Rivlet.9174

Hi, everyone! I am creating this thread in order to post all entries on the Guild Wars Prophecies Fanfic that I have just started. To begin, I am bringing you the first one in both audiovisual and written formats. In this occasion, a background for our warrior is provided. It unravels the thoughts of the character, who sees himself caught in the midst of a war against the charr in a time when Ascalon was still human and colourful (HINT: he is lvl 16 because of the Legendary Defender of Ascalon title and it is now time to do the questing) The plan is to beat all Guild Wars games live (on Twitch) and in chronological order (including GW2) while creating these character diary entries in the aforementioned formats. I hope this one is to your liking! Video (hit English subs) https://youtu.be/pWcPgCHnnJc Write “You, who can, write. It will help you". Those were her words in the evening, just before she left. It almost seemed like an order, but I know that was not her intention. At this point, there is little of Langmar and much of a lieutenant in her. Whatever it is, for some reason, her idea appealed to me. So much so that I immediately went to the store to ask for some ink and paper and here I am: huddled in the corner of one of the sentry boxes of our Great Wall, writing this with bad lighting and worse handwriting. Being here, I can hear how, far below, my companions repel the occasional nightly skirmishes of the charr. In a few hours, dawn will make me the one to take their place to try to stop the eternal onslaught of those beasts. I have lost count of the charr I have slain. There are those who tell me that I am skilled or that I was born for this. Honestly, I do not feel the intervention of other things than luck and experience. Luck, for not having been one of those who fell in their first fight. Experience, for having been able to have that fortune. And the truth is that it has not been long since that beginning. I still remember the knocking on the door of our little farm, in the middle of the night. I was already lying on my bed, trying to fall asleep in preparation for another exhausting day of work. "Open in the name of the King!" they shouted from the other side. When I heard that, I knew they were coming for me like they did with my father for the Clan Wars a few years before. My mother, already afflicted by this loss, implored them not to take me. It was no use: the enemy is more numerous and fiercer, so Adelbern needs every man or woman capable of killing, wounding or bulking. And when the King needs, the people provide. I was not allowed to carry anything. "We will give you everything you need," they warned. Truth be told, I did not have much to carry either, but I would have liked to bring with me some of the books my parents showed me and taught me with. At least this made the trip to Ascalon light. I won't lie: as we stood at the foot of the big city, with the towering Wall illuminated by the morning sun, my heart filled with anticipation and my mother and the farm began to stop mattering so much. We were guided through the city, but, to my surprise, instead of being taken to the register, stocked up and directed to our resting quarters, we were directed through the Wall, towards its north face, to scan a horizon of scorched earth, lying bodies and dilapidated buildings. "This is why you are here. It is up to you that these indomitable beasts go where they came from and do not destroy everything we know. But beware: they are as dangerous to you as I am. My word is that of the King and in this war mistakes are paid dearly. Flee from treacherous temptations, embrace the fight and all will be well. Understood? Good. Let's go". Those were the first and last words I heard from Sir Tydus, who appeared as soon as he disappeared. After this warning, they finally took us to the lieutenant and her subordinates, who took care of us. The next morning, rested and armed, we were divided into groups of two and, supervised by different officers, began our training south of the Wall. Actually, rather than training us, they used us for pest control tasks that, in turn, served to separate the wheat from the chaff. Skales, Devourers, Grawl, Bandits… Those were our targets. Killing them proved our worth, revealed our talents, and helped control a kingdom in chaotic decline. And if one of us fell along the way, quick and relatively frequent nightly burial ceremonies reminded us of what was logical: if he was killed by bandits, imagine what the charr would have done to him. With each day that I survived, my options to continue in this world grew. Options that were minimal for beings who, like me, have little magical flow in their veins. "The warriors," they call us. Many times, in a derogatory tone. And they are right. If not for my partner's talent and spells, I doubt I would have made it this far. In any case, here I am. The skales became a thing of the past and every night I go to my bed overwhelmed and exhausted by the good handful of hunted charr. That is why I am part of the Ascalon Vanguard and, being of use to them here, they have not sent me to the deadly end in which, until now, all my companions have ended. But I cannot go on like this indefinitely. I feel how my soul cracks and my spirit collapses. I have asked Langmar to allow me to enjoy some freedom again. It has been hard for her to give in, but we have come to an agreement: after tomorrow, I will be free from feline brutality for a couple of days, as long as I continue to help the vulnerable or improve my physical and mental preparation for my return to the Vanguard. Better than nothing, they say. But it is fine by me. I know where to go and what to do. In any case, my conscience would not be clear if my fight ceased, because to do so would mean leaving that farm unprotected, which now seems so far away to me and where my mother, without a doubt, suffers every day. "Don't worry. I'm here,” I would like to tell her. But well... At least I can write it.

Hello again! New video on the series: it's time to explain what a Guild Hall is and how to get one. https://youtu.be/F7Zvv7EcjbM This one took some time because I have been extremely busy! Hopefully someone will find it useful. 🙂 Cheers,

Hi! I bring a new video for Spanish-speaking brand new players: this time we cover the user interface. https://youtu.be/mKmgWWrNXCg Hope it's useful! Cheers,

Hi again, Since I started streaming on Twitch, I've been uploading VOD to my YouTube account, but not worth mentioning here. However, I saved some time to make a video on customization options and character aesthetics on Guild Wars 2 for new Spanish-speaking players. https://youtu.be/e5Dn0FkZ-s8 Hope you like it/find it useful! Cheers,

Hi, guys, New video on my series about Guild Wars 2. This time we tackle lore. This one has been tough, but I managed to orderly include every major event while avoiding big spoilers about GW1 or GW2. https://youtu.be/bRhCUnbxzpY I hope you enjoy it or find it useful. By the way, I've added Spanish and English subs. I'm doing that with the rest of the videos. Cheers,

Hi, everybody, New video on the series for Spanish-speaking newbies. This time I talk about mounts, which are, in my opinion, one of the key elements of the game. The cherry on top. Unmatched. Link: https://youtu.be/RZ5yYgyu-JM Hope it helps someone. Cheers,

Hi guys, New video for Spanish speaking newbies that covers the basic systems that articulate the game. https://youtu.be/19P0I7jfGTA Hope it's useful for you or someone you know. Cheers,

Hi, UPDATE: made a new video about Guild Wars 2 Guild Halls for Spanish-speaking newbies. Also, I've started streaming on Twitch, so I've been uploading the resulting VOD videos to the channel. Link: https://youtu.be/F7Zvv7EcjbM Here are the rest of videos that I've posted: 1. Introducing GW2: https://youtu.be/0eV7_d5f3FE 2. Starting tips: https://youtu.be/ByE1wNWhzFw 3. Basic systems: https://youtu.be/19P0I7jfGTA 4. Mounts: https://youtu.be/RZ5yYgyu-JM 5. Lore: https://youtu.be/bRhCUnbxzpY 6. Customization: https://youtu.be/e5Dn0FkZ-s8 7. Interface: https://youtu.be/mKmgWWrNXCg Hope they are helpful for new players and GW2 alike. Cheers,

Hi, As the title suggests, I made an informative video for Spanish speaking players who may be looking into MMOs. My only goal is to spread the word about how awesome of an alternative GW2 is. Feel free to share it if you think it may be of use. I have no interest on rising the viewcount. Link: https://youtu.be/0eV7_d5f3FE Cheers,

There are no words to describe everything you went through, did and achieved, Mossmere. I admire it greatly. A few hundred written words cannot comprehend the battle you fought and fight. I cannot help but feel happy and relieved for you. I am very glad you got to discover GW2 on your way to recovery and that the game and its people have filled your life with support and joy. Here's to many more years of awesome experiences and adventures! PS: Totally agree with your statement about ANET's support guys. 😄

Indeed, OP, indeed. Thank you to devs, both old and new, gone and current. From GW1 to GW2. This is a great game that has changed my life for the better (as I explained on the thread linked below). As everything in life, NOTHING is perfect. Neither us nor the game. But in terms of MMOs and in my opinion, Guild Wars 2 is the one that comes the closest to that idea. It's like what W. Churchill said about democracy. Not perfect, but we haven't come up with anything better.

A year later and as I said: count us in for End of Dragons. ❤️ 🙂 I can't play EoD yet and I'm already thinking: what's next? Super hyped, really. More GW2, GW3... Whatever. Count me in! I hope Guild Wars 1&2 and ArenaNet's future are both infinite and bright, because I want to share many more adventures with you. Huge thank you!

Of course not! What a beautiful, bittersweet story you shared with us. And I am genuinely glad that it has sort of a happy 'ending'. I only hope that people won't miss it because of being embedded within the thread I started. It deserves to be read and fully appreciated. I surely did so. Greetings to your daughters as well. You are all 3 great heroines.

Before I start unravelling the content of this long-ish story, I would like to warn you about its purpose and intended audience. As you may have guessed by the title given to it, its goal is to share and justify the feeling of gratitude that I treasure towards everyone who made and makes the Guild Wars franchise possible (developers, players… you name it). Do not get me wrong, however. This is not the result of a too young and enthusiastic fanboy eagerly sharing his thoughts on something he loves. This is about a thirty-year-old reflecting and being grateful for the moments and consequences brought upon his life by a specific series, with its strengths and weaknesses. My story with Guild Wars is somewhat ‘complex’ and starts with Prophecies. Somewhere around 2006 and 2007 I got tired of playing Ragnarok Online on a private server and started checking other options. Of course, for a high school student with absolutely no income, paying a monthly fee was unthinkable. A friend of mine told me about Guild Wars and, surprised by the scale of it, its design and by the fact that it did not require a fee, I decided to give it a go. After earning it, my mother bought me the standalone Prophecies version and I tried it out. I went for a warrior-monk and had fun for a while, but I eventually dropped it and went back to Ragnarok Online. We fast forward a year and a half and we find ourselves in February 2008, when I was diagnosed with bone marrow failure (a complex and very rare autoimmune disease). After some months fighting the illness while carrying on with my studies, I was finally discharged from the hospital and continued my treatment from home. To celebrate the occasion, my mother asked me whether there was something I was looking forward to. Guild Wars came back to my mind. By then, all of its expansions had come out and there was a comprehensive bundle called Guild Wars: The Complete Collection that caught my eye. She bought it for me (thank you again, mom), and, after donating my old Prophecies account to a friend, I delved into it. I do not know what made it work this time. Maybe it was the different starting class (elementalist), maybe it was the people I met in game, maybe the game had improved or perhaps I was the one who changed. Probably all of it at once. In any case, I was completely captivated by it and, as I began my university degree, Guild Wars became my unwinding tool. Setting after setting, I became both a hero and a cartographer across Tyria, Elona and Cantha and I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the story, with its marvellous soundtrack, with the different settings, with many of the quests I completed, the characters… In a situation in which what I could do was limited by the treatment I was following, Guild Wars provided me with that extra degree of physical and psychological freedom that was much needed. In August 2009, right after my first school year at university, I, like many others, felt a massive hype wave as I watched the Guild Wars 2 teaser over and over and over again. The time of the Hall of Monuments rush had come. Together with a good-hearted player that acted as my mentor, I had a blast trying to collect minipets, armor pieces and the like. It felt like I was achieving something, truly building up a legacy that would act as an insanely deep background for the characters to come. Little did I know that I was as unready as I could be. You see, I was not the kind of gamer that thoroughly informed himself about the new title he wanted to play. Back then, I relied mostly on emotions: excitement, trust, subjective expectations and so on. In regards to Guild Wars 2, I only knew that it was set two hundred and fifty years after the events of the first game; that it looked awesome; that it sounded even better; that you could jump; that you could select a race; and that it was fully persistent this time. Basically, the information included on the aforementioned teaser trailer. So, when the game launched and I got my day-one copy, I was not expecting to feel so disappointed. Entirely my fault. After the announcement of Guild Wars 2, I had just envisioned a game of my own: the first Guild Wars with more and improved mechanics and graphics. I tried it, of course (I had bought it already and I had to look after my pennies), but I was unable to feel engaged with the dynamic quest system, parts of the story, some of the characters, the absence of cutscenes and so on. I missed Guild Wars’ questing, built upon walls of text that usually provided rich backgrounds full of separate and sometimes compelling stories. I missed Guild Wars’ cutscenes, as clumsy as they were. I missed the race-based geopolitical tribulations and the subsequential dramatic situation that framed the world (Ascalon’s destruction and refugee crisis at the hands of the Charr; Kryta’s issues with the White Mantle; Cantha’s insane situation; Elona’s downfall…). Back then (at launch, 2012), I could not feel that with Guild Wars 2. Probably because it was less linear than Guild Wars. It felt like the world had changed too much, even having many of its landmarks almost completely wiped out. Anyway, the thing is that I stopped playing after a month and a half, give or take, so my human guardian sat there for years. And yet, unknowingly, such a discouraging beginning would have the sweetest of ‘endings’. But before that, we would have to fail yet again. In 2017, I was sitting in front of my PC on a hot summer break morning and I was trying to make up my mind about what to play. In a digital era, my eyes laid upon my humble collection of physically cased videogames. I sighted my beloved Guild Wars: The Complete Collection copy and, next to it, the infamous Guild Wars 2 one. I went online and I started gathering information on the latter, finding out about Hearts of Thorns and Path of Fire. Still unwilling to invest more on a game that I had not liked, I just went on with what I had and proceeded to download and install Guild Wars 2. I was determined to test it thoroughly, attempting to get the best experience that it could offer, so I read some posts which recommended to sign up into a guild as soon as possible and try to play the game with people (it is an MMO after all). So, I did: I carefully chose one, got admitted and I set off on my adventure as a Norn ranger. The guild’s atmosphere was lovely, but people were logically not too interested in walking around the first maps, completing hearts, getting vistas and all that not-so-fun part. Especially with a guy they did not know yet and who did not own the much-needed expansions. I did not mind at the beginning. On my own, I did every quest I could find, read every text I came across, thoroughly and systematically explored and completed every map… I was doing quite well. I was having fun in a chilled way… until I got to Lornar’s Pass. After playing the game for hours, I happily completed Snowden Drifts and proceeded to get into Lornar’s Pass. I found the first waypoint, quit there and went to bed. The following morning, I launched the game, saw myself standing at that waypoint, briefly thought of what I had to do (run around, get hearts done, get vistas…) and I got discouraged. It was 2012 all over again. Had I had mounts, the story could have been completely different, but I am glad it went down like this: the best was yet to come. Fate or chance —however you prefer to call it— is a factor that can turn our lives into something shockingly surprising, for good or bad. The fact that I had logged out in that location in 2017 is also the event that made me log in on that same region in early 2019 when I was yet again willing to try the game. Ten minutes in, I read a guild advertisement message on the map chat. At first, I had no intention of joining, but I also felt a little bit more careless about my third attempt at Guild Wars 2 so I thought ‘I have nothing to lose: let’s take a look’. A portal to a different world. That is what it was. I could have overlooked that message or simply ignored it, but I decided to pay attention and let it change my life. In that guild I found the right ingredients that made me enjoy the game fully. It carried me through the surface of the early-to-mid-game phase of the base game and beyond: into the overwhelming depths of the end-game and the incredible and endless riches of its expansions. But I found something way more important than that: the wonderful woman that became my life companion. It happened in the most casual of ways and now, fast forwarding to 2021, we find ourselves living together —we resided in different countries within the European Union—, about to build our future home and sharing lots of great moments every day. Needless to say, all of this would not have happened without Guild Wars. Just reflect on my story and you will easily understand. Things would have been different, yes, but not how they were (and I am damn happy with how things were and, subsequently, with how things are). Isn’t life random? I am well aware that this is nothing new. People have referred to it as the ripple effect or the butterfly effect. Lots of movies, shows and games have explored this aspect of life, but that fact does not make it less magical. An incredible feeling strikes me when I ponder how two extremely distant events are irremediably related: the moment of ArenaNet’s formation and the first drafts for what would end up being Guild Wars are directly connected to some of the most important milestones of my life so far. If there is a lesson to be learnt from this, I think it is the following one: never underestimate the power of the ordinary. Never underestimate the grains of sand. You never know what these things entail. That is what life is truly about, I believe. Thankfulness, then. Infinite gratitude to the minds and hearts that configured the Guild Wars experience. From the creators of the universe to its inhabitants. And I know there is not one without the other, but if you allow me to, I would like to give a special shout out to the people behind the curtains of this big stage: all of the developers and staff members who made and make this possible. And yes: I know that the road has not been easy. It never is. A human life in itself is incredibly complex, let alone a whole company of them. There were ups and downs at a micro and macro level and they will continue to come in cycles. But do not give up. Keep on pushing. Keep on pouring passion into what you do. As one of the characters says in a musical I am infatuated with ‘Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder.’ You have my full support and affection. You earned it. Count me in for End of Dragons. PS: I am also extremely thankful for what you did with Auric Basin. What a map, what a story and what a soundtrack. Unbelievable. PS 2: Happy Valentine’s Day.

As much as I love GW over GW2 and in spite of how ignorant I am regarding the current whereabouts of ANET and its franchise, I believe that it's not the time to undertake such project (and I doubt it will ever be). I won't dare to analyse core aspects of GW2 because of such lack of knowledge, but someone mentioned something about the game's graphics engine and, in that regard, I believe that it's perfectly fine and aging very well. I consider this to be of interest because even though it may as well be the least important element of an MMO, it's certainly the most visible part of it. Such a thing causes an impression on newcomers and veterans alike, more often than not defining the appeal of the product. Hence, I believe that the current game may be an excellent base of operations for future GW-related innovative ideas, not requiring a third installment.