Guild Wars 2

Hey guys,

there has been a lot of feedback on the story of HoT, but to avoid any spoilers lets just say my opinion is similar to WP’s. There are improvements, but like always, there’s place for more, so I’m gonna share my idea I’ve been thinking on for a while how to make story have more impact, feel your actions matter and improve the general storytelling through a simple new feature, which uses already existing ones.

[Minor spoilers and fanfic here]
I’d like to start my explanation with an example that takes place right after LS2: You arrive to the jungle only to find the pact destroyed. While you rescue your comrades from the mordrem, you you also rescue a Sylvari named Malyck, who you might already know. He tells you he’s from a different pale tree, but he was attacked on the way back and captured. You decide to visit this pale tree to seek potential allies, but you instead you discover that that pale tree has fallen to Mordremorth. Malyck agrees to help, but he becomes devastated because he had to destroy everyone he once knew. He sworn revenge on Mordremorth, and joins your party through the rest of the story.

Quick timejump to the end, where you face Mordi. As you would expect, Mordremorth calls out for Malyck to join his side, and, because Malyck has already lost so much and feels like he doesn’t have anything to live for, joins him. You have to defeat him, then mordremorth…. the end.

However you have the chance to save Malyck: throughout the story, you can complete optional objectives that will strengthen Malyck’s faith (like the current optional achievements) , and if you complete all of them, you get an alternate ending in which Malyck is able to resist Mordremorth’s call and will survive.

Now comes the new feature in the picture: “Friends”. Malyck, since his home was destroyed has nowhere to go, and you offer him your place live in (Home Instance). He accepts, and will now be in your home instance as a vendor or just an NPC you could talk to. I think the best part is Malyck’s story could end wether he lives or dies, so no need for dozens of new lines to voice act, but his dialoge could change based on the current events.

This “Friend” system could be expanded on the zhaitan arc too, where you could chat up with some people in your story, like your sister in one of the human story arcs, who says to you that she plans to join to the vigil, etc. I know this was the original purpose of the home instance, but that’s not how it works ATM.

TL;DR Let players have alternative ending based on their actions throughout the story, without the need for a lot of additional voice acting/work in the future or on the story itself.