Recently ArenaNet introduced the living story content into their world of Guild Wars 2, offering a series of limited-time dynamic events chained together into an ongoing plot called Flame and Frost. Sadly however this hasn't been the case, with the idea sounding interesting on paper but the players having found it to be slightly disappointing when actually brought to life.
In a
new blog post, Leif Chappelle, one of the designers from the related Living World team, has revealed a few of the driving ideas behind how the team has approached designing content for the living, breathing world of Tyria.
In terms of events, Halloween and Wintersday were huge undertakings with an equally large team. Yet these were also single-beat events contained within several weeks. The story of the world needs time to gain momentum, and so the Living World team started gradually while we took the time to develop out the large years-spanning plot and characters that we’re now prepared to unleash into Tyria.
Through the course of 2013, the concept of these Living World releases will grow in scope and grandeur as we move ahead and build up the groundwork to make this a key component of the developing and ever-changing world of Guild Wars 2.
Chappelle also revealed that while the first Flame and Frost content began as a single thread of events, the story would soon grow to encompass a larger amount of content, confirming that the next few story arcs will expand on what is to come. "In the coming months, you may see the Living World story play out from any number of approaches: activities, dungeons, crafting, or others."
The blog also ensured that more holidays along the lines of Wintersday and Halloween will make their way to Tyria, ensuring that they have an overall continuity similar to the destruction and rebuilding of the lion's statue in Lion's Arch. The latest Flame and Frost content has since gone live, titled The Razing which you can check out
here.