This is a bit late going up - kept getting screwed by Content ID so couldn't use the intro songs I wanted to ugh. Either way I hope you enjoy the goofy segments, definitely a bit guff since we don't have a greenscreen set up, but should soon - removing backgrounds without chroma key is my worst nightmare. Also threw in some silly BTS at the end for you to enjoy, will be putting up the full behind the scenes tomfoolery tomorrow on our website preachgaming.com in the premium section. Access to everything for only $1 and comes included when you sub to twitch if you've been on the fence about supporting :)
You are missing out on SOOOO much contextual information from the Lore of Guild Wars 1, and a majority of that information isn't even in cinematic or voice acted presentation. It comes in obscure text format, but even the major points, like Palawa Joko that do come as a part of the primary storyline... You're missing HUGE amounts of context... That and alongside the Domain of the Lost, as well as the Tomb of the Primeval Kings, helping out Glint, encounters with ancestors of the current game's royals (in gw2), and sooooooo much more.
OMFG -- "He just wanted a sword" -- YUP! You're missing such an ABSURD amount of context that has been setup with that sword... WOW, that's just... Nah dude, to hear that come from your mouth, means you have zero insight to the depth of history to that sword.
As a GW2 vet, I will say Rytlock freeing Balthazar is in character. The sword is seen by him as the last hope of dispelling the ghosts that plague his homeland as the sword is the sister sword that damned the souls of the living humans to haunt the land.
Not only that Rytlock is impulsive and always just acting moment to moment. He doesn't think ahead or plan anything. He's the man you want on hand when shit goes sideways but he's usually the one causing it.
@@thedragonshide7346 Reminder that he also jumped into the Mists to get Sohothin fully by impulsiveness. It's completely in character for Rytlock to free Balthazar because he also believes in himself enough that he always thinks he can solve the problems later. It took him seeing the commander dying and the ammount of destruction caused by Balthazar to realize that he made a mistake. That Sohothin wasn't worth Balthazar, and he vouched to correct that mistake. Preach might have seen this as a story bump, but honestly, it's character development, and works even better as Rytlock goes into the Charr Civil War storyline as a bit more mature fighter.
A nice little story for you: It's a week into the Path of Fire expansion and you have gotten all 4 mounts as advertised, and you believe you have experienced at least all the major points of the expansion, as do all your friends. And then as you are casually exploring the map trying to get that 100% completion you stumble apon a player, riding a mount you have never seen before, not in advertisment nor in rumor. That was me seeing the gryphon for the first time in game, and that experience was PURE MAGIC. Imagine keeping such a big game feature completely secret.
You're not the only one mate, played in HoTs for a few months, quit until PoF the last patch came around, played a bit from 1-80 enjoying myself, then suddenly out of the blue in the night sky of tyria, what's this? a DRAGON? i was visibly confused sitting there, looking into my screen... what's this? I asked the player, a "skyscale" the man answered. I asked him again, how does one get this? the man told me it took a fair amount of gold and time, but the investment would definitely be worth the wait and currency, so, at that time, i decided for once to go through the entire thing from my newly played big energy necromancer and finish everything PoF related (story wise) and achievements needed for the soaring and roaring skyscale, the entire time a new thing popped up and i was amazed, took me 2 weeks and overall 3-4 days for skyscale alone, what a journey that was, got the beetle and the war mount as well.
It's too bad that with the Roller Beetle, Skyscale, and skiff, it's kind of a weird experience now. "Oh look at that person on the mount I keep seeing in LA, can't wait to get that in the next expac. Time to finish exploring the brandskar"
I remember playing through PoF too and didn't go to online websites and such as I didn't want anything spoiled. Then yeah about a week later I see someone on the gryphon during a casino blitz event and immediately everyone was like "WHAT, HOW? You can get that as a mount??" Blew everyone's minds including me. It was such a well kept hidden secret in the game to the casual player. So many like me didn't even know about it. The guy who was riding was the king of the game for a short while having the mount XD
I remember people were data mining everything from PoF and even they didn’t discover it. At the time their was so many leaks about PoF people were absolutely shocked and impressed the Griffon stayed a secret for as long as it did and it was one of those magical you had to have been there moments to see someone riding one for the first time ever.
I think the only problem with the interaction between Rytlock and Balthazar is that the explanation of it all was far too short to give any real insight to the depth of the events within the mists and with Balthazar. If you ask me, it should have been a playable story arc rather than a 15 second cut-scene. Beyond that, I disagree with a lot of the mentioned issues, but I admit the lack of focus on this part of the story is mostly to blame for them being seen as an issue in the first place. 1. Balthazar didn't ask to be freed, so it wasn't really a "demonic exchange". More of manipulative gamble, if not just the whim of a fallen god who could do nothing else. From their interaction during the main story, I think Balthazar really considered Rytlock a friend, which to me, means he didn't expect to be freed, and was genuinely thankful for it. If it was a deal they made, he would not have felt like he owed him, sparing his life. 2. Remember, he was lost in them mists for MONTHS, with seemingly no way to ever return. Someone helped him escape without asking for anything in return, as far as we know. And given GW2's history of imprisonment of some notably not-bad characters, its tough to assume one thing or another about a man bound up in the mists. The mists are not GW2 Hell. They are far more complex. 3. Sohothin (The sword) was originally Balthazar's sword, so makes sense for him to be the one to fix it. 4. Its very much in a Charr's character to do something questionable if its in the best interest of the Charr. So even if it was an off-screen deal, it makes sense he would accept it, knowing that the sword was required to end the permanent war in Ascalon. As far as Rytlock is concerned, that man just gave his people a second chance to take back their home.
for all of Joko's effect you would have had to have played Guildwars 1... but that's another topic. Rhytlock's interaction with balthazar is very charr... he was done a favor, so he returned the favor, end of discussion as far as he's concerned. Again, lore thing, Balthazar originally created Sohothin and it's sister sword and gave them to the then king Adelbern and prince Rurik of Ascalon, that's why he could re-ignite it. until Shadowbringers came out, Path of Fire was my favorite MMO expansion ever.
Palawa Joko is the highlight of the expansion because he's a very important returning character from GW1, him being undead & all. Balthazar is very important. To someone who only played GW2, he's just one God among others, which you didn't interact with one bit, but him being there and being the big bad guy has a whole other meaning to people who had previously played GW1. I hope we won't have to wait this long for the next video about GW2 lol, because I'm always looking forward to these. PS: The biggest easter egg of the expansion is him renaming Kamadan, jewel of Istan, which was the most important city of GW1: Nightfall, into Palawadan, jewel of Istan after himself lmao.
Let's not forget Balthazar was equally exhilirating and devastating to see as a villain if you played AoB dervish in GW1. Also, the player base had already renamed Kamadan to Spamadan so many of us didn't care that Joko renamed it after himself.
which is for me, one of the big mistakes they made in path of fire, and the lead up to it. to much reminiscing of GW1, not enough new world building imo
Ah, the Herald of Balthazar. As a GW1 player this brings back memories. I fought side by side with her for most of my time there, back when she was still human.
Ritlock did not have a choice the sword is the key to stopping the ghosts permanently in his home province of Ascalon that the mad king created (Ascalon Catacombs Dudgeon)
Yes! Just as a clarification, it was King Adelbern of Ascalon who created the ghost problem in Ascalon using Sohothin's twin sword, not King Thorn of Kryta who is often referred to as the the "Mad King"
I used to be apart of [WING] "Thy Weeping Willow" guild. Those guys know how to fly, some really impressive stuff. Glad you're enjoying your journey through GW2. It's nice to see it from a fresh perspective. 🤟 You're gonna love LWS4.
idk if you want to read comments about the game, but as a very long time player, I think a lot of people forget that mounts are still useful after you get the flying one - the raptor is the best mount for going fast horizontally with tight controls, it also gets a special ability to pull in enemies, which leads to a quick death for them - the springer (rabbit) is one that falls off somewhat, however it's always useful because it has the strongest breakbar damage of any mount, if you intend to start a fight with the best CC this is a great choice. - the skimmer (manta ray) is by far the best option for water, even allowing for underwater speedy travel later, even when you get the skiff it is the fastest on water when boosting (the height boost gives 20 units of speed, and the water slows the deceleration of speed and gives you a higher maximum speed) in case you're wondering why the boat matters, it still does because while the skimmer is fast, it doesn't do anything else. You can park the boat and stand on it, creating a surface on any water, which is something any mount can struggle with, see a cliff by the water? well a skimmer wont get you up that, but if you park your boat you can use your springer on it and get up it. and in case you're interested in the other mounts: - the jackal is the only mount that can go through those portals, and while thats a very niche use, it is important, however it also unlocks the ability to give barrier to people when you dismount, which is actually incredibly useful if you want to start the fight tanky or if you want to give some fast damage mitigation to allies you're joining. - the griffon is by far the fastest in open skies, it has incredible speed that matches the roller beetle, but in the freedom of the air, it's also the easier flying mount option and the one thats more limited but more fun. You can get soaring heights and blazing speeds from it with skill. - the roller beetle (LWS4 Episode 3) is a racer's best friend, it gets incredible ground speed and allows you to do drifting, roller beetle races are some of the most fun, and in terms of gameplay, if you're ever in a big open field and need to get to the other side quick, this is your friend too. - the warclaw is a wvw (pvp) obtainable mount, and is the only mount you can use in pvp, that said, it's obviously not very good and only serves as a slight boost in speed with some evasion and some opening damage from their claws (which deal more damage to downed players) it also allows you to shrug off some initial damage as your mount will take it instead. However if you choose to use it in pve, it was a tanky option before they introduced the siege turtle, it had the most health and armour and could survive through a lot, although it couldnt move fast or do much special. - the skyscale (dragon) (LWS4 all chapters) this is the famed mount, the mount you'll see everyone trying to go for, and for good reason. it takes a ton of effort to get, and you actually raise your skyscale from an egg to get it. and what you get in return, is a flying mount that has a ton of control. What it lacks in speed it makes up for in the fact that it has the ability to float in mid air and move exactly where you want to go, it's like comparing the raptor to the roller beetle for the flying mounts, except thats much more important in the air. It also combines the height you gain from the springer, allowing it to climb higher than a griffon could glide (normally) it is the pickup truck of the game, it's not that fast, but it can do everything pretty well and reliably, it's not meant to be a replacement for everything else, but it can be if you're lazy. (which is why most players, myself included, default to this mount for traversal until another mount is needed) and then theres the turtle from EOD theres not much to say about it, it's a 2 seated tank, it boasts the highest health and survivability of any mount, it can shoot cannons and stomp enemies without the need to dismount, and it can drift babyyyyyyy. It's the only true combat mount, and it's also the only mount you can take your lazy friend places with. I love guild wars 2 and its mount system, and I hope that you can get as much enjoyment from them as I did. great video. :)
The springer also has the fastest stamina regen of all mounts. And since all mounts share the same stamina, you can swap to the springer when you're out of stamina to recharge stamina, and then swap to your usual mount again!
You definitely can use the Skyscale for most things if you want to, but the other mounts are still better in different situations so most of them do still get used regularly if not quite as much as prior to Skyscale. I think the only mount that the Skyscale really diminishes is the Springer, but I still bring it out for when I know I know there's going to be a boss with a defiance bar.
gw this gw that, there's a lot to say ( and as people have pointed out, PoF plays HEAVILY on GW1 nostalgia. The Herald of Balthazar is a corrupted companion from gw1- the corpse that still talks where the griffons are, is someone akin to Kas or Jory in GW1, Koss as well etc) BUT I just mainly wanna commend the dedication to the costumes and playing out that Rytlock Balthazar Scene- now I want a full Gw2 history play where you play all the roles. ( Also wild that you didn't mention Balthazar actually kills you :D I remember the impact of that after launch)
Kudos to you though for finding the griff the hard way. The achievement system in GW2 is amazing, and you will feel it with the skyscale since you will probably complete your first legendary during that grind
@@moiseszermeno3539 You still get bonus' if you complete the regular Skyscale grind so its still worth doing if you want everything, but yes base skyscale will be free which is cool.
@@SatanicDemiGod The skyscale collections are absolutely horrible. I am jealous of the people who can skip it, but ultimately, the collections shouldn't have been as a bad and badly designed as they are, so if they remove it, at least the future generations will be spared the pain of having to do that garbage.
Final Fantasy 14 is my main game but I swap back to GW2 from time to time because of how great the mount system is! Each mount has their purpose and individuality. Because those things, I very much enjoy the exploration in GW2.
A real shame that only BDO has mounts that feel good. Dragonflight just copied the gryphon, so obviously that one's great, but as someone who has played most mmos for the past 10 years +, only GW2 made them stand out so damn well and BDO managed to make standard horses feel realistic, like they have a weight to them.
GW2 mounts have a unique feeling and purpose and yeah you are right BDO legit the only game where a horse doesnt feel like a boring mount (not even talking about T9 and T10, because those are cool anyway)
The thing with the Skyscale is, while it is the EASIEST mount to get around with, it's not the FASTEST. The Griffin and Roller Beetle will always be faster ways to get around if you know how to use them.
So, in my experience the only mount the skyscale overshadows is the springer. Although the springer does have it's uses when you are about to fight a boss that you know starts with a defiance bar. But other than springer it doesn't overshadow any other mount. They're all used and have niches where one is better than the rest. If you're following an escort, you can use any mount but raptor is better to round enemy packs up. If you're going uphill then jackal is best as it has no elevation penalties. If you need to climb high in the sky or hover over an area to stay out of aggro, then skyscale is best. If you need to fly fast, then use skyscale or springer to get up high and then swap to griffon. If you need to go fast on a flat or downhill terrain, then beetle but also griffon if you're good. if you need to go fast under or over water, then skimmer. And turtle...I guess is good for destroying objectives and breakbars...also noob taxi and it's also underwater but slow af (In the next expansion however, it seems we'll only be using skyscale and griffon in the new sky zones with the new masteries)
I recently started playing thanks to you and josh strife hayes and yes the mount system in this game is by far the best in any game. Not only are the mounts unique traits amazingly useful but the animations DESTROY any other game, they move and act in a realistic manner as opposed to just standing there, idling the same idle every 10 seconds and all move basically how the player does. Like how after a long leap the raptor bounces a little side to side to get back on track. The jackal is the best ground mount BTW! Now the skyscale.....everyone in my guild kept saying they hated the grind and that it was god awful, but I not only loved the questline/grind but feel like I earned my sweet beautiful girl (everyone else calls her ugly but they are wrong!). You seriously raise her from an egg and have to take care of her as well as play with her. It is by far a questline that will actually stick with me unlike most games. Oh, in case new players did not know you can dye your mounts just like your armor in the same menu screen.
@1:11 - The verticality of Heart of Thorns maps was super fun when it first came out . One zone had issues with pathing / finding, but I otherwise really loved that in Heart of Thorns. If you didn't like it maybe its just not for you - even when it was new to everyone the community really enjoyed it. The mount grind in Path of Fire was so dull I havent gone back to GW2 since.
@@Riomasa At launch the 250g to acquire the mount was a steep purchase, and it took forever to go through the steps to get it. Seems like gold comes by easier nowadays, and Preach seemed to just stumble upon it so idk if they just made it easier to get now.
For reference: Palawa joko has been a notable figure in GW as he appeared as a part villain part supporting character in GW1 Nightfall. Despite all his evil deeds and notoriety, your character frees him from his shackles to help you cross the desolation while chasing an even bigger threat. This resulted in Elona falling to his might after the events of GW1. And as such, throughout the vast majority of GW2's lifespan, a large part of the player base have been excited to see what happened and what Joko did.
One thing about the Herald of Balthazar: she actually serves her story purpose for GW1 veterans, because you find out through various lore drops that she’s a reanimated warrior hero from GW1 named Devona (who, like all warriors in GW1, worshipped Balthazar). Seeing her murder civilians in his name was the perfect introduction to how this formerly “good” god has gone completely psychotic.
I LOVE the costumes!! As a long time player of 6 years I'd like to chime in and say that YES, Skyscale is awesome, and it will become your most used mount, it does not Negate or Invalidate your need for the others. I still often choose the speed of the Griffin or the Raptor, or especially the Beetle, over the Skyscale. There are still situations where all are still the most convenient. Except Warclaw. That kinda blows in PVE, but it isn't meant for PVE, it's a WvW mount.
I'm so glad you are doing this. I brings me so much more joy playing this game because I get to watch your journey. A new player such as yourself experiencing all this for the first time is fun to watch. Can't wait for LS4 and hopefully all of the new expansions. Thank you so much for the great videos.
Hey Preach, it's awesome to see you so excited about the game! Regarding your concern about the Skyscale, here is as I experienced it: At first, it was ridiculously powerful compared to everything else. It could fly, and at short distances at least, it felt unmatched. It was so bad actually, that it made me pause GW2 entirely, for maybe two years - but a large part of that was the long grind. It made me burn out on GW2, and I needed a long time to develop any interest again. The next time I came back, I basically mostly defaulted to the Skyscale. And on some level that makes sense - you can very much break maps with it. HoT verticality? Doesn't fucking matter. Well, except for Tangled Depths of course. That's as cursed as always. Anyway. I played a bit, got bored again, left for a while. But the next time I came back, I had fresh interest in the other mounts. And that's when I realized that, as always, the fastest way to travel, is to switch between mounts. The Skyscale is powerful, but slow. The Griffon is the fastest mount, and the Beetle is about a match for it. You use either of the two for long distances depending on your starting position. If you can get a long dive, Griffon is it. If not? Beetle. Or maybe you just enjoy drifting more than jetting. Anyhow, that's still only a few use cases. You still use the Jackal for portals and to cheese some mechanics with its combat engage. The barrier it gives? Fucking OP. The Raptor? It's just REALLY dependable. It's faster than the Skyscale inside jump distances and feels more nimble. And the Springer is still going to outjump the verticality of the Skyscale. In fact, the Skyscale is only powerful as long as you can spam stamina recovery. So, a few seconds every minute? Outside of that? Keep switching, keep hopping. You'll be faster, smoother, and enjoy GW2 travel far more.
Aye its an unfortunate case of if you know gw1 / more indepth lore (like the mists just being an afterlife) and just how long rytlocks been there its understandable. (Hell Revenants and the mists help with that too) Main issue is just the game doesnt do a great job of explaining.
I have not played GW2 since 2018, but I am very happy to see it getting positive press, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. It is a great game and very underrated. I only left because, after 6 years, I had done most of what I wanted to do and the pace of content releases (at that point) just wasn't enough to keep me engaged, but it had already given me many, many hours of enjoyment..
Getting the mounts in GW2 has been some of the most rewarding mounts I've gotten in a game. Especially the gryphon and skyscale. It really makes you feel attached to them.
The advantages you find with the griffon and sky scale is that they also have their separate uses in the skies...griffon is more about faster flight and distance travel while the sky scale is more about vertical flight and cliff scaling..
Joko was a big deal because he was a returning character from the original Guild Wars game. I never played it myself, so I had much the same experience as to why this guy was so popular, but I'm a lore nerd so I went to reading about him and the original run of the franchise as well as watching another youtuber by the name of WoodenPotatoes and his original playthrough of the first Guild Wars game. Joko's history is fascinating and reads like a typical conqueror in real world history. The writers did a fabulous job at it, even peppering the hints throughout various maps as well. But there's also a fractal that allows you to live as some of the forces trying to take over Elona back in the day. So, if you haven't yet, give the fractal a try. It's pretty interesting.
The herald of balthazar is really interesting not because of PoF but because of who she is in gw1. She is Devona who was a warrior in gw1 who helps save tyria and a guide for the player character. Becomes more impactful when she is effectively trying to destroy what she saved against her will by commiting herself to her god
I'd say the Skyscale is a "jack of all trades, master of none" kinda mount. It can probably get you anywhere you can get with any other mount all on its own but it's not tremendously fast so for fast flying you'd still rather use the Griffon, for fast horizontal movement on land you'd rather use the Raptor or Roller Beetle etc.
As a GW2 vet, I can partially dispell your fear about the Skyscale. While it will become the mount you use most of the time, all mounts retain their value. Raptor is still great for covering short distances quickly, Jackal is still required for portals (less relevant outside of PoF), Skimmer is the go to water mount, especially for underwater, Griffon is awesome if you're already high up and lets you zoom across an entire map in seconds. The Springer is the only mount that suffers from the Skyscales existence. There aren't many vertical places the Skyscale can't go and it's usually quicker to use.
The little interaction where he’s talking about skiffs and not knowing when he’ll get one around 4:10, and the background footage is him going “boat bro” to someone on a skiff, and they just reply “pleb” 😂😭
Loving your journey since it gives memories of mine. If your team hasn't seen it yet start charging quartz crystals for skyscale that is the biggest time gate iirc. If it helps I was in Icebrood when I finally got my mount. PS. You have a hefty pair to pull off that bunny suit
The sword Rytlock took was a GW1 relick that the charr and Ascalonians fought over for a long time, and was involved the the Ebonhawke treaty between humans and charr. It's a powerful sword that charr have wanted for a long time, so I see why Rytlock wanted that sword. It was a blind decision, and it makes sense.
Preach is now on GW2! Back when I was still playing WoW on private servers, preach's class guide was my go to guide. Not only he covered the basics, he also includes a playthrough of a dungeon with commentaries and actually showing what he teaches in his guide. I hope uou bring that level of commitment and diligence in this game.
You are actually missing so many things since you didn't play GW1. P.S. it would take way too long for you to go though GW, Factions, Nightfall and Eye of the North, but there are going to be so many things that just go over your head in Icebrood and especially End of Dragons, if you don't. An example(spoiler): Jokko to me was a problem that I had created (in1) and now I was finally getting to fix.
I quit midway through the second campaign. That game was unbearable having to replay 30+ minutes in each mission because if one thing goes wrong you lose everything
PoF is very huge. The mounts and mastery system works perfect. They link and progress so nice, as well as to the map and lorewise. It was so satisfying, that I had problem later in icebrood saga and EoD, lol.
Glad enjoyed PoF, but I am super excited to the video after he completes LS4, imho LS4 is the best content of GW2. Also curious to see what happens when he goes to tackle the Skyscale quest.....
Keep these videos coming. Not only I'm loving the silly skits and the content from a game I started dabbling on, but the absolute nerds from GW are dropping some awesome lore I wouldn't ever know.
If you're not in a hurry it's easy enough to sit on your Skyscale 80% of the time. But there are a lot of places that you can get to faster if you use all the mounts. Personally I don't feel the Skyscale had any negative impact on my enjoyment or use of the other mounts. Also (and I think I've made this same comment on every video in the GW2 series) I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU PLAY LWS4! It is going to blow your mind.
To be fair, Joko is from Guild Wars 1 I believe so I don't think it's related to the Monkey Island game. I think it is just a throwback to the first GW. I'm not sure if the "Praise Joko's" started because of GW1, Heart of Thorns, the GW2 Halloween event, or a mix of the 3? And I do enjoy the GW2 Halloween event far more than the WoW one.
@@FlowerBot That doesn't mean Joko is inspired by the Monkey Island game. Maybe they were inspired by Monty Python? Or Monkey Island was? This silly archetype isn't exactly unique in gaming or media.
I’ve been playing for almost 10 years and was extremely skeptical about the mounts when they were announced. I loved land traversal and using abilities to get me around and seeing people on foot. But GW2 did it in the most different and true to itself way of being like nothing else. Instant mounting and mount abilities really enhanced the game, I love that mounts have map interactions and add to the game instead of take away from it like I thought they would. They really are the crown jewel of the game in my eyes, the team did a phenomenal job of implementing them
So IDK if anyone else has commented this, but the Herald of Balthazar is more relevant to people who have played GW1, because she’s actually the soul of one of your allies from that game, a warrior named Devonna. And she was by your side for at least half of the game, depending on how you played. There are burned letters scattered about the “Night of Fires” instance that, along with her dialogue and weapon choice, are meant to help the OG players piece together her identity.
The Skyscale is good for vertical mobility, but it’s pretty slow on land and looses altitude the further you go horizontally. There are definitely situations where the other mounts are a better solution than the Skyscale.
Regarding the mounts, i've said this for YEARS, no game, NO GAME can compare to GW2 mount system, the mounts are well done it's unbelivable that something like WoWs feels outdated as hell, even with the new mounts they still feel lack luster compared too, i've said this games mounts is the king when it comes to that, to every streamer, every friend, every hater tryna say otherwise, literally the only quote "just, try it, try the game, try the mounts and then u decide" no kidding that so many people come back and say something like "oh my godness" or "damn, they're so well done"... GW2's got it's flaws, but when it comes to their mounts it's the king, no one comes close.
Playing since launch, running around on my slow little feet and fine with it. The devs had stated mounts would never be in the game. But then they were, and the first time I sat on a raptor entering the first part of PoF, I was absolutely giddy and in love. Because of the weight effect, I drove like a drunk for a while.
Glad you're having such a blast with the game! My own experience has been a little different though. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but personally I detest the mount system. For a number of reasons. #1. I don't like needing masteries just to make them be fully effective instead of just the welfare version. If you're going to give me the mount, then give me all of the mount, not half of it and then make me work to get it to fully do what it's suppose to (on top of having to work to get it in the first place). Also, I already have a talent tree for myself to manage, don't make me manage one for my mount too. #2. You need specific mounts to get mounts. No, I'm not advocating for an npc just standing outside lions arch handing out mounts to people. However, making you NEED the raptor AND with specific masteries, to get the Springer, and then the Springer with specific masteries to get the skimmer, and then the skimmer with specific masteries to get the jackal (so I've been told anyway) is a pain in the ass. Yes, I do like that it means that.. for at least a little while all your mounts are getting used. You aren't just using 1 mount forever (which honestly shouldn't be a problem, people play what they like as far as classes, or character gender, why is it an issue if we have one mount we like and stick with it?) #3. As much as I hate to disagree with you Preach, you really can't "hotswap" between mounts like you mentioned. Which is another pain point. Sure, they don't have long cast times like in other games no... But, heres the thing. GW2 uses a 1 action bar setup that they haven't changed since 2004. So you can't really customize your bars like in FF14 and put your mounts on their own individual tiles. So.. any time you want to switch from your raptor to your springer (as an example) you have to click the button, scroll through the drop down menu clicking the down arrows, click the mount you want to use (springer in this case) which places it on your bar. THEN you have to click it again to use the over grown rodent. That takes just as long as a cast time for mounts on separate button tiles. That's tedious enough as it is, now if you're having to swap in quick succession for something like you said? (raptor to jump across, springer to jump up, skimmer to slowfall down and glide over something, back to raptor or springer etc).. you're taking a pain in the ass process and forcing the player to do it repeatedly in succession. I find WoW or FF14 or.. any other game out there more user friendly with not only getting the mounts, but also having them FULLY useful from day 1, and being able to swap between them. To me, it's one more thing that GW2 is stuck in the archaic stage for, and it's frustrating enough that I can't play for more than an hour or two tops, maybe once a month before I forget I even have the game for several weeks again. All that said, I am very glad you were able to find your happy place in the game and get over all those hurdles that frustrated you so much in the beginning :D
The good thing with the skyscale is that it doesnt really replace any of the mounts but the springer (but even that still has its use for energy regen). The raptor is still faster in mostly flat terrain with some bumps, the jackal can still do the portals, the scimmer can go underwater and the griffon is WAY faster and more fun to use. I think they struck a great balance with the mounts.
Imo the skyscale does invalidate some of the mounts especially the springer. It felt better before it since griffon was good but still required use of your other mounts. Personally wish they never added it since its usefulness outshines all the others. Griffon got demoted to a "for fun" mount.
Griffon is still very usefull, certainly in combo with skyscale. Doing jaderunestone farm for example would be a nightmare on skyscale alone, but with griffon it gets easy because it keeps height better :D and the speed makes it so that you can get to places way more fast. (With skyscale you can start griffon from flat ground, so after you are out of dodging with skyacale and it becomes slow, you can switch to griffon) bunny however... im sad bunny is basically useless now outside of cc skill. And also things like raptor and jackal dont get used as much(they are still a bit faster than skyscale though but not super much, and raptors engage skill is luckily really good) For me, i mainly use skyscale x griffon and beetle now, the others sadly dont really get to shine as much anymore
The best part about "the Herald of Balthazar" is that she used to be one of the main if not the main chatacter in Guild Wars 1. Devona, an NPC henchman you can recruit to fight with you in all main GW1 campaigns.
I'm like you, late to the game and playing catch up. Glad to find videos showing me the excitement and info whilst I'm actually doing it myself. Haven't even stuck my head in dungeons yet though
Some surprisingly high level blue screen work in this video or more likely the software has gotten a lot better in the last few years. thanks foe the video.
I have all the mounts and although I do primarily use the Skyscale for most things, I still use all the other mounts for their intended functions, especially their special abilities. Getting Skyscale didn't destroy it for me at all.
Yeah, I think a lot of people use the Skyscale because they want to shut off their brains while getting places, but intelligently hotkeying the other mounts usually gets you to places more quickly. Also, the verticality of the springer just remains unmachted unless you're VERY patient.
You'll notice a lot of maps now designed with mounts in mind.. And honestly events that you need to move around lots, a mount is needed. BUT most events you're not running around, aside from the map metas.. Weirdly enough I found that mounts made me use teleporting far less, since I can just mount my skyscale and fly a little, for once mounts made me explore an mmorpg world more. Just got back into the game and preparing for the new expan.. Wasn't a huge fan of EoD but exploring it a little now!
31:35 It to a slight degree does, probably mostly in regards to the springer and jackal, but all the others I still see as very useful in some situations. Skyscale is not replacing all of them to get somewhere (faster) at the very least...
here for preach's gw2 content, preach you end up only using 3 mounts unfortunatly. skyscale for going up gryphon going down and roller beatle for level terrain.
People use springers to break defiance bars! And with a mastery the skimmer is invincible while hovering dodging everything fired at it, and it goes underwater.
gw2 is unfortunately one of those games that really hits my "spend every dime" instinct (lootboxes on lootboxes) but ill always treasure the time i spent in the game. i played gw1 for years and eagerly awaited the sequel; i quit playing for good in 2018, but im so glad youre enjoying it because there's a lot to love
This is a bit late going up - kept getting screwed by Content ID so couldn't use the intro songs I wanted to ugh. Either way I hope you enjoy the goofy segments, definitely a bit guff since we don't have a greenscreen set up, but should soon - removing backgrounds without chroma key is my worst nightmare. Also threw in some silly BTS at the end for you to enjoy, will be putting up the full behind the scenes tomfoolery tomorrow on our website preachgaming.com in the premium section. Access to everything for only $1 and comes included when you sub to twitch if you've been on the fence about supporting :)
BIGGEST VIDEO EVVAAAAAAA!
You don't know it but you're having the same issue you had with FF. So many references that if you didn't play GW1 you won't get.
@@Wyrsa Like?
You are missing out on SOOOO much contextual information from the Lore of Guild Wars 1, and a majority of that information isn't even in cinematic or voice acted presentation. It comes in obscure text format, but even the major points, like Palawa Joko that do come as a part of the primary storyline... You're missing HUGE amounts of context... That and alongside the Domain of the Lost, as well as the Tomb of the Primeval Kings, helping out Glint, encounters with ancestors of the current game's royals (in gw2), and sooooooo much more.
OMFG -- "He just wanted a sword" -- YUP! You're missing such an ABSURD amount of context that has been setup with that sword... WOW, that's just... Nah dude, to hear that come from your mouth, means you have zero insight to the depth of history to that sword.
As a GW2 vet, I will say Rytlock freeing Balthazar is in character. The sword is seen by him as the last hope of dispelling the ghosts that plague his homeland as the sword is the sister sword that damned the souls of the living humans to haunt the land.
yup, why would he care what a human god may or may not do after being free
Hard agree. Rytlock isnt a moron, he just doesn't give a s***
"Believe in iron, not false gods"
Not only that Rytlock is impulsive and always just acting moment to moment. He doesn't think ahead or plan anything. He's the man you want on hand when shit goes sideways but he's usually the one causing it.
@@thedragonshide7346 Reminder that he also jumped into the Mists to get Sohothin fully by impulsiveness. It's completely in character for Rytlock to free Balthazar because he also believes in himself enough that he always thinks he can solve the problems later.
It took him seeing the commander dying and the ammount of destruction caused by Balthazar to realize that he made a mistake. That Sohothin wasn't worth Balthazar, and he vouched to correct that mistake.
Preach might have seen this as a story bump, but honestly, it's character development, and works even better as Rytlock goes into the Charr Civil War storyline as a bit more mature fighter.
A nice little story for you:
It's a week into the Path of Fire expansion and you have gotten all 4 mounts as advertised, and you believe you have experienced at least all the major points of the expansion, as do all your friends. And then as you are casually exploring the map trying to get that 100% completion you stumble apon a player, riding a mount you have never seen before, not in advertisment nor in rumor. That was me seeing the gryphon for the first time in game, and that experience was PURE MAGIC.
Imagine keeping such a big game feature completely secret.
You're not the only one mate, played in HoTs for a few months, quit until PoF the last patch came around, played a bit from 1-80 enjoying myself, then suddenly out of the blue in the night sky of tyria, what's this? a DRAGON? i was visibly confused sitting there, looking into my screen... what's this? I asked the player, a "skyscale" the man answered. I asked him again, how does one get this? the man told me it took a fair amount of gold and time, but the investment would definitely be worth the wait and currency, so, at that time, i decided for once to go through the entire thing from my newly played big energy necromancer and finish everything PoF related (story wise) and achievements needed for the soaring and roaring skyscale, the entire time a new thing popped up and i was amazed, took me 2 weeks and overall 3-4 days for skyscale alone, what a journey that was, got the beetle and the war mount as well.
It's too bad that with the Roller Beetle, Skyscale, and skiff, it's kind of a weird experience now. "Oh look at that person on the mount I keep seeing in LA, can't wait to get that in the next expac. Time to finish exploring the brandskar"
I remember playing through PoF too and didn't go to online websites and such as I didn't want anything spoiled. Then yeah about a week later I see someone on the gryphon during a casino blitz event and immediately everyone was like "WHAT, HOW? You can get that as a mount??" Blew everyone's minds including me. It was such a well kept hidden secret in the game to the casual player. So many like me didn't even know about it. The guy who was riding was the king of the game for a short while having the mount XD
I remember people were data mining everything from PoF and even they didn’t discover it. At the time their was so many leaks about PoF people were absolutely shocked and impressed the Griffon stayed a secret for as long as it did and it was one of those magical you had to have been there moments to see someone riding one for the first time ever.
I actually had the same experience because I was playing instead of watching content for it. It sure was a great realization for most of us.
I think the only problem with the interaction between Rytlock and Balthazar is that the explanation of it all was far too short to give any real insight to the depth of the events within the mists and with Balthazar. If you ask me, it should have been a playable story arc rather than a 15 second cut-scene. Beyond that, I disagree with a lot of the mentioned issues, but I admit the lack of focus on this part of the story is mostly to blame for them being seen as an issue in the first place.
1. Balthazar didn't ask to be freed, so it wasn't really a "demonic exchange". More of manipulative gamble, if not just the whim of a fallen god who could do nothing else. From their interaction during the main story, I think Balthazar really considered Rytlock a friend, which to me, means he didn't expect to be freed, and was genuinely thankful for it. If it was a deal they made, he would not have felt like he owed him, sparing his life.
2. Remember, he was lost in them mists for MONTHS, with seemingly no way to ever return. Someone helped him escape without asking for anything in return, as far as we know. And given GW2's history of imprisonment of some notably not-bad characters, its tough to assume one thing or another about a man bound up in the mists. The mists are not GW2 Hell. They are far more complex.
3. Sohothin (The sword) was originally Balthazar's sword, so makes sense for him to be the one to fix it.
4. Its very much in a Charr's character to do something questionable if its in the best interest of the Charr. So even if it was an off-screen deal, it makes sense he would accept it, knowing that the sword was required to end the permanent war in Ascalon. As far as Rytlock is concerned, that man just gave his people a second chance to take back their home.
I would love to see a fractal where we help Rytlock during his time in the mists. That way it better fleshes it out.
maybe if Preach played a Charr character, he probably understand the context a bit more
i thought sohothin belonged to one of the ascalonian kings, am i wrong?
edit: read the lore on wiki u right balth gifted it to the ascalonian people
im really glad you enjoyed path of fire! and big thank you for the shout out aswell, i really appreciate :D
This video is worth liking just for the live mount re-enactment segments.
for all of Joko's effect you would have had to have played Guildwars 1... but that's another topic.
Rhytlock's interaction with balthazar is very charr... he was done a favor, so he returned the favor, end of discussion as far as he's concerned. Again, lore thing, Balthazar originally created Sohothin and it's sister sword and gave them to the then king Adelbern and prince Rurik of Ascalon, that's why he could re-ignite it.
until Shadowbringers came out, Path of Fire was my favorite MMO expansion ever.
Joko was a problem that we had created and now we finally got to fix.
praise joko
PoF was when I went from having a decently good time with GW2 to ridiculously invested and its now one of my favorite games
Palawa Joko is the highlight of the expansion because he's a very important returning character from GW1, him being undead & all. Balthazar is very important. To someone who only played GW2, he's just one God among others, which you didn't interact with one bit, but him being there and being the big bad guy has a whole other meaning to people who had previously played GW1. I hope we won't have to wait this long for the next video about GW2 lol, because I'm always looking forward to these. PS: The biggest easter egg of the expansion is him renaming Kamadan, jewel of Istan, which was the most important city of GW1: Nightfall, into Palawadan, jewel of Istan after himself lmao.
Let's not forget Balthazar was equally exhilirating and devastating to see as a villain if you played AoB dervish in GW1. Also, the player base had already renamed Kamadan to Spamadan so many of us didn't care that Joko renamed it after himself.
I hate what Living World did to Palawa. I wanted to see him as a comedic villain who sometimes helps us out because he’s entertained.
which is for me, one of the big mistakes they made in path of fire, and the lead up to it. to much reminiscing of GW1, not enough new world building imo
Ah, the Herald of Balthazar. As a GW1 player this brings back memories. I fought side by side with her for most of my time there, back when she was still human.
Bro, same. My Heart sank a bit when I figured out who "the Herald of Balthazar" was ☹️
Same , heart broken
Season 4 is going to blow your mind. So incredible! Imagine we were grinding artifact power while these guys were playing POF
He's actually finished it. I watched it on Twitch. Minor spoiler for this series but he seemed to really enjoy the story.
Ritlock did not have a choice the sword is the key to stopping the ghosts permanently in his home province of Ascalon that the mad king created (Ascalon Catacombs Dudgeon)
Yes! Just as a clarification, it was King Adelbern of Ascalon who created the ghost problem in Ascalon using Sohothin's twin sword, not King Thorn of Kryta who is often referred to as the the "Mad King"
@@Wolfntee i mean King Adelbern is also really "Mad"
not that wrong but still
I used to be apart of [WING] "Thy Weeping Willow" guild.
Those guys know how to fly, some really impressive stuff.
Glad you're enjoying your journey through GW2. It's nice to see it from a fresh perspective. 🤟
You're gonna love LWS4.
💜💜
Skyscale is the "lazy" option. With a little practice the griffon becomes THE mount (in conjunction with the springer) once you get the S4 masteries.
Learning how to springer launch dismount opens up so many possibilities
@@eredkaiser Springer launch dismount combined with the glider boost is a game changer.
Yeah, the EoD glider boost let's you fly your griffon on a go from anywhere :D even without it, it was still doable, but now it's even better
A "little" practice?
Ideally the two are combined mind you, but aye. I personally like to skyscale go up something high, fly off the top up then swap to griffon.
idk if you want to read comments about the game, but as a very long time player, I think a lot of people forget that mounts are still useful after you get the flying one
- the raptor is the best mount for going fast horizontally with tight controls, it also gets a special ability to pull in enemies, which leads to a quick death for them
- the springer (rabbit) is one that falls off somewhat, however it's always useful because it has the strongest breakbar damage of any mount, if you intend to start a fight with the best CC this is a great choice.
- the skimmer (manta ray) is by far the best option for water, even allowing for underwater speedy travel later, even when you get the skiff it is the fastest on water when boosting (the height boost gives 20 units of speed, and the water slows the deceleration of speed and gives you a higher maximum speed)
in case you're wondering why the boat matters, it still does because while the skimmer is fast, it doesn't do anything else. You can park the boat and stand on it, creating a surface on any water, which is something any mount can struggle with, see a cliff by the water? well a skimmer wont get you up that, but if you park your boat you can use your springer on it and get up it.
and in case you're interested in the other mounts:
- the jackal is the only mount that can go through those portals, and while thats a very niche use, it is important, however it also unlocks the ability to give barrier to people when you dismount, which is actually incredibly useful if you want to start the fight tanky or if you want to give some fast damage mitigation to allies you're joining.
- the griffon is by far the fastest in open skies, it has incredible speed that matches the roller beetle, but in the freedom of the air, it's also the easier flying mount option and the one thats more limited but more fun. You can get soaring heights and blazing speeds from it with skill.
- the roller beetle (LWS4 Episode 3) is a racer's best friend, it gets incredible ground speed and allows you to do drifting, roller beetle races are some of the most fun, and in terms of gameplay, if you're ever in a big open field and need to get to the other side quick, this is your friend too.
- the warclaw is a wvw (pvp) obtainable mount, and is the only mount you can use in pvp, that said, it's obviously not very good and only serves as a slight boost in speed with some evasion and some opening damage from their claws (which deal more damage to downed players) it also allows you to shrug off some initial damage as your mount will take it instead. However if you choose to use it in pve, it was a tanky option before they introduced the siege turtle, it had the most health and armour and could survive through a lot, although it couldnt move fast or do much special.
- the skyscale (dragon) (LWS4 all chapters) this is the famed mount, the mount you'll see everyone trying to go for, and for good reason. it takes a ton of effort to get, and you actually raise your skyscale from an egg to get it. and what you get in return, is a flying mount that has a ton of control. What it lacks in speed it makes up for in the fact that it has the ability to float in mid air and move exactly where you want to go, it's like comparing the raptor to the roller beetle for the flying mounts, except thats much more important in the air. It also combines the height you gain from the springer, allowing it to climb higher than a griffon could glide (normally)
it is the pickup truck of the game, it's not that fast, but it can do everything pretty well and reliably, it's not meant to be a replacement for everything else, but it can be if you're lazy. (which is why most players, myself included, default to this mount for traversal until another mount is needed)
and then theres the turtle from EOD
theres not much to say about it, it's a 2 seated tank, it boasts the highest health and survivability of any mount, it can shoot cannons and stomp enemies without the need to dismount, and it can drift babyyyyyyy. It's the only true combat mount, and it's also the only mount you can take your lazy friend places with.
I love guild wars 2 and its mount system, and I hope that you can get as much enjoyment from them as I did. great video. :)
Needs a slight update in view of the next expansion, but otherwise great summary.
The springer also has the fastest stamina regen of all mounts. And since all mounts share the same stamina, you can swap to the springer when you're out of stamina to recharge stamina, and then swap to your usual mount again!
@@euclxd8033 I use that all the time for races
You definitely can use the Skyscale for most things if you want to, but the other mounts are still better in different situations so most of them do still get used regularly if not quite as much as prior to Skyscale. I think the only mount that the Skyscale really diminishes is the Springer, but I still bring it out for when I know I know there's going to be a boss with a defiance bar.
Springer also has the fastest stamina regen of all mounts, so it's often worth swapping to in races then swapping back.
gw this gw that, there's a lot to say ( and as people have pointed out, PoF plays HEAVILY on GW1 nostalgia. The Herald of Balthazar is a corrupted companion from gw1- the corpse that still talks where the griffons are, is someone akin to Kas or Jory in GW1, Koss as well etc) BUT I just mainly wanna commend the dedication to the costumes and playing out that Rytlock Balthazar Scene- now I want a full Gw2 history play where you play all the roles. ( Also wild that you didn't mention Balthazar actually kills you :D I remember the impact of that after launch)
Kudos to you though for finding the griff the hard way. The achievement system in GW2 is amazing, and you will feel it with the skyscale since you will probably complete your first legendary during that grind
Skyscale is free in the next expansion
@@moiseszermeno3539 You still get bonus' if you complete the regular Skyscale grind so its still worth doing if you want everything, but yes base skyscale will be free which is cool.
The grind was pretty bad. a part of me kinda disproves of it just being given as it was probably the longest mount grind. But, egh let them enjoy it
@@SatanicDemiGod The skyscale collections are absolutely horrible. I am jealous of the people who can skip it, but ultimately, the collections shouldn't have been as a bad and badly designed as they are, so if they remove it, at least the future generations will be spared the pain of having to do that garbage.
did i do something wrong, i grinded this shit but i didnt complete any leggs :D ? any clues ?
Next expansion just announced with zones DESIGNED for Skyscale and Griffon!
Final Fantasy 14 is my main game but I swap back to GW2 from time to time because of how great the mount system is! Each mount has their purpose and individuality. Because those things, I very much enjoy the exploration in GW2.
A real shame that only BDO has mounts that feel good. Dragonflight just copied the gryphon, so obviously that one's great, but as someone who has played most mmos for the past 10 years +, only GW2 made them stand out so damn well and BDO managed to make standard horses feel realistic, like they have a weight to them.
GW2 mounts have a unique feeling and purpose
and yeah you are right
BDO legit the only game where a horse doesnt feel like a boring mount
(not even talking about T9 and T10, because those are cool anyway)
Man those costumes were on point, 10/10
The thing with the Skyscale is, while it is the EASIEST mount to get around with, it's not the FASTEST. The Griffin and Roller Beetle will always be faster ways to get around if you know how to use them.
So, in my experience the only mount the skyscale overshadows is the springer. Although the springer does have it's uses when you are about to fight a boss that you know starts with a defiance bar. But other than springer it doesn't overshadow any other mount. They're all used and have niches where one is better than the rest. If you're following an escort, you can use any mount but raptor is better to round enemy packs up. If you're going uphill then jackal is best as it has no elevation penalties. If you need to climb high in the sky or hover over an area to stay out of aggro, then skyscale is best. If you need to fly fast, then use skyscale or springer to get up high and then swap to griffon. If you need to go fast on a flat or downhill terrain, then beetle but also griffon if you're good. if you need to go fast under or over water, then skimmer. And turtle...I guess is good for destroying objectives and breakbars...also noob taxi and it's also underwater but slow af (In the next expansion however, it seems we'll only be using skyscale and griffon in the new sky zones with the new masteries)
I recently started playing thanks to you and josh strife hayes and yes the mount system in this game is by far the best in any game. Not only are the mounts unique traits amazingly useful but the animations DESTROY any other game, they move and act in a realistic manner as opposed to just standing there, idling the same idle every 10 seconds and all move basically how the player does. Like how after a long leap the raptor bounces a little side to side to get back on track. The jackal is the best ground mount BTW!
Now the skyscale.....everyone in my guild kept saying they hated the grind and that it was god awful, but I not only loved the questline/grind but feel like I earned my sweet beautiful girl (everyone else calls her ugly but they are wrong!). You seriously raise her from an egg and have to take care of her as well as play with her. It is by far a questline that will actually stick with me unlike most games.
Oh, in case new players did not know you can dye your mounts just like your armor in the same menu screen.
@1:11 - The verticality of Heart of Thorns maps was super fun when it first came out . One zone had issues with pathing / finding, but I otherwise really loved that in Heart of Thorns. If you didn't like it maybe its just not for you - even when it was new to everyone the community really enjoyed it. The mount grind in Path of Fire was so dull I havent gone back to GW2 since.
There’s no mount “grind” except for Skyscale.
@@Riomasa At launch the 250g to acquire the mount was a steep purchase, and it took forever to go through the steps to get it. Seems like gold comes by easier nowadays, and Preach seemed to just stumble upon it so idk if they just made it easier to get now.
Best intro you've ever done
And anytime I make a new character, it's to play PoF again
For reference: Palawa joko has been a notable figure in GW as he appeared as a part villain part supporting character in GW1 Nightfall.
Despite all his evil deeds and notoriety, your character frees him from his shackles to help you cross the desolation while chasing an even bigger threat.
This resulted in Elona falling to his might after the events of GW1. And as such, throughout the vast majority of GW2's lifespan, a large part of the player base have been excited to see what happened and what Joko did.
One thing about the Herald of Balthazar: she actually serves her story purpose for GW1 veterans, because you find out through various lore drops that she’s a reanimated warrior hero from GW1 named Devona (who, like all warriors in GW1, worshipped Balthazar). Seeing her murder civilians in his name was the perfect introduction to how this formerly “good” god has gone completely psychotic.
Random nonspoiler funfact about the skyscale unlock: If you print out the wiki page for the skyscale unlock guide, it's 12 pages long.
I LOVE the costumes!!
As a long time player of 6 years I'd like to chime in and say that YES, Skyscale is awesome, and it will become your most used mount, it does not Negate or Invalidate your need for the others. I still often choose the speed of the Griffin or the Raptor, or especially the Beetle, over the Skyscale. There are still situations where all are still the most convenient. Except Warclaw. That kinda blows in PVE, but it isn't meant for PVE, it's a WvW mount.
What an intro. Loved that you're having fun with the game AND the content creation!
you not only get a „new perspective“ when getting a new mount but also when swaping classes - especially in raids and so on
I'm so glad you are doing this. I brings me so much more joy playing this game because I get to watch your journey. A new player such as yourself experiencing all this for the first time is fun to watch. Can't wait for LS4 and hopefully all of the new expansions. Thank you so much for the great videos.
Hey Preach, it's awesome to see you so excited about the game!
Regarding your concern about the Skyscale, here is as I experienced it:
At first, it was ridiculously powerful compared to everything else. It could fly, and at short distances at least, it felt unmatched. It was so bad actually, that it made me pause GW2 entirely, for maybe two years - but a large part of that was the long grind. It made me burn out on GW2, and I needed a long time to develop any interest again.
The next time I came back, I basically mostly defaulted to the Skyscale. And on some level that makes sense - you can very much break maps with it. HoT verticality? Doesn't fucking matter. Well, except for Tangled Depths of course. That's as cursed as always. Anyway. I played a bit, got bored again, left for a while.
But the next time I came back, I had fresh interest in the other mounts. And that's when I realized that, as always, the fastest way to travel, is to switch between mounts. The Skyscale is powerful, but slow. The Griffon is the fastest mount, and the Beetle is about a match for it. You use either of the two for long distances depending on your starting position. If you can get a long dive, Griffon is it. If not? Beetle. Or maybe you just enjoy drifting more than jetting. Anyhow, that's still only a few use cases. You still use the Jackal for portals and to cheese some mechanics with its combat engage. The barrier it gives? Fucking OP. The Raptor? It's just REALLY dependable. It's faster than the Skyscale inside jump distances and feels more nimble. And the Springer is still going to outjump the verticality of the Skyscale.
In fact, the Skyscale is only powerful as long as you can spam stamina recovery. So, a few seconds every minute? Outside of that? Keep switching, keep hopping. You'll be faster, smoother, and enjoy GW2 travel far more.
Other comments have elaborated it well, but yeah, the Rytlock thing was not as out there as it might seem from an uninformed perspective
Aye its an unfortunate case of if you know gw1 / more indepth lore (like the mists just being an afterlife) and just how long rytlocks been there its understandable. (Hell Revenants and the mists help with that too) Main issue is just the game doesnt do a great job of explaining.
I have not played GW2 since 2018, but I am very happy to see it getting positive press, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. It is a great game and very underrated. I only left because, after 6 years, I had done most of what I wanted to do and the pace of content releases (at that point) just wasn't enough to keep me engaged, but it had already given me many, many hours of enjoyment..
Getting the mounts in GW2 has been some of the most rewarding mounts I've gotten in a game. Especially the gryphon and skyscale. It really makes you feel attached to them.
Awesome. Loved the PoF streams and glad you enjoyed it.
The tail whip at the end was pure childhood nerd immersion 😂
The advantages you find with the griffon and sky scale is that they also have their separate uses in the skies...griffon is more about faster flight and distance travel while the sky scale is more about vertical flight and cliff scaling..
Joko was a big deal because he was a returning character from the original Guild Wars game. I never played it myself, so I had much the same experience as to why this guy was so popular, but I'm a lore nerd so I went to reading about him and the original run of the franchise as well as watching another youtuber by the name of WoodenPotatoes and his original playthrough of the first Guild Wars game. Joko's history is fascinating and reads like a typical conqueror in real world history. The writers did a fabulous job at it, even peppering the hints throughout various maps as well. But there's also a fractal that allows you to live as some of the forces trying to take over Elona back in the day.
So, if you haven't yet, give the fractal a try. It's pretty interesting.
The herald of balthazar is really interesting not because of PoF but because of who she is in gw1. She is Devona who was a warrior in gw1 who helps save tyria and a guide for the player character. Becomes more impactful when she is effectively trying to destroy what she saved against her will by commiting herself to her god
I'd say the Skyscale is a "jack of all trades, master of none" kinda mount. It can probably get you anywhere you can get with any other mount all on its own but it's not tremendously fast so for fast flying you'd still rather use the Griffon, for fast horizontal movement on land you'd rather use the Raptor or Roller Beetle etc.
Man, i cant wait for this to progress. Some of the story beats later on are just great. Some of the most emotion in a game I have played.
As a GW2 vet, I can partially dispell your fear about the Skyscale. While it will become the mount you use most of the time, all mounts retain their value. Raptor is still great for covering short distances quickly, Jackal is still required for portals (less relevant outside of PoF), Skimmer is the go to water mount, especially for underwater, Griffon is awesome if you're already high up and lets you zoom across an entire map in seconds. The Springer is the only mount that suffers from the Skyscales existence. There aren't many vertical places the Skyscale can't go and it's usually quicker to use.
The little interaction where he’s talking about skiffs and not knowing when he’ll get one around 4:10, and the background footage is him going “boat bro” to someone on a skiff, and they just reply “pleb” 😂😭
PRAISE JOKO
Gw2 gameplay is a masterclass in game design.
To be fair, Rytlock NEEDS Sohothin. It's one of the keys to banishing the Ascalonian ghosts the charr are locked in forever war with.
It's not stated outright, but the lore reveals that the villain Herald of Balthazar is actually one of the main protagonists from Guild Wars 1.
Loving your journey since it gives memories of mine. If your team hasn't seen it yet start charging quartz crystals for skyscale that is the biggest time gate iirc. If it helps I was in Icebrood when I finally got my mount. PS. You have a hefty pair to pull off that bunny suit
Mike has to do the Skyscale collection before new xpac releases and trivializes it xD
You could even say the skimmer allows you to ... skim the water :D
The sword Rytlock took was a GW1 relick that the charr and Ascalonians fought over for a long time, and was involved the the Ebonhawke treaty between humans and charr. It's a powerful sword that charr have wanted for a long time, so I see why Rytlock wanted that sword. It was a blind decision, and it makes sense.
Preach is now on GW2! Back when I was still playing WoW on private servers, preach's class guide was my go to guide. Not only he covered the basics, he also includes a playthrough of a dungeon with commentaries and actually showing what he teaches in his guide. I hope uou bring that level of commitment and diligence in this game.
still loving this series! Glad you are enjoying your journey through all these MMOs and taking us along with you
You are actually missing so many things since you didn't play GW1.
P.S. it would take way too long for you to go though GW, Factions, Nightfall and Eye of the North, but there are going to be so many things that just go over your head in Icebrood and especially End of Dragons, if you don't.
An example(spoiler): Jokko to me was a problem that I had created (in1) and now I was finally getting to fix.
I quit midway through the second campaign. That game was unbearable having to replay 30+ minutes in each mission because if one thing goes wrong you lose everything
@@tranquilitydove1155 yeah, it would take too long, and preach would probably say the quirks the game has are "well shit"
The final mount reenactment outtake has the same energy as finding the hidden mount lmao 😂
PoF is very huge. The mounts and mastery system works perfect. They link and progress so nice, as well as to the map and lorewise. It was so satisfying, that I had problem later in icebrood saga and EoD, lol.
I really appreciate the lengths you go to for the content. The goofs with all the mount costumes were just perfection.
Glad enjoyed PoF, but I am super excited to the video after he completes LS4, imho LS4 is the best content of GW2.
Also curious to see what happens when he goes to tackle the Skyscale quest.....
Just wanna say, I genuinely loved the mount intro bit!
Keep these videos coming. Not only I'm loving the silly skits and the content from a game I started dabbling on, but the absolute nerds from GW are dropping some awesome lore I wouldn't ever know.
Honestly I'm here just for the bloopers nowadays, love you Chris ❤
If you're not in a hurry it's easy enough to sit on your Skyscale 80% of the time. But there are a lot of places that you can get to faster if you use all the mounts. Personally I don't feel the Skyscale had any negative impact on my enjoyment or use of the other mounts.
Also (and I think I've made this same comment on every video in the GW2 series) I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU PLAY LWS4! It is going to blow your mind.
That intro is an insta win to me!
Great intro lol
To be fair, Joko is from Guild Wars 1 I believe so I don't think it's related to the Monkey Island game. I think it is just a throwback to the first GW. I'm not sure if the "Praise Joko's" started because of GW1, Heart of Thorns, the GW2 Halloween event, or a mix of the 3? And I do enjoy the GW2 Halloween event far more than the WoW one.
First Monkey Island game came out in 1990 ...
@@FlowerBot That doesn't mean Joko is inspired by the Monkey Island game. Maybe they were inspired by Monty Python? Or Monkey Island was? This silly archetype isn't exactly unique in gaming or media.
I’ve been playing for almost 10 years and was extremely skeptical about the mounts when they were announced. I loved land traversal and using abilities to get me around and seeing people on foot. But GW2 did it in the most different and true to itself way of being like nothing else. Instant mounting and mount abilities really enhanced the game, I love that mounts have map interactions and add to the game instead of take away from it like I thought they would.
They really are the crown jewel of the game in my eyes, the team did a phenomenal job of implementing them
So IDK if anyone else has commented this, but the Herald of Balthazar is more relevant to people who have played GW1, because she’s actually the soul of one of your allies from that game, a warrior named Devonna. And she was by your side for at least half of the game, depending on how you played. There are burned letters scattered about the “Night of Fires” instance that, along with her dialogue and weapon choice, are meant to help the OG players piece together her identity.
The Skyscale is good for vertical mobility, but it’s pretty slow on land and looses altitude the further you go horizontally. There are definitely situations where the other mounts are a better solution than the Skyscale.
Regarding the mounts, i've said this for YEARS, no game, NO GAME can compare to GW2 mount system, the mounts are well done it's unbelivable that something like WoWs feels outdated as hell, even with the new mounts they still feel lack luster compared too, i've said this games mounts is the king when it comes to that, to every streamer, every friend, every hater tryna say otherwise, literally the only quote "just, try it, try the game, try the mounts and then u decide" no kidding that so many people come back and say something like "oh my godness" or "damn, they're so well done"... GW2's got it's flaws, but when it comes to their mounts it's the king, no one comes close.
Playing since launch, running around on my slow little feet and fine with it. The devs had stated mounts would never be in the game. But then they were, and the first time I sat on a raptor entering the first part of PoF, I was absolutely giddy and in love. Because of the weight effect, I drove like a drunk for a while.
The Rytlock fetching his sword bit echoes the Thanks Kormir cartoon almost to a tee.
Glad you're having such a blast with the game! My own experience has been a little different though. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but personally I detest the mount system. For a number of reasons.
#1. I don't like needing masteries just to make them be fully effective instead of just the welfare version. If you're going to give me the mount, then give me all of the mount, not half of it and then make me work to get it to fully do what it's suppose to (on top of having to work to get it in the first place). Also, I already have a talent tree for myself to manage, don't make me manage one for my mount too.
#2. You need specific mounts to get mounts. No, I'm not advocating for an npc just standing outside lions arch handing out mounts to people. However, making you NEED the raptor AND with specific masteries, to get the Springer, and then the Springer with specific masteries to get the skimmer, and then the skimmer with specific masteries to get the jackal (so I've been told anyway) is a pain in the ass. Yes, I do like that it means that.. for at least a little while all your mounts are getting used. You aren't just using 1 mount forever (which honestly shouldn't be a problem, people play what they like as far as classes, or character gender, why is it an issue if we have one mount we like and stick with it?)
#3. As much as I hate to disagree with you Preach, you really can't "hotswap" between mounts like you mentioned. Which is another pain point. Sure, they don't have long cast times like in other games no...
But, heres the thing. GW2 uses a 1 action bar setup that they haven't changed since 2004. So you can't really customize your bars like in FF14 and put your mounts on their own individual tiles. So.. any time you want to switch from your raptor to your springer (as an example) you have to click the button, scroll through the drop down menu clicking the down arrows, click the mount you want to use (springer in this case) which places it on your bar. THEN you have to click it again to use the over grown rodent. That takes just as long as a cast time for mounts on separate button tiles.
That's tedious enough as it is, now if you're having to swap in quick succession for something like you said? (raptor to jump across, springer to jump up, skimmer to slowfall down and glide over something, back to raptor or springer etc).. you're taking a pain in the ass process and forcing the player to do it repeatedly in succession.
I find WoW or FF14 or.. any other game out there more user friendly with not only getting the mounts, but also having them FULLY useful from day 1, and being able to swap between them.
To me, it's one more thing that GW2 is stuck in the archaic stage for, and it's frustrating enough that I can't play for more than an hour or two tops, maybe once a month before I forget I even have the game for several weeks again.
All that said, I am very glad you were able to find your happy place in the game and get over all those hurdles that frustrated you so much in the beginning :D
"Literally WoW"-preach
I see wht you did there... 😮
I LOVE the fact that you went the extra mile with all the silly mount costumes, goofing around on a field somewhere. Great review!
The good thing with the skyscale is that it doesnt really replace any of the mounts but the springer (but even that still has its use for energy regen). The raptor is still faster in mostly flat terrain with some bumps, the jackal can still do the portals, the scimmer can go underwater and the griffon is WAY faster and more fun to use. I think they struck a great balance with the mounts.
Imo the skyscale does invalidate some of the mounts especially the springer. It felt better before it since griffon was good but still required use of your other mounts. Personally wish they never added it since its usefulness outshines all the others. Griffon got demoted to a "for fun" mount.
Griffon is still very usefull, certainly in combo with skyscale. Doing jaderunestone farm for example would be a nightmare on skyscale alone, but with griffon it gets easy because it keeps height better :D and the speed makes it so that you can get to places way more fast. (With skyscale you can start griffon from flat ground, so after you are out of dodging with skyacale and it becomes slow, you can switch to griffon)
bunny however... im sad bunny is basically useless now outside of cc skill. And also things like raptor and jackal dont get used as much(they are still a bit faster than skyscale though but not super much, and raptors engage skill is luckily really good)
For me, i mainly use skyscale x griffon and beetle now, the others sadly dont really get to shine as much anymore
thank you very much for making a longer video. i enjoyed your review alot and looking forward for the next ones!
I totally agree with you on Heart of Thorn. I absolutely despise the verticality of that zone.
PRAISE PALAWA JOKO THE PRIMEVAL KING! (Literally partner up with this character in Guild Wars 1)
One thing that i loved especially about PoF is the soundtrack. It's so on point and immersive.
The best part about "the Herald of Balthazar" is that she used to be one of the main if not the main chatacter in Guild Wars 1. Devona, an NPC henchman you can recruit to fight with you in all main GW1 campaigns.
I'm like you, late to the game and playing catch up. Glad to find videos showing me the excitement and info whilst I'm actually doing it myself. Haven't even stuck my head in dungeons yet though
Some surprisingly high level blue screen work in this video or more likely the software has gotten a lot better in the last few years. thanks foe the video.
I have all the mounts and although I do primarily use the Skyscale for most things, I still use all the other mounts for their intended functions, especially their special abilities. Getting Skyscale didn't destroy it for me at all.
Same! ☺️
I even prefer gryphon to skyscale (but still use it much less since it is so much more niche).
Yeah, I think a lot of people use the Skyscale because they want to shut off their brains while getting places, but intelligently hotkeying the other mounts usually gets you to places more quickly. Also, the verticality of the springer just remains unmachted unless you're VERY patient.
SLOWLY HE IS ADAPTING TO THE GW2 STYLE. FIRE EDITS 🔥🔥🔥
Skimmer also has a race in Lion’s Arch. It helps you use the mount as an UNDERWATER mount. It is freaking amazing once you fully unlock its masteries.
You'll notice a lot of maps now designed with mounts in mind.. And honestly events that you need to move around lots, a mount is needed. BUT most events you're not running around, aside from the map metas.. Weirdly enough I found that mounts made me use teleporting far less, since I can just mount my skyscale and fly a little, for once mounts made me explore an mmorpg world more. Just got back into the game and preparing for the new expan.. Wasn't a huge fan of EoD but exploring it a little now!
happy to see you are trying this expansion out, i really love this expansion
Yoooooo Willows a queen she’s so great!!!! She helped out with my understanding of the griffin too!
💜💜
Such an amazing video. I really love this series and hope to see more videos on every feature of Guild Wars 2 :D
Mouts movement gets soooooo much better with the IBS mastery as well, with Bond of vigor and what not, really weave in nicely!
Season 4 is still my favorite story, can't wait for your opinion on that!
The intro alone is worth a lot and i hope you're aware!
Best thing about this video is the costumes. Good job preach.
I can't wait for you to get to the living world stuff for PAth Of Fire. They are my favorite moments in the entire game. so good.
31:35 It to a slight degree does, probably mostly in regards to the springer and jackal, but all the others I still see as very useful in some situations. Skyscale is not replacing all of them to get somewhere (faster) at the very least...
here for preach's gw2 content, preach you end up only using 3 mounts unfortunatly. skyscale for going up gryphon going down and roller beatle for level terrain.
People use springers to break defiance bars! And with a mastery the skimmer is invincible while hovering dodging everything fired at it, and it goes underwater.
gw2 is unfortunately one of those games that really hits my "spend every dime" instinct (lootboxes on lootboxes) but ill always treasure the time i spent in the game. i played gw1 for years and eagerly awaited the sequel; i quit playing for good in 2018, but im so glad youre enjoying it because there's a lot to love