Orders, helping hand and other matter choices for later?

[MiniDude.9571]

So ive gotten to Season 3, and there has been a few choices?

Ima write it in spoiler just incase :)

! For example in HoT the ones that help you are based on order right?, and who comes to help depends on helping hand, or is it just the ogres no matter what?! Im asking because what happens if you play it without doing prior story? does it default? and what happens if you then play the older story and play PoF for example?

I've only reached S3 so please keep spoilers to a minimum if possible for mah sake :D

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

The biggest choice that actually makes anything different is your character's race. Sylvari get a lot of special stuff because (spoiler)

! They are almost but not quite, depending on which sylvari you're talking about, Mordrem themselves. In "Torn from the Sky" at the beginning of HoT (where you meet the returned Rytlock), if you pick the "Build the defenses" option, when you meet the sylvari for the Sylvari Solidarity achievement, it's quite different on a sylvari compared to a human. (And the achievement is only available for sylvari characters, in fact.)

But in general, there aren't many storyline modifications in HoT based on the Personal Story itself. The Pact is the Pact, no matter what.

[MiniDude.9571]

So i can safely jump to PoF, without worrying that any of the prior story choices will be made for me? Like it wont say oh hey you are vigil or something and im like wait i didnt choose vigil?

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

@"MiniDude.9571" said:So i can safely jump to PoF, without worrying that any of the prior story choices will be made for me? Like it wont say oh hey you are vigil or something and im like wait i didnt choose vigil?

No, there's nothing like that, so you won't have any of those problems. You are the Commander(1)(2), and that's it. In fact, even as early as the last bits of the Personal Story, your choice of Order is almost irrelevant.

(1) Sort of. Spoiler box. (LS3 spoiler, slightly)

! You aren't really commanding the Pact any more after some point in the middle of LS3, but the rank is permanent.

(2) You also get called another thing in PoF, but it's a very mild spoiler of sorts.

! For the Elonians in PoF, you're evidently a foreigner in their country, and most of them call you "Outlander" as a result.

[MiniDude.9571]

Thank you for clearing that up :)

[altermaven.7385]

The only time your choices have influence is during your Personal Story and all chapters after it. What you choose at the end of chapter 3 affects chapters 4, 5 and 6. What you choose at the end of 4 affects 5 and a few segments of 8.. What you choose during "A Light In The Darkness" at 6 affects 7.

None affect Heart of Thorns (except if you are sylvari or not), and none affect Path of Fire. Go wild. Be random in your choices. But usually, the rewards you get are all the same regardless of what you pick. :)

[Overlord RainyDay.2084]

Aside from a few lines of dialogue, I believe there is only one time in HoT where your choice of orders matters. In one particular fight, an NPC from your chosen order appears. If you never got that far in your personal story, and haven't joined an order, then Trehearne appears instead.

In PoF, aside from a few recurring NPCs you're assumed to have met earlier in the story, there's one instance that acts as a "review episode" of sorts, that pulls characters from your backstory, changing based on your choices (Mostly choice of race). Apparently there are defaults that show up if you went straight to PoF. Nothing major, you just might have no idea who some of the people are.