While it’s customary follow for an MMO’s world and story to evolve by common updates, no developer goes fairly as far as ArenaNet does with Guild Wars 2. The studio ceaselessly releases new episodes of its Living World Seasons which have sufficient content material in them to fill an entire enlargement. Each chapter introduces new areas, objects, cases, and strikes alongside the Guild Wars story. The latest providing, A Star to Guide Us (Season 4 Episode 4), is not any exception.
It begins with you and your allies looking for out the pleasant dragon Aurene for assist in opposition to the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik. But first, we’re to research the Sunspeak Sanctuary with previous buddy Koss, and on the best way need to delve into the ruins of The Command Post from the primary Guild Wars. Since it was final seen, the Post has been overrun by a horde of big spiders and their monstrous broodmother.
MMO gamers are not any stranger to massive spiders, so this isn’t a very memorable battle, however it’s surprisingly enjoyable nonetheless. The broodmother carries the social gathering backwards and forwards throughout the map whereas NPCs make wisecracks. Once you defeat the broodmother, you unlock a brand new private occasion known as Sun’s Refuge, which might be upgraded by finishing duties within the open world.
There’s little time to have fun, nonetheless, because the dragon Kralkatorrik makes use of its newfound powers to open a portal and unleash branded minions on Sun’s Refuge in an try and kill Aurene. Some acquainted faces then make a shock return to tell Aurene that her future is to supplant Kralkatorrik as Elder Dragon with our assist.
It’s a terrific second that depends on the connection you’ve had with Aurene, who has grown up beside you since she hatched, which makes it exhausting to not really feel protecting of the dragon. There are additionally hints of extra dramatic twists to return in Aurene’s journey, although you’ll need to play your self to seek out these out – it makes for a tantalising begin to the brand new episode.
It feels lived in, natural, and homes a variety of intriguing plot hooks
Aside from the story, the Sun’s Refuge shall be a giant focus of Episode 4 – and it deserves to be. It sports activities distinctive collections that, when accomplished, unlock new options and side-content within the base. For occasion, finishing the duties of Zaeim the Sunspear provides new recruits to the barracks space, and opens up a dueling area that can be utilized to spar with NPCs and fellow on-line gamers.
But not all the unlockables are so easy. Another space of Sun’s Refuge, a dilapidated nook strewn with rubble, might be excavated to disclose a mysterious door locked with rune slots. What lies behind the door remains to be a thriller however we’re intrigued to say the least. There are loads of pleasant discoveries within the occasion as nicely, comparable to a toddler dubbed the ‘Hide-and-Seek Master’, who will problem you to seek out her someplace within the refuge.
There’s a appeal that shines all through Sun’s Refuge regardless of the dank cave setting. It feels lived in, natural, and definitely homes a variety of intriguing plot hooks. ArenaNet has clearly tried to work in an excessive amount of environmental storytelling, filling in a few of the small particulars to present texture to the grand, operatic narrative arcs Guild Wars 2 in any other case thrives on.
Guild Wars at 12
“In one other six years I hope that we’re nonetheless making simply as wonderful, simply as iterative,” game director Mike Zadorojny tells us. But what precisely is coming within the subsequent six years.
Refugees from earlier areas suffering from struggle have arrange camp on one facet, and new races might be discovered among the many Sunspear trainees, which suggests the game is about to be handled to extra various cultures. It’s these small touches that assist make Sun’s Refuge greater than only a place the place distributors hang around.
Heather Conover, who’s the staff lead on Episode 4, explains that “we want to create spaces that feel safe, fully,” and that Sun’s Refuge is a part of this imaginative and prescient. Rather than give attention to matching or upping the issue degree of earlier content material, Conover says that one of many objectives for this map “was to create really satisfying loops that also encourage you to go to other maps,” as a substitute of locking you into farming one map for the entire episode.
Along with a brand new open-world map and the upgradeable Sun’s Refuge occasion, Episode Four has a brand new tier armour set to unlock with individually dyeable glowing results, and a brand new legendary sceptre that summons slightly flying companion. The new Imposter System is recent to the game as nicely. It permits an NPC to comply with you across the open world, however to all different gamers they’ll seem as a humble prairie canine, sustaining the phantasm that your character is the one and solely Commander.
We’ll simply fake that each one the opposite heroes carry a number of assorted seeds and fruit of their pockets always. That’s not too outlandish, all of us do it in real-life in any case… proper?
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