Living Story Season 3 so Far...

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Just finished all of the new episodes of the third Guild Wars 2 season so far. The story is actually really good/borderline great, and a vast improvement over the personal story from the core game. Compelling enough to make me put up with three hours of convoluted and unexplained boss fight mechanics and keep on trucking. The dialogue is witty, the story is genuinely compelling and the characters are great (Canach, Rytlock, Taimi, Aurene, Logan x Jennah), and the jokes are on point. Just a shame that we only get about a couple hours of new story content every couple months. I hope Anet gives a guild hall for Destiny's Edge (the guild the player character is canonically apart of in the story), perhaps Caudecus' Mansion? Also, lol, four episodes in and Destiny's Edge 2.0 still only has me and Rytlock in it. Who's gonna fill out the team with only four or five episodes left to recruit?

[Svifnymr]

I think Taimi, Marjory and Casmere are members, just not really a big scene. Rox I'm not sure on, thought she had joined in the first episode, but guess she's hanging out with Braham.

Overall I've liked the plot and story, though Braham's garbage last episode was very tedious. Just highlights the lack of choice in the plot.

The mechanics have been hit or miss. Especially this episode. Tedious fights with knock downs and drawing garbage out as long as possible. Using the - key for 1 second reactions of anti-magic, I guess I'm supposed to have a MMO mouse so I can get it quick enough to count?

Also the little rooms at the very end, so crappy. I'm also pretty down on loot, too much salvaging and nothing really significant enough to matter. Even zone completion, after running my necro through a hill fill of elite and champion centaurs for the finale POI, results in a level 78 Exotic? Really?

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I also think it'd be neat to have a human noble with mystery parents and the order of whispers to be more involved with all these things as they transpire, but lack that particular combination!

[Valeron]

I remapped the special ability from the - key. It was too difficult to use otherwise (especially for the last encounter). Other than some issues of the space in the last encounter, I really liked the latest Living Story. For those ex GW1 veterans (who are also interested in the lore), the newest raid is fantastic (plus the last two bosses have that Dark Souls feel).

[4KhazModan]

Eh, there are so many different plots this season, I can't help but feel like they are dropping the ball when it comes to juggling them. First we had a White Mantle focused story, then we dealt with Primordus for a bit, then we went to hang out with Jorma's forces, now we finished the White Mantle story (for now at least). None of them are being connected very well and we seemingly forget about the last problem as soon as a new one pops up despite barely having dealt with it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love how we are stuck between 2 Elder Dragons and now have "Lazarus" to deal with too and raising Aurene, but the patches themselves feel so disjointed. Like we haven't heard about Primordus since we did some stuff in ep 2. Haven't heard about Jormag since we got the did stuff in ep 4. Really the only conistent thread through all of the episodes has been "Lazarus". It feels a lot like season 1, where we had all these disjointed threats and stories, only to later have them connected in the most convoluted way thanks to a mary sue sylvari.

[Edge-]

Eh, there are so many different plots this season, I can't help but feel like they are dropping the ball when it comes to juggling them. First we had a White Mantle focused story, then we dealt with Primordus for a bit, then we went to hang out with Jorma's forces, now we finished the White Mantle story (for now at least). None of them are being connected very well and we seemingly forget about the last problem as soon as a new one pops up despite barely having dealt with it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love how we are stuck between 2 Elder Dragons and now have "Lazarus" to deal with too and raising Aurene, but the patches themselves feel so disjointed. Like we haven't heard about Primordus since we did some stuff in ep 2. Haven't heard about Jormag since we got the did stuff in ep 4. Really the only conistent thread through all of the episodes has been "Lazarus". It feels a lot like season 1, where we had all these disjointed threats and stories, only to later have them connected in the most convoluted way thanks to a mary sue sylvari.

Yeah, I'm still on chapter 3 (partway through but no motivation to finish it at the moment) and this is one of the things bothering me. It feels like we're jumping all over the place, right after what (IMO) was a pretty rushed storyline for HoT to begin with. Not to mention the whole start of S3 kinda coming out of nowhere in terms of, "Oh, you didn't see the story in the raids and don't remember all this info that was presented in GW1 and then referenced early on in your personal story that you likely played years ago? TOO BAD, WE WILL PRESENT THE STORY AS IF YOU STILL REMEMBER ALL OF IT AND NOT BOTHER SETTING ANYTHING UP." -_____-

Really, the writing has always been pretty mediocre for GW2 (better than the usual MMO fare, but still not great), but it feels like its taken a step backwards in HoT compared to classic. I mean, at least things are happening and all, but damn, slow things the hell down a bit.

If Taimi wasn't involved in the story so much, I don't think I would even be paying attention. She's the story's saving grace, mainly due to how awesome she is.

[PACOX]

Also the little rooms at the very end, so crappy. I'm also pretty down on loot, too much salvaging and nothing really significant enough to matter. Even zone completion, after running my necro through a hill fill of elite and champion centaurs for the finale POI, results in a level 78 Exotic? Really?

That centaur settlement is a leather farm that they introduced. You can make an okay amount of money by farming it.

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Yeah, I'm still on chapter 3 (partway through but no motivation to finish it at the moment) and this is one of the things bothering me. It feels like we're jumping all over the place, right after what (IMO) was a pretty rushed storyline for HoT to begin with. Not to mention the whole start of S3 kinda coming out of nowhere in terms of, "Oh, you didn't see the story in the raids and don't remember all this info that was presented in GW1 and then referenced early on in your personal story that you likely played years ago? TOO BAD, WE WILL PRESENT THE STORY AS IF YOU STILL REMEMBER ALL OF IT AND NOT BOTHER SETTING ANYTHING UP." -_____-

Really, the writing has always been pretty mediocre for GW2 (better than the usual MMO fare, but still not great), but it feels like its taken a step backwards in HoT compared to classic. I mean, at least things are happening and all, but damn, slow things the hell down a bit.

If Taimi wasn't involved in the story so much, I don't think I would even be paying attention. She's the story's saving grace, mainly due to how awesome she is.

I feel like S2 was all over the place too but they episodes came out more frequently so there was less time to sit around asking wtf is going on. Hell, some of the stuff in S2 wasn't even wrapped up. S2 also had a simpler plotline at its core - kill big dragon.

S3 has a bunch of stuff (maybe too much?) going on. 2 dragons (3 Krak is technically active but chilling in the desert and hasn't been the focus so far), a new baby dragon, political corruption and conspiracy, the return of the White Mantle and someone pretending to be a Mursaat. On top of that, they add a new map every release (so far). The raid stories aren't too elaborate or critical to the story.

Don't read if you haven't finished episode 4

Taimi might end up like Scarlet. Majory is probably going to need to be rescued. Kasmeer might not be who she appears to be.

[Svifnymr]

That centaur settlement is a leather farm that they introduced. You can make an okay amount of money by farming it.

Yeah, I know. I was looking in LFG to find a leather farming group, though all I wanted to do was hit the POI at the top. The point was that getting all the way up there and doing that solo, but the rewards for a level 80 zone completion were changed to a level 78 exotic some time ago, it's fairly silly. Would a level 80 item really change things so harshly?

Amusingly, once I got the POI and took a leap off the mountain, I managed to snag 3 chests on my descent before dying. Not that I need leather anyway, but worth more money than the level 78 exotic.
I also got a Black Lion Key, which netted me a rez stone, replacing the one I had used to get up there...

S3 has a bunch of stuff (maybe too much?) going on. 2 dragons (3 Krak is technically active but chilling in the desert and hasn't been the focus so far), a new baby dragon, political corruption and conspiracy, the return of the White Mantle and someone pretending to be a Mursaat. On top of that, they add a new map every release (so far). The raid stories aren't too elaborate or critical to the story.

One element of Season 3 that works is that the threats aren't "ignored" as much as earlier stuff. We didn't wander off to fight the White Mantle and forget about the dragons, Taimi is working on that. Braham is doing stupid stuff, but we have a intel on it and it's not a pressing matter. It would be nice if Marjory was telling us about the maybe-Mursaat, but at least she's there.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Who do you think will comprise Dragon's Watch?

Going off of how long the last season was, we are about half way through S3, and so far it's just us and Rytlock (because the main party without Rytlock just wouldn't do!).

So far, from what I can recall:

Taimi maybe?
Rox is undecided.
Braham went home to work with his clansmen, and took Garm with him.
Logan has had enough of being on the front lines and is going to take up a desk job as the new Pact Commander.
Canach just wants freedom.
Zojja is KOed at the moment, no word.
Marjory is undecided.

[Edge-]

While I'm not caught up on S3 yet, if Taimi doesn't stick around I'll riot. Taimi is the best bloody character in the whole game!

[Jngizu]

Yeah, I'm still on chapter 3 (partway through but no motivation to finish it at the moment) and this is one of the things bothering me. It feels like we're jumping all over the place, right after what (IMO) was a pretty rushed storyline for HoT to begin with. Not to mention the whole start of S3 kinda coming out of nowhere in terms of, "Oh, you didn't see the story in the raids and don't remember all this info that was presented in GW1 and then referenced early on in your personal story that you likely played years ago? TOO BAD, WE WILL PRESENT THE STORY AS IF YOU STILL REMEMBER ALL OF IT AND NOT BOTHER SETTING ANYTHING UP." -_____-

Really, the writing has always been pretty mediocre for GW2 (better than the usual MMO fare, but still not great), but it feels like its taken a step backwards in HoT compared to classic. I mean, at least things are happening and all, but damn, slow things the hell down a bit.

If Taimi wasn't involved in the story so much, I don't think I would even be paying attention. She's the story's saving grace, mainly due to how awesome she is.

Classic GW2's story telling was horrible and bland you mean? They decided to either simplify or ret-con GW's lore and come up with the very original (sic) dragons. And the first one brings zombies too! So now we have a zombie dragon, the ultimate combination. The story felt so uninspired and lacked the epicness of the original game. So far, LS3 delivers for me. The only issue I have with it really, is where does the first chapter comes from? Feels like the White Mantle appeared out of nowhere. Maybe I missed something, though, as I recently started playing the game again after a long time, but it felt disconnected with the end of HOT.

But honestly, I have been shitting on GW2 since its release, but it's the first time I'm hopeful about the future of the game. It still lacks direction but not as much as it used to. And the story makes sense. And well, Mursaat, enough said.

[PACOX]

So the White Mantle have in the game lore wise but only in very small numbers. You could find traces of them in Brisbane, which kind of makes sense because Brisbane is supposed to be pretty big and at the edge of Mordremoths half of Maguuma.

They were formally introduced in the wings of the first raid. TLDR they were hiding out in the jungle doing cult stuff and a Pact party disturbed their operations. All the free flowing magic means exciting times for them. You can't get the actual story from a npc in Bloodstone Fen, no need to raid.

It's like GW2 take on dragons, Zhatian was a bag of cliches though. But even Zhatian was pretty cool, an undead dragon made from the corpses of dragons. It gained knowledge from the previous lives of the Risen and needed vessels like the Eye of Zhatian or the Mouth of Zhatian to actually sustain him.
Mordremoth is pretty much cancer with parasitic like mental dominance. The death of Zhatian gave it the ability to better pump out and command foot soldiers, something it could already done with the Sylvari but we fought the 2.0 version in HOT.

We don't know much about the others yet except Jormag can manipulate Norn men at the very least. Primo absorbed some of Zhatians old powers. The Underwater dragon might get retconned or die off screen because water combat. Kralk might be the biggest and baddest of them all by the time we get to it again.

[Valeron]

I don't mind the Elder Dragons (I mean they aren't really typical Dragons like in Lord of the Rings/Hobbit). My issue (not really issue but I question this) is that they are so powerful that in reality I don't see how we could defeat them without the help of the Gods.

If you go by the size of Kralkatorrik



How do you defeat something of that size and magnitude. I actually think the way this LS is going is the way to do it, pit the Elder Dragons against each other.

[Svifnymr]

The only issue I have with it really, is where does the first chapter comes from? Feels like the White Mantle appeared out of nowhere. Maybe I missed something, though, as I recently started playing the game again after a long time, but it felt disconnected with the end of HOT.

They were in some parts of the human story, and in some zones. Then they added the bandit champs and also the first Raid. Sort of like hints of a secret society being around for years, then they reveal themselves when they think they can win.

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How do you defeat something of that size and magnitude. I actually think the way this LS is going is the way to do it, pit the Elder Dragons against each other.

The problem really is that the obvious way to do it is the campaign against Orr/ Zhaitan. A long campaign of restoring the land, depriving the dragon of energy, thinning out minions, bombarding with massive airship to finish off the last bit. But, really, sort of a boring battle as a single individual, or even a group of 5. So then we got Mordremoth's mind-battle thing, which... bleh.

The thing is, the dragons as elemental forces consume magic until they run out then sleep until there's enough to feed again, sure. So we pop a cap in a couple dragons now, it would seem like the energy should defuse into other minions until they consume each other to make a new big bad dragon at some future point. Instead we get other dragons absorbing the energy? If they could do that, why didn't Primordus kill Zhatain ages ago?

GW also has a few overlapping ideas, like what are the gods, and the Bloodstones and whatever.

[Jngizu]

They were in some parts of the human story, and in some zones. Then they added the bandit champs and also the first Raid. Sort of like hints of a secret society being around for years, then they reveal themselves when they think they can win.

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The problem really is that the obvious way to do it is the campaign against Orr/ Zhaitan. A long campaign of restoring the land, depriving the dragon of energy, thinning out minions, bombarding with massive airship to finish off the last bit. But, really, sort of a boring battle as a single individual, or even a group of 5. So then we got Mordremoth's mind-battle thing, which... bleh.

Well it worked with Zhaitan because he was pretty weak. Now that all the other ones have absorbed the power of the 2 we killed, that approach is not going to work anymore. Look at Mordremoth, how do you even deprive a jungle of that size?

I actually think it's interesting story-wise to see what they will come up for us to kill the remaining dragons as their powers are just ridiculous. I wasn't a huge fan of the way they went with Mordremoth but it kinda made sense. Primordius doesn't look like it has that kind of weakness though.

As for why they didn't kill each other a long time ago, I think it's because it was too risky. Primordius could have probably killed Zhaitan but it could have left him weak and injured and at the risk of another dragon himself.

[Svifnymr]

Well it worked with Zhaitan because he was pretty weak. Now that all the other ones have absorbed the power of the 2 we killed, that approach is not going to work anymore. Look at Mordremoth, how do you even deprive a jungle of that size?

That was part of what I didn't like though. Mordremoth is a jungle of that size! Er, okay, but Kralk may have been as big as a mountain range, he wasn't The Earth. Primordus isn't Lava over the entire area, he's minions and energy. Jormag is ice and icey minions, not all ice in the Shiverpeaks.

I'm pretty sure the Asura could come up with Agent Orange.

I actually think it's interesting story-wise to see what they will come up for us to kill the remaining dragons as their powers are just ridiculous. I wasn't a huge fan of the way they went with Mordremoth but it kinda made sense. Primordius doesn't look like it has that kind of weakness though.

We just need to stack Reapers and load him up with Chills.

As for why they didn't kill each other a long time ago, I think it's because it was too risky. Primordius could have probably killed Zhaitan but it could have left him weak and injured and at the risk of another dragon himself.

It just doesn't seem consistent to me. If magic energy is split between 6 forces, and the dragons are personifications of each energy type, then it seems like they wouldn't overlap. If we have oppositional forces, like the Vision showed us, then perhaps Zhaitans death might allow Mordremoth to grow as Death dispersed, but it seems odd that the energy wouldn't just disperse but would be absorbed elsewhere. Heck, Zhaitan was absorbing magic items to empower himself, so maybe the dragons can alter base magic into their type.

But now you have Primordus absorbing and using Life and Death energy along with Fire. I could maybe see if they could absorb an "off spec", but not opposing ones. Fire vs Ice, Stone/Crystal vs Water, Life vs Death. Maybe Fire can grab some Death, but Death AND Life? Meh.