This month will see the largest update to in-game content so far with the addition of several PVE and PVP additions. Areanet has queued up three different additions ranging from a new sPVP map to mini-dungeon challenges. The first of the updates is a new sPVP map called Temple of the Silent Storm.
The map takes place on and inside a massive iceberg, which features a large temple that serves as a place of meditation and training dojo for Guild Wars 2’s armored polar bear race, the Koden. ArenaNet is emphasizing a sense of verticality with this map and just like all of the Guild Wars 2 PvP maps, the ‘Temple of the Silent Storm’ will feature conquest gameplay with a twist.
The twist is in the series of buffs that will be strewn throughout the map. Players can meditate at certain areas to acquire buffs that confer bonus points for a variety of activities, ranging from killing other players to capturing objectives. However, the buff that is likely to be contested the most is one that will reset all the capture points throughout the map.
The second is a more interesting introduction of fractals, a series of challenging mini-dungeons.
Each fractal’s experience will be similar to that of the various mini-dungeons littered throughout the open world of Guild Wars 2. These fractals will feature a variety of challenges, puzzles, and boss fights, with an emphasis placed on use of the environment. Players can expect each fractal to take anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes to complete and the game will throw you through a series of three fractals, from one to the next, before returning you to town. Every other set of three fractals that players complete will initiate a special boss fight along the lines of Tequatl the Sunless or The Shatterer.
The last is a weekend event in the Lost Shores.
The ‘Lost Shores’ weekend event will be a one-off event in Guild Wars 2 that will run between Friday, November 16 through Sunday, November 18. ArenaNet describes the theme of the event as being a “monster movie, invasion type thing” that will focus on the lore of Lion’s Arch. During the event, Lion’s Arch will be invaded by a new enemy group called the ‘Karka’. We’re told the Karka will be quite challenging for Guild Wars 2 players and will even feature a number of new mechanics for players to overcome in order to emphasize this. Visually, the Karka will feature a heavily armored shell of sorts that players will have to penetrate. ArenaNet has even worked on a new shader technology that allows players to actually see pieces of the armor fall off of the Karka as they wear it down.
To find out more details, make sure to read the sneak peaks provided by Massively and MMORPG.com.