The upcoming addon Heart of Thorns for the MMO Guild Wars 2 is already making fans excited. With the introduction of a new PvP mode, the wait is getting worse. But what is hidden behind the Stronghold mode?
MMO meets MOBA
League of Legends and Dota 2 are well-known MOBA games where strategy wins… or so-called minions. With the Skrits, there are also minions in the new PvP mode of Guild Wars 2, constantly attacking the opponent and the enemy fortress. If you have an advantage in the number of your own Skrits, you will win the battle faster. The goal is to capture the enemy fortress (Stronghold). In an interview with pcgamer.com, John Corpening, the PvP team lead at GW2, confirmed influences from the predecessor Guild Wars and the MOBA genre:
They [the community] mentioned that it’d be cool if we had something that was like a condensed World vs World experience. They mentioned that we should try some more traditional game modes. People have been talking about their nostalgia for Guild Wars 1’s Guild vs Guild. People have suggested that we look at MOBAs, that sort of stuff. We took influences from all of those things (…)
John Corpening also states that the overview of the map will decide victory and defeat, not the specific experience of your own class. Nevertheless, every player in Stronghold will take on a specific role.
Guild Wars 2 with Strategy
In addition to the Skrits, there are also siege weapons and special NPC heroes. These are depicted in the video as particularly large and, according to Corpening, aim to make the PvP mode even more strategic. According to the PvP team leader, player feedback during the development of the Stronghold map and all its mechanics was of great importance. Ultimately, they bundled the best ideas that could complement each other and fit into the game:
Really what we did was we took all that feedback, and we looked at the mechanics that we’ve seen have worked for our game mode, and the mechanics that didn’t work for our game mode, and really looked to make something that was right for Guild Wars 2 and the amazing combat we have.
We hope that the Stronghold mode will differ from the current World vs World mode. But the teasers promise exciting battles and make the anticipation for the upcoming addon even greater. It is obvious that ArenaNet continues to try to establish Guild Wars 2 in the eSports scene. No wonder, as this is a very attractive market. It is only logical to introduce a PvP mode with MOBA elements. Will it succeed this time?
We definitely see this being the future of PvP for Guild Wars 2.
