Living Stories and Other Hoopla
stargrace 
I mentioned before that I don’t really know what I should work on or where I’m going in Guild Wars 2, and nothing has really changed there. I did end up swapping things around on my guardian though and that has made a world of difference. I decided to drop the longbow because it doesn’t do that much DPS. Instead I picked up a scepter and a torch, and I added condition damage to my gear. I also kept my greatsword off spec because I just love it. Now I’ve still got a ranged / melee spec, but a lot more power behind my attacks, which is good. Great, in fact. It’s a huge difference to how I was playing before. I got a new set of gear, added some runes to it, and made sure I had all my masteries and points spent where I wanted them. Now I only die about 10 times traveling through HoT zones instead of 80 times.
I started working on the living story season 2 – but quickly got distracted by newer content. I swapped over to the HOT story line, and promptly got lost. I hate making my way around that starter zone. There are so many twists and turns and up and down and bouncy mushrooms and drafts (which I haven’t unlocked yet). By the time I make my way to a section of the map I need to be in, I’ve already died and have to start the adventure all over again. Everything is really spread out, especially things I want to reach on the far West side of the map. I know I’ll get there, but it’s frustrating and a trial in patience.
In the meantime, I have no idea what the items I’m collecting are for. Gears, oil, and other random bits of stuff. I think some is used for crafting, but I honestly have no idea. I store everything in my bank and hope to make use of it some time. There’s no real indication of what I should be working towards as far as gear or weapons go.
With all of that being said – I am having fun. I’ve been completing my dailies, adventuring around, exploring maps that I haven’t been to before. I’ve only got 60% of the map unlocked, which is a good chunk but not nearly as much as I’d like. So I take in a few vistas, play a few jumping puzzles, and just have a good time.
I haven’t purchased the entire season two or three yet – but I’m hoping ArenaNet has some big sale planned for the 5th anniversary which is quickly approaching so I’m trying to hold off spending very many of my gems. I did purchase the first step to season 2, but that’s it so far. I know there are bundles on sale in the market, but again I’d really like to see what they have planned for their 5th anniversary.
It feels good to be playing again (and not having to worry about a subscription cost). I may not get a whole lot of time but the hour I get here and there is more than enough to get some stuff done at least.