Guild Wars 2

So, I have read about the seasons of Living World in GW2 and well, i am still a noob here (and in MMOs) to know what that means.

Is it like a Series where seasons are parts of the plot?

And what about their playability? Are the stories available to be played by all or you had to play on their release to know about them?

So new players are screwed in terms of experiencing it, good to know.

Basically what this tells me is that unless you’ve been playing since launch or you watch it on youtube you will never have any idea what going on, awesome.

kajidourden.1264:

So new players are screwed in terms of experiencing it, good to know.

Basically what this tells me is that unless you’ve been playing since launch or you watch it on youtube you will never have any idea what going on, awesome.

No Living world Season 2 is sold in the gemstore, or if you are not interested in the achievements or weapons, but want to experience the story you can party with someone that does have it unlocked and go through the story with them

what Peter fries said! and it has been said that A-net will see how they can make Living World season 1 playable, season 2 can be played whenever whatever however you like it but you have to buy the bundle OR talk to people and they will be happy to invite you to a party and play the unlocked episodes. Have fun!

PeterFries.1057:

Lance Von Alden.8415:

So, I have read about the seasons of Living World in GW2 and well, i am still a noob here (and in MMOs) to know what that means.

Is it like a Series where seasons are parts of the plot?

And what about their playability? Are the stories available to be played by all or you had to play on their release to know about them?

Our Living World is a storyline that began just after the time of our game’s release.

The first Living World season was done mostly as open world events, each available for a few weeks to play before going away. Because of the open world nature of most of those events, they would need significant work to be re-redesigned as instanced, replayable content.

In the second season, our Living World episodes had more instanced content that was unlocked as free to play at your leisure, as long as you logged in during the two weeks that they ran live. After each episode of Season 2 was no longer current, they were made available for purchase. We added a Story Journal with Season 2, that tracks these episodes in linear form, along a timeline that spans a couple of years in Tyrian time.

The storyline of Living World ran in those two arcs that culminated this past January in the revelations that kick off the story of Heart of Thorns. Hope that helps a bit. Welcome aboard!

i wanna no for new players and players that miss out scarlet how you guys can fill that cap ??

i have miss scarlet to sadly
now i see the end off story 1 and story 2 is a big cap

you be trow in a party off pll you never meet before like bram and his gang
but they all no you ??

so for me and many new players there will be a big ????
who are those pll and why do they no me and so on

hi guys,

im new player too. it is weird when we just jump to Living story season 2. most of them (rox,kasmeer,braham and so on) called me as “boss” suddenly..i feel like..“where the hell did you guys coming from…do i know u?”. T_T

Cruz De Leon.7201:

hi guys,

im new player too. it is weird when we just jump to Living story season 2. most of them (rox,kasmeer,braham and so on) called me as “boss” suddenly..i feel like..“where the hell did you guys coming from…do i know u?”. T_T

Same problem here, i started after Scarlet death basically.

It’ s really really annoying, however i managed to forgive it since it was a new thing, it was a thing that was meant to be that way and was expected to be that way and since S2 took a different route with replayability.

Still, i would really love an alternative introduction/a resume/ an istanced S1 version istanced.

PeterFries.1057:

The first Living World season was done mostly as open world events, each available for a few weeks to play before going away. Because of the open world nature of most of those events, they would need significant work to be re-redesigned as instanced, replayable content.

I’ve actually done the math recently and this is not entirely true.

While there was a lot of open world content, most of it were side plots or the effects of the main plot in the open world. Little to no different than the mordrem event in Prosperity from S2E2.

I counted and there are 30 story instances in all of Season 1; and 2 dungeons in addition (three if you count Fractals story mode added with Fractured! – four if you also count Aetherpath). If we include The Lost Shores, Bazaar of the Four Winds, Tequatl Rising, and the ToN preview/epilogue during Halloween/Wintersday respectively (all of these releases are marked as “Special Event” on https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/ ), the episode-to-open-and-instanced-content set up is the following:

• The Lost Shores – 1 story-important dialogue scene, 13 story-important events (2 non-story-important events which can be re-added even now without harm to narrative)
• Flame and Frost: Prelude – nothing story important (just refugees, signs, and a couple NPCs that hint to the MA’s existence)
• Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm – nothing story important (more refugees, 6 non-story-important events which can even be re-added now without harm to narrative, and a scavenger hunt)
• Flame and Frost: The Razing – 5 instances; nothing open world story important (a few new NPCs such as Ela Makkay; alterations to previous events; Sonic Periscope hunting, Dead Drops – both can be re-added without (much) harm to narrative)
• Flame and Frost: Retribution – 1 dungeon, 2 instances; nothing open world story important (dialogue changes to NPCs, bonfires in cities)
• The Secret of Southsun – 2 open world dialogues, 1 event (event remains, but without the special dialogue); other events are non-story important (and can be readded dependent on any dialogue that wiki doesn’t have documented)
• Last Stand at Southsun – 3 instances, nothing open world story important (no additional events from Secret of Southsun)
• Dragon Bash – 4 instances, ~4 open world NPCs
• Sky Pirates of Tyria – 1 dungeon, 1 instance, nothing open world story important (only killing some aetherblades were added, and the JP that’s still there)
• Bazaar of the Four Winds – 1 instance, 1 zone-with-little-narrative
• Cutthroat Politics – 1 instance (2 if you count the repeatable fight-waves-of-Aetherblades); 1 open world dialogue scene (Ellen’s victory)
• Queen’s Jubilee – 1 instance (Opening Ceremony), nothing open world story important (escort dignitaries; kill aetherblades – nothing story important)
• Clockwork Chaos – 2 instances, 1 open world achievement activity
• Tequatl Rising – 1 open world dialogue scene (series – Rox)
• Twilight Assault – 1 dungeon, nothing open world story important
• Blood and Madness’ ToN preview – 1 open world scene
• Tower of Nightmares – 1 instance, 1 dialogue scene location
• The Nightmares Within – 1 new zone, 8 instances (2 story relevant, 6 kinda-story-relevant – Note: I’m counting each possible pairing with biconics in Nightmare Chambers as its own instance), nothing open world story important (events climbing the tower)
• The Nightmare is Over (aka Wintersday 2013) – 1 dialogue scene location, 2 instances
• The Origin of Madness – 2 instances, 1 event (Twisted Marionette)
• The Edge of the Mists – 2 dialogue scene locations, 2 instances
• Escape from Lion’s Arch – 1 new zone, 3 dialogue scene locations
• Battle for Lion’s Arch – 1 new zone, 3 dialogue scene locations, 1 instance
• Battle for Lion’s Arch: Aftermath – 1 instance, some dialogue scene locations

-continued in next post-

So of said list, only one release (The Lost Shores) was fully open world while also having narrative that wouldn’t be more than the transition of Fort Vandal being lost to mordrem. The vast number of events are not important to the narrative, but served to show players how influential the threat is – again, no more important than the veteran mordrem in Prosperity in the long run. Some such events can be made permanent in the open world, while others can be ignored in bringing back Season 1. From Flame and Frost to Battle for LA: Aftermath, the main story is told, with the exception of a handful locations (mostly previews), in two formats:

1. Instances
2. Temporary zones

In the former – that’s exactly as we experience them already, and is just a matter of transitioning the contents from instances determined by achievements to instanced determined by story journal. In the latter, that’s the only real trickiness to have.

I understand that transitioning the main story could be troublesome, but the argument that “it’s almost all open world” just doesn’t fly. Because while yes there was a lot of open world content, that was not the main narrative in most cases.