Guild Wars 2

Sousuke.7268:

The simple fact that mods have not locked this hatefilled charade of homophobia is disturbing to say the least.

Actually, as we know, the mods are closely watching the thread and are leaving it (mostly) untouched because are are exchanging our ideas and opinions in a mature and respectful manner. Offhand I can’t think of another gaming forum where a topic like this would go on for so long without being locked. And that says something pretty awesome about us, I think

However, I’m with CharrGirl. There’s a dragon on the loose, and it’s time we turned our attention to it. You can bet Marjory and Kasmeer aren’t letting any grass grow!

An enterprising Priestess of Dwayna, thinking to enlighten one of the “lesser races”, walked up to a skritt colony and approached one of the sentries posted outside.

Smiling benevolently, she asked, “Have you found Dwayna?”

The sentry did not reply but instead stared uneasily at her. Puzzled, she asked a little more firmly, “Have you found Dwayna?”

The skritt began to twitch, but still did not respond. Finally, in exasperation, the priestess said, “I asked you a question…have you found Dwayna?”

With a squeak of terror, the sentry dashed into the tunnel and ran into one of the main chambers filled with other skritt.

“Quick! Hide! Hide!” he shouted. “Dwayna is gone and they think we did it!!!”

Well, here we have a Monday that is chilly, wet, gloomy, and frozen for many of us. I thought I’d make it a little better by starting a thread about the most common phrases we hear in GW2, and the fun “spins” that can be put on them. In other words, the phrases that accompany certain skill activations, or called out by various NPC’s.

And by “fun” of course I mean keep it clean. Don’t wake the kitten, whatever you do. That’s worse than waking the dragon.

Here’s a few of my favorites:

“For Great Dusters!”
“May Kormir frighten you!”
“Take it off!”
“Melissa aid you.”
“Wash the ledges!”

Most of these are misheard in the general commotion of a battle…understandable enough, but still funny.

As a female gamer, I’ve found myself relating just about equally to male and female characters in any game. A good, strong character is a good, strong character regardless of gender.

My mesmer already has a flying mount, his name is Tequatl the Sunless. He smells funny and has a bit of a bad temper, but that’s mostly because every time he shows up people poke him with things.

Here she is picking his teeth for him.

You must wield some impressive powers indeed, if you can just walk up to Rytlock and remove him. But thank you for sharing that.

Silly bookah.

The entire game is a test.

Thought everyone knew that.

Excelsior!

Threads like this make me wish I could +1 a post more than once. Awesome story. Please keep us updated on your mom’s condition, we are sending healing vibes her way!

Zhed’s dead, baby. Zhed’s dead.

Submitted for your approval: a screenshot of a UFO hovering over the ravaged waters off Malchor’s Leap…specifically, near the Cathedral of Eternal Radiance. This curious, unmoving object is visible just to the left of where you see the Pact airships battling Zhaitan or Zhaitan’s Squire or whatever dragon you see cruising around up there.

It’s hard to say exactly what this is, but to my bemused charrior it looked like the model for a raptor. My guildmates think it’s someone’s lost kite. Or is it something more sinister…a drone???

(Most likely just a graphical glitch, I know, but still funny.)

I’ve seen no indication of this, but I like to think Drax took a lethal dose of the gas making sure that Raisin Face and other kids got to safety.

Halloween’s over, Anet…stop scaring people!

I don’t want them to disappear—I enjoy them—but I think the lesson has been learned. I’ve only done a couple of the story instances so far, but I find their interaction to be a lot more mature and “realistic” if that doesn’t sound insane when discussing a fantasy game.

After all, c’mon. If things ever get too syrupy, there’s Taimi to smack some sense into everybody!

And let’s not forget the bank’s most endearing residents, Raisin Face and Squooshed ‘n Weird. I think S & W might be at the Vigil camp, but can’t confirm. I have yet to locate Raisin Face.

Shouldn’t we hurry up and finish rebuilding LA? King Thorn might not be pleased if he sees his favorite city in ruins and he didn’t even get to do it.

Don’t announce it, don’t promote it…just create another dragon champion to suddenly appear on behalf of the ED’s. Many players, myself included, love the dragon fights simply for the thrill of the battle.

To date Primordus and the “Deep Sea Dragon” don’t have champions to harass the players. How fun would it be if players were doing hearts, gathering resources, and all that good stuff just to have yet another furious dragon champion suddenly descend on them?

After all, both Zhaitan and his general Tequatl have been given a sound drubbing by players at this point, it’s time for another scaly menace to arise…

Let’s try to be logical for moment, considering these things.

An engineer’s thumper turret damages and cripples nearby enemies. They That Shall Not Be Touched appear to be really large thumper turrets which are thumping merrily away, but otherwise have no noticeable effect.

Unless they’re touched. Then they knock you kitten over teakettle, sometimes kill you, and berate you for being…well, a kitten.

On the interaction scale, that makes ‘em a little more entertaining than Trahearne. However, unlike the prior Mysterious Object that suddenly appeared in the gameworld, there are no NPC’s nearby talking about them. No disappearing mesmers. No nervous quaggans or references to Norn farts.

The only people who seem to notice them and care about their presence…would be us. None of the playable races notice them, and even the zombies of Orr don’t seem to care about them. The karka are uninterested. The dragons are unimpressed.

We, on the other hand, see something marked “DO NOT TOUCH” and can’t stop poking it.

It might be that the Elder Dragons are more cunning than we give them credit for.

I expect SAB will make a return at some point, else why would Mr. Moto still be standing around Rata Sum with the entry portal? They’d remove that if they didn’t ever intend to bring the content back.

However, here is my stance on the matter, and I fear it will not go over well with some of us. While I enjoyed SAB and certainly don’t hate it, I’m starting to really, really, really hate the behavior of those who wish to see it back. For example:

• There’s a Twitch livestream in which devs are discussing some of the features of HoT. Some players in the chat are asking questions, but the questions are buried under a ton of “SAB” spam.

• Some new content is released, LS or some such, and as everyone logs in they note that an Anet employee is ambling around in game with them, ensuring that all is well. The word spreads: “Hey, X is here!” Other players gather around asking questions and making comments. Then the SAB Borg arrives: “BRING BACK SAB BRING BACK SAB BRING BACK SAB!!!111” X bolts; I would too under such circumstances. And yes, I have seen this happen.

• Someone at Anet takes the time and trouble to put together something special, like “airplane mode” for April Fools’. Many of us found it cute and clever, some did not, and some did not because it wasn’t SAB. We know this because they posted about it here and Reddit loudly and repeatedly.

• The SAB Borg also posts loudly and repeatedly about the continued absence of SAB in nearly. Every. Other. Thread. Covering. Nearly. Every. Other. Subject. Like this.

• I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that the more prominent Anet figures like Mike O’Brien or Colin Johanson have people screaming “SAB” at them in the street.

My point, guys, is that you’re behaving very much like the more annoying type of “social justice warrior” who do more long-term damage to their respective causes than good. Being a massive pain in the kitten is NOT going to help your case…and you’re also likely annoying the very people with the power to bring it back. Plus, it’s embarrassing. I’m willing to bet some of those saying “I hate SAB” are saying that specifically because of the obnoxious “BRING BACK SAB” movement.

We’re all adults here, remember.

They knew Lord Faren was gonna be there in his loincloth. They would have followed the fleet into the Realm of Torment.

DarcShriek.5829:

Have you ever wondered why there seems to be no smoking in Tyria?

With tonics that turn you into chairs, homicidal holograms, Thundercats from hell wielding chainsaws and an exploded “magic” reactor that warps creatures in and out of its vicinity all day…why would anyone need to smoke anything?

Anybody besides me finding it amusing that we’re celebrating the defeat of the “Molten Alliance” with, um…a huge fire?

Is it me, or is there a real element of horror being introduced this time out? These insidious vines slowly appearing, the way they’re being shown in the teaser to attack and strangle people…it has an almost Lovecraftian feel to it.

And for some reason I’m sharply reminded of the movie version of Stephen King’s The Mist.

As I said earlier, lovin’ it.

I’ll share what was said by not just anybody, but a dev who sometimes visits dynamic events on GoM and chats with players.

He said that most people seem to prefer the Abaddon fractal, and was disappointed by that because “now nobody will know the truth about the reactor explosion…except us!” “Us” being Anet.

Some of us were intrigued by that and started to question him more closely, but then Tequatl exploded out of the nearby water and of course that put an end to any conversation.

Coincidence?

Vol.7601:

But then I’m going to get hassled by Separatists?!

Nah, you’ll just get hassled by that pesky NPC guard who’s always wailing “Please, I need your help!” :P

Tosha Daydreamer.9251:

I prefer GW2. I can’t mute annoying people in real life.

This. Although if I could be an Asura in rl, I’d definitely be working on my long-wished-for mute button that works on people.

Totally agree with this. At least let us salvage old armor, etc.

Petrol.9086:

“I greet you, like the sun greets the morning”

What the actual kitten does that even mean!?

Who cares? It’s fun to say to people in real life, then stand back and watch their reaction. I love the Kodan expressions.

Scarn.6810:

January 28th. Right there in the blog post.

So it is. Guess it’s time to make an eye appointment for myself.

VOLKON.1290:

Aw man, don’t mention Tybalt. I had to give my son my Tybalt backpack skin to help him get over that. Little bugger was in tears.

Awwww.

But you see, that’s just what I mean. Pretend for a moment that Tybalt was a female charr instead of a male. Everything else is identical…same lines, same smiling charr NPC, same quirkiness, and same courage when push comes to shove.

We’d still love “her”, wouldn’t we? I know I would.

Spiral.3724:

I agree. I was very disappointed with the Blade Shard vendor. I used some up just to free up some space in my bank.

How hard would it be for ArenaNet to “unbind” them so people could at least sell them if they don’t want them? I’ve got three characters I’m trying to equip with the backpiece, and farming the Aetherblades in the JP and in EotM gets tiresome after a while. :P

Was catching my mesmer up on the Living Story last night in preparation for the next installment and realized something.

After the Pale Tree is attacked the only racial leader who states that he and his retinue will remain to help the shocked Sylvari is Imperator Smodur. Everyone else is in a rush to leave…even Treehead…erm, excuse me, Trehearne. But when you talk to Smodur, he says “As soon as we’ve helped these Sylvari, we’ll be on our way…”

And if anyone should be in a hurry to get going, it’s the charr…after all, Smodur could only watch helplessly while his most renowned tribune dove headfirst into a Mists portal after his sword.

So the next time someone tells you that charr are evil, bloodthirsty beasts, you can throw that in their face. Take that, Gwen! :P

bullyrook.2165:

I mean: give us a character in the main party that disagrees with what Jory and Kas stand for but is willing to work with them because they are his *friends. In other words: show both sides of the argument in the game.

Um, no. Because the argument really has no place in the game. The overarching message of GW2 is the different races setting aside their differences to fight a common enemy, which is an excellent message. Even within the races you see the differing elements working together…the Charr legions, the Asura colleges…even the three orders. Everybody. Works. Together.

What Jory and Kas “stand for” has no impact on this, therefore it doesn’t belong.

We’ve been teased with Kralky, Jormag, and Primordus…and now Orr and Cantha. Truth be told, I don’t know where the hell we’re going. but I’m still enjoying the ride.

I just want to say how very, very impressed I am by the level of interaction I see here between ArenaNet and its playerbase. The “collaborative development” threads, the “red posts” I’ve seen in each of the profession forums since the announcement of next month’s balance update…it all gives the sense that the devs do indeed care about how we react to their decisions.

Is the interaction always positive? Of course not, but it makes a world of difference to feel that we’re being interacted with rather than being herded about like a flock of skittish moa birds.

I’m so proud of how Anet works with its community that I’ve pointed out these forums to another gaming community I’ve been in for years, hoping that it will serve as a positive example to them. Regardless of what direction the game itself takes, this is the right direction for us forum addicts.

“Taimi is going to be the grit the pearl forms around”.

That makes me look forward to learning even more of this sassy little Asura. She’s definitely a step in the right direction for the LS.

Neek.9531:

Though I agree completely, I personally feel it would be kinda redundant. We have two major gay relations ships and they just happen to both be females. Adding yet another gay relationship but this time male and male (as great as that would be) would feel like cramming it down our throats, especially since Kas and Jory are pretty new to the overall story. Let’s just wait a while and let the current stories characters progress and develop first then add more relationships of this matter to present themselves.

Agree with this. I understand why it’s being done, but too much of it is going to start seeming like it is a social agenda being aggressively pushed. I don’t recall anything while GW2 was being developed where the devs wanted it to become a vehicle for political correctness.

However, I would like to see the character of Taimi developed next. As we’ve all seen, she is popular with…well, everybody with a heart, and now that Scarlet has gone to the Great Compost Heap in the Sky I’m curious to see what she does next.

HumaCarrionEater.8254:

No personal offense meant, but I don’t think some of you realize how hurtful it is for people to assume LGBT inclusion is some soulless political ploy, or that if there’s even a hint that there might be more than one gay relationship in a story, it’s “shoving it down [your] throat.” I realize that gay rights is a political issue, but gay lives and relationships are not. They’re real and have all the same complexities and intricacies as straight relationships, and they’re as valid. The assumption that their only reason for existing within a popular medium is for the devs to get some kind of social justice points is painful.

Why does it bother you to see gay relationships? Does it make you feel alienated? Now imagine how I feel, as an avid gamer, where almost every single game asks me to accept and empathize with a hetero relationship. I have nothing against hetero relationships and there have been many that I have loved and supported. But to then turn around, when it’s a gay person’s turn to see themselves reflected, and say now don’t get any ideas that is going to be the norm…well I find that very discouraging. Why shouldn’t there be a game, for once, where LGBT people are common and front and center? Would that really be so offensive?

It’s like an authority figure waving a finger in your face like, don’t you dare think this (in this case Kas and Jory and arguably Caithe and Fao) means you matter.

And really GW2 is already pushing the envelope in other ways. It’s a VERY atheistic game. The internet kind of skews how common atheism is in the U.S.; it is still FAR more common to have faith and religion than it is to go without. Yet the major races in the game either have no gods (asura, sylvari) have absent gods (humans) interact with spirits (norn) or actively punish members with deity or faith based ideas (charr). And yet there is little to no uproar over that because the vast majority of people on the internet espouse atheist ideals.

I’m just saying, please think of the people and their feelings behind the issue. When you say inclusion is just for politics, it’s all so politically correct, it’s a smoke screen for real issues etc it invalidates a whole group of people who are already struggling.

Now if you just don’t like romance in games at all, that’s a different issue and worth debating. I love romance in games and I think it’s a natural part of an epic story, but there’s certainly lots of room for disagreement. I feel it breathes life in to the game and makes me care about what happens to the people in the relationship.

Eloquently worded.

I admit I’m not a fan of romance, but that’s just me. I forget whether it was this thread or the other, but someone brought up the appalling example of the Star Wars prequels for romance done badly. We may not all agree on the nature of GW2’s romances, but I think we can all agree that Anet at least is handling theirs much better.

I think the question of atheism you raise is an interesting one, but in GW2 it’s best summed up in the history of the Charr. Way back in EotN, Pyre Fierceshot recognized that “gods” were being misused by those in power, to remain in power. And to this day, the Charr are still saying “there are no gods!”

I always liked Pyre.

Valento.9852:

Guys, you are so mean! You should be locked along with Mad King’s son.

Let’s throw four complainers into the Mystic Toilet and see what happens.

Listen to the teaser dialogue again.

The tower is a “monument to fear”.

So far the only “fear” I’ve seen is the fear that Scarlet is somehow going to be involved, but we’ll find out in about a day’s time.

Coming this Halloween to the Living World: “Frands and Madness: The Search for Vee Wee.”

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of DS NPC’s…

I forget her name, but she’s at the anvil right at the start. And she greets everyone thusly:

“I’m busy. See that anvil over there? Repair your own gear.”

Pardon the Realm of Torment out of me, Little Miss Sunshine. It was my work that got you and your anvil this close to Mordremoth. I am the Commander of the Pact, so address me with more respect or I’ll have Rytlock shove you and your anvil so far into Mordy’s brain you’ll be witnessing his memories as an egg.

My mesmer got very peeved last night when the guards kept shoving her away from the vault.

Finally she growled at them: “I SAVED YOU! I SAVED THIS CITY, AND ALL YOUR WORTHLESS LIVES! I SHOULD HAVE LET SCARLET KILL YOU ALL!”

She then started shouting about demanding a trial by combat, and I had to get her out of there. It was getting embarrassing.

DrStephenCW is responding to the reports of this in Reddit bug thread, and says that the next build should fix it. Thought I’d pass that along.

Konrad Knox.5162:

And no, I’m not saying it’s necessarily bad for everyone. Some people may like it. I just find it annoying. I can only imagine what it’s like for a girl to play male-dominant games. And i feel sorry for that too.

Don’t be sorry.

As a woman who wandered into the gaming scene more or less by accident, I can say that as long as a character is well-drawn, things like gender and sexual orientation don’t matter a bit to me. I just get annoyed when people become fixated on such things to the exclusion of everything else, such as is happening now…again. A number of very unsettling plot points have been revealed, but the majority of GW2 posts I’m seeing on Twitter are all “Jory and Kas kissed OMG SQUEEEE!!!”

Ya see those teeth on that newly awakened dragon, folks? He doesn’t care who’s kissing, he’s not happy. Let’s move on, shall we?

Only if you leave your car windows down and a thunderstorm passes through…oh, wait, you’re talking about something different.

Muusic.2967:

I’m grabbing my tinfoil hat on this one.

I totally would spend gems on those in the store if they existed as a cosmetic item.

My hat is off to Anet, this took some work to pull off.

My guild was doing Melandru last night and when we missed a skill break the priest changed us into drakes. All those gigantic drake snouts waving like the foam rubber “We’re #1” fingers people bring to ball games…I totally lost it! I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a game in a long time. Well played, Anet.

Oh, and you people who were bellyaching because you have no sense of humor…go soak your oversized heads. :P

DSD is UberQuaggan.

I’m sure of it.