Secrets of the Obscure Expansion Reveal & Trailer Breakdown

[@WoodenPotatoes]

I'm really sorry about the wait for this, guys! I feel really terrible I wasn't here day 1. It super sucks to miss out! On the bright side, there is SO much to talk about and still to get to! More detail on the story, mechanics, features proposed. If you guys have comments on any of it feel free to drop them here and I'll spotlight them where relevant in the upcoming parts. And have fun!

[@xhazlas2572]

Too be honest I didn't check any other channel, I still waited for your video to get the all the information

[@TheJemsen]

dw, i dont think you missed out. i for one have been patiently waiting for this exact video and im sure after im done i will be sharing this with all my friends who tossed the game aside previously ;)

[@lorkano]

The wait is really not a big deal, I am watching everyone's videos about this regardless of when they come out :D

[@kitten8766]

HES ALIVE! Jk a lot of us knew real life was kicking in for you. This is where the fun begins :D

[@140mac]

Me until now: "Where the heck is WP? They announcing wizard tower expansion and he's silent??". Great to have another video from you :)

[@slytherben]

WP you never ramble. You talk to me like I'm a friend, like we're getting coffee. All the other youtubers have scripts and big productions :( With you, it's just refreshing to hear a real person talk about something they're passionate about

[@ekurisona663]

actual content : )

[@Colathan]

That's definitely what it feels like.

[@Zaxeras]

And to be honest it's not like he just talk random things

[@PhyrexianQueen]

This^

[@BeeyothGaming]

it's like old school video game commentaries, gotta love it

[@KROOF]

Welcome back, and what a time to return. I would love to explore more on the end of Seers, as opposed to what I've heard others speculating as a Djinn, in the concept art. I'm over all excited about the themes and motifs of this expansion; everything is very mage-like and mystical. I hope to see some updates to casting animations... maybe. XD

[@FelipeFECTM]

@@Azsharah Nah, shame on you for trying to warm up old drama. Chill.

[@dackeyris]

I believe that the human figure on the concept art @22:52 is actually the commander using the Heart of the Obscure wearing the "story related set" which is suposed to be identical whatever class you play. (you can see a gif with someone with the same outif using the Heart of the obscure on the website with a different skin color and hairs) And the Seer/Djinn would be Isgarren since a NPC states that nobody have actually seen him saying that they don't even know if he is human and his clothes being really magician like.

[@FieryFlamingFajitas]

that's exactly what I thought. it's the PC

[@Zyphent]

I thought the implication in Garrenhoff was always that people were being turned into the Elementals. Isgarren took people into the tower to never return, but slowly seeded the village with elementals that behaved somewhat strangely.

[@juliasophical]

I've seen that theory before, but it never made much sense to me -- not with the abundance of elementalists all over Tyria who know how to make elementals and do so regularly (including the Commander). You need some hand-wavey reason why Isgarren would need people to make elementals when you generally don't, and why with elemental magic being one of the most widely used and well understood magics in Tyria, no one would suss this out about what Isgarren is doing. Always seemed like a rather half-baked theory. Not that MMOs have never had half-baked, poorly thought out plot points before, but this would be extra holey, or at least require some extreme levels of hand-waving to justify...

[@Zyphent]

@@juliasophical Yeah, it's just sort of the implication of the area to me. We know 2 things about the wizards tower, that people go there and never return, and that Isgarren gave the village elementals that don't behave quite like other elementals in Tyria. Its just kinda the shortest route between those two dots.

[@MInorek5]

@@juliasophical i believe its just mage apprentices trying to get into the tower to learn magic and once they are chosen, they are twisted by dark magics to see if they are any use for necromamcy.,potentially used to feed some kind of ritual

[@23bcx]

It was also heavily implied at launch that like the gods the cast of elder dragons changed over time but anet doesn't care about launch lore gw2's anymore as it doesn't fit their vision of the game.

[@graqon_4400]

the portal in the wizards tower doesn't just shut down, if you look closely it flashes in and out between two realms and in the other "reddish" realm you can see a shadow slithering away

[@SpaceMango]

Holy shit you're right! Looks like a tail

[@FenrirFrostborn]

@@SpaceMango tentacle. Eldritch.

[@graqon_4400]

some more thoughts; if that gate shows us the same place as the "eye" rifts in the trailer, it might mean the massive eye in them belongs to whatever we saw sneak away, just peering in. Seems something quite literally has its eyes on Tyria :))

[@SpaceMango]

@@FenrirFrostborn makes more sense :D

[@lordrobinus]

Waiting for ages for this WP video on this upcoming expansion!

[@world.singer]

I believe The Mesmer Collective will definitely play a part in this. There is a hint in the updated Garenhoff in the open world, and Obryn from the collection lore initially met Adelaide Barradin/proto-collective in an area of Kessex Hills near the tower's location. My guess is Obryn is the seer. No one has ever seen his true form as he is "projecting" his human facade from elsewhere (apparently). People speculate he might be a djinn, which seems like a great way to tease he is actually a Seer - another four armed floating race! I hope we see Razah again in this expansion. I've long speculated he might be the Mist Stranger we've met a couple times, but really they could do anything with him. It could even be one of the Kryptis, or even its leader. Razah's lore stated it could become good or devolve into something closer to its demonic kin if improperly influenced, so there is a lot of potential for this character in SotO. Another interesting aspect about The Mesmer Collective, Lyssa, and maybe tying into Menzies - the collective has a powerful artifact of Lyssa! The Veil of Ilya, I believe, as stated in Someone In Need's collection lore! The veil is the counterpart to Lyssa's other major artifact, The Mirror of Lyss. :D

[@TwelveTables]

My thoughts are more on the eternal alchememy shown in the machine. The 6 small orbs around the black ring. The orbs are colored like all of the dragons we have seen, while the black ring is similar to the void. At the very start before it zooms out the black ring look more like and eye and it has the very close coloring as the eye in the trailer. The black ring/eye had 6 circles around it. While each of the dragons had 2 (except the fire and ice which had 3). I think these rings are rules within the world. Each dragon has a domain, and weakness (plus a twin rule) and the 6 dragons suppress the black ring/eye. With the dragons now out of the picture the laws of the universe are no longer supressing the void with Aurene wielding them. The magicians did what mages do best and bypass the laws of the world and as such found their way into void and have possibly given it a path out.

[@Zanktus]

I'm also pretty much sold on the idea that the Djinn (or whatever it actually is) is indeed Obryn. It is a way too powerful creature to kill mursaat off just like that and that also close to the wizard tower's location. We will find out in three weeks, but I'm calling it. Also I am certain he is a Djinn and not a Seer because in one of the letters from the Extra Life event a woman says he expects him to be a Djinn.

[@Art_911]

Just wanted to say hello. I've been popping in and out and subscribed for a very very very long time. I started way back when when playing Guild wars 1. Glad to see you are still enthusiastic about GW2 as well. This brought back good memories of GW1 with the Lore you always refer to.

[@Ness2Alyza]

wholesome.. i started in second year of gw1 and second year in gw2, now i just pop in and out whenever i finally have some time free, so these videos are refreshing when i cannot actually play yet

[@Ithirahad]

The centre human in the key art is almost certainly this era's Commander placeholder in Astral light armour.

[@Shadamehr100]

First thing I did after I watched the trailer was went back and watched all of your Wizard Tower videos ! Loved the lore and out of map exploring :)

[@Colathan]

I think it may be important to remember Garenhoff is directly next to the "Collapsed Observatory" jumping puzzle as a tie-in for celestial energy. An additional stretch/small mystery: I've long held it is significant that Ettins are often found in places of magical power and ancient races between both GW1 and GW2. In GW2 Ettins are found in close proximity to many of the Kralkatorrik branded rifts, Garrenhoff, Fortune's Vale (PoF Dwarven city with celestial creatures) Ettins were also guardians of the bloodstone caverns in GW1, which displayed architecture similar to the depths of Tyria when we escape destroyers for the first time. They are also found in Sorrows Furnace and the Ring of Fire (where we also encounter a Seer). I think Ettins and Seers/Elder Races may be tied together as a sort of syncretic species. The Asuran event in Timberline Falls experimenting with Ettins may be a subtle hint at this.

[@Umbrrra]

Your insight is always unique, so in-depth and so rich with detail. There's the initial excitement of the trailer, and then there's all the ideas you throw at us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as always!

[@Lobsterisntme]

Hey WP really glad to see this video pop up today. All the love to all the GW2 creators out there, but nobody does these videos like you do. When this news dropped I was super excited to get your take, but in your absence I gave a number of other creators a shot and many just felt like they were reading off a checklist of the expansion details and were done in 10 minutes. Some mention a tiny bit of speculation but never talk about why those speculations exist. When I want to get hyped or pissed or irritated or excited for anything GW2 related, you’re the only creator out there that scratches the itch. Please don’t ever be shy to go hard in the lore and the details. Hope you are doing well!

[@arianekunzli9903]

You are one of a kind WP. Love your engaging narrative style, deep knowledge of Tyria and passion for this metaverse !

[@_Banjo_]

Going to dump my theory here. The Wizards in the sky are prediciting events and pulling in various realities. Or perhaps the realities theyre saving from other disasters. Its interesting that SPOILER Aurene can no longer see the future with the cycle ending . Perhaps the wizards were predicting events and even assisting with the visions. Could i be as bold to suggest E finally makes an apperance too. He could be leading the players acting on the need of the wizards. Its very convenient that aurene can no longer see visions after theres trouble at the tower and theyre potentially unable to project these thoughts. Also ....Astralarium is linked to the Season 4 "Vision" accessory, but also link to skyscale which we're getting in this expansion... but i digress... These alternate realities makes me think. If Kralkatorrik has been destorying the mists. Is there potential they rescued the Tower from the Fissure of Woe. This might explain why the Legendary armour in the wizard's vault is obsidian. Just a weird idea.

[@INDAREVISH]

I never really thought much of how different the new logo makes it feel, as the story moves away from dragons. Makes me excited for the future of the game and the new places and stories the devs can focus on and expand the world of the game further from what was stablished in gw1

[@christopherbrown6544]

God i'm praying for the seer's return. Such an epic throwback.

[@Ignatiusofantioch87]

I’ve been waiting for a 1 hour WP video for a while! Heck yes

[@Earendilgrey]

The moment I saw the tower in the trailer I seriously said out loud, "Someone call WP, we got Wizard Tower lore dropping!" This has me really excited as someone who has played through GW1 multiple times now and each time wanted to go in that Tower so much. I would absolutely love if that character in the key art turns out to be a Seer, but I am guessing that it is a Jinn, would also be cool if it's Zommoros deciding to leave the forge to help us. I had almost forgotten that the second Wizard Tower was just past "the door" in The Fields of Ruin.

[@jaredjensen1418]

Zojja also appears on the big promo page for SoTO, under "Buildcraft and Battle." She's wearing the Astral Scholar gem store outfit (plus her signature head piece).

[@RyanRampersad]

So glad you're back. I was surprised by that expansion announcement and hadn't really dived into the details. This is great.

[@CrawlingBlackbird]

Really like to see that there is still someone left who gives a bit of an more objective/critical view on things. Really appreciate the content!

[@tireseas]

I kinda want to see Livia come back into the story in some capacity.

[@jewelsjessica13]

Honestly, I like watching your videos because you talk as if you’re talking to me & we’re having a such good conversation about a game we enjoy. And compared to others, that’s what makes watching your videos special. In all honestly, you’re the only one I watch for GW2 content.

[@paradachshund]

They did a really good job with the Garenhoff updates in the latest patch. There are tons of NPCs talking about the tower going away, some of it voiced. I went over the whole town with a fine tooth comb and every aspect of it seemed to have been updated (except the map completion guy). Not to mention all of this is phased. If you go there with a character who hasn't finished the story it still looks just as it was! It's a ton of things appearing and disappearing based on that and I really commend who put that together. So much attention to detail. Also, April, the NPC from the mesmer collective collection is there too! I remember at the time I was calling out that it couldn't be a coincidence that she was from Garenhoff, it's too significant of a location. The devs had to have been hinting at something finally happening with the wizard's tower. I definitely didn't expect a full blown expansion, though. I think it's clear the mesmer collective is somehow connected to this new wizard society. It will be interesting to see if they're the same thing, or how they connect.

[@Channel-ww1od]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT! GLAD TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST COMMENTS!

[@berrybadplayer]

Im not the biggest pve fan but this expansion actually has me a little excited. I’ve been looking at that wizard tower for years wondering when something will happen to it!

[@Origolio]

Fascinating theories, stuff I didn't even think about. Thanks for your coverage, it's always a major highlight of my day whenever your videos come out!

[@TheScrootch]

It's always a pleasure to watch one of your breakdowns. I wouldn't worry too much about missing out

[@timleftwich]

Well worth the wait, my friend. I have been so excited to see what you were feeling about this that I’d wait another few weeks more. Glad I don’t have to though!! I am also incredibly excited about this new release, but it does feel a bit like this is the one topic (the Wizard’s Tower) that they could bring up that would intrigue just about every single player, no matter how long you’ve been in the game. I’m hoping this is way more than what it feels like at first, a simple cash in on something fans have been asking for.

[@Wolfiette99]

I like the vibe I’m getting with this xpac. I hope it’s an encapsulated story but leaves crumbs for the future.

[@internaut4257]

they need to set up a bunch a stuff to branch off from in the future since the dragon stuff is concluded now

[@teodorkrustev2729]

Thanks god that you are back man. Everyone are waiting you pretty much in terms of the lore. Can you please also cover the new fractal and the fight ?

[@lisaparker271]

As i used to play eso, i definitely agree with their content release schedule, hit or miss it is at least a relatively short period with a decent amount of content.

[@jamielewisstax]

There used to be chaos rifts in GW1 too, like the one in the tomb of the primeval kings

[@chavian0]

That last shot of the new big bad looks surprisingly Karka-like. I wonder if there's any correlation between the Karka and the Kryptis. Maybe long in the past the Karka were sent to seed the Tyrian oceans pre-emptively, but were thwarted by the elder dragons? Now that the dragons are gone, the Kryptis are swooping in for their long-awaited chance? Also, I wonder how many themes and ideas from old GW: Utopia and Xotecha might have made it into SOTO. From the Wiki: "Xotecha is an island situated in the Mists, which is known to the natives as 'the Unformed'. At the heart of the island is an ancient city, named after the island itself, that oversees all that pass through, and time is marked by a great wheel at its core." What if Xotecha is just another (bigger) floating Wizard's Tower somewhere in the mists and all the satellite towers are all tied in together somehow? Another thing to consider - could the Eye of the North be one of these towers, but "landed?" (or a perma grounded version). Would sort of explain the magic scrying pool and all that mystery. Food for thought... 🤔

[@Nekknak]

I rewatched your gw2 mysteries video about the wizards tower and it’s awesome to see it come full circle. We finally get more information and maybe even some closure on it!

[@Snillomator]

Big stroke 🥒 👌

[@giannischeers5382]

Always glad to see a new video! I've been following you since the launch of GW2 and am so excited to finally pay the Wizard Tower a visit

[@ThomatoForce]

I've also seen people say that the model/outline of that big bad demony creature at the end of the trailer looks a lot like Deimos, minus the large extra limbs. So maybe we'll learn more about where Deimos comes from if they're related

[@TheScrootch]

Deimos has some resemblance with Kanaxai in the Silent Surf fracal. They have those weird arms on their chest and the fleshy tone to their skin

[@strivingstruggle3797]

youtube being awesome and sending me the 10 yr old wizard tower video before this one. Now I feel caught up xD

[@orangbiase7901]

ok 1 hour breakdown here we go

[@axo278]

The genius strategy of delayed video so everyone would go back and rewatch all the Wizards Towers mystery back catalog

[@henobani8039]

now that's a great idea!

[@Northstars0422]

One guess popped into my mind on who the guy in the middle of the key art could be: E. I feel like this secretive order would be the perfect place for E to have resided, and the small amount of lore we have gotten on this group seems to have been able to observe events through the mists, so I think it would make sense that E was a member of this group and would help you out from time to time because he could see what was transpiring through the mists.

[@marthdaeglin]

Oh man! You're the only person I've seen mention E, but it makes so much sense!

[@Borando96]

I don't really care about what they promise or the price the expansion. To be more specific, I am sceptical until it's actually out. Anet has a history of not knowing themself really what's gonna happen or even if and I would suggest for ppl also to actually wait and see (tbh you should always wait and see, but that's another story). Anyway, I do like the Idea of adding new content to the vanilla maps with new layers. It would be similar to old living world, where they had real changes to the maps, but without the problem of removing the old stuff, since it's additive and not transformative content. There is a lot of room to play around, when they actually start adding new layers above or below the ground of vanilla maps. It also would make those maps more important and fresh again. They might/could even add new events, that interact with both, the ground and the sky islands, which also would probably be the closest we get to reworking vanilla content without them spending too much resources into it.

[@peterdreck8446]

its funny how an hour long trailer analysis can be this packed with information!

[@titorye79]

Finally! Been waiting for this WP, rewatched your 10-year old video on the wizards tower. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@pizzapasta8851]

finally....without you and your videos, playing gw2 isnt the real deal for me...something is missing

[@xeri6760]

Excellent video as always WP! Happy to see you back and posting videos about GW2 again! I was also thinking the big bad would be Menzies. I guess we'll see! I think it would be awesome if you could actually enter the rifts and enter some dark world version of Tyria like in Zelda. It would add a lot of variety to the game for sure.

[@nexeus7302]

No worries, Pot. You already covered this, 9 years ago, so you're good, mate. Your old video about the tower has started to pop off.

[@RoastedWalnutss]

Personally I think the possible big bad at the end of the trailer regardless of if it is Menzies could be related to Deimos/Samarog the art style and silhouette looks very similar imo.

[@user-ze9ej5ng9h]

There's this episode of ST: Voyager, where they encounter this very secretive/powerful think tank collective of hyper intelligent and very unique characters working behind the scenes. Your ideas here make this feels very similar with Zojja and Seers, and I am very keen for it

[@Somebody374-bv8cd]

53:01 If you want to hear a terrible pun, you could say that anet kept the Kryptis very.....cryptic.

[@norafromash5087]

What really struck me is the similar the architecture of amnytas is to the description we get from saul d'alessio of the mursaat city he found, massive towers with alabaster and golden filigree reaching into the heaven

[@henrylauer5402]

Been waiting for the lore lord. Welcome back WP

[@am-yn6ne]

HE‘S BACK

[@electricraikou6093]

No mentions to the fact that there are 6 glyphs? You guys do remember the six splits of magic for the six dragons, and/or you remember the six gods? It cant be a coincidence that we have six again. What if this is a portal to the gods realms? Or an attempt of portal that goes wrong?

[@ProphetOfTruth_]

I’m super excited about new weapons. Dual pistols on guardian and rifle on mesmer are very intriguing

[@golgoxiii7314]

Maybe Zoja caused the rift if it is in her lab. Lets face it Asuran's aren't known for their ability to leave well enough alone if they don't know about something, they have to know.

[@CyanHusky]

It never really crossed my mind before, but the new legendary armor being Obsidian armor kind of lends credence to the Menzies and Fissure of Woe stuff...

[@niclastname]

I noticed that in the background that Garenhoff was in the sky now as well! I also noticed that the houses are actually different now as well, not just destroyed, but like new models. I don't know if that's meant to be a thing, or just updated visuals like how the wizard's tower got a remodel. Presumably just because this is new content and those are all very old models and designs that could use a facelift. If it's the latter, I hope this is a new initiative to update older parts of the world that look more dated. The game as a whole holds up visually, but some things here and there do not when I go back and look at them.

[@feathers3411]

I didn't pick up on the potential Menzies link with the guy at the end being posed as if he has no head (or just doesn't have one) - I will say that I think the character is posed facing away from us because that's a pretty classic tropey teaser shot for villains in media, and it's entirely possible his design has his head positioned lower with a hunched back... it's very hard to tell, and I don't want to sound like I'm dismissing it at all because I am *here* for Menzies in the new expansion! The first thing I thought of when I saw this guy was Deimos - it has a lot of parallels to his design... Deimos is, in fact, the name of the closest moon of Mars, so there's definitely some kind of astral link there (I doubt they named him Deimos just because it sounded cool, but that's still a possibility) and there's a lot of little snippets at the celestial stuff in the marketing! Deimos is referred to as a demon, I believe, but I think that's more of a nebulous term used because we don't really know what Deimos is... maybe a Kryptis??? Wild speculation here haha, but it's a thought!

[@scytube]

When the trailer released, I was like “woah WP is gonna be so hyped about this! Hope we’ll get a live reaction!” Alas, we didn’t get a live reaction, we didn’t even get a 2-days-later reaction. But doesn’t matter, because this video (together with the others you are planning) is really what I was hoping for. Deep analysis, background, story refreshers, and things that other KZbinrs just didn’t see or didn’t know about. Thanks so much!

[@Korokete]

I need 12 hrs of your ramble. It's been a while.

[@dragon1su2]

Happy to hear your take on guild wars 2 and welcome back.

[@cchir0n]

Been waiting for this! Thanks for making this video 🎉

[@_Banjo_]

Cracking up at that "Lost" reference. Thats genuinly amazing

[@GeminiKLY]

WP, we come to you exactly for your “rambling” that’s what makes you special. Please “ramble” more!

[@Tooshkit]

the trailer feels like the teaser for a living world episode

[@JonasKleinkaufMusic]

except, we had better trailers for living world episodes in the past...

[@Toraseishin]

The name of the expansion itself, "Secrets of the Obscure", got me really excited when I first saw it. It's so purposely vague, yet simultaneously clear as to what we'll be dealing with going forward: the obscure mysteries of Tyria. The wizard towers are cloaked in mystery, and so is the fate of Menzies. What other obscure events/beings/places/etc could this expansion cover within its quarterly releases? The existence of this wizard society and the cosmic portal situation with orbs, could serve as a new medium/hub for investigating additional mysteries in future expansions as well - such as the thing that drove the Largos and Quaggan from their homes (which the writers made a point to mention in End of Dragons, now that Soo Won is no longer a suspect), and also the repeated mentions of something going on in the ruins of Raisu Palace. Those are just two examples that the writers recently brought up, but there are plenty more throughout Tyria. So much world-building potential with this new direction!

[@aegis2393]

Glad to see you back, I've been waiting for your affiliate link to buy the expansion! Looking forward to more videos :)

[@Ness2Alyza]

I patiently wait for your video to learn about it :) welcome back

[@ZanesZygot]

I don't know much about GW in general but I watchd your series playing GW1 and later about 2 and what you thought of the Wizard Tower and to see they finally doing something with it is kinda refreshing!

[@gahvno]

Very happy to see you back in the saddle.

[@asgarzigel]

Regarding the "big bad" at the end of the trailer, someone also said that the model (apart from the big arms / claws) looks very similar to Deimos.

[@ShawnMurphyMusic]

Yay I can now preorder the Xpac! Was waiting for your link 😄

[@MrDanielFields]

FINALLY!! I've been waiting for your video! welcome baack 🫶🏼

[@anthonymaringelli7478]

WP if you look at the main promotional art for the game, the one with the alleged deer, you can see giant hands crawling out of the red portal! Lends some credence to this being a Deimos esque villain.

[@anthonymaringelli7478]

Seer*** not deer

[@jameslin3458]

Been waiting for this whole week i just knew u will get so excited. Like most of us who been playing gw1 and followed u over the years.

[@Snipedout209]

WP, look at those spires again but very closely. It’s very hard to see because of the fog but just like the pre-searing ascalon tower, there IS a bridge like structure towards the top. That very well could be that tower. Or at least a version of it. Interesting.

[@lorkano]

The creature really looks like its showing it's back here, especially looking at elbows and how it's hands are moving. I would really expect it has a head, just quite low positioned. Garenhoff must be completely different like you said (not just teleported) also because the buildings are completely different - they are made with way more modern graphics in new garenhoff

[@jonhk__]

Yeah! A classic WP vid! Not to say that I don't enjoy the live streams but this just hits different 😊 And thanks for the analysis, I didn't get a good look at the trailer so I thought not much was on there. Guess I was wrong!

[@fisherinfocus]

Here we goo! Welcome back, hope you had a great holiday 🎉

[@urushii7765]

I kinda hope they keep the odd voice for the Seer:P This creature really stuck with me over the years. It was just so odd to me in GW1 - back in the day I was 14 so I didn't fully get its' goal

[@moonlight293]

WP: Whose the best guess for this guy? Me: E! WP: Isgaren! Me: oh right 😅

[@Noobieswede]

I've waited for your video about this! Amazing as always.

[@bilaliqbal4012]

Welcome back. We've all been waiting for this video. I hope life's treating you good?

[@Forty2de]

WP, do you think it's less likely that we'll get "Living World" content updates which revolve around the rest of Tyria now that content updates are more heavily tied to the expansions? I can't imagine them doing something like LWS2 or LWS3 again if all the content of LW going forward will be about the actual expansions they come with. I would personally like them to continue to develop this massive world they've released over the decade. Clearly all the factions that we've met across the world must be doing something with their time?

[@thelyssamysterygw2439]

Also, the Wizards' Towers probably reference Lord Odran's portals. In other words, they are sites at which he placed portals and the various groups that now reside in and around these towers are the inheritors of the legacies of all of those adventurers who uncovered Odran's portals and now manage them to prevent magical calamities associated with using them.

[@KalSpiro]

I was getting very concerned that nothing was coming out, I was starting to check daily because I knew this would be something you'd want to discuss, considering how often you've brought up the wizard's tower in the past. Glad it was something innocuous.

[@Snillomator]

Stroke ir

[@Snillomator]

It

[@JustXPriest]

For 2 weeks, all I did was wait for your video!

[@keithlopez7170]

i enjoy the long format story. I felt it gave everyone something to always look forward to with the small format stories being the bonus you didn't expect. Now I think where most franchise storytelling falls flat is they seem to want to introduce new big bads or new problems instead of building those small adjacent stories or loose ends.

[@stevnated]

Hold up, there's a villain called Menses? Checks out.

[@EmTheEngi]

I totally agree with your point regarding expansion trailers. I'm hoping that they step up their game and give us a fantastic launch trailer but as long as the expac is good then we'll make do.

[@stevenmcg1986]

It was Ben who turned the donkey wheel in Lost, not Locke, but I'm sure you just misspoke. One of the best scenes in the entire show. "Where's the damn island!"

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Both did, didn't they?

[@stevenmcg1986]

@@WoodenPotatoes Locke was present in the building initially, yes, but Ben told Locke to stay behind. Ben then goes down the ladder into the ice room where the wheel is. Locke never saw the ice room with the wheel and Locke goes outside to sit with The Others. Right before Ben turns the wheel he says out loud, "I hope your happy now, Jacob." Turning the wheel to move the island is what teleports Ben into the middle of the desert somewhere in the middle east.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

@@stevenmcg1986 And later in season 5? Doesn't Locke spend some time skipping around before being told that he had to do it, then he turns it himself? I'm mis remembering this?

[@stevenmcg1986]

@@WoodenPotatoes oh shit dude! You're right about season 5. I had to look it up. I would consider myself a huge Lost nerd and always have been since season one was released. But I completely forgot that Locke went back to the wheel in season 5 to realign the wheel causing the time jumps. Wow, am I seriously having a Lost convo with my most favorite youtube content creator. Nothing better than Lost, Fringe, and Guild Wars, and Wooden Potatoes! Here's a copy and paste from Fandom about Locke's visit: "At some unknown point, a time-shifting Locke descended into a well near the future location of the Orchid. During his descent, another time flash occurred, shifting his companions on the surface to a period before the Orchid well was even built, in or before 1867. Locke, meanwhile, may have shifted forward in time below the surface (possibly due to his proximity to the chamber's pocket of electromagnetism) as he soon encountered the ghost of Christian Shepard, who appeared to Locke in the chamber and told him to re-align the wheel. In great pain, Locke, who had fallen during the time flash and experienced a compound leg fracture, approached the wheel. It vibrated and oscillated erratically, bathed in a pulsating green light emanating from beyond the wall. He pulled the wheel in a clockwise direction, resetting it. The light flashed brighter, and the final time flash occurred. The remaining time-shifting survivors on the surface were transported to 1974 and Locke himself was transported to "the exit" in Tunisia in late 2007."

[@WoodenPotatoes]

@@stevenmcg1986 Season five was totally crazy so it's forgiveable, hah. And besides - you're right that the moment I was referring to in this video was Ben, not Locke.

[@EstevanValladares]

Gave up on Guild Wars 2 for the exact same reason I gave up on World of Warcraft. A lot of people talk about things from a "player" stand point only, talking about game stats, game mechanics, and "story points", but as a developer, not a game developer, mind you, but a coder that has worked in games once or twice, I like to always remind myself of something I learned to give words for from Yoshida of FFXIV: A game is not only to be developed, but to played. It does not matter how much skill, how much balance, how much technique of storytelling you put in your game, the game must be enjoyable to play from day one. No one will like to endure a bad game until it gets good, no matter how good it become. GW2 was better than wow at some point, but not anymore. You play FFXIV from first to last quest in an arc, you might see "clipping", bad translation, dull dialogue, but you see that there was care in making it. Care for those who play the game as much as those who develop the game. WoW started from a certain point to become a self congratulatory product of Blizzard. Long before Activision had any say on it. It was what first demanded the Activision participation. To achieve what "masterpiece" Blizzard wanted, they needed money, and Activision was it. Their partnership followed up on the idea that WoW should be made to attract players, not to be enjoyed by those already playing. They started to also aggressively monetize because they needed money to fuel the ever expanding need for keeping players by need, not by deed. That is increasing grind for levels, currencies, etc. Non optional this, non optional that. New player experience is like: This moment you one shot things with a bolt, level 20 (end of free) you struggle to kill anything. Guild Wars 2 started after Heart of Thorns to do the same thing. Increasing how tedious is to do things, without increasing how fun it is to do things. It is not harder, it is not demanding more skill, it is just "hit sponges" that keep getting bigger. And from a forced new player perspective (having lost one account due to forgotten access in a hiatus), I had to start over, and it was painful to get back the way I was and move forward, much more than it were to get there the first time, and the latest Path of Fire Onwards, it was really boring to do, even if it was new to me. I got back to FFXIV, and not to any surprise, I just got my things going on and was back into action a few days before catching up. Professions with cool stories and a fun way of doing stuff. Having my retainers to do stuff for me, doing dungeons with NPCs, Old quests that I could do again, I even got days replaying MSQ with New player+. And I said that to preface a simple phrase that people say alone, but doesnt quite say it without context: GW2 is falling to the same trap that WoW did. It tries to get new players at the expense of old players. And that only goes downhill the more you try.

[@Zooft11]

that interior shot with the orbs reminded me so much of the interior of the Crystal Tower from FFXIV, Shadowbringers.

[@JaredSvB]

I'm convinced that the glyphs on the door are representative of the Elder Dragons, being that there are six, and flicker away one after the other.

[@Jascosaurus]

Isgarren is a Djinn Isgarren is a Seer Isgarren is a Forgotten

[@velDANTe]

"can you protect tyria, champion" the font reminds me of guild wars 1

[@Benjambles]

I always assumed that Zojja disappeared because they wanted to focus Taimi as the 'core' Asura. For all of the non-human factions theres only really one key member (Rytlok/Rox aside).