Played GW 1 several years (pre-night fall) before GW 2
I fell in love with the different stories of guild wars 1, the story/lore created in each of the expansions was fantastic. Morality was black and white sometimes, other times very manipulative (check spoilers), and plainly black and white.
The White Mantle appearing to be the savior of humanity in Northern Tyria, only to be the main antagonists in the later parts of the story completely one-upping us. Kournan army being completely manipulated into nearly unleashing the God Abaddon
Ascalonians were fighting a desperate war for survival, Canthans were struggling from internal strife, and racial conflicts were illustrated/explored in Elonia.
But what do we get in Guild Wars 2? we get everything that is listed, Humans in general feel discontent being “friendly” with the Charr, Every faction is facing internal strife, and at least humans are facing a struggle for survival against everything already swarming in the world.
What is lacking in GW2 at least concerning lore, is the intensity of the conflicts. Check spoilers by what I mean by “lacking intensity”.
In Guild Wars Prophecies we are manipulated from the very moment we enter Kryta from being aided by the White Mantle, then the undead Vizier of Orr to unleash the Titans, a terribly destructive race of elemental creatures of the Realm of Torment created by the minions of the Banished God of War.
For those of you who don’t want to spoil the story of GW1 from the spoilers, the main point is that the strife and conflicts we experience in GW2 is not explored well enough from beginning to end levels. Even past lvl 80 into the living story, it’s not enough, there isn’t that deep hatred that old players felt against the Charr, the vibrant urge for aggression over controlling NPC towns by player alliances.
For people new to Guild Wars 2, entering guild wars, they could understand the idea of races unifying for a common purpose, but for many of GW 1 veterans, there is a burning desire to murder all the Charr and continue the conflict in Ascalon. What makes this worse is the creative direction that is being forced onto players of sticking onto one sided morality sticks, that was first felt with Nightfall.
At least in Prophecies, morality was very clear among all factions at the end of the stories. Cantha (post purity movement) morality was moved side to side, but clear, afflicted are evil, the Gangs aren’t all that bad.
But in NF and EOTN, it just felt wrong, why should we tolerate the insultingly arrogant Asura, the ignorant Norn, the undead hordes of Palawa Joko, or our long hated enemy the Charr? The obvious answer among players is that either they should because of a larger threat and “no” because they are truly despicable.
And what of the other races?
Centaurs have remained the same in Kryta, the Dredge turned into a means for Anet to show a authoritarian communist state, and Jotuns are the same.
What the hell happened to all the vicious giant Dinosaurs that caused all the terror throughout the Tarnished Coast?
There were so many lore/story concepts removed, and shoveled in was under developed concepts that did not have very many deep expositions.
Morally gray scenarios positions are forced upon us, such as Ascalonian decedents are forced to become the enemy, Centaurs who largely want peace (but coerced by the Modniir Tribe) are forced to become the permanent enemy.
And already morally gray scenarios are left without progress, the centaurs are already a clear example, the inquest are still considered a vibrant part of asuran society given the atrocious and unforgivable acts commited for their twisted ideology, the nightmare court still remains at large but are left with no additional substantial developments, minister Caudecus is still left in complete haitus (even though he’s apparently one of the most powerful men in the world), and Ebonhawke is still the same.
I think what makes Guild Wars 2 weaker than Guild Wars is that the world might too big with multiple stories to actually build everything forward, therefore the enjoyment of the plot is overall weak. In Guild Wars, the stories may have been linear, but they were explored fantastically.
I loved the lore concerning the Gods and their relationship to humanity/Bloodstones I loved pre-searing to the deepest parts of my love for the franchise.
There are plenty of other mechanical aspects to Guild Wars 2 that I love/hated (mostly loved) transitioning from Guild Wars 1.
But these are the feelings concerning story/lore/setting development and exposition.