New expansion looks hot!

Guild Wars 2 is looking set to expand, soon, with the recently announced Path of Fire. The newest add-on will be releasing on September 22 and will bring players back to one of the lands from the original Guild Wars, The Crystal Desert. The main goal of this latest adventure will be to track down the rogue god Balthazar, which just makes me think we'll be living out an episode of Futurama in a fantasy setting.

If you pre-order the expansion now (and have an account in good standing), you'll be granted access to a preview weekend set for August 11 - 13. This preview will allow you b??egin your journey and experience the new Raptor mount, which sounds awesome. Pre-ordering will also net you?? some goodies in the form of a miniature, a title and a weapon skin. All users will receive a free level boost upon buying the game, bringing one character to level 80 immediately.

As for how big this expansion will be, there are no specifics, but ArenaNet president and co-founder Mike O'Brien is quoted as saying, "This new expansion is all about content. An epic story, five immense new open-world ??zones, mounts that allow you to move through Tyria in all-new ways, and nine new elite specializations." Sounds chock full of goodness.

As big of a fan as I was of the first Guild Wars, I completely missed the boat on the sequel. I suppose I could just jump in now and start questing, but I always feel daunted by the vast amount of content MMO's amass over the years. The idea of returning to World of Warcraft, for example, fil??ls me with an overwhelming sense of dre??ad.

Either way, Path of Fire does seem suitably epic and I'm sure it will? be a big treat for fans.

The post Get ready?? to walk the Path of Fire in Guild Wars 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Game doesn't come out for another month

NCSoft has released the launch trailer for the upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion, Heart of Thorns. And that is really, really strange.

No, it’s not the Evil Groot yelling at a cat that’s weird. It’s not the tentacle attacks, the sudden Wyvern attack, or even the Chelsea Flower Show’s interpretation of Cthulhu that appears at the end of the trailer which is weird. All that is really cool, and Heart of Thorns has got an amazingly well-animated trailer that I’d say rivals some of Warcraft’s best ads. That’s not the odd bit.

What is weird is that this is the launch trailer for an expansion that doesn’t come out for another month. Heart of Thorns launches on October 23, but this launch trailer was shown off at Twitchcon in San F??rancisco last week.

I’ve seen launch trailers come a week or so early, but never a whole?? damn month. NCSoft sure is an eager beaver, isn’t it? We’ll need the Launch Reminder Trailer in a few weeks just to remember this happened.

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First big discount on Heart of Thorns

We're less than a month away from the release of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and while $49.99 has held its ground till now, the first major pre-order price drop has occurred. FunStock Digital recently dropped the game to $42.42 on their site (price when converted to USD). Stack a 25% off coupon code and you'll further gut the price to only $31.82. This is the best price we've se??en thus far. Pre-order bonus includes all beta access + in-game title.

If you're not willing to wait for a pre-order there's plenty of RPG instant gratification available this weekend in deals, most notably at Amazon on South Park: The Stick of Truth. Just yesterday they dropped the price to only $10 - a new low for the zesty game.

There are a ton of other good deals this weekend, but one sale that's worthy of mention is GMG's Rockstar Games Sale. The sale was launched earlier this week with instant savings up to 83% off and a stacking 20% off coupon to boot. This weekend it got better with a new 23% off code, making Grand Theft Auto V at historic low price.

Top Deals

Use code: SEP-COUPMAIL-PRE25

• Guild Wars 2: Heart Of Thorns — $31.82  (list price $50) <- not available anymore
• Might & Magic Heroes VII (Uplay) — $33.10  (list price $61)

Use code: 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING

• Grand Ages: Medieval (Steam) — $29.10  (list price $40)
• Cities: Skylines After Dark — $11.55  (list price $15)
• Tales of Zestiria (Steam) — $38.50  (list price $50) <- no pre-order bonus FYI
• South Park: The Stick of Truth (Steam) — $10  (list price $40)

Console Hardware Deals

• Playstation 4 Destiny: The Taken King Bundle — $379.99  (list price $400)
• Xbox One 1TB Console Halo: MCC Bundle — $359.99  (list price $400)
• Wii U Console 32GB Deluxe Set + Mario Kart 8 — $279.99  (list price $300)

GMG Rockstar Games Sale

Use code: 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING

• Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar DRM) — $36.96  (list price $60)
• Max Payne Complete (Steam) — $8.47  (list price $55)
• Grand Theft Auto Complete Package (Steam) — $7.70  (list price $50)
• Max Payne 3 Complete (Steam) — $5.39  (list price $35)
• L.A. Noire Complete Edition (Steam) — $4.62  (list price $30)
• Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition (Steam) — $4.62  (list price $30)
• Bully: Scholarship Edition (Steam) — $2.88  (list price $15)
• Manhunt (Steam) — $1.92  (list price $10)

Recent Releases

• 09/24: Jagged Alliance Online: Reloaded (Steam) — $6.54  (list price $10)
• 09/22: FIFA 16 (Xbox One, PS4) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• 09/22: FIFA 16 (Origin) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 09/22: Blood Bowl 2 (Steam) — $33.29  (list price $45)
• 09/22: Penarium (Steam) — $7.70  (list price $10)
• 09/16: Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (Steam) — $34.95  (list price $50)
• 09/15: Xbox One FIFA 16 1TB Bundle + 1 yr EA Access — $359.99  (list $399)
• 09/01: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Steam) — $45  (list price $60)

Upcoming Releases

Yep, a crapload coming out.

• 09/30: The Escapists: The Walking Dead (Steam) — $12.47  (list price $18)
• 10/01: Lost Horizon 2 (Steam) — $29.56  (list price $40)
• 10/06: Rock Band 4 Legacy Game Controller Adapter (XOne) — $9.99  (list $25)
• 10/20: Sword Coast Legends (Steam) — $26.79  (list price $40)
• 11/03: Anno 2205 (Uplay) — $40.69  (list price $60)
• 11/10: Fallout 4 (Steam) — $44.57  (list price $60)
• 11/19: Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Uplay) — $40.81  (list price $60)
• 11/26: Trackmania Turbo (Uplay) — $27.20  (list price $40)
• 12/01: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Uplay) — $40.18  (list price $76)
• 12/08: Hitman (Steam) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 02/05: XCOM 2 (Steam) — $33.88  (list price $60)
• 03/08: Tom Clancy's The Division (Uplay) — $41.01  (list price $60)

Dell eGift Card Deals

• 10/09: Chibi-Robo Zip Lash + $25 eGift Card (3DS) — $29.99 
• 10/15: The Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes + $25 eGif??t Card (3DS) — $39.99
• 10/27: Civ: Beyond Earth Rising Tide + $25 eGift Card (Steam) — $29.99
• 11/06: Call of Duty: Black Ops III + $25 eGift Card (PS4, Xbox One) — $59.99
• 11/17: Star Wars: Battlefront + $25 eGift Card (PS4, Xbox One) — $59.99

PC Game Deals

• Elite: Dangerous (Steam) — $26.99  (list price $45)
• Fallout 4: Season Pass (Steam) — $23.10  (list price $30)
• Mad Max — $22.34  (list price $60)
• Battlefield: Hardline (PC DVD) — $19.99  (list price $30)
• Cities: Skylines (Steam) — $15.07  (list price $30)
• Hatred (Steam) — $12.99  (list price $20)
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Steam) — $10  (list price $40)
• Metro Redux Bundle (Steam) — $8.99  (list price $50)
• System Shock: Enhanced Edition (DRM-Free) — $7.99  (list price $10)
• Castlevania: Lord of the Shadows Ult Ed. (Steam) — $7.50  (list price $30)

Console Game Deals

• Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) — $46  (list price $60)
• Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4) — $38.99  (list price $60)
• Mario Party: Island Tour (3DS) — $19.96  (list price $40)
• Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U) — $18.15  (list price $40)
• $15 Xbox Gift Card (Digital Code) — $12  (list price $15)
• The Last of Us (PS3 DL) — $10  (list price $20)
• The Wolf Among Us (PS4, XOne, 360, PS3) — $9.99  (list price $20)
• Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Wii U) — $5.36  (list price $30)

Laptop Deals

• 15.6" ??Lenovo Y50, i7-4720HQ, 16GB, GTX 960M, 1080p — $1,099  (list $1,600)
• 13.3" MacBook Pro, i5-5257U, 8GB, 128GB SSD — $1,079.99  (list price $1,299)
• 15.6" Toshiba Radius, i7-5500U, 8GB, 2160p Touch — $849.99  (list price $1,050)
• 15.6" Lenovo Flex 3, i5-5200U, 8GB, 1080p, Win 10 — $639  (list price $900)

HDTV Deals

• 55" Samsung 120Hz 1080p Smart HDTV — $599.99  (list price $1,600)
• 49" Vizio 2160p 4K Ultra HD Smart TV — $589.99  (list price $749)
• 50" Samsung 1080p 120hz Smart HDTV — $499.99  (list price $1,100)
• 58" Seiki 1080p 120Hz HDTV — $399.99  (list price $800)
• 49" Sceptre 2160p 4K Ultra HDTV — $369.99  (list price $800)
• 39" Seiki 2160p 4K Ultra HDTV — $279.99  (list price $700)

The post GW Heart o??f Thorns rolling to $31, Tales of Zestiria to $38 in Weekend Deals appeared first on Destructoid.

'Guild Halls' feature detailed

Live from E3 at the PC Gaming Show, ArenaNet's Colin Johanson shed some light on the previously announced Guild Halls feature for the upcoming Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns expansion. Y?ou'll be able to decorate your massive h??all, which serves as a social space, as well as fight in your own personal arena, and organize adventures.

They're described as an "entire map," and players will capture that area for their guild within the core campaign, taking it back from the main adversary of the expansion. It will also feature world leaderboards to pit guilds against one another. This sounds like a really cool additi??on f??or people who are really into social spots in MMOs.

Pre-sales are opening up right now at GuildWars2.com, and will guarantee you beta access.

The post Guild Wars 2: ?Heart of Thorns up for pre-order now, grants beta access appeared first on Destructoid.

I just wanted an excuse to show off my hot Norn guy

Want in on the beta for the Guild Wars 2 expansion, Heart of Thorns? Well now you can go and try to farm your way in (this is an MMO after all, gotta have that farming), as access to the next PvE closed event will be given through i??tem drops.

If you venture out to the Dry T?op and the Silverwastes, not only will you probably find them disgustingly crowded, but enemies might drop portals which grant you access. They’re untradeable, so every poor sod who wants in will have to go there and find one themselves. Once you’ve picke??d it up you’ll be granted access even if you then go and lose it.

There's no confirmed date for the beta y?et, but once you've got the item as long as you're also subscribed to their newsletter you will be contacted about it.

The post Guild Wars 2 is lite?rally dropping its expansion beta on you appeared first on Destructoid.

PVP only right now

Guild Wars 2's Heart of Thorns expansion is shaping up to be a great addition to the?? game, and soon, you'll be able to experience part of it ahead of schedule. Developer ArenaNet has announced that they will be holding a public beta for the Stronghold PVP mode, open for 24 hours on April 14 at noon, PST.

On April 10 the developer will hold a "boot camp" stream so you can learn the ins and outs of the mode. You can also get a rundown of what to expect in our preview. Finally, Guild Wars 2&nb??sp;is going on sale again this weekend from 10AM PST on April 10 until midnight PST on April 13.

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No new level cap, just 'Masteries'

Guild Wars 2 is an ambitious project. While ArenaNet's initial offering of Guild Wars was more of a so??cial dungeon crawler than an?? MMO (the company called it a CORPG, or competitive online role-playing game), the sequel was a bonafide massive experience.

The kicker? ArenaNet was still able to cut out the subscription fee, effectively making Guild Wars 2 buy-to-play and allowing ??players to return at any time.

Here we are over two years later with the Heart of Thorns expansion on the horizon, and the d??eveloper continues to find ways to innovate.

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (PC)
Developer: ArenaNet
Publisher: NCsoft
Released: TBA 2015
MSRP: TBA

At ArenaNet's offi??ces last week, I had the chance to get some hands-on time with the expansion, and I'm pleased with what I've seen so far. There's an all-new zone, a new "Masteries" leveling system, the Revenant class, and another PVP mode titled "Stronghold."

The heart and soul of the expansion is the Maguuma Jungle, an area that picks up mere "days" after the story in the original game. For those who aren't caught up, all of the combined armies in the land took off via airships to chase down the Elder Dragon Mordremoth, and the expedition ended in flames -- literally. The jungle came to life and tore the fleet apart, leaving most for dead. You'll start the Heart of Thorns content right after that, provided you have a level 80 cha??racter. Yep, you'll need to be max level to stand a chance in the new zone.

Masteries are the new way ArenaNet is tackling progression, because there will not be a level cap increase. Instead, players will earn Mastery Points, which they c?an put into skills like additional creature languages, or more mobile skills like gliding or mushroom riding. For instance, I earned my first point at the start of the demo, and gained the power to use mushrooms as bounce pads to leap to?? new areas. Later on the tree may evolve to allow me to eat said mushrooms to gain a boost in speed, and so on.

ArenaNet co-founder and president Mike O'Brien states that this is the ideal way to tackle an expansion, because typically in MMOs you'll leave way too much behind. He elaborates on the c??oncept, stating, "With a new level cap, you'll instantly find new gear and items to replace. Saying goodbye to the old and in with the new can be great, but players are often attached to their old conquests. We didn't want to invalidate that, so I'm really excited about Masteries. It pertains to jungle-specific progression, but you can still go back to the old world and have fun."

Masteries can be equipped to level them up individually, so if you're keen on becoming a better glider while roaming about the world, you can do that. Right now I'm excited for the concept, but I didn't see enough&?nbsp;Masteries to convince me they will stay interesting for the long haul. When confronted about this, O'Brien noted that more Masteries will be added over time, which is great news.

You'll need those new powers to get around in the jungle, because based on the demo, the difficulty has been ramped up. According to O'Brien, the jungle is "really vertical, and not like any other area in the game. ?With the vertical setup we really have a way to build it unlike any zone before, allowing players to get into the depths of the game world into more frightening areas."

Lead designer Colin Johanson commented on the enhanced difficulty, stating, "playing with others is supposed to be fun. We're doubling down on that challenge in Heart of Thorns." I was ab?le to see that in action with a wyvern mini-boss fight at the end of the demo, which required a decent amount of strategy and dodging typically not seen in other world events.

I was able to tackle that challenge head-on with the new Revenant class, which is basically an undead warrior of sorts. Classic Guild Wars fans will be excited to know that according to O'Brien, the developer is excited to "bring back old lore and mechanics that we weren't previously able to add to Guild Wars 2." He goes on to say that "it's different than the other eight professions in more ways than one" -- a?? statement that I can definitel?y agree with.

The Revenant has two different "states" -- one based on DPS (Demon), and the other, more tanky (Dwarf). You can instantly switch between them with a mouse click (or F1), which you'll need to do to maintain its energy levels to power its skills. The kicker? Both states do not share cooldowns, and it has two heals betwe??en them. It was a rush to switch to the tank and lay down a buff shaped like a spiritual pathway, then switch back to lay down some damage.

Aesthetically, the profession looks unlike anything else in the game, with a very cool demonic feel complete with mist effects and a badass headband that extends over your eyes. It's easily my favorite class so far, and I will be leveling one as soon as Heart of Thorns hits. To alleviate any concerns, I do feel like the class is balanced -- and this is before users even give their feedback. Right now ??Revenants are scheduled to use the hammer, mace, and axe weapon types -- but Rytlock (an NPC) is wielding a sword, so we'll see.

PVP is also getting a lot more enticing in my mind with Stronghold. To be blunt, over time I lost interest in the massive World vs. World scheme in the original Guild Wars 2. It just became too much to keep track of, and often times I'd be running around without a skirmish in sight?? for up to 10 minutes. It wasn't action-packed enough, and Stronghold will fix that issue.

In short, it's a MOBA-like experience that aims to be 10-15 minutes in length. There are two teams that each have a lane with troops to go down, and a base at the end with a "Lord" to protect, who is behind two doors. If one team's Lord dies, it's game over. To facilitate your attack, you can embed yourself in random map events like the acquisition of a hero character (which buffs you while you're in proximity to them), or grabbing "supply" materials to create archer or doorbreaker?????????????????????????? units.

Archers will help clear out the path to each door, and doorbreakers actually bust them down. Of course, players can attack either of them, and you'll definitely want to do so for the latter to prevent your Lord f?rom becoming vulnerable. Because of the way it's set up, there's action at eve?ry turn. Whether it's battling over supply or doing some actual laning work, the map is small enough where you'll always find someone to fight. I'm sold.

ArenaNet isn't done revealing what Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns will entail, but that's the gist of what you can expect. If you're interested in getting some hands-on time, the expansion will be available to play at PAX East. ArenaNet is also planning a number of different beta events just like the core game, so you'll have plenty of cha?nces to try before you buy.

_{[Both lunch and dinner were provided at the event in ArenaNet's offices in Bellevue, Washington.]}

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