War stories in Guild Wars 2

I'm really big on the moments in games that turn into memories, whether that is in Guild Wars 2 gold, your pen and paper range of choice, or any other game. I mean, you quite possibly remember a great deal of your time in-game (unless you play a lot while honestly tired or otherwise impaired), yet there's a difference between, say, recalling much of the quests you had to complete in order to fill a renown heart & recounting that seriously epic time that you and that other Guardian (whom you haven't observed since) absolutely took on that Champion Jungle Troll all on your own and stomped his face, man, albeit you were both underleveled -- you just swapped to scepter/focus & kited him around while the other dude was whalin' on him with the good sword and it was just so cool. (We were really proud of ourselves, OK?)

Similarly, there's a distinction between walking up to an NPC-defended tower and laying siege to a player-defended one. Positive, you will likely don't forget each of them, although 1 is going to make the sort of experience that sticks with you.

The ArenaNet designers are very excellent at conveying certain sorts of experiences. I will speak at excellent length, to anyone who'll hang around and pretend to listen, about how extraordinary I discovered the Arah dungeon's story mode to be (right up till the fight with Considerable Z, yet that is another matter). I've seen a fair couple of complaints about its drudgery and endlessness, but I discovered that it did an stunning employment of bringing me into the feeling of war, of an invasion into hostile land, without any rest & no respite. To be sure, I don't commonly want that feeling; in actual fact, most times I do not honestly need that feeling at all. But for producing that experiences, telling that story, and instilling that memory -- it was perfect. I was absolutely caught up in that fight, 100% drawn in by the story that the encounter itself told.

There's without a doubt also the experiences that come from the writing itself. When my Elementalist was helping the Priory aid the Quaggans, I grew quite attached to brave, friendly little Shashoo. In spite of knowing that she couldn't come to harm (and that I could rez her if she did), I was distressed when she ran into danger or began taking damage. When she showed up to help me much later in the story, I was deeply touched. I felt better for having her around.

There is a further sort of experience completely that comes from player-driven circumstances. These are possibly the greatest and most critical moments. Getting caught up in the mood of the Arah dungeon is fantastic, although it's something I've done now; going back in is going to grant me a distinctive experience. Whether it's hitting a personal goal, running into a group that is just riding the serendipitous tide of a really great event chain, or facing off against the enemy hordes, these are the sorts of moments that are not going to go away for as lengthy as players are still around. WvW, as anybody who is read Ravious' stuff over at Kill 10 Rats will know, is amazing for these. There is something about the immediacy of the opponents, the camaraderie of traveling with your fellow serverfolk, plus the ever-present desire to not die needlessly that just makes for lovely stories. I've acknowledged that I can't honestly play WvW without something cool happening, whether it's a bit of a scuffle for a modest provide depot turning into a protracted battle, a surprise ambush throwing a routine provide run into complete disarray, or a really well-oiled team running around & mopping up a entire part of the map.

I've personally hit a sort of sweet spot in Guild Wars 2: I've got high-level characters for doing "endgame" content like dungeon runs & Orr events, I've got characters to work on advancing by means of the leveling curve, and I'm starting to see returns on my investments. I briefly mentioned, last week, that I'd hit 100% map exploration on my Elementalist; this past weekend, my Necromancer hit 80, & I began equipping the first dungeon armor pieces that I've been working toward. I'm doing things with more purpose than I was originally, & so my experience of the gw2 gold game is slightly shifted.

I hit 80 on my Elementalist while crafting, which was fantastic at the time because hitting 80 was A Thing that I felt obligated to do by then. When it was my Necromancer's turn, in spite of this, I wanted something a little more intriguing. I've been running around doing points with her (factors like hearts & opening up waypoints, which is something that I've neglected on other characters since focusing on getting my Elementalist to 100%), and when she finally got to the last quarter of a bar or so left 'til 80, I took her to Lake Feritas in the Plains of Ascalon. Feritas is home to a three-event chain that repeats fairly quickly: You mop up some tar elementals in the lake, move to a nearby Flame Legion cave to take out much of their braziers, & finally go toe-to-toe with the Flame Legion shaman. Because it's a honestly dependable chain, I as a general rule end up seeing it once or twice a week as I finish up my dailies, which implies the Shaman fight has been something of a growth chart for my Necro. She's gone from being terrified to go in without at least six or seven folks to back her up to laughing like a maniac as she runs in, Life Transferring all & sundry, to challenge the Shaman on her own.

What are some of your favorite war stories?