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Flameseeker Chronicles: Crashing Guild Wars 2's anniversary bash
ArenaNet's latest release for Guild Wars 2, the Queen's Jubilee, takes place in the human capital city of Divinity's Reach. Not everyone is as giddy about this as I am. Humans are boring. Do we really need another festival-based event? Where's the real lore? However, Divinity's Reach is a hotspot for plot-based drama and intrigue, and setting an event there does more than just encourage players to return to the city for the sake of livening it up: it also sets the stage for ArenaNet to (hopefully) revisit some of the plot elements introduced at the launch of the game. The update will have gone live by the time this article is published, but chances are we won't know every bit of the story right away, so I'm going to take this opportunity to recap some of the pieces on the chess board which could make this event important to more than just humanity. This will necessarily include massive spoilers for the plot of GW2.
Guild Wars 2 celebrates the Queen's Jubilee
Citizens! Queen Jennah, ruler of the human kingdom of Kryta, is preparing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her reign in ArenaNet's latest living story update for Guild Wars 2. All of Tyria is invited except bad guys, presumably, but we're beginning to notice a pattern in these little celebrations and won't be shocked if some show up to crash the party anyway. If you're not bent on the subjugation or destruction of the entire world (or can at least keep quiet about it for the first act or so), you're welcome to hitch a ride in one of the nifty hot air balloons Her Majesty has provided to take guests to the brand-new Crown Pavilion in the human home city of Divinity's Reach. Fighting stuff is de rigueur for any Tyrian social event, and players can earn rewards through single combat in the Queen's Gauntlet, where the value of the rewards increases as challengers take more risks and fulfill special conditions. The crown is also employing a new technology known as watchwork; players will be able to gather it themselves for use in crafting new recipes and purchasing the new Sovereign weapon set. Completing the meta-achievement for the event will earn you a sweet miniature replica of one of Jennah's intimidating Watchknights. They're pretty creepy-looking, but they seem a lot less prone to putting their feet in their mouths than Logan Thackeray is.
Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: Guild Wars 2 crafting explained
Remember how I wanted to talk to you about crafting in Guild Wars 2? Let's do that now. I made a video while I was fiddling around with the weaponsmithing and armorsmithing disciplines in the recent Guild Wars 2 closed beta press weekend, and I've included it in this extra edition of Flameseeker Chronicles. Let's take a look at exactly what's going on for your first 25 points or so in these disciplines.
ArenaNet declassifies Guild Wars 2's Human military files
The Humans in Guild Wars 2 may be down on their luck (and population) but they're certainly not out. As ArenaNet continues Human Week, a new blog entry titled The Line of Duty introduces us to the three main military forces representing our spunky cousins -- and why they don't necessarily get along. First and foremost are the Seraph, who act as both the backbone of the military and the police force for the Human settlements. While the Seraph are widespread in Kryta, the Ministry Guard -- the protectors of the Human government and nobility -- mainly focus their efforts in the capital of Divinity's Reach. However, watching over the Royal Family is the responsibility of the Shining Blade, an elite force of warriors and spies. The Shining Blade should be familiar to those who fought in Guild Wars' War in Kryta campaign. Each of these military branches vies for influence and authority over the others, although the Shining Blade tends to be at the top of the pecking order while the Seraph take up position as the whipping boys (and girls). As ArenaNet writes, this causes "a tug-of-war for influence and control" amongst the beleaguered armed forces. You can read about the clash of politics, position and power between these forces on the ArenaNet blog -- and stay tuned for this coming Monday, when Flameseeker Chronicles will give a colorful commentary on the whole of Human Week.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City
We recently heard that Ghosts of Ascalon, the first Guild Wars 2 novel, is due out this summer. The plot of the book revolves around a group of adventurers traveling from Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City in search of the Claw of the Khan-Ur, a Charr relic that is the key to a truce between the Charr and the humans. Traveling from Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City is quite a hike, even in present-day Tyria (which is presumably much friendlier to travelers than the world of Guild Wars 2.) Since Jeff Grubb -- one of the principal designers of Guild Wars 2 -- is involved in the book, hopefully the tale will give us a look at the land of Tyria 250 years into the future. For now, we'll have to content ourselves with piecing together what we know of the world and taking a look at the path our (hopefully) intrepid heroes will be facing. Examining future lore based on partial knowledge is a tricky thing, because there are so many different opinions and schools of thought. Follow along after the cut for a ride on the speculation train, and feel free to add your thoughts at the end!
