Today, the new expansion End of Dragons for Guild Wars 2 was released. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already tested it in advance and is especially thrilled by the story. He explains why it is so good. The article avoids major story spoilers, such as character names, but shares small anecdotes from the missions.
With End of Dragons, Guild Wars 2 receives several innovations, including the areas from Cantha, a new mount, new elite specializations, and new legendary weapons. While the overall scope seems quite good, my expectations were rather low. I anticipated a “business as usual” approach similar to the last two seasons of the Living World and wasn’t very hyped.
However, after 20 hours in the new expansion, I am positively surprised. The story has reached a new high point for me, clearly surpassing the other two expansions.
Because the new characters from Cantha are extremely well-written, and ArenaNet mostly avoided filler tasks like “Complete heart X and do event Y.” Additionally, there were some quirky scenes that caught me off guard in a positive way.
The story has a total scope of about 8 to 10 playing hours, depending on how actively one pursues it and how much one takes from the rest of the world.
A believable version of Cantha in conflict
My biggest concern from the start was that ArenaNet would forget the actual story of the world. Because Cantha has been cut off from the outside world for over a century and had a very radical approach in the past: Other races besides humans were not tolerated.
If we had simply traveled to Cantha and everyone on the island didn’t care at all, I would have been very disappointed.
But the world is believable. There are ministers and residents who think little of the Tyrians. There are also many people who have never seen an Asura or Sylvari and react with corresponding curiosity to our arrival.
The explanation for why the Canthan leadership is not so negatively inclined towards us anymore is also understandable: The younger daughter is now the Empress, and she is open-minded, unlike the late father.
The world feels very realistic overall, which Guild Wars 2 has not been to this extent before. In one scene, for example, I dine with well-known personalities and discuss our future plans over fresh eel. In another, we eat noodles to cure the hangover from the night before.
Sometimes it’s the everyday things that make the world believable.
A lot of action, little filler
The story of End of Dragons picks up speed right from the start. We fight on airships against the Aetherblades, without a big explanation as to why this is happening and where the journey is headed. I really like this.
After that, we constantly have something to do, and fortunately, ArenaNet has avoided many filler tasks. I only have to complete heart quests three times throughout the whole story, and twice I have to participate in events. This is acceptable for the overall scope of the story and was much worse in many of the Living World Season 3 and 4 content.
Positively, there are no story blockers, as was the case in the early days of Heart of Thorns, where you had to level certain masteries. All masteries in End of Dragons are purely optional. However, they bring cool innovations like the Jade Bot.
Funny moments that caught me off guard
Throughout the story, there are several scenes where I couldn’t help but grin. One example you encounter early in the story when you need a pass. For this, you are sent to the corresponding ministry.
In the ministry, you then have to take a waiting ticket and… wait. Just like in real life. Moreover, the ministry complains about incorrectly filled documents or is pleased with the correct execution of your task, as is typical for a government agency.
Even the hologram messages that are constantly running and repeatedly report on me and my activities are very appealing to me.
End of Dragons will not trigger a huge hype but is a must for veterans
End of Dragons has already provided me with a lot of fun. There are interesting twists, dramatic moments, and a magnificent ending. But that is only one part of the expansion.
Also, in terms of features, End of Dragons is more than acceptable. Especially the fishing, the new Jade Bots, and the elite specializations ensure that you have some new tasks in the rest of the world of Guild Wars 2, such as achievements for old areas or a fresh breeze in PvP. The new assault missions, which will later receive a challenge mode, sound good.
I firmly believe that the expansion can keep me busy for about 50 to 150 hours. And that is worth the 30 euros to me. With that, Guild Wars 2 will hardly reach new heights, but it will certainly satisfy the veterans.
In the coming days and weeks, we will provide you with several guides for the expansion here on MeinMMO, including achievements from the story, guides to jumping puzzles, or the new ranger pets.
Everything about the new expansion has been summarized for you here:
Guild Wars 2: Everything about the release of End of Dragons – Time, content, and story
