I won’t start talking about the whole altitude thing, i’d like everyone who feel included in this thread to post their reason(s).
In my case, it’s because CtoSG is the only playfield in the secret world which isn’t very respectful of the first keyword of the game : Secret.
I mean by that : most of the time you can pretend not knowing what’s around you, be blissfully unaware of supernatural and occult things of the world, because of cities.
The Secret World is a running style meaning that a whole universe of myths and magic is hiding in dark corners, it’s mysteries we like to hunt and uncover. CtoSG isn’t hiding anything, it’s facesplashing mythology and djinns and stuff.
So it felt weird to me, for the first time, to completely swim in occult and be disconnected of that “masquerade” feeling or even the modern world theme. I think it’s what missed me in that zone.
So i agree with those saying the City of the Sun God is a hidden thing by itself, you’re landing in a secret territory buried in the ages. It felt different nonetheless and i prefer the style of investigating shadows rather than visiting MysticLand (and CtoSG doesn’t even remotely look like a city to me).
I’m not people but I don’t like Egypt overall because of a lot of dirty yellow and brown, it makes me sick to spend much time in such environment. I’m pretty much OK with all the rest.
I find it depressing to spend too much time in, due to the strange light in the zone. BUT, I realized something interesting recently about it, and it really changed the way I look at that zone.
The weird, dim, desaturated light in CotSG?
It looks JUST LIKE being at the edge of a total solar eclipse. See, when that eclipse happened last summer, I live about half an hour outside of the path of totality. I didn’t get to see a FULL eclipse, but I saw the sun be 99% covered. And when you only have a tiny sliver of the sun visible, the light that casts on the world…
… is weird, dim, and desaturated. Color is muted, shadows are weird, and it simultaneously feels like early morning and high noon, as hard as that is to explain.
It made me look at that zone in a different way. And it kinda creeped me out with the implications.
I wouldn’t say I dislike it, but it is far from the strongest.
Navigation was always the main thing, but they’ve improved that a lot. First impressions last though.
The predominance of the statue kids can be problematic, because it is harder to empathise with a still statue. I find them underrated as a result, as their lines can be really good, particularly the one (I forget her name) who wants to smite everything. Their story as a whole is also quite sad.
The feel of the zone, look and lighting etc., I think is a little dry* as you go from SD where you have desert mixed in with other areas, and now all you have is desert. I’d have liked more tomb areas there perhaps to break up the feel of it but as it stands it is very homogeneous whereas other zones differed more within and from the preceding zone.
You point on it not being Secret is a really good one though, it is the only zone that hasn’t been claimed out of human hands and bears the remnants of day-to-day human life. Despite that, it doesn’t feel as out-there as you might imagine from that description. Perhaps if they went more the other way and added more supernatural geography? (I have no idea what that looks like)
*=Pun is intended only if it is funny. Otherwise, not intended.
Hated trying to navigate/get around the original run through. Maps really need to be showing height differences and over/under indicators…
Haven’t played enough since release to get to the “new” Egypt so I can’t say if the improvements to navigation are enough to make me be happy about having to adventure through it again.
But I loved the story from Egypt and by far the sadder/more depressing quest-lore-plot-stories - EVER in a video game…much less an MMO.
I don’t dislike it at all, but it’s probably the least repeated zone that I go to if I’m running around. It does have a different feel than the other zones and should considering the lore and location. A frozen in time ancient zone feel – the sun and weird lighting as others mentioned.
It has a wonderful story - really well told, but sad, and there’s Amir and Dusty Dark/Beneath You It Eats Its Name - gotta love the jinn! So definitely reasons to visit.
We use to have to go for Samhain for that plant too, but even that’s been changed to easy mode. There are achievements for the achievement chasers.
As for the elevations - yeah those can be a PiA - but having randomly placed jump pads now, although helpful, well until they’re marked on the map, I’ve skyrocketed away mid-fight!
I also like to add that it has the disadvantage of being sandwiched between two better zones. The Scorched Desert has Saïd and Nassir, two of the more popular NPCs and Transylvania I feel is just more well-liked in general.
Honestly, just finished it, have a couple of side quests to go along with the random bosses. First time there, wont be completing everything on the next play through (in any of the zones). Kinda liked the statues, loved the bickering. Only really disliked the gauntlet area and the puzzle quest (the one underneath the gauntlet)… though i can appreciate theres people out there who would freaking love that. It particularly hurts when youre half way through it and get the server downtime notification… eugh. Oh, and the torches bugging out. Fortunately have the miner helmet still in my inventory. But man, that was… something.
Just arrived in Transylvania and already feel like i hate it the most. Not sure why? Probably the mob increase in level and my rubbish sword/ele build. ive a feeling im typing on here (listening to the login music in the background) just to avoid going back in
It’s just the geography is one of many reasons but i’m not affected by that anymore since there is anima leap.
I’m not overthinking it either, i’m pertinent and smart and vegan and i don’t allow you to salt my thread.
I also heard, though not myself and it took a bit of digging from the person who told me about it, that some poeple dislike not only CtoSG but Egypt altogether because it’s “too arabic”.
So yeah, some people ALSO dislike that region because of (drumroll) racism.
I think there are multiple reasons for the dislike of CotSG.
One is that by the time you get there, most people are getting tired of sand. And then you get more sand.
Another is the topology of the place - it can be difficult figuring out how to go from A to B.
For me personally, it is also the lack of human questgivers. The sentinels don’t quite count as human due to them being statues…
This ties in with the fact that there are NO normal places in the whole zone. It is all enemy territory and/or filled with weird stuff.
All other zones you get at least small spots of relative normalcy, and normal(-ish) people.
Personally, it’s not so much about them being statues as it is about arguing children not being very compelling - and there’s a great deal of it to get through. The statue thing doesn’t help, though. For sure.
I’m surprised so many people liked it, to be honest, I wouldn’t have imagined so before reading this thread. Different blokes, different strokes, I suppose.
Everyone sort of assumes people hate it, but every time I’ve seen a thread come up about it in the past most people are actually defending it. Although that doesn’t mean everybody is saying it is their favourite or anything, but there certainly isn’t as much hate for it as people think.
To me, it fit, because you have to go through the already middle of nowhere desert to get to it, but I understand where you’re coming from.
From personal taste, the area was just too difficult to navigate to get anywhere easily in TSW, unless you portal jump. To SWL’s credit, they remedied this with the jump pads, but it’s still a bit of a hassle to get around. From a story perspective, aside from the Black Pharaoh, Amir, and 1 or 2 Guardians/Children, I did not really find any of the characters interesting, or the story for that section of the game.
