Category: Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet might have finally found their stride with the Living World by destroying the community jewel of Lion’s Arch. In its place is a pretty intense hour-long event that is shaping the economy. This update is forceful, and I am really enjoying the more heavy-handed approach to shaping Guild Wars 2.

Ideals about ‘Fugees

The main event is about an hour-long event to evacuate Lion’s Arch. At the start of each hour there is a short event to gate three entrances to Lion’s Arch. It’s a short blitz, and then the gates are open. Players rush in to see absolute destruction of Lion’s Arch (see Jeromai and Bhagpuss’s photoblogs). The goal is to save citizens, kind of. Another goal is stop Scarlet’s armies from salting the earth with miasma.

The score shown to the right is saved citizens. At certain levels, like 100, 300 and 600, all players on the map get a treasure bag.  Supposedly at higher levels there are better treasure bags. I don’t know, I haven’t been there yet. Continue reading [GW2] NGOs and Refugees in Lion’s Arch

Attack Cinematic
Upon logging in, players level 30 or higher will see a cinematic of the attack on Lion’s Arch. Lower level players will watch this upon entering Lion’s Arch for the first time. …
Note: All characters that were stationed in Lion’s Arch before the attack will be relocated to an adjoining map.

This is not true. If you were stationed in Lion’s Arch before the attack, the cinematic will play once you log in. Your character will stand in the exact spot where you logged off, and the monsters that now spawn in Lion’s Arch will kill you.

The sound effects you hear are not part of the cinematic. The screams of the injured and dying are coming from characters who also logged off in Lion’s Arch.

: Zubon

It’s been an interesting few days playing Edge of the Mists, the new overflow World vs. World (“WvW”) map in Guild Wars 2. My concentrated opinion is that WvW just became a lot more fun, but I have a lot to nitpick and discuss too.

The Map’s Mechanics

The most important thing to note about Edge of the Mists (“EotM”) is that it is the rebellious younger sibling to the core of WvW. The designers have made things a little less balanced, but a lot more interesting.

The map plays like Eternal Battlegrounds in the sense that the map is triangular-shaped with each side theoretically having an even chance of defending their objectives and attacking the enemies points. However, each corner of the triangle has heavy environmental and mechanical change. One area is filled with overgrown ruins, while another seems like deserted charr areas. Finally the kodan area is the third environment. Each environment also gives its defenders a buff based on how many objectives they control in their zone. Continue reading [GW2] Edge of the Mists Impressions

Hitherby some spoilers

The Edge of the Mist is quite possibly the most beautiful map in Guild Wars 2. The only negative I have is I’m a bit unsure of all the clouds getting in my way. Otherwise I am just in awe. The land is so rich. I stop and stare at some statues with tattered flags, and get run over by a zerg. The landscapes in Guild Wars 2 continue to get better and better.

Edge of the Mists, the new World vs. World (“WvW”) map is also rich in secondary mechanics. For instance, one can turn into an invincible ball of light for a few minutes to scout. Or, sick of your professions lack of awesome? Turn into a Kodan with all new skills that make the current kings of Guild War(riors) 2 jealous. There are bridges to destroy, pre-built cannons to fire, and it feels much more like a huge sandbox instead of the comparatively sterile environment of WvW proper. I like it a lot better, but I am going to have to spend significant time to understand it all. Initial reports say it is amazing for small scale PvP, and bring your stability and knockbacks because falling deaths are what’s on tap. Continue reading [GW2] Stories in the Mists

It took me awhile to see a problem with the Marionette. It wasn’t until the weekend warriors arrived that I felt that ArenaNet pushed too far with the Marionette.

The Marionette in a closed box is a really fun experience. The lane fighting seems really balanced because it pushes the lane defenders just enough. If there isn’t a champion watchwork getting close to the gate then a champion Aetherblade is running amok in the back lines. Then during the “arena” boss phase the intensity of the fight increases ten-fold as the lane lives or dies based on the performance of one of their five platforms.

The problem is on the platforms. There are new boss mechanics that are perfect for the action-oriented Guild Wars 2. The first boss has front-arc immunity so one player has to basically “tank” so the others can wail away on the back. The second boss has immunity until it can be lead to run over its own mines. And so on.  Continue reading [GW2] The Intense Marionette Academy

Where does Scarlet get all this stuff? I’m hoping that floating platform is a standard Asuran technology bit, otherwise she just invented orbital platforms. But mostly, the metal. Scarlet’s driving prices for crafting materials on the trading post, isn’t she?

: Zubon

Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotion in playing the Origins of Madness update in Guild Wars 2. There was good; there was bad. There were shouts of joy and tears of rage. And, it all happened on the hour. Every hour.

The basis of the update are a Tequatl-difficulty wurm battle, a less difficult Marionette battle, a story instance, and a secret lair instance. The two battles happen on rotating hours (Wurm = odd server hour, Marionette = even server hour), and the two instances are player invoked. I’ll run down the line.

Triple Threat

The wurm battle, Triple Threat, is… good. It’s bad for a pick-up player filled Living World, but I feel that it is a fine accompaniment to Tequatl and dedicated guild/commanders heading forward on these challenges. The map needs to split up into three equal parts, escort one snappy Asuran triplet to the wurm site, and take down their wurm. The wurms are invulnerable until a burn phase, and each has a different mechanic to opening it. Crimson is easiest, Cobalt is just a tad harder, and Amber is going to be the hellgate. Continue reading [GW2] Welcome Back Wurm Juice