In Guild Wars 2, on September 15, the new Fractal Sunqua Peak was released. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch was able to try it out early with the developers and is satisfied with the buildup. However, he fears that the rewards and the fractal itself will not keep players engaged in the long term.
What kind of content is this? Sunqua Peak is a so-called fractal, a dungeon for 5 players with various difficulty levels ranging from 1 to 100. Currently, there are 23 different versions of these fractals in Guild Wars 2, and they represent an important part of the endgame content.
The Sunqua Peak occupies the difficulties 25, 50, 75, and 100. There is also a Challenge Mode that can only be activated at level 100, specifically designed for players seeking a significant challenge.
In the test, I was able to test only the version at level 25, thus for beginners. However, it already gave a good impression of what the fractal is all about. While it looks visually beautiful, offers interesting mechanics, and tells an exciting story, the new content struggles with the old problems of the game and also offers few rewards.
New Mechanics and Jumping Puzzle
How do you start in the fractal? At the beginning of the instance, you must master a Jumping Puzzle. Your task is to overcome certain ledges by jumping. However, not just like that, but with a special jump skill that you unlock by collecting small orbs that lie on the ground after lightning strikes.
The developers proudly stated that this does not require the “special button.” This was introduced in 2015 with the raids but is rarely used outside of instances. Instead, your jump here automatically becomes a super jump, at least for the next 3 uses.
By the way, if you don’t like Jumping Puzzles, you can benefit from other players. When a player reaches the end, the path for others becomes a bit easier as additional stages and boulders appear.
The first boss fights: Throughout the fractal, you will encounter 3 mini-bosses:
- Voice of the Mountain
- Fallen Boulder
- Wrath of the Mountain
All bosses teach you the mechanics you will need later for the final boss. For example, against the Voice of the Mountain, you must bounce in clouds with the super jump to prevent a strong attack, or you need to dodge meteorites falling from the sky during the Wrath of the Mountain and then use them as a shield against a strong shockwave.
All these mechanics then come together in the final boss.
The final boss is a challenge: Even on the easy difficulty, the final boss of the new fractal, the Grief-stricken Spellslinger, was a real challenge. Several players died multiple times, including the 2 developers.
The reason for this is the many AoE effects that you must dodge. Here, the learned mechanics come into play. The Spellslinger also has a stubbornness bar that must be regularly broken with CC skills.
No preview for Cantha, but still beautiful
Is the fractal a glimpse into the new expansion? In advance, the fractal was very positively received, also because it should provide a first look at the new expansion “End of Dragons” which will be released in 2021. However, it is not like that, as the developers told us.
Although Sunqua Peak is located on the continent known and loved from Guild Wars 1, the assets are said to have been created only for the fractal. Cantha itself is expected to look quite different.
A wonderful atmosphere: But even though the fractal does not take place in Cantha, the atmosphere with the high mountain, whose valley can never be seen through the clouds, is simply wonderful. The cherry blossoms already hint at the Asian setting that will soon make its way into the MMORPG.
It is complemented by voice acting from the character Dessa, known from the fractals, and of course the bosses against whom you fight during the instance. The recordings for this were only resumed recently after the last episodes of the Living World were released without sound.
Moreover, the developers revealed to me that there is a very special story that is supposed to relate to current events in the real world. However, you must read all the notes found on slips of paper and gravestones in the instance.
Weak rewards and an excessively long content drought
What do I dislike about the fractal? For it being the first new fractal in Guild Wars 2 in nearly 20 months, the surrounding aspects seem rather weak:
- There is a new weapon set, which consists of re-skins of the fractal weapons with an additional purple effect. There could have been standalone skins.
- There are a few achievements that you can complete.
- There is a new infusion with a very dark effect that I personally do not like and can only be earned through the Challenge Mode.
The new fractal offers few reasons to play it apart from these skins. This is a general problem with instanced content in Guild Wars 2:
- Due to the lack of item spiral, most players already have the best gear in the game.
- Instanced content appears too rarely to foster a community around it. This particularly affects raids and Challenge Mode content. Many raid guilds that existed at the release of Heart of Thorns no longer exist.
- Fractals tend to feel too similar despite different difficulty levels, making them generally quickly uninteresting.
The Sunqua Peak cannot change these points. The first rounds will surely be a lot of fun for me, and I am really looking forward to the Challenge Mode.
In the long term, the Living World with its story and new areas binds me much more. But that is currently in the summer break.
Some speculate that it will only continue with the Steam release of Guild Wars 2 in November.
