Where is it now: Guild Wars 2

[Arnoxthe1]

I think the problem with GW2 is that it's not focusing enough on PvP at all. I believe THAT is what the endgame should be focusing on instead of events or dungeons or what have you. I mean, there's no easy way to duel someone for starters.

 

[2xDouble]

...Now, however, it seems like news about the game has gone silent. I haven't heard anything new about GW2 for some time.

The reason being, as some fans predicted, it has become "popular" to hate on GW2 with conflicting claims of "it's just an [xyz] MMO". People who actually like the game (or anything, really) have mostly given up sharing on forums, because, well... most gamers are assholes, especially when they decide they like one thing and therefore everything not-that is crap. *sigh* c'est la vie. /shrug

I have to admit, this has me curious. Does anyone know what's going on with GW2 lately? Have they picked the "new plot twist every two weeks" format back up again? Have they given up on the bi-weekly plot events and switched to expansion packs? Is the game just flat-out dead and no longer getting developer support? I'm curious what's happened to this game that started out with so much potential, but seemed to stumble and flag behind after time.

Sometime after leaving GW2, I'd heard that with the end of the Scarlet Briar arc, there was some sort of change to the game, though exactly what was changed seemed hazy to me. It sounded like there might have been some sort of change to the plot progression, but I wasn't sure and even then, I wasn't motivated enough to go back and see for myself.

In order:
Yes, I do, and I'll do my best to answer for you.

They have, with another twist this time: you can save and play through the chapters at your leisure, including a "challenge mode" which unlocks special achievements and such once you've completed the main story, similar to the dungeons' Explorable Mode. It takes nothing to get the chapters, simply log in and play while the event is active and it unlocks forever, but if you miss one for whatever reason, you can buy them for 200 gems ($2.50 USD, or about 30 in-game Gold at the current exchange rate) directly through the Journal UI. Season 1 story and events can't use this system currently, but they're going to work on adding the important stuff to the Journal for us to replay later.

Not really, though the two are interspersed. The main story is on "pause" for a bit, as they gear up for a big Feature Pack next patch, this time focusing on PvP (though the current story step is still active, if you want to play). There is no current talk of full-on expansion packs and no work is being done on them as far as we know, but the possibility of separate expansion content still exists.

I would hardly call biweekly updates "abandonment", heh. In all seriousness though, no, Guild Wars 2 is still quite alive and active. ANet now has two ongoing video series/podcasts on their Youtube channel [https://www.youtube.com/user/arenanetofficial], Ready Up! and Points of Interest, detailing news, upcoming features, community events, and "from the dev" discussions with the community. ANet is also running large worldwide PvP tournaments, featuring some impressive prizes both in and out of game. The most recent Tournament of Legends culminated at Gamescom with champion teams from the US, EU, and China regions squaring off for the world title... and Legendary Weapons.

The changes since Season 1 ended aren't as broad or sweeping as, say, WoW: Cataclysm had, but there are a few significant ones:
First, Lion's Arch was destroyed (again), and the remnants of Scarlet's attack aren't likely to go away anytime soon... especially that giant "look at me! I'm totally not a future dungeon/instance" hole in the bay, under Old Lion's Arch. The city is currently rebuilding, but with a marginally different layout.
A new high-level area has opened up, utilizing - without spoiling anything in the early S2 story - "new but familiar traversal mechanics" to explore it. The majority of the S2 story so far takes place there.
At least one new zone has been added to the Fractals of the Mists, with several more incoming, eventually.
WvW has expanded, with two new maps to play on, with a few new tide-turning mechanics, events, and holds in there.
PvP has added at least one new map to the rotation, with more modes and features incoming, particularly with the first September update.
Skins and Transmutation have been streamlined into the new Wardrobe feature, letting you access any item skin you've previously unlocked at any time, as well as showing which skins you haven't yet unlocked. You can view the skins for free or apply them for a small fee (with a few exceptions, of course, and item-type restrictions still apply). Additionally, Town Clothes have been removed entirely, but you can claim them as infinite transform potions or armor skins from an NPC in-game, and dyes and costumes have finally become account-wide.
The aforementioned Story Journal and improvements on how overarching and personal story develops.
And finally... well, you'll have to finish Chapter 4 to see that one. Suffice it to say, it's about time the Charr had something important to do, and some historical-level plot/world development. (Since the last time [http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/The_Searing], that is...)

This has been Trise Mindbreak, your friendly, neighborhood NewsMesmer, beaming the news directly to your brain. /salute

 

[Silvanus]

The second season of Living Story is in its fourth episode, and so far, it's a huge improvement over the first, both in terms of story and content. I'm still playing, and it's still one of my favourite current games.

The story journal and the wardrobe are perhaps the biggest changes, and they're both brilliant additions. Still, the Living Story as a mode of content delivery doesn't have the same amount of steam as an expansion would.

Anywho, as for how its faring, there are still a large number of people online whenever I log in.

 

[kasperbbs]

I completed a bunch of zones, leveled my character up to level 80, got some decent gear, done my quest up until the group mission and decided that it was time to quit. The game was boring, dungeons were boring since there was little cooperation, you just ganked the mobs, occasionally vasted a buff or two and resurrected your buddies, even though it's an MMO i spent most of my time by my lonesome occasionally resurrecting a fallen stranger or helping out with some boss and then everybody would go their seperate ways. I even missed the insults and assholes ganging up on me to take my spot that were frequent in my previous MMO of choice. At least that brought some excitment to the game since defeating and humiliating such people was satisfying and it gave incentive to level up and gear myself up so that i could kick their asses with less effort.