On February 28, End of Dragons, the new expansion for the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 will be released. However, many features sounded rather unimpressive to MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch. Just before the release, the Jade-Bots were announced. They are really making him excited.
Much of the new expansion of Guild Wars 2 sounds like a “more of the same”. There are new areas, a new story, new elite specializations, and new world events. The only real novelty on paper so far was: fishing.
Personally, that was too little for me. Every expansion of Guild Wars 2 had a real highlight. In Heart of Thorns, it was the gliders, which gave the MMORPG a whole new verticality, and with Path of Fire the mounts, which are the best that the genre has to offer.
Fishing is okay, but there are clearly better systems in the genre. Additionally, fishing is basically only connected to crafting and the achievement system. And it’s not really an innovative feature either.
My colleague Mark Sellner was even so disappointed that he complained about it in an article:
But luckily, ArenaNet has now announced the Jade-Bots. The little helpers bring me cool side effects and can be improved over time. It’s a feature that finally generates a bit of hype for End of Dragons.
Useful companions and finally a task for jewelers
The Jade-Bots are cute robots that come with various useful functions. To use them, you need an energy core. This is displayed in a new tab in the hero menu and can be crafted by jewelers and even sold at the trading post. That alone is good news:
- The jeweler has been the weakest and least interesting profession in the game so far. Like the scribe, it can only be leveled up to level 400. The other seven professions have already unlocked level 500 and can craft ascended items. Finally, he has something to do!
- Since the energy core is tradeable, it can also be acquired by players who do not own the expansion. This is important to ensure that there is no gameplay advantage for buyers of End of Dragons.
The energy core has various levels from 1 to 10. However, you also need to level the corresponding mastery to improve your energy core. For a core of levels 9 and 10, you need the highest mastery.
The energy core brings various bonuses and increases your vitality depending on the level of the energy core and the mastery.
For example, you get a boost when gliding, higher speed when riding, or your Jade-Bot will revive you when you have died. The companion even carries its own waypoint that you can place freely.
Besides the energy core, each Jade-Bot has two equipment slots:
- The “Sensor Array” serves to give you a bonus. This includes additional metal or wood when gathering, but also converting unwanted materials into currencies. This is similar to items like Mauldrey or the ascended star.
- The second slot deals with so-called “Service Chips”. These improve the effects of your Jade-Bot. For example, the cooldown on the reviving ability is reduced, or you glide a bit higher with the boost.
Furthermore, at certain locations in the world, you can take control of your Jade-Bot using a console and fly around like a drone. A cool idea.
And the best part is: The Bots only appear when they are actually being used. This prevents dozens of companions from suddenly flying around, as was the case previously with animal companions and mini pets on the ground. Here, ArenaNet really thought it through.
While I have previously been quite skeptical of End of Dragons and its innovations, the Jade-Bots are really making me excited. What do you think of the new feature? Does it have the potential to be the best innovation of the expansion?
For those who want to learn more about the general contents of the expansion, here is everything important:
Guild Wars 2: 5 reasons why you should check out End of Dragons
The Bot is unlocked through a story mission, so you won’t miss it at the start of End of Dragons.
A companion for leveling, exploring, and loving
For me, the Jade-Bots are the big highlight because they offer many possibilities:
- I have a new task in crafting and leveling the masteries
- I can unlock various boosters and bonuses
- I have to make decisions for my playstyle, such as whether I need a boost for my mount or prefer to set my own waypoint in the open world
Additionally, the drone version has immense potential, such as for hidden achievements or puzzles that I can only solve by utilizing the drone version in between. For example, one could open a locked door by having the Jade-Bot find a secret switch. The possibilities here are virtually endless.
And the best part is: The Bots only appear when they are actually being used. This prevents dozens of companions from suddenly flying around, as was the case previously with animal companions and mini pets on the ground. Here, ArenaNet really thought it through.
While I have previously been quite skeptical of End of Dragons and its innovations, the Jade-Bots are really making me excited. What do you think of the new feature? Does it have the potential to be the best innovation of the expansion?
For those who want to learn more about the general contents of the expansion, here is everything important:
Guild Wars 2: 5 reasons why you should check out End of Dragons
