Guild Wars 2 Diary #19 : Meet With Destiny’s Edge

With Kellach gone, we’re out of short term goals. The Queen at Divinity’s Reach is no longer at risk and instead there’s simply the threat of the elder dragons. They’re dangerous and need to be dealt with sooner rather than later, but for now there’s an uneasy peace, a quiet time in which planning and preparation are more important than attacking head on. Your next goal is to travel to Lion’s Arch and meet with Destiny’s Edge. Destiny’s Edge was a guild whose main goal was destroying Elder Dragons, but a bitter defeat and a series of deaths in the group led to their disbanding. If we’re going to save the world, we’re going to need their help.

Guild Wars 2 Gameplay - Episode 19

Almuten Waypoint

You’ve almost definitely visited Lion’s Arch by now, either thanks to experimenting with the PvP and WvW modes, via events like the Winter’s Day games or through natural exploration. While the area outside (the very end of the Gendarren Fields) was previously stupidly impossible, the city itself holds no threats and is easily accessible without having to do too much to get there. For the sake of your level and for the sake of “smelling the roses,” I suggest you don’t use a waypoint to speed to Lion’s Arch, instead take this opportunity to explore to the south east.

You should be rapidly approaching level 30 by this point (certainly level 28 upwards) and this will give you access to increasingly more diverse areas and tasks. You’re going to want to head to the Almuten Waypoint, to the east of the Gendarren Fields. It’s probably through this way that you found your path to the Snowden Drifts, only last time you were too weak to fight. Explore the Almuten Mansions, this time without much threat of dying, and soak up any events you may come across. There’s also a renown heart quest that won’t take long to complete.

From there, follow the path further east and make your way through a small cave. There’s another renown heart quest here, in which you’ll need to attack the Dredge. These are weak individually and easy to destroy, but just watch that you don’t get surrounded. It’s also worth noting that there’s a veteran Dredge that appears and who is much, much harder. Against him and an army of his comrades you’re not likely to last very long, so don’t get too complacent.

When you went to the Snowden Drifts, there’s a good chance that you journeyed north from the other side of this cave. Today we’re going south, towards Junction Haven. Junction Haven is mostly made up on Lionguard, and you can buy and sell here (as well as repair any damaged armour you might have). There are events here as well, so watch out for them while completing the renown heart quest for this area. The Ettin that flood this area – most are at about level 28 – are easy enough to kill if you’re paying attention, but tend to stun quite frequently. Be careful that you’re not left without room to attack back.

Travel along this pathway (I went through the cave system inhabited by trolls and spiders) and continue along it until you reach the entrance to Lion’s Arch. Watch out for the giant troll in this cave, and your attacks will hardly damage it and it will chase you so far if you’re not careful. If you absolutely have to fight the Champion Cave Troll be ready to evade and run if need be, in plenty of time, otherwise you’ll be caught off-guard and finished off.

Shortly after your encounter with the Champion Cave Troll and past a gang of Ice Elementals, you’ll find yourself on the outskirts of Lion’s Arch. Remember not to expect too much from your frame rate here – it’s probably the worst part of the game for massive lag. It’s better than it was at Christmas though, so thanks for small mercies. Follow the arrows on the mini-map to get to the instance, but don’t rush. Higher levels means better weapons, and it might be worth taking another look at your load out before carrying on.

Picking Weapons

If you’ve been watching these videos for any length of time, you’ll know that I’ve been using a double handed sword for much of our adventure. It always looks like there’s more going on, and I’ve often felt the special moves give way to a little more in terms of user interaction. Other weapons I’ve used don’t feel as effective or as fun to use.

Or at least so I thought. I’d gotten so attached to that weapon, that I didn’t want to experiment and that was my first mistake. My second was holding onto the same weapon for so long. Be sure to head to the weapon store in Lion’s Arch if you haven’t bought anything new recently and buy something that does a little more damage. Experiment, don’t switch back before you’ve given everything a fair chance, and buy the best you can afford. You won’t regret it in the end.

Destiny’s Edge

Destiny’s Edge is a famous guild, best known for its quests to kill elder dragons. If you’re a fan of the Guild Wars series, you might have read about them in the Guild Wars novel Edge of Destiny. If you’re new the series, they’re celebrities of sort who, after a bad campaign, found themselves drifting apart. Now Tyria needs them again, and it’s your job to work towards reuniting them.

Unfortunately, the distance proves to be too much and history is too hard to overcome. Although uneasy before the meeting, Logan Thackery (who we’ve travelled to Lion’s Arch to meet) goes into it anyway, fully prepared to fight if need be. It nearly comes to blows, the whole group seems to blame one another for the failed campaign and it’s not going to be easy to convince them that the group still has what it takes to play a role in the upcoming war.

The group departs, no nearer to a conclusion as it was before. Caithe, one of the members of Destiny’s Edge, claims to have a solution, but disappears before she can share her thoughts. You’re left with no direction and no idea where to turn, until a message comes in from General Almorra Soulkeeper of the Vigil. She’s taken a special interest in you, and your first mission is bound to be something interesting.

Guild Wars 2 Diary Episode 19: Conclusion

With each mission we seem to be becoming more and more embroiled in the politics of Tyria, and in the lives (and deaths) of its citizens. Prepare yourself, for over the coming weeks we’ll be learning about the Vigil and about the role we’re going to play in the destruction of this latest and most deadly elder dragon. Will Destiny’s Edge ever reform? Will the Vigil be able to protect the people of Tyria?

These questions, and more, will be answered over the coming weeks.

• Guild Wars 2 Diary : All Episodes