In the beginning: Guild Wars 2 shows off Ascalon Catacombs intro cinematic

Dungeons without context tend to just blend in with the other 55,000 instances we've run in our MMO careers, so a gripping backstory can make all the difference in how memorable a good dungeon run can be.

ArenaNet has released a new introductory cinematic for Guild Wars 2's Ascalon Catacombs that helps bring players -- those both unfamiliar to the Guild Wars lore and heavily steeped in it -- up to speed. A Charr narrates a slice of history from the first game, leading up to how this dungeon was created and why it's so full of teed-off ghosts.

In an attached developer blog, Horia Dociu tells us why these cinematics aren't just window dressing but essential to the experience: "These cinematics play at the key moments of the story mode in each of the eight dungeons in Guild Wars 2, setting the mood and delivering valuable info. Stylistically, we're pushing the concept of a visual storybook as a form of communicating to the player -- we want the cinematics to feel like moving paintings."

You can watch the full intro to Ascalon Catacombs after the jump!