So i am coming to the end of personal story

Hey all

I downloaded the game 2 or 3 weeks ago, and immediately bought the expansions, ive been following the personal story and playing quite casually.Im half way through my last chapter now, and hit 80 last night (leveling is insanely fast!).

Now that i am almost through the initial story i have my eyes on what to do next!. I absolutely loved the personal story, best ive seen on an mmo by far

Now im already trying to decide what ill do next, i could jump straight to HOT, or go for a mount on POF

OR i could get LS2 - looking at gem prices, it will cost $20/£17, i dont fancy trying to grind gold for it.

Question is, in your opinion is it worth the money? how much content does it have? is it similar to personal story or all group content?

I am not exactly short of money, but for gaming i try to get value for moneyThanks.

Glad you love the game! :D If you want to follow the story, I would highly recommend buying LWS2. Going straight from the personal story to HoT will be very disorienting thanks to all the new characters and setting updates that happened between the storylines. LWS2 is similar to the personal story - there's very little, if any, group content, and it can all be done solo. (One thing to note is that there's no voice acting from the player character - everybody else talks, but the personal story cutscenes are a thing of the past. Once you get into Heart of Thorns and beyond, however, your character will start talking again.) It might seem dull in places, but trust me - it's well worth it in the end.

Also if you're following the story, there's a gap between the personal story and LWS2. Living World Season One - commonly known as Scarlet's War - is unavailable, due to the temporary nature of the content, but there is a recap/summary video available. It's three hours long and managed to get pretty much everything from Season One when it was available at the time.Here's the video:

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Thanks! i think ill chill for a week or so exploring all the areas i have passed through but not explored, then get LS2!

I will look at the video too, though 3.5 hours is a lot to sit through :)

Thanks again

You could farm a bit of gold to but the LS chapters as well. Though currently the exchange rate is really unfavorable due to March sales being in progress.

Since you have the expansions, you can make quite a bit of change from the HOT metas, though a mount would really help there.

Unfortunately, unlocking the glider or raptor requires spoiling the first respective episode, so if you care that much for the story, you may well look to play the game in order.

Currently, if you don't mind participating in WvW, you could unlock the warclaw mount, which isn't better than any other PvE mount, but acquiring it is pretty much spoiler free.

You absolutely loved the personal story and value your money. So if I were you paying for LS2 is a small price for something you might love.

Also LS2 offers Tyria mastery points which you may or may not want to get. Although they are a pain as you have to complete each episode before you can start getting achivs towards that mastery - something which was changed in the next LS thank goodness.

If you hadn't used the words 'I absolutely loved the personal story' then I'd not encourage you to buy it. So don't regret it by skipping it, and get it now!

@trev.1045 said:Thanks! i think ill chill for a week or so exploring all the areas i have passed through but not explored, then get LS2!

I will look at the video too, though 3.5 hours is a lot to sit through :)

Thanks again

It’s worth having it on in the background just listening to the commentary imo. I’ve listened to it twice through as I’ve played since HoT released, just to relive the LS1 story I did actually play through. (Old schooler here!)No need to set aside 3.5 hrs in one sitting, and no need to physically watch it to know the story. It’s really detailed and could be an audiobook in and of itself.

@Towatha.4671 said:You absolutely loved the personal story and value your money. So if I were you paying for LS2 is a small price for something you might love.

Also LS2 offers Tyria mastery points which you may or may not want to get. Although they are a pain as you have to complete each episode before you can start getting achivs towards that mastery - something which was changed in the next LS thank goodness.

If you hadn't used the words 'I absolutely loved the personal story' then I'd not encourage you to buy it. So don't regret it by skipping it, and get it now!

Thanks for the advise, and yes i have really enjoyed personal story..there were occasional bits i found annoying (i think the underwater temple part has a bug)But overall you can tell the massive effort that went into it.

As for masteries, its driving me insane, every minute i get a message telling me i can train a mastery...but its locked (i get it is a POF thing but thats a long way away)

Also as i splurged my hero points before 80, i have a HECK of a lot of hero points to do if i wanna try soulbeast?

@"trev.1045" said:Also as i splurged my hero points before 80, i have a HECK of a lot of hero points to do if i wanna try soulbeast?

The hero challenges available in both Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire count as ten points each - so one hero challenge gives you ten points. You won't have to work very hard to fill up both elite specializations, especially since (in Heart of Thorns, at least) there are many people who will lead hero point "trains." They'll take other people throughout all of the maps in HoT/PoF to unlock every hero challenge available.

And I hear you about masteries. That was a major annoyance throughout all of LWS2. :( Unfortunately, nothing can be done about it - there's no way to make the message go away until you're ready to unlock masteries. But the minute you finish the first mission of HoT (if you're following the story), you'll unlock masteries, and after that you won't have to deal with that irritating message ever again.

@Batel.9206 said:

@"trev.1045" said:Also as i splurged my hero points before 80, i have a HECK of a lot of hero points to do if i wanna try soulbeast?

Yup, i finished the personal story last night and ended up going to bed at 1.30am so im a zombie now at work (ironically after what feels like an epic campaign the final fight was an anti climax)

I will admit i am considering doing just enough of pof or hot to get rid of the message but generally want to play it all in order.

Brill news on hero points, it looked quite intimidating!

Thanks again all.

Hello,glad you like the game and story so far. A lot of stuff happened between the personal story and living season 2. Sadly said content can not be played at the moment (and probably won't be playable in the future either).

If you want the long version, I recommend watching this video:

There is also a short (less than 2 min as far as I remember) ingame recap, but it doesn't really tell you what happened.

As for season 2: In contrast to season 3 and 4, season 2 does not unlock any new areas. It plays mostly in Dry Top and Silverwastes, which are both areas you can already visit. It does contain many achievements though that grant central tyria mastery points, so if you're lacking those it might be worth the money.

Aside from season 1 all living season story content can be completed solo. Most of it is instanced and sometimes you have to talk to NPCs in the open world. The rest (achievements and stuff) is open world and can be tricky for the older, less frequented maps. Don't worry about season 2 though, both maps are still farmed by a lot of people.

I really support people that want to do the story in order, buuuuuuuutttttt....having unlocking gliding will save you a) time and b) your life many, many times in core Tyria. AND you unlock masteries so you aren't 'wasting' the experience you get as you do story. My opinion, do the first story instance of HoT - you might even want to do it on a boosted character rather than your main - just to unlock gliding and masteries. Then go back to season 2 and progress in order from there.

@"Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.2946" said:I really support people that want to do the story in order, buuuuuuuutttttt....having unlocking gliding will save you a) time and b) your life many, many times in core Tyria. AND you unlock masteries so you aren't 'wasting' the experience you get as you do story. My opinion, do the first story instance of HoT - you might even want to do it on a boosted character rather than your main - just to unlock gliding and masteries. Then go back to season 2 and progress in order from there.

This is absolutely worth considering, but know that the initial HoT story, and even the cinematic to begin it, kind of spoils the big reveal of the ending of Season 2.

@"Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.2946" said:I really support people that want to do the story in order, buuuuuuuutttttt....having unlocking gliding will save you a) time and b) your life many, many times in core Tyria. AND you unlock masteries so you aren't 'wasting' the experience you get as you do story. My opinion, do the first story instance of HoT - you might even want to do it on a boosted character rather than your main - just to unlock gliding and masteries. Then go back to season 2 and progress in order from there.

I have several times considered doing the very early pof section to get a raptor - i STILL go to mount as i have had a mount for years in wow...

Totally a subjective call for you to make, but some comments from a player on a 13month old account

I opted to complete the personal story on my 1st character on foot, but as soon as I completed the final mission, I started the 1st mission of PoF in order to unlock the mount. I actually stayed in PoF long enough to unlock LV 3 mastery of the Raptor so I could also get the Springer. Only then did I start Heart of Thorns.

HoT content is much harder than core, and having a raptor to help you sprint through clumps of mobs you'd rather not stop to fight is extremely helpful. Terrain in HoT is a headache, so having the springer, even at base jump height, is also very helpful. It kinda sucked to get story spoilers by jumping ahead to PoF, but I purposely didn't listen to the conversation, and what I did hear/read didn't make too much sense anyways.

I asked around about LS 2, and most people told me that outside of the story, it wasn't worth getting, unlike LS 3 which is where you go to farm ascended trinkets. There are youtube vidoes and the wiki to help fill in the story if you decide to skip. I can say though that two of the zones you go to in LS 2, Dry Top and Silverwastes, are still active today with fun and rewarding metas, and you can get there and participate without having purchased S2. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything by skipping LS 2, and playing it will also prolong your journey to ultimately getting a Griffon as well, since to begin the collection for that mount you have to finish the PoF story.

@trev.1045 said:

@"Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.2946" said:I really support people that want to do the story in order, buuuuuuuutttttt....having unlocking gliding will save you a) time and b) your life many, many times in core Tyria. AND you unlock masteries so you aren't 'wasting' the experience you get as you do story. My opinion, do the first story instance of HoT - you might even want to do it on a boosted character rather than your main - just to unlock gliding and masteries. Then go back to season 2 and progress in order from there.

If you're ok with doing some WvW, there is now a mount you can get completely spoiler free - the Warclaw!

@Turkeyspit.3965 said:Totally a subjective call for you to make, but some comments from a player on a 13month old account

I opted to complete the personal story on my 1st character on foot, but as soon as I completed the final mission, I started the 1st mission of PoF in order to unlock the mount. I actually stayed in PoF long enough to unlock LV 3 mastery of the Raptor so I could also get the Springer. Only then did I start Heart of Thorns.

HoT content is much harder than core, and having a raptor to help you sprint through clumps of mobs you'd rather not stop to fight is extremely helpful. Terrain in HoT is a headache, so having the springer, even at base jump height, is also very helpful. It kinda sucked to get story spoilers by jumping ahead to PoF, but I purposely didn't listen to the conversation, and what I did hear/read didn't make too much sense anyways.

I asked around about LS 2, and most people told me that outside of the story, it wasn't worth getting, unlike LS 3 which is where you go to farm ascended trinkets. There are youtube vidoes and the wiki to help fill in the story if you decide to skip. I can say though that two of the zones you go to in LS 2, Dry Top and Silverwastes, are still active today with fun and rewarding metas, and you can get there and participate without having purchased S2. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything by skipping LS 2, and playing it will also prolong your journey to ultimately getting a Griffon as well, since to begin the collection for that mount you have to finish the PoF story.

Funnily enough i discovered silverwastes tonight, and i actually died! (i never die on open world, but something re-spawned en masse behind me). No idea what i going on (seems like the whole map is an event!) but it looks fun.

@trev.1045 said:

@Turkeyspit.3965 said:Totally a subjective call for you to make, but some comments from a player on a 13month old account

I opted to complete the personal story on my 1st character on foot, but as soon as I completed the final mission, I started the 1st mission of PoF in order to unlock the mount. I actually stayed in PoF long enough to unlock LV 3 mastery of the Raptor so I could also get the Springer. Only then did I start Heart of Thorns.

HoT content is much harder than core, and having a raptor to help you sprint through clumps of mobs you'd rather not stop to fight is extremely helpful. Terrain in HoT is a headache, so having the springer, even at base jump height, is also very helpful. It kinda sucked to get story spoilers by jumping ahead to PoF, but I purposely didn't listen to the conversation, and what I did hear/read didn't make too much sense anyways.

I asked around about LS 2, and most people told me that outside of the story, it wasn't worth getting, unlike LS 3 which is where you go to farm ascended trinkets. There are youtube vidoes and the wiki to help fill in the story if you decide to skip. I can say though that two of the zones you go to in LS 2, Dry Top and Silverwastes, are still active today with fun and rewarding metas, and you can get there and participate without having purchased S2. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything by skipping LS 2, and playing it will also prolong your journey to ultimately getting a Griffon as well, since to begin the collection for that mount you have to finish the PoF story.

Yeah, you will die a lot in Hot. A lot! If you really live the story and the environment, I would get LWS2 and then do HoT. You will experience the story and environment as designed (and get gliding) and truly appreciate the maps. It is very different and harder to navigate than core maps, but beautiful nonetheless. And dealing with mobs of pocket raptors and smokescales will definitely improve your combat skills. Getting the Warclaw would help with keeping up with hp trains without fundamentally breaking the maps, as it doesn't have the movement skills other mounts have.

Then do PoF and enjoy our mounts.

@rdfaye.4368 said:

@trev.1045 said:

@Turkeyspit.3965 said:Totally a subjective call for you to make, but some comments from a player on a 13month old account

I opted to complete the personal story on my 1st character on foot, but as soon as I completed the final mission, I started the 1st mission of PoF in order to unlock the mount. I actually stayed in PoF long enough to unlock LV 3 mastery of the Raptor so I could also get the Springer. Only then did I start Heart of Thorns.

HoT content is much harder than core, and having a raptor to help you sprint through clumps of mobs you'd rather not stop to fight is extremely helpful. Terrain in HoT is a headache, so having the springer, even at base jump height, is also very helpful. It kinda sucked to get story spoilers by jumping ahead to PoF, but I purposely didn't listen to the conversation, and what I did hear/read didn't make too much sense anyways.

I asked around about LS 2, and most people told me that outside of the story, it wasn't worth getting, unlike LS 3 which is where you go to farm ascended trinkets. There are youtube vidoes and the wiki to help fill in the story if you decide to skip. I can say though that two of the zones you go to in LS 2, Dry Top and Silverwastes, are still active today with fun and rewarding metas, and you can get there and participate without having purchased S2. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything by skipping LS 2, and playing it will also prolong your journey to ultimately getting a Griffon as well, since to begin the collection for that mount you have to finish the PoF story.

Yeah , y'know I keep forgetting about the Warclaw. That's good advice, that although it's not as good as the Raptor in PvE, you will avoid any story spoilers. It does take longer to get than the Raptor though. You literally get the raptor in the 1st mission of the PoF story, and it doesn't cost anything, vs., the Warclaw which costs 8g and requires some time spent playing WvW. Still, it's good to have options.

@trev.1045 said:

@Turkeyspit.3965 said:Totally a subjective call for you to make, but some comments from a player on a 13month old account

I opted to complete the personal story on my 1st character on foot, but as soon as I completed the final mission, I started the 1st mission of PoF in order to unlock the mount. I actually stayed in PoF long enough to unlock LV 3 mastery of the Raptor so I could also get the Springer. Only then did I start Heart of Thorns.

HoT content is much harder than core, and having a raptor to help you sprint through clumps of mobs you'd rather not stop to fight is extremely helpful. Terrain in HoT is a headache, so having the springer, even at base jump height, is also very helpful. It kinda sucked to get story spoilers by jumping ahead to PoF, but I purposely didn't listen to the conversation, and what I did hear/read didn't make too much sense anyways.

I asked around about LS 2, and most people told me that outside of the story, it wasn't worth getting, unlike LS 3 which is where you go to farm ascended trinkets. There are youtube vidoes and the wiki to help fill in the story if you decide to skip. I can say though that two of the zones you go to in LS 2, Dry Top and Silverwastes, are still active today with fun and rewarding metas, and you can get there and participate without having purchased S2. I don't feel that I've missed out on anything by skipping LS 2, and playing it will also prolong your journey to ultimately getting a Griffon as well, since to begin the collection for that mount you have to finish the PoF story.

Silverwastes is both a fun and exciting meta, as well as very rewarding in currency and character development. You can earn 5 or so Core Tyria Mastery points there, which is great if you're trying to unlock Pact Commander. Check in the LFG section under Core Tyria Squads and look for groups with RIBA in the description. You should also google that term and read up on the meta if you don't just want to follow the commander tag around the map without knowing what's going on.

Underneath the Silverwastes is one of the longer jumping puzzles available in the game.

It really is a fun zone, even if you're just trying to kill an hour, or if you're farming materials for crafting, etc.

Another reason to go for the Warclaw is that you’ll earn testimonies of heroics that can be used to unlock HoT and PoF challenges to help you unlock your elite specs. You can sell Memories of Battle to pay for your mount.

It should be noted that LWS2 is the ONLY way to acquire the legs portion of the Carapace Armor set, if that matters to you. It mattered enough to edge me over into the decision to drop the money for the story.