The developers of Guild Wars 2 have discussed the upcoming updates for the MMORPG in a new studio update. The focus is on better accessibility – likely in relation to the Steam release – and new rewards. Particularly, the news about an Easy Mode for the raids is being celebrated by the community.
What’s the deal with the Easy Mode? With the expansion Heart of Thorns, Guild Wars 2 received its first raids in 2015. They were considered difficult, especially because the community was not used to such tough instances. For years, players have wished for an Easy Mode.
This will be actually released in 2022:
- An optional “Encouragement System” will be introduced. With each failure against a boss, you collect a stack of encouragement. Over time, this can result in up to 100% more health, 50% more damage, and 50% more healing.
- After defeating a boss, the encouragement resets and stacks anew on the next boss or after an instance reset.
- However, encouragement is not meant to override certain mechanics that lead to instant death.
- In the encouragement mode, certain achievements cannot be unlocked.
The developers themselves state that raids still remain one of the most important topics in surveys. Therefore, they continue to work on accessibility. The changes are set to be implemented on June 28.
Are there new raids coming soon? Players have been waiting for new raids for three years. The last one was released in June 2019. The developers themselves stated at that time that only a few players actively engage with this content. An Easy Mode could increase interest. This raises the chance for new raids in the future.
In February, the new expansion End of Dragons was released. In this video, you can find all the important details:
Strike Missions replace the raids and are very popular
What replaced the raids? With the Icebrood Saga, the so-called Strike Missions were released. These are instances where you only fight against one boss. This can be entered with an organized group of 10 players or you can join a random group.
The Strike Missions are easier than the raids but offer comparable mechanics. With the new expansion End of Dragons, new Strike Missions, which even had a challenge mode comparable to raids, were introduced.
According to the blog post, these Strike Missions are being very well received. There is said to be a significant increase in players trying out the missions in easy mode, and moreover, many players are actively using the challenge modes.
To make the instances even more attractive, rewards will be increased on June 28:
- The gold in all Strike Missions will be doubled.
- You can earn an Ancient Calling Stone per mission and week.
- A new Imperial Eternal Bloom Infusion will be introduced, which can be randomly dropped or purchased for currency from the vendor. The random drop can also be traded.
Also on June 28, the challenge mode for the last new Strike Mission, the Harvest Temple, will be released.
How is it being received? The changes to the raids and Strike Missions are being praised very positively on reddit. Better accessibility and more rewards are exactly what players want right now. AdmiralNani writes:
Pretty good changes overall, especially the Strike Missions and raid changes. The missions needed the rewards that would incentivize players to repeat them after the first time, and now you get about 50 gold per week when doing the CMs, plus a chance to get an infusion.
What excites me the most is the “Easy Mode” for raids. GW2 has always struggled with the high skill gap when transitioning from the open world to instances, making it very difficult for new players to try raids.
Adjustments to repairs and the mouse pointer
What other changes does Guild Wars 2 have? Also on June 28, there will be the following adjustments:
- The repair system will be completely abolished; armor will no longer break. However, you can still interact with anvils in the world to get a small buff for PvE.
- A new option will be introduced to adjust the contrast of the mouse pointer, making it easier to see during large events.
- The barriers in story instances will be adjusted so that when leaving the area, you will reset instead of being kicked out of the instance.
Additionally, a major class update is planned for June 28. This is intended to allow easier access to buffs for all classes. This also contributes to the accessibility for raids and Strike Missions.
What do you think about the planned changes in Guild Wars 2? Does the prospect of an Easy Mode in raids entice you, or do you find this content generally uninteresting? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
In early June, the old dungeons were also revamped. This was likely done in anticipation of the Steam release, which is still planned for 2022:
MMORPG Guild Wars 2 unexpectedly revamps old content from 2012 – Sparks hope for new dungeons
