Guild Wars 2

Now that Flashpoint has been out for a while and the PvP update has been thoroughly datamined I thought it might be fun to make some detailed speculations regarding the end of Season 3, so I can look back later and laugh at how wrong I was ::D
So, my blind guesses informed considerations are as follows:

Schedule
I think we’ll get the trailer within a week or so, and then the next PvE patch will be episode 6. This would then mean that the rift events would either have to be resolved within the patch or after it, as an epilogue and filler between episode 6 and the expansion.
The trailer itself will feature Aurene, Braham and Balthazar and will show a new arctic map representing Jormag’s Domain. The trailer might or might not mention a new fractal but regardless one of those will also arrive in the same patch. After the trailer and before the update we will see some Aurene and winter-themed items in the gem store in order to build hype, just like the Jormag Dyes and Godslayer bows have done.

Story
It’s very hard to speculate how the patch will end without knowing the story of the expansion it’s going to bridge to, but I can at least try to guess how they will bridge the episode 5 story to the new map.
The patch will open with either Taimi or Aurene calling the commander to Tarir, either because they expect an attack from Balthazar or just to have a conference about the problem. Either way the first story instance will be an attempt by Mr. B to kill/steal Glint’s scion – Taimi, Poobah, a weapon-equipped Scruffy 2.0, KasJory, Caithe, Aurene, Ruka and The Luminate will mount a spirited defence and successfully drive off the zaishen/mercenary invaders, but in the process Tarir will be burned and/or the Exalted slain. At the end of the mission Rox will appear to report that Braham has led a war party of headstrong Norn to Jormag’s domain and is poised to make final assault.
Since we now know that both possible outcomes of this action (Braham slays the dragon/Braham wakes the dragon) would be disasters we, along with the rest of Dragon’s Watch (minus Rytlock), resolve to head north to the new map to try and save the world, taking Aurene with us since there is no longer a Tarir to keep her in.
Either the idea of using Aurene to absorb the excess magic from a dead Jormag is floated by Taimi in this instance or it will be introduced during the map tour.
Braham of course won’t listen to us, and so after the doing the secondary story in the map tour we will have a final story instance that involves a four-way showdown between Braham, Dragon’s Watch, Jormag and Balthazar and ends with the setup for the expansion 2 arc.

Thoughts? Anyone else have speculations you’d like to share?

I like it! It’s very similar to my personal thoughts. And I really think we will have the trailer on the next Tuesday (it’s almost 2 months after ep5) and then ANet will have more time to focus on the expansion so I am almost sure it won’t be 3 months break between ls3 releases.

I also think that Aurene will have the huge role in the finale. And I also think that Braham and Norn will kill the dragon, because as I wrote in the other topic- they deserve it as hell. They just have to kill Jormag at any cost. I am with Braham and norn, because their story is just amazing and this story deserves to have an amazing end to Norn, even if Tyria will be destroyed nothing can stop Norn.

They are brave as hell, but also they are dumb as hell.

Aurene consuming the whole Jormag’s magic is really likely, so then going to the Crystal Desert as leaks say it really really likely, because what can the little mini dragon do in the land of Kralkatorrik’s corruption if has not any great power to heal the land, to defeat the killer of Glint- the mother of Aurene.

So consuming the whole magic of Jormag would make Aurene as the powerful ally and it would resolve many problems.

I think this will pretty much play out as you describe as well.

I’m leery of the Release being on July 4th, which is a major American holiday (the kind that has the day off). Maybe the week after, or two weeks later?

On the other hand lots of US people reading reviews (most will be at cookouts and such) who will then play when they get back and the bugs have been patched.

I think the two main possibilities are:
1) Going back to the Far Shiverpeaks and wrapping up the Braham/Jormag storyline, or
2) Going to Ascalon, and seeing how Rytlock’s adventures in the Mists relate to what is going on with the gods. That also incidentally brings us close enough to the Crystal Desert to have some teaser content from the expansion.

Or we could just merge them somehow. Doesn’t Jormag uniquely (among Dragons) have access to the Mists? Maybe it will retreat there to avoid being ganked in its weakened state, and then the gods and dragons storylines will intersect. Hell, maybe Jormag allied with Menzies, causing the balance to shift, and it will be cashing in on that favor now.

If they keep to patterns they have established I will call the following things:

Story wrapping up Braham’s bit, maybe in the North.
- Eps 2 & 5 were in the Fire Islands, Eps 1 & 4 both followed the same storyline.

Very high odds there is an account-bound gateway to a core Tyria map.
- See Bitterfrost, this is the same team.

Zone item is gathered.
- Look at the pattern.

Ascended item(s) will CERTAINLY include an accessory.
- Look at how many zones sell each, it will not be a ring or a pendant.

A likely ascended item is the underwater mask.
- So far only one zone sells it which is a huge anomaly.

There is most probably a water area if there is a mask for sale.
- How else would they justify it?

What the story is is anyone’s guess, my focus is on the map. There have been clear patterns and since we know this will include at least the Bitterfrost team (but more epic) I would look to that for ideas.

Of course, they could toss a monkey wrench in and do 2 maps this time. One predictable and one a complete wildcard.

Menadena.7482:

On the other hand lots of US people reading reviews (most will be at cookouts and such) who will then play when they get back and the bugs have been patched.

I think the point is that the Devs will have the day off, so it may be unlikely to be a patch day.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

I’m leery of the Release being on July 4th, which is a major American holiday (the kind that has the day off). Maybe the week after, or two weeks later?

Oh, yeah this was the big day for USA so nevermind with my prediction that ep 6 will be on July 4. This is probably the biggest event of the year for Americans (and Thanksgiving obviously.) So I understand.

So 18th July is most likely.

As of this point, the only thing I am 100% sure of is that Braham will get Taimi killed.

Why?

First of all, because the way they’ve made Taimi invaluable (i.e., we are no longer solving anything, she does, we are just the “muscle” to go and kill stuff) can’t go on forever. Also, bad story writing has a tendency to predict a character’s death by giving them more importance and (supposed) character development, then killing them off — many writers believe that this will then have a greater impact on the audience.

Secondly, something bad needs to happen for Braham to come around and leave his vengence mode. And whose death would have the heaviest impact of him? Rox’s could, but killing off an innocent child that looks up to him like to a big brother would be more severe.

I think July 18th or earlier is extremely optimistic. I’m still going with sometime after August 7th when the season ends. I don’t think they released this three week long competitive feature patch just to release living story two or three weeks after. I think they did it to keep people busy because it will be another month and a half until the story drops. I also doubt it will be two maps.

I expected this last episode to be longer than it was, so I won’t have the same expectation for the next one, even though it’s the final episode.

Then I imagine the expansion will release in January or February.

I’d love to be wrong and have it all be sooner, but I think these recent competitive patches were spaced out and timed during this month for a reason.

As far as what the patch involves. I was really thinking we wouldn’t get another Ember Bay themed map just because it was the same team, but we did. So it’s probably a good guess we’ll visit the Shiverpeaks again. We do have to finish up whatever is going on with Braham and Jormag, and all of the winter-themed stuff that’s been datamined or showed up in the gemstore leans towards this as well.

Would be interesting if we got somekind of half shiverpeaks/half blood legion homelands map in the far north.

Not sure about Taimi since she had such heavy involvement in the last one and we still have stuff with Braham and Rhytlock to cover., as well as catching up to do with Aurene.

Whatever happens, I imagine it will have to be something that brings the whole group together as everyone is somewhat split up right now.

Would really like to see another god unveil so that we know it isn’t just Balthazar who is taking the forefront due to a known feud he has within his own realm. Would create a lot more possibilities if it wasn’t just him being brought back into the picture.

Anyway, I like Bitterfrost minus the lackluster events, so I wouldn’t mind another Shiverpeaks area. Especially if it has more of the woods-y type areas with the forest and the springs than just snow and ice.

Still would also love to see more of the Verdant Cascades but I imagine that’s all being reserved for the future.

I understand your point, but LS3 teams don’t work with pvp/wvw teams and if there is pvp patch it doesn’t mean that LS3 teams are resting and doing nothing.

The middle of July is most likely- one month after big Competitive Update so PvE and lore players can get something what interests them.

I don’t think so these pvp/wvw updates have any influence for LS3. I just hope LS3 teams are working hard to ship the Finale the fastest they can and these teams don’t look when PvP seasons end or when the wvw update was etc.

I expect last episode within one 3-4 weeks, because Ep 5 patch contained only:
1)Episode- really short
2)the legendary torch- ugly imo
3)rhe legendary armor- 2 years after announcement lol
4)and some Gemstore items- nothing surprising.

So it wasn’t like the other patches, who contained more things (Fractals, rework of fractals and many more updates).

Anyway the next episode is prepared by 3rd team… I am just full of doubts and ‘A Crack in the Ice’ was released 2 months after ‘Rising Flames’, so 3rd team works really fast, faster than other teams.

It’s likely that 3 teams are working together now so perhaps we will get something more from 1st and 2nd team and 3rd team of course.

It’s the Finale so if the rumours that “The winter will come back in Summer” say that Ep 6 will tell us about Norn etc, but some people speculate that ep 6 will be longer and we will get a location near the expansion maps (like Silverwastes led us to Verdant Brink).

I expect we will be coming to Tarir, then to Hoelbrak and the Shiverpeaks location (if Norn are desperate as hell to kill Jormag- I believe they are and they will kill Jormag anyway) and after killing Jormag Aurene will consume the whole magic and we will get a cutscene about the awakening of Kralkatorrik, who will be also getting power through Aurene- I think Aurene and Kralkatorrik will be connected in the some way.

I don’t agree that we will go to the pre-expansion lecation, because we have one- Fields of Ruin (Ebonhawke in fact). In my opinion the finale will be focused on Aurene and Norn. This is my speculation.