Showing posts with label Living Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living Story. Show all posts

Mar 20, 2014

Fancy Features Update - Traits

So season 1 of living story is done. Scarlet is dead (woot!). This past patch is mostly the celebration of a successful conclusion (and if you haven't gotten the rewards yet, do so quickly. There's no achievements or anything, just go to the party and get some fancy things at the end).

fp-april2014-Cheering

Since living story is on cooldown, Guild Wars 2 is releasing it's first feature-only patch, and it's a doozy. They're releasing balance enhancements, feature improvements, brand-new systems, and other things. They'll be disclosing information everyday leading up to the patch. Today they announced a lot of stuff about traits.
For instance, to prevent idiots from putting 11 traits on one branch and 14 on another, each trait will now be worth 5 old traits. This will condense the 70 trait points down to 14. As a result, you won't start earning traits until level 30, and will only get a trait point once every few levels.

Also, profession books are no longer a thing. Instead of buying a profession book to unlock the next tier of traits, they're all free, and so are trait refunds! You may now change your build instantly anywhere, like you could for PvP. To celebrate, they're adding 40 new traits in total! However, there's a catch. In Guild Wars 1 and other various RPGs, you would have to explore and progress to find new vendors who would sell you new and unique equipment/skills. The same is true for major traits.

On a single branch, the trait line alternates between minor and major traits. Minor traits are a fixed perk, major traits are swappable depending on the tier and generally have an extra little something special. So you now find the guides who distribute the major traits by participating in WvW, personal story, exploring, story/mini dungeons, etc. If you're too lazy for this, then the recently unemployed profession trainers have been re-employed to sell you the traits... for a price that has yet to be disclosed.

To conclude, this all comes bundled with a complete redesign of the traits page, and yes, it does tell you where and how to unlock the specific traits you want.

trait-unlock-ui-arrow-905x675

Oh, and in case you're wondering, there is a new trait that would further make my necromancer harder to kill, but luckily for everyone in PvP, it's aligned towards a Death Shroud build, which I am not very interested in using regularly. That's all for now, if you want to keep up to date as they announce stuff, check out their blog: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/feature-packs/

Mar 18, 2014

The Battle for Lion's Arch

If you've been in-game at any time during the last month, you've experienced the upheaval and ripples from Scarlet Briar attacking and holding the city of Lion's Arch.

The entire support structure of the capitol city has been relocated to the Vigil keep in Gendarran Fields, and the city has become a war zone and explorable area.


When I reached the point in the story where I realized Scarlet attacking Lion's Arch was inevitable, I knew I'd be upset. What I didn't realize was the emotional reaction I'd have to the destruction of what has come to be my in-game "home". Watching the cut scene that first time I logged in was akin to the first time I played through Guild Wars 1, when i didn't realize the Searing was going to happen. Wandering through the destruction she left in her wake was as powerful as exploring in Old Ascalon in the first act of Guild Wars. And don't think I've forgiven the Flame Legion for that destruction yet - I the player still have not.

The mass of events from the last two Living Story updates have been interesting. We've helped defend key points in the city, struggled to keep the various factions of Scarlet's alliance from taking over and poisoning the air and saved countless civilians from certain death.


In the latest installment, we've progressed to fighting her Knights, the final champions preventing us from attacking Scarlet's Prime Hologram. Upon simultaneously killing the Knights, we've encountered the frenzy of slaying the Prime Hologram and then reached the final point.

Dear reader, there will now be spoilers. If you have not completed the Living Story at this time, you are warned.

Then we get to kick Scarlet's evil, corrupted self and finish her off.


Finishing her was quite satisfying for me, I'm not going to lie to you. I felt like I was avenging my home. But it was only a partial victory, and her drilling has awoken another dragon, and my best guess places that dragon in Maguuma.


I experienced a blur of emotions in this moment: grim determination to finish her off, satisfaction for defending my home, grief for Marjory's fate, horror for another awakening dragon, and even a touch of excitement, because maybe we'll get more of the Maguuma map opened up.


With today's patch, the Battle of Lion's Arch has come to a close, and we'll enter a period of rebuilding and reconstruction. It will be interesting to watch the citizens put the city back together and see what changes develop in the landscape - and in the world at large.

Tell me, gentle reader, what do you think about this installment of the Living Story? Do you think ArenaNet will open up more of the jungle? Which zones would you like to revisit (I want to go back to The Falls)? And did you collect enough heirlooms for horns or a halo?

Jan 25, 2014

Screenshot Saturday: Post-Wintersday Edition

Screenshot Saturday:  Post-Wintersday Edition
Wintersday - when Zommoros inhabits a snowglobe and Toy Soldiers march through Lion's Arch.
With the change in season (Wintersday is more than just a day, it's an experience drawn out over more than a month), [stfu] had entered a state of semi-hibernation. Not many events happened over the past few months as folks enjoyed some time off of work/school/etc... to be with family and friends. With the thawing of Lion's Arch, now's as good a time as any to reflect upon the passing of Wintersday.

Nov 22, 2013

Rock the Nightmare!

Halloween feels so far away now, but we are now following through on the events that occurred prior to the Halloween patch. It all started with a shifty magic wall in Kessex Fields that not too many people noticed due to the festivities going on. Then the spell was broken following the annual Halloween extravaganza, and a giant tower was revealed in the middle of Viathan Lake. When ArenaNet revealed the news, they released a trailer with a different type of music than they usually do. Instead of orchestral and grand, they chose heavy metal. As a result many people disliked the trailer. Since then, ArenaNet has announced a contest for the community to make their own trailer for the tower's update using the same song they did. Prizes include Guild Wars 2 branded steelseries merchandise (mice, headphones, keyboards, etc.), and a grand prize of a Guild Wars 2 themed Sygnus Guitar, which I can only presume is a very high end guitar. The contest ends November 26th! As of right now I've only been able to track down two entrees that weren't complete garbage.

ORIGINAL (Not ArenaNet's channel, this is a copied upload from someone else):

ENTREE 1:
If you were wondering, this video is of various trailers and cutscenes ArenaNet made
that were sped up to better fit the tempo of the song. Lazy concept but works.

ENTREE 2:
Similar design to the previous entrant, but with one major difference, they added actual
footage of musicians playing the song and used strictly the footage from the original trailer.
Much more production and value.


So what do you guys think of this content? Are you going to participate in the contest and/or event?
Here's the page: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/enter-the-guild-wars-2-rock-the-nightmare-music-video-contest/

Nov 2, 2013

Screenshot Saturday: Halloween Edition

Screenshot Saturday:  Halloween Edition
The Mad King is a towering fella.
[stfu] was busy this past week enjoying some closure to the Blood and Madness living story content, participating in the Halloween festivities, and exploring the new Tower of Nightmares content pushed out this past Tuesday. Edgar also took a few of us out on an adventure to the end of the world.

Oct 29, 2013

A Mad Halloween Arena

So, ArenaNet occasionally has gem store sales. A recent sale had the Custom Arena Starter Kits discounted within (what I consider) the impulse buy range. We in the guild have been talking about getting our own PvP arena for awhile now, so the trigger was pulled...

Say hello to the [stfu] arena!

Oct 24, 2013

A Very Guild Wars Halloween: Part 2

It's October, which means the Mad King has returned!  But what does this mean for the current Guild Wars 2 universe?

We've seen evidence of his influence throughout the world.  We have doors leading into his realm in the Human region of Kryta, as well as mine-able candy corn nodes and pumpkins just waiting to be carved.  There's a new story this year, involving the Mad King's son, Bloody Prince Edrick.


Upon entering the Mad King's realm, we have a few options for activities, just like last year:

First, you can enter the maze and join the zerg rushing to kill bosses, mine candy corn and close doors.  The candy-crazed mob will overtake your mind until you realize you've finally slain the Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn!  You'll want to beware, however, of his sugar-powered attacks.  They can down in you one hit!

The Mad King's Clock Tower is just as evil a jumping puzzle as it was last year.  Fortunately, they did take into account the difficulty, and now other players show up as wisps on your tower, so your view is no longer blocked by every huge Norn.  Despite the difficulty, [stfu] has some members who have met the challenge.


Finally, there's the Lunatic's Inquisition, which was also available last year. You will either be a villager, trying to survive the night, or a ghost, converting the villagers into your own kind.


Some of the achievements from last year, such as pumpkin carving and candy corn eating, have now become daily achievements during the living story.  It's nice to break up carving your hundreds of pumpkins into 5 per day!  It also limits your binge-candy-corn-eating to 50 at a time.

They've also added some new finishers for PvP and WvWvW, one of which you can get from Halloween events, the other being for sale in the Black Lion Trading Company gem store.


Halloween draws near in Tyria, and the Mad King can't hang around once it's gone.  Be sure to take advantage of the festivities while you can, and maybe you'll get your very own candy corn elemental mini pet!

Oct 21, 2013

A Very Guild Wars Halloween: A Retro Take

It's October!  Seasoned Guild Wars players know that this means it's time for the Mad King to return.

Halloween has long been a tradition in Tyria.  Even 250 years ago, before the Lunatic Court failed to break the seals to release him, the Mad King visited Lion's Arch and left chaos in his wake.


The Mad King Oswald Thorn ruled over Kryta in the 9th century AE, but after his death, he was trapped in the Mad Realm and sealed there, permitted to return to the world only for Halloween.  His insanity and tyranny are probably a parody of the latter part of King Henry VIII's reign in England, especially as he is said to have had eight wives, whom he is said to have killed in a variety of gruesome ways.  Eventually his own subjects caught up to him, killed him with a carving knife and burned down his castle.

Since their first Halloween, ArenaNet has done a wonderful job of making sure the Guild Wars universe reflects this change in the season.  Lion's Arch was decorated in a traditionally spooky fashion, down to the moon grinning down upon you.


Before Halloween, quests and new drops would begin to appear around Lion's Arch and Kamadan, and it culminated in the Mad King's grand visit on Halloween proper, where subjects would be rewarded with trick-or-treat bags for obeying his wishes and death for defiance.  Oh, those were the good times, listening to his jokes, playing Mad King Says and watching him pick victims from the audience to play Rock Paper Scissors.  Once he left, you would even receive non-armor head items to wear to celebrate Halloween all year long!


This is an idea of how Halloween has been celebrated in Tyria in the past.  What about now, in the present-day Guild Wars 2 universe?

You'll have to wait until next time for that...

Oct 17, 2013

Patch Updates: Blood and Madness

Shortly following the one year anniversary of Guild Wars 2's release comes the first annual event, the Halloween update!

So many of us had been looking forward to this patch because of either the joy we got out of it last year or because it finally offers those of us who missed out a chance to catch up. Here's the official ArenaNet trailer to get you in the mood.



This year the story follows the son of the mad king Bloody Prince Edrick when he awakes from his coffin his father trapped him in for lord knows how long. When he awakens you must throw candy corn at him (his weakness) until he retreats. When I fought him it was possible to kill him with some of my necromancer skills, but doing so would prevent him from retreating, preventing Magister Tassi from giving you the tiny golem relay with the directions on what to do next, so it is strongly advised to NOT kill the Bloody Prince even if you can when you first meet him.

Mad Realm Doors spawn in the regions of Gendarran Fields, Queensdale, and Kessex Hills. Interacting with any random door may throw candy out, spawn monsters for you to fight, or allow you to enter the Mad King's Labyrinth.

Inside the labyrinth map you map warp to the Mad King's Clock Tower, the Lunatic Inquisition, or simply into the labyrinth grounds.

Yes, the Mad King's Clock Tower is back and as hard as it was last year. While the prizes at the end of the puzzle may not be that great, the real reward comes from the sheer satisfaction of finally completing the bloody thing, which I have yet to experience.

Other updates include new Halloween related rewards for various events and better World vs World rewards. New features include combat quality tweaks, trait and tooltip tweaks, a whole slew of class updates and balancing, and the first WvW season, encouraging more activity in your server's battlegrounds. And of course there's a couple things in the Gem Store to get you into the scary feeling.

For more information, visit the official Guild Wars 2 release page: Click Here For Release Page

--Andrew Cyburt (Mystic Thriler)

 
Design by Wordpress Themes | Bloggerized by Free Blogger Templates | Macys Printable Coupons