flameseeker-chronicles
Latest
Flameseeker Chronicles: High achievers
Well, ArenaNet certainly didn't let 2011 go out on a quiet note. The team had a few last tricks up its sleeve before closing down shop until the new year. We chatted with Eric Flannum about the Guild Wars 2 Mesmer, and the newest ArenaNet blog post contained some exciting talk of combat, achievements, and some tweaking to the Thief class. I loved hearing about the updates to the Thief and to combat because the fact that the developers are talking about fine-tuning says good things to me about the development process. However, it was the talk of achievements that really caught my attention because it's such a sweeping, game-wide system. Follow along after the jump and let's take a closer look!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Why must they starve then drown us?
Today's Flameseeker Chronicles title comes to you courtesy of one of Massively's livestream team members, echoing the wails of many news-starved fans of all things Tyrian. In a classic case of 'be careful what you wish for," we got the Guild Wars 2 Mesmer, two enormous Q&A sessions with the devs, a bit of closed beta news, and Wintersday and new costumes in Guild Wars 1, all in just a few short days. I need to lie down. While I do that, follow along after the jump for a rundown of all the excitement of last week.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars' elite areas -- The Underworld
All is still quiet on the Guild Wars 2 front, and I'm almost thankful since I was hoping to be able to go over The Underworld in Guild Wars this week. There's a lot more to say about this area because it's so much more difficult, but you can do it -- I promise. The general tips I gave last week apply to this area as much as the others, so take a moment to skim through those as well. There's so much to say that I'm anxious to dive right in, so let's not waste any time. Follow along after the cut!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars' elite areas -- The Fissure of Woe
As 2011 draws to a close and hordes of hopeful Guild Wars 2 fans look to 2012 for a possible launch, people are beginning to turn eyes back to the Hall of Monuments. (No, stop that. We're not debating launch dates; I'm just saying.) It's been over a year since ArenaNet unveiled the Hall of Monuments calculator. I wrote the Road to 50 Hall of Monuments guide series right away, so you guys probably have the basics done and are looking at some of the more challenging parts of Guild Wars. If you're not familiar with the series, I definitely recommend you check it out -- there are separate guides for those who are starting with only three points, those who are aiming for 30 points, and those who want to go all 50. With that in mind, I want to spend some time on one of my favorite parts of the game: elite areas. If you've finished all three campaigns and the expansion -- preferably both in normal and hard mode -- and you're ready for a bigger challenge, it's time to take on the elite areas. I'll be focusing on one elite area each week while we wait for Guild Wars 2 news, so follow along and let's get you started on the first area: the Fissure of Woe. Ready, set, kill!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Memory lane and the delights of anticipation
The clock is ticking -- 2011 is winding down (less than six weeks left!) and Guild Wars 2 fans everywhere have closed beta on the brain. This news has been out there for a very long time, but just to eliminate any confusion, I'll go straight to a recent quote from Martin Kerstein: "We will enter CBT before the end of the year, and depending on the results we get from it, we will decide on Open Beta and Launch." The phrase "small closed beta" has also been tossed around, so I seriously doubt ArenaNet plans to go all BioWare on us and start slinging hundreds of thousands of keys in every direction. (Of course, Star Wars: The Old Republic is exactly one month out from launch at this point, and Guild Wars 2 is definitely not.) That doesn't stop us, the fans, from having a pile of questions. When will the beta start? How many people will get in? How long will it last? Will it be ongoing or weekends only? What is the development team hoping to focus on? Only time will tell, but it doesn't stop us from waiting, wondering, and anticipating. (Aside to the developers: I'm out of town this Wednesday through Sunday. Please don't do anything then.) There's a lot to look forward to, but at the moment we're in the lull that comes after new information has been revealed, dissected, and discussed to pieces. We're waiting for whatever comes next, so I'm going to take the opportunity to look in the other direction: back. Follow along after the jump to join me on memory lane.
Flameseeker Chronicles: The news doors haven't shut... yet
More news! More updates! Be still my heart! No, seriously. It does my fangirl heart such good to see all of these cool updates and details about Guild Wars 2 over the past few weeks. Between the animation updates, the skill updates, and the earnings call, there's plenty to discuss. I was so excited to see the updated cutscenes, although I couldn't stop giggling at the male character shifting from foot to foot -- I kept waiting for him to ask the Priestess of Dwayna where the bathroom was. That's not a reflection on ArenaNet's design team so much as a testament to my years as the mother of a boy. It's all about the bathroom humor around here. The new skill acquisition system was great in my book, and the news from the earnings call... well, why don't you follow along after the cut and we'll delve into all of that more deeply.
Flameseeker Chronicles: C-C-C-Combo maker
Sing hallelujah, for the Guild Wars 2 news drought is over! (The information gates may now slam shut for another excruciating period of time, but I'm choosing not to think about that.) Jon Peters brought us all sorts of exciting information on pets, Engineer changes, and cross-profession combos last week on the ArenaNet blog. Now that we've had some time to absorb the news and talk it over, I wanted to take some time to look at it more closely, particularly the cross-profession combos. Follow along after the jump and let's get started!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Zola's a little cranky, and so am I
Halloween is here! OK, technically Halloween has been in Tyria for a week and a half, but Mad King Thorn is here today! By now, everyone's hit Lion's Arch and Kamadan to pick up festival masks, we've mobbed the King in the hopes of getting chosen for Rock Paper Scissors, and we've laughed at his delightfully horrible jokes. (And before you even ask, yes, the pumpkin-on-head joke still cracks me up.) I've thoroughly enjoyed almost all of Halloween 2011 in Guild Wars. Yep, I said almost. There's a single aspect of this festival that stands out very strongly and unpleasantly to me. Follow along after the jump, and let's talk it over.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Pumpkinhead edition
Halloween is here! Yes, yes, it's here in real life, but it's here in Tyria as well! Halloween is one of my favorite Guild Wars celebrations for a lot of silly reasons. I love tapping the "R" key and unleashing a string of Ghosts-in-the-Box, I love the costumes, I love the beleaguered citizens of Lion's Arch and Kamadan (they're so funny and mopey in their transformed states!), and most of all I love the Mad King Thorn and his stupid jokes. I know they're lame and I don't care. The pumpkin-on-head joke slays me every year. As of this writing, the new quests haven't dropped yet, but there's still plenty to do. Follow along after the jump and let's take a look at what's going on in Tyria!
Flameseeker Chronicles: A closer look at the Grawl of Guild Wars 2
I was pretty excited to see this week's addition to the ArenaNet blog for a couple of reasons reasons. First, I'm a big fan of Jeff Grubb's style of storytelling. It's clear, informative, and entertaining, with just enough of Jeff's wry sense of humor to surprise a laugh out of me now and again. Second, it's about the Grawl! This is a race that I really underappreciated in the past, just like the blog entry said. The Grawl came to my attention only when I was giggling as my miniature Grawl talked to himself while running behind me, raging at multiple Grawl Udolytes in hard mode, and cracking up while watching one of my favorite fan videos. I want to take a closer look at the Grawl, but there's more -- it was an exciting week in Tyria, so follow along after the jump and let's get started!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Community, contests, and minion apocalypse
This week's Flameseeker Chronicles is a bit of a departure. Rather than compiling a guide or a wrap-up of the latest news or content, we're going to sit back, relax, and have a little bit of fun. The timing couldn't be better: We're in a post-convention lull for Guild Wars 2, Winds of Change part two has arrived and been played through, and Halloween events aren't here quite yet. It's a chance to take a bit of a breather, so this week I'm focusing on some community events and a little extra. Jump past the cut and let's get started!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Round two - Fight!
Winds of Change part two has arrived to Guild Wars, and there was definitely much rejoicing. I've been looking forward to this content for a while now for many different reasons. Many of you probably know I dived in headfirst with a nice-sized audience with a livestream event an hour after the update arrived, and let me tell you: There's nothing like stumbling through unfamiliar high-level content with a few hundred people watching. Including some of the people who created that content. That's right, ArenaNet team members John Stumme, Andrew Patrick, John Foreman, and Joe Kimmes joined the livestream chat room. They watched the livestream, offered tips, talked Winds of Change with the viewers, and answered questions. I want to take a moment to extend my thanks to these guys. They were incredibly gracious and wound up staying in chat for not only the entire livestream event but over an hour afterwards as well. I think everyone attending really appreciated that they took those hours from their busy schedules for this. What about the rest of Winds of Change? Follow along after the jump and let's talk!
Flameseeker Chronicles: The clock is ticking
Disclaimer: Today's Flameseeker Chronicles is more along the "observation and thinking aloud" line than the "guide or news" line, so your input is very welcome at the end. It's been well over a year since the Hall of Monuments was unveiled for Guild Wars 2, bringing with it a large and ongoing influx of new players. These are players who either tried Guild Wars 1 and it didn't stick for them, or players who never tried it in the first place but are here now to prepare for Guild Wars 2. New players are great -- a bigger community is often a win for everyone involved. But this new playerbase isn't exactly what we've been used to. Follow along after the jump and let's take a look.
Guild Wars 2 designers deliver more Asura goodies: Inquest and Golems
Other games have Dwarves or Gnomes for their token cutesy miniature race, but filling this role for Guild Wars 2 are the Asura. Last week, ArenaNet devoted a whole week to these spunky munchkins, expounding on everything from their history to architectural influences. Today, Designers Jon Peters, Jeff Grubb, and Ree Soesbee delivered an extra dose of Asura by giving us the lowdown on the Inquest and battle suit Golems. First, Grubb and Soesbee told PC Gamer that the Inquest wanted to be the culture that invented the device that would take down the elder dragons, and its members are willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. Grubb explained, "Most Asuras will not experiment on sentients. That's one of those things that's just not a good thing. The Inquest don't have that limitation. They are more willing to not just manipulate, but to harm others because they've made the judgment that they're superior and therefore have the right to do what they will without worrying about you." Jon Peters was a little less verbose regarding the Asura's battle suit skills, mostly because these abilities are still in development. However, we learned that although the battle suit is designed for a single operator, when a battle suit is called, any race can pilot it. And when asked if these mechs could be used in PvP, Peters replied, "In World vs World vs World PvP, absolutely yes! In competitive PvP the battle suit will get banned from tournaments." We hope you caught all of ArenaNet's Asura-related activities last week. If not, we have everything you need to know right here, including a wrap-up in today's Flameseeker Chronicles.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Asura week wrapup
The videos have been watched, the stories have been read, the short jokes have been made, and we lumbering Bookahs have been put in our collective place. Guild Wars 2's Asura Week is over, bringing with it the end of Guild Wars 2 race reveals. We've now had an in-depth look at all five races of Tyria, and I have to say that these little guys might be my favorite. I was pretty enamored of them after logging some Asura playtime at PAX, and I loved getting to know their cocky little selves even better this week. Follow along after the jump and let's take a look at some of the highlights of Asura Week!
Flameseeker Chronicles: The care and feeding of your PUG
As I joined the rest of you in anxiously awaiting the beginning of Asura Week, I thought over what to discuss in this week's Flameseeker Chronicles. Last week was the usual calm before the storm, so I was a little stuck for a topic. As is often the way, some quality time with Guild Wars and my alliance solved that problem! While I was playing last week, I was keeping an eye on a discussion in alliance chat regarding PUG groups and the frustration that some of my allies were experiencing at their virtual hands. It set me to thinking about the unusual situation PUGs find themselves in in Guild Wars, so follow along after the jump and let's talk about it!
Flameseeker Chronicles: The pros and cons of multiple guild membership
ArenaNet may have increased the speed of Guild Wars 2 reveals in a big way, but we've still got a long-running question that's not been answered: How will guilds work? In a game where guilds are an important-enough feature to be included in the game's name, it's natural that we'd be very eager to know how they fit in. We still don't have many details, but last week we got one very important one. The ArenaNet crew made an announcement regarding guilds at PAX: "Guild membership is account wide, and you can add as many guilds as you like. You will be able to choose, at any time and on any character, which guild chat you are viewing and what guilds you are currently affiliated with." (Hat tip to Elixabeth at TalkTyria.) This is an exciting development, and it's spurred a lot of talk in the GW2 community, so I want to take a closer look. Follow along the jump and let's talk guilds in Guild Wars 2!
Flameseeker Chronicles: PAX 2011 travel diary
Welcome to my own version of post-holiday letdown. Just like last year, PAX is over and I'm a little sad. I'm dead tired, my feet are killing me, and I'm dreading trying to organize and pack the chaos of my hotel room, but I wish it were last Friday morning again. I had meetings that took me all over the show floor during the three days of PAX, but of course my downtime was all about Guild Wars 2: standing in line for demo time, checking out what panels I could, and chatting with the development team. Today's Flameseeker Chronicles is what I can now call my annual PAX travel diary, so hit the jump and I'll catch you all up on PAX, ArenaNet style!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Information overload
Early last week I had a fail-proof strategy in place for handling Gamescom. I'd diligently watch the Guild Wars 2 news coming from the event, and at the end of the week, do a nice neat wrap-up for all of you. It's OK, you can laugh -- I am. Talk about trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon! There is one thing I can wrap up for you: Last week there were ArenaNet blog posts and site updates, over a dozen interviews and articles written, nine photo galleries (one from ArenaNet), 17 video interviews, and over 100 game footage videos. So how do you even begin to process all of that, especially when you consider that there's another wave coming in just a few days? Follow along after the jump and let's take a look!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Sylvari week wrap-up
Guild Wars 2 Sylvari week is over, much to the relief of abused F5 keys everywhere. We've finally seen the redesign, we've read the lore, we've gotten more details about the culture, we've watched new videos, and best of all, we've talked the subject to death. Now that it's all over and we've had a chance to process the infodump, it's time for my standard post-race-week Flameseeker Chronicles analysis. Follow along after the jump, where I'll recap a few of the high points of Sylvari week.
