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Flameseeker Chronicles: Puzzle jumping in Guild Wars 2
I've been meaning to talk about jumping puzzles for a while. I haven't made it through quite all of the ones in Guild Wars 2 yet, but I'm getting closer to that point all the time. The problem is that I never want to just sit down and hammer out three or four in a session because I feel that'd take away from some of the fun of it, so I get to one every little while, and I treasure it, and that's actually pretty OK by me. In my opinion, jumping puzzles are some of the most well-polished content in the game, as well as some of the most exciting. The designers seem to have been able to really do whatever they could imagine in them, and that pays off in really incredible encounters, gorgeous sights, and super fun challenges. Since I haven't been through all of them yet, I can't really put out a decisive top picks list, but I'd like to talk about some of my favorites.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The Gathering Storm preview
I know that nothing (nothing in the whole world, in the history of ever) sucks like waiting for the patch on patch day. There's the promise of wonderful things in the future, but they're just so tantalizingly out of reach. So what better way to pass the time waiting for Guild Wars 2's February patch than by talking about it? I got a bit of a sneak preview at the incoming content over the weekend, so let's take a look at the nitty-gritty of what awaits us in the The Gathering Storm.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The storm clouds are gathering in Guild Wars 2
I really wanted to talk with you about jumping puzzles this week, but jumping puzzles last forever and there's been some super cool stuff coming out about Guild Wars 2's February patch. We can talk jumping puzzles some other time, and I dearly hope we will, but for now there's an oncoming storm and new PvP stuff and guild missions and it's all just so very exciting. Let's get to it, shall we?
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars features I wish had made it to Guild Wars 2
You may have noticed, but Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 are different games. I thought we'd clear that up to begin with. In fact, they're such different games that there are oodles of people who are fans of one but not the other (typically, most of these folks seem to be in favor of Guild Wars 2, but I know a fair few staunch supporters of the original). I happen to be a fan of both games, although I definitely find it a little disconcerting to switch between the two games. Most of that is because of things that the sequel does better, like casting on the move, a player auction house, and (in my opinion) the downed state. Some of it's because of things that aren't so much about quality as style, like the existence (or lack thereof) of Monks and heavy instancing. And then there are things that I really loved in the original that aren't around anymore.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Flame and Frost
Well, my goodness! We've got a week of the Flame and Frost prelude patch behind us, and what a week it's been! The patch notes for this sucker were impressive; for a relatively minor patch, the Flame and Frost prelude brought in a lot of tweaks and updates. I'm kind of glad for that, as quality of life additions were top on my list for hopes for Guild Wars 2 in 2013. I'm very pleased with ArenaNet for shoring up the content that's already out rather than leaving it be in the rush to get out new content. So! Let's take a look at what ArenaNet brought us in the past week.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The open world and you
When we're discussing endgame and the long haul in Guild Wars 2, it can be really easy to talk about dungeons and instanced stuff and WvW and other things that can kind of cause you to forget the open world. The open world is cool! Just like there are people who haven't left sPvP and haven't left WvW, there are other people who are totally happy exploring every nook and cranny of the wide world. I dislike the idea of the world being neglected as soon as one turns 80, because I'm pretty darn sure that it's nearly impossible to really see all there is to see before 80. This whole discussion comes with the caveat that we probably disagree about what endgame is. We'll talk about things that can be done in Guild Wars 2, which means they might be part of your endgame, if they are things you haven't done and things that you enjoy. Some of them will help you progress along some arbitrary track; others most likely will not. They can be done post-80, for sure, but by and large the open world is full of things that can be done just about any time, depending on your sense of style.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Glitching in Guild Wars 2
Last week was crazily newsy in the world of Guild Wars 2. One might even call it newsilicious. Between a look at the next handful of months, an announcement about guesting and paid world transfers, and a developer livestream about rewards, WvW, and other stuff, last week was just ridiculously full of information. We'll be seeing the first bits of all that prophecy come into being on the 28th, when January's patch officially hits, bringing with it, among other things, guesting. The guesting announcement was fairly ill-received, due almost entirely to the news that it wouldn't work between North American and European servers. Up 'til now, you could always talk to folks from the other data center, but you couldn't actually play with them without transferring. Now you still can't play with them without transferring (and you can still talk to them), and people were really hoping we'd be able to do the whole guesting across regions thing. I'm hopeful that it will come in at some point, but I still can't see guesting as a net loss in any way. There's a lot of digesting to do with all that news, though, so let's start things off by not talking about any of it.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The game at the end of Guild Wars 2, revisited
I tend to dislike the term "endgame" because I suspect most people have scribbled out their own definition of the word and that anyone who dares to use it in reference to anything outside of that definition is summarily dismissed and excommunicated. I'm never quite sure what it is I'm being excommunicated from, mind you, but there's definitely a feeling of being suddenly, inexplicably, apart. Alien. Other. Anyway, I hope we can agree that endgame is what happens at the, well, end of the game -- after the game has been, in some way, finished. We all know that this is ludicrous, right? As long as you're playing the game, the game is not ended, and expecting that it will change substantially enough to be classified in a new way is kind of silly. But people persist in using the term, and they persist in differing over when, precisely, the endgame starts. Does it start when you've hit the game's level cap, if there is one? How about when you've finished the game's storyline, if it has one? You might've noticed that I'm kind of endgame agnostic. Regardless, let's go ahead and talk about Guild Wars 2's.
Flameseeker Chronicles: War stories in Guild Wars 2
I'm really big on the moments in games that turn into memories, whether that's in Guild Wars 2, your pen and paper variety of choice, or any other game. I mean, you probably remember a lot of your time in-game (unless you play a lot while really tired or otherwise impaired), but there's a difference between, say, recalling some of the quests you had to complete in order to fill a renown heart and recounting that seriously epic time that you and that other Guardian (whom you haven't seen since) totally took on that Champion Jungle Troll all on your own and stomped his face, man, even though you were both underleveled -- you just swapped to scepter/focus and kited him around while the other dude was whalin' on him with the great sword and it was just so cool. (We were really proud of ourselves, OK?) Similarly, there's a difference between walking up to an NPC-defended tower and laying siege to a player-defended one. Sure, you'll probably remember both of them, but one is going to make the sort of experience that sticks with you.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Hopes for the new year in Guild Wars 2
It's the dawn of a brave new year. Guild Wars 2 is still in its infancy, really -- ArenaNet's work in this year will do a lot to shape the future and lasting impact of the game. With apparently an expansion's worth of content coming out in January and February, this certainly promises to be an exciting year. I don't know whether the following things are predictions or hopes, but they can't be all that much more inaccurate than fondling sheep guts.
Flameseeker Chronicles: A visit from Toymaker Tixx
'Twas late in the night, and throughout Rata Sum not a creature was stirring -- no, not even one. The garlands were laid out, the decorations prepared, for, on the morrow, Wintersday would be there. The progeny slumbered, snug in their beds, while schematics of golems danced in their heads. I'd bid goodnight to my krewe and turned off my station and made myself ready for light hibernation when from outside my lab there arose such a clatter I sent my VAL-A to see what was the matter. It rose at my bidding and trundled outside and called out, "ALERT. DISTURBANCE UN-I-DEN-TI-FIED."
Flameseeker Chronicles: The Guild Wars 2 end-of-the-year awards
The end of the year seems to be a good time for awards -- all the cool kids are doing it, and Massively is nothing if not cool. Guild Wars 2 has been around long enough for me to have made some favorites. I've talked about features and things I loathe and love before, but now it's time to call out specific NPCs and instances, rather than general features. Before we get any further with this: These awards are purely my own opinion. Disagree with me? Great; write your own end-of-the-year awards. The more, the merrier.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Have a holly, jolly Wintersday
Wintersday is steadily creeping up on Tyria -- on both Tyrias, as it were: Guild Wars is getting its annual holiday decorations starting the 13th, and Guild Wars 2 will join in the festivities on the 14th. The holiday event lasts through January 2nd for Guild Wars and 3rd for Guild Wars 2, so maybe don't fret so much on when you're going to get in to enjoy the goings-on. That's a nice change from the somewhat abbreviated schedule of the October and November content updates. But be warned, hero: There's a war on Wintersday. Don't believe me? Read on to find out.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Ascended gear in Guild Wars 2
It's time to take a look at the new Guild Wars 2 item rarity: the Ascended tier. The first bits of Ascended gear came in with the Lost Shores patch, but we've been a little busy since then, have we not? Anyway, ArenaNet's Chris Whiteside took some time (like, the better part of a workday -- and then he went home and kept on taking time) to do an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, which largely focused on the question of Ascended stuff and what it means for the game. So let's get into it, shall we?
Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: The spotter's guide to the Fractals of the Mists, part two
Hello, volunteer, and welcome back to the Spotter's Guide to the Fractals of the Mists! We're here to teach you the difference between an Urban Battleground and an Uncategorized fractal, a Bloomhunger and a Mossman, and a chicken and a Charr. Part one came out earlier this week, so be sure to check it out if you're looking for the full guidebook for Guild Wars 2's newest dungeon; otherwise, let's move on!
Flameseeker Chronicles: The spotter's guide to the Fractals of the Mists
Welcome to the Mists, volunteer! What's that you say? You didn't volunteer? Well, you're here, aren't you? I'd say that's good enough. Now, if you and your party will be so kind as to pop into these unstable fractals and clear out all the ravening monsters inside, I'd be... "What are fractals," you ask? The Fractals of the Mists dungeon has been out and playable for a couple of weeks now and is possibly the greatest content addition in the Lost Shores patch. If you have around Lion's Arch for more than a few seconds, you're likely to see scads of LFG requests in mapchat. Don't let the number of people looking for level 21+ runs scare you off! Everyone starts somewhere -- in this case, it's at level 1. Let's take a look at what awaits you within Guild Wars 2's fractals.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2's Lost Shores recap
I won't be the first one to point this out, but almost as annoying as his eagerness to tell the citizens of Tyria about his new tourist destination (he was so eager that he actually interrupted himself -- constantly) was Subdirector Blingg's use of the phrase "most unique." No idea what I'm talking about? Then you likely didn't get a lot of hands-on time with Guild Wars 2 over the weekend. While Southsun Cove and the Fractals of the Mists are still around for your enjoyment, you missed out on the Lost Shores event itself. Some people will dispute whether or not you actually "missed out." They'd argue, I suppose, that there wasn't a ton of missing out to do. We differ on that point. Anyway, jump below the cut to catch the skinny on this weekend in in Guild Wars 2: the good, the unfortunate, and the maddening.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Five of the purest joys of Guild Wars 2's PvE
I had a really bright idea to title this post "Five things that don't suck about Guild Wars 2's PvE." However, being a denizen of the Interblags, I paused as I typed out those words. "You know, Elisabeth," I said to myself, "someone somewhere would probably see that as an invitation to troll." "But Elisabeth," myself responded, "isn't everything on the Interblags an invitation to troll?" I had to confess that I made a fair point. I mean, it was probably a silly title anyway. There are a lot of things, I tend to think, that don't suck about Guild Wars 2's PvE, and I don't want to give you the wrong impression. Saying they don't suck is a pretty negative way to frame it, don't you think? I'm glad we agree. Anyway, read on to catch some of the most non-suckiest things in Guild Wars 2's PvE.
Flameseeker Chronicles: There's something in the water in Guild Wars 2
October is gone, and with it went the Mad King. He's returned to his realm, and if the number of his slippers I have piled up in the corners of my bank vault is any indication, he's ill-prepared to deal with any sudden drops in temperature. On the first day of November, Lion's Arch citizens marveled at the sudden disappearance of all the festive decorations, applauded the continuity of the lion statue's still being absent from the Piazza, and set about life as normal. Until they saw the whales.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The good, the mad, and the Lunatic
Things have been getting spookier and spookier around the land of Tyria. If you're a Guild Wars 2 player, I sincerely hope for your own sake that you've been able to get some time in-game in the last few days. A lot has been going on -- there've been scavenger hunts, dark tales unfolding, spectral energy levels rising, maddening races up clock towers, and so much more! Have you been missing out? Trying to decide how best to spend your precious holiday time in-game? Let's take a look at some of the big changes that have been creeping in with the shadow of the Mad King.
