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The Bazaar of the Four Winds is heading to Guild Wars 2 next week

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Another content update is heading the way of Tyria next week with the Bazaar of the Four Winds. The event marks the convergence of all of Tyria’s merchants into one big marketplace, all trying to sell their wares to her heroes. The pinnacle will be the Zerphr Sanctum, a massive flying ship which is famous for its magical crystals and movement skills. The update is the first of the fortnightly updates recently announced by ArenaNet.

Here’s what’s on offer in next weeks update:

Events

Kicking off on July 9th, three events will be available. Belcher’s Bluff is a new mini-game which asks players to test their skills at drinking Omnomberry Juice. In what quantities is currently unknown, but after acquiring skills from the best you can challenge your friends in a PvP mode.

Sanctum Sprint is a competitive race that will test even jumping puzzle veterans. A probably not-so-simple race through an obstacle course will see you “leaping over barriers and flying through the air” using special skills.

Finally Lessons from the Sky is another scavenger hunt located in the Labyrinthine Cliffs. Players will have to hunt for Sky Crystals to show their mastery of the Wind, Sun and Lightning. Naturally they won’t be easy to obtain, so expect your patience to be tested.

Rewards

If players complete the Sanctum Sprint they have a chance to get their hands on the new Aspect back items. There’s three to collect in total, each representing one of the Aspects: Wind, Sun and Lightning.

Completing the meta achievement will reward players with a new resource node, which is harvestable once a day in your home instance. The Quartz node will feature in many new crafting recipes coming in the future.

After completing another achievement, Lessons from the Sky, players will receive a Zephyr Sanctum Model. It’s said it will allow you to “view the ship at any time, even after it’s flown away”. Whether you’ll just being able to look at the model itself or maybe magically teleport to the ship after it’s left remains unknown.

Features

A new PvP map is set to land, dubbed the Skyhammer. It looks like a pretty fast map littered with jump pads, shattering floor panels and a gigantic mega cannon. Trust those Asurans. Check out this preview video:

ArenaNet is also adding a reward system based on your account achievements. Using your achievement points you’ll be able to unlock new armour and weapon skins, permanent account bonuses, laurels, gems, gold and powerful items. When the system kicks in you will be retroactively rewarded for all your past achievements. It’s like Christmas has come early.

World vs World has seen some love too with a new ability line. The Build And Repair mastery will, self-evidently, allow you to build and repair faster and spend supply more efficiently.