Guild Wars 2: Parasocial Relationships

If the “Visions of Eternity” expansion had a subtitle, it would be “I think it’s about time we started taking the Asura more seriously”.

Sure, GW2’s version of gnomes prefer machines to people and get caught up in titles and hierarchies and dramatic feuds, but they also have the power to tear reality to shreds and to rewrite it in their own images. This is Director Vloxx’s whole plan: he has discovered an error in the “code” that underlies all existence, but fear not, he can debug it. Just have to shut this reality down and consign every living creature to oblivion, then restart it at an earlier save point — that save point being Guild Wars 3.

So, this is a story that we know the ending of even as we play: this is a battle we’re going to lose. (We also know that Guild Wars 2 will continue, so perhaps this just starts an alternate timeline). Perhaps, though, in the end, we’ll find ourselves agreeing with Vloxx that the present is just broken, and it would be better if the last few thousand years had just never happened at all.

‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. As an Asura myself, my dream has always been to join the Inquest and to grasp real power, like the power to remake reality to suit myself. Ice cream for every Asura. Every day. I’m right there with Vloxx.

Unfortunately, the game forces every player character into the role of the Commander, the legendary hero who solves every problem, leads every army, cements every alliance. I liked the personal story more than the legendary hero story. Especially when they start droning on about my previous victories. Dude, I was just along for the ride. You have me all wrong.

Chapter 14: Deeper Revelations has us pursuing Vloxx into the depths beneath the lands where the rest of the expansion takes place. But first, there is a little matter of purging the Arcane Council of Inquest sympathizers.

I think there were some special things said acknowledging that I am also an Asura, and so the betrayal cuts a little deeper. There’s some fighting, then you help Ludo present the evidence against the traitorous councilors, and then it’s back to the adventure zone to plan how to find Vloxx.

This means gaining the trust of an old mech; it wouldn’t say a word to the mech you freed from the Inquest, but it trusts you. The way to the underworld has been blocked for centuries. It will take a long incantation to open the path, during which time you must keep the old mech from being interrupted.

Following that is a long elevator ride, broken up by more combat (and taunts from Vloxx), and finally a race through a dark labyrinth, trying to light torches to banish immortal creatures of the dark. At the end, there’s a new hub, full of other players and a well-supported Inquest installation and a large number of wandering mechs.

So wait — this was a long forgotten and forbidden passageway that only this one mech knew about, but when we get there it’s crowded with Inquest and other players? Exactly how was this closed off?

We all finished Chapter 14 and got a bit into Chapter 15 before the night ended. The general chatter was commenting on how short this final chapter was, so we’re going to stretch this out just as long as we can. This is our first time playing GW2 in several weeks as we waited for the new content drop. We’d played and completed Windrose since. After Visions of Eternity, we probably won’t play Guild Wars again until GW3 drops.

It’s weird. I don’t think our guild has ever been in a war. And it doesn’t really sound like guilds war against each other in this game. It’s been several years since we last did WvWvW, but even then, I don’t think it was guilds warring.