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Guild Wars 2 Edge of the Mists Q&A with Devon Carver
The newest addition to Guild Wars 2's World vs. World map family, Edge of the Mists, began beta testing in late November of 2013. With February 4th's content release, ArenaNet will introduce it to the live game, at which point it will be set upon by Scarlet Briar's forces and players will most likely get to punt plenty of Aetherblades right off the edge of the Mists and into the formless void of the Mists proper. Gosh darn it, Scarlet, this is why we can't have nice things. It's a good thing Devon Carver, head of the WvW design team, has penned a blog post about the real business of WvW: players punting each other into the formless void of the Mists. Massively got to chat with him about the upcoming release, so jump past the break to get the scoop on what the WvW team has in store!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares release has been with us for the past week, transforming formerly beautiful (if centaur-populated) Kessex Hills into a toxic wasteland. The source of the devastation is a massive, thistle-topped structure in Viathan Lake, which was built and defended by the Krait and Nightmare Court. A whole lot of mystery is tied up in that thing, from Krait religion to Nightmare ambitions to the involvement of Scarlet Briar, but Marjory Delaqua and her partner Kasmeer Meade are on the case. The Pact has also gotten involved by aiding with research and demolishing the tower plant's offshoots, which are spreading on the wind like dandelions, only I wouldn't recommend adding them to salads, and they're not fluffy. The ArenaNet team responsible for this release has made some praiseworthy improvements over previous releases, which supports the idea that GW2's living world is still a work in progress with lots of room to grow. Combined with some interesting developer responses from the collaborative development initiative, I think it paints a promising picture of where the story is going in the upcoming months.
Borderlands bloodlust in Guild Wars 2's World vs. World
Changes are coming to Guild Wars 2 in tomorrow's Tequatl Rising patch, and not all of them have to do with dragons. ArenaNet's Devon Carver has written a blog post to let fans of World vs. World know what they can expect to see after the implementation of the new Borderlands Bloodlust buff -- and what they can expect not to see. The lakes in the center of the Borderlands maps are being replaced with Ruins of Power, which will provide benefits to the world that manages to capture and hold them. Players must capture three of the five ruins to access one rank of Borderlands Bloodlust, which will provide players from that world with a significant boost to stats. The downside is that the ruins must be defended from nasty, off-world Mist invaders (otherwise known as your fellow players) to prevent them from capturing your ruins and stealing your buff. Carver also discusses the philosophy behind the changes, which are meant to give players fun reasons to fight each other instead of krait and quaggan NPCs.
Guild Wars 2 Charr week begins with starting area design
If you're one of those looking forward to playing a Charr in Guild Wars 2, this is your week. ArenaNet is focusing on the Charr for the next five days, beginning in the most logical place: the Charr starting area. Content designer Devon Carver gives his take on the creation of this zone in today's ArenaNet blog post: "First impressions are lasting impressions, and the first area you'll encounter as a new Charr player is the Village of Smokestead. We know that it has to be reflective of who the Charr are and that it has to set the stage for the Charr perspective on life." Carver goes on to cover many details of the area both big and small -- everything from the overall layout of the village to the problem of how to feed the citizens every day. You can check out the full entry at the ArenaNet blog.
