NCSoft and ArenaNet, publisher and developer of the critically-acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, today announced Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns as the first expansion to Guild Wars 2. The new features of the expansion brings Guild Wars 2 represent a re-envisioning of progression in an MMO. This includes the introduction of a new Mastery system that allows players to unlock and explore new abilities for max level characters, and a new Specializations system that gives them access to traits, skills and unique mechanics that transform their progression into something entirely new.
“We’re thrilled to bring Guild Wars 2 fans their first expansion with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns”, said Mike O’Brien, ArenaNet president and co-founder. “The features we’ll be introducing with this expansion have the potential to once again move the MMO genre forward. Guild Wars 2 defied MMO conventions in the way people play together and experience an ever-growing online world. In the same vein, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns will challenge the way that expansions traditionally treat endgame progression, and it’ll introduce new feature sets and content that reinforce our mantra that the journey itself is the goal in the way players experience and immerse themselves in an MMO.”
Last week, ArenaNet released a mysterious cinematic that players had discovered in Guild Wars 2. It would later be confirmed that this is a glimpse at the first expansion. The storyline will continue to unfold through Living World updates. Storyline players and the game world of Tyria facing off in a war against the Elder Dragon Mordremoth and his vast growing hordes. As the story progressed, players speculated that Rytlock disappeared into a void as the chased a powerful ancient weapon.
In Heart of Thorns, Rytlock not only makes a triumphant return from the mysterious Mists, he comes back with an all-new set of abilities. As Rytlock returns, it sets the stage for the expansions most exciting additions, the introduction of a new profession called the Revenant. The Revenant will allow players to that channel their powers from Guild Wars universe’s most legendary heroes.
In addition to these features, ArenaNet showcased new features that will bring to the core game covering additions to both PvE and competitive PvP and World vs. World modes. The studio premiered the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns announcement trailer as a first glimpse at these features that will set the stage for an ongoing series of updates no through launch that would delve deeper into each.
“We know many fans have been waiting for this moment, for us to say this one single phrase – an expansion is coming for Guild Wars 2”, said Colin Johanson, game director on Guild Wars 2 at ArenaNet. “We wanted to go well beyond just announcing that an expansion is coming and then let our fans guess as to what it would bring, and so we waited until we could tell them every single feature that we think sets it apart. We only wanted to reveal Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns once we felt we could highlight everything that makes it an expansion worthy of Guild Wars 2, and that’s what we did today.”
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns features
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is the first expansion for Guild Wars 2. Founded on the idea that the journey is the goal, the Heart of Thornsexpansion continues the Guild Wars 2 tradition of challenging the conventions of MMOs to fulfill the promise of what online worlds should be.
– The Heart of Maguuma
New adventures await you in the heart of the Maguuma Jungle. Confront the growing hordes of Mordremoth’s minions, discover allies from ancient civilizations, and battle new enemies.
o Tackle challenging group content.
o Explore new open world jungle maps.
o Experience new events and storylines.
o Test your mettle in new boss battles.
– The Mastery System
We’re reimagining progression with our new Mastery system. Explore new training opportunities for your max level character with a system focused on evolving the core philosophy that the journey should be the goal in the game. The Mastery system adds meaningful progression without invalidating your hard-earned levels and gear.
– New Profession: Revenant
Channel legendary powers to slaughter foes and unleash chaos on the battlefield with our brand new profession: the revenant. Enter the field of battle heavily armored and equipped with the otherworldly powers of the Mists.
– Specializations
Evolve your gameplay. With profession specializations, you’ll unlock access to a weapon previously unavailable to your profession as well as new traits, skills, and unique mechanics – all of which will transform your profession into something new.
– PvP: New Stronghold Game Mode
Gather supply to hire soldiers. Battle for control of heroes. Man the trebuchet to defend your stronghold, and storm the enemy gates to defeat the guild lord! Use our new guild team feature to team up and battle to the top of the leaderboards. Stronghold offers an entirely new way to play competitive PvP in Guild Wars 2!
– WvW: New Borderland
Experience epic battlefield combat like never before in World vs. World’s latest core addition, the new Borderlands map. Navigate treacherous heights with traps that blow your foes to the depths below and ferocious defenders to help keep the enemy at bay. Map objectives will be more important than ever before, as they’ll unlock new strategies, tactics, and play mechanics that you’ll want to use to your world’s advantage!
– Guild Halls
Your guild has roamed the world together. Now, it’s time to claim a piece of it. Work with fellow guild members to claim and grow your own guild hall in the heart of Maguuma.
For more details, visit the official site or check out the announcement trailer below.