lakdav.3694

It is alright for once, made me try it out. I appreciate the weekly strike mission thing, and the reward thingies, but please no more locking story instances behind strike missions. The only saving grace of raids for me is that those stories can be skipped or they may be taking place in the background somewhere sometime. This was a look back into the past, alright, that works fine in the narrative. Still the whole warband thing storywise just feels pushed onto the actual story. You could take it away entirely and you wouldn't lose anything from the narrative.I prefer to do my living world alone or with 1-2 friends. The Victory or Death (Arah dungeon story mode) instance can easily be done with those numbers, even solo if you play well enough, and even that was a controversial choice back at release. So yeah, it was alright once, good marketing trick or whatever, but please no more of this locking story behind 10 players group content.

It should just root the player in place, maybe also disable attunement swap for the duration. You're so one with earth you can't move until that invulnerability wears off. Utility skills still permitted. Mist Form has increased movement speed and invulnerability at the cost of all skills. Its a "get out of a sticky situation" card focusing on nothing but escape. Obsidian Flesh should be different somewhat.

Aside from the CC tutorial that everyone needs, I think we also need some synergy training as well. Combo fields and finishers. Traits affecting skills or each other. These new achievements should pop up somewhere in the leveling experience. For example, right as a character (or first character on an account) reaches the level to invest in traits, they should have the achievement eligibility icon above their utility skills. That eligibility icon should be clickable for more information, and in this case, proper explanation. "Select a trait that improves an equipped skill." And possibly give an early available example for every profession. The CC tutorial is probably best done in Personal Story instances. Maybe learning it throughout the Orders of Tyria instances, with the final boss of that string of episodes needing a break-bar breaking to be beatable.

Well Primordus didn't look like Primordus in EoN either. And frankly I don't mind that 200 years changed a low-poly lump of poorly textured thing trapped in a sheet of ice into something that looks cool. Can I just make a little request by the way? Can we get a new Icebrood Saga -themed character selection screen? Really tired of PoF desert theme now. It has been a letdown next to the HoT-theme in the first place, but now its just jarring

Taimi too has grown significantly ever since she doesn't ride on top of Scruffy. She is now bigger than my adult asuras.

Hmm, okay, let's say it goes like that then. Vlast and Aurene are both alive then, as well as the Commander. Nobody needs to be sacrificed. Joko is not antagonized in the Domain of the Lost, and somehow he doesn't look immediately for an excuse to go aggressive on Tyria. Vlast eats up some of Balthazar's magic, Kralkatorrik eats up the rest, and maybe Aurene gets some from half a world away. Vlast beats Kralkatorrik with the Pact in Thunderhead (or even sooner with the first Dragonsblood spear. Vlast ascends to replace Kralkatorrik in the All. Where does this leave Aurene? She doesn't get much from either Balthazar, or Kralkatorrik. Maybe Vlast would selflessly share the magic of Zhaitan, Mordremoth and what Balthazar sucked away from Jormag and Primordus, with Aurene to help manage it. How ready would she be to take anything without the path she went through, and how relevant would season2-3 feel, if Vlast just swooped in at the start of PoF and drew all the plot relevance that was previously built up for Aurene?I think it would be very confusing and disappointing for anyone who never knew about a first scion... basically anyone who haven't played that one last challenge mission in GW1- Eye of the North where Vlast was introduced … as Gleam… basically just sitting around.

It might be that she didn't try too hard. Maybe because she knew it would be pointlessly sacrificing the entire legacy she set up. She did want to give a good chance to Destiny's Edge though. Balthazar wasn't a god anymore. Though he altered the magic that he held, that magic ultimately came from Primordus, Jormag, and the Maguuma Bloodstone. This would be different from Dhuum and Abaddon, who's unleashed magic would be true divine power. With Abaddon's death stirring Primordus, it sounds more like the sent of additonal magic in an already magically heavy world stirred him (keep in mind that Abaddon's death happened in short order - especially for an Elder Dragon - after the Searing and Cataclysm, and not too much longer after the Jade Wind). Here I more meant the whole Mist-walking ability that is supposedly unique to gods. Though it is not an ability that is a natural part of the Elder Dragon diet (it is magic from outside of Tyria), Kralkatorrik and Aurene both proved that they can absorb and utilize this ability. So shouldn't have Glint been able to take some of this ability from Dhuum and Abaddon when they were being usurped? Good questions. The compelling story part is quite subjective I think. The question of Vlast being a good ED... sounds like a No. In his memories he says that most days he only feels anger. That doesn't sound promising. To be fair our characters and the world worked our kittens off for the prophecy to come true, and many times it seemed like it wouldn't. The Pale Tree's quote fits well there… Even there it referred to how a potential and preferable future might slip from us and thus the world would be doomed.

I'm not so sure that 250 years is that much of an advantage in dragon years, especially when faced with Elder Dragon magnitudes of time and power.Glint was no match to Kralkatorrik herself. (on a sidenote, come to think of it: If Dragons can have a taste of the magic when a godlike entity's power is released and immediately taken by another, as it was suggested about Balthazar's power when he died, wouldn't have Glint gained a little taste of Dhuum's and Abaddon's power upon them being usurped by Grenth and Kormir respectively? I mean at least Abaddon's place (being Kormir's library now) is pretty close to The Tomb of the Primeval Kings which is right in the neighborhood of Glint's lair... And some of that magic must have reached Tyria to stir the Elder Dragons.) Joko's death and consumption was absolutely vital for Aurene's ascension. The trials didn't open before the Death of the Lich, and the trials needed a champion beside the dragon. That ascension was the most important step to fulfil Aurene's role. Vlast likely never had the same prophesized role as Aurene either, not because his champion never showed up (as he says in a memory), but because probably he never supposed to have one. One thing I'm quite sure though, is that Vlast too had some measure of prophetic vision, beyond what Glint and the Exalted wanted for him to know. Chances are he knew himself to be a failed potential before it happened.

I fear that would have sent Canach down a bad Kormirification path. That, and it would have further amplified the apparent sylvari-centric plot. Trahearne for Pact Marshall, Scarlet for Season 1 main villain, the whole Mordremoth line of HoT… If Canach had stepped forward in such a light (before Caithe goes all motherly First Disciple for Aurene), I think it would have been criticized worse. Personally I liked Aurene's direction. The whole point of her story has been the impossibility of trying to live up to her predetermined role. Vlast's similar attempt and failure to do so further reinforced that impossibility, and that was his role. I'm only sorry that we haven't heard more from him before PoF. Revealing him to be the one to pass on Aurene's egg to the Master of Peace would have been perfect I think, and we wouldn't have had to guess who that mysterious voice was in that memory..

Back in LS1, during the Twisted Marionette meta. We were up on the platforms fighting our champions, and at a lucky moment I turned my camera to see the Marionette glare down right at our platform before unleashing her attack. Sent chills down my spine. Similar moments with Zhaitan and Mouth of Mordremoth. Joko's moments, especially the last ones. The return of Lazarus (the first one) Kralkatorrik taking notice of us in Thunderhead.

The Inquest gets results. Yes, some (if not most) times it is the results from other krewes that they steal from, but they are also not hindered by moral restrictions, which means they can build upon the innocent research, and come up with something very effective (and very horrible) from that. A good krewe is trying to come up with a medicine, they will likely invent a dozen potent poisons and diseases on the way. The Inquest has no problem visiting with an assault force, taking the research for their own, improving the poisons and diseases, and use the krewe as test subjects (or convert them to work for the Inquest if they can, through bribery or blackmail or threatening life.) To the people on the top, only the results matter as long as they can maintain a level of deniability, and the Inquest is careful to do just that. The bottom line is everything. All the while the common populace doesn't know just how bad it can get. In the face of the Rata Sum public they just deny everything while promising amazing opportunities to impressionable progenies in Metrica. Heck, they even did the positive caring propaganda with the sub-krewes doing the dirtiest most immoral research in Rata Primus. Even if people in Rata Sum know, most would say it is a necessary evil, and just don't care as long as this evil is not inflicted on them personally. Nobody cares about the sentient and semi-sentient lives sacrificed in the development of DERV golems, but we sure like having them around in all their black-and-red glory.

Ehm, no. In GW1 the attunements were kinda like this: Fire: Superior flat fire damage in varying sized areas, most skills applied Burning (massive health degeneration, not intensity stacking). Aside from Energy Management skills and the knockdowns on meteors, it had little to no utility.Air: Very good damage on single targets, further enhanced by Armor Penetration, which ignored 25% of the victim's armor rating. Roughly translates to Critical chance and Ferocity in GW2, which is what we are moving towards as of last balance patch. Air had some utility in the form of blinding, weakness, a few knockdowns, and Cracked Armor condition that translates to 20 stacks of Vulnerability in GW2.Earth: Reasonably good earth damage with varying sized areas. It was the defensive element with Wards (area effects that provide +armor against specific sources) and +Armor skills. Massive area control knockdowns, blinds, a few armor ignoring skills (Magnetic wave, Obsidian Flame), basic condition removal. Only bleed application I can recall is Stone Daggers. Some movement-impairing area skills.Water: Weakest damage but most offensive long-lasting utility. Varying degrees of movement reduction on foes (from 50% up to 90%!!). Blurred Vision (a weaker version of Blind if you will), spell-casting denial in an area with Maelstrom. Specific armor skills working around the Burning condition. Water was hydromancy and cryomancy instead of aquamancy: It had no heals in GW1. (Oddly the best Ward spell was in Water instead of Earth though)The biggest difference between Ele in GW1 and GW2 is that you could put together a build in GW1 that couldn't touch an element other than what you specialized for even if you wanted. If you are a pyromancer and build up accordingly, you were completely locked out from the other 3 elements. And the system rewarded specializing heavily in two or maximum three attribute lines (basically the elements for the GW1 ele + energy storage, and Energy Storage was a must for the stronger spells). On the other hand GW1 had some spells that tried to bridge through the elements in ways we don't see in GW2 (where it would shine, ironically). Like Steam, a water spell putting blind on burning foes, or Stoning knocking down weakened foes (weakness primarily coming from Air), or Chilling Winds (air skill) that increased duration of water hexes. Traits that try to bridge through elements would be great in GW2. Just a few ideas with not a massive amount of consideration in them yet:Steam - Water trait line - Water weapon skills hitting burning foes apply Blind, (internal cooldown needed)Obsidian Flame - Earth trait line - Earth weapon skills infict 1 second burning on target or around caster.Hypothermic reaction - Fire and/or Water trait lines - Applying burning on chilled foes and applying chill on burning foes inflict damage.Icy Shackles - Water trait line - Applying immobilization inflicts chill.Conductivity - Air trait line - Air weapon skills hitting chilled foes hit nearby additional enemies with lightning strike (internal cooldown needed)

Staff at the very least needs some little tweaks that aren't necesserily damage boosts. Like some cooldown reductions and aftercast reductions (all over), projectile speed increases (mainly in air 1 and 3) and some reliability in its CC skills (like a daze within Static Field upon activation and a knockdown in the area of Unsteady Ground upon activation). Some conditions would be welcome too, keeping in mind still that Earth is supposed to be the "superior damage over time" attunement... but not forgetting that fire in general tends to burn :P

Coming from PvE, but my points can be taken generally I think. Mostly just ideas, not hardcore suggestions. Weapon Skills:An elementalist's weapon should only determine the range and playstyle, not if you go strictly power or condition damage. Many of them feel like fillers with little use. I usually pop 1-3 skills per attunement just because I want to switch attunements a second later and dont want to waste them in the attunement cooldown. Each element should have a role that they fulfill with comperable efficiency (compareable to other specialized professions) when untraited, and expertly when traited (masterfully when traited+stats). Roles of Elements:Go with logic and what the elementalist misses. Play around with the polar opposition of elements. I suspect that ele is stuck in the damage role only because they have not much else to give. Give each element a good set of boons and conditions and have all weapons deal them out comperatively. listed by commonness, ()'s for possible traited effects maybe?Fire: conditions - burning, (fear); boons - might, (fury)Air: conditions - blind, vulnerability, weakness, (confusion, poison); boons - swiftness, fury, quickness, (alacrity)Water: conditions - chill, slow, immobilize, (poison); boons - regeneration, vigor, resistance,Earth: conditions - bleed, torment, cripple, taunt, weakness, (blind, immobilize); boons - protection, aegis, stability (resistance, might) Traits:Not a single trait should work only when attuned to a single one element. They can have stronger effects when in their respective element, but locking the elementalist out of any trait completely just because they dont camp in the given element is just... counterproductive to their entire theme.Traits should synergize with each other more. Not just within a single traitline, but across attunements and elements as well. Kinda like how in GW1 there was Enervating Charge and Stoning (EC inflicts weakness, Stoning knocks down weakened foe; Two opposing elements synergize for maximum effect, ungainly in GW1 attribute system, but easy in GW2's attunement swapping).Rearrange some traits as necessary between traitlines to get the most out of the given role (like Powerful Auras to Tempest) Auras:Anyone can make them with comboing, yet elementalists waste skill-slots on them. Aura weapon skills should either do something significant to warrant a skill slot (akin to Tempest shouts), or the auras that elementalists grant should do something more than what the other professions conjure up. Similarly to how Persistent Flames enhances blasts on fire fields, Auras provided by the elementalist (either through sharing or comboing) should be more powerful. Put this enhancement of auras in the minor grandmaster traits of each element for their respective auras. And get rid of the counterproductive condition of "getting hit while under the aura" to get their full worth, nobody likes to get hurt just to make a trait or skill look not entirely worthless.

Enhanced character animations and effects. Some of the spell effects (like Dragon's Tooth for example) looks like they are left-overs from the alpha build with poor textures, and several skill-use animations seem wonky and clumsy (Revenant main hand sword AA on human for example). There could be different animation packages along with a platform in the hero panel to choose them. Want the crooked malevolent moves of the GW1 male necro? Maybe the grace of the mesmer when she slings that wand? Perhaps the ascendant wings of the paragon? You can add new ones too, maybe racial ones like asura spell effects that largely resemble holomancy.

The old LA was smaller in size with larger population. The new LA has a lot of room for future generations, but I can already imagine it going the way of Kaineng city. It is the safest city around now, with trade picking up once again: People are going to migrate there, quite soon more than what the pristine city can hold. There are too many and too great open spaces that will be filled in with temporary housing. The world outside isn't getting safer anytime soon either, so the temporary houses will be reinforced every season with several new ones popping up next to them. The Plaza will be the busiest bazaar since the Zephyrites closed theirs for good, with equal measures of awe and wonder as theirs was. Structural flaws will start to appear. The Consortium who rebuilt the city in this image is all about profit and deceptively good public relations. It stands to reason that they saved some money on actually sound craftsmanship in favor of it just looking good. They will throw some parades annually celebrating the rebirth of their Lions Arch, expertly using the occasion to mask the more obvious flaws with new, even better looking ornamentation. Then, when the last lion statue is finally gone, they will officially have the city renamed to Calamari Arch