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    Home Unlabelled Guild Wars 2 Gw2Skills.Net: Version 7.0 of Build Editor – Get ready for the End of Dragons

    Guild Wars 2 Gw2Skills.Net: Version 7.0 of Build Editor – Get ready for the End of Dragons

    September 06, 2021

    Guild Wars 2 Gw2Skills.Net: Version 7.0 of Build Editor – Get ready for the End of Dragons

    Gw2Skills.Net: Version 7.0 of Build Editor – Get ready for the End of Dragons

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 05:34 AM PDT

    http://en.gw2skills.net/news/?id=71

    Version 7.0 of Build Editor has been released. List of changes and fixes:

    • Added elite specializations from Guild Wars 2 expansion "End of Dragons". Now you can use the following specializations: Harbinger, Willbender and Virtuoso
    • Added the following special effects: Blight for Harbinger, Lethal Tempo for Willbender and Compounding Power for Mesmer
    • Reorganized profession selection menu to add 3rd line of elite specializations
    • Traits can remove skills facts now
    • Quickness now can affect skills casttime

    All data about damage and healing coefficients for new specializations will be updated with next beta-event and after the release of "End of Dragons".

    submitted by /u/McLeoud
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    *haunted eyes* it's time to farm Istan for the 34582th time this week

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 11:33 PM PDT

    People mailing gold and precursors to big streamers will only make them stop playing quicker

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:12 PM PDT

    After some bigger streamers have tried out GW2 these last few weeks, I've noticed people are literally finishing their endgame by sending them 1000s of gold, precursors and other important items. They might think this will make the streamer enjoy the game and stay long term, but rather they'll have nothing to work towards to and therefore quit because of it. So why do people do this? It really gives the opposite effect.

    submitted by /u/teknim
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    1 Vista Remaining... maybe I will finally make Sunrise after all these years.

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:58 PM PDT

    The Commander Innovates

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:28 AM PDT

    Legendary Aqua Breather: can we finally get one?

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:02 AM PDT

    Not only because I'm a completionist, but also because it's quite annoying to do underwater content, and still having to use ascended gear that is stat locked.

    You can use the normal head-slot skin of the regular legendary armor, I don't really see a need to make a new skin for it?

    submitted by /u/Iscera
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    Thanks Anet for up leveling in Favor of the Four Winds

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 07:19 AM PDT

    tldr: New player was able to run content festival of four winds with "veterans" and his reaction made us all feel like we were playing the game for the first time again.
     
    Anet,
    A friend of ours had been playing FFXIV solo for the past few weeks and decided to play GW2 F2P to see what the gam was all about. We spent the first day running around with him explaining the game, leveling mechanics, etc.
     
    He wanted to play together but, assumed since we were about to run our dailies he wouldn't be able to join us. We pulled him into the Crown Pavillion and spent 3 hours killing the different bosses. By up-leveling him he was able to enjoy the content and allowed us to interact more closely with him. He loved every second of it. He was awestruck with the different classes mechanics, boss fights, and mounts. The amount of "wow" reinvigorated the rest of us because it reminded us of how we felt when we first played this game.

    submitted by /u/xanderlynn
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    Loving how challenging the Queen's Gauntlet is while still being optional

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:52 PM PDT

    This is my first time through the festival of the four winds but the Queen's Gauntlet has been great.

    I'm glad thee's optional challenging content where you have to think and are rewarded for learning mechanics and thinking on your feet. It really makes me feel accomplished having beat Liadri and I'm having fun working on King Turai Ossa.

    This is the first time outside of instanced content I had to tune my builds and I think the game could use more challenging content that's optional where players don't miss out who can't/don't but there for those who do.

    The rewards tied to it are just achievement points or a mini/titles, it's purely prestige.

    This shows Guild wars 2 can be hard and not just cheesed through even when it has a reputation for the zerg fest while still not creating fomo for those who don't want to spend the time. It's peak anet to me.

    submitted by /u/TotesHooman
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    Summer GvG

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:31 AM PDT

    Hello everyone, a team mate made a video about our summer guild (as an holiday guild) for gvg.

    Gvg isn't well known because it's a game mode created by player with player.

    I would like to promote it with this post because it's the less rewarding content in gw2 in term of loot but it is the mode that kept me connected during the last 9 years.

    I love all game mode, but i hope that you will enjoy this recap of the [RiP] guild's summer !

    https://youtu.be/ue2oCMF4npc

    submitted by /u/Nalo13
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    Commander Tag worth it?

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 03:52 AM PDT

    Question to the community: is getting the cammi tag worth the Gold? I am an average Player, so for me 300g is a lot, I feel. However, I do love open World Events and especially stuff like octovine is way more easily organized when there are enough commis... I am a bit torn tbh and would love to hear some opinions :)

    Have a great day everyone 🙋‍♀️

    Edit: Ty all for your input :) I think I'll sleep on it but am currently actually leaning towards getting one :)

    submitted by /u/wonderlands-wanderer
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    [Lore] Unending Ocean lore exploration in End of Dragons and beyond

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 06:18 AM PDT

    Before we begin, I fully expect most of these Unending Ocean topics discussed below to not be explored at length in End of Dragons as the expansion's focus seems to be on Shing Jea Island and the Canthan mainland lore based on the currently shown map with specific points of interest found in the End of Dragons promo site. However, I still feel that these points are worth talking about as some of these ideas had been set up since before the launch of Guild Wars 2 (and/or during the personal story) in relation to the mysteries of the Unending Ocean and the influence of the deep sea dragon. And who knows...maybe EoD will surprise us and give some answers or at least clues to some of these mysteries after all.

    There are some hints that the deep sea dragon may have been the cause for the karka, krait and quaggans' exodus northeast (based on where these races are found in present day mainland Tyria). It would be nice to shed the veil of secrecy and learn more about what happened in those fateful days 50 or so years prior to the beginning of GW2 main story. The hylek also seem to have their own tales about the event. :)

    Nanacatl: We are peaceful, but we're all scared about what the future holds. The krait have brought death to us, and they may be a sign of things to come.
    Player: What do you mean?
    Nanacatl: Neither the krait or the quaggan came here by choice, yet they both invaded our territory. We never thought the dragon's corruption would travel this far north, and yet, it is coming. (Source)

    1) The missing quaggan markissios and the return of the king/queen

    Interestingly the southern quaggans had a kingdom once upon a time, led by the markissios and the noble family. However, when the krait invaded (or the deep sea dragon's minions attacked; there seem to be two versions of this story floating around among quaggans), the markissios were lost with their fates uncertain, forcing the surviving southern quaggans to flee north and establish separate communities each led by a varonos as a makeshift government of sorts.

    Until recently, quaggan history was largely uneventful, even boring. Quaggan sagas, as recounted by their "pastkeepers," consisted of bare recitations of who begat whom and where the sardines ran thick that year. That changed 50 years ago, with the invasion of their territories by the krait. This slave-keeping, aquatic race had been denizens of deep trenches, but they suddenly erupted into traditionally quaggan lands, destroying their civilization. The surviving quaggans fled into shallower water, eventually moving up rivers and streams into the larger lakes. Another group, fleeing the Elder Dragon Jormag like the kodan and the norn, have migrated south, into the more inhabited lands of Tyria.
    Many quaggans, including their central leadership, have been killed in krait assaults. Though the race was once ruled by a leader known as the "markissios," the noble family has been slaughtered, eaten, or enslaved by the krait (depending on the account). Those quaggans who survived these assaults now rule themselves, following the leadership of a village mayor, the "varonos." (Source)

    I always thought it'd be interesting to witness a quaggan version of the Return of the King plot where the rightful heir to the quaggan throne could be alive and return to rally all the quaggan clans behind them while we'd see a continuation of the northern quaggan Baroosh and Shashoo's story so that they can teach their southern brethren to embrace the berserk mode and go to war. Imagine a massive quaggan army with their scary berserk faces armed to the teeth and charging at the enemy army in a massive scale battle to reclaim their lost kingdom and heritage.

    We could see a more serious exploration of quaggans (from what few tidbits we had during Baroosh and Shashoo's story in the personal story and HoT) and expand on their lost society, exploring the ruins of their once mighty kingdom and learning what befell the markissios decades ago. It could lead to a touching cathartic moment for the race as a whole plus witnessing the emotional struggle of the heir as they come to accept their destiny to return the quaggans to their former glory. Basically it'd be the norn arc we didn't quite get due to cuts in the Icebrood Saga except this time such a plot would take place among quaggans underwater. :)

    2) Mystery of the blue orb

    The blue/krait orb that we encounter during the Apatia plot in the personal story is steeped in mystery. It was somehow known in legend "only" to deep dwellers (so not just the largos and the krait), and it has the curious power to prevent people within its radius to be raised as Risen. Presumably its power would also be effective against any other dragon corruption as well although it does not prevent already existing dragon minions from invading the site it's being held in as seen in the personal story's Risen infiltration. Interestingly the largos Sayeh al'Rajihd speculated that the orb may contain its own dangers although Fort Trinity has yet to be affected by any negative effects if such exist after all these years.

    Sayeh al' Rajihd: Now, as we agreed: the orb you seek is a thing of legend, known only to deep dwellers. Its origins are lost, but it is extremely powerful.
    Sayeh al' Rajihd: It may pose its own dangers, but it does counter the undead dragon's influence. Wherever the orb is, those who die near it do not rise again. (Source)

    Some folks have speculated the orb to be tied to the deep sea dragon somehow, but all dragon related items so far (e.g. the Orr artifacts, the Sanguinary Blade) have had magical influence that corrupts people over time (see e.g. Kellach, Rissa, and Steag Frostbeard). It could of course be a purified artifact from an ancient time if the writers wanted to go with the idea although I still find Sayeh's comment about it potentially posing its own dangers curious nevertheless.

    The Pact is determined to study the orb, hoping to uncover its secrets in the future. It would be fun to see some development on this subplot to learn more about this arcane orb's origins and why it was located in the depths. :)

    Pact Arcanist: The krait orb we recovered is fascinating. It literally prevents the dead from rising again.
    Pact Explorer: Then I wish we had a hundred of them. How does it work? Can we replicate it?
    Pact Arcanist: Not so far. The only thing we know for sure is that it's steeped in powerful magic.
    Pact Explorer: As long as it works. We can figure out why it works when the war is over. (Source)

    3) Fate of Mellaggan and other related mysteries

    Quaggans claim that their goddess Mellaggan was slain by the krait when the krait invaded quaggan lands.

    Pastkeeper: This is a holy site to honor quaggan's goddess, Mellaggan. She was killed long ago. This brought much sorrow to the quaggans, but quaggans carry on.
    Player: Perhaps your goddess isn't dead...only lost, like the human gods.
    Pastkeeper: Your words are kind, but she is dead. She was murdered by krait. Quaggans have much joy for the humans that their gods still live, but quaggans' is lost. (Source)

    Interestingly one quaggan suggests that Mellaggan guided them to shallow waters to escape from the threats coming from the depths. Whether this guidance was direct or suggested by quaggan shamans is unknown, sadly, but it does make one wonder if Mellaggan was attempting to save the quaggans from complete extinction.

    Baloop: Quaggan wishes Mellaggan had led quaggans to a safer home. But maybe there are no safer homes left for quaggans. Did Mellaggan draw us here because krait and skale and sharks are the lesser evils? (Source)

    However, history can be warped in the telling, and just as we learned some curious lore about the Spirits of the Wild in the Icebrood Saga, Mellaggan might not have perished after all but could've become a power source for the krait high priestess (or whoever leads the krait theocracy), went into hiding after being weakened, or was corrupted by the deep sea dragon only to return as a tragic antagonist that the quaggan heroes would have to face much to their grief.

    Quaggans venerate a single god, known as Mellaggan, who represents the bounty of the sea. In temperament and nature, she is very similar to the human goddess Melandru, so much so that human scholars connect the two. Quaggans are too polite to disagree, though they point out the obvious differences between a land-based, nature goddess and an aquatic deity, embodying the wealth of the ocean. However, quaggans muddle the waters further by using sunken temples to Melandru, such as in Lake Gendarr, for their own worship of Mellaggan. (Source)

    While human scholars believe Mellaggan to just be a warped interpretation of Melandru, I always felt that the quaggans' side is the truthful one as Mellaggan's underwater domains differ from Melandru's more land-based magic. Granted, how much of a deity Mellaggan truly is (would she be greater or comparable to the Spirits of the Wild, or is she a seemingly invented entity placed on a real concept that Ameyalli and Zintl seem to be at first glance?) could be an interesting topic to explore in its own right and shed some light on the mystery of the existing Tyrian spirit "deities" from ancient times predating the Six Gods' arrival.

    What I also find interesting is that the northern quaggans use an artifact called the Shimmer Bauble to honor the power of Mellaggan. Recovering the bauble from the depths marks the beginning of the Quaggan Games, and the bauble is returned to the depths after the games have concluded. While the bauble seems to merely hold a symbolic role to raise morale, I do wonder if there's more to its ties to Mellaggan and if there are any potential links to the blue orb that was also recovered from the depths. It's likely just a funny coincide, but it does make you think. :)

    Player: What's a Shimmer Bauble?
    Commissioner Baabloo: The Shimmer Bauble is an artifact used to honor the power of Mellaggan. Recovering it from the depths marks the beginning of the Quaggan Games. (Source)

    4) Inquest experimentation on deep sea dragon minions

    At the Infinite Coil, we can eavesdrop on a curious Inquest conversation regarding a recent dragon minon that they had captured. According to them, it's so big that it couldn't fit into its designated area, forcing the Inquest to begin planning a redesign of that area until pesky adventurers came and raided the facility and destroyed the Crucible of Eternity.

    Water Lead Scientist: I'm telling you. This room isn't adequate for the subject.
    Water Lead Scientist: I mean, look. There's a fissure in the wall, right here.
    Water Lead Scientist: And over here, the floor tile is separating from the wall.
    Water Lead Scientist: And why isn't this sealed off?
    Veteran Water Foreman: Those are all minor problems we can address.
    Water Lead Scientist: Minor problems? We're going to need to overhaul this hub for the subject.
    Veteran Water Foreman: Ridiculous. How big can it be? And couldn't they snare a smaller one?
    Water Lead Scientist: You saw the hologram of it. That thing is a monster.
    Veteran Water Foreman: Oh, that one. Okay, I guess we'll need to overhaul the hub, then. (Source)

    Given how Overseer Kuda's story is yet unresolved from Sandswept Isles (as she escaped with the combat data we had graciously provided to her) and she was experimenting on various dragon minions (even creating the crosscorrupted Subject Beta as Subject Alpha's successor), it would be interesting to see what plans the Inquest have in mind for the deep sea dragon's minions and if they're struggling more with them (due to that one test subject's implied massive size) or if there's something else going on. While we've already seen a lot of Inquest in various stories, Kuda's story is worth telling (as well as revealing if she truly is Kudu's daughter or not) and what her plans ultimately are for all these dragon minions and if she can create a true hybrid champion by combining it with the magic of all six dragons.

    5) Mysteries of the krait society and potential relation to naga

    The mystery of the krait obelisks and their true purpose and history has fascinated Tyrian scholars for a long time. Are these tied to the deep sea dragon's influence, some other ancient power unrelated to dragons, or something else?

    Krait society is dark and fanatical. Led by their priesthood, the Oratuss, the krait follow an ancient doctrine handed down to them by their abyssal prophets and constantly foretell of the prophets' return. The krait religion is based on massive obelisks of a unique, dark stone that can be found exclusively and rarely on Tyria's ocean floors. The krait believe that each of these obelisks was raised upon the site of a krait prophet's ascension into a mystic world, a world beyond this one, where these nameless prophets are building an army great enough to eradicate all other species. One day, they will return and drown the surface of Tyria beneath one massive sea. The krait sacrifice slaves to show reverence to the prophets and to ensure that the prophets will have servants in their mystical "other world." [...]
    Land-based historians and scholars theorize that the obelisks on the sea floor are not mystical, but are ancient monuments to religious figures and societal governors of the krait. Because the krait memorize their lore, some information has been lost over the centuries. The krait race has forgotten the obelisks' true purpose and has invented instead a mystic reverence for the monuments and those they represent. Certainly, the obelisks are eerily smooth and have no symbols on them, and thus cannot relate their history firsthand. The krait Oratuss are the ones who interpret the meaning of these monoliths for their people—and because of the fanaticism of these priests and priestesses, the story of the obelisks' creation and purpose has been twisted to religious use.
    Like the obelisks, the krait are steadfast and immobile in their beliefs. Their legends state that all the races living above water were driven out of the sea by the prophets and forbidden to return. Although these legends seem patently false to other races, the krait refuse to listen to any "heresies" from other races; destroying them seems a much more effective way to ensure that the krait religion is not defamed. (Source)

    We've seen very few oratuss in game so far, and we've yet to learn where the krait's main "deeps," if such exists, can be located in. It would be fun to see if there was someone above even the oratuss, maybe a high priestess due to the krait women's immense mastery of the arcane. I for one would love to explore the ruins of the once mighty krait empire (likely ravaged by the deep sea dragon once it presumably seized many of the krait obelisks to feast on their magic) and discover where the current krait regime resides in the Unending Ocean. The krait high priestess (or whoever the leading figure is) could become a wonderfully charming and evil villain for us to face.

    It would also be nice to expand krait society and maybe offer some parts of it redemption if the oratuss's "altered history" for their own gain was ever revealed to the masses and if some of the krait young whom Niamh saved in the sylvari short story had grown up and might have come to realize that not all surface dwellers are pathetic, ruthless unbelievers that should be wiped from the face of the earth. While the krait were written as a pure evil race, I'd still like to take Niamh's stance and believe that even they are worthy of a second chance to redeem themselves and choose a better path.

    Likewise, it's curious to me how GW2 krait resemble GW1 naga, while GW2 naga appear to resemble GW1 krait to some extent. While devs confirmed that the naga and krait bear no relation to the serpentine Forgotten (who came from another world to Tyria, anyway), I wonder if the krait and naga are actually cousin species that diverged millennia ago. It would be interesting to see krait and naga interaction in Cantha and whether these societies could learn to get along or immediately fought against one another. How would they view one another as both are as sleek under water as they are on land? Both seem to have some religious doctrines based on naga and krait backstories, so it'd be ripe for some juicy story exploration. :)

    6) Mysteries of the largos society

    The largos, like many of the deep sea races, remains a mystery to Tyrians. What little we've learned about them is most curious, though. The largos refer to the Concordat of the Tethyos Houses, or the Tethyos Compact, regarding the honor of ritualistic killings for the great houses. As it happens, "concordat" is a specific term used to mean an agreement or treaty, especially one between the Vatican and a secular government relating to matters of mutual interest. Likewise, Trahearne introduced his largos friend as the revered Sayeh al'Rajihd, which is curious phrasing on his part. This makes me wonder if the largos are actually a theocracy like the krait except they've turned into a religious order of assassins led by the high priest/assassin lords of their respective houses. If so, it's interesting to me how so many of the underwater races (krait, naga, quaggans, largos, even skale with their primitive worship and summoning ritual of the skale "god" Moa'vu'Kaal; such a shame we didn't get to visit Issnur Isles during our Elonian trip to witness if the skale would attempt to bring forth their would-be deity again) have such deep ties to religion.

    Likewise, the largos society seems to be ruled by what are known as the "shadowed Scions" who are often referred to when invoking the sanctity of the Tethyos Compact. Likewise, the largos have creepy sayings such as "The Scions are listening." Interestingly scion has also been used for dragon offspring (e.g. Glint, Vlast and Aurene), but the overlapping of these terms is likely accidental...or could there be more to the secrets of the largos society we've yet to realize? ;)

    All in all, the Unending Ocean has lots of fascinating lore and plots to explore, whether it's uncovering ancient mysteries, the fates of certain families, or just exploring the related races' societies and the people living in them. Hopefully we at least get a few teases of some of this in End of Dragons (or Living World Season 6) despite the focus mostly being on the human-led Empire of the Dragon based on promotions. :)

    submitted by /u/Kossage
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    The Guild Wars 2 Build Swapping Saga Explained!

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:51 PM PDT

    Why didn't they put access to the crystal desert in the fields of ruin when PoF came out?

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 02:27 PM PDT

    Before the expac came out I always wondered what was behind that door south of the Fields of Ruin, now that PoF has already left, I have thought that why did not the story begin by entering there, instead of having gone by airship. I think that door to the desert is wasted and now it looks bad there What do you think?

    submitted by /u/javisb98
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    Rune of the eagle quick question

    Posted: 06 Sep 2021 12:07 AM PDT

    6th bonus is +10% strike damage to players under 50% hp. Does anyone know how this applies to down state players? Does it apply the 10% for the entire downstate or only once their downstate is under 50%? Knowing anet it could easily be a junky bug and doesn't even apply to downstate.

    submitted by /u/IncreaseCompetitive
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    I... I've been swallowed by the void under the WvW map.

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 07:28 PM PDT

    Wow refugee #193792496

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:56 PM PDT

    I played wow for nearly a decade from cataclysm to badowlands when i was finally done with the awful changes that ruined the game. I tried ff14 for a month before stumbling upon guild wars 2 after not having heard or thought about it in forever. I just started about a week ago and have a warrior at level 30 but im not sure if im feeling it. I have tried engineer twice, necro once even mesmer not really getting any of them past level 15. In wow I mained frost dk and I know revenant is a thing but im not quite sure about buying the expansions yet. Any advice?

    submitted by /u/extradudeman
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    They've taken over the Mists now

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 08:26 AM PDT

    Seems dangerous...

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 06:55 PM PDT

    The Weekly Map Recap, Week 41 - Elon Riverlands

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 01:46 PM PDT

    Welcome to the Weekly Map Recap, a series where we look back at one map in the game each week. We'll look with a critical eye at how each map represents its theme, proves faithful to its lore, and implements its design. We'll see how effective its gameplay is, whether the art holds up, and the forecast for the map's long term retention. With 52 maps to date, it'll be quite the journey!

    Links to the previous entries in a reply at the bottom!

    41 of 52 - Elon Riverlands - Level 80

    Elon Riverlands is our third map in Path of Fire, and we're starting to get far enough in the expansion that we can see just how much area has been added to the game world. In comparison to Heart of Thorns, the Path of Fire maps added a significant chunk to the world. Just in terms of pure area, not volume, Elon Riverlands, Desolation, and Vabbi are all simply enormous - with Desolation being the largest map in the game by flat area.

    Theme/Concept - 8/10

    Elon Riverlands seems to mainly be about the Forgotten and the exiles/refugees from Joko's Elona. Combined with the map design itself, the focus on the Forgotten makes this the most 'Guild Wars 1'-esque Crystal Desert map. The kinds of rolling dunes, teleportation circles, and scattered encampments of ascension seekers is very representative of what this area was like in the first game. Combined with a fairly strong implementation of Augury Rock (other than it feeling too small), and you've got a real nostalgia-fueled stew goin'. There's a lot here about ascension all over the map, from the Throne of Pellentia in the southwest all the way to Augury Rock.

    The map also focuses on the refugees running from Joko's undead realm - with a great number of the events focusing on escorting or otherwise supporting those fleeing the country. One of the things which I really appreciate about this map is that it begins to tell us the story of society in the kingdom, with many of those stuck here in Elon Riverlands wishing that they could go back. The idea of wanting desperately to return to a realm ruled by an undead lich is intriguing, and will become the core of the story of the world as we proceed south.

    Lore - 10/10

    There's a treasure trove of lore here, with so much tie-in to the first game. Perhaps the biggest highlight is the full, complete texts of the Flameseeker Prophecies - something which we never had in the first game, and which is implemented really well as collectable tablets accessible following the meta. It provides a lore-based reward for completing the event, which is a rarity in GW2's design.

    In addition to that, we get to hang out with Turai Ossa again in the Throne of Pellentia - with bonus dialogue if your character has a Hall of Monuments linked account from the first game. On top of that, we get a couple great events focused on the relationship between the Sunspears and the Mordant Crescent, and some crumbs about the relationship between the Forgotten, the Exalted, and Glint's Legacy.

    Design - 8/10

    The flow on this map has always seemed odd to me. In Tangled Depths, for instance, the whole idea of the map is focused around progressing to the Dragon. Here, we are not in a dissimilar situation: we're up against the Bone Wall, trying to gain entry into a kingdom that's been sealed off for generations. And there's no real meta event for that. We don't even have any regular events about sneaking past the Bone Wall, only about sneaking out from it, which seems odd.

    On top of that, the placement of the meta which IS present is odd from a flow perspective. In this map's case they were probably constrained by where it made sense to place Augury Rock, but it's still odd to walk past the main meta area after first entering into the zone, rather than having the main meta towards the end of the map, further to the south. This is a problem shared by all Path of Fire maps, with the Maw of Torment and Forged Foundry both being placed nearer to the beginning of maps, producing a bit of an odd flow.

    Gameplay - 7/10

    Elon Riverlands is very middle of the road, as far as gameplay goes. What I mean by that is that it came across as the most 'vanilla' of the maps we'd had in some time, when it came out. Since Silverwastes, we'd had a run of maps that were focused largely on their meta, and then with Crystal Oasis being half a city, and Desert Highlands being focused on open exploration puzzles, Riverlands comes across as much more conventional in comparison. There is a meta, but the whole map isn't focused around it - and unlike the other Living World Season 3 or PoF maps, that is not compensated for by having two 'main' metas on this map.

    That means that the gameplay on this map is generally pretty laid back. You can go around, do some events, find some chests, do the meta, do some bounties - the choice is yours, and the amount of different content is fairly balanced on the whole. I don't normally talk about these sorts of things in these articles, but the southern portion of the map is great fun on a skimmer, and enjoyable to explore with all of the varied rock pillars.

    I feel in many ways the meta event in Elon Riverlands actually works the best of the different metas on the PoF maps, just from a pure 'fun' perspective. I think most folks really enjoy seeing themselves pop up as the villain at the end, and the meta opens up a cool exploration area, as well.

    Art - 8/10

    After a map like Desert Highlands, it's difficult for anything to compete. Riverlands is the most purely 'desert' of any of the maps, but still manages to have variety with its caves in the southeast, and the Elon area all along the Bone Wall. Augury Rock itself is really well realized, as is the Bone Wall and Joko's domain in the south. While I'm sure that some folks are not as enthused about the 'flatness' of this map from an aesthetic perspective, I feel that they perfectly captured what many folks envisioned the Crystal Desert would be like, here. Especially since none of the other desert maps have quite captured that fantasy of endless rolling dunes. It also manages to reproduce and build on assets from Guild Wars 1 in a really tasteful way. Is it as strictly beautiful in its environmental design and effects as Desert Highlands? No, but very few maps are.

    Long Term/Retention - 7/10

    I'm never sure whether retention is stronger here than Vabbi. On the one hand, Vabbi has the twin hounds meta, which is very popular because of how short and easy to farm it is - and a number of other retention elements, such as the griffon roost. On the other, the meta here in Riverlands feels the most well tuned out of the different PoF metas, with a reasonable level of reward for the difficulty - and without it being too, too easy. I would say that I usually can find groups for the meta or bounties here, but few people just 'playing the map'.

    Overall - 8/10

    Elon Riverlands is a strong map. It represents the purest GW1 'Crystal Desert' experience in a number of ways - complete with Forgotten teleporters. It lets us return to an important area from the first game, and contains a fun meta event within a largely 'vanilla' map design structure. If you like generally chill exploration and Guild Wars 2 open-world gameplay, this map is your jam.

    My general struggles getting along with flat maps are present here, but not as strong. The flatness is broken up by uplands, lowlands, spikes of rock and swamps in the southern portion, and by the eastern part being riddled with caves. So well done to the design team there, breaking up the flatness while still conveying that theme.

    ---------------

    That's all, folks! What do you think of today's map? Any fond memories, or strong complaints? How well do you think Path of Fire stands up in comparison to the other content chunks? Next week, you'll want to bring noseplugs for the sulfer stench, because we're headed to The Desolation.

    submitted by /u/Jonah_Marriner
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    Gearing up to full ascended in GuildWars2 efficiently.

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 10:21 AM PDT

    PSA: the festival is a good time to get 3 home nodes and there's a 4th with hidden availability

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 02:15 PM PDT

    There's 3 nodes available from the regular festival vendors, and for the price in tokens it's a no brainer. But the candy corn node is available on the hidden-cave festival vendor in lions arch. I didn't know that and almost missed out. I figure a lot of people probably don't realize this.

    submitted by /u/bluenote73
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    Virtuoso roaming feat. hydration | Roamemes #4

    Posted: 05 Sep 2021 09:32 AM PDT
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