The upcoming addon Path of Fire for Guild Wars 2 takes you back to the Crystal Desert and the region of Elona. Both locations were prominently featured in the first Guild Wars. Therefore, the presentation of Path of Fire aims to appeal to both nostalgic players and newcomers. Additionally, the grind effort is supposed to be reduced compared to Heart of Thorns.
Path of Fire, the second major addon for Guild Wars 2, will be released soon, on September 22, 2017. But what is it really about? How will the story unfold? Which regions will we (re)visit and how do the developers plan to avoid making Path of Fire a similar grind fest as Heart of Thorns? We asked the developers and received answers.
Guild Wars 2 – Familiar places in Elona and the Crystal Desert
The special highlight of Path of Fire, alongside the new mounts and the 9 elite specializations, is the setting. Unlike in Heart of Thorns, this time it goes to a historically significant place in the Guild Wars story: Elona and the Crystal Desert.
Anyone familiar with the first game of the Guild Wars series knows that this is where your heroes could first achieve their “Ascension”. And the northern Elona with the province of Vabbi and Palawa Joko’s domain is still well remembered by players from the GW1 addon Nightfall.
According to the developers, care has been taken with the new, old areas to ensure a certain recognition effect occurs. The developers want veterans to recognize much but also to notice that centuries have passed and the world has not stood still. New players should also find enjoyment.
Guild Wars 2 – Path of Fire has the largest maps to date
Whether you know the old maps or not, the new desert maps in Path of Fire are supposed to be gigantic! According to the developers, they are larger than any maps previously created for Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 2 – Less grind than in Heart of Thorns
In Path of Fire, the developers want to avoid a major mistake from Heart of Thorns: the endless grind. Because back then, you had to farm an incredible number of experience points to level up your coveted masteries. Additionally, more masteries were introduced in the episodes of Season 3.
While ArenaNet still intends to rely on masteries this time – via the mounts – you should receive the necessary points faster this time. Additionally, there will be constantly new things for players to achieve without significant grind.
Guild Wars 2 – No more big content drought – Season 4 is expected to follow soon
Unlike in Heart of Thorns, you won’t have to wait what feels like an eternity for Season 4 of the story to start this time. Rather, Path of Fire is seen as a thick new chapter of the story. Therefore, Season 4 is also expected to start shortly after the release of Path of Fire and continue the story.
Also interesting: Guild Wars 2 – Path of Fire focuses on new content
