The Inevitability of EoD's Story

[Cynova.1236]

Look what they did to the Mursaat story, Primordus and Jormag, and so many others. Butchered and rushed.

 

Useless and awful characters like Braham living way... wayyyy past their expiration date and tied to an elder dragon to desperately make them relevant. A massive insult to these dragons and the players who were excited about the dragon storyline.

 

Does anyone really think the Deep Sea Dragon will be done justice in how it's presented or the story around it executed? Based on what? The GW 2 story has been so twisted, forced around inorganically and inauthentically, mashed-together, and reheated over and over for the past years that the chance of the final dragon story being done well is an absolute pipe-dream. I won't even touch upon how ear-bleeding the dialogue is or how painful it is that you can't skip it.

 

I used to be so excited to experience this part of the story for so long. Now... I only want to be proven wrong. Please let me be wrong.

 

https://i.imgur.com/cSTCRHE.jpg

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by Cynova.1236

[Sarius.9285]

after the mess that the IBS was, this is actually a pretty legitimate fear....there's always the argument that IBS was rushed because they had to focus on EoD, but until we've shown anything that proves that EoD is better, I wouldn't get too excited either 

[Blockhead Magee.3092]

Rushed or slow, as long as Taimi goes away, I'll call it a success. 

 

 

[Fueki.4753]

After how they did the IBS, I have no doubt EoD's story will be very lackluster.

 

[Freya.9075]

For some reason I like the third dragon better in that picture. It’s adorable. Doesn’t fit gw2 though. On topic we do not know the story yet. Why shout gloom and doom over the game without even knowing the story we’re getting. 

if you don’t like the content when it’s out isn’t it better to complain about it in the forums then? It’s not like they will change it at this point. 

[Gibson.4036]

I've enjoyed Braham. Yeah, he got really annoying there for a bit, but it quickly became clear that was because he was supposed to be annoying.

Honestly, after replaying season 2 and 3, I'm more annoyed with Caithe. Her apologies were terrible. Later, sharing Aurene's champion role with her was a really odd choice.

Hearing some of the writers in the live stream talk about the history and motivations of some of the major NPCs has given me enough confidence that EoD story will be fine. I'm not looking for amazing writing in my MMO. At the moment, I've got Jeff Vandermeer for amazing writing, and GW2 for big, brassy adventure, magicotechnobabble, and occasionally funny dialogue.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Gibson.4036

[Sajuuk Khar.1509]

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

Look what they did to the Mursaat story,

You mean they made Lazarus, the guy who was a total stooge who got outplayed by one of his servants in GW1, a minor character instead of making him some two expansion long machavelian super villain nothing in the games ever made him out to be?

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

Primordus and Jormag

You mean gave them both the same three maps + a dragon fight that Zhaitan, Mordremoth, and Kralkatorrik got?

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

and so many others. Butchered and rushed.

Such as?

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

Useless and awful characters like Braham living way... wayyyy past their expiration date and tied to an elder dragon to desperately make them relevant.

You mean the literal teenager acted like an actual teenager? And the whole Elder Dragon thing was part of a prophecy introduced back in core, before Braham was even a thing.

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

Does anyone really think the Deep Sea Dragon will be done justice in how it's presented or the story around it executed? 

Given that EoD seems to have four maps. Shing Jea, Echovald wild, Jade Sea, and New Kaineng, and this fits with the same pattern the other elder Dragons got... yes.

1. Zhaitan: Straights of Devastation, Malchor's Leap, Cursed Shore + Arah story mode
2. Mordremoth: Verdant Brink, Auric Basin, Tangled Depths + Dragon's Stand
3. Kralkatorrik: Domain of Vabbi, Jahai Bluffs, Thunderhead Peaks + Dragonfall
4. Jormag: Bitterfrost Frontier, Bjora Marches, Drizzlewood Coast + Dragonstorm
5. Primordus: Ember Bay, Draconis Mons, the Champions DRMs + Dragonstorm
6. Bubbles: Shing Jea Island, Echovald Wilds, Jade Sea + New Kaineng City

11 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

Based on what? The GW 2 story has been so twisted, forced around inorganically and inauthentically, mashed-together, and reheated over and over for the past years that the chance of the final dragon story being done well is an absolute pipe-dream. I won't even touch upon how ear-bleeding the dialogue is or how painful it is that you can't skip it.

I have to ask, do you know what those words you use actually means? Nothing about G2's story is any more inorganic then any other MMO/Fantasy RPG story.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Sajuuk Khar.1509

[DarcShriek.5829]

6 hours ago, Blockhead Magee.3092 said:

Rushed or slow, as long as Taimi goes away, I'll call it a success. 

 

 

I suspect you'll be disappointed.  I'm betting Taimi is saved through either amber or jade tech.

[Gibson.4036]

3 minutes ago, DarcShriek.5829 said:

I suspect you'll be disappointed.  I'm betting Taimi is saved through either amber or jade tech.

Or Aurene healing magic

[DarcShriek.5829]

26 minutes ago, Gibson.4036 said:

Or Aurene healing magic

She been sitting next to Aurene for a while now.  I suspect that if Aurene was going to heal her, she would have done it by now.  What's the point of waiting?

[Gibson.4036]

31 minutes ago, DarcShriek.5829 said:

She been sitting next to Aurene for a while now.  I suspect that if Aurene was going to heal her, she would have done it by now.  What's the point of waiting?

What's the point of waiting?

.

.

.

Drama! 

😄

Maybe Aurene's healing magic won't be complete until it is fully matured by absorbing the last sphere of magic with the death of Bubbles. 🤷‍♀️ It's amazing what you can justify with fantasy logic and magico-technobabble. Wibbley wobbley, timey wimey and all that.

.

.

.

I was really just agreeing with you and adding yet another Deus Ex Machina they could throw at her disease.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Gibson.4036

[Duglaive.5236]

16 hours ago, Cynova.1236 said:

 

https://i.imgur.com/cSTCRHE.jpg

 

 

Ok ... I admit I burst out laughing when my eyes landed on #3.

 

As to the point being discussed, my thoughts are we'll see when we see. Speaking only for myself here, and taking everything from the core Tyria story through IBS into account; it's certainly been a bumpy ride. Some I enjoyed immensely, and some I'll kindly say I loathed. Here's to hoping they manage to knock it outta the park.

[DragonMoon.6098]

Guess I'm in the minority. I actually liked Season 4 and IBS and I like Braham's character. He was annoying the first time through, back when there was nothing past Season 3, but the more times I play through the content, the more his character growth and progression makes sense, especially the growth we see out of him in Season 4. So he was kind of a *haha, we're going to replace the word with kitten?* during S3E3...what angsty young adult with parental issues isn't? And his anger at his mother (for dying) is pretty obviously transferred onto the PC (he's not really angry at the PC). Also makes sense. But I guess a lot of people can't look past that. I enjoyed IBS so much that I was at the edge of my seat with each release, wondering what would happen to Braham. I honestly didn't think he'd make it out alive, like with Trahearne, but I'm glad he made it. 

 

Anyways...just wanted to throw it out there that there are those out there who don't dislike the story and don't dislike his character. Is it all executed flawlessly? Hell no, but what MMO storyline is? Things get rushed, and because there are multiple writers, things can feel disjointed. But the overall point comes across and I can follow it. 

 

I hope that EoD can give us an equally engaging storyline. I'm actually moderately disappointed that it looks like Braham is done. He's been hung up on the coat rack because so many people hate him (for whatever reason I'll never understand as already stated). Jory and Kass, I honestly couldn't give two flying poops about...I don't not like them...I just don't care enough about their characters to have an opinion on them. But I think that's who we're going to have for EoD. I can only hope that the lack of Braham is made up for with more Taimi and Gorrik! Maybe we'll see some more growth out of Logan...I love that he's finally shed the shackle that was Jenna...I wanted to see him get out in front of that and become his own person. 

PRAISE JOKO! and KA-BRAHAM! That is all. 

Edited January 15, 2022 by DragonMoon.6098

[Sparrowspoo.8209]

I pre ordered EoD if its no good ill just stop playing, especially after all the hype. Anet has gone all in with this let's hope they can follow through.

[Linken.6345]

3 hours ago, Sparrowspoo.8209 said:

I pre ordered EoD if its no good ill just stop playing, especially after all the hype. Anet has gone all in with this let's hope they can follow through.

What hype are you talking about?

[Fueki.4753]

20 minutes ago, Linken.6345 said:

What hype are you talking about?

Some people actually think that the maps and their thematics are good. Some people actually love the new masteries. These people are hyped to some degree.

Although I wouldn't say there is too much hype, especially in the official forums.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Fueki.4753

[Gibson.4036]

You know, often hype just sets people up for disappointment. Sometimes I hyped things gain traction after people discover them. The one constant is that everybody, even experts are pretty terrible at predicting the future.

Things’ll get clearer in a month or so.

[Linken.6345]

1 hour ago, Fueki.4753 said:

Some people actually think that the maps and their thematics are good. Some people actually love the new masteries. These people are hyped to some degree.

Although I wouldn't say there is too much hype, especially in the official forums.

Agree and thats why I asked about clarification on  especially after all the hype   part of their post

[AgentMoore.9453]

6 hours ago, Linken.6345 said:

What hype are you talking about?

I think they're talking about the attempted hype from ArenaNet.

If you remember back to a certain stage performance where it was proudly (and repeatedly) announced that IBS was going to be expansion-level, mind-blowing, best thing since sliced bread, etc. and then look at how IBS ended, you might then understand why, when they began to say things like 'we cut IBS so EoD can be amazing!!! All hands are on deck! All resources have been diverted to make EoD the best expansion we've ever made!' some of us sat there thinking 'Right, but last time you promised something earth-shattering, it wasn't really.'

Since then, ArenaNet has been using very grand terminology to describe their upcoming expansion, and I think that's a dangerous gamble after what just happened to LS5. If they were willing to cut something off at the knees that they were blasting as loudly as IBS and the thing they cut it for doesn't match the hype they're trying to generate, that might be a nail in the coffin for some users. I don't need EoD to be the 'best ever' (I'd honestly settle for 'just kind of okay' at this point since that seems realistic) but if they keep tooting that 'it's gonna be epic' horn, I can see how that's gonna turn out.

I'm in the camp of 'play it first, then decide how you feel about it', but when people say they say they're concerned the hype won't match the product, that's why.

Also, as not to get too far off topic from this thread, I kinda agree with the OP that we shouldn't expect too much from the story. I'm not very often moved by GW2's writers. They've had some really good moments (Trahearne's fate + after quest, Claw Island, That one cinematic with Team Rocket Aurene), but usually I just kind of shrug after a story segment and wish there were more consequences for people's actions. I'm hoping EoD will have some bright points in it, but I'm not expecting them.

[Jumpel.3972]

There is actualy no story setup for EoD.... yea it's something to be scare about for the story

[Nico.9361]

13 minutes ago, Jumpel.3972 said:

There is actualy no story setup for EoD.... yea it's something to be scare about for the story

The dialogs after completing Return to... achivements is supposed to give us some hints. No major spoilers.

We also don't have the exact release date yet, who knows what happens.

[Jumpel.3972]

14 minutes ago, NotTooFoolish.7412 said:

The dialogs after completing Return to... achivements is supposed to give us some hints. No major spoilers

It say nothing new from the end of IBS expect state that taimi is still sick 

[Nico.9361]

1 hour ago, Jumpel.3972 said:

It say nothing new from the end of IBS expect state that taimi is still sick 

They reference another dragon - Bubbles, someone else interested in dragons - inquest, aetherblade, or even Joon.
All of that, we already expect. We might get surprised with a vessel for dragon magic, but that might be simply jade...

We've had a bit of a chat with Tengu during DRMs, I don't think we'll see the Dominion though.

I'm curious how will they bridge the gap in the current story and EoD. It's gonna be funny if it's just: Mai Trin pops up, says she's been tracking the same thing as Taimi, asks for help, off to Cantha we go.

[piitb.7635]

I personally believe ANet's storytelling has improved over the years   Replay the vanilla GW2 story and and compare to the newer stuff, and anyone will realize there is a big improvement because base GW2 story was awful.

 

 

That being said, the story telling still has glaring weaknesses.  It feels like they miss telling crucial information or they just assume you know this faction does this, this faction does that.  For example, the Forged, they are never mentioned prior to PoF, then you set sail to Elona and magically you know everything about them and who they are.

 

Also villains are just kind of shoe horned in.  and you fight them almost abruptly as they appear and its just awkward storytelling.  It's like there is little to no character development and then *boom* a boss battle we should care about. 

 

And speaking of abruptness and villains, the main bad guys like Balth. Mordremoth, etc... you just kind of fight there fights out of the blue it feels like.  The Zaitan and Kralk had proper lead up, but the rest, its all the sudden here is the final battle.

 

ANet also doesn't utilize your NPC companions well enough.  FF14 had this issue as well.  The NPC dialog has improved, but GW2 gets kind this "Main character has to do everything and is Mary Sue'd"

 

ANet has room for improvement

Edited January 16, 2022 by piitb.7635

[Zeivu.3615]

30 minutes ago, piitb.7635 said:

I personally believe ANet's storytelling has improved over the years   Replay the vanilla GW2 story and and compare to the newer stuff, and anyone will realize there is a big improvement because base GW2 story was awful.

 

 

That being said, the story telling still has glaring weaknesses.  It feels like they miss telling crucial information or they just assume you know this faction does this, this faction does that.  For example, the Forged, they are never mentioned prior to PoF, then you set sail to Elona and magically you know everything about them and who they are.

 

Also villains are just kind of shoe horned in.  and you fight them almost abruptly as they appear and its just awkward storytelling.  It's like there is little to no character development and then *boom* a boss battle we should care about. 

 

And speaking of abruptness and villains, the main bad guys like Balth. Mordremoth, etc... you just kind of fight there fights out of the blue it feels like.  The Zaitan and Kralk had proper lead up, but the rest, its all the sudden here is the final battle.

 

ANet also doesn't utilize your NPC companions well enough.  FF14 had this issue as well.  The NPC dialog has improved, but GW2 gets kind this "Main character has to do everything and is Mary Sue'd"

 

ANet has room for improvement

 

 

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if they retroactively fills in story gaps at this point with a 'Director's Cut' mini story chapter, but I don't think the writers will remember the plot we currently have.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Zeivu.3615