Guild Wars 2

Despite things looking bad, I haven’t felt my heartstrings get pulled yet. When an individual dies in GW2 nowadays, it either feels like their entire character was designed to die from the first second they appeared (Belinda), or a character dies and we were all predicting it long before it happened (Eir). When a massive group of uknown people die, it’s really hard to care about it, so it generally has no impact at all.

I’d like to see people we care about die. Who do we sacrifice to protect Aurene? What if Aurene is corrupted anyways? What if Braham dies and his body beomes an icebrood champion while we’re in the Fire Islands? Maybe we would hate the dragons like we’re supposed to if more people we met throughout our time in Tyria suffered in present storylines. They don’t feel threatening right now, because they only kill nobodies and people who they’re supposed to kill. Surviving a war is luck. Death should be unexpected and cruel. It should not naturally fit into the plot but instead drive the plot in unexpected directions.

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

ugrakarma.9416:

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

Apatia’s story was actually sad. Her death was foreshadowed, but telling the norn her story was one of the best parts of the personal story.
Belinda was more like “Hi, I’m Marjory’s sister,” and then she died, and we were supposed to be sad about it, but we barely knew her.

I cheered when Trahearne finally bit the dust, because he was ruining the story for far too long. Lets all be honest, only one that would pull at our heart strings, is Taimi. Arenanet wouldn’t dare touch her adorable Asuran head though, right?

Cecilia.5179:

ugrakarma.9416:

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

Apatia’s story was actually sad. Her death was foreshadowed, but telling the norn her story was one of the best parts of the personal story.
Belinda was more like “Hi, I’m Marjory’s sister,” and then she died, and we were supposed to be sad about it, but we barely knew her.

Yeah, they need to do more like what they did with Tybalt. Get us accustomed to the character over like 20 instances, make us like them, love them, and then have them killed off. Much more of a player punch. Imagine if they killed off Rytlock…dear god the amount of tears.

mysticsicness.7598:

I cheered when Trahearne finally bit the dust, because he was ruining the story for far too long. Lets all be honest, only one that would pull at our heart strings, is Taimi. Arenanet wouldn’t dare touch her adorable Asuran head though, right?

I dunno, she’s sixteen now. Another couple of years and she’ll be a full-fledged adult. Maybe. I don’t remember any articles talking about the lifespan of the asura. I know the sylvari and norn were mentioned; the norn don’t actually know how long they live naturally, as they all tend to die in battle. I can’t remember if charr lifespans were mentioned, either.

It’s funny, during the entire campaign of GW1, we only had 3-4 really notable deaths that impacted us, and they weren’t quite playable characters sort of on the periphery but were companions through the majority of the story. They were powerful moments because of the significance of the sacrifice or death.

*Saidra in Prophecies campaign was a big one, she was the leading figure in the Shining Blade and sacrificed herself so we (MC and party) could escape the Mursaat.

• Prince Rurik is notorious since you either loved or hated him. But regardless you had an attachment, you helped him lead refugees after the charr destroyed ascalon to Lion’s Arch. But he died along the way. Then you had to fight his risen form in the Ring of Fire towards the end of the story, and while he may not have endeared himself to you at the start, fighting him at the end was sad, being corrupted after the good he did.

*Gadd in the Eye of the North campaign was a cranky yet amusing asuran golemancer who died trying to save rata sum from destroyers. He insulted the pants off you, but it was an especially sad loss since you find out that Vekk was his son.

GW2 doesn’t give you the depth and the level of connection that it’s precursor did. So you never develop an attachment to the characters. And the deaths are shallow and practically meaningless, the Eir death especially was completely meaningless and contributed in no way to the sentiment you have towards mordremoth or the fight. Just like losing a character every step of the PS during the lead upto to the Zhaitan fight, they were just trying to pull for reaction on a gimmick that was overused and IS overused in games. I mean imagine the impact if Tybalt was with you the entire story upto Mordremoth and instead of Eir dying in that scene it was Tybalt. The pacing and decisions etc just aren’t effective when the story has no depth.

This is why id kill Caithe, it would accualy cause a whole mix of emotions for the whole community, both happy with revenge and sad.
I think Braham is a too early choice, given that for people who couldnt play ls1 he is still a nobody.
Id go far back for some of the base characters we met even before the ls1.
I agree on the point with the mentors, because killing them off all the way in hot? THAT would be just the worst thing ever.
They suprised me in the hearts and minds by bringing them back (or Trahearane, i liked that).. But t wasnt enough.
Trahearanes death was a bad hit for me, since i liked him, but as for the whole community, wed need to propably kill someone dear to us protecting someone else (for example protecting Aurene)
Fighting and killing Lazarus would be lame. He is too much of an early character to die.
Wholeheartly hope we wont get Aurenes death. Id let my characters die permanently for her :v

I believe anet is playing it safe by not wanting to anger players who dont care about the characters at all, but showing more emotions for at least the hatchling would make the story far deeper.

I dont think death is the only way to make things darker however, personally id like to see things go in a direction that avoids the death path because its been used too much in GW2 lately.

What I personally would prefer is having the COMMANDER do something questionable, YOU are responsible for something terrible, something world changing.

Example:

What if Lazarus offers us a means to fight the dragons, example: Ressurecting his entire race, the Mursaat, an action that would have DIRE consequences on the world of UNKNOWN magnitude.

But to do it, we must sacrifice the white mantle, not just some of it, -all- of it, literally wiping the entire mantle out as a people to bring back the Mursaat as a species.

This, could be a truly dark moment for the player that would leave you with a cold sense of justice and yet an uncertain sense of discomfort. The Mantle a threat to the world is gone, but you took it out in the -worst- way possible.

Which begs the question commander…

Are -you- really a hero?

Another thought that came to my mind, example here…

Caudecus could try taking the bloodstones power, along with the mantle, but the power is too great, its ripping him apart, literally torturing him. The villian you saw before is now a victim of his own folley, but the power he wields could destroy everything if it isnt controlled.

Lazarus is the only one you know that can control it… and with reluctance your forced to let him take that power knowing the risk it has by giving him more strength. The Commander isnt stupid, its dangerous, he could betray you, but hes the only guy there at the time that can fix this. The only one that -can- do something about it.

So you watch, as the souls of Caudecus and the others are ripped into the soul batteries and used to fuel the rebirth of the Mursaat as a species, as they scream in terror and you see the real monster. Not the people that were trying to rule the world with mad delusions, but the one willing to press the red button and doom a people.

You.

We could even make this more stringy and cruel, what if Jory knows what you’re about to do and tries to stop you. You go full Watchman on her and murder your own comrade in cold blood to hide a terrible secret for the greater good, and yes, Jory or possibly Caithe, one of them anyway, who would be foolish enough to tell the truth and expose you to the world.

Well, dark enough for you yet :p?

Cecilia.5179:

I’d like to see people we care about die.

How about NO! What kinda of warped mind wants to see death? Really poor request…

Cecilia.5179:

ugrakarma.9416:

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

Apatia’s story was actually sad. Her death was foreshadowed, but telling the norn her story was one of the best parts of the personal story.
Belinda was more like “Hi, I’m Marjory’s sister,” and then she died, and we were supposed to be sad about it, but we barely knew her.

Were we supposed to be sad about Belinda? I thought we were supposed to be sad FOR Marjory.

As for killing off characters we care about, I hope they don’t continually use that trope. It just makes you not care about characters because you know they’ll die.

I think they’ve already overdone the whole ‘darkness = kill off characters’ thing.

DeWolfe.2174:

Cecilia.5179:

I’d like to see people we care about die.

How about NO! What kinda of warped mind wants to see death? Really poor request…

The kind of “warped mind” that can make a clear distinction between reality and an MMO game? Preferring a darker storyline in a game/book/movie doesn’t make you a sociopath IRL.

For me, the game’s stories are a weird mix of slapstick humour, characters I’m supposed to care about but really don’t because I’ve formed no attachments to any of them, questionable choices, a goody-two-shoe commander ( as in, my toon ), and a lore that is full of surprisingly dark elements that are continuously hinted at/mentioned but never really come to the fore.

I enjoy playing the game, even the instances/PS, but for immersive, gripping storylines, I look elsewhere.

Cecilia.5179:

Who do we sacrifice to protect Aurene?

Caithe. Gladly.

What if Aurene is corrupted anyways?

Well, she does have a bit of her daddy in her.

Maybe we would hate the dragons like we’re supposed to

The dragons are Force of Nature villains. It’s difficult to “hate” them, per se. You can spite a hurricane and dread the damage it causes, but do you really “hate” it on an emotional level?

Death should be unexpected and cruel. meaningful. Expected or unexpected, it should have meaning and drive something forward. But no fridging. Fridging is bad.

I agree that the way deaths have been handled so far sort of missed the mark (at least in my experience). I think they could cause some seriously strong emotions if they don’t kill someone, but rather wound a character that’s been with us for a very long time that we’ve grown attached to. It would be a way to rip them out of the player gang so to speak but still have them alive.

Death isn’t the only reason for sadness. The pact has suffered greatly since Zhaitan, it could be a meaningful event to have them dissolve due to increasing casualties and lack of faith. Fighting a dragon doesn’t always have to make progress, we could get pushed back and find a different way to deal with them.

I will admit here though, I hope Canach doesn’t get that treatment.. he’s got a great voice actor and he has been receiving quite some attention in character building. (which does make him a candidate if that’s what the writers want to do)

Quick solution: everyone dies next episode three times or more. Make them all die to death.

Carlin Sanders.3587:

Quick solution: everyone dies next episode three times or more. Make them all die to death.

You mean “kill them till they’re dead, because that’s worse”?

Please, no more character deaths, it’s been overdone (to death).

There are other ways to achieve a darker story (betrayal, abuse, morals tested, having to sacrifice a major goal… ect).

Character death should be reserved for only the most rarest occasion, otherwise they become the norm and their death means nothing at all.

anninke.7469:

Carlin Sanders.3587:

Quick solution: everyone dies next episode three times or more. Make them all die to death.

You mean “kill them till they’re dead, because that’s worse”?

People die when they are killed.

Carlin Sanders.3587:

anninke.7469:

Carlin Sanders.3587:

Quick solution: everyone dies next episode three times or more. Make them all die to death.

You mean “kill them till they’re dead, because that’s worse”?

People die when they are killed.

Die the death!

Carlin Sanders.3587:

anninke.7469:

Carlin Sanders.3587:

Quick solution: everyone dies next episode three times or more. Make them all die to death.

You mean “kill them till they’re dead, because that’s worse”?

People die when they are killed.

Here, enjoy an explanation by the expert on Youtube

You do not need people to die to make a dark/interesting/emotional story.

Belinda was a throwaway character that came out of nowhere, that whole story was poorly conceived. Eir’s death was blatantly obvious and completely lacked any kind of emotional punch due to the lack of her presence in the story since release. Traherene, no one liked him and because of that his whole emotional death scene felt more like a chore to click through rather than an emotional heart-string moment.

I do not see another death being the answer here, if anything characters getting killed is kind of the issue. They should just continue on as they are doing, the Living World seems to be going in the right direction now. It would be a shame to ruin it by killing off someone’s favourite character with little buildup, for example Taimi, Canach or Aurene. Any other character would be almost as meaningless as Eir’s death.

mysticsicness.7598:

I cheered when Trahearne finally bit the dust, because he was ruining the story for far too long. Lets all be honest, only one that would pull at our heart strings, is Taimi. Arenanet wouldn’t dare touch her adorable Asuran head though, right?

No one would have the balls to kill off a handicapped character except for The X Men with Xavier and maybe South Park since they don’t give a crap who they offend.

Re Eir’s death, it looked to me like they were being clever by having it be readable in two ways:
1) She rightfully gives a fellow sufferer a second chance. That’s refused, but she takes her revenge for that. That costs her, but she dies having done the right thing. OR
2) She stupidly and morally wrongly opens herself up to Faolaine’s attack. Her subsequent death was what she deserved for her foolishness.

I definitely favored (2).

But my hopes for a more reasonable story were dashed with the Caithe mess at the end of Episode 2.

mysticsicness.7598:

I cheered when Trahearne finally bit the dust, because he was ruining the story for far too long. Lets all be honest, only one that would pull at our heart strings, is Taimi. Arenanet wouldn’t dare touch her adorable Asuran head though, right?

And she’s just a kid, would be a big rough to kill her. I can imagine the flood of traumatised players all crying on the forum. While the story writers sit in a corner rocking repeating “What have I done?!?” over and over.

Wow you people are bloodthirsty….

BrotherBelial.3094:

mysticsicness.7598:

I cheered when Trahearne finally bit the dust, because he was ruining the story for far too long. Lets all be honest, only one that would pull at our heart strings, is Taimi. Arenanet wouldn’t dare touch her adorable Asuran head though, right?

And she’s just a kid, would be a big rough to kill her. I can imagine the flood of traumatised players all crying on the forum. While the story writers sit in a corner rocking repeating “What have I done?!?” over and over.

Wow, I kinda want them to do it now just cuz to see if this really does happen

Cecilia.5179:

ugrakarma.9416:

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

Apatia’s story was actually sad. Her death was foreshadowed, but telling the norn her story was one of the best parts of the personal story.
Belinda was more like “Hi, I’m Marjory’s sister,” and then she died, and we were supposed to be sad about it, but we barely knew her.

Actually, playing through, I liked Trahearne. He was my friend (I just finished my Sylvari story, as well – I really, really wish the personal story weren’t so disconnected. Tegwen and Carys told me about the mirror I saved them from 3 times as though I wasn’t there for any of it! And The Pale Tree acted as though neither of us knew about the sword we returned!).

Apatia and Tonn’s deaths didn’t bother me at all (Really, I only took their options to see what they were like). Tegwen’s death was just dumb (It was an artillery strike, not a bomb.), and the Tactician Beirne’s was also dumb (Mostly because the cutscene is so long and drawn out. Reducing it to him running over and getting one-shot would have made it more “He died doing something irrational but understandable” and less “Why are we standing around letting him get killed?”).

I actually wouldn’t mind Taimi’s death – especially if it means I’d never have to listen to her obnoxious voice and meandering rants ever again. The rest of Dragon’s Watch (Or even the survivors of Destiny’s Edge) can also bite the dust without bothering me.

The only characters that I really like, I guess, are Trahearne, Galina Sharpclaw and Snarl Backdraft (As dumb as they are, they’re entertainingly dense), the Gear Warband, Ellie, Carys+Tegwen, and the Charr Warband Survivors.

Cecilia.5179:

ugrakarma.9416:

I remember that in Personal history, they using more the classic trick: puy u to create connection with someone and then kill your little friend later lolz. poor Apatia, that was cruel, i miss her: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Apatia

Apatia’s story was actually sad. Her death was foreshadowed, but telling the norn her story was one of the best parts of the personal story.
Belinda was more like “Hi, I’m Marjory’s sister,” and then she died, and we were supposed to be sad about it, but we barely knew her.

welp that “barely” was more than enought to me to start liking her

so I for once am really sad every time I need to look at her dying [yay for profits of multiple toons?]

Wow, some of this stuff on here on just…wow. What’s wrong with you people, I think Endless Soul had it right, you are all bloodthirsty.

GTA and anime can be desensitising

cyberzombie.7348:

GTA and anime can be desensitising

Nothing to do with that, 80’s TV did a good enough job.