Tyria has gone through some changes during the Living Story. They've been small and mostly temporary, but it seems a much larger change is on the horizon. A change that would could result in the destruction of an entire city! The players in Guild Wars 2 have been waiting for the Living Story to have a major impact on Tyria. They've fought off new armies, elected political officials, and hunted Scarlet. Now all the pieces are about to come together, and the end result may be more than we bargained for.
Escape from Lion's Arch may be the update in the Living Story we've all been waiting for. Ever since Origins of Madness, the quality has definitely improved, with more story elements being added in. But we still haven't seen a drastic change in the world. I've always said I would like to see an entire city or settlement be destroyed. With Scarlet moving her forces into Lion's Arch, it looks like I won't have to wait much longer.
We may have the chance to stop Scarlet from completing her plans. In a way this really bums me out. Now don't get me wrong, I love Lion's Arch! It's become a great place to find new friends, craft, and take care of financial errands. Lion's Arch also means so much to the theme of the game. Every race can call Lion's Arch home., and the game is about every race coming together, despite their differences, and overcoming the challenge of the elder dragons. But because of this importance, it’s the perfect target. With its destruction, the faith of the races could be shattered!
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While the significance of Lion’s Arch would make it a great target for destruction, I think in terms of design it may be too important. First off it's got all the crafting hubs, plenty of merchants, the Mystic Forge, and a WP to every major city in the game. To lose something like this would be an inconvenience for players. Let's also not forget that some personal story elements take place in LA. How would ArenaNet tackle that situation?
The Living Story is actually happening at the same time as the personal story. It seems kind of weird since many players have already gone through the main story, so we often forget that we are actually taking part in events in the past. If for any reason a player would need to go to Lion’s Arch, maybe an instance could be used that has players going through the old still intact version, keeping the path of the main story the same. I'm not sure how likely this would be, but it would allow the city to go through a serious change. without it affecting what’s already been established in other parts of the game.
Let’s assume Lion’s Arch gets bombed, or whatever Scarlet has planned. While it may be a central meeting place for nearly every player, we could see something new replace it. Not everyone will be able to reach an Asuran gate in time. The Tengu may have to open their doors and let in some refugees. Players have been begging for the Tengu to be featured more, and to also become a playable race. Maybe this type of event will lead to the race finally putting the past behind, and lookto make a difference in the future.
I've thought a lot about this, and have several more reason why Lion’s Arch could be destroyed, but in reality I highly doubt it will happen. Because of it's importance to players, and design, I think we will just see it undergo some major changes. The trailer does show some buildings going through some remodeling thanks to Scarlet's minions. We also know Scarlet is trying to get to something underneath Lion’s Arch. I'd be OK to see the city suffer through a lot of battle. You would still have a drastic change in the world, and players can come together to try and clean things up afterward. This gives players a chance to impact the world directly through their actions, which is another request players have of the Living Story.
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Lion’s Arch will burn... sweet.
The chapter of Scarlet Briar is coming to a close. We all have ideas and theories as to what she's looking for underneath the city of Lion's Arch. Whatever it is, it's caused her to make her next move. Story has finally started to come first, and now we are about to see how it can impact the game world. Whether destruction comes to us tomorrow or not, will we be able to escape LA?
Do you think Lion’s Arch will be destroyed? Do you think we’ll have a chance to stop Scarlet before she can complete her plans? Tell us what you think will happen in the comments below.
David North / David North is a freelance writer for MMORPG.com. David loves to play and makes games, but now he writes about them! If you want to creep on him and make fun of his ability to draw, follow him over on twitter @David_the_North.
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