helloo

[bitchinsandy]

I had no idea there were people on dreamwidth who liked GW2 as much as i do, i'm happy to know that there is.
i'm curious -- how long have you all been playing? i just started i believe this month or maybe last month because i was looking for a decent and free to play mmorpg (and got very pleasantly surprised LOL, especially the lack of major paywalls / locking you behind levels.) i haven't played for a few days but i'm obsessed with it and it's a beautifully crafted environment.

edit: oops....nevermind. i'm apparently about 12 years late to this party LMAO

Comments

[larathia]

I think I've been playing for seven or eight years? Something like that? I came in just after LWS2 finished, but before Heart of Thorns was released - HoT was the first expansion I remember buying, and I was so hyped when the zone opened up for testing. (And then enraged, because my main is a ranger and DRUID? GAAAAH. I so did not want to be a healer. SO mad.)

[bitchinsandy]

oh hello! glad to know i didnt disturb any peace by commenting in this community LOL. i assumed after 2012 the activity here died down.

very cool about how long you've been dedicated. -- my guy is a sylvari elementalist and ive found i rarely use healing options LOL. i wish i was there when it all first happened but i'm getting into MMORPG's very late in the game. i haven't gotten any of the packs due to fear that i won't like or use them (the game DID take up a lot of space on my PC already and i get weary when i need to spend money) seems some are better than others i guess? admittedly i only know how sylvari's work since i have a measly 7% of the world map completed as my guy and haven't made any other characters -- which i definitely should since i was curious about all the other professions. im sure for a game around for this long there's been some let downs and improvements -- hopefully more improvements than bad. ive found most mmo's can be finicky in nature though so it makes sense for there to be some messy mechanics or features that just flop. when i first signed up for it it wouldn't let me use my main email and i had to go for my childhood one instead, for some odd reason, along with some other in-game bugs here and there. it's been pretty nice though

[larathia]

The main benefits of the expansions are the skills you can take out of them.

For Heart of Thorns, it's gliding and mushroom skills, which do show up in other zones afterward and can be used in main game zones.

For path of fire, it's mounts. Mounts and mount skills are insanely useful and make a lot of other zones much easier. A lot of newer players will do path of fire BEFORE heart of thorns (that's not story order) because mounts make some of the HOT zones SO MUCH EASIER to get through, whereas without mounts they're...disorienting and scary.

I will say that storywise, Heart of Thorns is THE Sylvari expansion. LWS2 and HOT are ultimately very special for sylvari characters - you will hear and experience things as you play through them that human characters do not. And it's all about who and what the sylvari really are.

[bitchinsandy]

interesting, i'll have to look into that. i'm glad i know about the order, while i may not purchase expansion packs for some time its always good to know story order. im very nitpicky about it myself LOL.

i'm a very big fan of the sylvari, they're a really interesting race already outside of the expansion pack, as are all the other races. it's interesting to see a company break off of the typical "elf, human, dwarf" kind of thing. do you play multiple characters to get different perspectives or just focus on one character? im curious since i havent officially made another character yet and i think(?) most people have more than one either for skill progression or story progression.

[larathia]

Sylvari are basically elves. (nature loving, creative, curious) and charr are basically dwarves (metalworkers, warriors), but I do appreciate the inversion here that the elves are the YOUNGEST race. And humans are among the older races.

For the most part playing multiple races doesn't net you much in the way of additional insights. Heart of Thorns is the only exception; sylvari get a different experience of the story than other races do. That said, there are a lot of places where being a different CLASS will net you a somewhat different experience. Playing through LWS2 as an engineer comes to mind. And there are points in Path of Fire where you have to make a choice that permanently affects NPC dialogue thereafter, so people will often use alts to see all the options play out.It's looking like the latest content also has choices like that.

Story order is usually Living World, Living World, Expac, Living World, Living World, Expac.

Base Game, LWS2, Heart of Thorns, LWS3, LWS4, Path of Fire, LW...I sorta lost track around here. I think I've got all the seasons but I'd have to log in to get them all written down.

That said, the GW2 wiki is your bestest bestest friend. It'll have all the seasons in all the right order, and class/race notes about big decisions.

[berryfairyghost]

I just searched for gw2 under interests here and I was like :D when I saw your recent post, then scrolled down to see the last one before that was ...SO long ago lmao.

I've been playing but VERY on and off. Regardless, I looove Guild Wars 2! :') Even if I still have a lot of catching up to do. I last left my storyline in Path of Fire, but now I'm replaying some early things so my partner can catch up. Plus, I missed out on a bunch of living world content back since it wasn't replayable for a long time.

Anyhoos, I still love Tyria very dearly! I find the lore so cool, the world design so gorgeous, and I just love Sylvari. It's always exciting to see other GW2 enjoyers!

[bitchinsandy]

i agree i was really surprised to actually see people active after 2012 -- very thankful that's so but WOW. hopefully i can help make things more lively on dreamwidth for GW2 enjoyers since i'm a very big one myself LOL. i've also been suuuper on and off, i need to get back into my storyline. GW2 is genuinely the only RPGMMO i've actually thoroughly enjoyed thus far that doesn't make everything super unbearable despite the bugs here and there. it's SO immersive and feels extremely real which is extremely rare for me to experience in games. the designs are so detailed for an RPGMMO and don't look like they've been put into a hydraulic press 6 times, thank god. i'm happy other people like it too, especially on dreamwidth. it deserves to have such a strong fanbase considering how solid it actually is.

[berryfairyghost]

GW2 is genuinely the only RPGMMO i've actually thoroughly enjoyed thus far that doesn't make everything super unbearable (...) it's SO immersive and feels extremely real

Dude! I feel the same! I've always been a big dweeb about and have gone so far as to call it a third home of sorts. xD haha~

It's just so comforting! I got really attached to the main map. I would love to just go to areas and just like... look around and take screencaps for myself even though nothing was really happening because everything just felt so "lived in."

One of my favorite places was the town with the wizard castle floating in the distance. I was always so intrigued by that mystery. I came to find out the other day that apparently one of the newer story beats ADDRESSES THAT CHARACTER? omg, I'm so excited to get to that part. I wondered for so long, and years later it gets attention! I love that about Guild Wars! It's such a "real" WORLD with so much attention to detail!

I also agree that the art team really put a lot of love into everything!

[berryfairyghost]

PS: I'd love to help shake some life back into this place somehow btw!
Maybe I'll share some fanart.
I've procrastinated so long on drawing my main because Sylvari are just so intimidating for me to draw! haha xD The "skin" is so full of color and textures, and I want to do her justice. Perhaps now that I've gotten a bit better I can tackle the project again.

[bitchinsandy]

it really is super comforting and immersive. a lot of MMORPGs skim out on the graphics to cut budget but these guys really put their all and i find that so respectable.

i'm also a HUGE dweeb LOL, i hate to admit it but sometimes i wish i was there instead of here sometimes since it's so full of life.

i havent heard of that castle yet! that sounds really exciting. i think i'm on like...9% of the map?? so i have a long while to go LMAO but i'm excited for that, and for all the other map areas for that matter. it feels like theres so much to explore and so many things to find out and that's the best kind of tactic for a fantasy MMORPG. and about your art, i'd love to see that here! sylvari definitely look hard to draw but i think you could do it. practice is valuable.

if i ever make art of GW2 i'll be sure to post it here too, maybe when i'm a little more attached to my character. really cool that you're also an artist!

[berryfairyghost]

I look forward to see your gw2 art too if you get inspired and feel compelled to share!

And I much look forward to your getting to experience more of the map! c: It's really nifty to meet people who appreciate the detail in worldbuilding. And I totally feel you on the "I wish I was there instead of here" feelings

I looked it up and the place I'm talking about is a small town called Garenhoff. You might come through it organically if you're following the asura personal story.

But small excerpt from the wiki, so you can remember this comment thread when you get there xD
Garenhoff is a small port town located in the south east of Kessex Hills in Wizard's Fief. The village is heavily populated with tamed Earth and Ice Elementals, which protect the town and perform a variety of labor. The elementals are summoned by Isgarren, who lives in Wizard's Tower; they obey whatever commands the villagers give them. Due to this, the village is considered the safest place in the land, and due to the Wizard's Tower and elementals has heavy tourist traffic.