DreadstoneofXev.6810

Figure I'll knock out a couple of daily quests and see what this WvW is all about. Map chat is rather quiet, but that's ok, better than the usual Tom Foolery you (unfortunately) come across in Black Citadel. Oh look! A mentor tag. Cool, I'll head that way, and oh shoot, they're pretty far away, I'll just jump and glide my wa - * SPLAT * Err no. Apparently my gliding contraption made of Wolverine's exoskeleton doesn't work in here. Fine. I'll get on my Raptor and...hold on, I can't even use my Raptor? Sheesh. Nothing says "Free kills" like a person you can run down with your group (Ad Naseum it turns out). Ask on map, and after a couple of minutes, a friendly soul replies I need a "War Claw" mount. Great. Wonder if the beast is kin to my Raptor? Man, those "Sanctuary of Ral" guys are tearing it up. Must be a WvW focused guild. Wait, are they friendly or enemy? (Turns out enemy). Ok fine, you really want to defend that supply depot, this Charr will go someplace else. Overhear something about a "track". Huh, learn something new every day. Let me see...oh, a "WarClaw" track. Cool. Alright well, I'll just capture these points..nobody around (makes me wonder if they're even important). Success! Point captured. Head on to the next one, and wait, why is the "point" degrading? Never mind, at least the zone border turned green. Capture three points, but wait, the first one, is no longer under our control. The border is green, but the point is re-capturable. That's odd, I was watching the point and didn't see a soul. (At some point I felt like I was in a Zombie Apocalypse movie - not another soul in sight, but when the "Riding Dead" show up - it's game over) * 8 HOURS LATER * Whew. Warclaw track finished. Open the box get my..... Hold on....a "Warclaw Helm"? Where's the rest of the Warclaw? At this point, not even dynamite would alleviate my frustration.

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but a portal device for Hot and EoD, similar to the one for Tyria and Maguuma.

Charr > *.*

You can often tell how popular an expansion is, or at least elements, by the number of players in zones.

I don't think I've done a daily JP in over a week. By the time I get to the zone and start point, the Mesmer Collective is already broadcasting their portal location. If you want truly frustrating, hair-pulling, yelling at your walls jumping mechanics - go play SWTOR. Worst jump coding of any game I've ever played and it's not even close.

So, like my fellow original poster, I ventured in to Joon's mansion today. (Uninvited apparently - thanks Tami) Joon, one, isn't happy to see me ("Hello? You tried pinning the destruction of your lab and shoddy tech on us. Don't hide behind anger you Napoleonic Sociopath"), two, is apparently more adept at keeping her failures from the Crown than seeing the long-term consequences of "Dragon-Jade-Tech", and three, straight up tries to murder us. Ok Galaxy Note 7 - it's on like Grey Poupon. She promptly disappears and we have to fight some Walmart Jade Golems. (WJGs) Done. (by the by, how are things still running - ANYWHERE - if Soo Wun has gone full Void Corrupted, your facility is at the bottom of Davey Jones Locker, and you're no longer generating power? Given my experience, these batteries have the shelf life of a Fruit fly). There are some doors protected by "energy fields". Why don't I just batter the paper-thin walls? Don't know. No worries, I'll just deploy my Jade Bot, and.... Wait, where did my charges go? I came in with four. Fine, she had some draining field that stripped my charges. I'll just look around and....hold on, not a single battery ANYWHERE? Normally they're more ubiquitous than Cowboys' fans in Texas, now they're rarer than a sober frat boy after an all night kegger. Figure out (using the Sage 'Google', because like many things on Tyria, the answer is not intuitive), I have to transfer charges back and forth in order to "search", ROOM BY ROOM this BAMBOO and WOOD house. Where's the Big Bad Wolf when you need him? Start the laborious process of exploring this rickety place (Did I mention there's an order to this search?) lay waste to more WJGs and WJTs (turrets), while Tami throws hints my way. Tami, double u, tee, eff. You've been in here for days if not weeks. At no time did your natural (sometimes self-destructive) Asuran curiosity kick in and you figure out how this place works? For ONCE you were cautious? Make my way to Joon's daughters room where I find a FUNCTIONING kill laser. Look, I get the concept of Helicopter parent, but that's extreme even by their standards. Get to her indoor garden (See? THIS is where "Jade Tech" has (Well had) some potential. Food growth resulting in sustainable population growth. Takes "going green" to another level), and I think this is where I threw in the towel. I don't want to tell anyone their job, but instead of me futzing about like the bad guys looking for the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones, how about I go get some explosives, we put them inside the house and blow this place up like a microwave and search the rubble? There won't be any collateral damage (because the walls are made of Wolverine's exo-skeleton) Don't worry about the dynamite. I know a guy.

As somebody who just passed the two (2) month mark, I'll add this. Crafting from 300 to 400 was quicker for me than 1 - 300. By the time you're level 80, running around in exotic, you've probably got one "banker" toon whose job is to handle overflow. Mats? For mid to high mid mats, run Octo. Over, and over, and over. You'll garner exp and more mats than you can shake a stick at.

Zone in, begin my usual ride around like a maniac locating any way points, and camps of stragglers (aka "points of interest") I can find on the trail. Wait, where'd the trail go? I guess it's like Doc Hudson said, "If you're going hard enough left, you'll find yourself turning right." I though Auric Basin was bad, this place is more convoluted than reading Das Kapital in Pig Latin. I'm standing on top of the POI, why is it beneath me and there's not a cave in sight? What's with all the Scorpion hybrids lobbing acid at me like beads at Mardi Gras? You know what, I'm gonna move on and do the End of Dragons story. Should be simple enough. (SPOILERS BELOW) Ok, we're hunting Pirates who have a {McGuffin}. Just so I'm clear - you want me, a Charr, thousands of feet up, to jump platform to platform, to find the lead ship? I guess it's ok, "Aurene" says she'll catch me if I fall. Wait, who's Aurene? A Dragon? Ohhh, she must've come out of that egg I stuck in the basement of that eternally ransacked city of ethereal people. (Note to self - send them a 'Thank You' card) Aurene is on our side? That's a nice change. Fight my way onto the ship where I have a brief convo with a Trotsky-eque Pirate. Dude, the only wealth distribution you're doing is from other people to yourself. You're a pirate - own it. Get the {McGuffin}, I think, only we crash, and I may be concussed. I wake up and find I'm sharing a cell with the Asuran Whitey Bulger. (Flashback to Battle for Azeroth. That should've been a portent of events to come) After a minute or so of incarceration, I'm let out by Detective Friday, and find that the gang's all here. Only Aurene took a hit from the {McGuffin}, so I guess I didn't get the thing, and according to Team Tyria, she ain't doing so well. Find my way to Seitung Province (Big Mists of Pandaria (only without the Pandas vibe), and Aurene tells me there's another Dragon, Soo Won, who is here. What? In the room? Tami points out that this "Jade Tech" is all the rage in Cantha. Mastery Points are dropping out of the sky like February snow in Winnepeg. There's a lot going on, but first things first, we need to heal Aurene, and all signs point to New Kainang City. Show up on the docks, meet some locals, go through a labyrinthian, bureaucratic process of filling out paperwork so we can move about freely. What exactly are our crimes? Are these Walmart Jade Golems running around going to ask to see "my papers"? Whatever. Turns out one half of the wonder twin sisters is a notional "Ambassador" and has arranged for us to meet with the Queen. Better stow the Raptor, last time he was near royalty (Queen Jennah) he left a not-so-pleasant gift on the floor. (Yes, technically it was a guard outside her throne room. Potato Pohtatoh) Thank Rytlock we had an escort to the palace, because NKC is so poorly laid out I have to wonder if the city planner moonlighted as a cartographer in Maguuma. Walls upon walls, with the districts self-contained to the point of near quarantine. It's as if the city is one big caste system, and you don't have to tell me where our hotel is. (Hint: NE). Stand idly by as the major players air their dirty laundry, with at least one basically insinuating we're the cause of all evil in the world (How would you know? You've admitted to closing yourself off for the past 100 years). We move past the posturing and finally get to meet the "inventor" of all this Jade Tech. She wants to give us a tour of her facility which is convenient since Aurene says that's where Soo Won's energy signature is emanating from. Along the way I help this poor Tengu deliver barrels of WD-40 to the broken Jade something or another generators- located on roofs. Hold up. First off, as I come to find out, Raptors aren't even endemic to your part of the world. So somebody had the foresight to start a Raptor breeding program knowing full well this Jade tech was just around the corner? Second, who puts important machinery on a roof? In hard to get places? I don't want to tell anyone their job, but since you seem married to the idea of having critical infrastructure where the birds have easier access, have you ever thought of turning one of your annoying Jade Golems into a forklift? Or maybe use a Zip Line? No? Ok, lets move on. So we get the grand tour. Here's where the "inventor" Mrs. Yu Joon drops the bomb. Apparently all this Jade Tech is because of Soo Won who is channeling ley line energy, acting as a Draconic battery. Wait - what? Are you telling me that 20 years ago, Soo Won approached you because all her offspring became corrupted (and then cough dead cough), and you blindly accepted? Isn't there a Canthan proverb "Beware Dragons bearing gifts"? To paraphrase Ian Malcom "You were so obsessed with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should". Conveniently enough, this is when the Pirate we were chasing shows up with the {McGuffin} and hacking skills that make Anonymous look like an Amish person trying to program the remote. (Good grief Yu Joon, update your anti-virus once in awhile). The place goes kerplooie, Soo Won breaks free and we get to watch as the new Pirate Captain kills the old Pirate Captain in cold blood. Wait - what? You're in the middle of an underwater facility that is coming apart at the seams, you've achieved your goal, and now you waste the old Captain simply because she wouldn't let you wear the hat? Let's just move on. We make it back to NKC where. of course, we get blamed. Random_Person has a device for me that will "disguise my face". Thanks. But I've come across a few Canthan's (Seriously empty city except for anti-government groups that also dislike us. For reasons. Umm, according to your government, I'm a wanted criminal, so why the antipathy?), and I can't remember one with a tail. Also, see these claws? They aren't made for eating noodles I can tell ya that. Minor details? Like how is the power still running? (Must be battery backup) Ok, let's move on. So we hightail it out of the city guided by the Queen's advisor, and joined by the same detective who I met while I was behind bars with the Asuran Whitey Bulger (and who has a thing for the Sociopathic new Pirate Captain), all the way to the ruins of Arborstone. Only instead of a welcome wagon, we get hit with "Void" creatures. The same Void that Soo Won is apparently battling with (and losing to), and wait - Void? I've seen this before. Smazeroth, Tazeroth, Azeroth? Clean house with the {Not-so-big Bad} a flying creature that looks like a mini-(evil) Dragon. A-nother one? Granted, this one is smaller, and while I'm pondering that development, the Queen's advisor ALSO reveals herself to be a mini-(good) Dragon. There's a ton of exposition that encapsulates the events to this point (and exonerates us to any sane individual), and when all is said and done, Detective Friday says he doesn't know if we'll be cleared. Wait - what? You just heard the queen's advisor tell you what happened. You're a police officer (of some sorts), does the phrase "circumstantial evidence" ring a bell? We have no reason to injure or even free Soo Won, and, ah you know what, I'm gonna ride around the woods for a while on my Raptor and clear my head. Only that's an exercise in futility because every crossroads is populated with anti-me snipers and wait a minute. Do you guys just sit around all day waiting for people to ride through so you can shoot at them? What do you do when you get bored? Ping at the local wildlife? No wonder the predator / prey ratio is so out of whack. I know my vote doesn't count, but when the time comes, and Soo Won is dealt with, I suggest we let Canthan's be Canthans and excommunicate the whole continent. And you know who will be happiest about that? The Canthans. Now, they're going to need something to do once their whole civilization is blockaded, so I suggest we gather up all the dynamite in Tyria, politely evacuate NKC, and level the entire place. There. The Canthan's have a purpose in life above and beyond whatever masquerades as their "culture" right now. Don't worry about the dynamite. I know a guy.

Zone in, notice the lack of cliffs, stow the contraption (for the moment) made from the same material as Wolverine's bones. Amble over to a scout. He's got a REALLY distant look on his face. Giving off the same odd vibes as William Shatner doing Elton John's 'Rocket Man'. (Yes, that's a thing) ---> ((2) Elton John's "Rocket Man" - William Shatner (1978) - YouTube) Summary of conversation follows: Me: "Hi, Charr Engineer THX 1138 reporting in, just got through in Verdant Brink." Scout: "Oh, cool man, welcome to 'The Basin'. That's what we long-timers call this place." Me: "Great. I have my glider, and fully powered Mech, so I'm good to go" Scout: "Totally. Won't be much use for gliders, we mostly use the magic mushrooms to get up and down" Me: "Excuse me. Mushrooms?" Scout: "Oh yeah. Just jump on them and you bounce everywhere. Really far out man" Me: Pauses so he can (finally) focus on me. Cough to get his attention as he seems REALLY distracted. Me: "You do realize I'm Charr - right? With a cast iron stove on my back? And you want me to 'jump' on your mushrooms?" Scout: Laughs, gazes into the distance at nothing, then laughs again "Oh yeah man, they're really bouncy. You bounce everywhere. It's a trip." Me: "Just for my own edification, when the day winds down, you don't happen to cut a couple of small pieces from those mushrooms, roll them in a parchment and smoke them? Or perhaps mix em up in a soup?" Scout: "No way man, we eat em straight!" Me: Heads off to find the nearest waypoint shaking my head Waypoint location is an exercise in futility as roads lead into mountains, (or impenetrable vines. More on this in a moment) or just end. The map reads like the cartographer was munching on his own "magic" mushrooms while drawing the thing. Los Angeles rush hour traffic on the I-5 is less convoluted and confusing. Come across some fellow pact members fighting the local denizens as see-through apparitions provide support. Apparently, we're setting up mirrors? I guess the latest plan is to use the power of the sun to burn the vines. I still like my herbicide plan (more on this in a moment), but soldiers follow orders. Lay waste to Zorgrimoth? Lorgrimoth? Gorgrimoth's? (Just once I'd like to see a big bad with the name 'Susan'. Yes I know "How juvenile") minions who sing his praise (or predict my doom) as we cut them down. Turns out the mirror ceremony is just a prelude to a four-pronged attack to kill more bad guys laying siege inside the see-through apparitions main city. Fight our way in, and I find myself in the west wing dodging invulnerable (Aerin's shield again) everything, as some BA (big a55) vines prevent us from advancing to the center area. Our strategy centers around protecting the oddly-shaped containers that will remove the outer layer of protective slime coating using a herbicide of some kind so we can get at the vines underneath. Hold on. HERBICIDE? YOU GUYS STOLE MY IDEA! (Note to self - talk to Rytlock about a promotion in Iron Legion) The herbicide does its thing, and the vines are quickly laid to waste. Oh wait. Not in all wings. North wing can't quit get it done and ALL vines regenerate with even MORE protective slime coating. I can't go help because even though I'm putting my life on the line, the see-through apparitions won't give me free reign to move around their city. (Or I just don't know the way. Probably the latter) Commanders reinforce North from West. This time West doesn't have enough forces so we're back at it again, protecting the herbicide containers created by the see-through apparition in the back. FINALLY, all vines are down, and everyone moves in zerg formation to a central location. On the way, quickly smack some local for the obligatory decagon of Hero Points, and head downstairs, following the tail end of the zerg. Holy cow. Treasure chests (Urns) EVERYWHERE. Apparently the see-through guys have no qualms with us looting these chests like we're locals who just discovered Tutankhamen's tomb. As I'm filling my bags with {STUFF}, a thought occurs. 'Ya know, with all this loot, the see-through apparition clan could probably hire some mercenaries to clean house, both in the city and 'The Basin'. Oh wait, I'm the mercenary. (Hooray for irony) Do the obligatory map shout congratulating folks on a job well done and let them know I'll see them in 24 hours as these vines grow faster than a teenager on a growth spurt. Get told you can do this every two hours. Two. Open bags, notice the distinct lack of free space, and think to myself, 'You're gonna need a bigger inventory'. Porting back to Black Citadel (I'm a Charr of habit), a final thought occurs. 'I don't want to tell anyone how to do their job, but if all these vines are connected, then why don't we head back to Verdant brink, bring a load of dynamite, and the see-through lady who can produce herbicide containers like a mother Hen laying eggs? Drop massive quantities of both (as opposed to Charr learning to glide. Cough) on those vines at the bottom of {ANY} random cliff and see what happens? Tell me what ya think. Don't worry about the dynamite.' I know a guy.

Pop in at the waypoint, carnage as far as the eye can see. Everybody is calling me "commander", and the Pact forces are in more disarray than a trailer park after a hurricane. (Or a divorce). Fine, I'll help. First off, I had a couple of questions, Confused_Commander: "What the Hades happened?" Random_NPC: "Well Commander, it was as if the jungle came alive and ripped our airships from the sky?" Now_Very_Confused_Commander: "Just how low were you flying?" Fine, I'll buy the "VINES OF DEATH" theory. Who knows, maybe they're concussed. (The Pact, not the Vines) Get on the Raptor and start exploring the place. (Because that's my M.O. - ride around like a maniac, find as many waypoints as possible, then go from there). Lots of hostile....EVERYTHING. Plants, bugs, frogs, vines (more on these jokers in a bit), you name it, they want to kill me and they're pretty good at their job. Run across some poor schmucks defending their "camp" (Basically wooden (not kidding) fences an Asura could hurdle, and some boxes. Boy Scouts could do a better job) from the hostile EVERYTHING (sans Frogs). Me and my new buddy, the Green Golem of Doom (Perditor Malignus) clean house. Then clean house again. Then again. Apparently the Vines of Death got an upgrade from Tyria. Now, in addition to the obligatory knockback, they detect me at distances reminiscent of Soviet anti-missile tech, they can shoot at ranges that make MLRS look like a water pistol, are more accurate than JDAMS, and oh by the way, can track my movements over a cliff, or if I change directions in mid-air. (Voluntarily or not). These things are Triffids on steroids. Oh, did I mention unlimited ammo and covering the ground in 'bad'? I get told I need to learn "gliding" if I want to move around the place. Hello? Charr here. I'm not exactly built for that. Find an Asura why don't ya? They catch an updraft and they'll be floating for days.. Me? I'm gonna fall like a sack of you-know-what. Apparently the Asura substitute is a no-go, so off I go to learn me some gliding, where my last words will be, "Hey ya'll watch this!". (At least I don't have to build the thing) Take my first ride (I'm assuming the contraption is constructed from the same material as Wolverine), and hey, this isn't too bad... I'm gliding... I'm gliding. No wait. Now I'm falling. FAST. Manage to land harder than a first time jumper at Airborne school, and...where the heck am I? All I see is cliffs above and moving roots below. Oh well, back to Shipwreck Waypoint. (This was a common theme for a bit to be honest) Had the great idea to gain elevation by climbing the vines as big around as me. Nope. Apparently said VINES OF DEATH can rip an airship from the sky, but one Charr is too much. Oh, did I mention they're slipperier than the "friend" who owes you $20? Hey Pact folk, maybe invest in some pickaxes and crampons? Back to the waypoint. Find a "Hero Challenge". I appreciate the compliment and promptly "commune" for a hero point. No wait. TEN? Ten hero points? What the Hades was I doing wasting my time in Tyria getting drip-fed the things when I could've been racking them up one Decagon at a time? Get bombarded with loot boxes, crowbars, and more different currencies than the Bank of England during Queen Victoria's reign. Use a crowbar to open a box, and hey, where'd my crowbar go? What's it made of- Bamboo? Nighttime comes and the aforementioned hostile EVERYTHING comes out in force. Me, the GGoD, and Pact Boy Scouts hold them off, while folks hustle in supplies. Our fence is now two feet high. Awesome. Now the Asura can pole vault over the things. Baby steps. (Hey Asura, if you need something to get over the fence with, I got this crowbar). Finally, a thought occurred to me. The plant life in this place is almost universally hostile. But they are plants. Maybe, and I don't want to tell anyone how to do their job, but instead of throwing bodies, materials, and money at the problem, we drop down to those roots, dynamite a hole in them, and pour in a few hundred thousand gallons of herbicide? Let me know. I got a guy.

Arena Net. I assume they're the Developers and Publishers?

N/T

I've been playing a month. Are we "Champions" or just schmucks with abilities, helping the Rytlock's / Eir Stegalkin's? (I don't believe there is a right answer to this, just personal preference) WoW's "story" (butchered to bits) was back and forth in all of this. (Never you mind the rehashed "Alliance hates Horde, but wait, there's this world ending threat, we need to work together. Oh threat dealt with? Ok, go back to hating each other" nonsense) Is there an "Ultimate Evil" (aka World Ending Threat), or do we finish off the equivalent of the Legion, only to find out they were pawns for somebody else? With GW2's horizontal progression, the "lean" would be (at least to me) towards "This is the ultimate BB, and you can never defeat it, only delay / stymy / hibernate it" (whatever "it" is). We haven't travelled off-world (at least I don't think I have), so there's that possibility. (Hopefully AN has the writing chops to pull that off better than Blizzard, er I mean Activision). Reading this thread, at least there isn't the overarching nonsense of a Sylvanas character.

Teleport in, find the pink circular Stargate-looking-thing, oh and a choice of where to go. Cool. Erm, let's start with Bloodtide Coast. I have all the Teleports there. Zone in, make sure I'm not getting attacked, do the pre-requisite check with the Sage 'Google', and the Wizard tells me I can just swim to the Mastery point. Too easy. Hit the water, don't even think about bringing the Raptor as he hates getting wet (like fur is any better), fit through an Asura-sized crack (Shades of the mission in the ill-named town of 'Prosperity') and voila! Another Green Mastery point! Wait a minute. BLUE??!! Blue is 'Canth'. I haven't even unlocked that area yet. Oh well, a virtually free MP is a virtually free MP. Zone out, and let's try Eldarran fields. According to the Sage, I need to do a couple of pre-req missions. No problem, have flamethrower, will travel. Zone in, find I have about five different sub-parts on this mission, and it's timed. Might be a problem as I'm no Berserker, and certainly no Necro, but we'll give it the ol Black Citadel try. Kill the Fire Destroyers, who are apparently NOT immune to fire. I'm burning drop zone here, ahh man, I killed a bunch, but not enough and certainly didn't fulfill the other portions of the mission. "SUCCESS" Really? Did I just get a participation trophy? Listen to the radio chatter (more on this in a moment). "Help the Flame Legion"? What? Since when are we on the same side? Rytlock you have some 'splainin' to do. Ride to the town, protect the Flame Legion Shaman as they summon Burning Man I, II, and III. Hope those things don't turn rogue. More destroyers who LOVE covering the ground in 'bad'. Go back to Azeroth wanna-be raid trash. Boss shows up, I alternate between Flamethrower and discount Thanos healing Gauntlet. Other player in the area stands in too much bad, or forgets they can self-heal.. (Or both). Rez him after multiple attempts (at least the NPCs are somewhat competent), then I get focus-fired and go down. Other player ignores me, (seems to be a pattern of this ), I get back up (Can't keep a good Charr down), and eventually we take down the big boss. Off to get the MP and....BLUE AGAIN? You can't get any more Tyria than Eldarran fields. Oh well fine, Raven and I will be best buds. No idea what that entails. Baby steps I suppose. Alright off to 'Lake Doric'. Sage says the MP is in a mountain, and don't even have to complete the mission. Ghetto MP here I come. Start with 'Private Mission', zone in, don't see the MP. Odd. Ok, no worries. Zone out, set choice to 'Public' still no MP. Huh. Maybe there's a limit on how many Blues you can get in a day. Alrighty. Burn some Son of Svanir guys, rescue a human. 'Dude, why are you following me? Get to a teleporter. Ok, I'll show you where it is.' He's clingier than some of my ex's, but finally I personally escort him to the 'holding area' which seems rather unsafe since it's right off the battlefield. Did I mention there are ice elementals everywhere, and until I showed up, these folks seemed very capable of NOT dealing with them? Ride to the next point, Raptor is complaining all the way about the cold, but we get there along with some exposition over the 60 year old radio that is apparently embedded in my head (When did I authorize that?). Missing townsfolk? That has NEVER boded well. Survive waves of attackers, do some (apparently weak) healing, dodge the icicle that is flying about the area. (Seriously, I tried burning that thing for 20 seconds before I saw the 'interact' button). Big bad goes down, and what's this? More exposition? Cool, I've got no place to be. At least it's not in my head. Entity inside the {DOME OF INVULNERABILITY} (did you get that from Aerin?) explains that "Fire doesn't like ice, and ice doesn't like fire, and Jormag is coming back" Was Jormag that ratty-a55 dragon flying over Malachor's Leap? He ignores my question and stands there after saying his piece. Dude, dramatic speeches only work when you give them then LEAVE. Sticking around makes it seem as if you're looking for applause, or a donation. (Or both). Go find a street corner for that hustle. I ponder his statement and realize that if 'Fire' and 'Ice' don't like each other, this is {SCARLETT'S DOOM ROOM} and the {DYNAMITE} in the ill-named town all over again. How about, and I don't mean to tell any of ya'll your job, we let them beat the crap out of each other and then whack the winner? Meanwhile we can get these civilians to a fire (Have you tried Gendarran fields? It's one pink Stargate- looking trip away) and call it a day, minus the MP. Head back to Black Citadel where the Raptor complains I never take him anywhere. I got you out of that burning pen didn't I?

Had some spare gems, so I figured why not, some loot I can DE, and two (2) Mastery Points (another topic of contention, but let's move on) Alright, head to Brisbane Wildlands, get the obligatory BA (Big A55) orange arrow, telling me 'GO THAT WAY', find another player fighting level 76 (In BW?) vines, he's down, rez him, burn the vines. (I play a Char Engineer using the Flamethrower ability). Still outside the area, * I * go down, other player ignores me. Get to the actual content, listen to dialogue between the sisters that makes no sense in the big scheme of things, defend the workers, Ally NPCs are useless as usual, can't hold aggro, and so I end up fighting multiple Veteran Assassins. Ground is covered in AOE (A not so nice touch from WoW) that shows up after the effect goes off and has a much larger radius when said effect does manifest in time, push through, move to Dry Top. Where the Hades is Sparkle? (Or whatever). She's not on the map (I don't expect hand holding but Dry Top is not exactly small), oh wait, let me ask the Sage 'Google', lo and behold she's right by the WP. Convenient that. She tells me to use these {SPARKLY MCGUFFINS} to maneuver past artificial constraints, and that I do. Finally get to the crash, listen to the forced same-sex attraction dialogue ("Hey, this event isn't timed, I can go behind a rock if you need me to. Or vice-versa. Your call") from the doe-eyed ladies, begin investigation. Whoopsie! Inquest is here (Reasons), so I dispatch them as my erstwhile companions do...things. Find more companions, listen to more dialogue, press on trying to find "clues". Finally get to crappy mining town (The ill-named 'Prosperity') located on other side of the most orderly quicksand on the planet, look for mine. Mine is blocked, but conveniently there's dynamite. Also people standing around who apparently aren't that concerned their fellow townspeople are trapped behind a landslide. Got it. Pick up box of dynamite - whoopsie, get knocked over. Must be the gazillion spider / scorpion hybrids in the area. Not a problem, I'll set them on fire and what? 'Invulnerable'? To EVERYTHING? We need to use these suckers to go after {BIG BAD}. Oh, the dynamite has a secondary ability of displaying invisible AOE effects on the ground. Wow, that's next level engineering. Fine, use ability, avoid invisible AOE (turrets are still ineffectually firing at the Hybrids of Doom}, and get knocked over again. Hold on, I'm outside the AOE, and fuzzy circle. Ok, take the Asura-sized space between the wagon and wall (remember I'm Charr), clear the entrance, go inside, do the thing. Encounter the {BIG BAD} of the episode, Aerin, a Sylvari displaying symptoms of psychosis with delusions of grandeur who is after the 'Master of Peace' in order to have the latter give him "power". (Because back in the day, if you wanted arms, you went to Ghandi, not the US or USSR. Also, have you met the Hybrids of Doom back in the ill-named town? Might I suggest a breeding program?). Get him to half-health and he throws up a shield of invulnerability. FOREVER. Also, why is one half of the doe-eyed ladies continually throwing {SPARKLY MCGUFFINS} at me? Hang on, let me break immersion and consult the Sage - AGAIN. (Nothing says "RPG" like the heroic ability to hide behind a rock and look up stuff on the internet) Got it. Use the {SPARKLY MCGUFFIN} which now has the additional ability to break through a shield. When did she have time to retrofit these things? Shield goes down and Aerin runs away past the ever-spawning Tentacles of Knockback. (Because EVERYTHING has Knockback / Knockdown) Apparently, it's up to me to solo this nutjob while the rest of the team flails away impotently against the aforementioned Tentacles of Knockback. Luckily I can set up my turrets on hilltop of AOE, with just a couple (make that three or four) clicks of an ability. Eventually he drops dead (Laughter, boredom, aforementioned turrets), and we head back to the ill-named town, and search the room that has been here for....EVER. (Mr. Mayor, maybe call in a demo team or someone to remove this potential hazard from your crappy mining town? I mean I know where you can get some dynamite). Search the room, more obligatory dialogue that explains - Something in the big context of things - decide to leave the most irresponsible of the group - ALONE - to "inventory and catalogue" the contents. (Mr. Mayor, I'm not telling you how to do your job, but we might be able to solve multiple problems with the aforementioned dynamite. Just saying) Go BACK in the mine, discuss the world-shattering concept of Ley Lines with Miner_01. Yep, when Einstein need a second pair of eyes on his early musings of the Theory of Relativity, the mines of Zollern was a frequent stop. No problem, episode ends, get my DE loot and two...hold on....ONE Mastery point? Consult the Sage - AGAIN. Oh you've got to be kidding me right? Time to log off and go do something less frustrating. Like learning Polish. Do Widzenia!