Guild Wars 2

Their are a couple of small mini-dungeons too. The Font of Rhand and the one in the north part of Gandarrin Feilds which I cant remember the name of. They arent long but they are a fun little run and they have some problem solving/puzzles.

By the way if you ever do the Font of Rhand remember to get and take the sword from the begining of the instance right to the end. You need it for a puzzle and if you dont have it, going back can requires waypointing out of the area entirely. Really wish they hadnt designed it like that:(

We are likely to see more minigames added over time.

For hippies they would have written a very violent, wartorn story. Even if the major playable races arent warring with each other (and all of them have civil unrest), there are plenty of races they are fighting actively with.

A few easy answers for why the races are favoring peace.

- The norn are a race more than a nation. Open warfare between nations isnt something they do.

- The charr are pragmatic and have more than enough to fight. Charr love fighting but they arent stupid. They dont like dying. They also like growth and wealth. These things as well as a rather openminded group of Imperitors have lead them to trade and deplomacy. Wars are costly.

- The humans, like the charr, have enough enemies. Infact they gain allot out of having the charr as trade partners. Charr hardware is bound to help the humans greatly in their current battles against the Centuar. As for why they are open to it and looking to contribute, Id point at Queen Jennah and her close encounter with Kralkatorik. Nothing is going to move a leader into action against a threat better than first hand experiance, particularly since Jennah got a glimpse of its mind. She knows exactly what a threat the Dragons are and not suprisingly is quite active in trying to gather the resources to fight them.

- The asura are, for the most part, more interested in being better than conquest. The asura work more like corperations in how they hold and manipulate power. Even now the asura hold control over the fastest and best form of transport across Tyria. However they are also smart enough to recognise the use and value of the other races. Their Eternal Alchemy also has a certain idiology of all things having a part to play.

- The sylvari arent the population explosion your suggesting. To start with they only have one source. Their population growth is more stable than most other races would have. The sylvari also hold a very strict ideology that supports protecting the weak, acting honorably and promoting harmony and peace when you can.

Using real world comparisions isnt really easy. There is no scenario in the real world which would match the situation playing out in Tyria.

Finally Lion’s Arch is held together by one of the most powerful motivators of all: Greed. The open and racially tolerant enviroment of Lion’s Arch makes those living their very wealthy and gives them access to resources and methods they wouldnt have access to in their own racial centers.

The other motivator is fear. Everyone there behaves because misbehaviour is expensive and that makes powerful people very upset.

The Tengu seem well set up to be the next playable race. The Tengu have the location of their city already in game, four houses for the establishment of personal story, multiple paths leading to areas already open ingame, and strong hints they are thinking of becoming more active soon.

The Largos also feel like another possiblity.

As for new class, ritualist could fit. Im not really sure. Id actually expect Arenanet to go with something new. Monk, Paragon and Assassin are roled into current classes. Dervish is too tied to the human gods. Ritualist has some cross over with other classes too but not so much that it could be comfortable as its own class.

I would however expect a heavy armor class if they add a new one.

Charr have always had an affinity for fire. It wouldnt be suprising in the least to discover that they had evolved to be resistant to it. Realistikittenhere fur could be resistant to burning and so offer them greater protection than just bare skin.

I cant entirely say the OP is neccesarily wrong with his assessment though, like most philosophers and indeed most people, I feel Nietzsche spoke with too much certainly of his perception of the world.

It is a current mental state though to seek constant growth and control. Infact modern society encourages it. It however is more like feeding an addiction than providing happiness since there isnt ever a place where you have enough.

In how this applies to GW2, this saying is telling for me:

‘The journey is more important than the destination’

I got to chatting with another GW2 player the other day who had 100% World Complition. He had done many of the explorable dungeons. Im only at 52% completion and quite a lore buff. He was asking me about stuff that didnt add up to him in the lore.

The thing that struck me is that even though he had visited more locations than me he knew vastly less about the locations he had visited. His exploration of the world had been a checklist he needed to complete and so every location he had visited had just been in passing. He had not stopped to smell the roses.

The is, I think, a problem alot of people have with MMOs. They are so focused on the growth or progression that they miss most of game world. Almost every time people talk about what to do they speel of a checklist of accomplishments. However this really doesnt tell us much of their experiance of the game world.

That is probably the issue. Its a way of looking at things and playing things thats the issue. Many people are literally playing the MMO like its a job rather than a holiday. Its a shame because the hunger of the progression model cant lead to anything except endless grinding cause its a hunger that can never be satisfied and that no game designer in the world will ever be able to keep up with.

Unfortunately I dont know if this is a mentality Arenanet can do much about. GW2 was built to be enjoyed and savored as more than being rushed. I love the amount of little details through out the world and the lore. That however might not satisfy the hungry. Some people just need more boxes to tick to feel satisfied.

The point of the story is that the races arent strong enough to fight each other and deal with all the threats they have at the same time. One of the problems with alot of two faction games is the PvE becomes silly because the Big Bads are so weak that we can fight them while still engaged in a large scale open war with another faction. Who is the real threat?

The PvP being mostly focused in the mists allows for PvP and PvE to not undermine each other. Both are explained lore wise and avoid stepping on each others toes.

Maybe later we will see factional PvP in the sense of us acting as mercenaries similar to how the Luxon/Kurzick PvP played out in Factions. Currently though open war between the main races isnt feasible.

As for the world being peaceful, when did you walk outside a capital city? The humans are at war with bandits, krait and centuar. The charr have an eternal war against the ghosts, a running war against the Flame Legion and the issue with the Branded. The asura have the equivilant of corperate war going on between their labs. The sylvari have conflict with the Nightmare court. And then there is the constant threat from the EDs.

How is this a peaceful world? What is a world at war to you?

GOSU.9574:

I think all imps hit incredibly hard compared to mobs of the same level, Ice Imps included.

Ice imps are a hell of alot harder to avoid since they snare you.

Well Lion’s Arch doesnt really have a cohesive naval force but several of the ships the ruling Captians have are close to warships if they arent actually one. In Destiny’s Edge we hear of the leader of the Lionguard, a norn captian called Magnus the Red Handed, who was clashing with a champion of Zhaitan, an undead norn, that lead several of Zhaitan’s fleets. Its more an alliance of captains rather than a single cohesive entity. The Liongaurd would have probably been similar if they werent an inherited institution.

Also Im not sure that Lion’s Arch’s ships could get close enough to Orr to monitor Orr’s ship movements. We know they can be monitored since Trahearne was aware of a large force of Risen setting sail though it doesnt specify how he got that information. I suspect that the ships of Lion’s Arch are more interested in protecting shipping lanes than openly fighting Orr unless Risen invade. After all Lion’s Arch is powered by profit.

Your also underestimating Zhaitan’s Champions who are very self aware.

Strickly speaking, like most roleplaying in game you have to decide to either work around mechanics that disagree with your roleplay or choose to ignore them. If your character isnt willing to help the charr then you can look at other motivations.

Using AC for an example, you dont have to be their for the charr. You can be their for the ghosts. These are your ancestors, cursed to an eternity of hate and unending service without ever finding rest because of the actions of a mad man. Perhaps you character doesnt give a kitten about the charr, but instead sees it as a chance to perhaps find out more about the curse in the hopes of freeing them from it one day.

That way its about your cursed ancestors, not the charr. Sometimes in RP when in set game worlds you have to get inventive.

Another example with that bit shooting the wall with the cannon. The Branded migrated down the brand. By helping the charr send forces to the fight the Branded, the reason for them trying to blast a hole in the Great Wall, your culling the number of Branded getting closed to Ebonhawke using charr lives. This way your destroying the wall for the humans living in Ebonhawke rather than the charr, with the added bonus (assuming your character doesnt like the charr) that your using charr lives as the buffer.

slafko.1807:

A Ship of the line is not a merchant ship; it is a warship armed to the teeth. Sails. Masts. Whatever. My point was – Lion’s Arch has no navy whatsoever even though they are aware of the concept of a warhsip and have had difficulties with pirates even before Orr surfaced. That should have provided them with enough experience to sit down, discuss and build a navy capable of protecting their trading vessles and keeping the Canthan trade route open.

What do you base the idea that Lion’s Arch has no navy? Its navy is mainly comprised of multiple independent vessels. Do remember that it is ruled by a council of captains. Its quite likely that they keep their ships moored outside the harbour of Loin’s Arch unless unloading cargo.

Tuomir.1830:

What do humans bring to the table? They bring the manpower that fills the gaps between heroes, because they feel it is their duty to. They bring the workers that build fortifications that others improve on with their special skills. The heritage of humanity is the crown they must protect, the candlelight they can’t let dim. They have their history, which both binds them and gives them a reason to fight.
Humans bring their resolve.

EDIT: Oh, and since Orr rose from the sea, sea travel has been too dangerous, which makes sea connection a moot point

The problem with sea travel has mainly been Zhaitan. He hasnt exactly been letting anyone past. With him dead we will probably see sea access open up…. until Bubbles starts causing problems.

For the humans, I know what you say, in theory, is true but all those traits minus there heritage is not really anything unique to humans. We see all the other races provide manpower, resolve, dedication in equal amounts to the humans and often more in the way of specialised skills. The mobile and rapidly constructed defences that the Pact use in Orr look far more influenced by sylvari, charr and asura construction and technology.

More over the game mainly shows us the heritage that humanity has lost rather than what it has retained. When human expertise is used, its often somewhat undermined by the presence of influences by the other races.

Infact human expertise plays very little in the way of importance in the Orr invasion. Its said human engineers contributed to the airships along with the asura, building of the charr design but we dont see much to indicate that. Perhaps humans have expertise and perhaps their heritage has a lot to contribute but we just dont see it. Infact it seems that the asura and sylvari know more about Orr than the humans do.

Thats the problem. Its not neccesarily that humans dont have a contribution but Arenanet has given us so little sign of it in the story. It feels like that in the attempt to avoid sidelining the other races in Orr they overcompansated in the story till humanity plays mainly a backseat role, primarily just providing warm bodies. Orr instead feels like a showcase of everything that humanity has lost with the other races picking over the graves. It makes humanity seem kind of tragic.

The size of a small continent is overblowing it. Kralkatorik was mistaken for some mountains and they are huge but not the size of landmasses.

I think that fundimentally all Elder Dragons are reptilian but so effected by the powers they hold it effects their physical form. Infact we know that at least Kralkatorik can change his physical form into a sandstorm. The reason I have this conclusion comes from Destiny’s Edge where we get a chance to look inside Kralkatorik’s mind from Snaff’s veiwpoint. Under all the chaotic, raging emotion and hunger was fundimentally a reptilian mind. A giant, winged, intelligent reptilian mind but a reptilian mind never the less.

They make me think of huge, powerful, magical junkies that dont give a kitten about anyone else. This is speculation though. Im guessing their origins could have been from many sources.

The magical energy a living dragon lets off is fundimentally corrupting. Its not only the breath. We see side effects from Inquest experiments resulting in dragon corruption and we see artifacts that are cursed to corrupt those who carry or touch them.

As far as I know lore suggest they fell asleep rather than were forced to sleep.

The human Gods arrived after the Dragons had gone to sleep. I have a feeling the reason for the Gods coming and bringing humans to Tyria has its whole independent story. It does seem likely that the Gods were aware of the EDs. Why they didnt directly act against the sleeping Dragons is anyones guess. We do know that the EDs and the Gods dont seem freindly with each other.

Its very likely the reason the Gods are sitting this out is because if the EDs beat a God and consumed it the result would be catastrophic. EDs gain power the more magic they eat.

Giganticus Lupicus was one of the races from the last cycle that didnt make it.

As to their origin, I think its still far too much in the air for a clear theory. My personal one is that they were a race that either made themselves or were made into their current form. Perhaps the reason we dont see many other dragons that arent minions around is because they were the first victims of the EDs hunger. I guess we will have to wait and see if there are any dragons not tied to the EDs.

You can avoid their charge attack if you move away from them the moment they head up into the air. The shadowbolt thing is basicly melee ranged. Even without roling you can get clear though it means moving out of melee range.

Its a tool that may be overused in game but I dont hate it. Its use seems best in removing background activity and the activities of other players from distracting from story points and dialog.

When looking and storytelling tools, its always worth considering how much resources it takes to make them. Bioware invested a huge amount of time and money in developing their ingame storytelling mechanic. All games have to manage resources to produce a product. Something else has to get less resources unless you are willing to risk making production costs too much. Personally Im not sure what Id be willing to give up in GW2 to see them develop a Bioware style storytelling tool.

I do think perhaps they overused those dialog windows. In some cases they could have had the conversations play out in the game world or in small cutscenes to better effect. I dont however hate the dialog windows and think they do have a use.

Your right. That doesnt make much sense. According to that he died two years prior to the brand even forming.

draxynnic.3719:

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And there you go again. Just why should humans need the help of asura to invoke their own deities? Asura already have enough awesome, they don’t need to steal everyone else’s.

draxynnic.3719:

On humans… one thing that is worth noting is that of the three organisations that made up the Pact, two were founded by humans (even if the Priory is now being led by an asura). I’d dare say that humans are possibly the most politically-savvy of the major races simply because their politics are more complicated than anyone else’s – a double edged sword because some of that is turned on themselves and weakening their own war efforts, but humans might well have an advantage on knowing how to keep working together despite having different (if compatible) goals, interests and methods… and in being able to pick when someone isn’t playing by the rules and having more subtle ways of dealing with them.

That’s not to say that other races are completely lacking in political-savvy, but it’s thing like the end of the CM story with Jennah saying that clearly Caudecus didn't have anything to do with the attack and therefor the manor was no longer safe for him and he should enter protective custody at the palace - in other words, effectively being arrested and placed somewhere where the Shining Blade can keep a careful eye on him, but where he can't refuse or find some legal loophole to worm through if he'd been arrested in the conventional sense.. Now, I’m not saying that other races wouldn’t be able to come up with something like that, but it does seem like it would be more likely to be second-nature to a human that’s grown up in that environment. However, that’s a subtle contribution by nature and not something that’s as in-your-face as the charr or asura.

Still, it is true (and a shame) that ArenaNet seems to have really done humans a disservice with the heritage thing. It was spoken up prerelease as one of the advantages of humanity, but what we see is that that heritage has been pretty much destroyed, and even when it comes to knowledge of that heritage, they’re outclassed by Trahearne (now the foremost expert on Orr) and Gixx (now head of the Durmand Priory*). It seems as if ArenaNet may have overcompensated somewhat with the withdrawal of the gods – they wanted to stop humans from appearing as the most important, but instead they’ve made them appear to be possibly the least important.

One thing that I hope we might see with that heritage is if and when older races like the Seers, Forgotten, or stone dwarves apart from Ogden come back into play – such races might know and relatively trust humans where they have less experience with the other races.

*Which, incidentally, lead to missing an opportunity in the follow-up to the first Battle of Claw Island on the Priory line. This basically involves invoking the power of a relic of Balthazar to transform into an avatar of Balthazar and basically single-handedly defend the beach from a Risen invasion, up to and including the wraith in charge. This could have been the opportunity to give human characters a Crowning Moment of Awesome and humans in general a moment of validation comparable to the asura seeing a megalaser in action or a charr looking at a tank or airship. Instead, you get Gixx denigrating both Balthazar and the human ritualists actually performing the ritual (two of which die) and generally treating the relic as just another magic item - if you don't happen to notice that the ritualists were human, you could come out of it thinking that humans weren't necessary at all. Now, this is all in character for Gixx, but if it had been a priest of Balthazar presiding and the ritual was expressly stated to have come out of human religious teachings, then it would be a lot harder to come out of that step thinking that humans aren't contributing.

Although two of the orders were founded by humans, this again strikes me as an issue of heritage no longer relevant. In most cases, the major human founded organisations are now multi racial. This includes Zaishen who we see members of in Lions arch.

Its more an issue of what is relevant now. Focusing too much on what humans did along time ago kind of only shows up how they no longer have the same importance, even in said groups.

All the races apart from the Humans have very clear strengths that contribute.

The charr are very obvious with their industry and strong military tradition. Their contribution is in both hardware and in structure and in method. Do remember the brute strength contribution to the Pact comes from the Vigil that was built by a charr.

The Asura have a technomagical mastery that gives the Vigil a very strong science base. The Asura dont have the mechanical or mundane technology of the charr. In this the charr are actually more advanced than the Asura. However the Asura’s magitech allows them to produce powerful and specialised counters to the enemy.

The Sylvari bring a mysticism and a unique magic to the pact. As stated before they have an apparent immunity to the dragon’s corruptions, just dying instead of turning into a minion. They also have both an unusual affinity for the land. These valuable traits combine with a nature magic that allows them to grow defensive structures like the Jacktooth Impalers (the thorn walls) we see in Orr with great speed and repair them at great speed too.

The norn bring the norn. Individually a norn is a powerful creature capable of shapeshifting and great strength. They also bring their smithing and their metalergy skills including the rediscovered method of making Deldremor Steel. Finally they bring a very strong spiritual expertise. There havrouns and shamans have very strong connections to the spirits and the mists. We see this contribution several times throughout the games.

The humans mainly seem the odd ones out because no particular strength is ever showcased. We see more of how far humanity has fallen and what they could do 250 years ago than what they can do know. We also hear about them contibuting in a vague way without it being very apparent in the results.

Perhaps this is because we really lack a clear measuring stick to rate the humans with. They certainly win in stonecraft but masonary work doesnt play a big role in the story. There heritage seems more like something they have lost than something that is the basis for their strength.

Perhaps the most difficult part is the stated strengths of the humans (their tenacity and adaptability) seem like hardly unique characteristics. These are more generic heroic traits. Certainly groups like the Sentinals show a great deal of both tenacity and adaptability. Pact soldiers in general do as well.

I dont think this means humans are overly generic. They have a unique style to them and their culture. I think though the advantages lack any notable examples in the game world. Instead we generally see the strength humanity has lost. Its almost kind of tragic in tone.

Yes. Some of the veiws in this game are awesome.

Calling people FanBoys doesnt help your arguement.

As the OP states in his first post, the opinions in this threat are purely that. Opinions. The fact that people dont agree with you doesnt make there opinion invalid in the same way that your opinion isnt invalid.

1. There are alot of people who wouldnt play GW2 if it was like GW1. I tried to get several freinds into GW1 and they hated it. They however love GW2 and play it possibly too much.

2. When creating a system Arenanet had to take into account balance factors. Balance is extremely important in games. GW1 had still has balance issues with some classes. In addition, even with a vast variety of skills, the number of decent builds out there was actually very small. Most skill combinations were rubbish.

The system Arenanet has built in GW2 allows for alot of customisation and tweeking as well as expansion without requiring a massive amount of resources to try and keep balanced as it grows.

3. Soulbinding only works on green or higher gear. It did in GW1 as well so that hasnt changed. Infact all armor in GW1 was soulbound.

4. Dynamic Events are things you come across and get caught up in. They arent really something your supposed to wait around for. There is a rather limited selection of Events that happen currently in game so alot of them repeat frequently but Arenanet said some time ago that they will be adding alot more to the zones already in game to mix things up more.

5. The DR system is very contraversial. You may be right that it is the wrong call. It is supposed to only punish people for repeating the very same content over and over agian very very quickly. The idea I think is to encourage people to explore more of game.

Some of the things they have done to stop speed clearing however have just been to close up exploits in the games system that allowed them to skip content. Thats perfectly fine.

6. You complain that the game isnt like GW1 and then complain that you cant make light armor look like heavy armor? In GW1 you couldnt even transmute anything. There are also quite a wide selection of skins out there to find and with transmutation stones even some of the lower level sets (that look quite good) are viable endgame skins. Finding the different armor skins takes some searching but they are out there and not only in dungeons. There is also quite the variety of weapon skins. Ive got several weapons in my bank Ive kept just for their skins.

7. Minigames: One in game and more set to be added. Look around and youll find the set up for a few. There is a bar brawl and a shooting range in Divinity’s Reach, the Bane in the Black Citidel is set up to be a PvE Arena game and we have an inactive portal and an actual area set out in game for a Polymock arena.

Arenanet said all of these things are things they are looking to add.

8. There were Gold Sellers in GW1 spamming their adds in the Eye of the North.

9. The skills and their cooldown set up mean timing and careful use of skills are important. This opens up more dynamic and skill based combat in my opinion. It should be noted that Theives dont have this mechanic as much, using an energy based system instead.

These are, of course, my opinions. Not all people will agree with it. However Arenanet will never satisfy everyone. Their best bet is to try and stay as true to their vision of the game they want to build.

Its funny. Just about every MMO you go to has people claiming that its dying. Maybe everyone is deciding to get of their computers and go outside for a bit.

Seriously? I havent had this issue at all. I wonder what is causing you problems.

BlackToof.8710:

@Kopipoki

Can I ask why you’re against Gear progression.
I am very interested to know your point of view on the matter please.
Cheers.

Im personally against gear progression because A) it trivialises older content it impacts on PvP and C) its a illusion of progression since all it does is inflat content stat levels of both gear and enemies. These changes are even technically actual power story wise. Look at WoW. Is a regular snapping turtle in the jade forest so strong that it can solo a camp of alliance war veterans in Northrend?

The only real value I see in gear progression is if you want to faceroll old content. This is something personally, I dont like.

GW1 had a feeling of progression to me without stat inflation. Hopefully they can capture that in GW2.

The charr failed to conquer Ebonhawke after a two hundred year seige. For all their industry they are hardly invincable.

These threads are getting old. If you dont like the game you dont have to play. Constructive critizism if fine. What your posting, however, isnt constructive.

When was the main redeeming quality of the charr ever suggested to be their mutual respect for their allies regardless of race? I thought the main redeeming qualities of the charr were supposed to be their resourcefulness, their pragmatism, their loyalty and their dicipline.

Because as far as we know that is currently little more than a rumor. Im not sure Jennah would even have any idea what she was supposed to do if they handed her the sword. The rumor is pretty vague on details.

The other point is the rumor at least in some versions refers to needing a ‘true heir of Ascalon’s throne’. Jennah doesnt fit that criteria.

@Hyena: he does.

Charr refer to humans as mice all the time! They use it more often than they call them human.

Human and Charr cultural bais is pretty strongly ingrained. There are cracks in that bais but it will take time to break. You see in on case by case basis but large cultural shifts dont happen quickly.

Its amusing how many people missed the ‘for me’ bit in the OP. Read first people.

Some people do find WoW unsatisfying after playing GW2. Nothing wrong with that.

Yes. The only think we have had hints from Arenanet so far on though is the return of the Mad King’s Festival, the GW halloween event, in October.

We have seen a fraction of charr territory. There are many places they could have been biult. Its most likely that the the Pact warmachines were built using industry of the supporting nations. Considering the amount of warmachines the charr pump out I somewhat doubt all of it comes from the Black Citadel.

Considering the tech we do see in Metrica Province Id say a Mega laser isnt a big jump. We have lighting cannons, force feilds and massive power relays. Also wasnt the Mega laser developed by the Asura Krewe in Sparkfly Fen? They were developing anti dragon weapons and we see the Mega Laser for the first time outside the front of their lab.

Also if you hang around you can pick up on quite alot of ambiant chatter between different order and race members that show tensions. You can also get more if you talk to NPCs around the place.

Also the formation of the Pact, to the invasion of Orr plays out over months in the timeline. You have Pact soldiers in Orr who talk about having been fighting in Orr for Months. Pact camps have been wiped out on several occations apparently.

Could they have done more? Probably but considering how game development flows I think they did a good job of showing technology adapt as we move south.

You can disable the point and click movement if you prefer keyboard movement. Yeah there is no jumping which sometimes means having to take long run arounds.

Ill have to head back there and poke around. Ive been hanging around Orr since I got there.

GW1 gives fantastic background to GW2 and it makes traveling though the GW2 Tyria very nostalgic in both a happy and sometimes a bit sad way. The lore is deep and they did a good job of establishing it in the first game.

It does play as a very different game though. Its much more an instanced squad based game than the single character set up GW1 has, particularly in the later content with the inclusion of hero NPCs, who were customisable NPCs you had as squadmates for yoru character. Its also quite a large game with many areas off the main plotline’s path.

I encourage you to give it a go though. Its pretty cheap (about $20 for the three first parts) so if it doesnt fit its not a huge investment loss. Personally I started playing it for the Hall of Monuments and fell in love with the game.

I have enjoyed my Personal Story too.

Ive dont all the missions except the dungeon at the end now and the whole thing has been a blast. Really liked the last bit of that mission too.

I cant wait to see what we get to do next.

Hey Drax, do you have a reference for Doric being Dwayna’s chosen? Im trying to find out more about him. His scroll didnt really tell us much new from what I remember and we see some pretty substancial changes in what we knew of his in the Arah dungeons.

Im wondering who was Doric and how did he end up king? Was he part of a bloodline of rulers from before the humans arrived or did the gods single his family out to rule?

It seems somewhat relevant considering that several characters in game make an issue of Jennah being the last of Doric’s line (to the best of our knowledge).

The Crystal Desert almost certianly since Kralkatorik is probably there. I suspect we will see more of the Meguuma Wastes as well. There are portals in game sealed off that lead to both.

draxynnic.3719

I do note, however, that there’s a lot of talk about how we had the human side of the story in GW1… but we really haven’t. Their side of the story of the Searing, yes, but we’ve never seen anything about WHY humans invaded Ascalon. Was it simply a land-grab, coming to the aid of the Forgotten at the behest of the gods, or were they provoked in some manner?

Whatever the ancient history, though, from an objective viewpoint the charr were certainly in the wrong for committing genocide and ecocide on Ascalon over events that happened generations past. However, the current generation of charr living in Ascalon were not responsible for this, and dispossessing them of their homes would be just as much of a crime as the Searing. It’s time to build a better future rather than to keep looking into the past.

We do get some hints in Orr suggesting the whole ‘GO CONQUER EVERYTHING’ was Balthazar’s bright idea. For all his might and passion, he doesnt seem to be a god that thinks things through much. Meanwhile Melandru was in the background facepalming while Balthazar went out and ruined all her careful work.

Garenthal.1480:

It’s a bit silly that the charr are willing to undergo a huge cultural and behavioural shift in the space of 250 years and yet humanity is expected to roll over and forget about most of their problems, though.

Its not about forgetting but having other problems become the priority. In the time since then humanity has had to deal with distruction of its last capitol and the rebuilding elsewhere, an undead invasion, a centaur invasion, and now a rampant bandit problem. The charr and the Searing seem kind of far way when compared to how in there face those issue have been.

Its a case of picking what they can handle and what they have to let go of. Hell Lion’s Arch, their former capitol is not a independent city and the Lionguard are no longer loyal to Kryta.

Garenthal.1480:

I feel that GW2 suffers from the same issue that WoW did when it comes to technology, namely that a lot of strange and unusual devices are explained away under the excuse of being <insert race here> technology and yet don’t seem to be used as effectively as they should or could.

The setting seems to shift from being fantasy to steam-punk and back again for the sake of plot convenience. For example, if we’ve now got access to airships…why aren’t we creating a fleet to go to Cantha and Elona?

Who is saying we wont.

Technology develops fast during war. The Pact, which by the way does have some internal tensions you can pick up from listening to background dialog and talking to NPCs, was formed from three groups whos members have dedicated their lives to defeating the dragons. It is a very strong uniting theme for them. It didnt come together easily either. The orders took some convincing even after Claw Island showed how the different orders strengths could work together.

The Pact also isnt a single organisation. Its an alliance. All its members are tied to another organisation or order contributing towards the Pact. Now any group wanting to go after the dragons would logically ally with the Pact simply because the Pact are the only ones who have successfully gotten close to an Elder Dragon. But in Orr you see the Pact working with human priests, Legion engineers and Asuran scientists who arent actually part of one of the main orders and even a group of pirates that are their for profit.

That is why a neutral Marshel not tied to any of the orders was important. If the Marshel had been from one of the orders, the other two probably wouldnt have been so happy with following along without complaint and conflict.

My point about the technology is that there are signs of its development earlier on in game. The actual construction of the tech was probably done by one of the nations supporting the pact. My money would be on the charr.

Most of the technology the Pact tech developed from was quite close to functional. The airships were already being developed by the charr. They are based of a charr blueprint. The only reason the chopper in the Feilds of Ruin didnt fly well was because its rear rotor was spinning the wrong way and undermining the vehicles stablity.

Compared to most fantasy settings, the development of the tech you see the Pact using has much more signs of development earlier in the game.

Aiden.6483:

Shael.4703:

The mursaat (lowercase ‘m’ for race names, as mandated by ArenaNet) will just do what they best do – enslave the human race and wage war with the other races. If you’ve read the post of the other lore nerds, they found out in-game that the last time the elder dragons were wreaking havoc on the continent of Tyria, 5 races joined together to defeat them.

But something happened and they failed and disbanded, eventually waging war on each other, especially the mursaat and Seer (uppercase ‘S’ for Seer race because it is not their official name [you’ll know in-game]).

Whatever happened during that time is what is driving the oldest of races the continent of Tyria have known. The Forgotten, the Seer, the mursaat, the jotun, and another one I can’t remember. The Forgotten and the Seer are friendly to humans, while the mursaat and jotun are not.

You get the idea

Couple of questions:
Where is this blog post?
I’ve done all of the story BUT the final mission, am I really missing THAT much info (Seer’s real identity etc.)
Thanks.

Its actually info from the explorable modes of Arah. There are four paths focusing on one of the last cycles races with dwarves being left out (theres plenty on them elsewhere). The Gods studied the old races prior to their Exodus.

Humans in GW2 are probably one of the weaker of the races from what we have seen in game. The charr, the asura, the sylvari and even the norn are dynamic and developing cultures pushing vigorously forward in mastering new forms of magic and technology, growing and evolving. Humanity comes across as a race still trying to cling to the tatters of its past glory.

Its not suprising to see why some of the other races look at humans as a dying race. They have fallen a REALLY long way. Seeing Orr rubs that in deep. Compared to what they once were, the humans are now a race pushed back to a corner of the lands they once owned and struggling to push back an invader that has even gotten to their city gates.

Humanity really needs to adapt and find its place in the future rather than the past.
Compared to many MMOs where humanity is the thriving and often central race in the story, humanity in GW2 has a very different tone.

Have you tried all three trebuchets cause I managed it on two of them? Also if you hold down the button the trebuchet shots further. You can actually over shot and have the shot land behind them.

Im amazed people missed the most important part about ‘Light in the Darkness’.

That vision is as much for you if not more so than it is for Trahearne.

For Trahearne it is just a shove to make him face his fate. For the Player its the Pale Tree telling him what has to happen. Think about it. What does the member of the Edge of Destiny have to do with Trahearne? Nothing.

The Pale Tree is showing you what needs to happen for Zhaitan to be beaten:

She shows you the orders have to unite. Who is it who brings together the orders to form the pact? The Player Character.

She shows you Trahearne is needed to lead because of his expertise and neutrality. Who’s suggestion makes Trahearne the Marshel of the Pact? The Player Character.

She says that the Edge of Destiny needs to come back together. Who is it who fasilitates that? The Player Character.

She shows that that the corruption needs to be removed? Player character is involved in that too.

Every step upto and including Zhaitan’s death she shows you so you, the PC, not Trahearne, can make it happen.

You guide Trahearne into facing his duty and give him the confidence he needs. Your bring the Orders together to form the Pact. You place Trahearne in the position of Marshal. You bring Destiny’s Edge back together. You lead the charge, you save the day….

You kill Zhaitan. Not Trahearne. You.

But apparently its Trahearne’s Personal Story.

/facepalm

I still dont understand why people are so fixated on Trahearne when hes not even present for a large part of our personal story.

I liked him. He got to do all the boring bits of leading an army while I got to lead the charge from the front. He got to deal with logistics while I airdroped in a state of the art battlesuit into the middle of a Risen stronghold and laid waste to everything nearby. When he did turn up he handled himself well enough for an NPC.

People keep talking about councils. The whole reason we needed a central leader not tied to the orders was the orders often argued on how best to move forward. There needed to be an unbias leader to take the orders suggestions and decide on a balanced course. If we had had a council the Pact may have never gotten off the ground to start with.

I might add people forget that the Pact was the Player Characters idea to start with.

On a side note, apparently Zhaitan’s attacks in the final phase of the Story mode are bugged which is why his fighting but is somewhat underwhelming. Id be greatly suprised if after all that no one checked to make sure he was dead.

Of course! How could we have forgotten the Iron Forgeman.

They certainly use the same model. It seems to be a form Zhaitan likes using for his draconic champions. There are a few of them in the skies over Orr.

All the Orders eventually lead to the battle against Zhaitan in Orr.

Kryptonite.9376:

Uhh because fun is not a goal, rather an adjective used to describe something? Are you stupid?

This being an MMORPG, progression is usually the most fun part. The feeling of power growing and accumulating new skills and abilities.

When you figure out how to sit there and do “fun” you let me know how I can do the samekitten

In most MMO endgame this growth is illusionary. Sure, your stronger gear trivialises earlier content but any new content will be scaled to counter any ‘power growth’ your character has apparently had with better gear. Or do you seriously think a crab on the beach of Pandaria in WoW is so badkitten it could solo Magtheradon.

Its continual inflation of both gear and mob level, not difficulty. This compares to GW and GW2 as these two games use prestige, appearance, titles to show progresssion through content and difficulty. It also makes a world that is very explorable.

The depth and detail of their world and its lore make it a massive thing to pick apart and poke around. These arent things you get from ticking off a checklist. Some of the most interesting areas Ive found had no PoI, Vista or notable map markers on them but were found cause I found a almost hidden path at the back of an unnoted area.

Now I dont think there is a huge amount of ‘endgame’ content. Im fortunate enough that exploring the world without getting hung up on map completion has been keeping me very entertained. I do think when the DEs work that Orr shows potential for what DE focused content could be. Some of the fights for the temples have been alot of fun.

I dont however think enforcing progression based of gear inflation is a good idea and I dont think that focusing too much on checklists to tick off will do the game justice.

MystiQ.9648:

Lutinz.6915:

Its worth pointing out there are probably 6 dragons in total.

And how is this likely?

This is a very minor spoiler since you can find out about it from talking to an generic scholar on the way into the Durmond Priory.

Jotun and Dwarven legends speak of six ‘swallowers’ when refering to when the dragons awoke last. The Jotun and the Dwarves were two of the races that fought the EDs last cycle. This was back when the Jotun were civilised and advanced, not the cave dwellers they are today.

Going into more detail would require substantially bigger spoilers.