ArenaNet 2013 Blogpost

[Lippsy]

Looks like we are looking at an exciting 2013 for the game:

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/c...-months-ahead/

The guild missions have me really excited.

(Almost as excited as seeing 2 new mini pets in that PVE reward screenshot. Gotta collect them all )

[noaru]

I think they're a bit stressed about releasing content instead of pushing out fixes and polishing their existing game first. I don't like that they left the FotM disconnect issue unsolved for so long and then they announce that the much awaited fix is coming, but not now, in maybe 1 month.

I like how they want to improve the daily system and make a list of tasks and only require 4 out of 6, let me choose what I don't like doing (monster types can go @!#$%$ itself). But I hope they don't turn the system into an achievement point grindfest.

You won’t see another tier between ascended and legendary in 2013 for example.

But we will in 2014? (trolling, yes, but it's a prime target).

We’re adding new features as well. We’ll introduce a system of prestige and advancement specifically designed for WvW. This will give players a progression path where they earn new WvW-only abilities and bonuses, and with them gain prestige and visible titles/recognition. Also, we’ll add a new motivation to the WvW domain that goes beyond the overall weekly score to give more short term reasons to be winning in WvW as well.

This is interesting.

[squirrelfanatic]

Oohhh, interesting. I will study this tonight with a "noice cuppa coffee" (damn you, Tichai!). New incentives for WvW sound like a good thing.

[jha4ceb]

From the dev comments on the main forums it seems that the new "Crown" currency will primarily be earned from Daily and Monthly Achievements. That's okay, I guess, but I was hoping for more varied rewards that would provide endgame players with reasons to go back to (e.g.) Brisbane Wildlands or Iron Marches -- e.g. several zone-specific Crown rewards for each zone. I hope they have something else up their sleeve too, because I don't see how the Crowns by themselves will fulfil their goals here.

[Lippsy]

just a correction, For now it will only be daily and monthly. But the intent is that most achievements or a combination of them earn you crowns or at least that is how I read their responses.

[Screwie]

Well they aren't leaving that aspect out to dry - the devs have said that while the initial 'crown' release will be for Daily/Monthly rewards only, either crowns or some other system is going to be implemented for more substantial achievements.

EDIT: Ninja'd by Lippsy!

[jha4ceb]

Yeah, but even once you include all achievements, I don't see how this helps to resurrect empty zones. Once you have the explorer achievements there is no reason to return to 15-25 or 25-35 level zones - there are no other achievements that can't be gotten in higher level zones. What is needed is something specific to each zone which rewards crowns (once a day? once a week?) that can't be gotten elsewhere. It seems like that should be quite easy to do -- identify one particularly challenging group event chain in each zone and reward a daily/weekly crown for it -- so I hope they do that.

[hawksbane]

Improving the “looking for group” tool to make it easier to find other players to play with in the game.

There's a looking for group tool?
Seriously, those changes do look good, and if they can solve free world transfers/culling in the Jan update that would set things up nicely for the new WvW releases.

a bit worried about a new currency though, they already have:
Gold
Karma
Mystic Coins
Glory
A specific one for each dungeon
Gems
The WvW medal things (I forget what they're called)
another one that I've forgotten?

What are you going to be able to buy with a castle token that you can't/shouldn't be able to buy with one of the above?

[jha4ceb]

If the blogpost is anything to go by - cats.

[Screwie]

On the heels of the above post, ANet have announced Guesting is finally coming at the end of January!

Sadly though it's not going to be cross-region, here is why. Bit of a shame, hopefully they look at fixing that down the line.