Guild Wars 2

It is interesting that they label it a “Living Story/Living World” but it feels very on-rails and confined. Yes certain events does have an impact on the world, at least on the maps and zones, but for all intents and purposes the story happens in a vacuum.

I am not going to make a lengthy rant about it, but the one thing I was hoping for with the start of season 2 was to be able to go into Maguuma. As the OP says we should be able to participate in the story and gleam what insight we can from the game itself, not some lines of exposition telling us this is what we`re dealing with.

The reference to Dark Souls is fitting, but it does not need to be that well guarded, but do make us want to go look for it! The opening to Season 2 was called Gates of Maguuma after all, so let`s go there already!

I am always of a mind to have a closer look at the things around me while I`m playing, and I have encountered some interesting tidbits of lore when I`m traipsing around the country-side. I find the ambient dialogue, the click-click dialogue from various npc`s and certain points of interest to be more interesting than the current Living Story.

I feel like pulling my favorite example from the ruins of Orr where I discovered three things of interest, well more than three but these in particular comes to mind;

• First there was an Asura scholar of sorts observing the nearby Risen farmers.

• Second there was a point of interest named Rayhan Bayt in Malchor`s Leap nearby where there are the remains of a building of some sort.

• Third, there was a wandering scholar in the area that confirmed that this region used to be an agricultural centre in Orr.

That attention to detail, as well as there being a reason for why the majority of Risen in that area are farmers, is something I can appreciate. In other words there is a connection between the lore, the history and the current day situation for that area.

Alas, the same cannot be said of our five, intrepid heroes.

I would like to see more lore about the Elder Dragons available, in the form of Jotun Stelae, Dwarven artifacts to name a few examples. Now I`m aware that whatever sources remain intact from the last rise are perhaps few and far between, but there is bound to be something that has survived. If there is, I would love to get my hands on it.

Welcome on board, Leah!

I`ll try to sum up my impressions and critique, constructive hopefully, of season 2 of the Living Story so far in a few bullet points:

• I never played season 1 due to time being an issue and when I did have the time, the content was no longer available. I can turn a blind eye to that and just fill in the gaps, but season 2 assumes that I did and that I already know Braham, Rox, Taimi, Marjory and Kasmeer and that I was right there alongside them at the climax at the Breachmaker. As a result they reference events that I never took part in and have no knowlege of as a player. It is kind of jarring, but again I can look past it.

• The Personal Story and the choices made while playing through it, especially the choice of Order, the Priory in my case, and you being the second in command of the Pact are now basically treated as not really that important. Your character is sort of just in between jobs at the moment. In my head canon my character would certainly maintain ties with the Priory and the chance to explore an hitertho unknown region, Dry Top, and possibly the existence of a sixth Elder Dragon is something he would leap at.

• Which brings me to Delaqua Investigations. I do like these characters, but the focus of the story seems to be too much on them and their personal issues, while there are certainly more pressing matters to attend to. Character development and plot can go hand in hand, but listening to Kasmeer and Marjory`s pillow talk while investigating a crash site is hardly relevant to the story. And my point is that it does not add anything to the story or the setting. They are just characters with filler dialogue that is occasionally amusing, but not much else. And you just happen to travel with them and you become their “boss” for…reasons.

• It would be intersting to meet with them while they are doing their thing, but having them be the focus of the story seems to detract from it, rather than add to it. My point is that the way they are implemented is not quite up to the task. Their skills certainly has their place, but when you deal with something as serious as an Elder Dragon, you need people who have experience with that sort of thing. In other words the three Orders of Tyria, who are largely absent from the scene.

• Which brings me to Mordremoth himself, or itself. Without any foreshadowing, his name and the fact that he is an Elder Dragon is just pulled out of the blue without anyone questioning it. Everyone, inlcuding the player character, somehow knows the name and what it means.

• The problem is that the story seems like its taking great strides to progress without much time to let details sink in and give us time to really get engaged in what is going on and why. In one instance we are investigating a crash site, the next we are halfway across Tyria escorting a caravan holding a mysterious artifact, then we are helping the various races deal with the threats to their own lands in just over an hour or two of playing. It is a nice feature with the journal recapping the events, but the presentation seems like it is in a rush to get the story told.

• There are things that I like, such as getting to know Kasmeer better and her background when she talks about her once being a noble, and how the political system in Kryta works. That adds some flavor and is relevant to the setting.

• Also Canach and Anise were a highlight of their own in the latte part of Dragon`s Reach part 2. Their dialogue and banter was awesome, and what they are up to next is almost more interesting than the Elder Dragon itself.

• Its getting late as I write this, and I will probably edit this in the morning, but what I would like to see is characters that are releveant to the plot and keep the events consistent with the lore that is already established. There is so much this game has to offer to that end, and one of the reason why I still play this game. It has so much untapped potential.

I expected the fight against Zhaitan, on the airship, to set up the final fight with him later in a dungeon/raid of its own. Of course the airship-portion was still lame, but we now have an Elder Dragon crippled and on the ground, but it still needs to be dealt with.

I think that would have made more sense from a game-play perspective that you have a crack troop of adventurers going in on foot to deal with it up close and personal. How exactly you would deliver the final blow on a creature of that size with toothpicks is the dilemma that plagues all the Elder Dragons in my opinion.

“You do not simply walk into Mordor.”

When I play the game and recently I have been going through Fields of Ruin and Blazeridge Steppes, I realize that fighting an Elder Dragon head on amounts to suicide. If an army stood in the path of Kralkatorrik as it flew south and created the Brand, it would have been as futile as trying to stop an earthquake, a tsunami or something of that nature. If the loading screen is any indication of Kralkatorrik`s size, that alone leaves out any conventional means of fighting him, or thwart him momentarily, and then its only a brief respite.

As far as the Living Story goes, it should lead to the doorstep of the final confrontation with Mordremoth, but not actually resolve it. That is what the player character is there for after all, to deal with this kind of thing. As well as other capable individuals. I would have preferred if our choice of Order during the PS carried over into the LS and saw us working alongside npc`s of said Order and Pact npc`s as opposed to the biconics. I do not mind them being there, but why they are considered so important to the overall plight of Tyria that they are working with the Commander of the Pact is currently beyond me. But I am getting off topic. In brief though, seeing the Pact make progress through Maguuma much the same as in Orr preparing for the final assault would be a welcome approach, and having different ways of doing so depending on your Order.

I`m just tossing ideas as I go, but bottom line is I would prefer a proper dungeon/raid that sets up the fight properly. What a proper boss fight would be is another matter that its beyond me at the time of writing to answer.

The butler did it.

Nah, but I doubt it was Mordremoth himself, or itself, who planned this attack. If a group of ants are congregating on a hill, they are still just ants. It is how I think an Elder Dragon views the lesser races as they mill about Tyria. If its Queen Jennah or some random foot soldier getting in the way of him and his meal, it hardly matters as long as he gets to feast.

Anet dropped the ball on this one. Its a bad thing when the community is trying to explain something the writers themselves should have thought about.

The Living Story so far has revolved more around DE 2.0 and their party banter than what is actually going on in Dry Top. The most interesting things are learned when you talk to npc`s or read through journals, historical documents and listen to recordings that in a peripheral way shed some more light on the Elder Dragons and the nature of magic.

Pulling Mordremoth`s name out of thin air and that the vines are an extension of his body, according to Taimi`s dialogue, is lazy. How does she know this? Since when did she become an expert on Elder Dragon anatomy?

It is yet another missed opportunity to let the player take an active part in the story by exploring and eventually discovering the true nature of the threat we are dealing with. What else would be the point of the player character entering Omadd`s machine? When asked about what he/she saw, instead of “everything” or whatever the PC said, it could have simply been “Elder Dragon”.

As someone who did not play Guild Wars, thus having no prior knowledge about the true or rightful heir of Ascalon being the one to lift the curse, all I saw was Rytlock attempting to lift the curse.

We do not know if he succeeds or not. After having seen the WP video it seems most likely that he is beseeching the spirit of Baradin to do it for him.
I`m probably more interested in seeing what leads him to do this now, whereas previously he did not want anyone, especially Eir, riling up the ghosts of Ascalon.

I`ll only say this once, but Magister Sieran certainly made the most impact of any characters to die so far. On a side note as I tend to role-play my characters, she was the perfect counter-part to my grumpy and by the numbers Asura.

I`m of the opinion that the player character playing second fiddle to Trahearne is actually a good thing. That is exactly the problem with games like Wow for example where the player character is always referred to as “the hero” or “the one” while simultaneously disregarding the other 9 or 24 players that fought with you.

Personally I like Trahearne as a character, although I can agree that he may not be the right type to lead the Pact, but he is a scholar at heart so what can you expect? Due to his knowledge of Orr he is vital to the overall campaign however. This is my subjective opinion, but the only nitpick-complaint I have about him is that I felt like Magister Sieran was killed off to make room for Trahearne in the Personal Story.

If there ever was a proper moment to let him die it would be when he performed the ritual of cleansing at the Artesian Waters. Completing his Wyld Hunt was his personal goal and that was a missed opportunity to write him out of the story on a high note.

It would be a bad idea to kill him just for the sake of killing him. If he is targeted by Mordremoth at some point, at least his death should count for something.

The first people I saw hanging from those vines where Inquest in the Shining Cave. I did not feel sorry for them as such, but the manner in which they were killed and then just left hanging for the sport of carrion feeders showed a callous disregard for life in general.

Belinda`s death was no less effective in that regard, and it also served the intended purpose of making us feel sympathetic towards Marjory. However seeing her hang there like a limp rag-doll literally strangled and squeezed to death must be a horrible way to die if you think about it. I think it had more impact this way than if we saw her die in a cut-scene. Either way, the outcome would have been the same. The only thing I would do differently is have us fight our way to Fort Salma and then finding that we were too late.

I recall a Quaggan begging for money in Prosperity, but I paid him little to no attention. He happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Killing a loved one for the sake of character development is hardly new, it happens all the time in fiction. You might ask why your character is involved in the fight against the Dragons. The loss of your mentor might make you more determined to fight them, or it might have the opposite effect. Are the countless lives lost worth fighting the inevitable if all it leads to is more suffering? Perhaps Scarlet was right after all and we should just speed up the process and let it be over with.

Anet has an opportunity here to explore the darker side of Marjory, and it would be interesting to see how that affects their relationship. Seeing the DE 2.0 fussing over Braham`s broken leg, Marjory`s cracked rib and Taimi`s obsession with Scarlet is just filler. Let`s see them do something with it.

I`ll have to give it some time before I form a proper opinion on Kasmeer, Marjory, Braham, Rox and Taimi as I was mostly absent during Season 1. Season 2 is for me the opportunity to really get to know these characters as well as the Living Story format.

I`ll start with the pro`s and that has to be the option to go into more detail with the characters on certain topics, which is something that has always been in the game even outside the PS or LS. My favorite example of this is when I was exploring Orr and I came across an NPC talking about the Risen farmers in the area. Up until then I as a player thought the placement of mobs was more or less random. However I found another scholar NPC in the area who told me that the region used to be an agricultural centre before Orr sunk beneath the waves. I love things like that. Keep it up!

From chapter 1 I liked how you could talk to Kasmeer for example on how the noble system in Kryta works, in brief, and how you can inherit a title or be granted one. Although not plot-essential it adds some background flavor.
Another nice touch was the nod you got from Taimi, I play as an Asura, concerning the research project you undertook as part of your Personal Story.

It would have been nice if you went there on behalf of your Order rather than being directed by the mysterious “E”, but I suppose there is a reason why this individual has taken an interest in the player character so I can let this slide. Its not a critique as much as a nitpick. The Pact, perhaps suspecting Dragon-activity, could also be the reason why you personally undertake the mission to go to Dry Top.

My main critique, as many have noted, is how everyone seems to know its Mordremoth who controls the vines and is behind the attack on Prosperity. From a metagame perspective its already common knowledge, but seeing as the existence of a sixth Elder Dragon was not exactly common knowledge it is a bit surprising. If that revelation came at the end of the chapter it would have made a lot more sense.

Kudos to the composer and the level design of Dry Top, I really hope we`ll get to explore a lot more of the Maguuma wastes in the future.

Marjory just lost her sister and has to make preparations for bringing her back and break the bad news to her mother. I`d say she has enough on her plate already. She acts like the responsible one in this scene and is able to talk Kasmeer down. Perhaps she has her reasons for not wanting her there, with the whole nobility thing and all, but she really doesn`t need to deal with that right now. Hence why she ships Kasmeer off to Dry Top at the moment.

Kasmeer on the other hand acts like the overly-protective “mother-hen” she has been since the start of Season 2. As already mentioned above, its perhaps Jory`s way of dealing with grief and loss, and some people prefer to do it on their own. I`m sure Kasmeer would shatter like glass if something were to happen to Jory, but right now she reminds me a bit of Logan and his obsession with keeping Queen Jennah safe at the expense of everything else apparently.

My thoughts exactly, OP.

Things went a little too fast for my liking in the last chapter. I had to pause for a moment when my character pulled the name Mordremoth seemingly out of nowhere. No one acted all that surprised either, as if it was common knowledge. So I suppose we must assume that it was common knowledge, although it does not make it any less of a glaring oversight by the writers in my opinion.

But I consider this metagame knowledge and how exactly my character knows its Mordremoth and furthermore an Elder Dragon is beyond me. And later Taimi reveals that the tendrils attacking the waypoints are extensions of the Dragon itself. I do not remember how she was able to verify this, but it does not matter.

This was a plot-point that should have come much later, the first hint should have been at the end when you enter Omadd`s machine and you actually get a glimpse of the Eternal Alchemy and the make-up of Tyria so to speak. It would have made sense that you at least partially saw the ley-lines and perhaps even the location of the waypoints and how magic was being drained from them, indicating that an Elder Dragon was afoot. The machine could also have provided a rudimentary direction as to where the cause of this disturbance is originating from.

It feels like they just skipped a good portion of the story just to get the plot moving. The Pale Tree seems like our next destination and she could have been used effectively to that end to shed some more light on what`s going on.

My immediate feeling about Aerin was that he was not trying to kill the MoP, but rather stop him in his tracks. It may be that he figured out why the Zephyrites were heading west and because he is a Soundless became vulnerable to Mordremoth`s influence the closer they got to Maguuma. For the record I did not know what a Soundless was before I played chapter 1 of season 2, but they are Sylvari who have turned away from the protection of the Pale Tree I believe? Secondly I have no way of knowing if Mordremoth has telepathic abilities and can reach out to fragile minds from a great distance and even if he/it is doing it consciously. But something is clearly affecting him based on his dialogue.

Its an interesting point concerning the Zephyrites who were killed by someone highly capable using the same blade before the crash. As the OP says, it might very well be that the Murderer and the Saboteur are not one and the same. Aerin is most likely responsible for the explosion, but maybe he was just means to an end by the real culprit? The villager in Prosperity who talked to the MoP, presumably, was also stabbed to death. I do not recall if the miner who witnessed it confirmed if it was a sylvari responsible or not though.

Lastly, the Master of Peace himself. My immediate reaction to him was that something about him just did not feel right. We only have his word for why Aerin wanted to kill him, but we do not know if that`s true or not. Did the Murderer work on his behalf? Perhaps he was making sure that no traces of the MoP`s departure was left behind for anyone to follow?

This is just speculation on my part, but the game is definitely afoot.