The prologue to the new Guild Wars 2 season of the Living World is titled “Bound by Blood” and focuses on the Charr. Our author Alexander Leitsch was allowed to dive into this crazy adventure beforehand and summarized his experiences.
The Icebrood Saga is the name of the fifth season of the Living World. It starts today, September 17, with a prologue that I had the privilege to play with support from ArenaNet beforehand.
In this article, I would like to provide you with an overview of the events, content, and story of the episode. The ending will of course not be revealed.
What is the new update about? After our victory over the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik the Charr invite us to a victory celebration. As the commander and champion of the dragon, I am expected to show up as well.
It was supposed to be a fun and relaxed festival with many activities. I was already looking forward to target shooting, the Demolition Derby, and the new metal band.
But instead, unrest and internal conflicts overshadow the event. A major challenge for groups awaits me at the end of the chapter. But let’s take it step by step.
The kickoff escalates
How does everything start? Bangar Deathbringer, leader of the Blood Legion, wants to unite all Charr legions and is hosting the festival in the new area of Grothmar Valley, the home of the Charr.
But during the opening ceremony, everything goes wrong and a battle escalates. When my friend Aurene, the new Elder Dragon, intervenes in the situation, I become the scapegoat.
Instead of enjoying the festival, I now have to make amends. Fortunately, this is combined with the various activities in Grothmar Valley, which are quite fun.
Many events on a large map
What happens in Grothmar Valley? The new map is large, similar to those of the previous Living World seasons. I really like that, as I expected something smaller.
Each of the four legions hosts a large event in the valley:
- With the Flame Legion, I, along with other players, burned a large Charr effigy and had to carry a torch like in the Olympics.
- The Iron Legion loves to wreck vehicles. In the Demolition Derby, I can live out their dreams and compete with other players.
- The Blood Legion hosts a battle in the south in a slime pit.
- The Ash Legion wants me to train the young ones in target shooting on floating platforms.
The twist with these four large events is that NPCs also participate. This ensures that players who catch up on content months later don’t get bored.
What else is there? One of the four large events takes place every 15 minutes, but in between, there are many small tasks. I can either help the Charr cook or defeat champions on the map.
Additionally, an expedition leads me to the east of the map. There, I also encounter ghosts and their leader Murakai, who should be familiar to fans of Guild Wars 1. And yes, she also summons many minions for help this time.
For completing the events, I receive new map currency, keys from the respective legions, which collectively open a large gate. As a reward for all achievements, there’s a new emote: /rock out!
What is the highlight of the update? At the top of the mountain in the middle of the map, the metal band performs. And this event may have the highest fun factor in the entire game.
While the band is playing, I need to get the audience hyped up, shoo away crazy fans from the stage, fix the sound system, and fight off creatures that have been lured in.
The great part is that everything happens simultaneously. The better I and the other players perform, the higher the hype factor goes. However, if we fail, the concert might be canceled.
The songs that the band plays were specially composed and recorded for the episode. In total, there are three different works.
Challenges for 10 players
What else does the episode bring? Besides the new area, the celebrations, and the beginning of the story surrounding the Icebrood Saga, the first raid mission for 10 players is the focus of the episode.
This is cleverly integrated into the prologue, as it is a harder version of a boss fight from the story. However, you must have completed this to begin the raid mission.
How does the battle go? The huge Icebrood Elemental has various abilities that all deal damage but are not immediately lethal.
With 10 players, the battle in our attempt was relatively quick, but there are achievements that require a short time or dodging specific abilities.
Additionally, there are daily reward chests that can contain not only standard loot but also special skins. The faster I am, the more chests I get. A nice incentive to improve over time.
Drunken Norn and Brawls
How does the story continue? Over time, the festival escalates more and more. Beer is being drunk, and unrest spreads among the Charr.
More and more renegades appear and cause brawls and raids on the celebrants. Even my friend Braham has to suffer, so I have to bail him out of jail after a drunken fight.
Something is not right, but I leave the resolution of the whole issue to you during your play of the new episode. You can now play it for free, provided you own the expansion Path of Fire.
One of four teams for the Icebrood Saga worked on this episode. What are the others doing? Find out here:
