In Guild Wars 2, the expansion Heart of Thorns does not squeeze players into the new area, Heart of Maguuma, as is common in other games, but instead allows them to return to the “old” world.
After the major announcement of the Heart of Thorns expansion in Texas, the developers from ArenaNet made the rounds with several US magazines. Polygon was able to extract details about the schedule.
At massively, they discussed the “Masteries,” the new way to further develop a character after level 80.
These “Mastery Points” will NOT only be able to be acquired in the new area “Heart of Maguuma,” but they are supposed to be distributed throughout the entire world of Guild Wars 2.
You need to do “really hard things that you have never done before” on your account, said ArenaNet co-founder Mike O’Brien.
“The way that you earn mastery points is, I think, a very Guild Wars 2 way to earn mastery points: You do really really hard things that you on your account have never done before.”
The expansion pack should not leave the old zones deserted
Guild Wars 2 is simply different, and if they had presented a typical expansion pack, O’Brien continued, the fans would probably have stormed the stage.
While a “typical” expansion pack raises the level cap, devalues old content, and sends all players to the new areas, it looks different in Guild Wars 2. And that is exactly the plan.
“We are evolving the world and have purposely chosen a strategy that does not turn the old zones into empty wastelands,” said O’Brien.
The developers also did not want to let go of further details from massively. There is a small glimmer of hope for members of smaller guilds who were afraid that the “Guild Halls” would remain out of reach. As Game Director Colin Johanson says: “It is important for us that every guild knows how important they are to our world. We will ensure that every guild feels treated with respect.”
Additionally, it is clear: We have now presented the main features of the expansion. There will be no more surprises from us, such as introducing features that affect crafting non-legendary items.
