We’re due a Razing in about four days’ time, on March 26. That’s just enough time to buy an anti-raze gauze, or whatever, and to assimilate everything there is to know about the third of four story-driven Flame and Frost installments for Guild Wars 2.
The Razing will introduce two new companions. Braham is a norn you’ll be assisting in finding aid for his kin, left behind in the foothills of the Shiverpeaks. Together, you’ll fight against the Molten Alliance – a deadly partnership made by the dredge and the charr Flame Legion, which is destroying every homestead in its wide path.
Rox, meanwhile, is a ranger sent on a desperate “mercy mission” by important dog-bear Rytlock Brimstone. Like Rytlock, Rox is a charr missing a warband. You’ll be tasked with helping her prove her worth on her errand, while the Molten Alliance burns the ground about your feet.
Help curtail the Alliance’s progress by destroying dredge spy posts, which you’ll find newly constructed throughout the Diessa Plateau and the Wayfarer foothills.
Elsewhere, Tuesday’s patch is responsible for a trio of noteable changes. ‘Culling’ has finally been eliminated from WvW – a technical limitation that saw some opponents become unhelpfully invisible when the screen was particularly busy.
“Beginning March 26, you’ll be able to see way more players on-screen in WvW, even in the largest pitched battles!”, say ArenaNet.
Bounty hunting, meanwhile, will be bolstered by the addition of three new targets – “more elusive and menacing than ever”. Bounties are reportedly a fine way for new guilds to practice before moving onto bigger bads.
Most significantly, though, Tuesday sees the long-awaited introduction of leaderboards to the game. They won’t be visible straight away – ArenaNet reckon it’ll take about a week for them to get stable rankings worth looking at – but when they are, they’ll list the best players in WvW, PvP, and total achievement points.
If you’re struggling to find the latest Flame and Frost quests, you’ll want to look for Heralds in each capital city. Similarly, dedicated scouts in Diessa Plateau and the Wayfarer Foothills will point you in the direction of nearby activity.
Have you been keeping up with ArenaNet’s ambitious and fast-movingFlame and Frost goings on so far? The series is the developers’ first attempt at ‘Living Story’ – an attempt to recreate the storied progression enjoyed by players of tabletop RPGs. Spiffing stuff.