Last Friday was a big announcement regarding Guild Wars 2 future. I already knew there would be a season 5 of the Living World story before another expansion. Maybe there would be a sixth. So while I was secretly hoping they would say anything about an expansion, they only talked about the immediate future and season 5.
No season 5, new saga
They explicitly stated there wouldn’t be a season 5 as we got to know in the previous Living World updates. They call them sagas now, saying the updates will be more diverse, probably most like season 1 of the Living world. Smaller events changed the existing world of Tyria permanently, while saving the story heavy stuff for the major releases.
Icebrood Saga
I’m super excited for the Norn and Charr focused story in the Icebrood Saga. If you hadn’t noticed, I write fanfiction (see sidebar), and my main story arc is about five Charr cubs. Diving more into the Charr culture might inspire me to create more and better stories around these five characters.
We’re getting a prologue in a couple of weeks and at least two episodes of large story content. They added strike missions: 10 people boss encounters, or ‘soft raids’. This is the low entry raid for casuals (like me), to experience a big boss battle with a more or less organized group.
I’m going to try it, of course, but no idea if I’ll enjoy it.
They also mentioned new masteries, following the spirits of the wild, from the Norn culture. Raven is the first one and they already released some info on its abilities. I’m curious how far they’ll go with it. Will each spirit
Hardcore causal
I’m a casual player, never done a raid, or a fractal above 20. I don’t get a kick out of extremely hard content. I don’t have the time to invest in micromanagement of my characters. (I still don’t have a full set of ascended armor/weapons.)
Am I lazy? No, not really. I do the things I enjoy the most. Walking around, get lost, jump into dynamic events, listen to the ambient chatter of NPCs. I’m not active on the trade market. I rarely buy, only sell things I don’t need.
I only finished War Eternal a few days ago. As a story nerd and someone who writes stories about the world of Tyria, this is a big deal. I haven’t played the Living World updates as they were released. The internet spoiled most of the experience (which I knew would happen), but being able to play them without interruption of a couple of months was great.
I’m looking forward to more lore, stories, and zones to explore. I’m excited about playing again. Maybe I’ll finally manage to craft a legendary.
Hmpph. You’ve made me want to get back into GW2 now 😦
#sorrynotsorry 😅 give it a go and see how you like it now. You can always put it on the shelf again 🙂