February | 2013 | Guild Wars 2

Archive for February 2013

Guild Bounty Speed Up Bugged – FIXED

Posted 27/02/13 by RD

The bug affecting guild bounty acceleration was fixed!

this issue has now been fixed, guilds are able to speed up bounty builds without worrying about losing influence

^AT

There is a bug in unlocking Guild Bounty Missions and ANet has advised players not to spend any influence to speed up the process. Does not seem to affect standard unlocks, though.

There is a current problem with Guild Bounty Missions and they are not functioning correctly.

We would advise guilds not to spend the influence to speed up the process to unlock the Guild Bounty Missions until such time that we are able to fix this error. We will keep you updated in this thread with regard to that fix.

Thank you.

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Game Update Notes – February 26

Posted 26/02/13 by RD

The February content update is now live! And it’s a big one, so make sure you click through for the full post. Don’t forget to tell us what you think in the forums!

LIVING STORY
Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm
The situation is getting worse for the citizens of Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. Volunteers are helping to ease the burden, but more refugees are hobbling down from the Shiverpeaks. The storm there is gaining momentum, but the forces of good are beginning to rally. They’re sending their heroes to defend the land and its inhabitants. Someone must hold back the gathering storm.
In “Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm,” the second installment in this four-part series, the stakes are raised, and battles rage, in the foothills of the Shiverpeaks.

Achievements

Two new achievements, The Gathering Storm and Lost and Found, have been added to the Living Story category.

Events

The refugees’ oppressors are becoming more aggressive and have shown their faces in Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. The refugees need qualified adventurers even more!

General

Camps in Hoelbrak and the Black Citadel have become crowded. As a result, the refugees have begun moving on to Lion’s Arch.
Refugees arriving in Lion’s Arch have lost on the road precious objects from their homes. The objects will be difficult to find, but the refugees are more likely to tell their stories to the helpful adventurer who recovers their possessions.
All content from “Flame and Frost: Prelude” continues, and the Refugee Volunteer achievement can still be earned.

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PvP Tournament Changes

Posted 26/02/13 by RD

Tourney-Master

ArenaNet revealed that paid tournaments are being replaced with free tournaments as paid tournaments are no longer required due to the ratings and matchmaking system.

In the upcoming patch on February 26, Paid Tournaments are going to be replaced by Free Tournaments.

One of the reasons we initially introduced Paid Tournaments was to create a place for hyper-competitive, highly skilled players to find matches with other players of comparable skill, leaving the Free Tournament system available for more casual competitive play. However, now that we have a ratings and matchmaking system in-place that matches players of similar skill levels, we’ve decided that the ticket cost barrier-to-entry of Paid Tournaments is no longer necessary.

Instead, we’ll have 1-round Free Tournaments and 3-round Free Tournaments. Both of these tournament types will use a separate rating for the purposes of matchmaking.

If you have any unused Tournament Tickets you may exchange these for Gold, Silver or Copper Tournament Reward Chests at the new Ticket Merchant NPC who is located next to the Tournament Master in the Heart of the Mists.

We’re also updating the rewards for the 1-round Free Tournaments. A new Match Win Chest will be awarded to the winning team. The losing team will no longer get a chest.

Also, now that we are removing the entry fee for Paid Tournaments, we are removing Qualifying Points (QP) as a tournament reward as well. In the future, top QP earners will receive a valuable in-game prize, which will be detailed in a later blog post.

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London 2013 Community Meet and Greet Q&A with special Guest Colin Johanson

Posted 24/02/13 by Fae

“Hey, wanna go to London?” I was asked, it’s not my most favourite of places so I was hesitant. “Wanna go to London to have lunch with ANet?” Okay, you’ve got my attention.

A luxurious train ride down to the capital city and before I know it I’m in a bar restaurant with a few other Guild Wars 2 fans awaiting the rest of our group, the ArenaNet guys and the guest of honour, Colin Johanson. We chatter amongst ourselves for some time and eventually Colin arrives with a giant beaming smiley, naturally. By pure dumb luck I get the best seat in the house with Colin sat to my left. I may have squealed a little inside (and outside).

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Leah Rivera on New Guild Missions

Posted 22/02/13 by RD

Hot off the press, the lowdown on guild missions, including a fresh video! As always, check a snippet out below and click through for the full story on the official blog.

Do you like games? How about friends? What about games with friends?

If you said yes to any of those, pull up a chair, because I think you’ll like what I have to tell you. I’m Leah Rivera, your friendly representative of the Guild Content team. My team and I have been working on a system to better support an important part of Guild Wars 2: guilds! So sit back and take a gander at what we have in store for you in February.

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Bag Slots and Bank Tabs on Sale!

Posted 22/02/13 by RD

Via Twitter:

Bag Slots and Bank Tabs are 20% off in the Gem Store through February 26! ~RB2

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ArenaNet Meet and Greet

Posted 16/02/13 by Rushster

Meet and Greet

ArenaNet are giving Guild Wars 2 fans the chance to hook up with the dev team and CM team on 1 March at the Tap House Grill in downtown Seattle, WA. There will be a QA session for fans and there will be goodies up for grabs too. Not to be missed if you are in the area.

When: Friday March 1, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Where: Tap House Grill, 1506 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101

Who can attend: This event is open to anyone 21 and over. No tickets or reservations are required, but we are limited to the capacity of the venue.

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Coming Next Patch: Trading Post Preview

Posted 16/02/13 by RD

That’s right, just added to the February patch, we’ll be able to preview gear in the Trading Post! Whoo!

We just added an exciting new feature to the February release for Flame and Frost: The Gathering Storm – Preview Items in the Trading Post! You’ll be able to preview the items that you’re interested in buying before you buy them by simply right-clicking the item and selecting the Preview option.

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Introducing the New Spirit Watch PvP Map

Posted 13/02/13 by RD

ANet just posted an overview of the upcoming PvP map, Spirit Watch, which will be live with the next patch. Check it out!

In the upcoming patch, you will be able to play our latest PvP map—Spirit Watch! This norn-themed map, which is surrounded by sheer cliffs, features shrines to the Spirits of the Wild and a new secondary objective.

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Dailies and Monthlies: A Starter’s Guide

Posted 13/02/13 by Alaris

This is a short guide giving some pointers on ways to make the dailies and monthlies easier.

Dailies and monthlies are a relatively easy way to boost your income and get some extras like laurels and karma. However, some have complained that they make you deviate from normal play… that is not necessarily so, and this guide is meant to give ways to incorporate dailies and monthlies into your routine.

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Endgame: An alt-a-holic’s perspective

Posted 13/02/13 by Alaris

I’ve always liked playing different characters, and now that I have a few at max level and with somewhat decent gear, I feel I have some *cough*authority*cough* to talk about what to expect from your characters in endgame. The good news is… the game remains pretty similar to early- or mid-game, so whatever profession you like early on is likely going to be your favourite still later on.

I regularly switch between my so-far 7 characters, and I will eventually have all 8 professions afterall. The main thing that influences who I play though isn’t what profession I like best… I love them all for different reason, and I especially love that they give me different experiences. The main thing that influences my pick is whether I plan to PvE, do dungeons, or do WvW. I find that while each profession can be useful in all three places, some professions adapt better to my playstyle in those different areas…

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Valentine’s Day Theme in the Gem Store

Posted 12/02/13 by RD

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, there are some new items and sales in the Gem Store. Thankfully, I just bought a makeover kit before this sale /grumble. Check it out below!

The Black Lion Trading Company is getting into the spirit of Valentine’s Day with an exclusive new item and limited time discounts. This week only you can pick up the Bouquet of Roses—which will grant you 5 unique skills—Red Dye Packs full of the most passionate colors, and a discount on Self Style Hair Kits so you can look your best.
Check out these Valentine’s items in the Gem Store before February 18, when these romantic deals will disappear.

Bouquet of Roses
Available until Feb 18!

A limited-time offer! This special bouquet comes with 5 romantic non-combat skills to help you capture the heart of that special someone. But hurry – love doesn’t wait, and neither will the Bouquet of Roses!

Brand New Red Dye Pack

The new Red Dye Pack is guaranteed to contain red and pink dyes only. Whether you want to dye your armor in Valentine’s colors or deck yourself out in blood red, we’ve got the dye pack for you!