Questions
Will it “up” scale you to level 80
Is it a daily reward or can we get the chance for multi runs daily rewards out of chest?
Will this be consider a Hard mode like in GW1?
Do we gain TA tokens from this?
I’m no dev but:
I’m hoping that they do this to other dungeons in the future. And more – make the explorables all lvl 80 (makes it easier to balance as “end game content”), give them unique dungeon-themed exotic drops (even if it’s just a recoloring – oh how I would love some of the AC weapons that are permanently ghostly), and new Ascended versions from more work in the dungeon.
Maybe add a new tab on the vendors for Ascended weapons that you need a number of the “Offerings” (e.g., Offering of Thorns of Thorns ) to buy them. Though for such to happen the “easy runs” like CoF would need to become a bit harder – with AC and the like, bringing up to lvl 80 may do the trick, since the downscaling as it is is rather… unbalanced.
I suspect they are trying to give players a reason to kill trash mobs as well as implement something similair to fractal weapons but for other dungeons.
Yeah, I’m expecting quite a few colour shifted weapons in the dungeon updates. I guess that means that dyeing weapons is (un)officially never going to happen.
If you think about it, at least three weapon sets were already “dyed variants” – Dark Asura from Sorrow’s Furnace is just a red tier 1 asura cultural weapons; Inquest weapons from CoE was just red Mystic weapons; and Golden weapons from Caudecus’ Manor was just gold human tier 3 cultural weapons.
Many of the champion exotics is the same – recoloring of other exotics.
So it’s not surprising at all that they add more recolorings of weapons.
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
Apparently that was the plan, but there wasn’t time/resources/something to be able to put it in the game properly so they scrapped it.
Sad, really. I hope that whenever they get to improving Orr in the living world they include some objects with Orrian writing.
What I would just absolutely LOVE is some sort of large stone similar to the Rosetta Stone that features all seven known human alphabets – Ascalonian, Old Krytan, Orrian, Elonian, Canthan, Kurzick, and Luxon. Then, even if there isn’t an actual cipher translation for five of those alphabets (Old Krytan, Elonian, Canthan, Kurzick, and Luxon) we can go and say “this is how one would read this sentence, learned from Ascalonian translation, in these alphabets.”
I read a lower line that just makes mention of the eldest son being an elementalist and Emilane being a ranger (kindasorta). How Emilane’s talked about sounds like she’s the only daughter though – “They’re scholars. The oldest boy’s an elementalist… What’s the princess? The girl with the really curly hair?” The use of ‘the princess’ implies to me that there’s only one.
However, the mention of three fine sons and daughters is, in full “Three fine sons and daughters to choose from, and Baede chooses Edair?” This implies that in total there are three; it’d be synonymous with saying “three fine children”. It’s an odd way of writing it out, but when using “sons and daughters” in this sense typically means “children” rather than “at least two sons and at least two daughters.”
As for dates – King Mazdak comes from sylvari lvl 28 Priory storyline and an interview between GuildMag and Anet (the latter saying that it was a prince of Orr who founded Kryta; the former saying that Mazdak founded Kryta while humanity was young on Tyria), and there’s an Orrian History Scroll in Shelter Docks, Malchor’s Leap which also says king Doric sent people to Kryta and Ascalon. Oswald Thorn’s reign end date is from last Halloween which says he died 500 years ago (it’s likely rounded so no exact date is known though). Jadon’s date is from GW1, he fled during the Charr Invasion which took place between 1070 and 1071. Salma’s is from the novel timelines and War in Kryta from GW1. Baede is from Sea of Sorrows. Roderick is from the line quoted above. Jennah’s father is from the Dead Sister storyline’s final step (gotta talk to Logan before fighting bandits). Jennah is from Queen’s Jubilee content.
As to the Whispers agent… can’t explain. But he doesn’t say Mazdak himself is a champion from Ascalon, technically speaking – he just says that there’s a tomb to the north of an “ancient war leader of Ascalon.” It likely may be a remnant from earlier development that got overlooked – there’s quite a bit of that among the Whispers dialogues, interestingly enough – or a typo. Or more than just Mazdak was buried there (which is true…).
The OP quotes the sole mention of this guy in the game.
Given the timeline, he’d have to be Jennah’s father or grandfather (unless her uncle or some such took the throne before her father). All depending on how long her father reigned – as the date given for Roderick is 51 years prior to Jennah taking the throne, and we know that her father died for a few years before she was old enough to take the throne.
The Krytan royal lineage as we know is:
What makes most sense would be that Roderick reigned from 1256 to 1305 or some such, being Jennah’s father and Baede’s eldest son.
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
The same tree we destroy yet it’s seen at the end of the Twilight Assault trailer? I didn’t think Faolain was in the picture when it comes to TA any more.
She isn’t and that looked like a mechanized Oakheart to me. More akin in shape to the Champion Ancient Rotting Oakheart than the Nightmare Tree at least.
One of the things I hate about TA explorable is that it’s essentially three different timelines from a story perspective. As far as I know, no single path can exist in the same time line as another. To me that might be the first hint that Twilight Assault is scrapping old school TA – the old “story” can’t be canon because the three paths are mutually exclusive from a story perspective.
Though I’d hate it if they scrap 1 or 2 paths to never be heard from ever again.
BTW, Crucible of Eternity and Honor of the Waves are also like TA explorable; except in the latter the end enemy is different. In all three paths, it’s one way to solve the same issue or the same allied NPC going through. I suppose you can argue HotW is different though, but at the end of CoE’s three paths the place is set to blow up and Subject Alpha should be destroyed (sometimes his essence can get away though so… idk).
I’d hold out on calling them good. But permanent yes. Ty.
What I’m tired of is limited obtainability back items each time.
New back items is great… But not one can you obtain at any time. Bazaar ones are closest but you need an access of those scraps.
I don’t get the blue color… That’s the warden coloring (blue and green)… Would have thought something darker.
But red… That’ll be saved for the Scarlet Briar weapon set. ;P
Indeed. For the special ticket tabs, you need to have said special ticket on you. Otherwise it’s just a Black Lion Claim Ticket tab.
Yeah, though they’re called pirates because they’re a thieving organization, they’re far from pirates. They’re an organized military that stole from the Pact (thus “pirates”). Maybe because of Mai Trin they were thought to be pirates… and thus called such at first, but I don’t think they’ve been called pirates since Jubilee.
And about Lion’s Arch and pirates.. honestly, the modern (GW2’s) Lion’s Arch aren’t really ran by pirates… but businessmen who don’t like working with their racial laws. They just hold origins in pirating, but the modern Captain’s Council are far from. And LA being a pirate haven is true, though the true pirates are anti-LA (Covington).
dat epitaph….
I thought she died when you beat the invasions. Since her laughter was of the dying variety.
I know i got my hopes up but dang she’s already back.
This is the Mad King’s month end of story!
The second update will likely deal with Thorn, rather than having a full month of Halloween.
Her laughter was a mock-death kind. She was mocking the players as she retreated.
Well then, atleast we might be able to kill her now? Would that make you happy?
How Anet’s been treating Scarlet in interviews… expect her to be around for a while. Given Scotts mention of a couple years between ED plots, if we were to take that seriously, expect her to last to the end of 2014 at least.
Sad, I know. Horrific even. We can only hope that they improve her character and how they reveal her exponentially in the game in the future. Too much about the living world is being told through those short stories and, worse, interviews that Anet never makes mention of (the TowerTalk interview about Jubilee and Scarlet for example).
Scarlet has not yet proven to be a Mary Sue yet. Just because you don’t like her doesn’t mean she fits that profile. Most of what she has shown is very standard, super smart, egotistical villain.
You must not have read her short story.
She excells at everything, got the most legendary norn blacksmith to want to teach her but refused, got taught by one of the best Iron Legion snipers then ran with the secrets, got into all three asura colleges being the first non-asura to ever do such (and even if the interview with TowerTalk pegged the feat of graduating all three colleges down by explaining she took specialized courses, that’s still a feat that shamed the asura intelligence), and (though countered in the interview mentioned) saw the Eternal Alchemy (now it’s “may have seen but most likely didn’t”).
She has been set up, betrayed, exiled, desired, and she thought nothing of it. She has been pampered by the whole world since day 1 all because she has high IQ. And to top it off she’s disconnected from the Dream of Dreams without the rigorous meditation Soundless need to do.
That sounds very Mary Sue-like to me. And that is why I don’t like her, personally speaking. I don’t think she’s a Villain Sue because I don’t like her; I don’t like her because I think she’s a Villain Sue. The interview helped lower the Villain Sue-ness of her character, but its still there, and worse, it (her background, both story and interview info) isn’t there in game.
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
The ariships use charr, human, and asura technology – the latter two use magic in their technology (for humans it’s a “time to time” thing while for asura it’s “all the time”) so I’m sure there’s some magic related to making it float, especially the Aetherblade version which got revamped by Inquest.
I hoping for something like this as well. It would be a tough sell to the players, bringing him back, with the job they did in SoS. Not them mention, in the LS, they would have to get him out of prison, LA’s dungeons, or wherever he’s at first. That would either take him escaping, by himself or with help, or him getting a pardon by the Lionsguard or Captain’s Council for whatever reason.
Though, the thought of Kiel having to release him is a fun thought. They are both in the need for some character development, and they could be a good foil for one another if written right. They both want the same thing, to protect the weak/innocent, but they have different views on how to achieve that.
I can see it now…
The Consortium, ever money-grubbing corporation that they are, are once again trying to take advantage of people, tricking them into giving the Consortium a profit. Kiel, having dealt with the Consortium, doesn’t like this but needs an expert in the Consortium field – Canach will do, he hates the Consortium, and if he’s watched he can prove an ally (after all, he solo’d a MF dungeon). With solving the problem, he’s given a pardon-with-ties – he’s free to go, but never to mess with Consortium affairs without Lionguard (aka Kiel’s) aid and overseerment, as he has only been seen to be out of line when it comes to the Consortium (he made no problems for the refugees during F&F that we’ve heard about).
@Shien: I wouldn’t consider Scarlet perfect. The short story and in-game she does seem to be portrayed as such, and she does lack a decent number of flaws, but the interview introduced a flaw: she is wrong. She didn’t see the Eternal Alchemy like she thought, and she has a superiority complex because of this misconception. That’s a character flaw, even if it isn’t a big one. So she’s just shy of perfect (which isn’t good, but I like arguing semantics from time to time).
The NPC who says the line you’re thinking of is Rox, and that’s not what she says though. “I’ve never seen Tequatl. Intel says its bigger than those armored rejects from the Molten Facility.” (this is in reference to the Molten Firestorm and/or Molten Berserker bosses at the end of the dungeon). Followed by “Big, scaly. Has wings. Breath that stinks worse than rotting meat on a dungheap. It’s pretty much a flying abomination.” And more.
And I don’t know why people keep repeating what I said in the OP – that it certainly is post MF, but oddly implied to be pre-Zhaitan, and no mention of Jubilee events (if one met Rox there, but not during F&F, how would she respond?).
And I agree with having to eventually break the no paradox rule. My issue with that is more that it never should have been done. And if they break it, they shouldn’t dance around the issue and just flat-out state it.
Yes, it was.
15 charrs
Scarlet seems to seek a third way between the Pale Tree and the Nightmare Court, as such she could be looking for a way to weaken or destroy the Court. Heck, it may be that Caithe ends up trying to rescue the Court from Scarlet. A hero’s life is never a easy one.
This.
Scarlet hates the idea of joining pre-existing groups. She only joins groups she makes. So I cannot see her taking over the NC.
Sadly, this bit about her was shown in an interview not in game…
How could they have been White Mantle? The White Mantle aren’t exactly pro-charr….
Or do you mean “instead of random pirates, they could have made Scarlet’s underlings being a group we already knew from GW1” – in which case, I say “no thank you, don’t make her ruin more of lore.”
However it is possible they’re redacting that forum post.
A recent TowerTalk interview with Scott and Angel about Scarlet asks when her actions take place, and they basically say “she happens at the point in time the players are at” – which can be interpreted as post-Zhaitan, or at “wherever players are in at their personal story, that’s when Scarlet takes place” – which makes oh so many issues with continuity.
Then again, post-Zhaitan also creates a few continuity paradoxes.
But then again did they actually do any mechanical changes on them, or did they only add more health/put a timer? I haven’t done any of them since the update, so I wouldn’t know.
Some of their attacks got how they functioned changed – Great Jungle Wurm can no longer be blinded and his roar now fears and the husks that he eats are harder to CC> Fire Elemental and Frozen Maw got some changes to their ambient enemies.
Megadestroyer was given a whole new model, equipped with 100% new attacks.
Sadly, Lostwingman, that’s among the holes in the interview’s explanations…
And how so many NPCs in the game don’t use magical skills even as instinctive “defense mechanisms”
The attempt of lordhelmos was already done by an interview in response to the confusion about the matter.
She did not witness the Eternal Alchemy. What she saw was a hallucination.
@CHIPS: She is trying to change – or rather, remove – the “existence” of predetermination in the GWverse, but she also has a supreme superiority complex where she views herself better than everyone else because she believes she saw the Eternal Alchemy. She is 100% insane, egotistical, and has a superiority complex. It is in her mind that the ONLY thing that could possibly pose a threat to her… is the Elder Dragons.
She views everyone – the people she’s trying to allow to make their own choices – as ants. Unimportant and unable to do anything. A few of them dying… means nothing, and may even be the means to breaking Fate in GWverse.
I’d say that the asura who worked with Kiel on the karka issue is just as likely to be related to future LS as Vorpp.
But I would honestly enjoy Canach becoming an ally we fight with. His story is already set up to being an anti-hero. He fought the Molten Alliance so he may have ran into Braham and Rox even though we didn’t then. He would make a perfect anti-hero for the GW2 story. If done right. He sees himself as a hero of the people, but he goes a little too far (at least when Consortium is involved) and doesn’t really think about how his actions affect the people, making him a conflicted character through his actions if nothing else.
I’ve got a few things to say on the topics of this thread…
First, at the notion of Scarlet becoming a good guy – this was actually asked in the TowerTalk interview about her and the Jubilee. On cellphone so no link atm but there’s one to it on Scarlet’s wiki page. Anyways, the question was roughly asking that since Scarlet is like a lot of the whiney playerbase, is it possible players begin relating to her leading to her becoming a good guy. Scott replied with saying that’s an interesting observation and effectively saying “there are no intentions to go that way, but thongs in the future may change.”
On the DE 2.0 – if they were gonna do that, we would’ve seen Rox and or Braham meeting the human at Jubilee. Would have been too perfect to skip.
But on the notion of NPCs in the LS that mirror DE…
I don’t see how the LS is “random” – honestly, I think I’d prefer a random story, as they wouldn’t be connected and would mean several plots get slowly expanded, making it more like a real living world.
She attacks the human queen for some unknown reason.
It was on a whim, as explained in a TowerTalk interview with Scott and Angel.
There is a unique Orrian alphabet – that’s translatable even. But that obelisk is the sole source we have of it in game. That was the situation behind it being shelved – we have only one source of information for it.
@Zaxares: Yes, they did. Go to southern Dredgehaunt Cliffs, specifically the remains of Granite Citadel. You can learn that shortly after Eye of the North, the Stone Summit returned from their exile and rejoined the Deldrimor dwarves in preparations for undergoing the Rite. There are Stone Summit, Deldrimor, and even humans buried in the Granite Citadel.
It should be kept in mind that the Stone Summit didn’t really outright hate Deldrimor – not in full. They were ruled by Dagnar Stonepate who was xenophobic and after the throne, as well as Hierophantic cultists favoring the Great Destroyer. Their leaders were killed. The only thing that separated the two groups after that, other than victor/loser of the civil war, was that the Stone Summit may still have been xenophobic throughout.
That dragon is a curiousity. Unlike the Shatterer or Claw of Jormag, which shares frames with Tequatl and other Zhaitan dragon champions, the Shadow of the Dragon uses the same shape as well. Same kind of slim head and all that.
I wouldn’t put much stock into it being plant like on its own, however what’s interesting is the design of that plantlike. Take a look at the orange/yellow glow…
Look familiar? If you’ve fought husks, it would. The gut of husks – most noticeable in Summoned Husks and Flametouched Husks it is also noticable in the more rotten appearance the Avatars of Blight use.
Its got its hinted ties to something other than Zhaitan, but being a plant dragon is not it in of itself. Though it also has hints to it being tied to Zhaitan (shape, NPCs claims of what it represents).
That’s a sylvari-made lamp post. They’re common around sylvari controlled lands. I’m sure that was there before, as I know there were some such lam posts in Sparkfly before.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Grenth%27s_Spoke
That’s what the pipes are. It’s Divinity’s Reach’s water suppy. No, DR doesn’t get its water from Queensdale. Yes, they were always there. I don’t know how you missed them.
I still don’t get where you got the “2 years” part from. The timeframe itself, that is.
Edit: Apparently I should read the bold. For some reason my brain registered that quote box as the same as the one of my post.
I think it’s a bit hopeful that Scarlet will be dealt with soon (I hope she is though… or at least managed to be made 10x more interesting), and for the next dragon to come within a year, but given what he said that does make sense.
Looking at this past year, the plots I see as possibilities go:
So I suppose there’s plenty for them to go off of for the next year. And then some. And that’s JUST what we got from LS loose ends.
If we look at PS loose ends we got:
And go back to GW1, got even more… So lets hope that we either get a large break from Scarlet after October, or we wrap her plot up soon (lol unlikely).
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
I don’t want the living world to end.
I want more permanent stuff, and for a living world not a progressive story (which is what we’re getting). A living world would focus on more than just one villain and her joker antics.
I think he meant “Zhaitan was the first to make a massive attack” or it was just an utter slip – it happens.
I’m not sure where you get the “every two years” bit – but if so, then we’re stuck with Scarlet for another full year… ugh.
He was thrown at us because there weren’t hints he existed before Nightfall, even though they went out of their way saying he was pulling strings the entire time.
….
Granted, it probably would have made more sense to have it be Dhuum, not Abaddon, but there were still hints at “something bigger” since Factions, if not Prophecies. There was a foundation laid, it’s just that they didn’t lay much for it. Which was how a lot of things was in Prophecies honestly – and in developing Nightfall, Jeff said that he had to take single sentences from Prophecies at times and expand them into full-fleshed stories (such as who Palawa Joko was – his story started out as “an undead threat Turai Ossa defeated”).
The Realm of Torment was also named at in Prophecies.
It isn’t translatable. It’s one of the untranslatable random runes from Prophecies. The runes are interestingly enough found in 4 places:
The Catacombs (pre-Searing Ascalon)
The Underworld (The Mists)
Various Heroes’ Ascent/ToPK maps (The Mists; path to The Rift)
Vabbi (on doors blocking steps – a reused object/decoration that’s seen in HA maps).
Oh it certainly takes place post-MA. That wasn’t the question. Both Jubilee and Teq Rising occur post F&F.
I think that if Tequatl is the standard for difficulty that Anet wants to set for future updates then we’re going to have a bad time in the next year.
I think Tequatl is just a prototype for what Anet wants out of the most difficult world bosses – I suspect the other dragon champs (Shatterer, Claw of Jormag, Megadestroyer), and select other world bosses (Karka Queen, possibly some future ones in higher level areas) in order to make them “raid content” feeling.
I doubt that all world bosses will be put that way, especially starter zone bosses like Shadow Behemoth.
Step 1: Remove WvW maps from map completion.
Step 2: Add Southsun Cove to map completion, give it zone completion rewards, add vistas and skill challenges (but no hearts – I hate those things :P), and perhaps one more WP that doesn’t get contested (perhaps at Canach’s Folly).
Step 3: Heart of the Mists and WvW maps now have their own map completion meta reward, not Gifts of Explorations but other goodies to enjoy (glory, stacks of badges of honor, PvP skin boxes, Ascended crafting materials – all just suggestions with no balancing of rewards in mind).
Step 4: Expand Southsun’s zone to include the landmass east of the zone, and connect it via a second land portal from Sparkly Fen (there’s currently a path that would lead right there, and is blocked by a big boulder). Bring back the ship access to Lion Point.
Step 5: Bring back and expand Labyrinthing Cliffs, making it large enough to be accessed from Mount Maelstrom (there’s a path at Judgement Rock leading off the map at the corner, that can be used), giving it some PoI, Wps, events, skill challenges, and vistas. Finally add that to map completion.
Only Steps 1 and 2 are needed. 3, 4, and 5 are bonuses, mainly to make map completion roughly the same amount of work as present, and give a reason for map completion in WvW.
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
Like TheMaskedGamer, I’d rather they just update the dungeon fights – all story dungeon fights, not just this one.
A good excuse for this would be the addition of a fifth Arah explorable path, which features searching for and finding Zhaitan’s corpse – perhaps ending with a fight against a minion trying to absorb all of the corpse’s magic. In the same update, a “side” content alteration would be the improvement to Arah story, the story dungeon bosses that could use it (Gaheron and Kudu/Kudu’s Monster are what come to mind), as well as the rest of Arah explorable. Heck wouldn’t mind a revamp to all explorable dungeons that increase them to lvl 80 (which in turn means improving the vendors for the rares to be lvl 80 instead of lvl #5 stuff). Would be a good excuse to make “more end-game content” without actually adding new content.
But yeah, keep Zhaitan to personal story, or else we’ll have a case where “we never really kill him” or “we kill him over and over and over and over” which means unless they subsequently remove the fight, we can never progress the personal story to post-Zhaitan (even though the living story is just that – post-Zhaitan).
From my understanding, all Scott really said was that “whereever the player is, Scarlet’s at that point” – meaning if the player has not defeated Zhaitan, Zhaitan lives. Which is no different than what was said before.
Zhaitan is also considered the Elder Death Dragon, just as Jormag is also the Elder Snow Dragon. But my point remains unchanged – the Elder Dragons are not of what they corrupt.
Though honestly speaking I would put Zhaitan’s use of undead being a preference, and his element as “Rot” or “Decay” given how everything he corrupts is instantly rotten and the like.
I don’t think we’re struck with diminishing returns during the Scarlet invasions (though there was during the month it released, when done in the same zone twice that day)… be more specific in what you mean?
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
Can WP just write lore……
No. Just because he’s decent at finding lore and good at showing it, doesn’t mean he’d be any good at making the lore.
And given from the “creativity” of his characters’ names…
By claiming that Zhaitan was undead, then you must also claim that:
Jormag is ice.
Kralkatorrik is crystal.
Primordus is fire.
Mordremoth is a plant.
The deep sea dragon is water.
And this fails because we know for a fact that Kralkatorrik is flesh and blood thanks to Edge of Destiny. Even if his blood crystallizes as it goes through coagulation, and even though his body can turn into a sandstorm, his body itself is still flesh and blood, still scales as skin. Not crystal.
The lore gained from it has been put on Scarlet’s GW2W article
Here is an alternative link to the interview: http://www.wartower.de/artikel/artikel.php?id=740
And on a sidenote…why isn’t any of this on the official website (or better yet, ingame)? Why do we have to surf the entire web just to get some scrap of what’s going on ingame?
Because … well, I’ll just quote Bobby Stein on this:
It seems like there’s some misunderstanding regarding the purpose of the short stories that we publish on the Web site. They are not meant to “write outside the game” such that the game is unplayable without them, nor are they meant to provide vital information to the in-game story for a particular Living World release. They are purely optional stories meant to provide additional context and lore for those who care. If we felt that the inclusion of this information was critical to understanding the plot or playing the content then we would put it inside the game, plain and simple.
On a related note, some of the lore stories use imagery or situations that would be more difficult, time consuming, or expensive to replicate in the game. Some wouldn’t add anything meaningful to gameplay. So if you’re finding it stressful that these optional pieces exist external to a Living World release, I suggest not reading them.
You also have to keep in mind that we’re pacing the Living World stories such that you may not understand the full picture inside a given release. For example, Scarlet made her first appearance in August but she was hinted at in prior months. Her story has not resolved at this time, therefore we haven’t divulged some significant details about her origins or motivations. It’s understandable why some people would be upset or impatient by not getting these details all at once, but rest assured that we’re not conveniently forgetting about these tidbits—we’re just saving them for later.
TL;DR – they want to give something for players to dig for, so those who aren’t interest in the lore don’t have to sit through it. And they’re releasing things in small bits at the time, because “we’re just saving them for later”.
Honestly, if they’re willing to give these things up in a short story, forum posts, or in an interview, they should be in the game somehow. Regardless of how. Rox and Braham’s stories (all three) have been good thus far because all the important facts from those three stories have been placed in the game at some point. The rest? Not so much.
(edited by Konig Des Todes.2086)
It’s called having multiple layers to a story. Everyone can see what is on the surface while those who want to can look for more.
1st layer- story not found
2nd layer – story explained on a website
3rd layer – if you look really really really close, use different resources for mere theorycrafting, you can guess some lore (speculations).
That’s more or less it.
The “first layer” is the main storyline, in regards to the so-called “Living World” that just means breadcrumbs. The “second layer” is additional content, which has even less lore. The “third layer” is the website short story, which is very small as well. The “fourth layer” are interviews, which are the meatiest bits at the moment. The “final layer” is “we’ll get to it in the future” – With love, ArenaNet.
Consider me unimpressed.
However, I’d like to argue that all of those abbadon connections were retcons invented specifically for Nightfall, to add credibility to there sudden having been added a fallen sixth god to the lore, and so they could put Shiro and the Lich in a mission just to bulk of the street cred of the new villain.
Honestly, I wish they hadn’t done that. The lore was far more interesting when people had motivations that weren’t just “oh right, because an evil god told them to.”
You know, just like how Charr were put in a retcon blender for GW2.
Nightfall was a great story, but it could have been the same great story without making abby an apperantly important ex-diety that we hadn’t heard about until that moment.
I’ll have to agree with that. Abaddon felt a bit jammed in at the last minute lore-wise to me. Then they patched him in quickly by saying he was behind all the bad stuff previously. It was very irksome.
I would have personally preferred if they kept Varesh as the main antagonist. Just have Abaddon be dead, with his powers imprisoned in the Realm of Torment, and she was enacting Nightfall to get access to the RoT and to claim his powers as her own. Her mindset/motives would be, “No matter the costs, only as a god would I be the leader my people truly need and deserve.”
It’s a better motive than, “I’m a dark fallen god that wants to destroy everything! MAHAHAHA!”.
You two and I must have played different games then. Because Abaddon was far more than that.
@Erukk: who says the Elder Dragons’ roles are natural? Because all I got from Angel McCoy is “they consume magikittenil there’s none left, then they hibernate during which they expel magikittenil the world’s saturated with it, where they wake again to consume it” – the Elder Dragons, from this, are indeed a cycle. But a self-replenishing one.
Remove the Elder Dragons, and magic is constant. That’s how I see the interview. Of course, it wouldn’t be so if the Elder Dragons radiate less magic than they consume, and consume the same amount each rise (meaning that there is a constant increase in the world’s magic, but the Elder Dragons hasten that increase while hibernating, perhaps so they can rise sooner – given SoS, I don’t think the Elder Dragons ever have intention of going back to sleep).
Angel did in the interview…
Angel McCoy : Magic is the lifeblood of Tyria. The entire world is infused with it, and it flows through everything via ley lines that criss-cross the planet.
The natural role of the dragons is to keep this magic balanced. From time to time, in the long history of the world, the dragons have awoken and begun to draw the world’s magic into themselves, reducing the level of magic flowing through the ley lines.When the dragons have consumed enough and thus reduced the world to a low level of magic, they go back to sleep. From then on, the magic leaks from them, back into the world at a reasonable rate. Eventually, it builds up in the world again, and the dragons awaken again to tip the teeter-totter back in the other direction.
I’m guessing that at least a small amount magic is essential for survival, since she said the whole world is “infused” with it. It would explain why the Elder Dragons keep a low magic level behind when they go into hibernation. “We embody magic” afterall.
I think you entirely misunderstand my point.
All Angel says is that it’s in the nature of the Elder Dragons to consume magic (and effect keep it balanced). But that doesn’t mean it is – as you said – part of the world’s natural order. If it were, then the world would have been created around/simultaneously with the Elder Dragons. And I cannot see those things being that old.
I’m kinda hoping he survived, although weakened, and retreated to the Ring of Fire. Then Anet can make another Zhaitan fight. One where we don’t just stand there and press a single button.
Crossing my fingers, but I’m doubtful that will happen.
Or better yet, they add in a fifth Arah explorable path where you go with Ogden to study Zhaitan’s corpse. And in that update, ArenaNet does a retroactive improvement to the Arah story dungeon.
We don’t need two fights with Zhaitan, since the fight with Zhaitan is repeatable. Rather than keep the bad fight in, replace it/revamp it!
The entire story from lv 30 onward was the Zhaitan fight.
Technically, lvl 50 on.
30-50 is just you rising ranks in your order.
Didn’t Scott say in the Wartower interview that Zhaitan is dead in the Living Story?
I don’t recall that being said, but I might’ve zoned out periodically. Wish there was a transcription of those interviews.
So, anyone figured out what’s the point of us looking for those tooth/scale/shard?
According to Bobby Stein in the LW forum… it’s helping Rox look for dragon clues.
Yeah, that makes sense. With the 0 context and able to do so before talking to her (and she’s not even after Claw/Shatterer)
I do not recall anyone paying cash for the gate travel in Edge of Destiny or Ghosts of Ascalon… And the flow of people also means the flow of goods. And the flow of goods brings in extra cash for Shud.
Edge of Destiny, page 42-43
“Not going to Lion’s Arch today,” Snaff said to the gate attendant. Slipping him a coin, Snaff said, “Rata Sum, if you please.”
There’s also the charr NPC going through the Black Citadel asura gate in Lion’s Arch, who has to pay and tries haggling.
And in regards to Shud:
“Ahoy, there! Traveling through one of our many popular gates, perhaps?”
→ Just passing through. Who are you?
“The name’s Shud. I’m a key member of the Captain’s Council. I own most of the asura gates in and out of Lion’s Arch. If you want it moved quickly, you come to me.”
Captain Shud during Dragon Bash“So many people here for Dragon Bash. More people means more traffic through my gates. And that means money. So much money.”
→ Who are you
“Captain Shud, member in good standing on the Ship’s Council and owner of the city’s asura gates. Be sure to use them if you’re going after those holoprojectors.”
And more importantly:
“Ahoy! I sure hope you’re a traveler. We live off folks like you coming and going. Plus travelers have the best stories.”
→Nice to meet you. Who are you, anyway?
“Captain Tokk of the Captain’s Council. In this city, the more you know about people’s business, the more business you get.”
It sounds like it’s Tokk, not Shud, who makes profit from people buying things. Shud owns the asura gates, so she is likely directly literal when she’s saying traffic through them gives her profit.
it’s already established that everyone can pay for gate use without having to ‘sign up’, ‘make an account’, or buy a pass first. but this gives me the impression that there are special deals you can make, perhaps like buying free passes or half-fare passes on the buss.
That situation sounds more like haggling and bribing than any “special passes.”
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