Guild Wars 2 has announced a new update that is scheduled to be released on January 19. However, the content shown in the trailer seems lackluster, and there is less content than there was a few months ago. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch is disappointed.
What happened? ArenaNet released a new trailer that presented the contents of the upcoming patch “The Icebrood Saga: Champions – Chapter 2”.
It showcases the old areas of Doric Sea, Thunderhead Peaks, Snowblind Range, and Fields of Ruin. New dragon assistance missions are supposed to take place there again. Additionally, there will be new allied factions and rewards.
The trailer also provides a glimpse of the upcoming updates. However, the content there does not look any better.
What is the problem? Since the end of the summer break, the Icebrood Saga has been running under the subtitle “Champions”. However, instead of improving, it has rather declined.
There are no new areas as is usual for the Living World, and new assault missions have also been omitted. Instead, they rely on events in the open world and a faction system that does not provide real value for many.
There is a lot of criticism on Reddit and even in-game. I can completely agree with this.
No hype and no interest
How do I feel about GW2? Since my first play test event for Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom 2009, I have been closely connected to the game. Over the years, I have accumulated more than 7,500 hours on my main account and surely another 500 hours on others.
I used to run a fan site and landed here at MeinMMO due to my knowledge of Guild Wars 2. However, the last few months have been hard to bear for me as a fan.
What is my problem? While I enjoyed playing the old episodes of the Icebrood Saga due to the new areas, meta events, and rewards such as the otter infusion, Chapter 1 was completely uninteresting to me.
- The dragon assistance missions offer little variety
- I completely miss new areas
- The story has not been well produced for a while, as it was in Season 4 of the Living World or in the add-ons. I miss the red thread; everything feels like we are just going through the day and the events.
The new trailer has now tipped the scales for me. Nothing in it sparked my interest at all. At the same time, it also gives a glimpse of the upcoming chapters, and it does not look any better:
- Chapter 1 of the Icebrood Saga from November 2020 brought: dragon assistance missions, allied factions, rewards
- The upcoming Chapter 2 brings: more dragon assistance missions, more allied factions, more rewards
- For Chapter 3, the following things have already been announced: even more dragon assistance missions, even more allied factions, even more rewards
For those who have found the concept of the Living World monotonous so far, the Icebrood Saga: Champions currently presents an even greater challenge.
I myself have not been playing daily for a while. Now, however, I log in hardly more than once a month, which is actually a shame, as GW2 has many things that are really well done:
What do users say on Reddit? There are currently two active threads about the new trailer. In both, the top comments revolve around how the content feels very boring and interchangeable.
The user moodysaur summarizes the opinion of many:
What the hell is going on with ArenaNet lately? I used to be excited when I saw the trailers and sometimes disappointed when I played the episode. Now, however, I am already disappointed by the trailer.
It is so underwhelming compared to other trailers we have received before… just like the story. I feel like I am waiting for the end of these lousy updates and will only come back when EoD is released.
For many users on Reddit, the current motto is: hang in there until the expansion. But will that really bring a turnaround?
Is it just the calm before the addon storm?
What else is coming in 2021? This year, Guild Wars 2 is set to receive the new expansion “End of Dragons”. This, in my opinion, must be a success if they want to attract both new and old players to the MMORPG again.
On Reddit, many cling to the hope that the current season of the Living World is so weak because resources are being fully concentrated on the expansion.
However, although the release is planned for 2021, there are currently no details about it, only a short story trailer.
Does ArenaNet have so few resources? For ArenaNet, the developer of Guild Wars 2, things have not been going well in recent years:
- In early 2019, about 1/3 of the studio had to leave. However, it was said at the time that primarily other projects aside from GW2 would be affected.
- In the following months, revenue for the MMORPG steadily declined. Only the third quarter of 2020 brought a turnaround.
- Shortly after that, there were again layoffs at ArenaNet, although this time not so many people were affected.
- For years, the company has been working on new projects, but so far there have been no detailed information or gameplay shown for any of them.
The reasoning that the few resources the studio still has for GW2 are fully concentrated on the expansion is therefore plausible. However, new information needs to come soon to keep people engaged.
The developers have only confirmed so far that End of Dragons is not supposed to be the end of the story of Guild Wars 2, even though the name suggests it.
However, if the expansion turns out to be a disappointment and does not offer enough content, the following updates could also be smaller. Possibly even less spectacular than what we have seen in the current Living World.
Another reason for the generally poor mood comes from other areas of the game. Because World vs. World is still waiting for an update that was announced back in 2018:
Guild Wars 2 promised an important update 2.5 years ago – but fans are slowly despairing
