First of let me say, i like these characters. simple as it is.
I wont go into detail there, since this is not the reason i open this topic.
Just let me tell you. I like them and i am glad they are in the game…
That said, here is my problem with them:
Why are they the “heroes” of the story?
I just do not understand why they are so focused about and apearently the only people with a brain in whole Tyria.
Even if we consider politcal reasons, border fights with monsters and lesser races, there should be several more competent people and groups out there that could do the same job.
The trope of a group which was just pulled together at random and fights a common thread is popular and it is basicly in every story.
Heck, even the PS takes us as a civilian becoming a local hero and then is there as the fight against the eldar dragons is happening.
However that does not apply here. At least not in the way it is shown here.
In the PS our heroes are always acompanied with experts on the matter. Something wrong with magical flow, we go to a magic expert.
These things are not in this story. In fact the only person who apears to be actually doing something to understand anything is a simple detective:
Majory
She is revealed to be an ex-priory member and is now an detective. She happended to be around at the dragon bash and helped the investigation there.
That is her first encounter and introduction to the case.
We see her again at the tower of nightmares, whcih she stumbled upon, however her involvement there could have been done by any other poison expert.
Then she is apearently the only person who leads any kind of investigation against Scarlet, at a point where several groups should be after her.
Kasmeer
She appeaered before, but as a simple side character till she was promoted to be Majorys lover and partner. She does only reveal the tower of nightmares and then helps in the endfight if the player is not using stability to give you a way to defeat Scarlet.
Rox
She was there from the beginning and gave us the Charr side of things in flame and frost.
After that she was just our conection to the LS, given random tasks by Rythlock (embasador, Tequatle killer, etc…). While she lost friends by Scarlet, her aperance can mostly considered fan-service and to asure us tha the releases are still part of the living story.
Braham
Follows in the same league as Rox, since he is to her what Kasmeer is to Majory. He is her partner and where she goes, he goes.
Taimi
Introduced to late. She has no real part in any of the Story.
What could be different?
Overall the characters are not bad, but they should have not been the “Iconics” of the story. They have no reason to be the only “competent” people shown to us.
Even then, the characters do not even seem that competent to begin with.
They just apeared where stuff was happening, mostly due to plot convinience.
These are just civilian who are given more limelight then they deserved.
- We never seen them track down any of the events.
- We never see them gathering clues.
Why is there no group of Seraph dedicated to hunt down Scarlet?
Why is there no group investigation the new technology from Scarlet?
Why is there no bounty?
Why is it that a random detective, her lover, an errand boy Charr and his partner is supposed to be the only people who are able to track down Scarlet?
These people do not contribute much aside from their first involvement and end up as nothing more then to be recognized by us players to play off.
Thus, they are the iconics.
However it does not make sense to sell them to us as the only competent people.
While they are interesting characters on their own, the implementation into the story is weak and is only hold together in from of fan-service and plot convinience.
While the writers did their best to place them into the story, i just cannot shake the feeling that they do not really belong there and other more competnent members of Tyria should have taken their part.