Guild Wars 2 has not yet fully arrived in the big eSports world. However, ArenaNet aims to change that with Heart of Thorns. How? Associate Game Director John Corpening, Competitive Event Manager Josh Davis, and Stronghold Designer Hugh Norfolk revealed more in an ESL interview.
Only $25,000
At PAX East, publishers and developers not only presented the upcoming features of their games, such as Blizzard with Overwatch, but Guild Wars 2 was also played competitively. The European team Orange Logo won, taking home a prize of $25,000. Not much when compared to the prize pools of League of Legends, SMITE, or Dota 2.
When eSports was not yet established
One reason for the low prize pools could be the overall enthusiasm for PvP in Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet wants to change this now, following some problems establishing GW2 as an eSports title. The solution is clear: more PvE players need to hit each other on the battlefield. Simple arithmetic: the more people play PvP, the larger the eSports community will become within Guild Wars 2. Corpening, Davis, and Norfolk discussed this topic in an ESL interview. They not only addressed past PvP changes but also gave a glimpse into the future.
Achieving success with Stronghold
The magic word that keeps coming up in the interview is the new game mode Stronghold. This mode is intended to replace Conquest, as it is not only animated and easy to understand but also offers potential for competitive play. Why? Quite simply: The mode is very reminiscent of the MOBA game principle. And according to Corpening, it should appeal not only to established PvP players but also to PvE players and especially WvW players, as internal tests have confirmed.
The main reason for the enthusiasm he mentions is the different roles that players can take on in the Stronghold mode. You don’t necessarily have to be the best PvP fighter to help your team win. Especially strategists who know the map well and can read the opponents’ tactics would really benefit here. In the end, they have created something that appeals to several types of players. The variety of being able to choose a side adds to this even more.
It is clear that ArenaNet has high expectations for this mode. They have done a lot for PvP in the past, almost completely transforming it. Corpening speaks of an “evolution,” and Stronghold is the next step. The course has been set – after several attempts to gain a foothold in the eSports scene, it now just needs a breakthrough. Those who want to read the full interview can find it at eslgaming.com.
The game mode will be released with Heart of Thorns, and it will be seen whether it is the breakthrough for PvP in Guild Wars 2 and its eSports scene. The first part of Guild Wars felt more present in its time and delivered exciting matches – can the second part keep up?
Not enough yet? On our topic page, you can find further interesting news and articles about Guild Wars 2 and Heart of Thorns listed.
