Guild Wars 2

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Jaken.6801:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Jaken.6801:

Seriously, you guys… The joke is old and based on lacking information.

Didn’t Linsey Murdock specifically state that it takes about 1 month for one legendary.

Somehow, post-HoT, the production rate became 1/5th of what it was.

And the skin isn’t all that fancy compared to the first three.

Well one skin takes approx. 1 month.
However they work on several at once, which means their work is divided on them.
Combine that with other problems it easily explains why it didn’t work.

In fact we don’t know the state of the others, just that they aren’t as ready as they should be.

The state of the others is the key part, but having put them on indefinite hold makes their state ultimately irrelevant.

And from what I recall, Linsey said that the art design, model making, animation of special effects, and the collections all took overall a month for a team to do.

So if the team did them one by one, then we should have 5 legendaries. This is what most people would expect.

But what it seems the team did was do multiple at a time, only making enough progress on the shortbow before the task was scrapped, and instead of Mike going “finish the ones you got decent progress for then you’re done for now until I say otherwise” he just went “finish the one(s) you’re almost done with/have most done/have done and you’re done for now until I say otherwise”.

“As we began building on that foundation, our original plans were rather grand. After a few iterations, a lot of lessons learned, dozens and dozens of meetings, multiple movements of the team to different office pods, and one full day offsite with a group of designers locked in a room with a whiteboard, we were ready to start prototyping. With our timeframe to the launch of the expansion, and the sheer size of this project—in which we would build precursor crafting for the core twenty legendary weapons in addition to setting up the new system for crafting a legendary weapon—we needed to have really solid preproduction and work as efficiently as possible. By the time we were able to start implementing, we were all really pleased with what we had laid out. From brainstorming to testing and bug fixing, building everything for a new legendary weapon reasonably takes about a month, not including the art for the weapon. That’s about a week per themed collection and a week for the economics, recipes and other random tasks. When you do the math for twenty existing precursors and three brand new weapons, plus development time at the front end for the base system…let’s just say that we had to get clever to get everything done to the high quality bar we were setting.”
Source

Bold is mine but there’s your time frame for a single legendary.

You are a marvelous creature, bless you for the work you do. <3

IGN: Dhaedre
Server: Tarnished Coast
Playstyle: PvE/PvP
Role: Scholar (Getting more heavily into PvP and looking to improve!)
Time: Evenings and weekends, EST

Thank you for locating that dialogue, SirMoogie! That does indeed answer why Trahearne would fear the existence of another tree being known to the Nightmare Court.

Caithe: Yours isn’t the only life in danger. Listen to me very carefully, and I’ll explain. For years, I have suspected that the Pale Tree is not a unique creature. Legends tell that the seed from which she sprang was one of many in a cave. That cave has never been found, but it seems that at least one of those other seeds was planted. From it grew the tree which bore you, Malyck.

Player character: If that’s true, there could be other cities of sylvari. Other Groves…

Caithe: Yes. Groves untutored by Ventari’s tablet. Who knows what they would be like? What those sylvari dream?

Player character: If Faolain finds out, she won’t need the Grove. The court will burn the Pale Tree to the ground and find one they can more easily twist to nightmare.

Caithe: If that happens, the sylvari race will be lost forever. Zhaitan and the Elder Dragons would win.

Caithe’s dialogue is nearly identical (again, thank you very much for providing a source!). But when you take into account what she knows, those subtle differences take on an importance. Caithe says that for years, she has suspected that the Pale Tree is not a unique creature; Wynne did not state there were more trees. But Caithe would have known her secret for many years at that point, and the conclusion is easily drawn with that legend.

When she speaks of a Grove untutored by the tablet, she doesn’t question whether or not they dream. She wonders what they’d be like, and what it is that they dream. Essentially she’s afraid of what a tree that may have grown under Mordremoth’s influence would produce. The dreams given to the children of the Pale Tree serve the greater good; the potential for children of another tree is quite unsettling.

Where Trahearne confirms the player character’s suspicion that the Nightmare Court would burn the Pale Tree to the ground because they’ve got an easier target available, Caithe does not. She only says that if that happens, the sylvari will be lost forever, that the Elder Dragons would win. So far as Caithe is aware, the Pale Tree is the only of her kind not held by Mordremoth, that the sylvari born from her are the only ones who aren’t thralls of the dragon. Having spoken to the Mother Tree following the final encounter with Wynne, she’d understand that it’s her influence that protects them from Mordremoth; so, without her, the sylvari are lost.

This would be a great example of one character (Trahearne) sharing an honest perspective that isn’t quite on the mark, and another (Caithe) almost misleading the player character.

It could, of course, be argued that the way I’m interpreting it is something the writers took advantage of; a somewhat ambiguous string of dialogue that could be used to say “hey we planned it all along look at this thing in the game!”

But the playerbase didn’t get the theory of sylvari being dragon minions solely from this personal story aspect. Little hints like this are strewn throughout the story. They could be said to be coincidental- but that seems like a stretch. Accepting Anet’s claim that yes, this has been planned from the start, makes this an example of very good storytelling. Sure, other aspects may have been clumsily handled. As I said previously, the writing isn’t flawless. But I haven’t seen solid evidence of it being as slapdash as some very vocally claim, and the sylvari having always meant to be servants of the dragon does not look contrived.

Trahearne says “his fears”. Why would he fear a second tree? Malyck is referred to as the Harbinger by the Nightmare Court, and Caithe is concerned of what Faolain would understand in studying his pod. Both Trahearne and Caithe react to confirmation of Malyck coming from another tree as Bad News.

People drew those conclusions for a reason. The clues were there, members of the community drew connections. It can’t be said that the plot is a load of kitten with no solid basis while deploring the writers for making it so obvious many people guessed it/heard of the theory before the reveal. The statements are contradictory.

The theory drawn from those clues does not equal poor storytelling, either. It simply means that it’s a truth that is part of Tyria, has been, and could spotted by anybody paying close enough attention. Honestly I hadn’t guessed/heard of sylvari being dragon minions until several months ago, as I never dug into lore or speculation.

For a substantial amount of the playerbase, it was only obvious when they knew what to look for.

What inconsistencies, specifically, are you speaking of? The storytelling isn’t perfect, but I haven’t seen any major inconsistencies aside from the period between the first and second generation of sylvari waking. Any other claimed inconsistencies I’ve come across/heard of can be attributed to characters to having false information themselves or being outright misleading to the player. Neither of these point to an incompetent or forgetful team of writers.

It’s entirely possible there’s something I’ve missed, but just citing “inconsistencies” doesn’t provide any support for your statement.

Substantial support for the sylvari always having meant to be dragon minions is the personal storyline with Malyck. He is called the Harbinger, though we never discern of what.

Over the course of the arc, you’re given the option to speak with Amaranda the Lonesome, a sylvari so attuned to the Dream she can’t take being so near the Tree, or seek out his pod with Caithe. Both options have very interesting dialogue.

Amaranda the Lonesome: A distant shore—and darkness. A root, a cave…you. You are the seed. What Ronan knew and never told still lingers in the Dream.
Malyck: What does that mean?
Trahearne: It means my fears are well founded. You were not born of the Pale Tree, Malyck. We cannot see your Dream; you cannot see ours. I must return to the Grove and speak to the Pale Tree.
Knight of Embers: Now I, too, understand.
Knight of Embers: When the grand duchess hears this, she will send the whole court after you, Harbinger!
Knight of Embers: She will never stop! Not even when the Grove itself is bathed in blood!
Malyck: Whatever you’ve discovered, Trahearne, the Nightmare Court now knows as well.
Trahearne: Only the Knight of Embers. If we stop her before she reaches the grand duchess, we can keep this information from the court.
Malyck: But we were to meet Caithe at the Pale Tree!
Trahearne: There is no time. We must track down this knight and silence her. Immediately.

And if you follow Caithe:

Malyck: "The Knight of Embers is a fool. Whatever this “nightmare” is, it led her to obsession and madness. Is your “Dream” the same?"
<Character Name>: “No. The Dream is a vision of hope and a feeling of purpose. It guides us toward the light, not into evil.”
Malyck: “I wish I could say that I understood the difference, but I don’t.”
<Character Name>: “So, Caithe? Can you tell how this pod got so far from the Pale Tree?”
Caithe:That is not the right question. Ask instead, “How did this pod get so close to the Pale Tree?”
<Character Name>: “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
Caithe: “I must speak with the Mother Tree-but first we must be certain that the Knight of Embers does not report to Duchess Faolain. If she studied this pod, as I did…”
<Character Name>: “But what about Trahearne-we were to meet him at the Pale Tree.”
Caithe: “We have no time for meetings or explanations. The Knight of Embers must be stopped.”
Malyck: “Then we head to Venlin Vale-and to battle. Let us end this knight’s threat once and for all.”

That’s some pretty heavy foreshadowing.

From Dream and Nightmare:

In essence, the Dream of Dreams is a vast collected subconscious. The Pale Tree holds the race’s collected knowledge and emotion, like a lake into which is poured the sum of sylvari experience. When a new sylvari is born, it’s as if they draw a bucket of water from that lake, a small portion of the whole. Only a few memories reach the Pale Tree: the most important or those that have the greatest emotional impact or meaning. They can include entire scenes from a sylvari’s life, such as their first battle or their first time cooking an apple pie. They can also be a single poignant moment such as pain, fear, or the face of an enemy.

When a sylvari awakens, the direct connection to the Dream becomes weakened. No longer surrounded by the Dream, their connection to other sylvari becomes more of an empathic bond, capable of receiving and sending strong emotions, but no longer detailed or communicative. It is nothing more than a subtle buzz.

There’s not an active hivemind as with other minions, but there is a connection between the sylvari and the Pale Tree.There’s a few ways it could be viewed:

• The sylvari and the Pale Tree have the internal mechanism all minions do; what enables the hivemind. Being sheltered from the dragon’s influence as she was, it became a sort of closed loop between the Pale Tree and her children. A dragon knows what its minions know- were the Pale Tree to be an active champion of Mordremoth, the experiences of her children would be transferred to her and that well of knowledge would be available to the dragon. The Dream still acts as a collection of knowledge and experience. It’s just closed to the sylvari and their mother tree. This, of course, doesn’t cover how the Pale Tree can draw potential futures from the Dream. But I’ve always imagined what truly kept the Pale Tree safe from Mordremoth’s influence was much grander than simple location, or the kind teachings of a centaur. Something that permits a window, of sorts, in the All or Alchemy.

• The sylvari were not created by Mordremoth, but are extremely susceptible to its corruption. The hivemind in those corrupted sylvari was an empathetic connection already present that it simply repurposes. With the absence of the dragon’s influence, it’s functioning as it naturally should.

The Soundless aren’t simply severing ties with the Dream through their meditation; they’re actively blocking a connection with the very world around them. There are several NPCs debating Soundlessness because they can’t handle the sensory bombardment, and there are sylvari scattered across the world who speak of the new energies of their surroundings. Again, this could mean uncorrupted sylvari may have naturally been that attuned to empathetic energies of other living things, or this is something built into Mordremoth’s minions that has taken a different turn in its absence.

Either way, Soundlessness opens sylvari to corruption because that connection with the Pale Tree has been closed. The capacity to establish such a bond is still present, but now unguarded.

Season 2 has been a vast improvement over 1, and I have greatly enjoyed each installment. The storytelling has improved immensely! It’s a lot more cohesive and compelling. The pacing isn’t perfect, but LS is a very ambitious project and it seems to be headed in the right direction. Thank you for listening to the community and crafting such enjoyable content!

Generally speaking, lore has been handled rather well. There have been a few minor flubs and a change or two (mainly the calender, which seemed to have solid reasoning), but nothing was done that largely upset the settings established boundaries. Adjusting the time period between the first and secondborn waking had significant impact on sylvan lore, but the bigger picture remained unchanged.

There are a few things with Seeds of Truth that further upset the framework of sylvan lore- which is especially frustrating and disappointing for those of us who roleplay them.

The dialogue with Malomedies is the most difficult to rectify. He states that they’ve gone so long without losing one of their own, but there have already been been three deaths among the secondborn. He goes on to say that he worries for Riannoc, gone so far from home.

The first issue is that Riannoc was the first sylvari to die, and his death was profoundly felt. Caithe says:

“We all felt it when he died. It was like a part of the Dream was torn away—but we never knew why. Or how.”

While this can be interpreted as only the firstborn having felt it, it’s a big deal. The Pale Tree talks about it as well:

“When he died—the sun dimmed, and the Dream wept.”

It’s been stated that the only lore that’s concrete is what we find in-game; these are both quoted from the sylvari personal story.

The second issue does stem from a story outside of the game itself, Dream and Nightmare, which was published during the look at sylvari lore pre-release:

Malomedies was only sleeping, struggling against exhausting nightmares. From time to time, he called out, and Kahedins soothed him, placing a damp compress to his forehead in the hope that he would find rest. The healer looked up to the others, face filled with worry.

“Will he survive? Or will he…die? As Riannoc did?” The question whispered in every heart, but it was Niamh that gave it voice.

“The Mother says he will live,” Kahedins murmured, but it was little comfort.

In the LS, Malomedies has already been experimented on by the asura and returned, and the firstborn have yet to feel Riannoc’s death.

This is one of the events that also spurs Cadeyrn to form the Nightmare Court:

“We must kill them all.” Cadeyrn’s eyes flashed dark gold, and his hand clenched around the hilt of his sword.

“The asura have offered peace. They did not realize that he… They thought he was simply another of the strange plants of the deep Maguuma, mimicking sentience,” Aife told them. “When they realized he was truly aware, they returned him to us.”

“It is not enough! How will Malomedies find peace if he does not take revenge?”

Kahedins stared disapprovingly. “Revenge? Revenge is not our way. Have you not studied Ventari’s tablet?” As the secondborn lowered his head belligerently, Kahedins lectured, “It is written, ‘The only lasting peace is the peace within your soul.’ You should meditate on that, Cadeyrn, and consider its meaning.”

Cadeyrn glanced at Trahearne, whose expression was as black as his own. No soldier would say such things. No one who had ever lifted a blade to stop oppression, or placed themselves in danger to free innocents, would say that revenge was unfitting. If Faolain and Caithe were here, they would argue his side, he was sure of it.

Abruptly, Trahearne looked up toward the spreading boughs. “Yes, Mother,” he answered a whisper only he could hear. Chagrined, the necromancer unclenched his fists. “The Pale Tree says we need to concentrate on our true enemy: the dragons. Every ally will be needed.” Gritting his teeth, Trahearne finished, “We make peace with the asura.”

Cadeyrn was not sure what was more troubling, that Trahearne had given in or that the Pale Tree had spoken only to the firstborn. Following suit, he bent his head. “As the Mother wishes.”

Dream and Nightmare is a cornerstone for sylvan lore; it offers more detail on all aspects of the races culture and formation than anything else in or out of game. It’s essentially the sylvari primer. Does the story fall under the same rule as interviews- not in game, not canon?

Is this an error in continuity or retcon? If the former, how is it going to be handled?

Again, thank you for listening to the community and doing such great work on S2! But as a roleplayer I’d very much appreciate clarification on the apparent lore discrepancies.

I’m upset with the rollback as well. I finally had the light t3 skirt the way I wanted it, loved the glow. The texture change is welcome! I just wish they’d left the colors alone. Anything below pastel is too dark and pastels are— pastel.

Glass is a pretty impractical material for a weapon. Unless, of course, it’s enchanted which is possible. Still I think it makes more sense for it to be sap/resin.
Doing a little searching there was a post like this a bit ago that has some pretty good theories.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/races/sylvari/Are-Sylvari-Weapons-a-strong-mineral-like-pale-tree-sap/first#post64401

I can’t seem to roll anything other than a sylvari and it’s really disappointing that there are so few armor options- especially since they’re supposed to be able to grow their own clothing/armor. It’s also very hard to mix pieces from existing sylvari sets. At least for light armor.
A better town clothes option for male sylvari would also be a welcome change. Dem veiny legs are kinda creepy.