hugo.4705 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 So, to start, I have 100% map completion on the 4 maps and finished the story. We claimed guild hall recently, I've unlocked everything apart siege turtle that i still dunno where to start. So let"s go to make it easier will make section. 1/ The Story I found the story quite good, very good, however there are several things that bother me a lot: Firstly, the aetherblades are shown as a prominent foes/menace, from the trailers to the introduction of the extension starting with jumpin on the armada. However they are cleared quite rapidly, as example, Mai trin and Ankka are killed quite stupidly. Indeed, it is told that they gathered part by literally farming i suppose, mai trin boss and aetherblade fractals several times. So they are surely aware that Mai trin always had a statics shield. And so first incoherence, how, ankka killed mai trin? Indeed, mai trin is an aetherblade captain, not a random drunken pirate with no name, and so like many high ranked aetherblades, as shown in LS1 and twilight arbor, they have access to more techs than others. Speaking of tech, Ankka, is mentionned to be formerly part of Inquest an worked at thaumanova reactor, considering she was fascinated by scarlet and mai trin, same logic, shoudln't have died so easily, also, ankka, used void magic, it would have been nice to know how she is able to manipualate it, she makes me thought about Arkk or the scattered dude in shattered observatory. Implying so much that the travelled back to time several time to kill multiple time themselves to gatherpart, to me link it to the auris weirdbringerplot with its rift stabilizer, indeed aetherblades are able to open large scale rifts as shown in the introduction. It was disapointing to only have the introduction, and boom the armada is destroyed, the commander should stop to be treated as superhero that can destroy a whole fleet of flying airship by itself. The trailer mde it sounds like we failed and that ankka would be launching an assault on tyria as the end of expansion. Sorry, but my next point , is again tied to ankka, because there is so many plot incoherence: Ankka siphoned Aurene Magic in the introduction, the characters confirms after that aurene magic levels are very low. What i don't understand, if the extractor, vaccum magic, then it should have vacuumed joko magic from aurene, killing definitely Aurene. You really should stop using plot armor, it is becoming more and more non sense, will not return on how stupidly primordius died, but same stupidity level here. If, the fusion of all dragon magics is called void, shouldn't subject Beta from sandswept be a void subject? Yes I suppose that since zone blue problem in infinity coil from CORE tyria, the inquest had time to gather that Soo-Won minion specimen? And that btw, which are Soo-Won minions? We are very very very very very very far from "Twisted horrors and Tentacled waters". You are denying a giant piece pf established lore, by the largos, the priory and all that have been created in core Tyria, the deep sea minions scared the quaggans and largos! I HIGHLY doubt that soo-won scared them. Especially, when it seems like soo-won were ALWAYS contained in an underwater Jade Inquisition facility. The deep sea dragon has been shown in the vision from the all, and it is bulky not a classical chinese dragon. I'm pretty sure you missed time, but again, like icebrood saga, if this is the case, don't add the dragon, and keep it for later, I would have prefered to see soo-won as a protector dragon of cantha, and then the real bulky sea dragon named Selbskrait arrive and terrorize everybody. The worst is the commander becoming extrashiny and a god able to destroy a dragon made of the 6 dragons energy what a fricking skritt joke I can't take this game seriously now, don't even want to bother to continue further into living season 6. Apart maybe to see the fabulous Canach Casino airship. Seeing all of those, make me think this is the last expansion for me, will not purchase next one, because there are 0 efforts given to respect your OWN lore. And I sadly know you will do nothing to become better regarding this point. I hope to make you change with that constructive critisism, anet. There are positive things, like the fact we awake arrested, the moments with the detective or allies, minister Li... My biggest regret is that the xunlai jade facility is only accessible with the story, should have been made a map with a meta event. Big shame. I feel like i haven't explored all of it. 2/ Graphics / Map designs On this aspect, will be more positive, all the maps are quite nice overall. The architecture is charming, the paths are straightforwards, didn't get lost, pretty cool. Day-night cycle is nice. My few nitpicks are just details but i feel like it kinda impact the experience: In Jade sea map, a shrine guardian fox is guarding a shrine, whereas all the others shrines of the extension are either empty or with a random npc. It is disturbing, you should have reused the spirits you shown us in sunqua peak: The stag, the magmatic panther, the astral skimmer.... it is so weird, this extension is all about chinese mythology, and there isn't a lot of shrines with animal as guardian, monks humming, torii gates, creepy dark paths.... I'm balanced for new kainerg, there are cool spots for screenshots, or to sit at. But to me the gigantic fortification concrete wall all around the city is out of place. Indeed I was expected more traditional harbors on the coasts, touristic beach with those neons umbrella we found around new kainerg at cafés, I think a good job have been done to distinguish the upper rich level from bottom slums ones, but again, the concrete, for bottom ones is out of place, I would have preferred wood and stones, more tradtitional materials. The giant reactor / thingy jade tower at the middle is very weird too. In the top / on fortifications however, the gardens, tea places and district are cool. Seitung island, will not complain, the map is already quite perfect (minus missing spirits guardins shrines / chinese inspired mounts) Echovald is pretty nice, my only complain is that fricking POI locked behind an achiev n a crypt guarded by a stone lantern. What a PAIN. Really, stop locking poi behind achievs or quests. The fort asperwood faclity is very intriguing and it is a shmae to lock that behind an event if is is the case, I would like to be able to explore subground B-31 freely. For Dragon End, really stop using spoilery name, the map is Jade Sea, not dragon end, rename it jade sea! Dragon end is a name of a chapter not of a map! This is a bad habit since Dragon Stand: Dragonfall, Dragonstorm, now Dragon End, what next? Dragon Light for aurene? a lot of potnetial cool names wasted with those. The Pois, Vista, quests are nicely placed, would just say it misses a waypoint at extreme east of setung and on at the bottom middle of echovald. The big con is for the mastey insights, really 0 imaginations, always in altitude. Apart echovald where it is underground... 3/ Music / Ambient dialogues / Cinematics 0 critics here, it is your force, it is well known now, the cinematics, dialogues, voice acting are top notch. 4/ Functionality / Mastery Skiffs : Yeah, nice, i still use more my skimmer. But it is a nice thing to have. Fishing: I tried around on a few spots, not fan, however good work, it is not just a F press, have to pull line at the right, at the left, use bait... nicely done. Jade bots: What is the use of jade bots drone mode, if you can't use it without a control station? Most stupid thing. Should be deployable anywhere in the world, and be upgraded to collect ores for you, gather pois... can be used to take screenshots from altitude! Good idea on paper but badly implemented, at this day, i still don't know what is the use of research recycling kit and where to get research papers to trade to the merchent! Please, make those clearer! Siege Turtle: Can't judge, still don't know how to unlock it, make it clearer. Went to siege turtle hatchery in jade sea saw nobody. Arborstone: Well another hub. Would have preferred services in kainerg city like divinity reach and Housing / scribe 500 mastery instead of that. 5/ Guild Hall Said in another thread, big disappointment. This is so empty, need way more chines elements, shrines, houses, villes, garden, like the ones in seitung, seitung prison is beautiful, joon palace too, the isle of reflection feels like a rotting island where nobody never went, would make sense to be the hideout of all the factions, that would chill out there; brotherhood, aetherblade and the others... not only the purists. Nothing is usable, the only house is the tavern, and the palace that is a garden. No giant shrines, developed villages, you can do better, you shown it with seitung. Need a big revamp. CONCLUSION A rate? MMH. I will still put, like, a 13. Because it is audacious to place in the same plot, aetherblade, jade tech, a dragon, the void, scarlet (even if just echo from the mist), the 6 elders dragons models, 4 maps with domain of vabbi size and 13 chapters. Of course there are still imperfections and bad things and nitpicks. I didn't put 20, simply because of what i said, some plot twist are badly handled, non sense and predictable, some questions stays in air without answers, some things needs fixes. I mean, it is refeshing, but dunno frankly if i want to continue after that expansion, the conclusion, the end, i just did a big /shrug. The omniscient and only Aurene I was against this plot since the start. I can understand for the sake of the plot, ls6 can't simply be void dragon apocalypse, of course. But dunno, would have preferred that the void dragon is destroyed, the void corruption corrupting and killing aurene. If aurene lives, there are still dragon, and it is a no, don't see why aurene should survive and all the others not. Can the commander, do something, for once, without aurene, or super power from aurene? This is my big concern. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castlemanic.3198 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 just an FYI on the siege turtle, you need to successfully beat the meta in the final map in order to get the siege turtle egg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowpokeking.8720 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) Yeah, the plot kinda felt a lot less intense after Ankka got killed. And I am really tired of "Work for Taimi's research, clear the mass" garbage. Soo Won's plot doesn't quite connect well with the previous description. Jeff made clear that "The exact nature of the DSD is as yet unrevealed, and its powers differ from the other dragons as those Elder Dragons differ from each other. But it shares with its kindred a desire to consume, corrupt, and destroy." It protected Cantha, why didn't it do anything to help Tyria? Edited March 3, 2022 by Slowpokeking.8720 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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