GW2 Community Creators Spotlight - Dragon Season's Tilion and Criina

Q: What do you do in the Guild Wars community and where can everyone find you?

Tilion: To be honest I'm not that good at talking about myself. Let's see... I guess I like bringing people closer and making them happy. The community of Guild Wars has given me the opportunity to make that a reality. It's been so nice all these years coexisting with such a kind and helpful bunch that aims to drive the MMO genre forward.

People can find me either working on DragonSeason.com or mumbling over @DragonSeasonCom on twitter.

Criina: Right now I am an active writer for a Guild Wars website called Dragon Season. I am also an officer for Love And War [LAW] on Blackgate where I help to try and unify the game community with public events like the quaggan parade back on May 25th. In general though, I’m usually farming Cursed Shore or PvPing with my close guild friends. I like to think that I do pretty much everything. Guild missions, WvW, PvP. I enjoy the game but most importantly, I enjoy my friends there. They make it worth playing.

Tracking me down, honestly the fastest way is probably my Twitter @criinamancer where you’ll see just random junk blabbed about. However you can find me on Dragon Season, my guild’s website, and my email mesmerbutterflies@gmail.com. I would tell you my YouTube and website, buuut I haven’t set them up yet aha.

Q: Did you hear of/play GW1 and what was your experiences/ your impressions? What is your earliest memory if so?

Tilion: I sadly started getting involved with the first game of the franchise at its dusk. Guild Wars 2 had already been announced and that's what attracted my attention. Heard from somewhere that there was a way to earn some rewards in the sequel by completing various tasks in its predecessor, so I decided to give that a try.

Overall it left me with nothing but good impressions. It marked a turning point in my life where I started considering game development as something more than a simple way of entertainment. I made some good friends that made me realize how important it is to have people that care about you.

So, yeah... That's what Guild Wars has been for me. Basically my first interaction with a well-organized and highly civilized online community.

Q: Did you/are you playing other MMO's? What attracted you to them?

Tilion: I did try some other MMOs in the past and I can tell you what didn't attract me to them. MMOs are not typical video games. For many people they offer an alternate reality, a world where they can leave behind all troubles of everyday life and embrace some peaceful moments spent among people of the same interests. Take that away by putting a subscription fee on top of the package, establish a relationship built on addiction and you've got nothing.

ArenaNet broke those standards for me and that's one of the reasons I'm here today.

Criina: I started playing Guild Wars 2 in December 2012 because there was that lul in WoW content where I had NOTHING to do and it was Christmas time so I just bought it because I could. I did have to take a break like 3 months after I had started playing due to health troubles and I actually just came not recently. I actually wasn’t a very involved player until I came back. I was very fortunate to have found [LAW] before taking a break and my friend and fellow officer Toff made it very easy for me to come back.

Q: When did you start playing GW2 and what got you involved in the game itself?

Tilion: It was a friend, darn him. Haha, I'm kidding. I couldn't be more thankful to be honest. I can't imagine my life going down a different route

I've been around since day one and even before that during the betas. It's been a hell of a ride.

What got me interested was the way GW2 was developed. Its orientation, the fact that it was promoted as having its focus on the players. ArenaNet could be a subject of study if you ask me. A huge school where we've all learned from both the achievements and the flaws.

Q: What have you enjoyed about GW2 and what has kept you playing?

Tilion: Most of all I think I've enjoyed the world itself, the lore, the setting and how everything used to evolve with the constant flow of updates. I've really appreciated the interaction not only between the members of the community but also from the creators themselves.

These days, while waiting for the arrival of the game's first expansion I find myself PvPing a lot. I like it cause it's fun and really fast-paced. The real reason I'm still around though is because my friends are here and they mean everything to me.

Criina: Seriously have enjoyed pretty much everything in the game. Except the awful process of leveling your crafting. And you know, not being that lucky little ba-- I mean person to have gotten a precursor to drop

Q: What has been your favourite memory of GW2?

Tilion: Every time I'm asked this question my mind always goes back to the very first fews weeks after the game's launch. Those really were the most fun. No one cared about being optimal or truly achieving something. We all had a vast world in front of us waiting to be explored.

I remember doing this particular event with a friend somewhere in Wayfarer Foothills that had accidentally overscaled so much that had us go against a horde of rampaging bears. Of course, us being underleveled and gearless didn't help the situation at all. We kept running around a massive Norn table in the interior of a lodge trying to avoid these honeysuckers from getting their claws on us. Oh man... I live for such moments.

Criina: I think forever that it will be the quaggan parade. There really aren’t enough words for me to describe it. I’ll just direct you to my very first Dragon Season article for details about that historical event.

Q: How do you feel about the upcoming expansion HoT?

Tilion: I love it! I really like what they've announced so far. It looks forward while taking under consideration what has been proven to be successful in the past.

Could they bring more with it? I'm definitely certain about this. They've done lots of mistakes in the past that cost them both time and held them back from planning ahead. It's a good step though towards an even greater future for Guild Wars 2.

Criina: I’m extremely excited because it’s more amazing content, music, art, lore, just everything! I’m also extremely curious if any of my theories are going to follow through concerning Modremoth, other select Elder Dragons, and the Sylvari (specifically the Nightmare Court).

Q: What class do you main/ What is your least liked class and why?

Tilion: I usually say I main a Warrior but that’s totally not the case. I mean I do, but I think that the class that I enjoy the most is the Engineer. Engis can literally do everything. They can cover every role in the game and they require a certain amount of skillfulness to actually have an impact on the battlefield. Moreover, all those gadgets they carry along make you feel like Batman. Who could counter such an argument?

The professions I don’t like that much are, the Ele and the Thief. That’s probably because they are too squishy for my standards. Even though I have a level 80 of each, I just can’t get used to their playstyle.

Criina: I main Mesmer! Always have and always will! I cannot stand necromancers. Yes I have played one before someone jumps the gun. I just find them SO boring.

Q: What is your preferred game mode/Have you been drawn to any other modes?

Tilion: PvE and PvP I’d say. I’m not that much attracted to WvW cause I always imagined it to play out a little different prior to the game’s launch. Thought that staying away from the main zerg, helping out your own way, would be rewarding. I’m still waiting for this game mode to be a little bit spiced up till I can dedicate a part of my playtime to it.

Criina: I’m guessing you mean PvE or PvP? Aha, well I’ve always had a balance of both going no matter what game really. I do get in moods where I will do one more over the other though.

Q: What has drawn you to your game mode of choice?

Tilion: I play in PvE to track down rewards and achievements and advance the story whenever there’s more added to it. Would surely like to see some challenging content showing up there because sometimes what truly matters is the moments, stories that are left behind to be told and brag about.

PvP on the other hand offers exactly that. Even when you play Conquest for years, with the same rotation of maps, every single match will be a different experience to you. You will have fun because in most of the cases your opponent will be unpredictable, demanding from you to adapt to their playstyle if you want to get any better.

Q: Has it changed since you started playing? If so, how?

Tilion: We saw the introduction of the Living World concept at some point in the past so no one can deny that there have been additions. ArenaNet experimented for years with some ideas that will hopefully help its designers while planning ahead.

When it comes to PvP, the most noteworthy improvement in my opinion is the introduction of Reward Tracks. Those provided me with an incentive to spend more in this game mode and actually fall in love with it.

Criina: Aside from balancing things and metas (that I refuse to touch), not really. I’ve changed builds a lot if anything. Just testing out my own custom stuff.

Q: Do you have a favourite memory of this game mode?

Tilion: I’ll tell you about my favourite moments in PvP. Those games when both teams are almost equal and the score remains close till the very end? Man, those are the best. This has happened to me quite a few times and it’s one of the reasons I keep doing PvP. It’s that thrill and passion that derives from the players that has you coming back for more and more.

Q: How important is this game mode to the overall game? Do you think GW2 could be as successful without it?

Tilion: Guild Wars 2 can be successful without all but three things in my opinion: Its buy to play model, its combat system and the artistic value that it brings along. Every other feature that it offers can be expendable at the time being until their time comes to shine. That is, until they go a step further from the competition and show something that’s truly unique in their field.
Q: What is your opinion on the lore of the game?

Tilion: The world of Guild Wars 2 is quite immersive. There’s so much detail into the races and their cultures, the hierarchies and the overall movement of the world. The writers have even come up with different alphabets to support that impressive level of world building.

Additionally, the characters are formed in a way that stand out for themselves. People recognize them and even care about them and their future. That’s always something nice to see in a video game.

Criina: I think the lore of this game is very extensive! Of course there are somethings we don’t know like where the Forgotten are/went, the true name of the deep sea elder dragon who we’ve been calling Bubbles for years, the wizard tower/castle in the sky! There are mysteries that leave me wondering. I’m always looking forward to hearing new lore, honestly. Not that I’ve completely looked over everything already, I’m taking my time with reading over everything, but new is always good!

Q: Is there a place, theme or person you would want new content to include?

Tilion: May I say everything Guild Wars 1? Seriously, there were so many interesting storylines and characters in the first game that I find it to be a bit disappointing that there’s so few tie-ins to them in the sequel. I’m quite glad of course that they realized that during Living World Season 2 and worked towards improving those connections. Still, I’d like to see even more hints like them getting dropped here and there when possible.

Criina: I seriously hope the Nightmare Court/Faolain. I have my own speculation about them in particular.

Q: What do you speculate as the next possible race?

Tilion: Oh Gosh. I’d love for it to be the Hylek but I seriously doubt it. I find frogs to be too cute. Talking frogpeople? Well, when I first realized those exist in the Guild Wars universe I was squeeing! They remind me of some fairy tales I used to read as a kid that had to do with a village of talking animals hidden deep within a forest.

I doubt they will ever turn the Hylek into a playable race ever though, cause most people do not share the same affection towards them as I do. Come on guys, froggies deserve some love!

Criina: Truth be told, I’ve never put thought into it. Reason for this is generally because there is either nothing in current game that I can see becoming a legit playable race and second is usually when a new playable is released, it’s generally something people have never seen before.

Q: What crafting discipline did you level up first and why?

Tilion: For no particular reason I think it was Chef. Ok, I lied. I may have a thing for good food.

Criina: I leveled Tailoring first because for one, I’m a Mesmer so I could make ascended gear for myself. The latter is because I was crafting Mawdrey and I needed Bloodstone Bricks and materials like that that you couldn’t buy.

Q: What is your favourite PvE content [Jumping Puzzles, Guild Missions, World Bosses, dungeons etc] and why?

Tilion: I’ll go with dungeons. Even at their current state where they have seen so few updates since launch, I have a good time going through them with a group of friends. I believe that ArenaNet should get back to this type of gameplay and offer more options to those that enjoy instanced group content.

Criina: I don’t think I have a favourite really, but if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be guild missions.

Q: Do you play Dungeons, if so, which one is your favourite and what do you think about the Dungeon clearing meta?

Tilion: My favourite dungeons are those that require some kind of tactic. Take Fractal of the Mists for example or the Twilight Aetherpath. Wish more followed their standards.

As for the speedrunning meta, I don’t really mind it to be honest. It will always be there no matter how content is designed. I don’t strictly follow it myself but I won’t badmouth those that do so either. Seemingly, I expect the same treatment from their side as well.

Q: Do you do Guild Missions, if so, which one is your favourite and why?

Tilion: Yes, we do run Guild Missions every week with our guild. They basically act as the time for us to come together and do something together. I think that’s why we mostly enjoy them.

Our favourite has to be the bounty of ‘Trilia Midwell’ I think, as we are asked to bring her in every single week. It’s more of an urban legend we have come up with rather than a mere coincidence.

Criina: I do in fact. I prefer the bounty just because it’s the simplest.

Q: What do you think of the current Meta, do you think this will change?

Criina: I am one of those people who say “forget the meta and play what you want”. You can in fact make this awesome kick ass build that no one else has, it pulls the same or even more damage than what is claimed to be “meta”, and so on. I hate that people all attune to the cookie-cutter builds 99% of the time. I actually have made several of my own builds and they perform at the same efficiency or better than the supposed meta. As far as metas changing, it will be an ever changing thing just due to balancing and ability changes.

Q: What is your favourite WvW map and why?

Criina: Man I love TCBL. I like how it’s laid out, honestly.

Q: What build do you use and could you tell me why you enjoy it so much?

Criina: My build is a custom build that I like to call Glamourous Power. I enjoy it a lot because it’s a mixed set of raw power and utility glamour skills that is extremely annoying for opposing players to deal with. Blinds, confusions, stuns, all that fun to not only slow them down, but to help keep my group alive.

Q: Do you do a lot of theory-crafting, if so, how has this affected the way you play?

Criina: My theorycrafting started in WoW as a competitive raider. It’s somehow transferred over to most of the MMO’s I play ha ha. I don’t currently do as much as I did then in WoW, but I can promise you that it’ll boost 110% when thinking of my builds for HoT. I’ve in fact had my general build semi put together for months now. Regarding gameplay, I actually am a lot more critical of how not only I play but also how other mesmers play. I want damage output, critical strikes, condi and boon duration, power, the whole 9 yards. However this has made me a slight elitist regarding the class and has me picking apart every mezzie I see. It’s good and bad pretty much. At least in my eyes.

Q: What do you think to the up-coming changes to WvW with HoT and how will this impact the WvW community?

Criina: I haven’t really looked into it too much but I think the new borderland will be interesting and give a new vibe to the community.

Q: What do you  enjoy so much about the profession you play as most and why?

Criina: Pretty sure you know the answer here! Mesmer. I enjoy it so much just due to the fact that it’s fast paced. At least with the way I play.

Q: What build do you run for that class?

Criina: I play two different builds, again both are custom. One is Frightening Images and the other is Powerful Backlash.

Q: What is your favourite/least favourite PvP map and why?

Criina: Favourite maps are probably Foefire and Kylo. I like the setup of Kylo especially because if I get stuck guarding a point, at least I can watch what’s going on in mid or scout the trebs. Skyhammer, Courtyard, Stronghold. Worst. Maps. Ever.

Q: How do you feel about the new PvP mode to be introduced in HoT?

Criina:What the Stronghold arena? Um. It’s very...MOBA like. A gaming style I don’t like. So it’s going to be another map for me to avoid.

Q: How did you get started with the community, what inspired you to get involved?

Criina: My close friend and guildie, Schilly, was really the starting point. I’m a very quiet and shy person when it comes to community/large scale things so I usually try to stay out of things like that. However thanks to him, along with my guild Love And War, I hosted my first large scale event, my Quaggan Parade.

Q: Why do you think GW2 has such a great community around it?

Tilion: The reason for that is because it’s been nurtured quite properly by the design standards of the game. A few examples of that would be that the players don’t fight over gathering nodes, every profession can heal itself and ress others. The devs have adopted that as part of their philosophy when they sit down to come up with something new.

Of course, there’s still work that needs to be done to drive that behavior even further and I’m sure that no implementation goes without missing a few turns.

Criina: I actually feel that there’s always room for improvement community wise because I do see more trolls in chat than anything. However, I do also see times where people are kind and helpful and it makes me smile. Having events like the Quaggan Parade pulls the community together to laugh and forget their troubles, even if it’s for an hour or so.

Q:  What changes (if at all) have you seen in the community since you started playing GW2?

Criina: I’ve noticed a higher tolerance to “noobish” questions. People don’t really rag on new players as much and it makes me happy.

Q: Could Arenanet do more to curate and develop its community?

Tilion: Yes, they could. First of all there’s no community department within the company these days. That has evolved into the current marketing team. The interaction that team has with the community is not constant as it revolves around just a couple of tweets or facebook replies per week. The image of the community that is promoted across all official media is that of individual personas who mostly praise everything even during idle times.

What needs to be done? They should just take a look at what they’ve done right in the past. They need to think of the community as a group and spend more time bringing it closer to development by promoting its creative side.

Criina: I think the community itself is down to the players. We make the community. Therefore, it is our responsibility.

Q: Anything of note coming up soon?

Criina: I did mention I have been playing TERA Online for a long time now, and I may make my return to WildStar in the fall when it goes f2p, but I don’t think I could handle covering more than one game right now ha ha. I already have things piling up as it is!

Q: What type of games do you play for your own enjoyment?

Criina: For the past few years, my face has been shoved into MMO’s more than anything. I recently have had my love of Final Fantasy and consoles renewed so I’m going to be diving into Halo, Assassin’s Creed, and the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. I’m also a massive Left 4 Dead fan.

Q: Who else would you recommend in the GW2 community?

Tilion: If you guys haven’t done so already you ought to check out ‘Relics of Orr’ and ‘Guild Wars Reporter’. Both of their communities consist of true fans of the game that deserve each and everyone’s attention. They are hard-working, producing content on a weekly basis which they publish on their sites/channels, and their opinions are objective, something that I personally value a lot.

Criina: I recommend WoodenPotatoes of course. My guild and followers on Twitter are diehard believers than I’m in love with him, but I just really enjoy the stuff he comes out with. I also recommend Chronicle of Tyria that my friend Varr writes. It’s very much worth looking into.

Q: Who is your favourite Youtuber/Streamer [non gw2]?

Criina: I would probably have to say Chilled Chaos. He’s such a hilarious guy and it’s pretty great when he plays Mario Kart.