In Guild Wars 2 there was a playtest for the expansion “Heart of Thorns,” the reactions are quite positive, though one should not expect miracles.
ArenaNet invited representatives from various media outlets to a playtest to get a first look at the expansion “Heart of Thorns.” MassivelyOp accepted the invitation, for example, and reports somewhat positively about it. There hasn’t been much to see yet. However, what has been seen has been quite pleasing. The competing site mmorpg.com even called their article about the event “Playing Guild Wars 2 is like coming home.” The tone seems to agree.
Above all, the Revenant particularly impressed the tester from Massively. He could stand in the fire during the Wyvern fight until he burned, then he absorbed the flames with his demon skill to turn them into buffs. The class’s flexibility transformed an initially vague interest (“Well, another class with heavy armor”) into genuine anticipation (“My new favorite class!”).
The PvE aspect in the jungle felt like it could excite fans of jumping puzzles and exploration, although the story seemed to lack pull. The masteries felt like more of what GW2 already offers. More applause was received for the new Stronghold mode, which indeed had aspects of a MOBA where more focus had to be on objectives than on ramming the axe into the opponent’s back.
Everything sounds quite positive, as far as a short test (the demo lasted 60 minutes) allows. It seems that Heart of Thorns is heading towards a gentle evolution and does not intend to reinvent the game.
Oh, and he also brought this cinematic with him:
