We checked out the new expansion of Guild Wars 2, “Path of Fire.” What our author Erzkanzler thinks of the second addon for GW2, you will find out in the test. 

Path of Fire and I – we didn’t start on good terms. I’m not a fan of desert scenarios, and after having to endure dreary sand masses in Black Desert Online, I wished for different areas.

All in all, I was skeptical beforehand whether Arenanet is on the right path with the new expansion “Path of Fire.”

However, one must give credit to the developer that Path of Fire fulfills two often-expressed wishes of the active players:

• we’re going back to the Crystal Desert
• and they introduce mounts in Guild Wars 2 – some had wished for this since the release

With subdued enthusiasm, I started my journey into the new areas to clearly express my opinion to the God of War. After all, I am a fearsome necromantic Asura!

Balthazar had already been introduced to us before Path of Fire in the Living Story as a new villain. However, rather unremarkably, my Asura combat team awaited me after logging into Lion’s Arch. No fireworks, no visible changes, no pop-up new menus or windows, superficially everything remains the same in Guild Wars 2.

But a quick look into the hero panel reveals: There are new elite specializations. Each class has received a new direction with the expansion. This is probably the biggest novelty, aside from the expansion of the areas.

So I could, armed with a torch, now charge into battle as a Plaguebringer, but for now, I’ll stick with my beloved two-handed sword. Because similarly to desert and mounts, the new specializations don’t get me into a frenzy of excitement yet. For now …

The Way to the Desert

With the airship, we proceed to the new areas through a rather subdued cutscene. Even during the approach, I am positively surprised by the new textures. The desert shows itself to be varied right from the start, much more diverse than I had expected.

The implementation of the different areas has been excellently accomplished by Arenanet.

Arriving in the beautifully designed Crystal Oasis, I find all that we are already used to. Many events, small minigames, hero points to conquer, and my first mount. Mounts have really never been something I missed in Guild Wars 2, as there is both a fast travel system and complex and compact maps, which make moving on mounts seem more of an inconvenience.

However, with Path of Fire, Arenanet is taking new paths: the maps feel significantly less cramped. And that does them good. The areas are more expansive, there are noticeably fewer fast travel points, and yet Arenanet skillfully manages to keep the maps from feeling empty or uninspired.

This is partially due to a landscape change even within individual maps.

Give Me a Mount!

After the first few meters on my Raptor, I want to pause briefly to bow to the developers. Great job, I immediately love my Raptor. This powerful creature moves so smoothly, so agilely, and yet it does not feel light but rather strong and powerful, making it a joy to ride.

Throughout the game, my Raptor then learns one or two small improvements through the Mastery system. This is nice, but almost insignificant.

First of all, mastery points are gained – unlike the last expansion Heart of Thorns – almost incidentally, and secondly, the new abilities are often not necessarily game-relevant, but bring joy. The endless mastery grind from HoT is therefore not repeated!

Unfortunately, other mounts seem a bit lackluster in comparison. While the Rabbit is still a helpful alternative, the Skimmer remains rather uninspired, and also the Jackal has, like the Skimmer, almost only significance because Arenanet has integrated the corresponding mechanics into the landscape.

The Griffin as an unannounced mount is, on the other hand, a successful coup. However, I would have wished for this little bird to be a bit more exclusive. Hardly 24 hours after release, Lion’s Arch was a pigeon coop filled with glory-seeking griffon riders.

Ultimately, all mounts are fitting and enrich Guild Wars 2 similarly to how gliding was integrated with HoT.

If they become a bit more customizable in the future, Arenanet could even get me to spend a few euros in the shop. The uniform plumage is, despite the existing color adaptation option, too monotonous for me in the long run.

Just Play Relaxed!

Upon the release of the previous expansion Heart of Thorns, I made it a point not to rush through the new content. Back then, I failed miserably at this endeavor. In Path of Fire, however, I took my time. Good thing! Guild Wars 2 continues to thrive on the charming little things: conversations with NPCs by the roadside and an extraordinarily vibrant world. Whoever simply consumes content blindly here misses one of the game’s greatest strengths.

However, both my Thief and my Necromancer have already explored all five new maps and have seen a large part of the new content. Thanks to a variety of characters, I was also able to check out the new elite specializations. Despite the considerable size of the new areas, Path of Fire offers no real endgame content for veterans. The new bounty hunts and meta-events will surely consume quite some playtime.

Arenanet is thus bringing a solid expansion with Path of Fire and relies on its strengths:

• new land masses that invite exploration
• events and meta-events that offer relatively high replay value
• the superior storytelling of the main story.

Oh God, I have to kill Balthazar?

The new storyline is epic and really captivated me. Although the story sometimes feels a bit contrived, it has even captivated me as a notorious “quest text clicker.” I found myself reading along with the dialogues, feeling the tension, and frequently recalling the story from long ago.

The last time a story captivated me this much, Lion’s Arch was still a collection of wooden huts.

Guild Wars 2 has not changed at its core; it has “only” grown. Those who didn’t like the game before will not love it now either. Because it stays true to itself, remains consistent, and doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

With the gameplay options, such as specializations and mounts, Arenanet creates a successful and logical continuation. Existing content, however, does not become obsolete, as so many other competitors do with their expansions to force players to continue playing.

There are no superior new weapons or armors, and the specializations are not necessarily better than those from Heart of Thorns. Thus, long grinding or first-kill runs, as seen in other MMOs after the release of an expansion, are almost completely absent in Guild Wars 2.

Guild Wars 2 Stays True to Itself

I, as a veteran, like Path of Fire. Many little things that bothered me about Heart of Thorns are not present this time. For instance, hero points from mini-games that I am forced to play or the strained map structure in the Twisted Depths, which tries to impose “vertical gameplay” on me.

An important step, as Arenanet shows that they are willing to learn from past mistakes.

The new specializations are, in the end, a highlight for me. There have always been and will continue to be classes in every MMO that I struggle with, that I just cannot warm up to. Like the Engineer in Guild Wars 2: definitely a great class, but just not my style of play.

The elite specializations, however, change this so drastically that I fundamentally reconsider my attitude towards a class. Thus, I found the melee bruiser from HoT equipped with a hammer much more enjoyable, and with PoF, even the ugly duckling, the Engineer, with its specialization Holosmith has won my heart.

Some classes even manage to shake my army of three necromancers as a main class. The Thief becomes a marksman, can use rifles, and after what feels like an eternity, can now even be played meaningfully again with two pistols. Just good! Since these specializations are all not overpowered, they can also be ignored if they do not appeal to you.

I did not welcome the Plaguebringer with open arms. Sure, I love my necromancers just the way they are, which is why I enjoy playing them so much. And then? Are they really trying to turn my beloved necro into a supporter? Not with Erzkanzler! That won’t work! Or will it?

New specializations, new love? After we got used to each other a little, our dark love flares up again. Because even the Plaguebringer is such a treacherous beast with enormous damage potential that I already dread the next patch notes, fearing that our young love might be torn apart.

But not every story has a happy ending! The Mesmer was never my favorite class in its original form. To be precise, I once referred to him as “Fragrant Toilet Paper from Textured Wallpaper.” And even with the release of HoT, he never managed to win my heart as a Chronomancer. Now, he tries again in PoF as an Illusionist but fails miserably. We won’t become friends this time either. But why should I care?

Testing all the new specializations that intrigue me offers me plenty of opportunities to spend time in Guild Wars 2. This system offers new alternatives for almost all player preferences. And if not? The specializations from the base game or the HoT expansion still have their place.

A look at relevant build sites shows: they are almost all competitive. The new Path of Fire builds do not stand out significantly, except for a few exceptions.

Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire in Review – What Does the Erzkanzler Say?

Starting pessimistically both in the new expansion and in this article, I can now confidently state: Path of Fire is a successful update. It may not seize all opportunities, but it does not commit any serious errors either. It has already given me so many beautiful hours of gameplay that I do not regret a cent of the purchase price. And that is exactly what one can expect from an expansion.

Path of Fire strongly gives the impression of retaining existing customers. In my view, this is almost a groundbreaking idea. Simply because I would have liked to see the marketing team that was told that new players would be nice but not the focus of their efforts.

Gaining really many new customers for a five-year-old MMO is likely to be a mammoth task, requiring substantial resources and always carries the risk of alienating long-standing veterans.

Arenanet, however, focuses on existing players, maintains content, and specifically addresses the wishes of the community. The developer has clearly learned from the HoT times and is proceeding more deliberately and cautiously. As long as it pays off for the developers, I enjoy having a gameplay comfort zone in Guild Wars 2. Everything is familiar, but new content raises no boredom. This raises the question: curse or blessing?

With the current expansion, players receive more Guild Wars 2. Radical changes or major innovations are absent. There is still no relevant item spiral, and the proverbial carrot that motivates many MMO players remains absent with Path of Fire. Thus, Path of Fire is exactly what it promises – an expansion!

Path of Fire – Little Evolution and No Revolution, Yet Good?

And what does the community say? The player base seems to like Arenanet’s new concept. While the community is usually quite critical of the developers, the forums are currently a place for exchange about new content, and even in feedback topics, there is much praise.

Only a few voices express dissatisfaction about the scope and the lack of endgame content. However, these muffled outcries have existed since the release. They are significantly in the minority. Out of curiosity, I asked various guild leaders and players for their opinions: In summary, while there is no enthusiasm, there is a relaxed sense of satisfaction with Path of Fire.

Perhaps a game does not need to redefine itself constantly, grow, and innovatively break everything apart. I, at least, enjoy this continuity, especially because it is so extraordinary. Let’s hope this concept also pays off for Arenanet and that player numbers do not decline. The lack of endgame is the sword of Damocles that Arenanet bravely ignores.

Ultimately, high-end content such as raids has never been the core of Guild Wars 2. With the content introduced now, one is sure to reach a larger percentage of the player base than one could have achieved with extremely challenging content. This might not please everyone, but it is economically sensible and looks good for the game.

How do you experience Path of Fire? Do you miss the endgame or do you enjoy, like I do, that there are now more Guild Wars 2 contents.