Guild Wars 2 recently released its latest expansion “Secrets of the Obscure” and announced that more players than expected are participating in this adventure. However, community reactions are mixed, as not all players are excited about the changes.
What is the new expansion “Secrets of the Obscure” about? The announcement of the expansion “Secrets of the Obscure” took place on June 27, 2023. Just a month later, on August 22, it was released.
The rapid release surprised many, but it fits with the 11th anniversary of Arenanet on August 28. This quick timeframe allowed players to dive into the new content quickly. However, there were also concerns about whether the developers had enough time for quality assurance.
Here you get an insight into the new expansion:
40% Player Increase on Steam
What does Arenanet say about the release? In a post from August 14, the developers of Arenanet also commented on the expansion. They expressed their pleasure that “Secrets of the Obscure” is doing better than expected so far.
On the release day, there were so many players wanting to play the expansion that additional server capacities had to be provided to handle the influx of players.
Although many players still launch the game through the Arenanet client, there was also an increase in concurrent player numbers on Steam. Just before the release of the expansion, there were an average of 4700 concurrent players active, which rose to 6500 shortly thereafter. This corresponds to an increase in players of around 40% (via steamdb).
How was the expansion received? Our MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch had the opportunity to test the expansion for about 100 minutes before the launch. His opinion on new content such as events, boss fights, skins, and achievements was mostly positive. He praised the challenges and fresh aspects that the expansion brought.
Nevertheless, he strongly criticized the new map areas, which left a visually unsatisfactory impression and often relied on asset recycling. In particular, the so-called “magic world” areas appeared disjointed and generic.
How is the community reacting? One criticism that keeps coming up in the community is the new daily system. In the previous version, players received 12 tasks from different areas of the game and could freely choose which ones to complete. Be it in PvE, WvW, or PvP.
With the expansion, players now have to choose one of these areas at the beginning and then receive five tasks, one of which requires logging into the game.
Before the update, there were daily tasks such as completing certain jumping puzzles or events. Currently, the tasks include collecting 10 resources or completing a “reputation heart,” which represents a quest.
Many players criticize that the dailies have become less challenging and feel less diverse. However, some prefer this change and see it as a positive aspect of the expansion.
“A half-chewed gum in my pocket,” wrote a user on Steam
How are the reviews on Steam? On the popular gaming platform Steam, the reviews for “Secrets of the Obscure” are also mixed. The expansion has so far received only 44% positive ratings and carries the status “balanced.”
Some players praise the new content and systems and are pleased with the fresh story and simplified mechanics that make it easier for new players to get started.
However, there are also critical voices. Some players complain that the new area can only be effectively traversed with flying mounts, such as the Skyscale or the Griffin. Since not everyone owns these mounts, especially the Skyscale, which requires significant time investment, this leads to dissatisfaction.
The new drop system is also facing criticism, as it appears unrewarding in some cases. Players complain that the rewards do not proportionately match the difficulty of the challenges.
A user writes: “I don’t expect every new meta to have Tier-3 loot in the game or whatever, but when I go through a pretty complicated meta and end up with three pebbles, an old glass marble, and a half-chewed gum in my pockets, that leaves a bitter aftertaste. Especially since we had the same problem with EoD, they partially acknowledged it and then… just do it again?”
Despite the mixed reactions, Arenanet has already announced new content and fixes. The community is eagerly waiting to see how the expansion will evolve and how the developers will respond to player feedback.
The new season pass, which was introduced some time ago, has positively surprised many players, and it remains to be seen what further surprises and adjustments the future holds for Guild Wars 2. While some players are skeptical, there is also hope for improvements that could further optimize the gaming experience in “Secrets of the Obscure.”
What do you think of the new expansion? Would you like an article about all the changes? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.
A tier list of some major MMORPGs can be found here: Where do the 57 largest MMORPGs for PC currently stand? The Tier List 2023
