Holy kitten, thank you Anet team for a great story this episode! (Spoilers!)

[Sirius.4510]

After an hour or so I sort of realized something.

 

**Trahearne:** But I still hear its voice. Mordremoth is alive. One last hateful vestige...a terrible seed planted deep in my mind.

**Trahearne:** You must kill me, Commander. Before that seed grows...before Mordremoth reclaims what it has lost.

 

Going to be paying close attention to Caithe next episode.

 

[DeWolfe.2174]

> @"Okami Amaterasu.9237" said:

> gave me the chills and a wide satisfied grin.

 

You may want to research Schadenfreude.

[DeWolfe.2174]

Just pointing out, we weren't over zealous to take on Kralk or risk Aurene. We were asked to do so by her Mother, her Mother!

Maybe we should start realizing Glint really isn't that good.

[Warobaz.9543]

The writing was good, this end is perfect for me : breathtaking, and a good way of getting away with this Deux Ex Machina that was Aurene (we already lost Taimi's almighty wits in every occasion previously, fleshing out the character without losing her)...

But now I don't want to play until the next bit of story is released. Returning to farming the new map doesn't feel right at all.

> @"Sirius.4510" said:

>

Going to be paying close attention to Caithe next episode.

 

Definitely THIS !

 

I was imagining something with Aurene infecting Kalk's mind, or branding him from the inside, but this is better. :smile: even if she lost her flower.

 

[maddoctor.2738]

I liked this episode's story it was a surprising ending.

Also:

 

>! That Ghostly Messenger in "The Crystal Blooms" looks like Gwen from GW1

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Warobaz.9543" said:

> The writing was good, this end is perfect for me : breathtaking, and a good way of getting away with this Deux Ex Machina that was Aurene (we already lost Taimi's almighty wits in every occasion previously, fleshing out the character without losing her)...

Well we don't know that this is the end of Aurene. It's meant as a cliff hanger where you're left wondering if she's really dead or not. So maybe she isn't? It wouldn't be the first time in a story that a character is not as dead as people assume. Far from it.

[Magnus Godrik.5841]

Well this episode was good. Now we know that kralkatorrik can see into the future and foresaw a world without elder dragons. So thats happening. We know that aureen had some special ascended dragon training that wasnt explained to us. Caith is again a 1stborn as some wierd sylvari branded hybrid. Maybe its a new race. And when a dragon sees the future it cannot be changed.

[Klypto.1703]

Well it was only a matter of time with HoT being a really really bad let down and then PoF wasn't as bad but most of the specs in competitive not even usable. So yeah the ending had to come at some point but yeah time to move onto a new game I suppose now that this one is no longer being developed.

[SpinDashMaster.5680]

> @"maddoctor.2738" said:

> I liked this episode's story it was a surprising ending.

> Also:

>

> >! That Ghostly Messenger in "The Crystal Blooms" looks like Gwen from GW1

 

I believe it is. It's the same model used for Gwen in Hall of Chains.

[Ashantara.8731]

I just played through the last story mission. What the ---?! :o

 

The writing was awesome, the dramaturgical climax with the camera and slaggy movement, the distorted sound - just wow. I don't think I have ever been moved to tears before in this game.

 

**But**, can anyone tell me how I am supposed to still have fun on this map, care about the weapon collection and what not **after THAT?!?** :s Seriously.

 

> @"Sevifor.1925" said:

> -We raised her from "birth." She was our baby. She still was one. Yes, I know, she's a dragon, and we're told she's an "adolescent", but she's been alive for less than three years. That's young for humans, and we know that dragons live to be even older. We heard it from Caith, which is as close to hearing from the dragon's mouth as we're going to get: She trusted us. She was scared, but she came back because of us. She loved us. And we failed her.

 

I never understood how _anyone_ in their right mind would believe a young dragon could face an elder one in battle like that. It was an insane plan to begin with. No idea how you wouldn't go "What the f---?!" when Eir announced that Glint wanted Aurene to take over Kralkatorrik's place **at this point**.

[ZDragon.3046]

To be blunt its no that i didn't like the story but it did leave me with a few what the EFFFS screaming in my head. Maybe that was the idea.

I'm not a complete fan of how it bluntly ended I mean the whole way that last bit played out was done well when it came to polish. Don't get me wrong its not that it was done badly its how it bluntly cuts off after that. I would have at least liked to walk around in that area and maybe speak to a few characters who were willing to actually talk even if just a few words. Its one heck of a hanger but yeah... I feel like one more bit even if it was only full of talk would and morning would have been fine.

 

I don't think Aurene is gone for good though, simply too many key factors say otherwise.

 

1: **no big boom**

As all dragons with any remote amount of power even "Vlast" went boom on death and he was not an elder dragon, Even other powerful creatures with high levels of magic went boom. Joko even had mini boom that flashed the room and Balthazar had a big boom when he died. Aurene had no boom. While it can be argued that we simply couldn't see it i don't think its a detail that would have been left out otherwise.

 

2: **Glint spoke of "Ascension"**

Which is the first time I can ever recall that word has been used in relation to Aurene which makes me think that her visions were true but misleading in the previous chapter. There was no way to avoid this fate she has suffered. But why Glint had to know this was going to happen other wise things would have been presented differently perhaps she told Aurene this would happen during that moment when we were split away from her in the trials

 

3: **I don't feel like we utilized everything from the trials.**

Too much feels like it was just missing. There were some key things we used but some things we didnt use. I hope we will see use of these things in the future as part of the process to bring her back. Its obvious she is going to come back to me anyways. The world has no choice other wise we should have just let balth do the job for us. His ghostly ass is probably rolling around in laughter at our pain and suffering right now.

 

~~Hoooppeeeefully anet does not take the ez way out and go "Cause she ate joko" she can come back to life cause absorbing magical properties. ~~I hope we can get something a bit deeper than that.

 

**My only other critica**l feedback would be why this episode was so short for the amount of time it took to release. With as short as this episode was I almost expect to see a follow up next month even if its in a pre existing map ore older maps.

[Wizler.8192]

> @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> Well, last episode we learned that we shouldn't kill anymore dragons because it's bad for the world. Soooo....we go out and try to kill another dragon.

 

I always expected that Aurene would replace Kralkatorrik which made it safe to kill him (she would absorb his magic to prevent world instability). And of course she was on our side which made it safe.

 

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Magnus Godrik.5841" said:

> Well this episode was good. Now we know that kralkatorrik can see into the future and foresaw a world without elder dragons. So thats happening. We know that aureen had some special ascended dragon training that wasnt explained to us. Caith is again a 1stborn as some wierd sylvari branded hybrid. Maybe its a new race. And when a dragon sees the future it cannot be changed.

 

I dont think kralk saw the future himself based on how exactly glint spoke it out. He saw the future of a world without himself through her. Likely right before or right after she was converted to having her own willpower. Lets not forget Glint was not always a good dragon she was on his side as his champion at one point. I dont think he can see the future right now though.

 

I think we are all taking Aurene's visions a bit too direct. I think the idea is not that the future cant be changed because we changed it in the past back when she was still an egg and then with Blath. and yet again with Joko but in this case we were shown multiple visions of the future and in each one (in the previous episode) it ended with the same result implying that this particular event could not be avoided. I think if anything it shows that the future can be changed but in some instances you must face an obstacle rather than avoid it to continue forward. This might also be part of what Glint spoke of when it came down to Enduring with Aurene

[Zero.3871]

i also think, it is great stuff.

 

when i remember story in 2012 and compare it i can absolutely see that anet improved themself. i already saw that during hot Story and i really liked the last Episode. great design!

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> I don't think Aurene is gone for good though, simply too many key factors say otherwise.

 

There are crystal spikes driven through her body. Are you kidding me? ;)

[phs.6089]

What happened with magic Aurine suppose to let out if she is gone, I wonder?

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > I don't think Aurene is gone for good though, simply too many key factors say otherwise.

>

> There are crystal spikes driven through her body. Are you kidding me? ;)

 

Whats your point. Its a magical world.

Vlast blew up into no physical fleshy parts but nothing but pure crystal behind

Mordremoth was literally plant life who could live without a body but jumping his mind into others

Zhaitan was literally as dead as it gets.

For all we know Jormag is pure ice and Pirmordus lives under possibly millions of pounds of pressure baring down on him under lava.....

 

In a world of magic getting spiked through your body does not 100% mean the end of your life lol.

[ZDragon.3046]

> @"phs.6089" said:

> What happened with magic Aurine suppose to let out if she is gone, I wonder?

 

See this guy gets it :+1: :# ;)

[Klypto.1703]

I do have a few theories though on how it went down this way now that I think about it. We knew from kormir that what caused the desolation was human gods battling one another there so the mortals had to take him out which they most likely knew would happen. So possibly their reason for leaving was tied to how massive the magic is compared to their own even as gods. If they already knew balthazar would be destroyed the must also know because of their abilities to make portals that kralk would end up being able to do the same and would be the place to release his magic without it destroying tyria.

 

Then we have aurene as an egg she absorbs mordremoth magic, then balthazar, and finally joko. So from what we saw from the episode and from the visions it pretty much sums up that aurene meets her demise but that might not actually be what happened. Since mordremoths last act was to try to take over trahearn's mind there is room to say that aurene may have done the same thing entering his mind to prevent an explosion of either of their collective magic they had plus absorbed. Then caithe losing the "connection" because the remains aurene no longer have the magic to keep it going. So what aurene has absorbed she technically has the power to kill kralk from within in his almost dead state, go into the mists and release the magic he devoured from there to return it plus make it safer so no magic destroys tyria. Then the powers of joko potentially could be used to reanimate her body to be able to return to it/ transfer the magic kralk before he complete dies into her where its cautiously managed to prevent an outcome that we had to stop balthazar from doing.

 

That is the only way I could see this not being complete doom worse than before without a dragon's help.

[Warobaz.9543]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> There are crystal spikes driven through her body. Are you kidding me? ;)

A body's just a body. She's had direct access to another one "minutes" before her death.

[Rogue.4756]

As much as I dislike Aurene,( I mean who names a dragon Aurene? That's not big and bad at all) Remember ascention people, ascention. She'll be back. Sadly with the same name.

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Wizler.8192" said:

> > @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> > Well, last episode we learned that we shouldn't kill anymore dragons because it's bad for the world. Soooo....we go out and try to kill another dragon.

>

> I always expected that Aurene would replace Kralkatorrik which made it safe to kill him (she would absorb his magic to prevent world instability). And of course she was on our side which made it safe.

>

 

Sure but just because you or I might meta-think that one through, doesn't justify what our characters do. There is no indication of our character and the alliance around them having that discussion. So we learned we shouldn't kill anymore dragons and then we go out to kill another one just the same. Without a reason in the story to change our mind on that, the plan was just to go out and kill another dragon and that's a pretty daft thing to do.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > > @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > > I don't think Aurene is gone for good though, simply too many key factors say otherwise.

> >

> > There are crystal spikes driven through her body. Are you kidding me? ;)

>

> Whats your point. Its a magical world.

 

There are still rules to this world, and Aurene is DEAD. Do you want her to return as a zombie (Zhaitan magic) or Lich (Palawa Joko)?

 

> @"ZDragon.3046" said:

> > @"phs.6089" said:

> > What happened with magic Aurine suppose to let out if she is gone, I wonder?

>

> See this guy gets it :+1: :# ;)

 

Their question about the energy that has LEFT Aurene's body when she died was completely unrelated to your funny claims.

 

 

> @"Rogue.4756" said:

> As much as I dislike Aurene,( I mean who names a dragon Aurene? That's not big and bad at all) Remember ascention people, ascention. She'll be back. Sadly with the same name.

 

How could Ascension bring her back? It is not a ritual to revive the dead, now is it? At least I don't remember it as that from GW1. ;)

[Zalani.9827]

Just tear my heart out while your at it Anet, it was good but man the feels.

 

Aside from the main story, I really liked all the small details from this patch. Being a gw1 vet and seeing Gwen as the messenger, glints body and all the dwarf stuff was really cool. Sitting on Jalis’s Throne in the treasure room!

Going back to thunderhead and doing defense again was a throwback as well. The maps really pretty too and the sound team did some great stuff this patch.

 

I also loved the animations used, especially the whole sequence at the end. I would say more about the story itself but i’m still mulling it all over.

[Aaron Forestman.4758]

I'm just echoing what a lot of people have said here, but this was a seriously amazing episode. It was such an emotional roller coaster, feeling like we were built up and ready to take down the dragon and then everything changing in a flash as we go from beating on his eye to him escaping and breathing. THAT RIGHT THERE, that's the terror of being face to face with an elder dragon. I don't think we've ever had that in the story before, as even when things go badly we can figure it out and do better. This was everything we had: all the research, taking advantage of weaknesses, the best possible environment with Kralkatorrik wounded already.

 

A++ Anet. Your writers, animators, story team, just your staff in general is doing some of their best work ever.