1. Before Season 2
The story so far presented to us was that the only elder dragons known, were the ones who were active on Tyrias borders:
- Zaithan, because we actively fought him in the PS
- Kalkratorik, because Destinies Edge has faught him and Queen Jenna (I think) has entered his mind
- Primordus, because we are able to fight his minions and we know him from Odgen, as well as from Guild Wars 1
- Jormag, since the Norn fought him directly (his tooth in Hoelbrak) and we have the Sons of Svanir, who call his name.
The ones still a mystery to us were Mordremoth, whose name was only revealed to us through Collin Johanson in an interview and through the battle log in the Crucible of Eternity, where the Inquest were studying elder dragon magic.
They were also hinting to the last and still unknown elder dragon, called “bubbles” in the community.

While this implies that after the events of the PS, Zoijja and the OoW have taken over the CoE and might have been able to get data on dragon minions, it was never said flat out and was only speculation.
Season 1 ended with Scarlet Briar succeeding in diverting a massive amount of ley line energy to feed the dragon Mordremoth who subsequently awoke.
This roar has been heard all over Tyria, however at this point this elder dragon was unknown.

Season 2
Season 2 starts with the investigation of the roar, triggered by the Biconics own interests and a mail by Mister E, who tells you about the idea that it could be that Scarlet disturbed one of the dragons.

This is the hook for this season, however this fact gets quickly brushed over as right at the beginning of S2E2 the name of Mordremoth has been revealed to be more or less “common knowledge”, at least for all who have something to do with the matter.
The investigation concerning a dragon is subsequently irrelevant and we turn to dragon fighting and

chasing Scarlet`s past.
After entering Omadds machine at the end of the episode, the whole things escalates to suddenly uniting all major races of Tyria.
Episode 3 however was mostly filler, where it was revealed that almost every leader knows about Mordremoth and the pale tree knew it from the day of the roar.
The rest is being an errand boy and catching up to old “friends”

Speculation on the supposed plot
Right now the plot is straight forward in my opinion and it is very clear what you want to achieve:
- Find out about the dragon
- find the connection to Scarlet/Pale Tree
- Form an alliance with all major races
- Fight (back)/defeat Mordremoth (or other ED)
- have the forces of Tyria (contient) crippled, so we have to turn to other continents for help in the future

2. The problems
While the main storyline so far is pretty obvious (and I might be far off, I know), the way it is presented so far feels much like you are ticking off a checklist.

2.1 we have no timeframe
One of the main problems so far is that we have no timeframe to reference. We do not know how much time has passed between each episode and even story step.
You went through so much trouble to sync the in game calendar and the real life one and now things are still out of whack.
As far as we are concerned the “roar” happened around three months ago and the pale tree is now telling us that she knew it was Mordremoth as soon as she heard it.
She is even putting up defenses since then, but did not inform anyone (at least she did not say so).
Which is even more concerning if you think about the fact that she could have warned others (more so if you are a Silvary, who proved to be a valuable war asset) and subsequently could have put a lot of things in motion.

If your explanation is right and the pact knows about the nature and name (existence) of Mordremoth and there were signs of elder dragon activity, then we had three months where the pact did nothing to investigate (at least for us to see ingame. See 2.2.)

We need to know how much time each chapter or episode takes, so we are able to rate the behavior of the people, as well as the danger accordingly.

Right now the whole world is reacting to slow, while the story itself goes to fast.

As far as we are concerned the pact had nearly two years to regroup, recruit, rebuild and upgrade their ranks.
Them being out of commission so long and not reacting to any elder dragon so far, as well as

reintroducing them so late is not creating a living world, but only a very narrow view, which opens just too many questions.

2.2. The world has to react
You write for an already existing world. This world has established characters and rules, which all have a place there.
As writers you have the right to change certain things; however everything you put into the game has to create an reaction for everyone who is influenced by it.
The problem you introduced for this arc is the raising of a new elder dragon.
Since this is a global problem, everyone will be involved at some point; however since it is bound to the geographic plane, some groups will be influenced earlier than others.
Nevertheless, there are groups who have direct connection to this thread. In Guild Wars 2 the group who is directly involved with the elder dragons is the pact
However, instead of being seen right at the frontline with an investigation group, we only get reintroduced to them with a letter in S2E3 and will actually meet them again in S2E3 (maybe)

At this point we are already past the pact and right into a continental alliance.
The pact is already an alliance which has members not only from the major races, but also connections from the lower ones. It already combines most of their wisdom.

The things the alliance could bring are manpower and hidden techniques only the leaders are able to use (which should still be known, given the fact that the pact is already using the spies and scholars of the continent)
This problem is not only in season 2. In season 1 Scarlet was enemy number 1 to several races, however even after she was declared that, we saw no active effort to find them.
This could be easily changed by introducing a search party from the shining blade that tries to hunt after Scarlet and appears in places related to her.
This could have been even used to have us search for them to get a clue for the next release, while at the same time giving us the idea that someone is actually on her tail, beside us players and the biconics.

If there is a group who is or will be involved in the grander scheme, so have them appear beforehand or have at least hints about them for us to find in earlier releases
In Season 2 it would have been great if we found some pact members, instead some random priory members in dry top, trying to dig up info on the roar.
Mister E even wrote us that there are rumors of elder dragon activity.

2.3. The whole pacing is off
I already compared the S2 as mostly a checklist you are working off.
As I described the overall setting, the story began with us investigating the roar. This could have been a great quest on its own and was beautifully solved in S2E1, however with the beginning of S2E2

things began to crumble.
First we got the blatant reveal that this is Mordremoth, taking every mystery (which was none for the player, thanks to the cutszene at the end of S1) behind what it could be away.

Then we had the ley Lines, which were also quickly found and downgraded to something that was actually more or less “well known” (theorized at least and somehow known thanks to the waypoints)
Next we had omadds machine, which we not only found very easily just laying around near the ley line hub, so that was quickly resolved as well (though this was something people were waiting for since S1, so this is something I can let slide, but it is still very fast for S2)

Mordremoth is attacking quickly and over great distances.
To be fair, he is no more danger then Primordus in that regard, since he uses the same routes then him under the earth.
Even if he is a new thread, I do not understand why he is suddenly the biggest thread and we cannot have the pact have a shot at him first, before we go big Tyria Alliance (TA)
It feels like we are missing a step here.
Like:
Investigating the roar ?Deducting Mordremoth ?Sending the Pact ?Upgrading to big Alliance

Aside from his “fast” growth, there is no reason (since we have no information how the pact fairs so far) to put him on number one, since we got one less elder dragon at the same time. We traded one danger to the next.

Last “offender” was the Ascalonian Crown. This very important item was reduced to nothing more than a boring scavenger hunt to reinforce old events. This even with the “magnetic attribute” you assigned to it feels like a very rushed job.
3. End words
I know I have written a lot and I might have phrased something better, but timefame, pacing and the (dumb) slow reacting world are the biggest offenders in my opinion.
Even if we consider the fact that we are only seeing a fraction of what is happening, due to the fact that we are only one person and things are unfolding in front of us, it is still an MMORPG world, we are able to explore and subsequently would be able to find hints and other stuff to help you telling your story.
I think it is a shame that you are focused to put little details here and there, but not on things that are very crucial to the main plot.
Show don`t tell.
Do not make “mysteries” just for the sake of “Mysteries”.
Do not have us ask big questions, if you are not able to follow up with a fitting answer.

Right now I see a lot of good effort and passion in the LS, however things like the ones I wrote are just breaking the immersion.

I pretty much completely agree with everything you’re said. The amount of work/effort that they’ve put into each release is truly admirable, but the writing and world building is kind of shocking.

I actually think it is a lot simpler than that. In LS2 the writers have shown they can put together a reasonable story based on the adventures of a small team of characters. When it comes to international politics and national emergencies the writing is unable to cope. Trying to have the main character as an major international commander and a full time adventurer just isn’t working. The politics and international response (and lack of it) just isn’t believable. The sheer number of characters is making the writing for each too brief. Nothing has enough depth to be realistic.

This “writing” team is beyond redemption. The “story” has gone too far, is too riddled with contradiction and plot holes, and too much time is being spent in current chapters attempting (and failing) to explain past plot catastrophes. Too much effort wasted trying to rationalize the way Scarlett was characterized, and the wasted effort is ongoing, creating yet more plot holes to be repaired down the line. if ever.

In addition the thing is just a mess of popular tropes and stock fanfic elements with little attempt to actually fit any of it to Tyria and the cultures. Nearly all fiction is derivative now, but little attempt was made to at least make some effort to fitting it to the Tyrian world.

Thinking about it, I wondered why do we need an alliance to begin with when we already have the Pact, a union of three different orders that have already fought Zhaitan and succeeded. I may have missed a few plot details here and there, but I’d imagine the Pact’s forces being sent in first to test the waters a little further. :/

Stooperdale.3560:

I actually think it is a lot simpler than that. In LS2 the writers have shown they can put together a reasonable story based on the adventures of a small team of characters. When it comes to international politics and national emergencies the writing is unable to cope. Trying to have the main character as an major international commander and a full time adventurer just isn’t working. The politics and international response (and lack of it) just isn’t believable. The sheer number of characters is making the writing for each too brief. Nothing has enough depth to be realistic.

That is really nice anaylsis there.
I like the angle you are coming from.

@Teofa Tsavo.9863
o be honest, while I get your complain, my original intend was more on a cooperative basis. I think they know that they are not perfect and are using established tropes to fill in the blanks for their writing, as they are on a tight shedule.

However that is exactly why I was writing in the first place.
Feedback is needed, be it positive or negative.
It has to be reasonable and consider the circumstances, though.
If there is a problem then provide possible solutions for example.

Teofa Tsavo.9863:

This “writing” team is beyond redemption. The “story” has gone too far, is too riddled with contradiction and plot holes, and too much time is being spent in current chapters attempting (and failing) to explain past plot catastrophes. Too much effort wasted trying to rationalize the way Scarlett was characterized, and the wasted effort is ongoing, creating yet more plot holes to be repaired down the line. if ever.

In addition the thing is just a mess of popular tropes and stock fanfic elements with little attempt to actually fit any of it to Tyria and the cultures. Nearly all fiction is derivative now, but little attempt was made to at least make some effort to fitting it to the Tyrian world.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Although my soul’s weeping, I must accept the truth:

Guild Wars is dead, long live “Guild Wars (2)”!