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Flameseeker Chronicles: Who watches Guild Wars 2's watchknights?
A few weeks ago, I covered a few possibilities for the direction of the Guild Wars 2 patch that was known at the time as The Queen's Speech, now revealed to actually be Clockwork Chaos. The majority of it didn't pan out, which is to be expected when engaging in wild mass guessing; I'll be a little disappointed if ArenaNet has really decided to retcon the hints it previously set up around the Great Collapse, but we know that the Crown Pavilion Arena will probably be revisited at some point and there's always a chance for things to go wrong in lots of different ways. The plus side is that Scarlet Briar is exactly the kind of villain GW2 has been hurting for, and her presence on the playing field is opening up all kinds of potential directions for the plot. Behind the cut are spoilers for this chapter of the living story as well as Scott McGough's short story What Scarlet Saw. Join me in the depths of hopeless nerditude and let's discuss the new lore elements this release has introduced!
Flameseeker Chronicles: A brief history of Guild Wars 2's Tyria
I see a lot of questions about whether or not people who want to play Guild Wars 2 should jump into the original in the (increasingly diminishing) time left before launch. I don't think there's really a one-size-fits-all answer to that question. For those of you who are worried about missing a bunch of lore and history, however, I can do a little to help with an introduction to Tyria, its history, and the events leading up to Guild Wars 2. This won't be exhaustive (see the word brief in the title?), but it might help you understand what the dragon nonsense is about and what's going on with the world you're stepping into. Except where events had exceptional impact, this focuses mostly on what happened in the continent (not the entire world) of Tyria. I hope it goes without saying that there are lore spoilers ahead, as well as Guild Wars campaign spoilers.
A week of humanity for Guild Wars 2
Even though they've been the only playable race for all of Guild Wars, humans have never had an easy run of things. Beset by enemies that destroyed the nations of Ascalon and Orr, manipulated by otherworldly beings, and thrown into conflict again and again, human beings have always triumphed in the end. And while the 250 years between the original game and Guild Wars 2 have only served to heap more indignities on the race, the nation of Kryta has withstood the onslaughts and endured. That's why humans are the first race to be featured with a full week of discussion. Human Week is kicking off today for Guild Wars 2 with three pieces of concept art and plans for the next several days. Tuesday will see a reveal on the human story and crafting the proper tone, Wednesday will be reserved for discussing human style and clothing, and Thursday will see more background detail and a homeland video tour. Then Friday will unveil the balance between Kryta's three armed factions, no doubt one of the main flashpoints for conflict in the game's story. GW2 might be starting with the most familiar race of all, but as always, the lore and design reveals promise to be anything but pedestrian.
One Shots: A light to guide the way
With Guild Wars 2 looming on the horizon, more players are headed back into Guild Wars to build up their individual Halls of Monuments before the game launches. Thanks to our very own Rubi, we've got an excellent, ever-increasing series of guides illuminating just how to gather awards as ye may. For those who may not be joining the monument-chasing fray, we instead have today's scenic image from Hawk Nevermore. He writes in to explain a bit more about this beach scene: "I was out doing the daily Zaishen mission when I got sidetracked by an uncontrollable urge to explore a shaded-out area of my minimap. That brought me to this hidden gem of a screenshot -- a magnificent view of the white sands of Kryta, dominated by the tower of a castle in the distance. Watch out, though: This place isn't a paradise. There's lots of hostile drakes and undead populating these beaches." One Shots is all about what you, the players, are doing. If you'd like to share your screenshots and experiences with everyone, then gather them up and send them to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-85937%
