Guild Wars 2

Its an insult. Eir probably isn’t that old, but implying that she’s beyond her use and years is a really nasty jibe for a Norn. She shrugs it off or perhaps accepts it as she’s got some big guilt trip going on, but I get the feeling that any other Norn woman would have probably challenged the accuser to prove that she’s anything but old and past her best.

^ I read that as area not zone too.

And @konig…

We know a super simplified outsiders sliver of a complicated relationship between two troubled Sylvari, yes… but wouldn’t it be interesting to learn some specifics about the magic behind the Nightmare corruption?

That said I doubt that will be in the update. We’re going to get more bad jokes and maybe even a dose of Palawa.

Absolutionis pretty much summed up what I think too. Though I would add:

Rural Kryta: European but closer to Old Kryta with the exceptions of Nebo Terrace and the Ascalon Settlement.
Urban Kryta (Divinity’s Reach): Cosmopolitan European (more like London or Paris)
Ebonhawke (a separate entity to Kryta): hard boiled and kind of earthy, its difficult to draw a contemporary comparison but very much like post-war Europe.

I think they took the design decision to avoid it so that we could fill in the blanks ourselves and decide where our characters came from and how they got to be where they are today in Divinity’s Reach.

I had a lot of fun filling in the backstory for my characters without having to worry that Arenanet were going to dictate it. But I can see what you mean, for those who want the option it would be nice to have it.

Mesmers. Every flippin time lol.

God they’re like roaches, they never die and when you finally get a gate down there’s always at least one still in there being a d-

@Cernow: I had the same problem, I’d just be running supply and re-enforcements through and all of a sudden we’d get steamrolled by a zerg that didn’t even load until after we were all dead. Not even the player names were showing up.

It’s not for every player either. There have been situations where people have gone chasing off the wall to their death cos they were convinced there were only four people stood outside a tower when infact it’s more like fifty. I know there are some stealth AoE skills but I don’t think they can last that long on that many moving targets. Those who could see what we were up against got verbal abuse for not jumping headlong into a huge zerg. When your team don’t know why they are being killed they start getting nasty and it’s completely counter to the whole idea of WvW.

I also got the impression that Zhaitan was supposed to be much bigger, but given that he is made of other dragons, I thought that he was so small in the boss fight because all of the other dragon like champions we fought were bits of him that he sent off out into the world to do his bidding. The undead dragon champions don’t look so much like rotted husks as they do the fleshrevers.

Thats just my theory though.

It’s probably just that if they made him too big then the engine couldn’t render him in the fight scene.

I was gonna wall of text this but eh…

The storytelling must be somewhat on the weak side if you’ve managed to play through the whole game without cottoning on to the fact that this peace between the races is not only extremely fragile but such a source of contention that three of the nations (and yes I am not going to say races here) are in civil war, one is crippled by political infighting and the others are both struggling against a moral and cultural revolution that seeks to destroy everything they stand for. Don’t even get me started on Hoelbrek and her allies.

The Elder Dragons have united SOME of the people of Tyria. Yes they are in the majority but only just.

Oh and as for LA… the limitations of the game engine mean that we see LA as this nice happy oasis of culture and co-operation, but the lore suggests that LA is only a nice place if you keep your head above the board. There’s a dark underbelly and a lot of people wary of the mixing taking place. Listen to what the NPCs have to say as you walk around and you’ll see.

Yup. The personal story does leave a little to be desired but you did get promoted through the ranks of the Sunspears pretty fast in Nightfall too. If you came from anywhere other than Elona it was a case of “oh you’re not from here well then I guess you’re a commander now so here’s a stabby thing, come on and invade Gandara”.

I would have loved it to have been much more drawn out too.

Gosh I hadn’t even considered having a repair merchant that is paid for from guild funds but I really like the idea. The biggest problem we have with getting people to join us in WvW is the repair costs to high level armour so if we could spread the burden like this it would be a really useful tool for guilds as a whole.

And as for the message of the day: it was a feature of guild wars 1 that it would appear in the chat box whenever you logged in or it was changed. I was surprised that this wasn’t the case in the sequel given how vital it was especially as GW1 slipped into inactivity for keeping players updated on what is going on where.

I like all of these suggestions

I loved Orr’s difficulty. It really felt like I was inside the land of an Elder Dragon and he really -really- didn’t want me to be there. I did most of it solo as well as the advance scout for the rest of the PvE’rs in my guild. The first map in Orr was the hardest for me, and the others were not as stressful but still not easy.

Lore about Legendaries:

- Miyani brought a Djinn from Elona to sit in a magic lamp and do whatever it is he does in exchange for items. His name is Zommoros.
- In GW1 Djinn were capable of shapeshifting and tapping into the magic of the land. They were often used by Vabbians for magical protection, and it is said in the lore that in order to become a Djinn you would have to commit a great sin in life.
- Zommoros makes weapons inside the mystic forge… amongst other things.

…

That’s about it. We know how we get them and that they may or may not be made for us, but there isn’t any real mention of anything beyond that.

I have the same problem. My screen takes it to the next level tho by deciding to crap out too but when I switched to a spare it looked exactly like this. Playing on the lowest graphics settings cures the crash for me completely but doing so leaves me feeling dead inside. Never had this problem in any of the betas or at all really until the end of last week. Updated all my drivers as suggested in this thread and many many others and the crash still occurs.

My system spec:
Graphics: AMD Radeon 6700 series
Processor: intel core i3 2100 CPU
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Memory: 4 GB ram, 7 GB virtual

The crash doesn’t seem to happen when I play on low but I know that my graphics card is capable of much more than running guild-wars as I use 3D modelling and have to render animations and stuff for my studies. Honestly playing this game on low is heartbreaking. Updating hardware not an option as a: was new only a year ago and b: I’m not made of money.

Quick edit: Happens WAY more on my guardian than any other character.

Bearhugger.4326:

Hellmood.2097:

The strangest part is, the only body shape of human females that looks remotely curvy has a TINY bust. I’m not asking for Norn milkbags here, but it simply looks unproportional as kitten.

I actually like that body a lot. Large hips and healthy-looking legs is all I’m asking for. =)

I agree that more options would be desirable, but as is the case for their hairstyles, human females have a lot of options compared to many other race/gender combinations, so I don’t think the devs are going to focus on them for the time being.

I chose that bodyshape for my guardian, it was the only one that made sense to me for someone who swings a hammer into people’s faces. The others just didn’t look like they’d be able to lift it let alone use it.

It’s bad enough that the boobs on the mesh STILL jiggle even in what is supposed to be heavy/solid plate, please don’t make the only bodyshape that makes sense for an adventurer into a boobfest.

I think the problem in this case was more the jumping puzzle :P

Why do we have to map WvW complete with vistas AND have jumping puzzle achieves there? It just brings people to WvW who aren’t there to fight they’re just there to be a tourist. Commanders included.

First of all, some wild speculation… then some fact based stuff

Although Konig’s post was pretty spot on (also hey XD)

Speculation
- Dungeons! There is scope for a dungeon in each of the major cities, and I am really hopeful that just as Sorrows Embrace was intended to fill the gap between Prophecies and Factions we get some of these to fill the gap between Zhaitan and the next dragon.

In Divinity’s Reach there lies an extensive underground crypt accessed via the Skull Plaza near our personal instance. There are NPCs in the area that suggest there have been some nasty murders recently involving the crypts, and there is a huge sinkhole that appeared around about the time that Ghosts of Ascalon came to a close. (probably due to events in the book).

In the Grove the entrance to the old Shards of Orr dungeon from GW1 should be within the city limits. There is a lot of the grove that is not accessible though so I wouldn’t be surprised if the city was expanded somehow in the future. Why name things on the map that we can’t actually get to unless we get to them later?

In Rata Sum the lower levels of the main cube are referred to as The Golem Mines. They are caved in and ruined implying some sort of catastrophe and actually mean that Rata Sum has a much lower population than it should do. We could be sent down here at some point.

The Black Citadel sits over the ruins of Rin, and given that it was the capitol of Ascalon its not too much of a jump to assume that it too had Catacombs, particularly as you can’t access the area referred to as Ruined Nolani.

Hoelbrak is a bit of a stretch though, it doesn’t appear to be sited over any Dwarven ruins but it could be near something Asuran as its not far from the old site of the Central Transfer Chamber.

- Areas! I would absolultely love it if we got to go back to Cantha and Elona and perhaps even further afield. We have only explored a relatively small section of Tyria in our adventures and there’s a huge inland area that is just begging for the devs to do something with east of the Blazeridge mountains.

- GUILD HALL AIRSHIPS. Yes please.

Evidenced Stuff:
- Dominion of Winds: I would be highly surprised not to be able to go into here in the very least.
- Druids Overlook and the northern maguuma: There is a ruined bridge that bandits are trying to repair in Brisban Wildlands that lines up perfectly with the former site of Druid’s Overlook, thus unlocking the northern and western sections of the Maguuma for exploration. (Side note, you can replay the bonus section from the old Aroura Glade mission in this explorable as well, so maybe there will be more ghosts from the Prophecies storyline as we get closer to the bloodstone)
- The Tarnished Coast: There is a closed off portal in Rata sum that is used in the personal story but never any other time since. It seems strange that in a city where everything has a specific use there would be something so prominantly useless opposite the gate to Lions Arch. This -could- lead to the rest of the Tarnished Coast and the southern parts of the Maguuma. There is also a large city sized slice between Rata Sum and the Grove that has not been added to the world map that could be used for extra content.
- The Crystal Desert: the gate adjacent to Ebonhawke leads to the crystal desert and presumably to the area where Rytlock and Logan first met. Although the entrance to that area could also be in the branded parts of the Fields of Ruin as there are a few parts of the brand that look like they could be portals in the future. There is also a clearly blocked off portal site next to a sylvari encampment in Mount Maelstrom.
- The Grove: as I mentioned in my speculation, there are large areas of the grove that are named but not seen. We could be seeing these in expansions or they could remain as tantalising though always inaccessible areas. There are also parts of the grove that have appeared in the races trailer that we can’t access.
- Northern Kryta: The areas north of Divnity’s Reach are said to be inhabited by both NPCs and by the fact that Seraph’s Landing receives goods from upstream which happens to be inaccessible, and indeed there is a road that ends in a sheer cliff in Demetra and a possible new/old gated entrance in the district of the city that is currently a big hole in the ground. We could be seeing Northern Kryta as either a high level explorable area for endgame or as a new conjoined starter area with a race we haven’t encountered yet.
- The Northern Shiverpeaks: There is a way-point right in the top corner of Frostgorge sound that doesn’t make any sense unless at some point in the future it will be next to a portal leading to the remains of the Northern Shiverpeaks.

Djenna the guardian, in our guild colours outside Ascalon Catacombs.

I really love the skin for the Guild Shield, our colours are white, gold and dark blue so it works perfectly!

First of all: Tybalt is one of the best characters I’ve ever encountered in a game. You guys got him -absolutely- right. Not only was he a non-typical Charr, but the fact that he hides behind his insecurities using humour, but still eventually reveals that they are there made me warm to him instantly. I was throwing ALL my AoE at -that door- like “COME BACK!”. Heartbreaking.

Things I felt were absolutely right:
- The Charr flirting during the Orrian mission at Kitah Manse. Absolutely perfect.
- The Asura flirting during the Orrian missions involving a fleet of ships.
- Trahearne’s earlier development, where he’s still a scholar and not a general.
- Much of the Sylvari early story (before you join the orders)
- Tybalt (entirely)
- That one Sylvari NPC that says “seize the bloody moment!”

Things that need work:
- Missions after Forging the Pact forget who you are and where you came from. I was repeatedly re-introduced to NPCs that I not only already knew but had saved. When two wardens turned up with a mirror I was given an awkward introduction and the whole time I was like “yes Trahearne, both of us were there. I know I am wearing a mask as part of my awesome whispers armour, but shirly you can’t be sirrious.”
- As a fellow sufferer of a somewhat mono-tonal voice I could identify with Trahearne’s inability to emote overmuch. I can see why people complain though. His dialogue after he forgets who I am though, is somewhat jarring at times. I like his moments of exposition, as we don’t get enough lore in the dialogue to be completely honest, but I don’t like that he forgets he’s already told me some of this. I mean, I know he’s under a lot of stress lately but-

Things that were a bit irritating:
- Norn accents! I know they follow on from the original game but they don’t sound as “big” as Jora’s did. It doesn’t make much sense to me why if the Sylvari and Asura sound kind of English/mid Atlantic, despite their proximity to humans, why the Norn sound exactly like the people in Divinity’s Reach do. Similarly it seems that they have lost nearly all their mysticism, and speak with one voice.
- More male v/o for Sylvari please? I cannot honestly say I can identify more than three. Theres the guy who sounds like he’s over fifty, and also doubles as a Norn voice. Theres the really deep baritone voice used for Occam, and then theres one that’s sort of mid tonal and constantly bemused. I like the male character’s voice for Sylvari, and the fact that only Trahearne sounds like Trahearne but… :I
- Human voices. There are no accent deviations in-spite of the fact that we know Canthans sound different to Ascalons who sound different in turn to Elonians. I live in the UK and we have in recent years been subjected to a social experiment by our politicians at creating a multicultural society, and I can confirm that fifty years is not enough time for accents to change in that manner. Especially the Elonians. Where’s the rich baritone of the Nightfall Intro/Outro? Wheres the Melonni and the Koss, or the Kormir for that matter? Diversity amongst the humans is even more important particularly as you are trying to emphasize that the real world demographic is supposed to be all inclusive.
- No dialogue what so ever for personal instance NPCs that I have supposedly saved.

For the most part I enjoyed the personal story and the dialogue, I played the first game into the ground so I was familiar with the concept that from a missions perspective at least, I wasn’t going to be calling the shots on what came out of my Sylvari’s mouth. There were a few occasions where I was like “noooo-” but it isn’t anything that hasn’t already been covered in this topic.

There are three things I would like to see in the personal instance:

1 – To be able to have an actual conversation with the NPCs that spawn there about the events that lead them to want to live in my instance and hang around. There are several NPCs that have appeared for my main where I am like “What? Why are you here, I didn’t invite you?”

2 – For that conversation to change over time sort of in the way that the “conversation” you could have with the heroes ensconced within Tannakai temple would change as you progressed through factions.

3 – Some sort of recognition that you’ve completed the personal story. I know its possible to change the way the instance looks via spawning due to the choices a Human Commoner can make, I would like to see some sort of area in the middle of every instance that gradually gains trophies related to your exploits. Maybe when you join an order it’s banners will appear, maybe when you complete certain events you get a commemorative statue?

These three things would make the personal instance have worth for me. I understand that the conversations would take a lot of time to add in for every NPC that can possibly appear, but I honestly don’t see any value in the place as it stands without the ability to do more than greet the people I have supposedly saved. The trophy cabinet idea I am not really fussed about, I mean yeah I would absolutely love to see it and the changes that it brings about, I’m not asking for a giant statue to depict the defeat of Zhaitan (although that would be all different kinds of awesome) but just to be able to see in some small way that this place reflects my character, would be awesome.

Plus I know from the Hall of Monuments in Eye of the North that this kind of thing is possible for you guys to pull off inside an instance

I kind of like the fact that the Hall of Monuments has been completely stripped out and looted. Only Kimmes is there to recognise your heirs for their inner worth and deeds rather than their blood connection (although the very fact you have the HoM stone suggests there is some physical link). We can’t leave a permanent mark on the world as we were just one of many, but the fact that our storyline is remembered is proof that our characters were there in whatever capacity.

EDIT: Was going to have a spoiler bit here but the tags aren’t working? :S

It’s not made very clear (at all) but the cannons on the big shiny airship are special somehow. They tie back in to one of the previous quests where you discovered a way to poison the dragon’s magic and send it back. That’s why they are all pretty and sparkly and gold whereas the previous cannons in the mission you use to kill -other- dragons were like the ones you find out in the world.

It is a bit anticlimactic.

I actually liked Arah the best.

I felt that the only thing missing from that five minutes, was the level of difficulty of the previous twenty.

It didn’t feel like the desperate last throes of a powerful creature capable of corrupting everything he touches to serve his purpose. Maybe if they added a few spawns during the final bit rather than just having five of you hammer the keys, then it would be a more interesting ending.

I absolutely agree with you about the Elonians. My beaux is of Jamaican descent. His grandparents arrived in the UK almost exactly fifty years ago (it’s a bit more but eh, who is counting) and whilst some of his cousins are very fair, the majority of his family is still unmistakably Jamaican.

Nightfall was an absolute breath of fresh air, it was well thought out and completely respectful. Minor details such as the fact that Vabbians due to their proximity to Orr and the Crystal Sea were more Arabian in their costume and design than those living in Kourna and Istan. Whilst there have been some improvements in the humans of DR since the beta… it’s still a whitewash.

I can see why in the development of five distinct races that the diversity of one could have been sidelined somewhat. But I would love to see one of the very remarkable things about Guild Wars return in Guild Wars 2.

The only part I am unhappy with is that I have to change my password -again-.

I had a bit of a scare where someone tried to log in as me during the headstart access, so I changed and verified my email, enabled two step authentication -and- created a unique PW for GW2… and now I have to change it again? DX

I’ll treat it the way I treat facebook and wait for them to force me to change it.

Yay Quaggen!

I love the ones in the order of whispers, you find them out and about if you’re in the order and they’re clumsy and adorable. They can still keep secrets but it’s pretty easy to figure them out.

Readable books
A minor suggestion really. I love the way Guild Wars 2 handles lore in that it gives you a sense that you have to go out and find it, but when you go to find it all you get are brief overviews and titles of books that npcs can apparently read but you can’t. Please put book items back in the game and make the walls of text that some of us enjoy there if we choose to go after them.

Happened to me today in a dungeon, and I couldn’t restart the client as we were midway through so spent the rest of the time deaf. Missed a lot of audio cues and needed ressing more than usual, but I did have fun doing my own voices for all the cutscenes.

This has been happening to me for a while but never happened with the Beta Client even during the zergiest of zergs in world vs gate.