In the last chapter of Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, the two fan-favorites Kasmeer and Marjory proposed to each other. The developers reveal how long and rocky the road to this scene was.
These are Kasmeer and Marjory: The two characters have been accompanying players through the story of Guild Wars 2’s “Living World” for many years. Kasmeer was born into a wealthy noble family, but the family lost all their fortune due to her brother Kyle’s gambling debts.
In order to stay afloat, Kasmeer sought work and found it at the Delaqua detective agency, which belongs to Marjory Delaqua, a necromancer with Canthan roots.
The two women became partners and went through numerous adventures and dangers together throughout the Guild Wars 2 story. Although their paths often diverged, a romantic relationship developed between them.
In the last chapter of End of Dragons, this relationship was cemented by a double proposal. Developers Matthew Medina and Morgan Lockhart discuss the development of the couple and the challenges faced in the most important scene in the epilogue.
It was never the right time
The idea of including the proposal in the epilogue of the expansion came to narrative designer Matthew Medina. Since the relationship between the two characters had already spanned several chapters, there had already been several attempts to marry “Jory and Kas.” However, it seemed that the timing was never right:
As their story progressed, there were two other times when the narrative team considered formalizing their relationship: at the end of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and again at the end of Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire.
[…] But the timing of such an announcement was not ideal, and we kept pushing those plans further into the future. Maybe to a time when Tyria wasn’t totally on fire and the characters could have a quiet moment with their friends.
The perfect opportunity, according to Medina, arose at the end of Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons. The designer created a scene at the Dead End Bar, but expected that his suggestion would be rejected again. However, it turned out differently and the scene was firmly integrated.
The most important scene, the kiss between the two fiancés, also involved the cinematic team. Over the course of several weeks, the team developed a storyboard and created a sequence of animations made up of a combination of skills and emotes.
“We didn’t want to bind them unnecessarily to each other”
The writing for the episode with the proposal was done by developer Morgan Lockhart. As a queer woman, she was very excited about this opportunity. According to her, it was important to maintain balance in the relationship:
We didn’t want to bind them unnecessarily to each other, but we also didn’t want a token relationship here. Both had important tasks to complete in Cantha that kept them apart for long periods of time. But we brought them back together during key scenes and tried to give players little hints about how they could maintain their relationship.
[…] Equally important was that they are together in the last two chapters. […] Since the last big battle against the Elder Dragons is over, they can now move forward together into the next stage of their lives.
Morgan Lockhart
Lockhart shares that writing the proposal was really difficult. Writing about love without coming across as cheesy is not easy, she says. Therefore, she chose to talk about the joint journey of Kas and Jory and to simply be honest.
Before the last battle, the dragons were “the first, second, and third priority” for both NPCs and their allies. They all put their private lives on hold because the danger to the world was too great.
For the developer, the epilogue was also an opportunity to continue the stories of other characters. While Kasmeer and Marjory know what comes next for them, others still have to figure it out for themselves. Some found closure, while others hinted at what they will do in the future.
How did you find the last chapters of End of Dragons? Did you enjoy the epilogue with Kas and Jory? Share your impressions in the comments.
Guild Wars 2 is, by the way, an MMORPG that can also be played solo. You can find more in our list:
Which MMORPGs are also fun to play solo? The 7 best solo MMOs
