Friends Abound!

One aspect of MMOs that I never really got quite into was the group thing. I've been very much of a solo player for most of my short game play career. I'm not one to chat much in group. Most of the time I tend to get carried away with what I'm doing to really pay any attention to what goes on in the group. When I did join up with anybody for some reason I always ended up doing what they wanted. That's why I was so surprised and solo-player-shocked that in GW2 getting into a group just happened so naturally.

You're exploring an area and you're told that something is happening and me, being a naturally born nosy-parker, I always have to check it out - and suddenly I'm in the middle of a centaur onslaught, with hooves flailing and arrows streaming by, a hero of Tyria doesn't let such an opportunity pass by. So in I jumped into the chaos with all the other heroes..........and I had a blast! I didn't know who the other players were, we didn't speak to each other and yet reviving each other was the most natural thing to do. I never knew that teaming up with anybody could be such fun!

The next really fun packed experience was when I teamed up with my guildies and ventured forth with them into WvWvW. In the first BWE I didn't get a chance, but in  BWE2 I was determined to see what all the fuss was about. Well, they were right to fuss. It was terrific! At first I went into it on my own. I ran around exploring a bit, killing some vicious bats and joining up with a group of people clobbering some beasties in a bog. According to the map I was on the Green Team so I journeyed to a green supply camp and was checking things out when suddenly, out of nowhere this mob of people just descended on us (me and the NPCs!) and I went down faster than it takes to swot a mosquito! Crazy, I tell you! Whatever you do don't go alone in WvWvW! Sometime later my guildies followed me in and I had the pleasure of giving the opposing team a good clobbering! Payback is fun! *Sighs* I sat back and happily sipped my glass of wine, thoroughly pleased with myself. Honestly I have never really participated in such an open world before and for a first-time  pvp'er that was absolutely brilliant! Apart from that I have to give credit to my guildies, who are an amazing group of people and who made the experience more entertaining.

My guildies - Knights of the Isle
(picture courtesy of Mark Brincat)

GW2 really knows what it's about when it comes to community. It has pulled out all the stops and has made it so easy for a not-so-much-solo-player (now) such as myself. It has certainly given me a shove out of my solo-ing stuper and that working with others is just as gratifying. Now I have an idea of what guild wars really means.........Let me sit back and enjoy this!