 |
| Liz Maas |
You're gonna have to do more than cough up a few million gold.
06.23.15 - 6:35 PM
Jesse Woo and I met with ArenaNet to discuss one of the big features in Guild Wars 2's first expansion, Heart of Thorns. One of the most player-requested features has been, not so surprisingly, guild halls. The expansion is adding these as a story mechanic: in a collective effort to drive out a legendary dragon and his minions, guilds are encouraged to migrate to the edges of the jungle and stake a claim by clearing out any enemies in that area. Alternatively, they can also make their homes in the Gilded Hollow, an underground area that serves as the remnants of a lost, golden city amid the jungle.
The halls themselves are no small, cozy homes. These massive buildings are meant as a place for your guild to build, collaborate, socialize and grow together. You can house a battle arena, and invite other guilds and players (or just fight amongst yourselves), and have free for all rules, team battles, or anything else you might be into.
Guild halls also allow room for tactical planning in world v. world battles, and even be outfitted with turrets or other gameplay-related decorations. You can have themed halls - a tavern style, for example, will allow your guild access to more social features. Similarly, if yours is designed more like a marketplace, you'll gain access to more, different types of items. A hall geared more towards crafters makes it easier to learn recipes elsewhere in the world, including other buildings.
Heart of Thorns will also introduce a new heavy class called the Revenant, a new crafting discipline known as the Scribe, along with a Mastery (specialization) system for existing battle classes. World v. world will get a new map, new tactics to employ, and other adjustments. PvP will see a new mode called Stronghold which, while still competitive, also requires some co-op.
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns does not yet have a release date, though it is currently available for pre-purchase.
