Archive for 26 February 2013

Game Update Notes – February 26

Posted 26/02/13 by

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

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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