Tumgik
#i am very glad i came back to gw2
grasping-earth · 3 years
Note
16-20 and 35 for the GW2 asks!
Thanks for the asks! ^_^
16. Do you enjoy jumping puzzles?
Yes! I am not particularly good at them, though I have got a lot better over time. But I like them, and I like ArenaNet for saying "sure we'll put jumping in the game but it should do something for gameplay, not just 'cause we can."
17. Whats your best guild wars experience? - answered here!
18. Do you have a favourite character from the lore?
This is a tough one. I am the kind of person who can appreciate the interesting points in many characters, I don't have a clear favourite. For nostalgia's sake I could say Gwen, because she (deliberately) represents the whole journey of GW1 in a lot of ways. I love Faolain because I love sylvari and also terrible people (as characters) lol.
Honestly, on sheer badassery and how much I love her story, I might say Kalla Scorchrazor? I was very excited when she got to be a revenant legend. ArenaNet did a lot of retconning to make the charr a good playable race in GW2, but in a good way in my opinion - it's some of my favourite lore these days!
Also Crecia or Malice may be favourites in current story. For someone who was convinced she'd have trouble sympathising with the charr at the start of this game I have come to really, really like their stories.
19. Is there a class you like the idea of but the gameplay doesn’t match up for you?
I saw someone else mentioning an elite spec, which clarified my answer - druid. I made a new character just for druid when HoT came out, I usually like heal classes (I enjoyed monk in GW1) but druid just never clicked with me at all and I never put in the work to learn it properly.
20. How far have you made it in SAB (Super Adventure Box) if you had the chance to play it?
Oh boy not far at all. Into World 2 but I don't think I have even finished it. It's not a form of challenge I've found fun most years, even though I love the concept and am glad some people enjoy it!
35. Do you have 100% map completion on any of your characters?
Yes, two of them! Ferryn (my first character) and Mjora (my main these days). I keep meaning to go back and finish it on more people, but four gifts of exploration have been more than enough so far.
For the record, I did my first map completion back in the days where WvW maps counted and you mostly had to wait for your server to get the right colour assigned in order to get access to the keeps >_>
4 notes · View notes
toomanycharr · 4 years
Note
👊 🐱 📚🤐🤺 you can answer for several characters if you want the more the merrier.
I’ve already done the orders one, so I’ll roll a few times and see who I get- Numbers are in! 7- Barb Axefell, 66 - Xyx Blackrune, 97 - Parus Direblight, 100 - Rauch Slypoison 👊 Do they have a warband? What role do they play on it? Who are the other members of their warband?  Barb Axefell Barb- I mean, ahem, Centurion Axefell was once Legionnaire of Fell warband 2nd, Blood Legion. Her job as Centurion overtook her job with the warband after she was promoted and her second, Perrinacus Fellswoop, became legionnaire. Most of her old warband was killed by Cleave and Siege Warbands after Fell joined the Dominion, but Barb is still on their hitlist. Xyx Blackrune Xyx was one of the founding members of Black Warband 36th, Ash Legion. She was a scout and intel-gatherer, which lent itself nicely to her steps into the Order of Whispers. Other members that exist include Legionnaire Spinel Blackcarve, Cook Galao Blackcandle, Tuocha Blacksnow and previously Breve Blackeye, but there are plenty of NPC members too, those are just characters on my roster. Parus Direblight Parus is a gladium. He was once part of Dire Warband, a group of Gladium that handled bar security in Divinity’s Reach (NA side,) but he assumes the legionnaire was taken out by a merc, as they made a few enemies. He still works with the taverns of Divinity’s, but without a warband. Rauch Slypoison Rauch is part of Sly Warband 5th, who, honestly, have no lore whatsoever. I have enough warbands to plan and I never played her in-depth enough to go into specifics. 🐱 Were they modeled after a specific feline? Maybe a combination of some? If not, what was your inspiration? Barb Axefell !!CW: Abuse mention!! Axefell is... Modelled after the abusive ex who caused my Fibro’s fursona, a white tiger coeurl, honestly. It’s not a proud thing to admit, as she was very much the ‘big bad’ of my character list before I made Volca, and was done before I had the proper tools to deal with my feelings and resentment towards the person, but the design stuck even after I’d been through therapy and let go of that part of my past as much as I could whilst still suffering the physical concequence. Xyx Blackrune Xyx is based off of an Ocelot, and the Shatterer! She was designed long before GW2 came out, when about the only promotional materials we had were a neat picture of the shatterer, and a picture of Rytlock. I was smitten with the shatterer back then, so Xyx originally had branded horns and purple hair (and, yes, tits, because we had not seen female charr yet. I hate Xyx v1 and am so glad female charr are as they are.) As I learned the lore, I figured ‘hey this is bad’ and that stopped. Parus Direblight Parus was just a random character, honestly. I made him for the warband, and that’s all I can really say! Rauch Slypoison Just an attempt at making a neat-looking old grizzled grey charr, really! I loved her face and hadn’t used it, so I needed to.
8 notes · View notes
whiskeyworen · 5 years
Text
30 Day Guild Wars Challenge - Day 16-30 (on time!)
Day 16 — What do you listen to while playing?
Damned near anything. I sometimes have Zero Punctuation running on my phone while I play, or Extra Credits. I also have a few strictly music channels like xKiko Music or Chilled Cow, as well as a few playlists of straight up music based on my mood at the time (metal, techno, 90s hard rock, etc) Day 17 — Your favorite GW2 related YouTube video? Well, while I’m fond of the funny videos Noxxi the Noxxian puts out, and there’s this one REALLY good Initial D parody with roller beetles... I gotta give it to this one.
youtube
Day 18 — Worst thing about GW2? The lack of ability to solo dungeons. Elitism in Raids. Legendary crafting being locked behind ‘you have to do PvP’ or ‘you have to do Fractals and find THIS item’ doors. I understand the logic, but it means I might never get a Legendary without begging for someone to tolerate me and my non-meta characters. Day 19 — Best thing about GW2? In direct opposition to what I just said, the Teamwork and friendliness in PvE and WvWvW. Yes, there’s rivalry, but it’s not nearly as bloodthirsty as other games I’ve played. And if you need help, usually there’s people on the maps that will help you for no reason (other than getting loot from whatever is trying to kill ya! XD ) Day 20 — How did you come up with your main’s name? Depends on which Main you mean; my self-insert uses a name that is a triple-retranslated version of my name. I ran my name through one language, then ran THAT through another, and then finally a third, before choosing the final name from a list of suggestions at the end. The Danae sisters were partially based off some old story characters I had, though I tweaked the names. Kaleb and Maeva are my OLDEST story characters and have been reincarnated about 7 times over the course of my story-writing life. Kaleb was and is my face image in certain places. Day 21 — Your favourite profession? Torn between Scourge, Firebrand and Holosmith. Scourge is just playing unmitigated DEATH all the time. Firebrand is an upgrade to my old ‘burning bulwark’ Guardian build, which means if I was burning enemies before, I’m vaporizing them now. And the Holosmith has an Elite skill which summons a frickin’ Gundam Beam Rifle that can scorch the land and knocks everything down. (Be still my heart). Day 22 — Your minis. Twisted Watchwork thingies, like the Mender, or the Branded Riftstalker. That thing just looks goddamned neat. Day 23 — The longest you’ve gone without playing? I think about 3-6 months. It was somewhere between LV2 and before HoT started. I was having a bad time and needed time away from the game. When I came back, I fell back in HARD and I haven’t fallen out since. Day 24 — Your favorite glitch screenshot. Three part glitch; Draconis Mons, I was using the thermal vents to bounce around. Jumped into one and... I missed the landing, shot THROUGH the wall (dying the moment I hit) and continued going for a long time... Like, really far outside the map.
Tumblr media
So very far outside the map. And was surprised there’s actually LAND structure that far away from the playable zones.
Tumblr media
As you can see below, I went way the HELL out there. The spot on the map where I am is where Inertia dropped out and I started falling. I flew THAT far.
Tumblr media
Day 25 — Who do you play with? Refer to earlier questions of ‘I have no friends in game, and my friends’ list is full of inactive players’. X’D Day 26 — List your characters and their levels. Slane Veq Vaela Toma Kaleb Fenoir Maeva Corolis Dhangalor Caelia Redgrip Karma Shadowcreeper Zevvras Awd Cyrus Sigismund Tenna Danae Miriya Danae Sonnya Danae Corvus Corvidae Moryggan Deraleth Verula Faithbreaker All level 80. Day 27 — Your titles. Been there, Done that. The Executioner. The Sunbringer. The Magnanimous. Dark Traveler. there’s a lot. Day 28 — Your favorite boss? Probably Tequatl. It feels like a really good boss fight, and I’m glad they experimented with it. Shatterer definitely benefited from it. I’d like to see some more variation though; like have the Shatterer not always sweep in from the left and wipe out that hill (which was an adjustment cuz campers). Give him a few different entrances. Just for variety. Day 29 — Something you worked really hard to get. The Goddamned. Sky. Scale. Legendaries be damned, the Sky Scale was nearly two weeks of pain in my butt. I got it BEFORE the time patch. So I HAD to wait the full 24 hours. Plus I didn’t have a lot of Charged Quartz saved up, so I had to make all that crap. Day 30 — Your main? I would say Cyrus Sigismund, since he’s my Self-insert character... but I’d be lying. It’s split between the Danae sisters, based on what I need that day. If I wanna goof around, I take Tenna the Holosmith. If I wanna make sure I’m gonna win but don’t wanna attract too many mobs, I take Sonnya the Firebrand. If I don’t care about Mobs and just wanna inflict as much as I can on EVERYTHING in sight, I use Miriya the Scourge. That said, those three are also my favorites.
1 note · View note
deck16 · 5 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Guild Wars 2 Retrospective
I've played a number of MMOs over the years. Guild Wars 2 is my favourite, and it occupies a place in my memories like a favourite book or movie. And so, I want to write down my thoughts about it.
I don't think I'm finished with the game yet. As I write, the Icebrood Saga is soon to be launched. Even ignoring future content there's so much current content I want to do.
That said, now's a good time to write down my thoughts. I finished Living World Season 4 not too long ago and it had a certain finality that made me want to pause and reflect.
This is going to be long. And it's going to be a lot of opinion. There's going to be a lot of praise, but if I praise Guild Wars 2 for something don't take that to imply that only GW2 does that thing, or that GW2 does it best.
Soundtrack
Have a listen while you read this.
youtube
The earlier stuff by Jeremy Soule is different to what came later, in expansions and such, but not incongruous. It's all good.
Music is one of those strange and strong memory triggers, like smell. There are some refrains from the soundtrack that bring back memories. I remember listening to the soundtrack when the game was released to help get through a particularly un-fun and short-lived job. Some tracks bring back memories of playing with friends. Or just exploring Tyria on my own.
Tumblr media
Money
Ars Gratia Artis
How does one make money off a product, like a game?
Make it worth buying.
(Other.)
Option 2 includes things like psychological tricks, and planned obsolescence with yearly releases.
I can't say GW2 never indulges in Option 2. But I feel it mostly goes for Option 1.
Tumblr media
Pictured: ArenaNet offices after releasing the black wings cosmetic.
Subscription Model
Guild Wars 2, like its predecessor, never demanded a subscription.
This earns a massive amount of respect from me. Many MMOs charge subscriptions while they're new, raking in some easy money while they've got hype. I think GW2 could've done that. That ArenaNet chose not to is laudable.
Money Store
GW2 does, I'm sure, rake in extra money from expansion packs and cosmetics. The former is very understandable. The latter can be dangerous in greedy hands.
You can buy a lot of tat with real money in GW2, it's true. It's even had a version of loot boxes from day one.
Thankfully the real-money stuff is largely cosmetic or convenience. I have bought a few items, but I do not feel a second-class citizen for not buying more. Indeed, I roll my eyes at the bizarre characters decked out in effulgent tat. If they want to support the game I enjoy to look like rejects from a bad anime, more power to them. I rather more a normal appearance, and there's plenty of options to get that by playing, not paying.
Tumblr media
Exhibits A through D: Effulgent Tat
Maybe I'm a sentimental idiot, but GW2's soft-sell approach has made me sympathetic. When GW2 developers were laid off due to a "financial squeeze" I went and bought some gems. I feel they deserve it. Not like other companies who lay off staff when money abounds, just so they can cut costs.
You will see adverts for money-store items here and there, such as the login screen. But, crucially, it never interrupts your game with teasing messages along the lines of "if you buy XYZ, you can skip this".
There's also the daily log-in rewards and the character birthday rewards. These give a nice mix of the cheaper money-store conveniences and also grant access to things you can't even buy.
Explorable
Something that struck me very early about GW2 was the extent you can just wander around to level.
Progress by Wanderlust
See an interesting land-mark? Go wander over, you'll probably run into some quests. Cross paths with an event? Join right on in and help out. Harvest resources as you go. Kill monsters off the beaten track for extra experience.
There are other things to find to reward exploration. Mini-dungeons, mini-bosses, chests of loot, and even just really pretty locations. It feels really good when you say "what's over there?" and you actually discover something that's totally supplemental but also totally interesting.
Tumblr media
One of the earlier off-the-beaten-track finds I made. A bandit's cabbage farm. Handy if you're into cooking.
Early on, I loved wandering to level. It made the grind of levelling feel more like exploration, like I was playing Morrowind or Skyrim, rather than an MMO.
Even now, years on, there are zones I haven't explored. I took the direct path through Living World Season 4's zones, and now I'm contently going back and exploring them top to tail. Nowadays I don't wander quite so randomly. I use the map markers to guide me, but I still have plenty of "what's that?" or "what's over there?" moments. I'm still finding stuff.
NPC Chatter
NPCs across Tyria talk to each other. A lot. It's all fully voice-acted and often interesting or funny as well.
I am still surprised when I stop somewhere quite isolated to clean out my inventory or fiddle with my traits and some NPCs strike up a conversation. It must be very tempting to cut costs by not having the random Inquest NPC in corridor A chat about his research with the other Inquest NPC.
A small thing, but it does make exploring that little bit more rewarding.
Tumblr media
Not a great example for funny-factor, but a good example for isolation. To see these two hostile Inquest NPCs you'd first have to opt to do the Living World chapter their zone is in, then decide to explore beyond the story there, then happen down this particular corridor, and finally not kill them before they had a chance to talk.
Events and Meta Events
Events and meta events impressed me greatly as I discovered GW2.
Little Adventures
Early on, I was exploring Harathi Hinterlands, and I come across an event where Seraph NPCs (good guys) are defending against Centaur NPCs (bad guys). I help, the Seraph win. And then one of them announces they're moving on to their next objective.
I follow. Things escalate. About an hour later, we (NPCs, other players, and myself) have pushed into the Centaur base and are taking down their leader.
It made the world feel alive. Here was this war that was happening whether I was there or not. If I chose to pitch in rather than walk by, I would be treated to a little adventure: combat, loot, and a little story.
Tumblr media
A limited-time event had players pursuing and then killing ley-energy people. I felt bad for the poor bastards, being chased by dozens of loot-crazed players. Not bad enough to not join in, though...
Putting the First M in MMO
Events are a reason for players to work together, in scales big and small.
On the small scale, it's always a relief to see some new players jump in and help you with a Champion when you're tackling it alone or in a small party. The shoe feels good on the other foot: it's fun to play the hero and jump in to help some scrappy players beat a champion they were struggling with.
On the big scale, maps like The Silverwastes and Dragon's Stand are dedicated to meta events. Groups of players must spontaneously split down multiple paths to achieve objectives in limited time. I've seen these fail often enough to know success isn't guaranteed.
Play with Friends
Despite the acronym, it's not easy to play with friends in every MMO. Here's a hypothetical exchange:
"Hey, you want to play that MMO?"
"Sure! It's more fun to play with friends."
"Okay! I'm on the Black Mountains server."
"Oh. I'm on the Dusty Gorge server."
"That's alright. I'll make a character on Dusty Gorge."
"Great! Where shall we meet?"
"Well I'm only level 1 on this server, so it will have to be a starter zone."
"Oh. The lowest character I have is level 20. So... I'll just one-shot everything, and I'll get no XP and useless loot."
"Ah. Well... I guess I'll get to level 20 and let you know? So, we can probably play in a week or so?"
"...Okay."
These problems do not happen in GW2 with the megaserver system and dynamic level adjustment.
Tumblr media
When the game came out a group of friends and I quested through several zones together. This is us in the charr starting area.
(I don't want to pretend dynamic level adjustment is perfect. Because if you take your Ascended-item max-level elite-specialised hero to a starter PvE zone you are going to be more powerful than a new level 1 character. Not quite to the point of absurdness, but not far from it either.)
Any barrier that makes it hard to play with friends in an MMO is idiotic. I am very glad GW2 started with low barriers, and only made them lower over time.
A Better Grind
There's grinding in GW2. How could there not be, in a modern MMO?
I have seen people in GW2 doing what I consider painful, repetitive grinding. Armies running laps in the Edge of the Mists. Heroes repeatedly doing Fractals. Massive groups teleporting from one world boss to another on a clockwork schedule.
If people want to do that, more power to them. None of that is necessary, though. It's for bragging rights or as a faster alternative to levelling.
Look at the relative stats for item rarity. For a fresh level 80 character Rare equipment is trivial to get, and Exotic is very doable. This equipment is not that far behind the very best. Certainly the gap is much, much less than most other MMOs. And it doesn't go obsolete over time as new content is added... mostly.
Tumblr media
Mounts are more than just a "go faster" convenience in GW2. They complement the exploration side of the game, with each able to run, jump, or glide differently. They have weight and inertia and are fun to drive. The optional, later-game mounts require some grinding to get; thankfully they are account-wide unlocks.
Is there any grinding required to just experience the game? The answer is "yes", but I think GW2 has taken the harsh edges off it.
If you enjoy grinding, is it really grinding? GW2 lets you enjoy grinding in two ways:
No Repetition
Get something once, and you don't have to do it again. That's good, because something only becomes repetitive if you have to do it more than once!
Very many things are account-bound. Progress can be made on any character. And once you unlock it, you have it on all characters.
Even something like levelling, which is not account-bound, doesn't have to be repeated. Level-boosting items are handed out as you play or as birthday gifts. All free; not paid-for. And handed out generously: I have enough to get about a half-dozen characters to maximum level. Even if you don't have quite as many as I do they will still speed up the levelling process.
Grinding by Playing
Many things you grind for can be earned doing a variety of things in a variety of places. This has the happy side-effect of making grinding goals come with just playing.
Suppose a friend newly joins GW2, and I'm tempted to join them in the low-level non-expansion zone. I won't be "wasting time" as I'll be earning masteries, gold and other currencies and crafting materials.
Tumblr media
Photo-bombed by a hunter pet. Look at that smug expression on its face...
Combat Mechanics
GW2 combat feels pretty satisfying and fluid to me. I don't want to hold GW2's combat up as exemplary, because it isn't. Other MMOs do similar things; in many cases better.
But I like GW2 combat well enough. Here's why:
Movement. Many attacks can be avoided by moving away. In any half-way hectic combat you're constantly on the move, either to avoid enemy attacks or to better position your own. Having a dedicated dodge move adds to the experience.
Action Camera. Not everyone likes the action camera, but I love it. I can control the game like a shooter, not like some modded real-time strategy game.
Elegant Rules. Over time, MMO rules systems often turn into incomprehensible messses that no-one understands. Or they start out that way. GW2's rules are pretty complicated but it keeps things mostly comprehensible with a kind-of status-effect middleware that relies on common effects like boons and conditions. The programmer in me finds it quite genius and, frankly, elegant.
Weak Holy Trinity
In GW2 the healer, DPS, tank divide is de-emphasised. Every class does a little of each.
Yes, you can emphasise one over another, and if you're doing difficult content you probably should. But no class is defined by their trinity-role. You want to be a tanky thief? Do it!
Healing is especially unique. In old-school MMOs, healing is just "reverse damage". You hit me for 20 damage? I'll heal me for 20 damage. In GW2 it's a bit more nuanced, usually revolving around regeneration or other slower effects. Someone chucking out healing skills is a life-saver (literally) not because they're un-doing chunks of damage but because they're increasing survivability.
Amateur Theorycrafting
When I was levelling up my thief I found she struggled with survivability. I paused to re-consider my tactics. I decided on a condition damage approach, and picked weapons and skills that would make my enemies bleed. Caltrops, shrapnel bombs, and double daggers!
It worked! The thief was still fragile, but she could stack enough bleeds to kill most things, even many things at once. The caltrops helped: tougher bad-guys would limp in pursuit, bleeding to death.
Tumblr media
My post-hoc re-enactment of that bleed build.
Apparently it wasn't an optimal choice: theorycrafters would pick other configurations. That's unavoidable. There is always a meta in any game made by mortals.
Yet I was pleased I had "figured it out" on my own, just by playing and experimenting. I didn't need an internet guide to survive. And even if it wasn't the best choice, it still worked well enough.
Having done the same on a few classes since then I feel GW2 is a game where you can tinker and customise and come up with things that work.
Tumblr media
My current warrior setup tries to be tanky in a few ways; one of which is by combining For Great Justice with Might Makes Right. I doubt it's a "top meta" build but it seems to work well enough.
Rotationless
I hate rotations in MMOs. I get they're inevitable to some extent, but I loathe MMOs that embrace and build upon it as if it's a positive thing.
Well, let me back away from that a mote. I hate it when they do that and it's not opt-in. If people want to do it for some unique style or to get a few extra percentage points of damage, I don't mind.
I don't want to think about internal timers and priorities when I play. Those things are artificial. I want to think about the actual goings-on in combat. I want use Hundred Blades because I've moved into a position where I can strike mulitiple foes; not because a I've randomly proced a buff that enables or enhances it.
This is why Berserker Warrior is my favourite class in GW2. I can play it in a brain-dead way. The "auto attack" skill, plus one or two others, is all I need in a stand-up slugfest. Everything else is to respond to a situation: to move, to heal, to break, to push.
There are classes and specialisations in GW2 that do require something of a rotation. That's fine. I won't play 'em but I've no problem if others want to!
Tumblr media
PvP and End-Game
I've not done much PvP stuff or fractals or raids. So I can't talk much about that. I wish I had tried these things, but such are the laments of a casual player with limited time.
I really love GW2's approach to remove gear and level restrictions in all PvP. It's great you can buy the game, log in, and play PvP or WvW on a mostly level playing field.
I also love the concept of World vs World. Both as a mode of competition and the way it allows for a variety of activities like soldiering, skirmishing, scouting, siege-engining and supply-hauling. You can even just potter around the WvW zone doing vistas or harvesting resources if you want to.
Some people will complain GW2 doesn't have enough end-game. They're probably right, in a sense: there are better MMOs out there for their needs. As a casual player, I'm largely happy with the balance GW2 had decided to strike.
Tumblr media
A World to Escape To
Tyria is a welcoming fantasy world. Like a digital Narnia or Neverland it is a place to escape to. It's comforting to be there.
Of course escapism is part of many works of fiction. On the other hand, it's not something every work of fiction ought do.
If you're going to do escapism, do it well. GW2, I think, does it well.
Scenic
Tyria is a beautiful place. It was in Guild Wars 1. It still is.
The designers have a real knack for displaying awesome, yet realistic, environments. There are stunning settings in all manner of environments. Just look at the screenshots I’ve peppered about.
Tumblr media
They especially do nature well. Some of the forests, with dappled lighting and weather effects, are gorgeous.
This isn't just a matter of graphics, or even art. It's a sense of moderation: it's knowing that if everything is epic, nothing is.
They know they rock the scenery. Why else would they make pretty views a big part of the game?
Race Realism
MMOs often have a problem where non-human races are... well... quite human. Sometimes in very silly ways.
Not so GW2. I love the charr. A "cat people" race that aren't humans with cat-ears and a tail. The charr are inhuman yet have animal traits that are familiar, from the loping all-fours run to the always-sniffing nose. They're well designed.
Tumblr media
Charr posture though... All that weight bearing down on feet that don't have the benefit of heels? An awkwardly forward centre of gravity? They've got to be sore by the end of the day.
Pretty much all the races are done well, including monster bad-guy ones. There's a lot of detail put into GW2 creatures and it's a shame in a way that the nature of the game means we rarely get to see them up close and detailed.
Arguably GW2's weakest race, aesthetically, may be the humans, who all look like stock photography models.
Tumblr media
After doing so well with the charr, I don't know what possessed them to give Rox ridiculously huge kitty-cat eyes.
Empowering
Thinking logically, Tyria really isn't a nice place. There are all sorts of problems, from local bandits to world-ending dragons.
Throw that logic out the window. What matters more than how many problems there are is how empowered you, I, or anyone is to solve these problems.
There's no problem in GW2 that can't be fixed. Bandits can be beaten up. Dragons can be defeated. Even racism can be fixed. (Yes, often violence is the only option, but that's action RPGs for you.)
There's a spirit of co-operation and capability that runs through GW2. You are not so much the mighty hero coming to save the helpless peasants. Rather you're mucking in with people already hard at work trying to fix things, be they grub-squashing farmers or dragon-killing soldiers. You just happen to be the tipping point they needed. Even in the story, when you're promoted to grand poobah, you're a pretty collaborative boss, tending to work with your comrades.
In GW2 hope trumps hopelessness. It's escapism. It's nice.
Tumblr media
Story
GW2 has a number of stories you can embark on.
I have mixed feelings about GW2's story. Like most MMO stories, it isn't that great. I wouldn't suggest you get a bag of popcorn and watch all the cutscenes on YouTube.
But as far as MMO stories go, it's probably better than most. It certainly has its ups and downs. Yet in those better moments it can be quite enthralling. Living World Season 4 -- the most recent story section at the time of writing -- kept me interested and even tugged a little at my heart-strings.
Like a soap opera, the GW2 story makes up in quantity what it lacks in quality. Over time -- years and years, remember -- you get to know and love the world and the characters. And it's doubly engaging because you are one of the characters.
Characters
The best thing about GW2's story are the characters, especially in later content. Characters who are essentially RPG tropes are given personality by competent writing and voice acting. Canach's dry sense of humour always amused me, as did Taimi's energetic voice acting.
This is a well-calculated expenditure of effort. Good characters can make talking heads engaging. Bad characters can't be saved even by multi-million dollar effects budgets.
Tumblr media
A cool little scene at the end of the Personal Story has your character striding alongside the members of Destiny's Edge.
War and Isolation
Many people don't like Orr, the final zone in the base game. I do.
As per the story, it's a warzone. And you can see it. It's like the D-Day landings over there. Scouts, transports, war machines; everywhere you go the Pact are battling the undead. There are no heart quests there, just dynamic events; and I think that reflects the epic goings-on quite well.
Likewise, a zone like Mount Maelstrom is meant to be a wild place far from civilisation. And it feels like it. There are people (someone's got to give quests) but they're either explorers, exiles, or strange native creatures.
These may seem like rather pedestrian observations. I bring them up because many MMOs get this stuff wrong. Epic war zones have maybe a few dozen NPCs battling but otherwise seem unaffected. Far-flung regions have just as many towns as the heart of civilisation.
Getting this stuff right provides a sense of place, and of progress (level-wise and story-wise).
Living World
I enjoy GW2's Living World episodic content. From a story and setting perspective it gives the world a sense of history and progression.
From a gameplay perspective it adds new content... and often a lot of content. Whole new zones are added. I have especially enjoyed Season 4's zones, which feel as richly developed as the normal zones.
Tumblr media
Style and Polish
People often talk about Blizzard games in terms of polish (even Blizzard do). I feel GW2 has a certain level of similar polish. (Whether that's still true for Blizzard games is another matter.)
The art style is gorgeous and consistently applied from the grand stuff like character creation screens and loading art, right down to little touches on the UI. This consistency isn't exactly a key selling point but it does speak to a certain craftsmanship.
Tumblr media
When you jump in the water, the lower part of your HUD gets "splashed" with drops in GW2's signature "inkbrush style". It's part of the transition animation from land to water skills. A tiny touch that is illustrative of GW2's attention to detail and consistency in style.
Wiki
Similar quality can be seen in the official GW2 Wiki which is informative, tidy and (as far as I've seen) complete. It's good to be able to look with confidence at a definitive source rather than look over a handful of fan MMOs trying to sort fact from speculation.
Conclusion
So... I like Guild Wars 2.
It's been the perfect MMO for a casual player like me. It respects my wallet. It respects my time. It offers variety, solid gameplay, and a comforting world to visit. It seems to have been made with real love.
Thank you to the people who made it. You should take pride in the countless hours of entertainment and joy you've given to me and so many other players across the world.
If you've stumbled across this and are thinking of playing, know that GW2 can be played for free. Why not give it a go?
Tumblr media
1 note · View note
snickiebear · 3 years
Note
OHMYGOD SNICKIE I—
so i just finished going through your index and OH MY GOD??? i wish i’d done that earlier *facepalms*
thanks for the tip, i kinda see now who the shadows were referring to… 😉😉😉 (but not all because im slightly stupid)
BUT ALSO akdjbshdj im so glad ur open to the prequel idea and if it does happen i’ll be in the front row seat with hearts in my eyes 😍 what’s even crazier was that i was reading the war chapter in the index and i had to take maybe seven pauses because my imagination was considering the many possibilities!!! and i know i said prequel but oh my god this whole world you’ve built can be like whole series on its own — and im not yet even thinking about what’s going to happen post-OL&W!!! it’s just me thinking about the characters’ stories during the violent era, the first guild war, and the second guild war!!! i-
i seriously can’t even—
i’m gonna try to articulate my thoughts but if you can imagine smoke bombs exploding into vague plot lines, that’s what’s happening in my head right now so apologies in advance for the mess (also im going backwards lol):
Second guild war — hypothetically,,,, if there were an itasakushi era sometime in the history of men falling on their feet for sakura, i believe the itasakushi would have developed in the course of this war, although they may have been acquainted with each other earlier. common enemy: danzo, and what better way to wreak havoc and violence than to have him die by the hands of this (im calling it) legendary trio (but that’s also because im quite invested in them). the five-year captivity is also a huge plus because i imagine shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes
quick question (if it’s not a spoiler) - which naruto characters would fall under thundersins? ibiki is the guildmaster, so does that mean his guild is composed of t&i people? im not quite sure who (in the naruto-verse) can get fooled by danzo into waging this war…
First guild war — can u tell us who was the mage who killed a witch? who was the witch? what were they fighting about??? was it a serious badass battle? were they secretly friends?? lovers??? did danzo have anything to do with this??? or maybe hanzo??? HOLY SHIT WOULD THE AME CHARACTERS BE INVOLVED HERE??? AKATSUKI??? but it’s ok if it’s still a secret… we can go detective on this one
speaking of ame and the other nations in the canonverse — will they also be part of this au? i mean we’ve already seen suna folks in OL&W but maybe like chojuro from kiri and other notable characters from the other hidden villages?
And to the violent era — using canonverse as basis, this would most likely be the counterpart of the hashirama-madara founding a village arc and/or the period before that, since they were also just fighting to death and using child soldiers. but actually im more curious about the guild wars than this era unless something dramatic happened lol other than the self-indulging satisfaction of blood thirst 🤣🤣🤣 im just really more invested when sakura is around. i would say tho, the lore is still interesting because im quite curious as to why the beginning is violent? was it because the gods had a fallout and all they really knew was to be violent about it? if it’s something similar, i’m getting a little bit of mythology-percy jackson vibes (which i LOVE) so Y A Y
ok so that’s basically me vomitting my smoke bomb thoughts *deep breaths* P H E W thank you AGAIN for the brain workout 🥰 it feels nice to lose myself in this world hahaha! you don’t really have to answer my questions; i literally just typed what’s on my mind 😂 INDEX WAS AWESOME! it’s like super clues to the mystery that lead to MORE mystery so yeahp you have just seen the effects on my mind
so sorry to hear about how your day was faring! i’m grateful my ask came to you at the right time. 🥰 i was actually worried about not sliding in your inbox earlier because i already saw that there was a new chapter but it was only then that i had time to check it out. i’m glad i was able to uplift your spirits even just for a little while 💕💕💕
i hope you have a better rest of the week ahead! ❤️❤️❤️
P.S. i cant believe u think my joke was top tier, im seriously bad at cracking jokes irl so thank you for believing in my limited-to-no-successful-experience in joke making
🐱
🐱🐱🐱🐱!!!!!!
LMFAOOOO don’t worry if you don’t figure it out now :) it’ll all be revealed in due time!! Honestly?? Since you brought up the prequel thing i have been thinking not-fucking-stop about how else the world coud be explored. Like?? There is SO MUCH GOING ON!!!
we have the whole Inuzuka tribe, the different temples, so many different characters... there is so many rocks to turn over!!!
OKAY SECOND GUILD WAR ITASAKUSHI YES. we are on the same wavelength 🐱, bc i was thinking the same thing. They would probably meet during GW2 and hit it off pretty well. 1) because Shisui is one charming motherfucker, and 2) Itachi would def draw Sakura in with his smooth humor. Plus, as reclusive as Sakura is in this, she does enjoy being friends with them.
“shisui and itachi running around like headless chickens looking for the apple of their cursed uchiha eyes” this imagery fucking killed me. Oh my god. THATS SO FUNNY WTF
(okay so in the OG draft of OM&G it starts with saku not knowing any of the boys and meeting them for the first time. she knew sakumo [who was dead in this one] and itachi + shisui [they were close friends].
and sasuke was being a total asshole [as usual] and sakura shuts him up with telling him that she's slept with both itachi and shisui. and then all three of them together. to which sasuke has an ANEURYSM LMFAO
but in this one, ItaSakuShi DEF goes on missions together after GW2 and totally fuck and get drunk and hang out. its verified, it has happened, i am comfirming this.)
Ok so!!!! Thundersins would consist mainly of non clan people in Nart. So, Lee, Tenten, Gai, Anko, Genma, ect. Though, we won’t be seeing Gai, Genma, or Anko until much, much later :) Though, Shisui is a part of the Thundersins guild, because he’s just more suited for assassinations rather than wizarding.
so basically, i'm just kind of putting people wherever i think they'd be suited best!
Danzo himself is a tricky bastard and at the time of GW2, Thundersins is still a relatively “new” guild, and they’re mainly human at this point, meaning that they were the weakest guild. It mostly comes down to the fact that Danzo, the manipulative asshole, was able to get their aid. He kept the entire kidnapping a secret for years (i’m estimating at least fifty or so) because the war and then it came to light by some spies or sum
As for the first guild war LMFAO i have absolutely no idea at all which mage killed what witch, i didn’t really think about it tbh! Maybe it was one of sakura’s bullies,,, LMAO honestly? I’ll leave all of that lore to you!!! I like keeping some details vague just so readers can take it and RUN AHAHAHHA. So yeah! Maybe they were lovers! And the entire killing was an accident! Who knows!
OKAY SO! This is going to make sound TERRIBLE. But i hadn’t even thought of Mist or Ame or any of the other villages until you said something LMAOOO
Well… the akatsuki plays a HUGE role in the next two fics,, so i can’t really say much about them hehe…
I do love chojuro and mei and haku and just LKSMDANFKSLD yeah. Going to be honest: they totally slipped my mind which is awful. Head in hands frfr. But i can tell you this:
Mei would be a mage, Chojuro would be either an assassin or a mage… one of the two… haku and zabuza are assassins. Ao would probably be a wizard too.
As for the other Jinchūrikis,,,, you’ll have to wait for the next two (if i have...write them… haha..)!
THE VIOLENT ERA! And yes! So, this is basically the time where the Living are the most… animalistic? Especially since the gods’ “fallout” as you call it! Thepheria served as a balance to both Peace and War, she is Balance in the very sense of the word so… if something happens to her, the entire world goes into cause and it can take a long time for it to find equilibrium!
Nothing huge happened here, this was like the “stone age” of this world and very self indulgent with the whole savagery of it, but also highlighting that deep, deep down these Living (and humans) are angry and violent at their cores. Its their roots and no matter how they progress, it will always come back to war and bloodshed.
AND OMG!! A FELLOW CAMP HALF BLOOD CAMPER HELLO!!!! I love pjo so much!!!! My first series that got me loving fiction and the worlds we can build!!!
I’m so glad you liked the index!!! Its both for you and me because half the time i can’t keep track of what information i want to use/verified so… it keeps me consistent (because i am horrible at it LMAO)
Please don’t ever worry about sliding in here “late”!!! Life is busy and the chapters are a little long, plus time will always keep marching on (omg that rhymed)! And! Please don’t feel obligated to come scream with me! Just knowing that you’re enjoying my work is enough to fuel me!!! :))))))
I feel you on the jokes 🐱, i am not funny irl at all HAHAAHA but your joke was hilarious, im crackin up just thinking about it LMFAOOO
Have a great week 🐱!!!!!! <33333333
0 notes
spinn-virus · 6 years
Text
So, I’ve been playing GW2 for a good 3-4 years now, but never taken part in Friend/Ships. I don’t quite know how to write this all down but here goes.
My then-bestfriend, now-girlfriend convinced me to buy the game back in 2015; it was about 5am in the morning when I finally got the game installed and she instantly got me to make my first ever character, an Asura that I’ve kept to this day, and just show me around the starter map. I barely even knew the controls and we had a lot of laughs while I was trying to get a hang of things.
I really really wanted to play as much content as possible with her (she already had a few lv80 characters) but leveling was slow and hard, so a few times I just went along with her to higher level story instances and ended up getting defeated so many times that all my armor broke. But she bought me a new set which was like, the best thing to ever have happened to newbie me back then. I... did not know I could just repair my armor for free, hah.
We did some exploring together, but most of the time I was leveling on my own, I think, getting a feel of the game. Spoiler alert, I loved it and the visuals even with my lowest graphics settings (I took so many screenshots). My main goal was to get to 80 so that I could go to the jungle and get a glider. I also played through over half of LWS2 all by myself, even though my gear was all messed up.
But yeah it was about after that that we started playing together more regularly, for example I was dragged along into some jumping puzzles that I was really bad at back then, and also she helped me with Maguuma masteries and we played through the entire HoT story in like, two days. And then some. We also played through LWS3 and PoF as soon as they came out, and right now we’re doing LWS4 episodes. Occasionally we get ahead of each other, like I ended up doing the griffon and roller beetle collections before she got to them, but we still have a lot of fun.
Not to mention, we’ve got a few more friends along for the ride now, that I’m glad to help and/or play together with. One of my favorite activities with friends is to just explore and do map content. We kind of want to get into fractals and raids and make our very own guild with a guild hall and everything but that’s proving to be a bit of a slow process. We are also very focused on lore and character development; occasionally we role-play as well.
Hahah... I didn’t know how to start this at first, now I don’t know how to end it. I guess I’ll just say how grateful I am that I have people who want to play the game with me. I do have a lot of fun playing on my own as well but nothing beats a GW2 session with friends.
0 notes