Guild Wars 2

Gieniusz Krab.8259:

Hello,

So, as in title, expansion is coming… because how wouldn’t it when AN posted that photo with blinded Rytlock? I saw also one speculation which says it will come in 2015, but…

Blindfolded Rytlock means expansion? That’s… an impressive leap.

We have had teaser images for quite a few Living Story chapters. Don’t really see how that means an expansion is coming.

Kormir was also blinded. Kormir came from Elona.

Being blinded != Being a ritualist.

I am also quite certain that ritualists aren’t blind, they simply cover their eyes in order to be able to focus better (or something like that).

Actually the Gods does not seem to be in the Mists at the moment but rather somewhere else.

And no, it still doesn’t even hint at an expansion. It shows Rytlock, after falling into the Mist, encountering something/one that potentially blinded him.
We don’t after all know if he is actually blind.

Of course an expansion’s coming, anyone who vehemently disagrees I’d have to call a fool. With how many people ANet has working for them, they’re not all focusing on the Living Story. I fully expect one by spring of next year that’s just that; an expansion while the LS continues the important story involving the Elder Dragons. After all, they’ve mentioned several times in interviews that there’s “big things” going on behind the scenes, and to date, we’ve yet to see something just so huge these past two years. They know what the majority of players want, and that type of content just can’t be given out at the rate people want it to be through the LS alone. They also know it’d make them a kitten ton of money.

Also, if I’m not mistaken, an expansion has been included in some NCsoft report or some such nonsense; again, slated for 2015. This isn’t what I’m basing my opinion on, but it does reinforce what I already believe they’re working on. It’s Guild Wars. Of course there’s going to be an expansion.

NCSoft had also had reports of an expansion slated for 2014. That turned out to be their marketing spin on Living Story Season 1. You can’t really use NCSoft’s report as firm evidence, it’s slanted towards presenting their company and financial projections in the best possible light.

I definitely agree that an expansion is coming – but that doesn’t mean any time soon. 2015 might be a good guess, but it could very easily be the end of 2015.

This picture doesn’t point towards an expansion at all. It’s the teaser image for the next chapter of the living story, and a blindfold could mean numerous things.

It’s as if people want to be bitterly disappointed with Anet. I don’t get it.

I personally believe that image is for the next episode of LS2, Episode 6, which we should see on the 18th of November and nothing more, and unless Mike O’Brien has had a change of heart…no expansion.

You do know that Rylock is wearing a Seer Mask right?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Seer_armor

Any light armours can wear the Seer armor which none of them are Ritualist (Necromancer, Elementist and Mesmer).

it is worth pointing out that Rytlock isn’t a light armour wearer though.
Maybe his profession is changing to Necro?

FlamingFoxx.1305:

it is worth pointing out that Rytlock isn’t a light armour wearer though.
Maybe his profession is changing to Necro?

Noo, he should become a Mesmer.
Charr Mesmer is the best.

lordkrall.7241:

FlamingFoxx.1305:

it is worth pointing out that Rytlock isn’t a light armour wearer though.
Maybe his profession is changing to Necro?

Noo, he should become a Mesmer.
Charr Mesmer is the best.

But he just entered the Mist’s and has been fooling around with ghosts. Necro at least is a plausible leap from that

anet has stated several times they won’t make an expansion as long as they believe the living story can hold plenty of material. That being said, an expansion would likely take a whole year at the very least, so it wouldn’t even be coming anytime soon.
Plus, new races, professions, lands, abilities, all those things can be introduced through the living story.

And ritualists were removed because their main purpose was information exchange long distance (according to lore, my ritualists never did anything exept spirit spam). Since technology has passed 250 years, ritualists have become unnecesary. The only ability they would have returning for is carrying ashes and summoning spirits.

Ayakaru.6583:

anet has stated several times they won’t make an expansion as long as they believe the living story can hold plenty of material. That being said, an expansion would likely take a whole year at the very least, so it wouldn’t even be coming anytime soon.
Plus, new races, professions, lands, abilities, all those things can be introduced through the living story.

And ritualists were removed because their main purpose was information exchange long distance (according to lore, my ritualists never did anything exept spirit spam). Since technology has passed 250 years, ritualists have become unnecesary. The only ability they would have returning for is carrying ashes and summoning spirits.

Their main purpose was information exchange long distance? huh?

Technology doesn’t make magic void. Has an elementalist become unnecessary? have necromancers?

Also I don’t ever recall that being Ritualist’s main purpose…
According to the lore their main purpose is communing with and channelling the spirits of their ancestors. Their magic is also technically not magic in the same sense of the other professions (it wasn’t magic gifted by the gods because it existed before then, and is supposed to be a kind of ancestral power)

Wasn’t there some sort of alleged NCSoft financial doc that was posted online that, among other things, stated a GW2 expansion was scheduled for Spring 2015? I remember seeing it here or on that horrible Reddit site. Was that ever discredited?

Gieniusz Krab.8259:

lordkrall.7241:

Kormir was also blinded. Kormir came from Elona.

Being blinded != Being a ritualist.

I am also quite certain that ritualists aren’t blind, they simply cover their eyes in order to be able to focus better (or something like that).

Ok, ritualists are first association which came to my mind in the first second of seeing that Rytlock picture. As you said, Kormir is blinded too, but not a ritualist. Because Kormir is related to Elona (She’s in the Mists, but borned in Elona), that also would mean an expansion.

Blindfolds exists in Tyria too, even in GW1

Ritualists are indeed not blind by default – some were, like Aeson, but not all. The blindfolds were part of seeing the “spirit threads” – though what such were, has never been expanded upon.

According to Priestess Rhie, the gods are not in the Mists.

FlamingFoxx.1305:

it is worth pointing out that Rytlock isn’t a light armour wearer though.
Maybe his profession is changing to Necro?

NPCs are allowed to mix-and-match armor classes – even town clothing. They don’t follow the same mechanics, or mechanically may have unique armor that is literally copies of other classes’ armor.

Ayakaru.6583:

And ritualists were removed because their main purpose was information exchange long distance (according to lore, my ritualists never did anything exept spirit spam). Since technology has passed 250 years, ritualists have become unnecesary. The only ability they would have returning for is carrying ashes and summoning spirits.

Uhhh….

The only profession I’ve ever seen tied to long distance communications would be…

Honestly, none.

Ritualists were guides for the spirits of the dead, capable of calling souls from the Mists with ease, and use the power of one’s ancestors to suppliment spells of different schools of magic.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

The only profession I’ve ever seen tied to long distance communications would be.

Warriors Shouting! Ha!

Cole Eyre.8471:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

The only profession I’ve ever seen tied to long distance communications would be.

Warriors Shouting! Ha!

You sir/madam, deserve a cookie.

Armor class restrictions being removed confirmed! Rytlock wears light armor!
New profession coming confirmed! Rytlock has become a ritualist!
New expansion coming confirmed! Rytlock has become blind!

Yea, well…

Although, I do have a sneaky suspicion about 2015 but that’s entirely unrelated to this LS teaser image. There’s just something about ANet/GW2 and 2015…

Play the new class Ritualist. Play the first 30 levels with pitchblack screens. Learn the sonar-driven combat of the Ritualist. Experience your environment with your powerful blindman’s stick.

In regard to an expansion: it is not coming but it was already started last July. The newest batch of expansions was shipped last Tuesday to us. The next one will arrive us next week.

Dondarrion.2748:

Although, I do have a sneaky suspicion about 2015 but that’s entirely unrelated to this LS teaser image. There’s just something about ANet/GW2 and 2015…

Specifically: April 28, 2015.

draxynnic.3719:

Dondarrion.2748:

Although, I do have a sneaky suspicion about 2015 but that’s entirely unrelated to this LS teaser image. There’s just something about ANet/GW2 and 2015…

Specifically: April 28, 2015.

Indeed. (If they somehow mess up the 10 year anniversary…) I just watched the Looking for Group Documentary. I wanna be a proud GW player again.

Like I said, it’s hard to use your character for that purpose, but lorewise they were invented for that reason because they could pass information through the spirit realm. A ritualist could either extract information from a spirit(ual being) or use the spirits to ship information in a mere second. I’m very well aware anet didn’t give us those skills back then.

What gives the NCSoft report some weight is that it sounded like a “panic release” when their stock price dropped despite beating expectations.
Companies respond to unexplained drops in stock by shoring up their financial outlook. They knew that trumping up B&S release wasn’t going to assuage any concerns (releasing a game several years old in a new market isn’t a hard hitting outlook.)
However, the Guild Wars franchise is their best selling product over the last 10 years and it’s world-wide appeal makes it big news.
If they “cry wolf” they won’t be able to play this card again the next time the investors get shaky.

The entirety of LS1 was mapped out by the time it started. The artwork, level design, etc has all been done long before hand. The hardest part is doubtlessly the implementation and bug scouring.

Taken the gaps in between new releases (the implementation and bug scouring happening during this since long gaps before new maps are introduced) you have to ask what the design teams have been doing?

I think the only hard part will be the ANet team selling the expansion hype, while not confirming it until they definitely have a hard date they can meet.

They know what players want. They want guild capes, guild halls, GvG, and multiple explorable areas that aren’t “gimmicky” or at least have unique and intriguing gimmicks to each one.

Ayakaru.6583:

Like I said, it’s hard to use your character for that purpose, but lorewise they were invented for that reason because they could pass information through the spirit realm. A ritualist could either extract information from a spirit(ual being) or use the spirits to ship information in a mere second. I’m very well aware anet didn’t give us those skills back then.

Even in story and lore, spirits were not used in this manner in a general sense.

Because it supposedly takes a lot of effort to bring back a specific spirit.

So you can end up summoning 100,000 souls and not get the one you’re looking for unless you put in a lot of effort each time.

And usually when such is done, it is for inducting the spirit into Tahnnakai Temple.

Chris.3290:

The entirety of LS1 was mapped out by the time it started. The artwork, level design, etc has all been done long before hand. The hardest part is doubtlessly the implementation and bug scouring.

This is false, and proves that you’re talking out of your kitten . They had Season 1’s plot thought out, but it was not made. They made the content from four months prior to its release, until release itself. Each month’s updates had 4 months work on it – this was stated several times throughout Season 1; and after Tower of Nightmares, there was a livestream in which they said that they put all effort they were allowed in their four months to make that as great as they could.

This includes artwork, level design, voice acting, and writing.

They only had the outline of the plot done. And even that was altered to the responses of the players.

We all want it, but I indeed suspect I will once again be bitterly disappointed.

Your all forgetting the original “blindfold” in Guild Wars 1 was in exchange for a stack of diessa chalice’s from a Char NPC at Cathedral of Flames, that was part of the Eye of the north expansion., If it is going to be any expansion, with all the past episode involving Glint, a dwarve. I’m expecting new zones around the current hall of monument building
possibly areas around timberline falls as-well, I just think arena nets story telling has put to much on there plate as the living story is now pushing into maguma wastes. Which leads me to believe there may be more for the map hunt as certain missing map pieces are found in maguma in the original game that led to a dungeon instance within shiver peak area. I’m hoping to see Droknars Forge armor
Also the question with Rytlock going south of heaven chasing that Legendary weapon could also mean a portal to the underworld.

These features are what this game desperately needs addressed to tie as a true Guild Wars sequel to flesh out the lore.

kalash.2375:

Your all forgetting the original “blindfold” in Guild Wars 1 was in exchange for a stack of diessa chalice’s from a Char NPC at Cathedral of Flames, that was part of the Eye of the north expansion.

Actually no. Blindfolds were added with Ritualists which were released with Factions.
Sure the actual item Blindfold was added with Eye of the North, but they were in-game as actual things quite long before that.

Or Rytlock met the human gods and was blinded.

Yeah Kalash, Eye of the North was the last GW release, well after the release of Factions which, as lordkrall points out, brought in Ritualists with blindfolds.

This thread reminds me why the “Half-Life 3 confirmed” tinfoil hat community exists.

Especially because how religiously people chant the mantra that “an expansion will fix everything”.

Incorrect Krall !, The ritualist armor specifically the headpiece is referred to as a “head wrap” as it covers the top of the skull and covers the eyes, in the sense it is not a traditional “blindfold” that is sourced from the Char NPC at Cathedral of Flames.

Scorch and burn?

However, that blindfold model originates as the prop used by Kormir after Varesh’s puppy had it’s way with her eyes. So still goes further than EotN.

kalash.2375:

Incorrect Krall !, The ritualist armor specifically the headpiece is referred to as a “head wrap” as it covers the top of the skull and covers the eyes, in the sense it is not a traditional “blindfold” that is sourced from the Char NPC at Cathedral of Flames.

Scorch and burn?

It’s still a blindfold… Ritualists close their eyes during combat. Just because it wasn’t until EoTN that an item specifically called “blindfold” turned up, doesn’t mean that they didn’t functionally exist in the game or lore before that point.

I think Wooden Potatoes’s idea that Rytlock has gazed upon the human gods and been blinded by their glory is pretty solid and will lead to some interesting developments (we’re not getting an expansion atm) how delightful it will be to have a Charr running round the black citadel destroying it because its an afront to the true gods’ children and we can finally go home to Ascalon.

I don’t get you guys………….

it’s like screaming for disappointment and put it on A-Net.
Just because someone is blind ans someone in GW2 Elona was blinded is a bridge to an expansion ???
Holy crap you guys are desperate.

Also the interview they gave didn’t say they will announce an expansion.
They simply said it’s now 2 years and they have to talk about expansion plans.

This means they could also announce that an expansion is just rumor and there is none coming just to put it to rest.
And this is exactly what i expect. They said it pretty clear.
No expansion will come for GW2. Even less Cantha because they will run into trouble with China. And of course they don’t want 2 versions of the game.

Where do you guys get your strength of believe from is far beyond me

Kurrilino is pretty much right, though I wouldn’t go quite that far.

Anet have pretty adamantly stated that their preferred method of content delivery is the Living Story, not a traditional expansion. Unless they’ve been working on an expansion behind the scenes, which would make their adamant denial of doing so kind of strange, then there isn’t going to be an expansion any time soon.

With that said, however, it’s possible that they might concede that the Living Story isn’t being received as well as they had hoped and decide to move to an expansion based model. But if they were to do that it certainly would be a while before we saw anything come of it.

Hey Guys! I saw a thread title saying an Expansion is definitely…wait….oh. -walks out and shuts door behind him-