Guild Wars 2 (Warning: Image heavy)

[Joseph]

Hmm... I could have sworn there used to be a video embedding tag. Ah well, nevermind. The theme music from the game. While you can hear bits and pieces of the piano parts playing at various locations throughout the game, it only plays in full length once you kill Zhaitan (i.e. finish the base game). Vocals start at around 50 seconds. I fell in love with the music and had to find it on youtube

https://youtu.be/MfU07aMziP0

I've thought about switching to Xenforo boards since it seems every other forum has done so but... The license and all the add-ons are just silly expensive.

phpBB works just fine for our needs for now. Although I thought there was one too. I'm also used to being able to "like" posts. Ah well. Keep the images coming though. Suddenly I miss gaming.

[Gorth]

Fair enough

I would of course still recommend checking out the video, even if I can't show off so to speak. Whoever edited together the cut-scenes did a good job of pacing it with the music imho

Background: Guild Wars 2 was originally released as a pay once, play forever game. Later it got first one and then another major expansion and the base game is now completely free.

One of the expansions, Path of Fire takes place in the desert provinces of Elonia. A place that is very reminiscent of ancient Egypt. Deserts, sand, mountains, a giant river and wetlands, irrigation and what was once a thriving culture. The Lich now rules most of Elonia, but in places they still remember The Six. Just like the Elder Dragons, there seems to be some importance to the number Six for balance purposes. 2 of the gods are known to have been disposed of, but only once was truly killed and destroyed. A human warrioress, Kormir, became the vessel for the power released when Abadon was destroyed, or the cataclysmic results of his destruction could have destroyed the world.

The gods used to live in Orr before they departed and Arah (capital city of Orr and home of the gods) was known as the golden city. Krytans, Orrians, Ascalonians, Canthians (a far East inspired part of the world) and last but not least, the Elonians raised many statues and sculptures as a tribute to the gods.

Just a few of the gods... Grenth, the god of death. Was the child of a human father and a divine mother. He and his followers bested the god Dhuum, who got banished forever to the Halls of Torment.



Lyssa, the twin goddess of beauty and illusions.



Balthazar, the god of war and fire... who also happens to be the main antagonist in the Path of Fire expansion. Since his minions, "The Forged", part living, part forged metal, part fire are ravaging both the dead and the living inhabitants of Elonia, they don't really love him that much anymore (hence the funny statue)

As Taimi (the diminutive Asura girl) put it at some point when you discover who you're up against: Commander, just to recap, did you just pick a fight with the god of war? You: Shut up Taimi (paraphrased)

[Gorth]

Speaking of Taimi. Probably my second favourite NPC in the game after Canach (a grumpy, sarcastic Sylvari)

[Gorth]

Somewhere along the way, my necromancer took a wrong turn and got turned into a pink moa. Complete with new combat abilities like pecking frenzy, clawing and loud honking noises

[Gorth]

This is a grab of a cut-scene towards the end of the game. On board the "Gloria of Tyria", getting ready for a final confrontation with Zhaitan. A huge fleet of airships have engaged the dragon minions in the air and your flag ship is armed with the MEGA-LIT cannon. The GW2 equivalent of a Death Star main weapon. It manages to get one hit in on the dragon (before the dragon strikes back and destroys the cannon), skewering the dragon and cutting of a number of tentacles and it's tail parts, crippling it. All those laser cannons on the side are not for show either, firing broadside after broadside into the dragon afterwards. Since this was my first play through back then, I sadly didn't get any good shots from the rest of the little movie.

[Gorth]

One of many interesting phases of the Path of Fire expansion... you don't go up against a god and expect to just win. Actually, you go toe to toe with Balthazar and die

Your next quest is in the afterlife where you have to work your wait out of this limbo like realm and earn the right to return to the world of the living....

Yeah, boooo.... (chilling scream)

[Gorth]

Many more pics to come over the next days

[Gorth]

The game has something called Dynamic Events and Meta Events.

Dynamic Events are group events that spawns either on a timer or on a trigger (could be a dialogue with a NPC that sets it off for example).

Most maps also has something called a Meta Event. It's a series of chained events that needs to be completed successfully for the overarching meta event to be successful.it often features multiple groups of players solving tasks in different places, but at the same time, to be followed later by a main event including all players. Can be as few as a few dozen and as many as several hundred players involved.

A third group is World Boss events. These are only on select maps and are on a timer. Every few hours, the prerequisite events starts and for some bosses must be completed (or the boss won't show up) and for some bosses it doesn't matter.

Two world bosses. Claw of Jormag is a minion of the Elder Dragon of all things frosty ("Jormag"). Jormag was the one who laid waste to the Norns original home up north and forced them to migrate south. Notice how people are all stacking on one side of the battle field? Once you've tried it a few times, you learn NOT to stand in front of the breath of a dragon

Second image is the Megadestroyer. A minion of the Elder Dragon Primordus, who dwells underground and loves all things made of fire and lava. He was also the one who forced the Asura above ground, out of their ancient home.

[Gorth]

Throughout the world, you can find "Adventures" and mini games. Most of these are good, harmless fun. Here, players are encourage to join the arena and fight the Boss Crab.

All the little crabs are players trying to take him down, armed with crab shells and pincers and evasive maneuvers (scuttle sideways)

[Gorth]

My Norn berserker going for an evening stroll in the moonlit forest. If it hadn't been for the wolves, wurms, undead, corrupted icebrood monsters etc. I would have been almost romantic... The green plant girl is just a random passerby NPC he met on the road.

[Gorth]

The game has a fully functional "underwater" element to it.

Underwater weapons, underwater breathing equipment, underwater combat etc. Also civilizations and races that are mostly submerged.

Some waters are murky, some are clear, some are arctic waters, some are tropical etc. Flora, fauna and enemies vary accordingly.

[Gorth]

My necromancer girl originally started out as a pale skinned redhead. Then she got a makeover (and gender surgery, which is entirely possible in this game) and became a middle-eastern looking guy. Eventually I got tired of that and ended up with a middle-eastern looking girl. So some early pictures shows her in her first incarnation (here as a really low, lowbie at some swamps)

The "thing" floating in the air on the second picture is an undead minion. Not a necromancer in name only, even at low levels.

[Gorth]

This is obviously not a trap, so I better click on it to get a reward!...

[Gorth]

Same necromancer (I wish I had saved some shots while he/she went through her male phase)

I kept tinkering a bit with the looks, but only the hair has changed since. This was to show off my shiny new Peacock Feather of Death!

[Gorth]

Just showing off my Raptor mount... the mounts in this game are incredibly well done, with personality and funny idle/fidgeting animations....