[spoiler] Please don't make this an one-off

[NeverLoseGuy.3894]

This episode, as lackluster as it may be, has a lot of potential story-wise. The underlying theme and metaphor of descending into the deep abyss perfectly describes The Commander's mental state and their downward spiral which has been building up more and more throughout the storytelling, *especially* in this episode e.g. the journal and the implications of their struggle between end of the latest xpac and this episode, as well as their reactions during the final fight and how they became increasingly volatile as you progressed.

I'm highly concerned that all of this will be dealt with in a matter of episode or two. This kind of things don't just end in that amount of time, especially when there is so much emphasize not just in here, but also from previous content. Trauma and mental health is also not something you toss to the side like it's just another problem to solve in a matter of days, it takes time to deal and gradually recover, if you ever recover from it. Judging from the reactions and the dialogues, it's also clear that this is not something they have fully dealt with internally, and I hope if it will be dealt with in the future, have it done in a proper pace and not just an one-off episode, please.

Edited March 2 by NeverLoseGuy.3894

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

A one off?

• The Commander's trauma has been an on-going subplot since August 25th, 2012.
• Zhaitan used the Commander's fear and death of mentor.
• Tower of Nightmare used the Commander's early adventures, fears, mentor deaths, and friendships with DE + Trahearne against them.
• Mordremoth used the dead mentors and friends.
• Shining Blade trials used guilt and trauma.
• The Commander even re-experienced it when recovering their memories after dying to Balthazar.

It's a 11 year long subplot, and I doubt it'll ever be leaving, just like how the horror-based villains are all telepathic entities exploiting people's fears and madnesses. Like Jormag did. Or Mordremoth. Or Zhaitan. Or Kanaxai in GW1. Or Abaddon in GW1.

 

The Commander's Guilt, and Horrors Invoking Nightmares are the two longest running themes of Guild Wars.

[Teletric.3821]

On 3/1/2023 at 3:46 PM, Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

The Commander's Guilt, and Horrors Invoking Nightmares are the two longest running themes of Guild Wars.

You make a great point and it actually raises my excitement for the next story.

If demons are born and/or sustain themselves off of the negative emotions of Tyrians like Deimos did with Saul, it would make sense why the demon in The Deep would latch onto the Pact Commander specifically as opposed to their other allies.

Perhaps the demon has already had its eye on the Pact Commander for quite some time, and it was playing the long game to eventually lure them to itself after the threat of the Elder Dragons had been dealt with, knowing the pain and suffering they would have endured. There are so many interesting routes they can take with this concept.

[Zola.6197]

Mentioned this in another thread, but it would be neat if this arc tied into Ai and the Sunqua Peak fractal. Perhaps the mountain has also become a demonic hotspot? Or it could be a thread we pursue to learn more about demons, if we learn about it as part of the golden path of the game.

Could be a good tie-in to bring us to Kinya Province/West Shing Jea!

Who are all the named demons in the GWs franchise?

[Urud.4925]

On 3/1/2023 at 9:46 PM, Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

A one off?

• [...]

It's a 11 year long subplot, and I doubt it'll ever be leaving, just like how the horror-based villains are all telepathic entities exploiting people's fears and madnesses. Like Jormag did. Or Mordremoth. Or Zhaitan. Or Kanaxai in GW1. Or Abaddon in GW1.

True. This time I felt absolutely nothing when I saw Tybalt. I thought it was a cheap way to play with my emotions. Unfortunately, it didn't land this time.

[Randulf.7614]

2 hours ago, Urud.4925 said:

True. This time I felt absolutely nothing when I saw Tybalt. I thought it was a cheap way to play with my emotions. Unfortunately, it didn't land this time.

Same when I saw our vigil mentor. And Eir. All I thought was “not this again”.

[Blazing Rathalos.1904]

16 hours ago, Urud.4925 said:

True. This time I felt absolutely nothing when I saw Tybalt. I thought it was a cheap way to play with my emotions. Unfortunately, it didn't land this time.

The funny thing is, I think "the Commander" felt the same, since it did not have much of an effect. They even just say something along the lines of "I know what you're trying to do. Not going to work!" Gorrik speculates that you've dealt with that particular trauma enough already. That's why the Demon then switched to more recent events.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

5 hours ago, Blazing Rathalos.1904 said:

The funny thing is, I think "the Commander" felt the same, since it did not have much of an effect. They even just say something along the lines of "I know what you're trying to do. Not going to work!" Gorrik speculates that you've dealt with that particular trauma enough already. That's why the Demon then switched to more recent events.

Yeah. The first time it didn't have any real affect but to make them angry. But then Eir and Almorra showed up and they broke down.

It's even brought up with Gorrik, suggesting that the Commander has moved on from the Order mentor's death from 10 years ago. But Eir's death from 7 years ago, and Almorra's from 2 years ago, still hit hard. Probably because they were deaths the Commander tried but couldn't prevent - whereas with Tybalt/Forgal/Sieran and Trahearne, they accepted their death (begrudgingly) at the moment of it.

I hope they bring in Blish's death (or "death" as I'm still convinced he's trapped in his sensory deprivation box alive inside Kranky Kralky), since that one was where the Commander actively abandoned him to die.

[Randulf.7614]

 

1 hour ago, Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

Yeah. The first time it didn't have any real affect but to make them angry. But then Eir and Almorra showed up and they broke down.

It's even brought up with Gorrik, suggesting that the Commander has moved on from the Order mentor's death from 10 years ago. But Eir's death from 7 years ago, and Almorra's from 2 years ago, still hit hard. Probably because they were deaths the Commander tried but couldn't prevent - whereas with Tybalt/Forgal/Sieran and Trahearne, they accepted their death (begrudgingly) at the moment of it.

I hope they bring in Blish's death (or "death" as I'm still convinced he's trapped in his sensory deprivation box alive inside Kranky Kralky), since that one was where the Commander actively abandoned him to die.

Now bringing in Blish to affect Gorrik and tormenting him would have been sooo much better. It’s still an overused trope they’ve gone to the well too many times on, but Blish’s death was probably the rawest (and by a million miles the most emotional npc death they ever wrote) and affecting an npc is still so much more impactful than doing it to us (imo).