Wot We Did On Our Holidays : GW2

 Southsun Cove. The very name conjures up images of moonlit beaches, waves gently lapping the sands as soft music drifts on the night breeze. The tink of glass on glass, faint laughter from across the bay, lantern-light reflected on the water. Sun, sea, sand, romance and relaxation, Southsun Cove has none of that at all.

Oh alright, yes it does. Kind of. It has sea. Filled with sharks and skelk, but undeniably sea. Swim in it, go on, I dare you. Then there's sand. Plenty of that if you don't mind sharing it with crabs the size of carthorses and yet more skelk. Whatever a skelk is. Sun? I think I saw it once. At least the rain must be warm because people stand around in it in their bathers day and night. Romance? Maybe just a hint in the brittle banter between Lord Faren and Lady Kasmeer. With luck the pair of them will hit it off so well they'll vanish on Lord Faren's private yacht and we'll never, ever have to meet either of the insufferable boors again.

No, contrary to what The Consortium would like you to believe, Southsun isn't about having the holiday of your dreams. Of course it isn't. It's a place of mystery, adventure and intrigue.

Kidding! I'm just kidding! It's all about the loot.

But you knew that, of course. Why else have there been overflow servers ever since the event began? Why else are zergs criss-crossing the island like packs of wild dogs day and night? Why else would Trading Post prices be tumbling as blood, scales, Rares and Exotics pour out of people's packs onto the market in a flood?

Oh, there was a day or two there at the beginning when all anyone wanted was to tick those boxes. Sample this, visit that, talk to him, help her. In a short while all but the stragglers had been there and done that and everyone settled down to the real business at  hand: farming.

A good farmer craves efficiency, though. It wasn't long before the best spots were identified and mercilessly codified. Woe betide any adventurer who attacks an Instigator out of sequence and sets the Kiel/Glass axis spinning out of synch. The whole point is to get the two of them timed so that you can shuttle between them all day long with nary a moment's downtime, other than to clear the odd incursion at the camps along the way.

There are those who swear by the crazed karka raids. Before the dreaded Diminishing Returns kicks in those waves do drop loot-bags like confetti and there's always that slim chance one might contain the craved Southsun Crate. Not that there'll be anything in it. Just some fruit and shells, a flower or two. Still, better link it in map chat so everyone can urge you to open the box. It's like Hughie Greene never died.

The community spirit, so strong at the start, is starting to feel a little ragged round the edges. Self-appointed Instigator Coordinators flounce off to guest on servers where people pay attention and don't argue all the time. Mesmers tired from lifting people up the cliffs day after day begin to wonder openly what's in it for them. And yet, and still, by and large people remain good-hearted, events are called, the downed revived.A good time is had if not by all then at least by most.

It's been a very good week. What? Two? Really, has it been that long? Well, it doesn't seem like it. It's been both fun and profitable. How often can you say that? If this is going to be the model for the Living Story from now on then it's a decent start. Could be better, sure, but that's what the famous Iteration is for.

Go on then. Iterate that.