Guild Wars 2

I’m not sure why ANet can’t bring Cantha back carefully. The Bazaar of the Four Winds had that sort of theme – it might just work.

Lol Proto, I guess I just really want to see Cantha back again.

You have to believe folks! XD

Although I wonder if GW2 might actually be a good vehicle to get other East Asian cultures to learn more about each other? I mean, if we can see how virtual Canthans (not counting the Luxons and Kurzicks) get along harmoniously, we might actually start to subconsciously become less xenophobic. Won’t alienating players from different East Asian cultures actually widen the gap even more?

Iason Evan.3806:

Because if we got capes there would be no reason for them to design back pieces anymore. All any of us would do is wear the capes.

Hah! That would probably be true, except if ANet has learned anything, it should be that when in doubt, give players both the old and the new. That would meant that we still get to choose between wearing a cape, or some other snazzy backpiece.

I hear wings are something highly-valued (and what about capes AND wings, lol!)

I’m sorry, I’m going to have to agree with Tom. While all the armour definitely shout ‘steampunk!’, they look a little overwhelming when combined together. You could probably tone it down by removing the headgear and backpiece. Or replace the gas mask with aviation goggles and get rid of the backpiece.

You can tell I’m not a big fan of the Spinal backpiece. It looks like whoever designed it couldn’t decide on whether spider legs, wings or a set of meat cleavers would be cooler so they just threw it all together.

It’s all because of those blasted engineers that we have steampunk elements now, I mean, rifles?! Also Asura, because magi-tech.

And don’t get me started on Asuran engineers…

Plus one for you, Spiral.

As someone of East-Asian descent, I’d like to say I’m not at all offended by having our oriental cultured mixed.

I’m fully aware that the culture you see in Cantha is technically Canthan culture. Just think, even in the real world, China, Japan and Korea and other East-Asian cultures share similar aesthetics in art, so it really shouldn’t be too earth-shattering to see familar elements from each culture sitting harmoniously side-by-side.

That aside, I’m proud that something of our cultures was considered great enough to be represented in a game. However, I’d advise the people at ANet to be very, very careful about the name of the person sitting on the Imperial throne. After all, we don’t want to have somebody saying that the particular ruler is a representation of one particular culture, do we? Best to use something that sounds similar to, but not actually any real name.

Melandru, hands down.

I’m guessing that Melandru’s portfolio includes control over all natural living things and the soil, while the Pale Tree has the fantastic ability of being a Sylvari-factory.

On another note, Colin Johanson did mention he liked capes himself. So, fingers crossed…

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/pvp/pvp/Collaborative-Development-Ladders-Seasons/page/3

Scroll about halfway down the page.

+1 for you Forsaken, you said exactly what I wanted to perfectly.

Lol, I agree it was a silly move for ANet to create a storyline for the Personal Story that didn’t allow ample wiggle-room from creating a time paradox, but I think it’s a small price to pay for having a decent story to help you feel a little more engaged with the world of Tyria. Open-ended starter worlds work, I guess, but most of the time, you find yourself wandering around with no agenda, just completing one quest, then the next.

I guess it doesn’t bother me that much, knowing that the timelines have somehow diverged. I actually treat the evolving story of the LS as my focal story, while viewing the PS as a sort of flavour backstory for my characters. Which is also why I really want the LS to work.

Besides, there would be a riot outside the ANet office if players didn’t get the same stories as each other ("hey, I paid 70 bucks for this game, now give me the PS all my friends have been talking about!)

Long hairstyles with flowers in them would be REALLY nice. Just sayin’. ;D

Also, I think ANet made a very good choice with the wiki.

The Dream is like the Internet, and the portal is like Internet Explorer.

As someone who plays a Sylvari main, I think it’s fascinating to see how one of the most adored races in Tyria suddenly receive a not-so-friendly welcome to the world. I’m not sure what the in-game or out-of-game consequences are, but it’s interesting to see the development!

Sounds nice, Reisinger. A little dark though.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

to prevent a politician from creating a massive civil war.

I love that thought, Konig. “Ellen Kiel takes over Tyria!” That sounds epic. XD

<3 my baby Mesmer and Necro. :}

Here’s my take on the little I know about Orr:

Names and Titles
Named Orrian NPCs in GW2 generally have Mesopotamian, Arabian or ancient-Greek sounding names. Mazdak the Accursed, Risen Prince Nekandezzar and Veteran Risen Prince Alhazred are some of the characters named in the GW2 Wiki. Orrians in GW1 have names that I can’t really match with our Earth counterparts, like Orrian Spirit Kandril, Orrian Spirit Minos and Vizier Khilbron – but seem to follow the trend of Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern names. A vizier is a title once used for high-ranking ministers in the Mid-East region.

Art and Aesthetics
Orrian art tends to have (IMO) a very sci-fi-esque look to them, featuring smooth, flowing lines that either radiate from the centre, form concentric rings (but never crossing) or appear as parallel lines (there are a lot of lines, basically ^^). Concept art found here <http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ruins_of_Orr>;, here <http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Orr>; and here <http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Vizier_Khilbron>; give an idea of what I mean.

Mindset and Culture
Note: The writings below are purely of my own speculation, but are based on the lore tidbits I’ve found strewn about this forum and the various GW2/GW1 wikis:

Before The Cataclysm occurred, Orr was a “vibrant, proud and prosperous nation”. The ancient Orrians were a peaceful people, were deeply spiritual and were favoured by the gods. They generally took a neutral stance, and distanced themselves from the conflicts of the First and Second Guild Wars. Only when fights from the Third Guild War spilled onto the streets of Arah, did King Reza summon his army to defend Orr. <http://www.guildwars.com/gameplay/exploring/tyria/story/kingdomorr.php>

With the obliteration of their homland, most Orrians these days are probably too embarrassed and too afraid to disclose their heritage. The wanton display of magic from the Cataclysm, resulting in the sinking of their entire nation, was probably a big blow to their psyche, and since most of what remains of Orr is Risen, modern Orrians probably don’t want to be associated with them. You can find more about that discussion here <https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/lore/lore/Orrian-Descent>

Berry, I totally support these suggestions, because I think they are feasible, useful and don’t revolve around the concept of dumbing down content or requesting for dirt cheap shinies. +1 for you!

I don’t really understand features 9 and 10, though.

I personally thought that the razing of Lion’s Arch was a very good way to help the world of Tyria evolve. LA was the central hub where players congregated and went about their daily lives. When Scarlet destroyed the city, a whole lot of people were affected, both in the mechanics (lack of convenient, central location for banking, crafting, etc.) as well as in story-wise and emotionally.

While I realise the destruction of LA means I now have to run to Divinity’s Reach to do all of my crafting (so annoying), I realise if ANet had decided to destroy some random map, Ebonhawke or even one of the racial cities, it’d probably not have as much impact and would be a very ‘meh’ event for me.

I also think this is a great opportunity for players (especially RP players) to be more dynamic and resilient. No more will the grand promenades of the Black Citadel be filled only with NPCs walking pre-programmed routes! No more will the Sylvari bar within the Grove be devoid of player customers!

Arise, people of Lion’s Arch! Arise, people of Tyria and celebrate, for today the chains of Scarlet Briar have been broken!

My favourite line has to be: “a cleaved head (should be cloven?) no longer plots.”

It’s exceptionally clever. ^.^

I agree with Tobias – I’ve always viewed Evon as the cantankerous old gruff added for comic relief. I think he’s more likely to rule the world through commerce rather than through bloodshed.

It’s easier to sleep at night when you don’t have to worry about a whole nation trying to kill you, you know?

I don’t think the Pale Tree consciously chose to mould the Sylvari after the human form though – Malyck having human form while being born from another Tree is testament of that. Unless, UNLESS he was ACTUALLY born of the Pale Tree, but through some mysterious intervention was severed from Her during his early development, thus causing both the Pale Tree and him to believe they are not related! OoooOOhhh… a mystery!

Here are some minced oaths I can remember from the top of my head:

Charr
“Burn it all!”
“Oh, slag…”
“Cinders!”

Human
“By the Six!”

Sylvari
“By the Tree!”

Asura
“Oh, crackle and spit”
“Devourers take you!”

Norn
“By Bear’s hairy backside!”

Ok, I’m sure I made a couple of those up, but there’s enough inside to help stir your creativity in regards to Tyrian cussword vocabulary. XD

What if she had a cold that day? Lol.

bullyrook.2165:

Why is everyone down on Evon? Seriously, he warned everyone what would happen, he was right, and now he is getting his wares stolen by the Liongaurd because they wouldn’t listen. I still believe Evon is the Mysterious “E”.

I initially thought that Evon might be “E” as well, but when Marjory first encounters him on the streets (https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/marjorys-story-the-last-straw-part-2/), the only remarkable thing she notes is that “E” has a ‘deep voice’.

I’d imagine as a human, having a charr sidle up to you feels very different (and obviously so) from a human. In particular, charr are covered in fur, have clawed paws, constantly growl when they speak and a have a substantial height difference – characteristics not typical of (most) humans.

Of course, this is my two cents worth (who is to say ANet won’t blanket it all by saying Evon was under a very, very convincing polymorph spell?), so feel free to speculate, besides, Ellen Kiel also starts with “E”. ^.^

Side topic, but I’m very curious as to what the ‘planned feature’ is going to be. I love surprises!

To follow-up with Shiren’s statement, I think yes, ANet wants players to identify with the races and play them. Which is why when people in other threads suggest more fantastical creatures like Centaur or Naga as playable races, I highly doubt these will ever make their way off the drawing board.

I suspect that when the developers at ANet were thinking of expanding the list of playable races in GW2, a bunch of devs must have really liked the idea of elves (it’s a common fantasy trope, nothing wrong with that – I like them too). However, they clearly didn’t want to end up with with something done to death, so they added their spin on it, turning the already nature-affiliated elves into something more unique – plant-based Sylvari. We already have evidence of their artistic direction evolving (just look at Caithe’s old design’s for example).

The idea of beautiful, perfect, male and female elves were also thus ported over for use as Sylvari. They therefore retained the physical humanoid characteristics and the standards of human (elven?) beauty with them.

ANet is also well aware that their planty race with all the physical bells and whistles is problematic, which is why they’ve masked it (cleverly) with NPCs wondering the same. The true reason as to why Sylvari even look like humans is unknown at this point of time, but the developers probably already saw questions like these coming (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Malyck). Perhaps the Sylvari’s creation might be revealed with Scarlet and Malyck? We don’t know yet. ;D

I know this doesn’t really answer your questions as to why Sylvari should even look like humans, but ANet might be coming up with something to explain why in the near future. All we have to go with now is: “It’s magic!”

It’s know it’s personal preferences, but I like Sylvari the way they currently are.

I think ANet meant to explain Scarlet’s motivation through the cutscene after you killed her – specifically what lies at the end of it.

Hmm… I have to agree on this. If only with the culling option we were given another option to scale back the amount of spell effects displayed (minimum being the ability to see your own spell effects and enemy spell effects – although not sure how this would work in WvW though).

Lawyer skills: ‘Show Evidence’, ‘Take That!’ and of course, the ever popular ‘Objection!’. ^.^

I never got the concept of a dedicated marriage system in a combat-oriented game.

You guys are awesome. Which is why I love the GW2 community.

Side topic, but a duel between a krait, naga and Forgotten would be so cool.

I’m sure you’ve used The Dreamer too much. ^^

Dalanor.5387:

3. They are allowed if they are older than 12 year (not if anyone cares about this tbh), but i can’t understand whats the point in this. The game is even translated in multiple languages like german, french and spanish. If you can’t speak neither of them, why on earth you play? (im not speaking personally to you).

I find this to be a particularly perplexing statement. I appreciate the fact that ANet has actually managed to attract players from all over the world – not just stopping at European borders. I’m actually proud that our community is so diverse and that we have a global reach of fans.

If I knew that someone who couldn’t speak English, German, French or Spanish made the effort to actually learn our language, I’d be encouraging them, not berating them. Sure they might not speak as fluently (And GW2 makes use of terminology that sometimes baffles even new English players like ‘stack’ or ‘FGS’), but all in all, they’ve made a lot of effort to even bother playing this game.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

We know it’s not exclusive to sylvari of the Pale Tree.

Ah, I stand corrected, then. I’ve only played through the game on my Sylvari main, so I guess I haven’t seen it from that perspective yet.

Although, Trahearne describes The Dream as being “made of memory, aether, and powerful magic”, so I think it’s more of a metaphysical (as you mentioned) location/dimension than the Mists. Based on the Trahearne’s description, it could simply mean that The Dream, like real dreams, originates from the Pale Tree herself (i.e. The Dream is the Pale Tree’s memories, but can be accessed via portal-like projections constructed from aether; the White Stag could also be a similar projection made of pure aether; same for the waterfall skill challenge).

The devs have been putting in a lot of effort to make this patch work. Thanks, ANet!

Pictures, please!

I’ve always imagined The Dream to work exactly like dreams in our own world, give or take a few fantastical features.

In that sense, The Dream originates from within the Pale Tree herself, and is exclusive only to Sylvari who have originated from the Pale Tree.

Similar to what Konig mentioned, I also think that the Eternal Alchemy is an abstract concept the Asura have formulated – call it their theory on the Meaning of Life, if you will.

Firstly, I can’t help but wonder if some of the difficulty in reading instructions is caused because not everyone’s first language is English.

Secondly, I think a tutorial would only be useful to a certain extent. Learning how to rally yourself, cast a healing spell and whacking a foe to bits are really the only combat basics you can teach a player.

For example, stacking to defeat a boss is a player-made strategy – something ANet didn’t originally plan for. The original players to discover the method probably found out that standing close to each other meant group members would receive buffs, and being in close proximity meant easy reviving.

Zerging is another strategy, probably unintended by ANet, that players came up with to provide strength in numbers. Ressing at a waypoint instead of lying about waiting for others is another strategy.

The beauty of such human creativity is that players will find ways to exploit a situation no matter what battle tactic ANet employs (for a good idea, see the neverending battle between law and crime). In that same vein, in would be nearly impossible for ANet to teach players the myriad tactics it takes to successfully defeat the different kinds of foes in the open world, and in fact, helps players develop their own cunning.

I think players should be versatile and smart enough (given enough time) to learn that not every red circle in the game represents a threat or a boon.

@lishtenbird: Well, I was joking actually. Lol. I kinda like being part of a team where survival means I was alert to enemy tells. It makes me feel smart.

Of course, I don’t mind facerolling on occasion to get nice loot.

@Thaddeus: Funny why people should be angry when killing a mob near a downed player causes said player to insta-rally.

I didn’t realise that, but that’s kind of sad, actually.

But Autumn has actually replied on the issue since last Friday. So it’s not like ANet stopped all work after release and went home to party and give each other high-fives.

See this thread:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/livingworld/escape/Battle-for-Lion-s-Arch-Open-Issues-and-Tips/page/6#post3737505

I think the mentality of the average zerg warrior is as such:

1. It’s easier to follow the leader: I don’t have to take on the mantle of being in-charge because it’s too time-consuming to co-ordinate and also because I’m afraid if I lead and my tactics fail, I’m at fault.

2. You’re less likely to die: When an angry boss (or mob) has waves of potential victims to pick from, it’s less likely to target me. So, the more the merrier.

3. Zerging is fun: Running around slaughtering Aetherblades is all fine and dandy, but when a whole bunch of people are banding together, slinging spells and swinging swords, now that’s a party!

Zerging in of itself is a legitimate tactic. But when repeated ad nauseum, you get the posts above.

Because history has proven that the river is likely to flow the smoothest course, it’s up to ANet to come up with innovative boss mechanics to (forcefully) break up the mob of people and endure the brunt of complaints from the majority of the average-zerg-warrior.

But… but… We just want to be friends! Just let us be your friends and allow into your society, so that we can slowly assimilate and multiply and overtake your cities and ruling councils while you pathetic, meaty races slowly dwindle into obscurity.

Trust me, you won’t even know what hit you.