Does anybody actually enjoy playing personal story/living world?

[asterix.9614]

I hate pve and only started doing living story kinda when Balthazar got introduced, heck I had no idea what I was missing, the living story is so well done.... even after all these years

[Zephyr.5382]

I enjoy it for the most part. I just happened to find the LS2 story pretty dull and a chore to finish--much like you are experiencing. You may like LS3+ better, as I did. The Caithe part was a refreshing change of pace for me, actually. But players should never be forced into using certain tactics, especially with the potential to put them out of their comfort zone and alienate them. Just look at how "beloved" this heart quest is, for example: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Join_the_Ash_Legion_of_Tawny_Ridge_in_stealth_operationsIt would be nice to have the freedom of tactical options like in the Dishonored games.

[Ashabhi.1365]

I enjoy the living story. Not so much on the personal story. I do the PS when I'm bored and don't have anything else going on.

[TheOrlyFactor.8341]

@"Donari.5237" said:This is why my character is not canonically doing the story. None of them are the Commander, though occasionally there are some fun bits where I can mentally overlay the story actions on my character's personality. I don't feel railroaded because it's -not- "my" story. I can enjoy the good lines and roll my eyes at the bad ones and progress through the story of the Commander and his/her/its buddies without getting mad about it not being how I would act in the situation.

For it's not me making those choices, it's me viewing/reading a story and needing to interact to move it along. Interaction can include combat or puzzles, or just clicking on objects and dialogue. I don't think the story is always great, despite awesome moments there are those endemic dangling plot threads and the simplified presentation never feels terribly gritty even when terrible things are happening. But I enjoy the heck out of playing it and going for achievements and helping friends play it.

This is pretty much my approach as well. However, I did break down and make an actual Pact Commander character though I wouldn't even consider her my main character. She's closer to a secondary character. She's just someone I take through the story to see what happens so I can then decide how (if at all) it impacts my other characters.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say most of my characters would see the Commander doing more harm than good and (especially for one of them) would go out of their way to stop them.

[Hot Boy.7138]

Living world is amazing, especially this season and the last season. Personal story is terrible in comparison.

[otto.5684]

I liked the vanilla story and LWS3 somewhat. I tolerate HoT. Everything else is major bad or incredibly bad.

[Elothar.4382]

Generally yes, I do enjoy them. My least favorite episodes are the ones where we get stuck with a set of new skills—the Caithe episode is a good example of this. Would be nice if you had the option of doing it that way...or not. But, I suffer through them and enjoy the rest.

[Dreamy Lu.3865]

I am one who do not like to do stories. I go through as fast as possible with one toon only and in most cases carried out by a team. I never return to it after that.

I started very early to dislike instances, with the personal story, mainly because:

• I don't like to solo and many instances are to be done solo.
• I don't like to be forced to use weapons and skills that are not my. I don't get fun at it in anyway. It just makes me angry.
• I don't like that - apart from some rare exceptions - NPC allies are a fake support.

Now I am surprised by this thread, because out of all the players I know, I am the only one like me! 90% my guildies and friends like to do stories, so I always feel like I am an exception... Note that I am thankful for that, because they carry me. :3

[Nilkemia.8507]

While I rarely run it anymore, I did enjoy the Personal Story's divergent paths early on (pretty much pre-Order/Claw Island stuff). While the stuff after is still decent, there's not as much variety to it, though you still make a few differing choices later.

Living Story's first season was hit and miss, I usually ended up running what little story we got each time immediately, then checking the achievements to see what they gave, if they gave something I wanted I trudged through whatever content was there to get it before it vanished for good. While there were certainly some neat things like the Molten Facility and Tower of Nightmares, unlimited gathering tools and so on, I overall don't miss the "story" of Season 1.

Season 2 I ran a few times, though it soon became just for the achievements more than anything else. The story seemed to pick up for a while as Mordremoth was waking up and we dealt with the initial attacks. While there were a few slow bits, (like that entire party just to out Minister Not-Eir, and having to run after Taimi) up to the attack on the summit it was going at a well enough pace. But then the rest of Season 2 came along, and it got very annoying/frustrating, very fast.

HoT's story I ran a few times, but at this point it was more for closure/rewards than anything else. My interest had declined, and now, from Season 3, PoF, and into Season 4, I usually just run it once or twice and then I'm done.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

In general, I enjoy the stories. I usually like the combat.

Although, I will never enjoy having episodes where there are only one set of allowed skills for most of the time. I like repeating the story on different characters, to see how it plays out, to try different techniques. For me, that's impossible to enjoy if I play Caithe the same way each time. (Didn't like it in GW1 Beyond either.) It wasn't bad, it's just that if i wanted to play a thief, I would have brought my thief to the story.

Fortunately, the situation is rare for most of the stories.

[miraude.2107]

I think I'd enjoy it if the one choice we are told would impact us actually did.I get to level 30, get told Priory, Vigil or Whispers. Told my choice will matter. I CAN'T CHANGE IT.After Claw Island? Priory/Vigil/Whispers who?Even though you rise into a high ranking position in each of those orders, after Trahearne shows up it's pretty much lol, whatev. No. I'd have enjoyed it more if the choice actually mattered. That choosing the Priory gave me some sort of mastery line with Priory points that are earned though exploring/reading books/etc that idk, would mean I'd find artifacts in places that I could turn in for stuff (Imagine getting a Priory mount skin or getting the rest of the weapon skins without having to constantly make a new toon!!!). Vigil would be finding things off the mobs you killed, Whispers would be finding the bodies of dead agents and retrieving intel. However, say they did the mount skin thing specific to each order, you can only use that skin if that was the order you chose. Priory can't use Vigil/Whispers. Whispers can't use Priory/Vigil, you get the idea. Have things added like dailies specific to each order. Priory go to this location and find a book, Vigil go to this location and kill this mob, Whispers go to this location and find this agent. The whole Pact thing shouldn't absolve any of that. I can't go back and say I'm no longer Sunspear, JOKO ALL DA WAY.And that is about my only peeve with living story. I can skip around all I want and change choices, etc later on but the defining story, my story, is forgettable. I also have a peeve about the whole charm, diginity and ferocity but that's a rant for another day.

[Emberstone.2904]

I thought the Personal Story was rather stale and uninteresting throughout, but the Living World stuff is usually pretty cool. As others have said, I'm not really a fan when I lose my own character's abilities. I chose my class for a reason. Don't make me play something else, please.

The Path of Fire story was awesome, though. As someone who's dumped more hours than I want to admit into Guild Wars 1, all those revisits to old zones and nods to old and now-lost characters were really great.

Also, I love Taimi. She is precious.

"I'm sure the Commander is silently trying to warn you that the little narcissist might be listening." One of my favorite lines of hers.

[VanWilder.6923]

Once was enough for me and I also don't care for AP.I also do not understand the whole story at all, its prolly because I never read/listen to NPC dialogue, I looked away or skipped all the blahblah when possible. I played story simply because I want to unlock maps, skills etc... which allow me to move on farming, join group events.Dont get me wrong, I love playing Gw2 and only play Gw2 for the past 11 months

[Gop.8713]

@Corax.7692 said:

@Dante.1763 said:Ive enjoyed it, done it three times so far. I despise a few episodes here and there(Caithes among them), and any mission where they have excessive talking is annoying but not enough to stop me from doing it.

I feel obligated to do the story for the points, which are hard to come by outside of the expansions. :-/

I think you've identified your problem . . .

[Ephemiel.5694]

I still think the Personal Story is the best, it had a lot more time to develop and it was pretty interesting with the Orders, the creation of the Pact and the fall and recovery of Claw Island, along with our Order Mentor sacrificing him/herself to save everyone. It was the first true moment where we showed, beyond the shadow of doubt, that we COULD face the Elder Dragons after everyone has nearly lost all hope.

[EpicName.4523]

LWS 2 is a horrible torture. It's boring, obvious, predictable and full of clichés.

[Nate.3927]

I don't enjoy the Personal Story or the Living Story, I only do them in order to unlock reward tracks or to get achievements points so I can get gems/gear etc.

However, this is not something that is specific to GW2 and shouldn't be taken as a criticism of GW2. Generally speaking I don't play an MMO for the story and would equally not enjoy the stories of SWTOR, WoW, LOTRO, DDO, BDO etc. I play single player games for story, I play multiplayer games including MMOs for the gameplay or to spend time with friends.

[Rebel.5827]

For me, I don't care for the story line. However, I don't have any ideas which the devs might use as a replacement to the story line. So if I continue playing GW2, I'll just put up with the story line while disliking it.

[Trise.2865]

In a word: yes.

[Danikat.8537]

I really enjoy the story lines. The reason I like RPGs is the opportunity to explore the world; the setting, the people, the lore...and the story is a great way to do that. No it's not the best writing ever but I find it fun, I get attached to some of the characters and it's a great way to find out more about Tyria. Without it I think I'd find it difficult to connect to this game and to have any reason to care. Yes the maps would still be pretty and the mechanics and items would be the same, but there would be no motivation behind it. I'd just be killing stuff to collect stuff for the sake of it. The story is, for me, what ties it all together and stops it feeling completely arbitrary.

[Kumbaya.4689]

@Corax.7692 said:Seriously is this actually fun for anybody?

Yes, a lot!

[Algreg.3629]

@Corax.7692 said:

@Ashantara.8731 said:@Corax.7692:

It's just one storyline in Season 2 and has zero to do with a character's initial personal story nor with Living World as a whole, so I don't see why your title is implying otherwise.

It's just one example, I could give many others. Leaving my friend behind with the krait when I got the orb (personal story), destroying the Kralkatorrik spear (Path of Fire), I could go on and on about choices I would have made but didn't have the option, and poor motivation in the story. If I have no control over what happens, why go through the whole pretense? Just show me one long movie instead of making me do stuff I don't even want to do.

Well I think we've established that there are people out there who like this stuff, it's just definitely not my cuppa.

then get some friends and play p&p rpgs. this is a video game story which will always put a leash on you. Some hide it better, some worse. Frankly, I am puzzled anyone who ever played video games is surprised by that.

[hugo.4705]

Personal story lvl 1 to 40: love it, race-centric with a ton of choices available where you feel that you are free. Really represent your character and his personality. As an asura, I choose to fuse kazz with a golem instead of saving doxa. Not really a good pick xD but a lot of fun.But totally the opposite for 40-80, totally boring, a path where I'm forced to go without any sense of liberty, only dragons.LS1 = Awesome, LS2 = Very bad, LS3 = Meh, LS4 = Okay but not as awesome as ls1 due to episode 3

[Curunen.8729]

More banter from Taimi and Canach is always welcome. :)

[Clyan.1593]

I like the parts of our story that belong the the base game / expansion, however the personal stories feel too chaotic, I never remember the last living story and what happened, so I only play it with my friend to have a good giggle over how goofy everything is.

That's why I've started to go for achievements, GW1 was about achievements too, and although it is frustrating at times, I find way more satisfaction in that than in playing some weird and messy story.