For those that don't like Aurene, I have seen your opinions and even understand some of them, but this isn't about that. If you have a negative disposition with the Prismatic Dragon, I respectfully ask you to move on from this post.
It has been more then a decade now, since I first picked up this game in middle school. I never had the need to join the forum, but ever since the conclusion of the Elder Dragon story I have something on my heart, something that I hope gets to the developers. Over the years I tried many aspects of the game, but out of all of it I never expected the story to be what got me invested the most. Up to the end of LWS4 I still ever only finished the personal story. It was then when I decided to finally catch up and experience the game to its fullest. This was the right decision. It is hard to describe without talking about my mental health, but the fate of Tyria and this overwhelming threat of the Elder Dragons felt close to my heart. I fell in love with the world that the studio created, and the characters in it, even with their flaws.
There is one however that was and still is special to me. Aurene. I was in a rather bad place in life when she hatched from her egg. At first I didn't really know what to think about her, but she didn't mind and showed me affection regardless. This was something new to me and something that means a lot to me. Over the course of LWS3 I began to like her more and more. Once I got to Path of Fire I could feel the bond that the commander is supposed to have with her. I felt responsible for what happened to Vlast, but what really moved me was when this little hatchling tried to fight a god, to save us. From there on out I wanted nothing more than to fight for her. She gave me hope and not just for Tyria. The fact that Aurene cared, even though she is in the end just a fictional character, helped me. It gave me just the little push that I needed to get out of the bad place my life was in.
By LWS4 I loved her, she genuinely was and still is like family to me. I wanted to be there for her on this difficult path she was on. Be the family to her that she never had. That season was an emotional roller coaster for me, even now I am still not over it completely. I was overjoyed to see her again in IBS, all grown up and as beautiful on the outside as she had always been on the inside. I was proud of her decision to not intervene as it showed that she took to heart what she learned in her mother's lair. And more so that she believed in us as her champion, that we could find the way to resolve this.
With End of Dragons I was scared about losing her since the title was announced, yet that was not it. She instead found her place in the world. I was happy with every second we had in the expansion with her. Yet I knew what it meant, and my heart broke when the game spelled it out for us.
I know that the studio wants to step away from the Elder Dragons, It has been ten years after all and I also think it is time for new stories. But I am scared, scared of losing a character that has brought so much good to my life. For me the game would lose a part of its soul, one of the reasons we played for the last ten years. I don't need her to be one of the characters that drive the story anymore, but please, for all in the community that love her and fought for her, give us ways to interact with her over the years to come, let us talk to her, let us spend time with our adoptive scion. It just wouldn't be right towards her if we don't see her again, she says herself that she does not want to be alone. We and Caithe are closest to her and I have no doubt that she loves her champion like family as well. And even though the commander is a more passive character so that the player can make them their own, EoD clearly showed that they care a lot for Aurene. I know that many in the studio love her too, otherwise they would not have made her into such a kind and loving character.
Please give us something to keep our bond alive. As much as I love to hear her voice, it doesn't even have to be voiced if that is too much of a hassle. The people that love her would just be happy to talk to her. You could make it an optional instance, just like "Precocious Aurene" so that those that don't like her don't have to do it. Give her enough dialogue to not make her feel static and add a few new ones as time progresses. It would be a reward for those that love her and inconsequential to those that don't.
