unpopuliar opinion : EOD is the worst Expac so far

[Blood.7254]

Well, I think today was truly the 1st time I've ever uninstalled GW2 in cca 7 years. Even when I didn't play it for 7 months prior to EoD release I still had it on my SSD. It's just, this time I actually feel let down. I really wanted this expac to be great.

 

I pre-purchased the ultimate version, purchased quite a bit of gems since release. In the last 2 moths I think I've spent about over €250. Not as much as some players, but I'd guess more than most. I always felt money spent on GW2 is never a waste of money. After all it's me supporting the dev team which gives us amazing free Living World Seasons, fractals, raids, strikes etc. I'm not so sure about that logic anymore.

 

I joined too late to experience LWS1, but I played every release since. I absolutely loved HoT (except navigating tangled depths lol, hate that kitten even today). The vertical feeling and the design of the maps just felt so different and unique, metas were epic and worth doing (I actually felt like an important part of the Pact), elite specs, raids, legendaries... LWS3 had some of the most memorable maps, you could purchase trinkets and backpieces for map currency, and it had the most painful gaming experience of my life (chalice of tears, naturally), loved the story. Path of Fire was a great experience, but I did not play it that much after I got achievements that I needed, unlocked mounts and skins (if it was a viable way to craft legendaries I would have no problem playing PoF maps and metas). Living world season 4 might be my favourite content in GW2. Epic metas, beautiful maps, great collections and achievements, amazing legendaries, skyscale... Absolute peach of experience. Story also got me emotionally involved more than other releases, great villains, Aurene's music theme, her ascension... It was impactful, man. IBS started off VERY promising, Bjora Marches (Grothmar Valley to an extent) was a great vibe, awesome way to set a tone for an ice themed dragon, politics, conflicts of interest etc. Drizzlewood coast was amazing and unique mix of WvW and PVE... But the quality then rapidly dropped off.

 

And this part is what bugs me the most.

 

After spoiling us with an amazing LWS4, and going into a new LWS rebranded as a "saga with expansion level content", the final result left a LOT to be desired. Instead of getting an expansion per Dragon, we didn't even get a LWS per Dragon. The immense weight of who Primordus was for this franchise has been completely ignored and he was rushed to a COMPLETELY anticlimactic end (sorry devs, just my honest feelings on the subject). Primordus became an afterthought, a rushed plot point they needed to get rid of. Obviously I don't know what's going on behind scenes at Anet, but I really felt like the "expansion level content" definitely felt like a bad joke. Boom poof, off ye go, you've got two dead elder dragons without even fighting them yourself, nor getting a proper buildup and resolution for Primordus. To add salt to injury, through EoD dialogues between Soo Won and Aurene they painted him as a momma's boy too... Sheesh, writers. Sheeeeesh.

 

But after the first wave of post-IBS dissatisfaction, people calmed down because "They are all working hard on the new expansion. All of their resources are diverted towards that."

 

IBS was finished poorly, we all said it's OK cause the expansion will be great (which is still wrong to condone), but now we have an expac that feels subpar too. Should we be OK with this too? Or are we going to lie to ourselves and move the goalposts?

 

I see a LOT of people defending this release on reddit and in game. It's okay to like it. Look, I love the new strikes for example, the music is sometimes amazing... But in it's entirety, this release is not just below the high standard we've come to expect from Anet, it's actually unjustifiable given how we "made peace" over rushed and botched IBS ending.

 

Other people highlighted the biggest issues with this expac, but the main things for me is how non special anything about it felt. I chored through the story, the voice acting for Ankka, Yao & Soo Won is bland and flat. The death of Mai Trin was telegraphed and kind of expected by the time it happened. Most of the narratives we went through felt like they were written by some barbie fan-fic messaging board instead of a fantasy team of writers. For a while now, GW2 story and dialogues are notoriously lacking the sense of weight and are often ruined by wiseass, cute or comic remarks. Some of my favourite characters are becoming punching bags for lame humor, and without going too deeply into the quality of certain representation this writing team produces lately, let's just say they're heavily presenting one gender as either incompetent, clumsy, nerdy, anxious, redundant/expendable for cheap laughs - or cruel despots/fascists. The new maps were interesting to explore the first time, and then became redundant for me. Even in design they don't particularly look very striking. The only map that I wanted to do all achievements for is Dragon's End (cause I like the cape skin), but I can't cause some of the achievements are straight up bugged, locked behind a meta that takes 2 hours to fail and retry like a RC car repeatedly hitting and bumping against the wall. Fishing is not content in my book, it's cool to have, but it's not a selling point for me. I maintain these new legendary weapons should've been a Black Lion skin set...

 

Some people like everything about the new expac. Some people love the way events are done in Dragon's End (upscaled, constantly repeatable pre-event quests etc). Some people love that DE meta is failed by most PUGs, some people are even delusional and say most of the PUGs now finish the meta successfully. Some people are saying this expac is jam packed with amazing new features... That's all great, I just think some opinions have more weight than others, and I hope Anet recognizes that.

 

I've seen people getting ostracized for voicing their discontent with EoD in game or on social media, basically being told to leave the game and see if anyone will care. Well, I'm not trying to say these players should care if I stay or go, but I hope Anet thinks they should care if players like me leave. I will personally walk away from GW2 for now. I can invest my money and time into another franchise.

 

Listening to "yes men" is never healthy for any studio. I hope Anet understands that people like me are not haters. I absolutely loved previous releases in GW2, and I think most of them were done at a very high standard. I know I had tons of fun with this game, but since that dreaded 2019 things started going downhill, gradually.

 

Good luck, and I hope to see you again someday.

[Ashantara.8731]

42 minutes ago, Blood.7254 said:

Some people like everything about the new expac.

I have not met a single player for whom this is true.

Look, people need to make precise distinctions between all the elements of an expansion. I got flamed for criticizing the jade-tech (and its color) pre-release -- but when I see the amount of whining about tons of other stuff now, I'm kind of waiting for an apology. 😉

For some people, there is only black and white and no grey in between. As you yourself stated correctly, one can like certain elements and dislike others. The final verdict depends on which side weighs heavier in one's personal opinion. And overall, I really love this expac, though I stand by the things I find subpar.

[Freya.9075]

6 hours ago, scarlettmoonbabe.6932 said:

what exactly is the issue with it? you just dont want to see it? if so, why not? genuinely would like to understand why it matters to you. cuz it would most likely not affect anyone, besides people who are bored and want to fight their friend on a rooftop or some scenic place within the game world. it's not like pvp is a very popular part of the game to begin with, so its not like there would just be chaos everywhere xD

It’s several reasons really. One is that toxicity is often brought to open world. You might say you don’t see it, but because I’ve played games with the possibility to duel in open world, I’ve experienced that a lot. In every game with it actually. Ppl harassing you for not wanting to duel and map chat having salty players cause of pvp reasons. 
 

Gw2 has a really good community. Helpful and most players are really nice. Adding pvp in open world would disrupt it. Cause of the competition part of it. And some ppl just don’t want to see pvp. I don’t think you’ll understand it since you don’t see any issues with it. Unless you’re able to see things from other players perspective and understand that they feel differently about it. 
 

there are other reasons too but I’m not gonna list them all since it doesn’t add anything. Pve players feel strongly about not adding pvp to open world for a reason. And that should be enough to respect it as we respect your wishes for it in your own game modes. Open world pve in gw2 is called WvW. 

[Razadune.9260]

On 3/18/2022 at 1:22 PM, kharmin.7683 said:

Fun is subjective.  I hate HoT maps.  They are not fun for me.

    

I don't like the HoT maps (Tangled Depths in particular I think is the worst map ever created for a video game, easily), but honestly...I'd rather do the events in any of them than the ones I have in EoD. I mostly just move around and do meta events, and other events as I roam.    

     

I wrote a long description of each zone and explained why I feel like I do and just deleted it because what's the point. In the end, End of Dragons feels like WoW's Shadowlands did to me, and it's part of what's making the struggle to play so bad right now. It's something you play because you're there and it's part of something you know you enjoy, but it's like ordering at your favorite restaurant a year after their only good chef left and they've changed their menu to attract a different crowd. You eat there even though it's not really any good anymore, but because it reminds you of a time when it was.    

     

There's not much reason to play in EoD. The rewards are paltry compared to areas like HoT's maps, and you fail the meta events more often than not because they're designed like they were made for progression raiders. You often walk away with nothing after a significant time investment, feeling like you'd be better off just playing somewhere else. Or something else.

    

I do like the new class specializations, though, which I hope is enough to keep me playing until whatever comes next. 

[scarlettmoonbabe.6932]

3 hours ago, Freya.9075 said:

It’s several reasons really. One is that toxicity is often brought to open world. You might say you don’t see it, but because I’ve played games with the possibility to duel in open world, I’ve experienced that a lot. In every game with it actually. Ppl harassing you for not wanting to duel and map chat having salty players cause of pvp reasons. 
 

Gw2 has a really good community. Helpful and most players are really nice. Adding pvp in open world would disrupt it. Cause of the competition part of it. And some ppl just don’t want to see pvp. I don’t think you’ll understand it since you don’t see any issues with it. Unless you’re able to see things from other players perspective and understand that they feel differently about it. 
 

there are other reasons too but I’m not gonna list them all since it doesn’t add anything. Pve players feel strongly about not adding pvp to open world for a reason. And that should be enough to respect it as we respect your wishes for it in your own game modes. Open world pve in gw2 is called WvW. 

I disagree as we have had different experiences. Can you see from my perspective or am I supposed to just see yours?

Edited March 20, 2022 by scarlettmoonbabe.6932

[Zok.4956]

On 3/18/2022 at 7:45 PM, Peterson.5172 said:

although the way it's worded is so biased...

Well, I created the poll and I tried not to use biased wording regarding which Expac is better. Why do you think the wording of the poll is biased?

 

[Freya.9075]

52 minutes ago, scarlettmoonbabe.6932 said:

I disagree as we have had different experiences. Can you see from my perspective or am I supposed to just see yours?

I do see it from your perspective. And I do understand why you want it. But ppl who like pvp have their places to do so. If you add pvp to pve where do we have our place to not having to deal with pvp when we don’t want to? Sure we have instances but many pve players don’t do that content either cause of interests or feeling it’s toxic as well. What do you propose as a change for pve players that don’t want to see this in their game mode if they do add pvp in open world? 

[Zok.4956]

 

On 3/18/2022 at 9:47 PM, kash.9213 said:

What you described is why I've been a broken record about wanting WvW to change into flagged open world pvp for years. WvW is totally cut off even aesthetically from the rest of the game and there's vast areas and lengths of unused map space. There's nothing lived in or active about those maps and when prime time slows down you really feel the emptiness and lack of energy. 

Well, WvW IS open world PvP. It just has its own maps because WvW needs different things to be fun.

I do remember when HoT released and Anet made a new WvW map, the Desert Borderland. There where PvE events on the map, it even had some "PvE map-meta". A lot of long time WvW players hated the map (rightfully) and just left the game. It nearly killed WvW at the time. Anet had to change the map in several ways and also removed the PvE events. There are still WvW players today who hate the Desert Borderland. I think the game mode hasn't fully recovered from that.

As a WvW player: Yes, I would like to have more support from Anet for WvW and new and fun WvW maps. But PvE open worlds maps are NOT good WvW maps and it would not be a solution for either WvW or PvE open world.

GW2 in open world PvE is at its design core a cooperative environment. To not have PvP in PvE open world maps is a core design choice of GW2 that made and makes GW2 different (and better, I say). If that ever would be changed, GW2 would become a different game.

 

[Zok.4956]

On 3/19/2022 at 4:28 AM, scarlettmoonbabe.6932 said:

lets you challenge other players to duels in open world. it could be something like that instead as well and i would do that all the time. lots of great places around where dueling would be fun af

You can do that already all the time in GW2. If you don't like sPvP then just go into WvW maps and roam. There is already a community of players in WvW that are dueling all the time. You can roam und duel all the time, where ever you want in WvW. There are even some spots on the maps where you often find other duelists and where an enemy zerg that is running past will (usually) not kill you and will let you do your dueling.

I understand that you like PvP in open world PvE maps and somehow came to GW2. I respect your opinion. But to NOT have that in GW2 is a design choice and made the open world in GW2 a cooperative environment. If this would be changed, GW2 would become a different game, even, if you do not see this.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Zok.4956

[pest.5793]

I have to agree with the OP and would also include the original GW1 game in the list. My first GW game was factions and over time I've bought all the main games from gw1 and 2. I wasn't exactly hyped up about EoD and the only thing that sold this expansion to me was the turtle. Which I likely will not get because the reason I play this game is I want to have fun. And the Strike isn't fun for me making EoD the first Guildwars game I regret buying.

The Story isn't bad and some of the events have a fun mechanic (even the Dragons End one) but are spoiled by underpopulated Servers that feel dead when not goin into LFG, mechanics that allow grieving (even unintentional, something the previous GW games were pretty good at avoiding) and low rewards.

 

If Arenanet wants to take the game in a different direction - and quite a few players seem welcome that - fine. But  that doesn't mean I need to follow along and if the policy forces me to do stuff I don't like doing, I'm literally not buying into it again. Does this mean I won't pay for new content? Not in the forseeable future. Will I ever prepurchase from arenanet again. Maybe when hell freezes over. I suppose we'll see if the change brings in enough new players to sustain the operation of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesnt.

 

[Tukaram.8256]

1 hour ago, Freya.9075 said:

But ppl who like pvp have their places to do so. If you add pvp to pve where do we have our place to not having to deal with pvp when we don’t want to?

That is the key.  PvP and PvE belong in separate areas.  The earlier games (like Ultima Online) took some time to learn that. Newer games seem to get it.  Having multiple playstyles is great, but they really belong in different areas. It is really not that complicated. 😎

[Laken.9018]

5 hours ago, tclark.8956 said:

 I wrote a long description of each zone and explained why I feel like I do and just deleted it because what's the point. In the end, End of Dragons feels like WoW's Shadowlands did to me, and it's part of what's making the struggle to play so bad right now. It's something you play because you're there and it's part of something you know you enjoy, but it's like ordering at your favorite restaurant a year after their only good chef left and they've changed their menu to attract a different crowd. You eat there even though it's not really any good anymore, but because it reminds you of a time when it was.    

     

There's not much reason to play in EoD. The rewards are paltry compared to areas like HoT's maps, and you fail the meta events more often than not because they're designed like they were made for progression raiders. You often walk away with nothing after a significant time investment, feeling like you'd be better off just playing somewhere else. Or something else.

This is pretty much my feeling. I started to find myself hating EOD and I realised it was because was forcing myself to do the content as needed to justify the purchase.
Went back to HOT and just found myself enjoying the maps more...even Tangled Depths (which is still a confusing nightmare). I did Fractals and was shocked at how much made in just one run vs 2 hours in EOD.
The irony is EOD has two main materials you need in large quantitys.
One in the Jade  which is needed for Dragon Jade which they daily capped for accounts.
The other is Research Pages which can only be found by salvaging crafted items, which needs materials to make or need to be brought. Which is easier to do away from EOD Maps.

I tried Strikes I thought they were cool.  Looking at it if can do Sunqua and Shattered Obseveratory Fractals should be able to do Strikes but you know what I don't have 100% gear for  the metabuilds so guess not doing them.

So lets see. Take away Strikes whats left.
A legendary which is timegated unless you buy the item off the TP - (So farm on a better map)
Armorsets which have timegated materials  exclusive to just one of the  4 new maps or you need to buy items off TP - (Farm on a better map)
And collections for ascended equipment which require you to replay the main story = Taking you off the map.

EOD's entire endgame for some weird reason is better done not in EOD.

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Laken.9018

[Mickey.4207]

This entire expac has been a struggle from start. Never had this much frustration before not even during HOT which most players hated. From events to new roles. It's all a mess. Not to mention getting turtle is the most frustrating experience i had in my life so far. Not because it's only way too overtuned but also because of how buggy the events are for example Jade Maw. It's been many days since release  and scaling is still broken 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Mickey.4207

[ASP.8093]

I really liked Shing Jea — the colors, the raptor taxis, the fishing, the relatively calm map with lots of extra stuff to do "under the surface" (like the mount-race achievements or the Zen Daijun labyrinth). It felt like a cute little vacation, a place where there's still a lot of action and challenge but it's not wall-to-wall struggle, you know? Similar design to Grothmar Valley or the top half of Sandswept Isles.

But then they kinda applied that approach to all the maps, and as a result I feel like I'm just not doing very much compared to HoT, PoF, or Seasons maps.

It doesn't help that half the time, chasing my goals means "waiting around for a big meta." And some of those metas are pretty cool but they can feel doomed if you don't organize from the get-go, so this is the most I've ever looked for LFG taxis just do to open-world stuff.

All in all this means EoD is, unfortunately, the first expansion where it feels like you are starved for *stuff to do* moment-to-moment, despite all the stuff that there is to do around here. Because it's kinda connected funny, imo.

Edited March 20, 2022 by ASP.8093

[Moradorin.6217]

I think EoD and gw2 in general would be ALLOT more enjoyable and feel less empty if EoD had come with a Guild Revamp. Specifically, Guild Missions and Guild commendation rewards need a revamp BAD. The game is called GUILD Wars 2. We spend THOUSANDS of gold to level up guild halls. People spend THOUSANDS to make decorations and MANY HOURS to decorate halls. However, halls are pretty useless for most members and guild Missions are a total waste of time based on rewards and not entertaining enough for anyone to actually do them. (sure SOME group does them I bet, but the other 99.5% is who I meant) I do Missions, typically alone and just the quick semi-fail proof ones for commendations. I used to schedule them for the Guild but after years of sloting time in my life and have zero response each week I gave up and just do them on Sunday once in a while to remind myself they really are pretty easy and fast. that said, the rewards like Hero banners (banners are buggy and despawn ALLOT), Trinkets are ONLY core stats so basically berserker, celestial or all trash. I guess you can buy guild skins but they are not the type of skins myself want. I do have a few friends who RP who like the Guild skins but, lets face it, the Guild skins arent popular in the least.

 

EoD also needs more fun things people can hot join or do casually. Things like Amnoon Casino, Mount races, Bounty Boards or something non-dps kinda fun for when people are hanging out. Many people sit around and chat in various maps as they do stuff. Having some low demand activities or less damanding things IMO entertains people and gives people a reason to stay on the map till the next meta or what ever.

Fishing could fill this niche if it was less demanding but its harder to catch a fish than to perform a good dps rotation and it takes more action and focus from the player which for me 100% ruins fishing. I dont like fishing. I see no point in using a skiff vs just using my nice skimmer which can dive and glide onto land. I dont have a turtle but I see nothing about the turtle that makes me feel like I need one. Especially, when I feel all alone most of the time anyway.

 

Anet PLEASE WAKE THE kitten UP!!! make generate some ways for players to have some casual fun on these maps. People need a way to be entertained and most of us are playing solo because of how the game is. If you want people to be more group dependent you NEED to improve the Guild system and anything else (fishing parties?) that gives people a reason to group for FUN. 

[StarPT.7431]

On 3/18/2022 at 9:00 PM, Hypnowulf.7403 said:

Is that actually true, though? I came to the forums because the story left me kind of distraught and upset, as they pulled the same nonsense again. I wanted to know what kind of unempathetic sorts tehy were trying to appeal to with this, and if anyone felt the same way.

EoD kind of feels like a social experiment, it's bizarre. "Okay, let's make the most benevolent and kind character we can. She's loving, empathetic, caring, and she created the world. She genuinely cares for everyone on it. Now, let's see how many people think that possession is a reason for slaughtering her, rather than demanding the chance to cure her of her affliction instead.

"How many are going to boast and celebrate her downfall... Oh. Oh! That many? Really?? Well..."

I'm a true empath so psychopathic things happening in a story can bother me a lot, especially if I have some kind of connection with it—like a playable character. I mean, I've mentioned this before but... We have so many geniuses on-site, is it really that unreasonable to think that they couldn't come up with some thaumobabble and Deus Ex Magicka to reconfigure the extractor to kick the Void out?

That's what I would've gone with. I would've done something a little bit more brave and interesting.

Here's how I would've handled it, if it were me: We rescue Soo-Won from her affliction and cast out the Void. With the help of her and Aurene, we build new bodies for the ghosts of her children, purify them, and restore them. This leads to a shift in Guild Wars 2, setting up for future content.

You have to roll a new character, as sort of a NG+. Your old characters are still accessible, but they're now restricted to the old world. A new zone makes for the starting grounds for all new characters with the player as a private of the New Pact, this allows for new races to be added to the game. Instead of Cantha having the new starting area with the tutorials, it's here. Players can choose to start in the old story, or the new one. The new one having access to new races and the like. Since there's been a time jump, you could bring in any number of new races.

The notion is is that the Elder Dragons have been restored. A part of character creation is that you can choose to represent one of them, including Aurene, or maybe none if you don't want those particular trees I guess? The new zone is in the Mists. And we're tehre, backed up by the power of the dragons, to confront the Void (or Dragonvoid, if you prefer, or even Torment). This takes things to an entirely new stage, one far larger than Tyria. It opens the devs up to being able to create abstract zones with strange aesthetics and odd physics, unbound by GW1 or even prior GW2 zones.

By having everyone start as a private of the new pact in Arc 2 of the story—as I said, you could bring on all kinds of new races over time. Skritt, tengu, dredge, or whatever else you might think of. And the New Pact is a taskforce for dealing with the Void in the Mists, with an ED lending you their power as they stay to be the vanguard against the Dragonvoid back on Tyria.

We could finally find out where those mushrooms from the Jahai Bluffs came from, and have even more fun with that. Like I said, it'd be something very, very different. Like WoW's Outlands, but more.

This is a very alt-y game, so I don't think people would've objected to having to roll a new character to join the New Pact in their Mist missions, either. It'd have a new cutscene and everything, and provide some overall new mechanics. It'd be fun. With a game this old, that's what I would've done and really pushed the paradigm as far as I could, to see what can really be done with GW2 and its engine.

That's just me, though. I mean, this idea may not even be very appealing to any of you. It would've just rocked for me, though. I would've loved to see all of the dragons returned to life (even Glint and Vlast), with all wrongs righted, everything put back, and the suffering undone. Plus, it'd give us more to do with all of these dragon aesthetics we have.

It'd be neat too in that it'd move the story away from the dragons being the focus (as antagonists) to something completely new without having to end everything on constantly sour, bitter, horrible notes.

Shrug. Just my two pence anyway. That's the GW2 expansion I would've hoped for. A small part set in Cantha just to handle the story of kicking the Void out of Soo-Won and bringing back her kids (which would make her so happy, and I'd like that), then rolling a new character for the real content in the Mists! But hey, maybe this isn't an idea that would appeal to anyone but me.

Maybe GW2 was never for me. I'd be okay with that if the story hadn't actually ended up hurting me so much by lacking empathy to such a profound degree.

Edit: I just thought aswell that it'd be fun if the New Pact were kinda-sorta-but-not-entirely Ghostbusters in a sense. Essentially, players get a purification mechanic to kick the Dragonvoid out of creatures it's afflicted, weakening it.

So instead of killing everything in sight, we weaken creatures then do the equivalent of a finisher to just punt the Dragonvoid out and save whatever it had afflicted. Which would feel more heroic to me than just murdering everything. But again... Just me.

It'd be fun to have an abstract like that as a foe, just continually acting to weaken it until we can go for a big confrontation backed up by the EDs.

Saving Soo-Won would be a major asspull with probably heavy consequences around the world...Kill her was the right thing to do.

Edited March 20, 2022 by StarPT.7431

[ASP.8093]

20 minutes ago, Moradorin.6217 said:

Fishing could fill this niche if it was less demanding but its harder to catch a fish than to perform a good dps rotation and it takes more action and focus from the player which for me 100% ruins fishing. I dont like fishing. I see no point in using a skiff vs just using my nice skimmer which can dive and glide onto land. I dont have a turtle but I see nothing about the turtle that makes me feel like I need one. Especially, when I feel all alone most of the time anyway.

Fishing and the skiff go together. The peak fishing experience is getting together with a few friends and all cruising around in the skiff, sharing food, the fishing party buff, &c. as you fill up a map achievement category.

[decease.3215]

17 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

I have not met a single player for whom this is true.

Look, people need to make precise distinctions between all the elements of an expansion. I got flamed for criticizing the jade-tech (and its color) pre-release -- but when I see the amount of whining about tons of other stuff now, I'm kind of waiting for an apology. 😉

For some people, there is only black and white and no grey in between. As you yourself stated correctly, one can like certain elements and dislike others. The final verdict depends on which side weighs heavier in one's personal opinion. And overall, I really love this expac, though I stand by the things I find subpar.

 

i have meet this kind of player.. they were veteran from gw1.. They are absolutely in love with Cantha.. i tried to talk to them.. but all they are saying is "you must play gw1 to understand the lore in gw2"...

 

when gw1 series get large discount.. i might give it a shot..

[Ashantara.8731]

12 minutes ago, decease.3215 said:

i have meet this kind of player.. they were veteran from gw1.. They are absolutely in love with Cantha.. i tried to talk to them.. but all they are saying is "you must play gw1 to understand the lore in gw2"...

when gw1 series get large discount.. i might give it a shot..

Sorry to disappoint, but I am a day one GW1 veteran as well, and EoD has zero in common with Guild Wars: Factions, as has PoF with Guild Wars: Nightfall or the Guild Wars 2 core game with Guild Wars: Prophecies.

I wish it was different, but these are two different games. I stopped playing GW2 for three years after release because it was nothing like GW1, and only gave it another shot once I had put enough distance between myself and GW1.

Everything that screams "lore" in GW2 is mostly just related by name: people, locations. EoD did spark a glimpse of nostalgia lore-wise, and map-wise only in Echovald, but the overall feel of the expansion was -- once more -- nothing like GW1's Cantha.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Ashantara.8731

[decease.3215]

2 minutes ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

Sorry to disappoint, but I am a day one GW1 veteran as well, and EoD has zero in common with Guild Wars: Factions, as has PoF with Guild Wars: Nightfall or the Guild Wars 2 core game with Guild Wars: Prophecies.

I wish it was different, but these are two different games. I stopped playing GW2 for three years after release because it was nothing like GW1, and only gave it another shot once I had put enough distance between myself and GW1.

Everything that screams "lore" in GW2 is mostly just related by name: people, locations. EoD did spark a glimpse of nostalgia lore-wise, but the feel was nothing like GW1's Cantha.

Thats sad...i just get my hope up QQ  

[Ashantara.8731]

13 minutes ago, decease.3215 said:

Thats sad...i just get my hope up QQ  

Sorry, edited my post slightly before your response...

Don't get me wrong, I love EoD. My favorite map is the Echovald Wilds for the mere existence of the cemetery and the mini-dungeons that harbor a connection to GW1. You didn't have role-playing elements like that in GW1, nor did you have any of the amazing verticality. The people who designed this did a great job.

It's still two different games. 🙂 My favorite parts about Cantha in GW1 were the three different cultures, including their distinct territories:

• The many levels of Kaineng: the huge, beautiful imperial palace, the dangerous, plagued slums, the infested and haunted sewers that held mysteries, the celestial beings, and what not.
• The dark, mysterious Gothic culture of the Kurzicks with their amazing cathedral homes, sacret places and rituals and the mystery of their forest.
• And the nomadic Luxons with their grounded culture and their almost spiritual connection to the sea -- the Jade Sea in GW2 is less than a mere shadow of it.

You are getting nothing of it in EoD, with the small exception that is the ghosts of the Kurzicks.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Ashantara.8731

[Laken.9018]

The sad truth is for EOD they pretty much swung as hard around Guild Wars 1 areas as they could.
Shing Jea is the closest to the original island that you got just 200 years on, the entire west side is missing though with the east side having some locales that weren't accessible in GW1.
New Kaineng is built as far away from GW1 areas as possible and all old GW1 areas were nuked. It also has a slightly more Korean influence to it compared to the Kowloon Walled City vibe the old Kaineng had.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City
Something that a lot of us old GW1 fans are quite upset about.  For me I think the zone has a weirdness where it looks same but for some reason feels smaller and less populated to the city of old. Maybe just because its one zone having to be that entire place.

Echovald is the same area but the Kurzicks have been removed from it although out of all the areas in the game I think this is the one where if you dig down there is still some stuff there.
Dragons End is basically a meta map with no Luxon Lore and tucked in as close to the non GW1 map areas it can be. Harvest Temple is about the only really GW1 thing in that map.

It comes back to a feeling some fans have which is the Guild Wars 2 writers don't want to have to deal with Guild Wars 1 lore.
The whole Livia/Lazarus/Janthir thing being a prime example .  I remember WP remarked that felt very much thrown in "to stop having people asking about it".

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Laken.9018

[scerevisiae.1972]

yes this is the worst expac by far.

most of the elite specs have no appeal for me, and my favourite class (Ele) got IMO the worst-designed, least-useful weapon in the game (hammer). I was already getting bored of the game and Ele hammer just has absolutely no value in my preferred game mode (WVW). Outside of hammer, Catalyst is just core Ele with a field.

 

I feel like the expac has very little actual content and is little more than a vehicle for monetising gem store skins for skiffs/fish rods/jade bot/turtle, which irritates me to the max.

 

expac so bad I gave up on the game. OTOH, elden ring is awesome. 

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by scerevisiae.1972

[Randulf.7614]

3 hours ago, Ashantara.8731 said:

Sorry to disappoint, but I am a day one GW1 veteran as well, and EoD has zero in common with Guild Wars: Factions, as has PoF with Guild Wars: Nightfall or the Guild Wars 2 core game with Guild Wars: Prophecies.

I wish it was different, but these are two different games. I stopped playing GW2 for three years after release because it was nothing like GW1, and only gave it another shot once I had put enough distance between myself and GW1.

Everything that screams "lore" in GW2 is mostly just related by name: people, locations. EoD did spark a glimpse of nostalgia lore-wise, and map-wise only in Echovald, but the overall feel of the expansion was -- once more -- nothing like GW1's Cantha.

Agreed. I was never a factions fan in GW1 - it remains my least enjoyable campaign there, but regardless of love or loathe it, there is very little in common between the two Canthas beyond geographic coastline. Even Shing Jea is unrecognisable in feel and look, although I’d argue Kaineng and perhaps Arborstone (the furthest I’m currently at) are far better in GW2.

As for the GW1-GW2 lore links, it is pretty much correct to look at them as sep games. Whilst there are nods and throwbacks, the devs went to great lengths to treat GW2 as an almost entirely separate game and no knowledge of GW1 is required to play or appreciate GW2 and its story. In fact in the few times GW1 stuff appears, it often gets poorly treated (hello season 3, ep 6…) or they fill you in with ambient dialogue. 

[Krzysztof.5973]

Riding the nostalgia of GW1 for GW2 xpack is a terrible foundation if you have nothing to support it with. For me 100%-ing Kaineng city was the worst exploring experience I ever had in any game. Extremely boring, lifeless, empty. Dragonfall was a better 'ending' to the story arc than EoD is. End of dragons feels... spineless.