In Guild Wars 2 something has happened again. Just like it does all the time. Because the fantasy MMORPG tells a living story, a vibrant narrative. Events occur at a rapid pace, telling a cohesive story and pushing it forward. With a change, ArenaNet wants to make these fleeting moments a bit more permanent.
Living World is alive, but also fleeting
The catch with events so far: They stop. If someone hasn’t played Guild Wars 2 for two months, they can miss out on up to four events and thus also on content that they will never see, never experience, and never endure. Unlike seasonal events in World of Warcraft like the “Brewfest” or “Love is in the Air,” which return every year, the saying that applies to Guild Wars 2 is the one that we all heard at some point during puberty:
What is gone is gone.
With a little luck, it only stayed at that phrase and not at a throwing knife collection or a cease-and-desist letter …
But enough about my past! Guild Wars 2 is breaking new ground in storytelling with the living World.
Atlas of the Living World introduced
Today, an update to their homepage went live. Players can now gaze upon and click on a huge interactive world map. The events of the Living Story are marked on it. Players can search for traces of times gone by.
The map is aptly named “Atlas of the Living World” and may be able to hold onto a few fleeting memories. Rumor has it that there are also some secrets, buried audio files, wallpapers, and similar gimmicks that ArenaNet has reportedly hidden on the map.
Of course, the living story is not entirely over, as the final part is yet to come. After we had to flee unwillingly from Lion’s Arch, starting March 4, with renewed strength, we must take back the significant city. But see for yourself; there’s an interesting video about it:
How do you like Guild Wars 2 and its living world? Have you experienced adventures in the living story that you want to tell us about?
