You've really done it this time, A-net.

Anet must've formed their mission statement while watching a Star Trek movie marathon. You know what I mean, the even numbered ones being good and the odd ones not so good.

love ever part of it way to go anet

I think it works really well as a 'bonus' to players; pretty enjoyable to play around with, and some gorgeous skins to liven things up. Wonder how bored I'll get of seeing them when all my heroes have them.... heheh.

There are several parts I would disagree on. I would rate Sorrow's Furnace to also be Freaking Amazing. While there is some argument that they are the same skins in many places, the over all artwork and environment is freakin amazing. Factions - both the Kurzick and Luxon areas qualify for that but the slums just carry on too long and all look the same (even the Imperial Palace pales in comparison to the Luxon/Kurzivk areas). Similar thing for Nightfall - too much desert/wasteland but parts of Vabbi and the RoT are amazing in their artwork. I would give both "decent" overall due to the variability.

Personally I rather suspect a lot of this has to do with scope - the two free content releases are fairly small and self contained. This makes it easier for a really small team to make great content - there was little other than the artwork and making quests to be done there.

While others would disagree I would like to see some "micro-payment" type stuff come out of Anet. Both Sorrow's Furnace and the BMP are spectacular because they didn't have such ambitious goals - their time was spent making the parts we see instead of the behind the scenes stuff we do not, nor was there time spent balancing skills or anything else. I do not know how much I would spend on those two updates (and I am glad I got them for free), but I am willing to bet that similar content would be sale able through their online store along with the occasional "expansion pack" (similar to what Oblivion has done) that carries a number of them in one package.

yeap, i'm pretty damn happy with the BMP thank you again Anet for a job well done xD

it's refreshingly nice to have access to unique skinned weapons that you don't have to fork out massive amounts of money and/or grind your way into hell for

plus the missions are fun too :P

Yep, the missions are atmospheric and the weapons are *very* nice. I've just replaced all my ranger's bows.

I agree the BMP is truely amazing, weapon skins that are easy to get and yet look amazing is a great idea.

The lore and the cinimatics are amazing, espically Turi Ossa, i was amazed at the amazingness of that cutscene.

Overall ANet you've got my playing GW again and now i just need to get some mods for my new weapons!

Prediction: Free BMP access week end in a few months, after wintersday.

THIS. IS. ELONA!!!!!!!!!

i love the missions

i love the references to 300 and kill bill, made me chuckle

i love the cutscenes

i love the epic story lines

needless to say i was happy to pay for it, the only bad thing about the BMP is all the kiddies "QQ OMFG LIEK I DONT WANNA PAY FOR IT BUT I WANNA FREEE STUFF GIMME LIEK"

the BMP itself however is awesome

fun to play and even challenging...

oh and the weapons rock :P

Don't forget the timeline issue here. They didn't produce all the games and expansions simultaneously; they've learned from each one. Additionally, each new game/expansion has brought small new technical/graphical improvements as well (Nightfall = much better fire and waterfalls, BMP = motion blur? idk). The voice acting was horrendous up to nightfall, everything including and after NF has been decent imo.

I can't remember when exactly they started making the BMP vs EotN, but I'm pretty sure this is a "we saved the best for last" type thing before GW2.

BMP is amazing.

I like the Tengu weapon skins, they make me think of The Protoss from Starcraft.

Overall the BMP is welcomed here. Cons: no coop play, short, easy. Pros: easy to get weapons, nice cutscenes.

Better prediction:

For a limited time, you have a second chance to qualify for the Bonus Mission Pack. [stuff about what the BMP is for people living under a rock] Blah Blah Blah Blah. We want to milk some more money out of this thing!

Too much exaggeration.


This is more an interactive cinematic with item shop. This is where the BMP shines.

As a game the BMP fails. Not the way to go. Press Button 8, WIN BUTTON aka Togo Nuke. Great design?

The BMP is great, although I do wish I could revisit these places (especially Togo's) on my actual characters, for screenshot purposes without have to photoshop until my eyes bleed. The Vista view when you first start Togo's adventure is amazing beyond words.

The BMP is probably one of the best additions ever to Guild Wars.

so thats what they were reminding me of. the tengu skins are the best i think. switched out my monks collossal scimitar for a tengu sword cause they are just soo amazing looking.

I LOVE THE BMP! just so fun and awesome and i love it and love the new missions.

The BMP is great because it finally convinced me to use my first consumable ever -- the Perfect Salvage Kit. Goodbye Mr. Storm Bow that has been with me since May 2005, hello Mr. Undead Bow, you curvy, spiky, sexy stringless god!

Gotta say they really outdone themselves this time, Good job to the whole Anet team out there. The weapons are amazing, the missions are well thought and most of all I enjoy doing them. Thanks Anet! Keep it guys

The BMP is awesome. The weapon thing is nice. The stories are interesting,
And all that for free? Thanks!

Have I told you lately that.... I LOVE YOU??????? Well I do.

As long as it's AFTER alternatives for payment are here (SMS, for example), I'll /sign this one.

I don't have it but a RL friend of mine does and it looks good. Gwen's rocks ftw!! I hate to nitpick but I'd like a mission where you play pre-Lich Vizier in the last days of Orr and find out why he went bad. I want to see mythical Arah!!

What I like the most is that those who said:
"Meh BMP will be crappy/I don't want to waste money/ I want a "hard" copy."

Now they are like:
"AHHH I want to buy it!"

*What happened to wasting money, you do realize that now you ARE wasting money, when some many got it free.

The moral:

Anet's "Bonuses" will come back and bite you in the *bleep*

Good job Anet!

Awesome Weapons.
Fun Missions.
Nice Mission Screens
Fun Insight into the Lore.

GOOD JOB!

If they make Guild Wars 2 this good 99.99% of it's players will be hooked.
*The other .01% will be complaining about some pointless diminutive thing*

I am very happy with the BMP and glad that I purchased GW:EN through the online store so that I could play the bonus. The weapon skins are very well designed and look incredible! I wanted to see how the Charr sword and shield looked so I gave them to Jora for a giant sized view...totally awesome!

Anet did an amazing job on this bonus. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

What I liked about the BMP was'nt just the cinematics, but the fact that each offered a different playstyle. Stealth em up Gwen, to full on leroy Turai. Having a fixed skill bar was great also as it relies much more on tactics than fotm builds. The other bonus for me was that's it's impossible to consumable and Ursan it.

I really wish they had put more of these type missions into the previous chapters. I enjoy a good stealth em up sometimes and I remember getting to Riverside, looking at the text and thinking cool. They need'nt be solo missions, but anything other than kill everything to succeed would be welcome in GW2

I haven't read the last 3 pages, so please that in consideration;

but am I the only one that thinks taht the missions don't feel as "Legendary" as they should?

I mean when they say "Tengu Wars", I imagine a cinematic or something with like thousands of tengu going at it... not Togo taking down 4 bosses in a row?

Also the faceoff between Turai Ossa and Palawa Joko, that was great, truely magnificient. But the track leading to taht faceoff is extrememly BORING! I mean it doesn't feel like there was any depth to the journey taht Turai had to partake to reach his ultimate goal (THE BIGGEST BATTLE OF HIS LIFE?) : Kill Palawa Joke "King of the Undeads"... I think those titles are taken lightly in the bonus missions.

Apart taht, it's a great addition to the game.

Gaile did state they spent months on this to make a very special thank you bonus and that work really shows.

A BIG THANK YOU EVEN IF I SKIPPED THE BOX AND PAID MORE.

WELL WORTH IT EVEN IF THEY HAD NO WEAPONS.

Also, I like the 2.5k gold reward for the discoveries in each mission. Thank you ANet! My biggest goal in the game right now is to get lots of cash. I know, kind of silly, but it keeps me playing.

I just wish I could do all the missions and get all the discoveries with each of my eight toons. Why? For the cash of course.

Please pass our congratulations to the design team cause they really deserve it. Turai ossa's story is AWESOME.

glad i didnt get it or id be dissappointed

BMP is awesome, love the weapons. Thank you anet
However I do feel sorry for other that didn't get the BMP..
I hope they do promote this offer again sometime in-game online store.

hats off to anet for this one.

Played two of the missions so far and loved them. Very nice.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think those discoveries, you con only do it once per account.

I have to agree with the OP. the missions, first of all, were way better than I expected. Whoever said they have no replay value obviously hasn't discovered anything. They would have been freaking prefect if they were co-op, but I can see why Gwen's & Turai's are single player.
And second, & most obviously, the weapons are just insanely awesome.

pretty sure you've got that right. Once I had found Ossa's strategic vantage points, the second time I went past them, nothing happened

I second & Third that! The idea of having stealth gameplay or something other than strait combat would be a HUGE help to making GW2 a better game than GW1.
But it's not a game, it's a tiny little piece of a game. That's where you are missing the point. The whole point is as Bonus missions used to experience the history of Tyria, they are pretty fun. Infact, I think Gwen's mission does work as a stand alone game really well. (although control wise the GW engine is not the best for that type of game)
Also, I don't care if Togo can explode a spirit nuke, keeping Silverwing alive is not a simple press "8" win. And positioning the White mantle & Mursaat vs the Charr Hunter beast is not just a "place anywhere & win" tactic.

hehe funny, i did the same thing as you lol

Turai music and end cut scene was amazing

even the army invading and seige was very well done

also the skin on the weapons is good
like the undead sword and mustarat shield

very well done ANet this time

The BMP Rocks in many ways ...

1) The stories: For me the humor/novelty of the mimicry of 300 and Kill Bill was a big plus. Also, backstory is always cool. Probably the most exciting moment for me was when I realized that Turai Ossa was the same guy that I saw so much of in the Crystal Desert and that I'd get these godly skills/stats while playing as him. Getting these missions that provide backstory makes me more curious about details in the lore/history of the GW universe.

2) The gameplay: While the BMP utilizes skills that are extremely powerful the gameplay is still interesting because the skills must be used in the most strategic way to prevent failure. The emphasis on optimal usage is very important since otherwise godly abilities can make things too boring. Also, it's been a while since my success in PvE required me to use my skills/tactics as effectively as possible; for a long time I've been owning monsters just because I have a Restore Necro and MM heroes. And the focus on my skills/tactics makes me believe all the more that I am fighting as a legendary hero. Lastly, it's fun to be challenged to succeed in the playstyle dictated by the historical hero's skillbar.

3) The weapons: ...are specatular. For Me the Charr weapons are best... genius really, nearly all of them. And I basically had to pick my jaw off the floor and pop my eyes back into their sockets after I saw the Charr staff. My mesmer is in love with the Tengu sword and will probably compliment it with a Tengu staff, focus, and/or wand... idk I'm still deciding (I have to be careful, my storage is already so full of beautiful armors and weapons from the campains ). I also love the undead sword and maul, and mursaat maul. Lastly I've always found scythe and especially spear skins to be mostly boring, but now I have some very interesting options.

4) The replayability: I think the BMP provides great replayability in it's multiple bonus objectives.

5) The cash rewards for bonuses are much appreciated. I've always felt the game should give more gold for getting the master's/bonus. With the high cost of skills and my inability to resist some elite armors, I've always had to spend what I've felt to be too much time studying the GW economy and farming. Often I've rushed through the content for economic advantages, to the detriment of my content enjoyment. Even though 2.5k is just a small amount for many of us experienced players, I applaud that Anet seems to realize now how to eliminate the financial difficulties of players who'd rather play the game than go to great lengths for spare funds.

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Not to complain in the slightest, because there are more than enough great skins, but there are many BMP skins that don't interest me much. For some reason mursaat stuff bores me, maybe because I've loved my mursaat hammer for such a long time that musaat physics may seem old to me. Otherwise I'll keep my non-favorites to myself because I suppose everyone likes different things and some skins were meant to be less mainstream than others.

More importantly, it would have been nice if there was some important story beat or gameplay change to break the monotony of the waves of Charr enemies that come after Saul beats the 3 leaders.

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Altogether I'd give the BMP a 9.7/10

Woo-Hoo! Let's Give One To Anet for how awesome it was *Borat voice* NOT!

-BMP gives users acess to exclusive, new skins with more detail and effort put in then any of the other skins in any other campaign... Why did Arena Net save the BEST skins in all of guild wars for this small "bonus"?

-BMP has improved animations with better graphics and voice acting - why do all the animations in the other games suck when they can clearly produce better....?

-BMP wasn't available to everyone - many people had problems with the online store, and weren't able to purchase it, or people were getting multiple charges for an item

I don't understand why Anet put more effort into the BMP then any of the campaigns.... considering that the BMP was meant to be a "bonus" not a "game"...... Just shows you have Arena Net half-assed their games... /sigh

weapons are great but the lore is what really takes the cake. Im sure he was a norn now. Istill have one more to do, gwens which should be neat too