New Map Praise

I haven't done much of the new story (No Quarter) yet, as I'm not sure I want to complete the entire thing without the amazing voice actors doing their thing. But...this map is gorgeous. The textures and colors are stunning, and I just spent a lot of time doing world completion (again), and I've been playing GW2 for quite a few years. So let me just say: bravo to the texture and enviro artists. You guys outdid yourselves!

In case you hadn't seen this yet, Anet created a forum specifically for LW threads. They just made it last week, so it could have been difficult to miss. https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/categories/living-world

I love the map! It reminds me of the Pacific Northwest, the area around Seattle where Arenanet is based. Although I've only been there once and didn't get to see much of the countryside, except flying over the mountains. But it's somewhere I've always wanted to go so I've seen a lot of pictures, video etc. (Plus various music documentaries set in the area.) Based on the giant redwoods (occasionally seen elsewhere in the world due to being imported, but native to the west coast of the USA) and the name of the map I'm guessing that's not a coincidence.

I think the map design hits a really good balance between making good use of verticality so there's varied terrain and lots of stuff to find, whilst also having clear paths so the key routes are easy to navigate. I look forward to spending absolutely ages poking about in every corner to find everything hidden here. And because it's GW2 I know there will be stuff hidden all around the map to find, which makes it even better.

I'd like to know more about the people who lived here before the charr civil war hit the area. The buildings look like a mix of norn and dwarven designs, but I'd like to know how old they are and what happened to the people living in them.

Can't give a full assessment yet, but I have to admit, I love how this map flows. The faux-WvW approach adds to it instead of making it intimidating, the rewards are steady, and there's some decent variety in enemies since they use profession skills.

I love the map, love the meta too, also like the Loot mechanics and the War Supplies system. Using the several Siege weaponry is fun too though it kinda gets snowed under in the current Zerg/DPS bombs. Also, placing the Siege weapons needs tweaks, often it pops up 6 feet from the ground (mid-air) and can not be used. But I like how they gave us options to conquer an Area with a small group that makes smart use of these weapons. Well done!