Not Dark Enough

The core game was very light but had dark undertones, especially with the focus on dragons and a threatened Jenna. Since then, it's been a pop song. (Or a hip hop song, with the latest expansion.) No identity, just kind of ... there.

Dark is just a matter of taste. When I was younger I loved dark. As I got older I thought dark was often melodramatic or that our shows/games were oversaturated with dark. If everything is dark, nothing stands out. Frankly I like the tone of the game. There are dark moments, but I'm glad it's not game of thrones.

Buttering you up for some true sadness in the next expansion.

Not everything needs to be grimdark.

I'm very happy with the tone of the game myself. I don't want it to be "dark".

I don't mind having more dark in the game, but I don't think that is the solution. The problems is the excessive "wackyness" in the plotlines. There is little reason for the things that happen, except "because it should be exciting", and too many events depend on the character becoming stupid, breaking character or simply not being who they say to be...I know Anet has some good writers. I suspect the problem is on the "editor" and "producer" level. Please don't let your local "G. Lucas" to keep ruining the story!

Even though a dark story was part of GW1's appeal for me, I don't think it would save GW2. Even when things were all morose, the story up to PoF was still a slog.

@"Mortifera.6138" said:The core game was very light but had dark undertones, especially with the focus on dragons and a threatened Jenna. Since then, it's been a pop song. (Or a hip hop song, with the latest expansion.) No identity, just kind of ... there.

I don't necessarily agree on the darkness, but I sure a hell agree with the "hip-hop song" comparison regarding the dialogue since LWS 3. ;) That pseudo-cool modern tone is something I sincerely dislike in characters like Taimi and Braham, but also - by now - the Commander and other NPCs (maybe it's contagious :o ).

I don’t necessarily care for a game to be “dark”, but I absolutely want the story to feel weighty and important.

I think “dark” matched Zhaitan’s vibe. A colorful, verdant jungle made sense for Mordy. Elona has always been pretty vibrant, and the dragon of there is made of purple crystals so...

There’s some pretty dark environments in Joko’s domain. I don’t mind darkness but I think we moved passed that once we closed Zhaitan’s story.

B...but dark is cool and edgy and how should I prove to the meanies at school that I'm a tough boy/gal if I'm not wielding the Flaming Blade of Doomshadows Demise and the superspiky dark armor of evil darkness +3?Jokes aside, I liked the tone of core GW2, somewhere in between angsty teen edgyness and light hearted humor, riding that line perfectly most of the time. In more recent patches, Anet fails to hit that sweet spot in between more often than not. We go from funny dialogues to horrible experiments back to jokes within minutes now, destroying the overall tone of the narrative.I can't say that I want more darkness in the game, but I would love it if ANet made up their mind what kind of story they would like to tell. Want to tell a story about the Inquest going full Mengele, maybe leave out the quips and banter.

@OP: How come you ask for a darker game in this thread but ask for it to be more child friendly here-->https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/33244/dont-let-your-kids-play-thisAlways keep your trolling reasonable and believable m8...

Haven't played the recent chapters have ya?

That part with taimi in the last one still gives me chills.

Wait, what? You drew the line at the slaughter of animals on another thread - yet the story isn't dark enough for you?

This has to be a troll.

I am very pleased with the mix of the feels in this game. When I look at FF14 (or Final Fantasy in general) it always has this weird "It's threatening the whole universe", then you have ridiculously cheerful moments and then the heroic "Go ahead, save yourself, I will hold them up and buy time for you.. AAARRGH GO NOW!!" sacrifice nonsense.

GW2 seems to be more realistic of what could happen in Tyria everday, without that pseudo-heroic stuff.. Well, except at one point in the personal story. But else, people die (Tonn and Zott) and no big fuzz is done, I mean, it's war. I think it's good the tone of the game is not always super dark. How could one take it serious when a pink Charr with Barbie wings save the world. aNet, to me, finds the right balance of lighter moments and tense stuff. I think at the speech of the death of a certain god was one of these things, where my Asura had it spot on: "X is dead, but so are your mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. [...] But let's have a good time today, we've got to celebrate something! [...] Tomorrow the fight goes on". That was impressive, even for me as player, and one of the many signs that GuildWars2 is certainly one of the best MMORPGs out there that do not get stuck in one direction story-wise.

Excelsior.

How I wish this game would provide for immersion real dark nights and places where it fits, where you need sources of light to see something..they do exist, but in my honest opinion way too less. the whole game should have this realistic darkness...

best game ever hands down ,when it comes to realistic immersive darkness ...light and shadow/ daylight time mechanics

You see here, as the time wents on, how the game becomes darker and darker as time passes by and the time ingame goes over slowly from daytime to nighttime, until it becomes just so dark, that you need to take out your lanterns out, if you just want to see better your surroundings. ANd where also aenemies change based on the time, that day and night active creatures appear and go as time passes by.. somethign that would be so awesome, if we could have this in GW2, that enemies in the maps change, when the day/nighttime changes and not only as part of some meta events like in Verdant Brink where day and night time plays only a role as part of the meta event ...