User:A F K When Needed/Blog/ArchiveOne

Shame

Hmmm.

I think I may soon have to concede that I've been wrong.

Again.

Persistence of Memory

Using the history of ArenaNet and their efforts on Guild Wars as a reference point, I've been making guesses (formerly considered educated guesses) regarding Guild Wars 2.

The simple fact of the matter - becoming ever more obvious - is that this reference point seems to be utterly worthless. It doesn't feel like the same company. While I certainly didn't hate the original ArenaNet, I definitely do view them today as a massive improvement on what they were a few years back.

Soothing Images

The approach they have to the game is astounding. It's the first MMORPG that seems worth caring about in a long time. I honestly can't think of any other MMORPGs in development. I can't remember any games like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. I've several installed on my computer in the other room. But none have made a lasting impression. They've been the same regurgitated, tired old clones of each other and that has really been wearing me down.

I'm incapable of deciding one way or the other if Guild Wars 2 is being innovative or simply the same as the rest of the crowd albeit with superior execution. Such indecision has led me to wonder if it's both. More likely it's a symptom of not having actually played the game. But I digress.

Simple Thievery

Mirror Images is a Mage ability in World of Warcraft. Arguably one of the skills I enjoy using most on my Mage. You pop it and three clones of you appear around you. Sounding familiar, eh?

And yet... perhaps it's just a case of "the grass is greener" because I can play my Mage whenever I want, but I'm not able to play a Mesmer. Yet there's something intangible here. Something I can sense, but not put into words. I... care, for some reason. This ability is an MMO staple that can be found in many other games. For the life of me, I can't think of a single example.

This leads me to the name. Mirror Images. I'm the kind of guy who'd flip because they're essentially using a well-known concept, with the generic name to boot. But I can't. Mirror Images is simply too appropriate a name for such a Mesmer ability. As for the skill itself... it seems more sophisticated. More organic. I love Mirror Images in WoW, but the Images sure are a little dull. I get the impression the ones in GW2 will be more lively. It would be nice in Warcraft if they did more than literally just stand there spamming the same spell; only moving when there's no target in range.

Cry of Frustration

I often think ArenaNet shot and didn't quite score the first time 'round. Mesmers didn't damage the game in my estimation, but they were the creation of ArenaNet, mixed in among established professions. They weren't exciting. ArenaNet tried to make them fit in with the more generic professions; and I think - if anything - they managed this a little too well. Fitting in means not standing out, and I didn't buy Guild Wars all those years ago thinking "can't wait to roll a Mesmer to see what it's like".

I bought the game and flipped through the manual on the bus home. The very first time I glanced through the different professions, I had already decided. This new profession, this innovative idea for characters... was boring. It didn't look like it was rewarding or fun to play. I've experimented with every profession in a bid to grow as a player. Mesmers were the last profession I created and played with. It was dull to play one, and it simply didn't appeal to me at all.

Ether Lord

Leap and Illusionary Leap – I feel like at least one should be a utility skill. Having both is something I'm very excited about, though. It lends the profession some badly needed character, and makes me feel far more excited about playing a Mesmer.

Clones and Phantasms – As with the above, these are both exciting, but when paired together are more than the sum of their parts. Having two different types of Illusion lends diversity without over-complicating the game.

Phantom Pain

When I think about Mesmers in Guild Wars, I remember feeling apathy towards them. Necromancers (my favorite profession) had a huge amount of character. Paragons did, too. As did Dervish. Really, every profession felt... realized. Understood. Like the designers knew who these people were. The devout Dervish. The Assassin hiding in shadow. The Elementalist destroying entire buildings (You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!").

The Mesmer, here, was different. They lacked that. They had self-healing. They had energy management. They had a unique and interesting primary attribute. They had a wide arsenal of skills from health degeneration to stealing skills to interruption. They were a fully fledged, fully capable profession. Yet they still didn't have everything. I saw them as strong, but without a soul.

Symbols of Inspiration

The Mesmer may be a 'returning' profession, but it has clearly been changed by the passage of time. Portals add a new dimension to the profession, as well as some much needed mobility. Illusions grant the profession a new lease of life altogether. Veil, like the other new features, provides character.

In Guild Wars, if an Elementalist used Meteor Storm, you took notice and did everything possible to get out of the way. When a Dervish said a prayer to Dwayna, you'd admire Her form as he tore you apart. When a Necromancer discovered a corpse, you saw the result; be it an explosion, a pool of blood or the creation of an undead fiend. When a Mesmer unleashed their most devastating abilities... there was a hint of purple and a bizarre dance move.

They lacked visual feedback. They did not feel badass to play. Now? Now Mesmers hide group members from view while their clones assault the enemy. Mesmers in Guild Wars had power - plenty of it - yet you could enjoy winning as a Mesmer less than you enjoyed losing as another profession.

ArenaNet have managed to breath life into what was formerly a dull profession, by granting it a whole host of new abilities. They've done this while staying through to who the Mesmer is. No retcons, no additions. They gave the profession some flash and flare, without altering the spirit of who they are.

And for that, they have my incredulous amazement. I dreaded the return of the dull and bleak Mesmer, but now I'll likely have one as my main alt. Perhaps one day - in the far future - it may even replace the Necromancer profession as my favourite.

Crippling Anguish

Once again, ArenaNet have demonstrated that they have style and aren't afraid to ask questions. Now they just need to decide what happens when one gets banned in Guild Wars 2. Maybe totally disable their character, give them a cannot-be-healed debuff, and have an untargettable Moa kill them over the course of an hour?