23 April 2013 | |
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The massive Flame & Frost: Retribution patch is culminating in April. The final portion,Retribution, will end the living story of ‘Flame and Frost’ by adding new dungeon content and introducing custom PvP arenas complete with a spectator mode. Naturally, the patch wouldn’t be complete without the typical addition of new rewards and guild missions.
The latest dungeon will put players against The Molten Alliance as they venture into the Molten Weapon Facilities. Battling Braham and Rox will lead to the final conflict with Charr and Dredge, finalizing the lore behind Flame & Frost. Molten Weapon Facilities is available for a limited time. Be sure to tackle it as soon as possible to earn the dungeon’s unique rewards.
Custom Arenas will take a bit of time, entering beta first. There’s no word on how the process will work or how long it will take. Guilds will be able to pool money to customize their arena. Privacy, score limits, team sizes, time limits and much more are customizable from the game settings. The Spectator mode is just as robust.
All these features and more will go live as part of next week’s patch, which was just added as a big update to the official Guild Wars 2 page.
1 April 2013 | |
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In the yearly routine of one-upmanship hilarity, ArenaNet may have initiated a preemptive attack to stave off would be competitors. The creator of Guild Wars 2 has announced the Super Adventure Box, a gag that’s been in the works since the March patch.
The Super Adventure Box may be the most elaborate prank in an MMOG. The April Fool’s Day prank includes new content to the subscription-less title that takes players out of the RPG setting and plops them firmly in a Minecraft-inspired platform dungeon complete with puzzles. Gamers up for a challenge can enjoy the all new “difficult” encounters, such as King Toad, and reap the benefits of digging around a zone Zelda style.
Read more on the Super Adventure Box on the official FAQ.
15 January 2013 | |
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Holey rusted metal, Lore Hounds. When ArenaNet says the company has lofty goals, expectations and aspirations for its three million-selling MMORPG there is no bit of exaggeration in there. Colin Johanson, the game director for Guild Wars 2, put up a massive blog post, including a video below the cut, that can only be called a comprehensive State of the Game (and it’s Future) address.
The massive post can be found here, but we’ll break it down for those that are short on time and plan on getting to it later.
- GW2 has been so successful because of the community and player relationships
- Player experiences are as important as shared experiences, such as live events and public quests
- Dynamic events enable the living game world through interactive and original storytelling
- The Wintersday even was put together based on enormous amounts of feedback and lesson learned from previous world events
- ArenaNet will continue to incentivize open world and shared experience play through systems and rewards
- Rewards will include everything from cosmetic items to gear
- New game content will be added in “early 2013” to foster guild experiences
- WvW will be gaining benefits from the above changes
- Further still, WvW will be getting “a lot of attention” to make it shine “in every possible way”
- Paid transfers, with cooldowns, and improvements to culling are the first WvW-related goals
- WvW will receive unique prestige and advancement systems, including rewards
- PvP system will be overhauled to “feel more rewarding and exciting”
- This includes new PvP systems, such as ideal matchmaking
- Competitive systems, such as spectating, practice matches and tournaments, are in the cards
Continue Reading
11 December 2012 | |
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Winter is coming. Oh, wait, wrong intellectual property. It is true though, Wintersday 2012 is coming to Guild Wars 2 tomorrow, December 12, 2012 and ArenaNet has begun teasing the new activities. Unlike its older sibling, Guild Wars 2 is being graced with new activities, ones that have been largely kept secret, until now.
Players fond of quirky inventions should keep an eye out for Toymaker Tixx who will be traveling the lands to spread his wares. Oddly enough, the holiday cheer isn’t relegated to PvE interactions. ArenaNet posted a blog update that describes various changes that Wintersday will unlock for the PvPers.
For instance, Alt+F4 is no longer a safe escape, rather it’ll force instant death. Walls and gates will repair in a more normal fashion, not instantly. Lastly, the patch will usher in Breakout PvP events, triggered when one or more teams have been removed from the local battle.
Hit the jump for the first Wintersday 2012 trailer and a collection of teaser screens. Check out all the plans for Wintersday. Continue Reading
13 November 2012 | |
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ArenaNet has begun divulging actual information for its second in-game event for Guild Wars 2. After teasing a transformation to Tyria forever earlier this month, the developer locked down the dates for the pre-planners out there. After the success of Shadow of the Mad King, ArenaNet is working on getting everyone interested in the event to participate. How, you ask? Why, a free trial weekend running the course of the event.
Existing players will be able to invite three players to experience the world of Tyria for a special Free Trial beginning at 9:00 AM PST on November 15. The trial period will expire on November 18. Keys are limited, so you best claim them as soon as you can.
The start of the event on November 16 will task players with defending the city of Lion’s Arch against “strange invaders”. Apparently, no matter the resistance, Lion’s Arch falls, as November 17 sees us retaking the city and discovering Southsun Cove at the edge of the Sea of Sorrows. November 18 kicks off the one-time event, the final battle against the fierce Ancient Karka in the newly discovered Southsun Cove map.
Other additions include new Ascended Gear and Infusion, a beta version of an upcoming PvP map, new items from the Black Lion Trading company and a new dungeon, Fractals of the Mists.
Hit the jump for the latest screenshots and the official teaser trailer. ArenaNet has also posted a new Event Guide. Continue Reading
6 November 2012 | |
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Teased only a few days ago, ArenaNet has unveiled early details to the latest Guild Wars 2 in-game event. ArenaNet is still holding the actual event details close to its chest, but has wisely decided to share the timing of the events ahead of time.
Head of Global Community Martin Kerstein would like us to make a date with Tyria for next weekend, Friday, November 16 until Sunday, November 18 to be exact. On Friday, the stirring in the Sea of Sorrows will commence at 12:00 PM PST (3:00 PM EST). Players should head to the Lion’s Arch for the main action, with secondary events occurring around Tyria. Phase two will begin a day later, triggered by another special event.
The whole event will only happen once, but the activities scheduled for Friday and Saturday will seemingly span a few hours, or until the next phase is triggered. The big finale on Sunday is the exception to the rule. Again beginning at 12:00 PM PST, the Sunday finale will run once for a couple of hours and will leave a permanent mark on Tyria that can be replayed.
Of course, the major drawback to these one-time only events is that you have to plan real life around them. Start making your excuses to your friends, family and children. Or do what I do, and convince them how important and cool it is and let them experience it with you!
2 November 2012 | |
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Enjoyed ArenaNet’s Halloween-inspired event Shadow of the Mad King? Then you’ll be happy to hear about The Lost Shores, the second, of what seems like to be many, special event coming to Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet hasn’t divulged the full skinny on the event, preferring to tease us with concept, in-game assets and just enough text to make this post have a point.
Something stirs in the Sea of Sorrows…
Unravel a mystery of monstrous proportions in The Lost Shores, a massive one-time world event that will change Tyria forever!
That’s it. That is literally all we have to go on at the moment, so let the speculation begin. I’ll start. In the first two stills we see the area of The Lost Shores teeming with life. There’s the friendly lizard and a swath of vegetation. Sliding to the last screenshot it’s a barren grey landscape devoid of anything that could possibly contain loot or award XP.
There is that ship in the background…
What do you think it could be? What are your thoughts on one-time events? Continue Reading
22 October 2012 | |
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The best thing about Halloween celebrations in MMOG is that they rarely last for a single day. ArenaNet’s own celebration for Guild Wars 2 begins today, October 22, 2012 and will conclude on November 5. Players will be treated to far more than simply apple bobbing, masks and and a one off boss encounter. Fear not, costumes and seasonal items are available. The gem store will be full of costumes, tonics and pets. Meanwhile, Black Lion Chests could award you with a Halloween-themed weapon skin. But cosmetic season items are not all players should expect.
ArenaNet has devised a phased event to reveal the fate of the Mad King. A crown wearer for Krytan, the king was slain by his own people while they rebelled against his tyrannical reign. Not content with his death, the body was said to be chopped into chum and his spirit banished to the Underworld. Mad King Thorn’s spirit was said to travel the mortal plain on Halloween, but the wraith hasn’t been seen in over 250 years. And yet something suspicious has begun. Strange energies are forming…
Oh, and let’s not forget the Diorama Contest.
Hit the jump for additional concept art. Continue Reading
