Tyrian Times – Flame and Frost
By MerryQuiteContrary, OnRPG Tyrian Reporter
Gamers are a fickle sort and I am not an exception. I have recently been taking a break away from Guild Wars 2. In my absence there have been two updates. That is exciting, right? We, as gamers, generally love updates as it often means new stuff. So I was pleased to see there had been two updates. I was prepared for epicness. However, that isn’t what I got.
Scanning the website and patch notes before I log in, I see some PvP stuff, some bug fixes, UI adjustments, and class balancing. Nothing to write home about. There is, however, an event going on. This should be good. Lost Shores for all its problems was rather fun. So, I had high hopes when I logged in.
The first thing I noticed was that nothing had changed. Everything looks exactly the same as when I left it. I have some in game mail from Logan Thackery telling me to visit Hoelbrak or the Black Citadel. I can do that but first I wanted to see what is new on the Trading Post. Here is my second disappointment. In the gem store I find a cartoony looking kid’s backpack. Really? What is that about? There was nothing really to see in the gem store so I thought I would play with the new preview window for the trading post. Okay, now this is good. Some of the gear in GW2 looks really great and I was very happy to try it all on. A little window shopping never hurts.
Off to find this herald. Surely, I am going to be blown away by this event or at the very least mildly entertained and immersed. I head to Hoelbrak where I am instructed to head to North-Eastern Shiverpeaks. I ended up in Wayfarer Foothills fixing signs, assisting refugees and looting their dead bodies for mementos to turn in. I understand this is a living story and is happening in stages but this was all rather underwhelming.
There were other changes as well. There were changes to GW2’s brand of PvP, specifically a new map and a new two team rated play. Guild Missions have been introduced for those folks who enjoy hanging out with guild members. I do like the concept of guild missions which may very well end up being a fun dynamic. Keeping with the social theme guesting is a new concept for GW2. Guesting allows you to hang out with friends on different home worlds as long as they are in the same region (North America, Europe).
The other change I appreciate is the choosing of your own daily challenges. It adds a bit of variety to the otherwise tedious aspect of dailies.
Overall, all these changes have very little effect on my time in Tyria. There has been nothing game changing nor game breaking. For the most part I have found the last two updates a mixed bag. The living story appears to be as dull as ditchwater but some of the other changes are welcome. I remain concerned about the direction items in the gem store are taking however. We will have to wait and see what March brings as far as this story goes but in the meantime what do you think? Are you enjoying your time in Tyria? What are your thoughts on the changes?
