Wow. WOW. My mind is literally at a loss of words when logging on to the full Guild Wars 2 game for the first time in August. Even though I had participated in beta weekends due to purchasing a collector's edition, I didn't explore very far out of beginning zones. I refused to leave those level 1-15 zones and the main cities. I just couldn't bring myself to actually open that present even though I had already peeked at them before. But... when I finally did... I was smitten. Everything was so beautiful and detailed; I could see the locks in my engineer's hair moving, and her body shifting as she stood still or as she ran. I was excited all the time and so completely floored by how beautifully large and expansive Tyria was. I really felt a part of the game.
Pardon the roleplayer in me, but I could literally feel myself as Nova, weighing her rifle in her hand, throwing her grenades, running through the lush fields of Queensdale and Kessex and swimming through the beautiful large lakes. I wanted to inspect every tree, every blade of grass, every civilian who walked by.
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| Nova Arterius, my main (Engineer) in Divinity's Reach |
My friends and I started on Darkhaven server, and I created my guild Requiem of Valkyria [VALK] for us to play. I loved helping others, running with randoms, completing quests... Everything was so fresh, exciting. Thrilling. But as the first few weeks passed, school started, and my friends, and only guildmates, started to lose interest due to the grinding they knew we would be facing (let's face it... Guild Wars 2 does have a grind system whether they say they do or not). However, despite my friends leaving, I continued playing. I refused to stop. Everything was still so gorgeous and beautiful, and I wanted to learn more about Tyria every day. I wanted to build Nova, and create her to be the character I knew she was.
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| My guildies and I running Ascalonian Catacombs story mode when we were high enough level; due to bug and disconnect issues, we never completed it. |
However, as time continued on, I became lonely. I started to talk to some of my boyfriend's friend, who were trying to encourage me to switch servers to Northern Shiverpeaks and join their guild; an active, thriving one that would accommodate me and my fluctuating schedule. I told them for about a week: no, I can't. I know my guildmates will come back but... I couldn't help feeling empty. This game wasn't fun without my friends, and although I had made some great acquaintances online who were a thrill to play with. For three weeks, I told them I would be fine and I felt okay playing by myself but eventually...
Eventually I caved. I became too lonely to play by myself, and I made the server swap to Northern Shiverpeaks. Above is a picture of my friends and I dancing to seal the deal. I was now a Northern Shiverpeaks player. I put it off until I reached Level 80; until I could at least look like a decent player to a new guild who was active, and considered semi to hardcore. Through joining Nex-Praeconus, I felt rejuvenated... and Guild Wars 2, which was beginning to lose it's promise with me, was suddenly amazing, and fun again. And I realized the problem wasn't with the game itself, although it does have them here and there... it was the fact I was alone. Tl;dr: it is definitely a game that should be played with friends.
Next Post: Guild Wars 2: October-Present,playing with a guild, running dungeons properly for the first time, Halloween and now.
