Played Lately: Guild Wars 2

• When I logged in last night, there was just a single heart left in Queensdale. It was located in the middle of the Godslost Swamp, a subzone I'd accidently run into and immediately died in a week ago. My first goal was to track down the skill point, which seemed to be down under the water.

• That's when I saw the statues. And then the name of the challenge. I was floating in the ruins of the Temple of the Ages! On one side were statues of Dwayna and Kormir (who must have been added some time after the end of Guild Wars). In all honesty, I was a little choked up by the experience.

• And overlooking the skill challenge, is Grenth, Lord of the Underworld. I could not find the statues for Balthazar, Lyssa, or Melandru. Nor could I kneel in front of the statues. Maybe we don't have favor currently. (Yes, I really tried.) Not that I needed access to the Underworld, since it was popping up all around me.

• The swamp's heart is completed by killing Underworld creatures and closing portals. I thought it was just going to be a bunch of shades until I was jumped by an aatxe. Those things will murder you dead in GW, so I didn't expect to see one out in the open here. That beast just above is actually a Veteran Aatxe, a fact I was not aware of until I turned my HUD back on. What a terrible time to try for a screenshot!

• The swamp held the last checkpoint, heart, skill challenge, vista, and point of interest for the zone. I reached 100% completion at the portal to Kessex Hills. Hearing about how great the zone completion rewards are, I eagerly kicked the treasure chest only to find a matched set of green pistols (that I cannot use), a large stack of copper ore (I'm a cook/leatherworker), and a few transmutation stones (yay). I'm sure a future alt will be very happy with all of these rewards.


• Anyway, Kessex Hills, here I come!

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© 2012 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.