Guild Wars 2

Blood Knights of the Argent Vow, shortly known under BKAV tag are looking for new members to bolster our lines. We are currently located on realm of Gandara (EU) which we do not have any plans of changing. Language in guild is decided on English, so everybody can follow the ongoing guild discussions.

We are open to all kinds of players, preferably the active ones who seek a way to get involved in the guild at least to some degree. Some degree of maturity is required as well, since I am too lazy to deal with any kind of drama on daily basis. (Maturity is meant as opposite to destructive and/or childish behaviour.) It is better to be honest now, than sorry later as they say.
At the moment we are more a social guild than anything else, and we are content with where we stand.

We do have fifty slot bank vault, rocking guild emblem and longer name than it is healthy for any enemy to set eyes upon. Our main goal is to have fun (together if possible) and help each other (if in our limits).

If anyone is interested, feel free to send a mail in game to Astalnar Bellumars or Mordomir for a guild invitation.

Here is my Guardian.

After the Ebonhawke adventure I got promoted to Crusader. Sure, ok, I am a fascinationg individual, a hero, the champion, it can pass. And now we go and help the minor races, one of them. I chose to help skritt. The decision I to this day do not regret, they are fun little fellas. Story itself feels more like a filler and it does not have the weight behind it. Sure, we saved the people but the village got destroyed. And I still get promoted again, so fast to the rank equal of my mentor? It feels rushed, pushed and cheap. It doesn’t feel as if you have earned it. You accomplished basicly nothing beyond ensuring new allies in war against the dragons. You did not distinguish yourself in any way really apparent.

The promotion to Warmaster would be much more welcome addition after the escape from Claw Island, when the mentor dies, or presumably dies, whichever one prefers to believe. This way, it would feel like we earned it for all the things we did. Securing the new allies, helping defend the Claw island, making sure for people to be able to flee the island. It would be much like field promotion, where we are put in the boots of our mentor. And left with the task to continue his mission. To be the real successors of our mentors as they surely comment as well.

Next thing I want to touch is Traherne. Well, it is about Traherne, me, and Sylvari in general. When Traherne comes into play the story starts to revolve too much around him. As his Wyld Hunt States, he is there to heal the land. And I am there to Conquer everything. For the Love of Balthazar, give me the commanding role and if you really have to, make Traherne second in command. What is even better, make him independat leader of those Pale Reavers, thus ensuring we do get to know him and the work of the Sylvari but not getting facepunched by his presence at every step.

Who to lead three orders, and how to decide? Well, let it be us, who leads the invasion. Again, with the help of a little tourney or an event similar to that where we have to prove our worth in the eyes of the other two orders, while we do have the initial support of our own order.

What is more, cut that meeting with the Pale Tree short. Traherne and Sylvari can go and have the tree tell them what is about to happen. But for us the rest, Let the Gods or the priests show the vision to humans, spirits to Norn, some techno cube to Asura and a certain rogue shaman to Charr. In that context we all get a bit of a background from our own race. What is more, this is again a chance for our original companions to escort us. If I am back in Divinity’s Reach and didn’t saw Faren for a long time, wouldn’t he want to escort me to the priest, to at least chat with me for awhile and share stories?

When we get to the invasion of Orr at last, let us work with all the groups and all the mini characters that are there at the end when Traherne cleanses the water. Let us work with them ever since Claw or even earlier. Let us get to know these characters, so when they are killed or sacrifice themselves there is a loss for us, not just “oh, she died, uhm, who was that again?” feeling. Make us for Supreme Commanders and let us be in action all the time, since preparations to the actual battles.

It felt stupid first time I came to Fort Trinity, Traherne sends me to check the logging party and then tags along. Wait a minute, If he is Supreme Commander and I am Second-in-command, then who in the name of Charr has the command in the fort while we two prance around the forest? Make Traherne Second-in-Command and let him take care of defenses, so we see him only when he is neccessary.
His mission is to heal the land, let us do the fighting with him far away from us. So it is our story again.

With all that said, there is one more thing that I did not mention. The jumping around the map. It is quite anoying to be fair. Now you level in Ebonhawke, and then you move to Blazeridge Stepps, when Personal Story decides to send you across half the globe, where you never stepped before. It would be nice if the Order storylines would not be sospread around. Lets say that every order has a strong presence in certain zones and this is where they will send you. So you leveling experience does not get all messed up because of a one quest of personal story.

I will try to be brief as much as possible. This here will in great matter be about my dislikes in Personal Story, what I think could be done better and what can be improved, if not fixed now, then for then next time we get the update and continuation of Personal Story. Lets be fair, rare individuals care to state what they liked, while we all know our dislikes by heart. And because it is eay being critic, I will try to put forward my own solutions and improvements.

First things first, I think I need to flash out my background story, so we all know where my arguments are coming from. I chose a human noble, that missed his chance to perform in circus, was blessed by Balthazar and had an aspiration of a conqueror. This pretty much sums it up. As an order of my choice, I chose Vigil. And I was Guardian, if this by any chance plays and role to it.

I’d like to make a remark, that besides my first choice, that of missing my chance in circus spotlight, I did not notice where my conqueror’s apetite or Balthazar’s favour come into play. Admittedly, I am not entirely finished with story, but since my next mission is to slay Zaithan, I consider it to be pretty close. I know that each of the social backgrounds gets a diferent companions, helpers, friends, whatever you may call them.

As lord Faren was my partner in almost every adventure, where I even gave him the opportunity to shine in the trial against Zamon it was a bit weird seeing him left behind. To this day, he still sits in my house IN the chair, not ON the chair having only 2 vague comments when I click on him. Not to mention, my house is as such as I left it at level twenty or thirty, the last time I stepped in. I recall, when it was said that your personal instance would change as you continue through the story, but since it didn’t change anyhow by now, or at least in the way I would notice, what are the odds of doing so in the last quest?

The story itself, until level 20 and finishing the personal arc felt nice. It was decent. What I miss though is the use of charm/dignity/ferocity decisions in the very fabric of personal story. As it is now, those cinematic frames, are just that – cinematic frames that tell you what to do next and where to go. There is no decision-making process in the likes of where you decide how to tackle a certain problem. Sure, we do get to chose either objective A or B. But in the story itself we don’t choose anything, it is all predetermined, how we react, what we say and how we do it. It would be nice to see that we get to decide in every stage of personal story, if only for our flavour text, how would WE do it, so it doesn’t feel that someone is holding us by the hand all the time.

As the story continues with the initiation in the order of your choice, cracks in the story start to show up. We are introduced to the new characters, while the half of the old ones are forgotten. I was interested in what Countess Anise and Lord Faren think of my joining to a particular order and why wouldn’t Faren join to keep me company? Sure he is laid back, nobleman that prefers chasing skirts through Divinity’s Reach more than wielding a sword but he does have a heart in the right place. Not to even mention what would that do for his reputation with ladies in the city if he actually became a hero in his own right and not always in my shadow.

There is also the matter of open questions, particularly from the starting zone. Why can’t my character join the Seraph, Shining Blade or the Ministry Guard? He sure is deeply involved in the state of politics in the city. Being able to join one of these three factions would give more depth to human character. Why does someone join the Ministry? To spy on them or because he believe they are right? Why Seraph? To help protect the people? What about Shining Blade? Because of the Queen or personal glory? This in itself could be a potential filler content for all those gaps in between the levels.

When we join the Order, in my case Vigil, we are presented with the guide, mentor or tutor. Whichever you prefer to call them. In my oppinion my mentor was great, and his self-sacrfice really gave my character personal motive for war againt the dragons. But I am speeding up. Lets get to the start. First what we do with the mentor is resolve problems in Ebonhawke concerning rogue factions. Sure, it feels nice, but it doesn’t really show in what connection this is with the Vigil itself beyond internal strife between human and charr that is spearheaded by the son of Vigil’s Leader. At the end of the story it feels like we were sent to do the dirty business for her, because she can order us around. What is more important to this point, our personal story is about us, sure we have mentor, but our oppinion has weight and the story is about our adventure.