End of Dragons Expansion is Great!

 So yesterday, the End of Dragons expansion in Guild Wars 2 launched, and I spent a solid 9 to 10 hours playing just the new content. So far it is great. The new maps are huge and feel similar enough to old ones in how you do it that it isn't overwhelming, but different enough to feel fresh and exciting, while the actually look and theme of them is very enchanting and interesting. They took traditional themes and made them so much more creative. 

I played Virtuoso and I LOVE IT. The new specc is so fun and something that mesmer didn't already have, being a pure dmg build. Really feels good. On top of that, the new elite specc weapon skins and collections are also awesome and very fitting. 

The story is good so far, and they have sure come a long way in story telling, with emotions done on people's faces so much better than every before, in cutscenes that have much more engaging camera angles and less standing around on one side while your allies talk on the other. 

Cantha is huge, and the meta I did yesterday also was huge, spanning almost the entire map up to a big boss who gave what felt like good rewards for the effort.

The upgrade to DirectX11 is felt. I lagged once. ONE SINGLE TIME on a game's launch day. It was during the afore mentioned meta, on a completely full map, fighting that very boss, but I have all graphics and players showing on max. If I turned down my player count a littler, prob wouldn't have lagged even that tiny bit. 

The game had a few updates that took almost no time throughout the day fixing a few things, and we found a couple bugs, the main one being a bugged Hero Point, but honestly, it was almost all smooth and running as it should be. Which is amazing by itself, cuz most games, when they launch an expansion, it is a partially done, super messed up mess of a game, and hard to play. GW2 does expansion launches better than any mmorpg company I have ever seen. I mean, compared to the shit shows I see in other mmorpgs when they drop an expansion, this is almost flawless. Ashes of Creation, take note.

Anyhoo, I am having a blast, loving everything so far, and actually super happy, already, with my purchase. And I am only just at the very start of ACT III of the story. I haven't fully map completed a map yet, and fished twice. I also still haven't even touched the new guild hall, the other new elite speccs, nor the new legendary crafting, the new ranger pets, or any of the new collections/items. I almost have one mastery set maxed, and none actually maxed out yet, and already, I LOVE IT. So glad I got it and am playing it. :)

Rawr!

Guild Wars 2!

 I am so happy I have been playing so much Guild Wars 2. I am having a blast and the expansion hasn't even arrived yet. I just can't seem to stop having fun. I am still hopping on ESO each day, but only for an hour or so. The rest of my game time is all devoted to GW2 at this point. I finished my cloth legendary armor set, am making HOPE, and doing the Return to Dragons event/achievements. Finishing up the Icebrood Saga story that I never did, and just having such a good time.

Plus, doing all this has put me back doing metas and map events that I used to love and hadn't done in so long. I have been running all the world bosses and HoT metas and the Blitz Confetti event in Crystal Desert and the new metas in Icebrood saga as well. 

This mix of massive group content just reminds me what other games really lack a lot of the time. MMOS that are out there just too little of the time have content geared toward 20 to 50 or more players all going at a thing together. Massively Multiplayer actually feels true in GW2, where I can solo play, and still constantly encounter other players and other events. And yes, there is the normal 5 man content and raids and strikes (mini raids) and so on. I have done some fractals since coming back too and that is nice, but it is the big bosses taken down by a full map that feels the most impactful and like other games fail to pursue that kind of gameplay as much as they should. 

Which is crazy to me, because GW2 still has a lot of 'older' technology behind it, although they are about to update to directX 11, but still, like, more modern games could easily make map wide metas and such that are hundreds of players at a time doing it, while also being a mmorpg, and yet they prefer to keep those events/things limited some. I have played almost every mmorpg ever, and just have seen a lax in the development of the massively mulitplayer side of mmorpgs, and more of a focus on the rpg side of it. And there is absolutely something to be said for a good story and collections and personal achievements. But GW2 just blended all of that together so well with the actually encountering other players and doing stuff with them part of gaming. 

GW2 will always be one of my top games and have a special place in my heart, forever. I have my real life loves because of GW2 and meeting them there. I was part of the prelaunch and will never forget the giant pax party. I still have never encountered gameplay like Mesmers or their mount system done so well. They took the in game event system and perfected it, and the balance between traditional mmo tab targeting and action play is spot on. 

But also, even besides all that bias, GW2 keeps adding content and building up and making new things that are engaging and exciting and make you feel good when you play. And if you take a break, even a year or 2 or few long break, everything is still there when you get back, your gear is still viable, the world is still ready to explore, and the content/collections all exist to pursue. It all builds onward, expanding into a bigger and bigger experience, rather than taking things away or being temporary. I am grateful for that. I wish more games did it. 

I can't wait for End of Dragons to come out and to go to Cantha, but also, I am not the least bit bored or feeling lacking for things to enjoy in the meantime.

So some things cannot be changed

 I had a much quicker response from Riot Support this time, now that my account is mine, about fixing the mistaken information from when it was hacked. Sadly, though they did fix a decent amount of it, in the end, they couldn't return all of it back to my information. They said it was because the changes were made so long ago, which to be fair, I hadn't checked my account in years, so I guess I will accept that. It is a pity, but at the same time, it is what it is. At least my account is back in my name, and though I still don't intend to play LoL, having all those memories with my brothers playing for hours is back in my power, and that feels good. 

Instead, I have still been only playing Guild Wars 2 and Elder Scrolls Online for PC games. In reality, I am still playing a ton of the PlayStation 5. I have been going for full completion on Brigandine, and am loving it just as much as I did back on the first game. I also have been playing Final Fantasy Remake and God of War quite a lot as well. Really enjoying myself. 

I am starting to feel a little excitement for the expansions coming soon to GW2 and ESO, but not enough to hardcore those games again yet. Soon. Rawr!

YAY Riot Games FINALLY! RAWR!

 So, Riot finally responded to my ticket, and reverted the whole account back to the email it was started with. FINALLY. But, though that 'gave me back the account' and let me change the password, it did not fix any other thing in it. They don't let you change anything, even your birthday. So I had to resubmit the ticket, since Riot just assumed it was solved. They responded with a link to change the location of my game playing, from Vietnam/China to the United States of America. So whomever took my account, they took it across the ocean. Wow. Anyway, they also asked if I am absolutely sure about the other info changing because it will never be allowed again. I was sure. We will see what happens further, but man, this really has been a huge hassle, over months, to get my account back. At least they finally did make some sort of effort to help. Finally! Rawr!

Boo Riot Games

 So, it is now into January and still no response of any kind at all from Riot Games. Like, not even a notice on the ticket they looked at it. Nothing. So boo to them. I guess I should just give up on them ever doing anything, even reading my ticket.

On the plus side, we have finally gotten a Television and can play the PS5. I have been playing so much. I have beaten Brigandine: Legend of Runersia almost 3 times now, and am still having soooo much fun. I am partway into Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and enjoying that. I Tried Immortals Fenyx Rising, but haven't gotten off of the first area, because I have played so much of the other two games. I also beat Never Alone, beat Overcooked, and played some Super Motherload, some Rayman Legends, Tricky Towers, Child of Light, and have been genuinely having a blast.

I have been playing so much on the PlayStation 5, that I haven't been on Guild Wars 2 as much as I was, but I am sure I will be closer to the expansion. I have been basically logging in and getting my daily. :D I have been playing Elder Scrolls Online the most out of all my PC games. I have been having fun flipping things and building repour with Mirri.

That is my gaming life right now. Having fun with other things and trying not to think about how Riot Games has really disregarded me completely.

Rawr!

PS5 but no TV

 The struggle is real, having a brand new, still in the box unopened, PlayStation 5 that I can't play, because we don't own a TV. My brother gave me the console for my Christmas present, and we had our family holiday early since my sister works in nursing and has to work on the 25th. He stood in line for 8 hours to get it for us, and as much as I appreciate it, and want it, I also am struggling to wait for it. I keep dreaming about playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is one of the games he got me for it. I don't want to spoil it for myself too far, because I watched a lot of reviews for it when it first came out and did accidently spoil some of it for myself, so I am trying to just wait.

We did order a TV once we found out what our present was, even though we were going to wait another month to get one because we were trying to let savings recover from moving this summer, but oh well. Now it is just the anticipation killing me, for when the TV arrives and we can finally hook up our system and start playing games. The excitement for the feel of a controller in my hand instead of just a mouse and keyboard. The graphics and the games that run in line with games I loved and adored on the PlayStation 1 and 2 back in the day. RPGs, Strategy games, and open world games. 

My brother got us a year sub to the PlayStation store and 3 games, the PS5 version, with the Yufie DLC, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as mentioned before, and then Brigandine 2, which I am also crazy excited for, considering the first Brigandine was one of my all time favorite strategy games, and then Immortals Fenyx Rising, which I don't know so much about. Maybe I will go watch a review for it or something, so I can try to get my mind off of FF7 Remake...

It is all made worse because we have all got colds in our home, and no it isn't covid, we got tested, even besides that we are all vaccinated and boostered, but being stuck tired and laying around all day anyway just makes it worse that we could be taking turns playing games on our unopened PS5... 

The Television will get here, and then the bliss will begin. I just have to be patient a little longer... Until then, I guess I will just keep having dreams about playing, and do my dailies on GW2 and ESO, while wishfully sighing. 

League of Legends Ticket...

  So, my LoL ticket has been sitting there almost a full month with no response of any kind, but still completely open, just, nothing from any gm or tech. I may actually never get to play my League of Legends account again. I wrote a mssg today to them saying as much, and will see if there is some kind of reply from that, but honestly, I am coming to terms with the fact that they will prob not give me back my account, they don't really care, and that I am screwed :( Sucks.