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Massively's video preview of Guild Wars 2's Sky Pirates of Tyria Patch [Updated]
It's a new week, and that must mean we're ready for new content in Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet continues to pump out content quicker than a long-tailed Charr in a room full of rocking chairs, and tomorrow players will experience the Sky Pirates of Tyria game update. The main feature of this patch is the new five-player dungeon, Aetherblade Retreat. This limited-time dungeon pits players against the lightning-wielding aerial pirates known as the Aetherblades. Two unique boss encounters await players to test their skills, and new rewards, such as an infinite tonic recipe and a monocle, can be earned by those who succeed. The third Guild Wars 2 novel, Sea of Sorrows by Ree Soesbee, also releases tomorrow; players can partake in an in-game scavenger hunt that ties into important locations from the book. Finding the 12 marriners' plaques scattered around Lion's Arch (and Orr) won't be easy, but players tenacious enough to uncover them all will be rewarded with a consumable worth five skill points. There are many other exciting additions going into this patch, so check out the video preview past the cut for more details. (Minor spoiler warning to anyone who hasn't yet done the effigy lighting ceremony and subsequent investigation yet.) [Update]: In the video, I mention killing Horrik first during the end boss fight of the Aetherblade Retreat dungeon. It should have said kill Mai Trin first as that is the correct tactic. My apologies!
Guild Wars 2 novel Sea of Sorrows releases on June 25
Tyrian lore fanatics have reasons to be excited as the third Guild Wars 2 novel is set to release on June 25th. Sea of Sorrows is written by none other than ArenaNet's Narrative Designer, Ree Soesbee, and takes place roughly 150 years before the events in the game. This time period lines up with the rising of Orr from the murky depths along with the elder dragon, Zhaitan, and his hordes of undead risen. Readers will get to experience how this cataclysmic event shaped the lives of many Tyrians and led to the destruction and rebuilding of Lion's Arch. The novel follows the life of a young sailor named Cobiah Marriner, who heads for the sea when his life in Lion's Arch takes a tragic turn. Cobiah's grandson is the current commodore of Lion's Arch, but other Easter eggs have been recently added to the game as well. A new statue of Cobiah has been added to Lion's Arch with an engraved book on it. Marriner's plaques have been scattered around the city for an unannounced upcoming activity, and ArenaNet has told us to expect more references and living story updates that will directly tie into the events in the book. Are you going to be picking up Sea of Sorrows next Tuesday? Let us know if you've got the sea legs for it in the comments below!
ArenaNet's Grubb and Soesbee on Twitch this afternoon
Can't get enough Guild Wars 2? You'll probably want to tune in to ArenaNet's TwitchTV channel today at 2:00 p.m. EDT for a live chat with a couple of developer notables. Lore guru Jeff Grubb and designer Ree Soesbee are slated to talk "fantasy, RPGs, and storytelling," according to the official Guild Wars 2 Facebook page. ArenaNet is coming off its latest beta stress test, and we're counting down the days to GW2's official release on August 28th.
ArenaNet talks emotional connections in Guild Wars 2
ArenaNet has put a lot of emphasis on the story of Guild Wars 2. But what good is a story unless it's compelling enough to pull players in emotionally? Ree Soesbee and Jeff Grubb, the heart of ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 lore, talk about this challenge in a new blog post. Story involvement, says Soesbee, begins with players' avatars as early as character creation. Grubb talks about the balance between creating characters with depth and characters with enough loose ends for an unexpected story to emerge, which is a fine line to walk. The game is built around the assumption that players are heroic in nature and essentially good. Like in the original Guild Wars, players don't really have the option to be villains or anti-heroes through the storyline. The liveliness of NPCs and the world around characters are also key steps toward drawing players into the game. I think that's what it all boils down to in the long run-you become emotionally invested with the game because you become interested in both your character and the world. And you can do that by making choices and seeing those choices have an effect-and truly matter-within the world. That is one of our goals when we're telling stories in Guild Wars 2. - Jeff Grub
A look at Guild Wars 2's Sylvari cinematic
How do you introduce the Sylvari in Guild Wars 2? It might seem like a simple question, but this is a race that's completely new to Tyria. Every element of introduction is up to the opening cinematic. All of the other four races can call back to Guild Wars, but the Sylvari are a blank slate. As Ree Soesbee explains in her rundown of the process for the trailer, this made the Sylvari opening especially challenging for the designers. At the same time, being able to introduce the race with no preconceptions freed up the creative team to make the fundamental elements of the race comprehensible right from the start. That means covering the Dream of Dreams that all Sylvari share as well as the nature of a race whose members are born as fully developed adults. How well did it work? Jump on past the cut and decide for yourself.
Flameseeker Chronicles: What lies ahead
To say last week was exciting for Guild Wars 2 fans is a bit of an understatement. Mike O'Brien gave the community the news it's been dying to hear, Ree Soesbee told us all about the Jotun (no, seriously, I hate those guys and their stupid KDs), and... well, some other things happened too. We've got lots to talk about, so hit the jump and let's dive right in.
ArenaNet unveils the Jotun race of Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 1 players are familiar with the Jotun race, mostly as "the giant creatures that won't stop KDing me," but they're going to have a continuing and more involved presence in Guild Wars 2, according to the ArenaNet blog. Ree Soesbee took a close look at this race in the newest ArenaNet blog post, "The Savage Pride of the Jotun." In the post, she explains how the Jotun have essentially devolved over the years thanks to infighting: "Over the centuries of their existence, the Jotun have fallen far from their state of grace, losing command of technology and magic they once utilized, and remembering their place as kings of the land only in legend and story." The post delves more deeply into the past and present effects of this change, then switches gears for a behind-the-scenes look at the race's creation. The full post is a good read for anyone interested in the game from a lore or development perspective.
Ree Soesbee talks about her career with ArenaNet and Guild Wars 2
Ree Soesbee has a long and productive career history even without her current duties on Guild Wars 2, but that's probably the part that MMO fans are most interested in. Guild Wars Insider recently conducted a lengthy interview with Soesbee, discussing her early career and her experiences working on Guild Wars 2 as it prepares for launch. And it's a meaty interview, filled with looks at the crevices of lore to be revealed over time. Soesbee explains that she and Jeff Grubb share a secret wiki project where they collaborate on the sprawling storylines, making sure that both of them know what's going on at any given moment. There are some interesting rumors of naval approaches against dragons, hints of lore to be uncovered deep within the game, and talk of the Sylvari redesign. If you're looking forward to the game, it's well worth reading the full feature, which should provide several bits of information to hopeful fans.
Guild Wars 2 designers deliver more Asura goodies: Inquest and Golems
Other games have Dwarves or Gnomes for their token cutesy miniature race, but filling this role for Guild Wars 2 are the Asura. Last week, ArenaNet devoted a whole week to these spunky munchkins, expounding on everything from their history to architectural influences. Today, Designers Jon Peters, Jeff Grubb, and Ree Soesbee delivered an extra dose of Asura by giving us the lowdown on the Inquest and battle suit Golems. First, Grubb and Soesbee told PC Gamer that the Inquest wanted to be the culture that invented the device that would take down the elder dragons, and its members are willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top. Grubb explained, "Most Asuras will not experiment on sentients. That's one of those things that's just not a good thing. The Inquest don't have that limitation. They are more willing to not just manipulate, but to harm others because they've made the judgment that they're superior and therefore have the right to do what they will without worrying about you." Jon Peters was a little less verbose regarding the Asura's battle suit skills, mostly because these abilities are still in development. However, we learned that although the battle suit is designed for a single operator, when a battle suit is called, any race can pilot it. And when asked if these mechs could be used in PvP, Peters replied, "In World vs World vs World PvP, absolutely yes! In competitive PvP the battle suit will get banned from tournaments." We hope you caught all of ArenaNet's Asura-related activities last week. If not, we have everything you need to know right here, including a wrap-up in today's Flameseeker Chronicles.
Ree Soesbee wraps up Guild Wars 2's Asura Week
The final day of Asura Week has arrived for Guild Wars 2 fans, and Game Designer Ree Soesbee takes the wheel with a mixed approach. Her look at the race combines hard facts with a short story about an Asura Krewe working through a dangerous task in its own devious and complicated fashion. The rest of the entry takes a deeper look at things we've learned about the Asura during the rest of this week: the political system, the various colleges, and the inner workings of Krewes. This entry serves as a nice wrap-up to Asura Week, highlighting the core of who the Asura are: highly intelligent, driven little guys with a ruthless desire to be the best and brightest. Head over to the ArenaNet blog for the full story.
Guild Wars 2 Asura Week begins Monday [Updated]
The Guild Wars 2 development team has brought us Human Week, Norn Week, Sylvari Week, and Charr Week. Four of the five playable races have been covered, leaving fans anxious for the scoop on the final and most diminutive race: the Asura. ArenaNet announced today that Asura Week will begin Monday and cover character and environment design, animation, lore, and writing. The team will also release new audio, video, art, and even a "Hey Bookah" advice column that's sure to put we humans firmly in our place. Several familiar names will be pitching in for Asura week, including writers Jeff Grubb and Ree Soesbee. Asura week begins Monday, September 12th, and will continue all week. Check out the schedule after the cut for the full rundown of Asura Week! [Update: The ArenaNet blog has been updated with the details of Asura Week.]
Third Guild Wars 2 novel named: Sea of Sorrows
During a Gamescom Q&A panel earlier today, ArenaNet writer Ree Soesbee announced that she would be the one penning the highly anticipated third book in the Guild Wars 2 between-game trilogy. The title of the book will be Sea of Sorrows, and that's... kinda all we know about it right now. If you're not following along at home, the first two books in this series are titled Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny, both of which are part of the trilogy that tells the story revolving around the 250 years between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2. The impending release of this final novel in that trilogy simply brings us closer to an actual launch of Guild Wars 2 itself -- and possibly cures the world's hunger and brings world peace. We're not sure. Stay tuned to Massively for more on Sea of Sorrows as it's unveiled!
New Guild Wars 2 blog entry talks Sylvari personality
On this final day of Guild Wars 2 Sylvari Week, designer Ree Soesbee steps in for a thorough look at who the Sylvari are: their desires, personalities, and even their darker side. Ree presents a long list of new details about the Sylvari in her post. She covers the various cycles during which Sylvari are born and how that affects who they are; some frequently asked questions about Sylvari biology; the dreaded Nightmare Court; and much more. The blog entry is also punctuated with some storytelling that serves to expand our view of the tougher, more aggressive side of the race as well as give some insight into an important figure in Sylvari culture. Check out everything she has to say at the ArenaNet blog.
Guild Wars 2 video talks Sylvari background and design
"Trust me, you have not seen every story that a fantasy world can tell. The Sylvari are new." Guild Wars 2 game designer Ree Soesbee emphasizes how different this new race is in today's new Sylvari Week addition. In the three-minute video, Ree talks about the origins of the Sylvari from a story viewpoint, explaining the history of the tree that bore their race, and how that forms the basis for who they are. ArenaNet artist Kristen Perry provides a counterpoint from a design perspective. She talks in depth about her desire to design a creature in keeping with the Sylvari race's unusual origins and background as described by Ree: "I didn't want to just make a painted human with pointy ears." Jump past the break to take a look at the full video for Sylvari Week.
Make like a tree and check out ArenaNet's Sylvari Week
Forget Shark Week -- it's Sylvari Week! Today on the ArenaNet blog and the Guild Wars 2 official site, ArenaNet announced that in honor of the Sylvari race's being playable at Gamescom later this month, next week (beginning Monday, August 8th) will be Sylvari week. So what's the schedule looking like for Sylvari week? Well, things will kick off on Monday with ArenaNet artist Kristen Perry discussing the aesthetic of the Sylvari and explaining how it has evolved over time. Tuesday we get writer Angel McCoy talking about how the writing team intends to bring the race to life through its dialogue. Wednesday, Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee swings by -- with returning guest Kristen Perry -- the ANet blog to to discuss the roots (Ha Ha! Sylvari are trees.) and development of the Sylvari race. Thursday sees the Sylvari page on the official Guild Wars 2 site updated with buckets of new content, and things finally wrap up on Friday as Ree Soesbee returns with a narrative blog post that expands on the lore of the Sylvari even further.
New Guild Wars 2 blog post and video tours Lion's Arch
Lion's Arch is a familiar name to Guild Wars fans and a place that they've been anxious to see in Guild Wars 2. It's been common knowledge for a long time that while Lion's Arch survived and is a bustling city in the Tyria of Guild Wars 2, time has taken a heavy toll. The awakening of the dragon Zhaitan and the rise of Orr caused massive flooding throughout the human lands of Kryta. When the waters receded, Lion's Arch was rebuilt. This rebuilt version has been a mystery until now. Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee has penned a new ArenaNet blog post detailing the fall and resurrection of Lion's Arch and giving a few new details on how things are run in Guild Wars 2. Even better, the post includes a two-minute tour of Lion's Arch. Check out the video in HD after the jump, then head to the ArenaNet blog to read all about it!
Guild Wars 2 is skill-based, says lead designer
Although Guild Wars 2 has had many reveals lately, much of the game is still shrouded in mystery, and ArenaNet has generally remained tight-lipped about specific game information. However, in a recent interview with Guild-Hall.cz, Lead Designer Eric Flannum did let fans in on a few tidbits. A concern for a lot of players is skill vs. level. Flannum revealed that skill will play a significant role in Guild Wars 2 and clarified it by saying, "For really large level spreads of say 10 or more levels, then the gear and raw power of the character is going to be a huge factor. When you are talking about smaller level differences then skill plays a very large role." Given the more action-based combat mechanics of the game, we think this makes a lot of sense. In a related question, Flannum was asked about the quality of dropped gear vs. crafted gear. "It will be possible to craft items that are comparable in power to the best items available through drops and other rewards," he assured readers. For the whole interview with Flannum and designers Jon Peters, Jeff Grubb, Colin Johanson, and Ree Soesbee, hop to Guild-Hall.cz.
ArenaNet designer Ree Soesbee wraps up Guild Wars 2 Charr week
The final day of Guild Wars 2 Charr week is here, and it's designer Ree Soesbee's turn to give us another in-depth look at the Charr. Ree is the author of the Guild Wars 2 backstory, so she enjoys a unique view of the Charr heirarchy -- both the big picture and the small details. She's got plenty to say and a story to tell, so follow along after the jump for our in-depth look at the wrap-up of Charr week!
It's a rat, it's a bat, it's Guild Wars 2's Skritt!
Don't call them Bat-Men, Skaven or Reepicheep; you'll address them as "Skritt" and do it with respect if you know what's good for you. In a new ArenaNet blog post, Ree Soesbee reveals the latest Guild Wars 2 monster to plague the land: the "horribly, wickedly tricksy" Skritt. Skritt are a humanoid blend of rats and bats that live in massive colonies under the surface of Tyria, emerging to mooch and presumably harvest spoons from their victims. One interesting fact about this race is that Skritt share intelligence in an unknown way, and the more of them that congregate the smarter they become. It's this tenacity and hive-mind that have made them mortal enemies of the Asura, who are adamant that all Skritt be wiped out. So what prompted the creation of Guild Wars 2's Skritt? "We hadn't explored the idea of a hive-mind in our world before, but we didn't want to just repeat the old standard-an insectoid race. We went through many ideas, and eventually settled on the concept of a rattus rattus based horde. A major consideration in their creation was that this race had to challenge the asura on their own terms, but not be just another super-intelligent species."
Guild Wars 2 blog updates with Norn lore entry
The world of Tyria has long been possessed of deep and engaging lore, and the official ArenaNet blog has just updated with a bit more of the backstory that fans will be soaking up with the eventual release of Guild Wars 2. ANet's Ree Soesbee has penned a Norn-centric piece that offers a revealing look at the warrior race's affinity for the Spirits of the Wild. Soesbee's update focuses on four of the more important Spirits -- bear, snow leopard, raven, and wolf -- and features three story vignettes to go along with a bit of intro exposition in each case. Head to the official ANet blog for the latest update as Norn week comes to a close.
