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Guild Wars 2: The Starting Zones Preview

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
in News & Features Discussion

ArenaNet and the Guild Wars 2 team are ready to let loose the hounds as coverage of this past weekend's limited closed beta event goes live! We take a look at the first place that players find themselves in when starting the game and offer our impressions. See what you think and then leave us a comment or two.

The Norn's beginning quests were all based on worshipping the spirits and were very different from each other. While bear wanted me to prove my strength, Raven challenged me with riddles to test my wisdom. The enemies in the area were also varied. I faced other Norn factions like the Sons of Svanir, Skales, and Wurms. The enemies themselves were very basic. I'm not saying that they were easy to defeat, but they didn't have any special abilities that made me feel threatened. They were just large, but so are the Norn. The enemies were also spaced out, keeping the action very focused. I felt that the progression from event to event was smooth and well thought out. I think that with the land being divided between the spirits, they were able to keep certain enemies from mixing with each other.

Read more of David North's Guild Wars 2: Starting Zones Preview.

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Comments

  • Badgered86Badgered86 Member UncommonPosts: 175

    Me gusta.

  • ProfRedProfRed Member UncommonPosts: 3,494

    Well great.  It looks like I will have to try each race now.  Thanks man, thanks a lot.

  • k-damagek-damage Member CommonPosts: 738

    That Personal Story video .... Holy shit ... Chills are paralyzing me ...


     

    ***** Before hitting that reply button, please READ the WHOLE thread you're about to post in *****

  • DamzillaDamzilla Member UncommonPosts: 170

    I have no idea what class or race to pick... They made them all look so cool it's really tough to pick. I generaly make one character and stick to it, but in this game i might break that rule

  • JazKW347JazKW347 Member Posts: 54

     Sweet Jesus have mercy

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  • fiontarfiontar Member UncommonPosts: 3,682

    Great write up! I'm gald that each starting experience is so different. For alt-a-holics, this will add on top of the Personal Story and the Dynamic Event driven world to greatly enhance replayability. For those who tend to stick to one or two characters, there is the ability to pick a race not just based on appearance, but to match the type of culture and environment that resonates with them the most.

    Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
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  • VyethVyeth Member UncommonPosts: 1,461

    Norn to Jormag " FUSRODAH!!"

    But nah, that was a nice video.. I love that art style..

  • MumboJumboMumboJumbo Member UncommonPosts: 3,219

    Those art-intros are just ... works of art?! The best intros/synopsis method I've seen in an mmo - so effective, allows the art to shine and the imagination to bring the words to life. Although I'd expect a deeper-chested sounding narrator?

    Story will likely be v fun with the humans -> more underdog-down development, the thundercats have a great narrator I think and hope the Norn live up to their name and you get some real icy beasties to butcher and tear apart and make a rug or mug trinket from? One thing I heard: "RAVEN" they use the vocalization of a "crow" -> "Caw" vs "Qwork"? It's more like a "croaking" sound for Ravens, a bit more complex and characterful than Crows, especially nice if you live near some. ^_^

    http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014633/Classic-Game-Postmortem

  • Zeus.CMZeus.CM Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 1,788

    Can't wait for the next beta event, and I hope they unlock asura and sylvari. I'm really interested in their starting areas.

  • EvilGeekEvilGeek Member UncommonPosts: 1,258

    Facing bandits, I received a lot of drops that were rich in crafting materials. These drops were also in greater number than the Norn and Charr areas. Once I was facing more wildlife creature, the wealth of the drops became more familiar. Not sure how I feel abut that.

    Hope that's something they'll note and work on, would be horrible to feel that you needed to make a race decision based on drops, crafters need to roll as human to get the most mats.


    In a way, this safe feeling was making me hate the citizens, as the people outside of Divinity's Reach had to struggle every day to keep things running, while these people stood around and conversed about what to have for supper.

    That says to me that the rpg works, feeling stuff like that about the local citizens shows some solid immersion.

    I knew today was going to be the tease from hell, there is so much to get excited about.

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  • garrettgarrett MMORPG.COM Staff UncommonPosts: 284

    Guys, personal story is awesome. 

    Bill chose Ferocity while I chose Dignity and we had a completely different quest chain as Norn. 

    There is so much to do in this game. SOOO MUCH....oh and the best PvP in about 8 years of MMOs. 

     :p 
  • CookieTimeCookieTime Member Posts: 353

    Awesomesauce! And thanks for the reassurance in the comments. The game just can't come out soon enough..

    Eat me!

  • DinastyDinasty Member UncommonPosts: 212

    Originally posted by ProfRed

    Well great.  It looks like I will have to try each race now.  Thanks man, thanks a lot.




     

    Like I wasn't going to anyway! :p

  • Ludichris1Ludichris1 Member Posts: 41

    Guild Wars 2 is gonna be so awesomenessnessness... ness

  • ZoyitaZoyita Member Posts: 119

    I love it!! i cant wait :(

    <a href="http://s526.photobucket.com/albums/cc344/zori4/Guild Wars 2 Beta/?action=view&amp;current=zoyita.png&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc344/zori4/Guild Wars 2 Beta/zoyita.png&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

  • BetaguyBetaguy Member UncommonPosts: 2,629

    Game looked boring in my opinion. Same ol' stuff. I can't find a decent mmo on the market at this point.  Waiting on the up and comings to see what they have to offer.

    "The King and the Pawn return to the same box at the end of the game"

  • SomsbalSomsbal Member Posts: 222

    Originally posted by sinjin

    Game looked boring in my opinion. Same ol' stuff. I can't find a decent mmo on the market at this point.  Waiting on the up and comings to see what they have to offer.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXDo4dL7SU

  • BunksBunks Member Posts: 960

    Originally posted by sinjin

    Game looked boring in my opinion. Same ol' stuff. I can't find a decent mmo on the market at this point.  Waiting on the up and comings to see what they have to offer.

    We promis not to gloat too much after launch about how much fun it is. Hope you find something soon, it sucks, been there done that.

  • Cod_EyeCod_Eye Member UncommonPosts: 1,016

    Originally posted by sinjin

    Game looked boring in my opinion. Same ol' stuff. I can't find a decent mmo on the market at this point.  Waiting on the up and comings to see what they have to offer.

    Looking at your history every game is rubbish, boring, crap, stale, and that was only the first 2 pages.

  • cutthecrapcutthecrap Member Posts: 600

    I saw some walkthrough vids of the cities. Cities in GW2 looked awesome. Very impressive.

  • WalderalWalderal Member Posts: 8

    Every game have very different start locations, in Lineage were completely different dwarf villages with full of wood houses, elf village with dungeon and Shillent God, which were looked quite scary,human's village with churches, orc's village with ascetic houses and with torches...

    All were crazy cool in my opinion, so I don't agree with "in other MMOs I would try out different races, but felt that each area was basic, flat"

    Never complain
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