Guild Wars 2’s Hall of Monuments should be a very integral part of the game for all players, new or old. Let me paint you a picture… There it stood before him, reaching high into the sky underneath a thin blanket of snow. The wind whispered ancient stories of honor and valor in his ear. The tales were well known, but where they true? The hero began to walk towards the massive building, the stories of his once great ancestor swirling through his mind. The anticipation became too great! His walk soon became a run. The cold numbness he felt seconds ago was gone, and with full speed he raced to the large doors. Through the great shadow the building cast across the snow the hero reached the doors. He pushed with all his might, forcing them to open and reveal their secrets. There before him, he saw the proof he had been searching for. He had found his ancestor’s Hall of Monuments!
This is some old news, but while waiting in line at a local game store last month, I met a lot of people who played the original Guild Wars, and were eager to play the second one. When I began to talk about the Hall of Monuments, to my surprise, almost all of them looked at me like I was from another planet. So this week I would like to talk about the importance of the Hall of Monuments with some words and sketches. It will be fun, trust me!
The Hall of Monuments is very important if you play Guild Wars as it (besides the amazing lore) gives that connection between the first and second game. It does this by showing off the accomplishments of your character on neat looking displays. Statues of your fellowship are raised, replicas of your armors and weapons stand tall, and statues are displayed representing your many feats of strength. When you get a full hall, it looks rather incredible with the many decorations. You can even show it off to your friends; but what does it actually do? Well, depending on how full your Hall of Monuments is, there is really neat stuff you can unlock for your character in Guild Wars 2! Yes, that’s right. Your characters in Guild Wars 2 can find the Hall of Monuments, and reap the rewards of your past accomplishments. These rewards vary from weapons and armor, to mini pets, and even titles!
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You found the Fellblade! This ancient sword was once a popular choice among warriors.
What I love about this connection is that it can give you a better sense of who your character is. Does your Guild Wars 2 character share the bloodline of this ancient hero, or did your character hear the tales of great valor, and search for this monument on a quest of power? It just makes sense to do something like this as you spent all that time on your old character. Just because it’s the previous game it doesn’t seem right that they didn’t leave their mark on the world. We have seen a similar feature used in BioWare’s Mass Effect series, as your choices and actions from the previous game effect what happens in the story for the next. Even though the Hall of Monuments doesn’t give that much of an impact, since the second game takes place hundreds of years after the first, that connection is still achieved and it makes your playing experience feel fuller.
Thanks to the Hall of Monuments, a lot of players are coming back to the game, and new players are giving it a try. If you are reading this and think you can fill your hall quickly you are mistaken, unless you are the type of player who has the time to play several hours everyday. To receive all the weapons, mini pets, and other more useful rewards, you can play through all the campaigns and get a good start on it. But to finish it off, and this is the one part I don’t like: you will need to do a lot of grinding. To finish off your weapons and armors you will need to grind materials and gold. For titles you would need to grind areas for reputation points and consumable items. It is really the only time you will come across the need to grind in Guild Wars, and sadly it is very boring. Sure, there are some ways to get some things done faster, but its still hours and hours of grinding. To get a completely full hall in order to receive the extra titles, you will need a lot of time on your hands. In the end though, you decide if a full hall means you will receive all the useable rewards, or if you must have the extra titles, that are only used for bragging rights. So don’t worry if you can’t get those extra titles, they won’t affect your character’s stats or anything.
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Titles don’t make you high and mighty; they just make you feel that way.
The Hall of Monuments is a great way for both games to be linked up, as it rewards those who played and loved the first game, and gives more life to the world of Tyria. It also gives credit to your old characters as their accomplishments are actually recognized, where in other games they are lost in the wind. Though the hall will require some grinding, in the end it is just nice that a connection other than lore is made between two games.
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Besides connecting the two games, the Hall of Monuments gives you a chance to obtain a golem mini pet. Who wouldn’t want that?
