Guild Wars 2

October 29, 2013
A toxic seed has been sown.
Guarded by magic, fed with evil, it grows.

Events

BEHIND THE VEIL
Some new trouble is growing in Kessex Hills. Carefully hidden by magic, the krait have been working tirelessly on a terror unlike anything seen before in Tyria. Marjory Delaqua and Kasmeer Meade are investigating the illusory curtain that’s cloaking part of Viathan Lake, and they need your help! What secret lies behind the veil?

DEVELOPER LIVESTREAM – OCTOBER 28
Take a sneak peak at the Tower of Nightmares release with ArenaNet devs during the preview livestream on our Twitch channel on Monday, October 28 at 12PM PDT.

Rewards

Antitoxin Spray

Prepare for battle with a new universal healing skill! A dose of this cutting-edge Antitoxin Spray will cleanse yourself and nearby allies of poison, torment, confusion, and toxin. This skill is available to characters of all professions.

Krait Obelisk Shard

Complete the Tower of Nightmares meta achievement to receive a Krait Obelisk Shard for your home instances, which can serve as a place of power for earning a skill point or charging Quartz Crystals!

Source

 

I don't think it's over yet.

 

No, it looks like it's 7 weeks long.

 

Yeah a few times, I'm not big on PvP though so I don't know how it compares or anything... it was kinda fun.. but kinda confusing as well, it's hard to figure out what's going on when a bunch of people are fighting all at once.

 

Are you ready to enter the Tower of Nightmares that’s spreading evil through Kessex Hills? Now that a way inside has been found, it’s time to storm the tower and attempt to put an end to its toxic growth.

LIVING WORLD

The Nightmares Within

The way is open. The bravest are entering the Tower of Nightmares and confronting scores of powerful enemies. Toxins in the air make the going rough, and players won’t know whether they’re encountering a hallucination or a living foe. No antitoxin can protect them from their inner demons, but someone has to bring this tower down before Kessex Hills is lost to the nightmare.

Story

• Thanks to the heroes of Tyria, Marjory Delaqua’s research has yielded a viable antitoxin that has allowed teams from the Seraph, the Durmand Priory, the Vigil, and the Order of Whispers to infiltrate the Tower of Nightmares in Kessex Hills.
• Air purifiers have been placed at key locations to counteract the toxic clouds around the base of the tower, allowing access to the interior. To destroy the heart of the nightmarish structure, brave squads have attempted to carry newly designed antitoxin injectors to the top of the tower, but they haven’t been heard from since. It’s now up to the heroes of Tyria to defeat the Toxic Alliance and destroy their tower.
• Players will receive in-game mail from Lady Kasmeer Meade informing them that the Tower of Nightmares is now open. Use the Show Me functionality in the mail to find the location of the Tower of Nightmares.
• Once inside the Tower of Nightmares, players will need to make their way up the tower, scaling three floors of horrifying dangers to reach the heart of the tower—a massive, noxious bloom pulsing with malevolent power. At the apex of the tower, players can enter the chamber protecting the tower’s heart and begin a story instance that can be completed solo or with a group of up to five players.
  • Upon defeating the challenges of the story instance, players can finish what the scouting team could not: inject Marjory’s antitoxin directly into the heart of the tower!
  • The story instance also has a repeatable mode so players can confront the challenges as many times as they like for additional rewards and accolades. Upon each completion, players will be able to inject another dose of antitoxin, weakening the tower that much more.

The Tower of Nightmares

• The interior of the Tower of Nightmares has been revealed, and it is as deadly as its name suggests. The Tower of Nightmares is an open-world map designed to challenge even the hardiest of groups. Fighting side by side, players will need to rely on each other to survive.
• Players will participate in a number of new open-world events throughout the structure and encounter the deadly hallucinations and lethal champions of the Toxic Alliance.
• Within the Tower of Nightmares, a mysterious chest was found at the top of the tower. The chest’s lock is an intricate mechanism that seems to require a three-pronged key. The pieces of the key for this Tri-key Chest can be found on creatures within the Tower of Nightmares, or they can be acquired through trade with Marjory’s Helper Dee back at the Thunder Ridge Camp in Kessex Hills. Players will also receive one complete set of keys in the initial mail from Kasmeer. Combine the keys to create a Tricolor Key.
• The Tower of Nightmares content will be available until the tower’s heart is destroyed. Watch the progress as more antitoxin is injected!

Nightmare Chambers

• Throughout the Tower of Nightmares, players will find smaller blossoms that resemble the tower’s heart. Within these chambers, players will experience their deepest fears and encounter twisted visions of their past.
• The Nightmare Chamber instances are designed for either solo or group play and are comprised of a number of random elements. Each time a player enters a chamber, there is a chance to see something, or someone, different. But is any of it real?

Open World

• The Toxic Alliance isn’t giving up on its plans for domination simply because their tower has been breached. Toxic Offshoots and Toxic Alliance events will continue to run throughout this release, giving players a chance to finish many of the achievements they may have missed in the last release.
• The Antitoxin Injected indicator is a representation of the amount of antitoxin that has been pumped into the heart of the tower by the heroes of Tyria and will update periodically.

Rewards

• Finishing the meta-achievement for The Nightmares Within rewards players with a Gas Mask Skin. This headgear skin has three dye channels and can be applied to head armor of any weight class. It’s just the thing for infiltrating a hostile and toxic environment like the Tower of Nightmares.
• Players will be awarded with a Mini Toxic Nimross miniature for completing the Tower Hybrid Master achievement.
• Tricolor Keys can be used to open the Tri-key Chest at the top of the third level of the Tower of Nightmares. Besides its guaranteed rewards, there’s a chance for players to receive unique items:
  • Air-Filtration Device Skin—a headgear skin for all weight classes
  • Toxic Spore Skin back-slot item
  • New, exclusive miniature

Achievements

• The Nightmares Within meta-achievement will task players with combating their way through the interior of the Tower of Nightmares, conquering their fears in the Nightmare Chamber instances, defeating the Toxic Hybrid, and injecting antitoxin into the heart of the tower.
  • Completing special Nightmares Within daily achievements during this release will contribute to the meta-achievement. These are earned by participating in specific Nightmares Within content each day.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT

Structured Player vs. Player

• Added a new Custom Arena option: Force Respawn. When enabled, players will automatically respawn at the end of their respawn timers, and defeated players will no longer be resurrectable.
• Solo Arena players will now be shuffled before joining a match to promote a more even and challenging game.
• The compass and map will now display enemy markers for enemies who are in combat and within line of sight of one of your teammates.
• Trick-or-Treat Bags have been reverted back to reward chests, and candy corn has been removed from Solo Arena and Team Arena. Until December 10, PvP will offer double reward chests for Solo Arena and Team Arena wins.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH

General

• Introduced further server-side optimizations, with significant improvements during heavy combat scenarios.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Fixed the Solo Arena UI to always have a Leave button instead of a Disband button.
• The PvP panel now remembers the last opened tab.
• The trebuchet in Battle of Kyhlo no longer awards personal scores for hitting minions.
• The PvP medal on the Character Select screen now directly represents the player’s rank.
• The Custom Arena configuration UI now disables the Play button when it’s expired.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE

New Items and Promotions

• All permanent gathering tools will now be account bound rather than soulbound. For one week, account-bound versions of the Jack-in-the-Box Scythe and Bone Pick gathering tools will be available in the Services category of the Gem Store for 1000 gems each.
  • Previously purchased permanent gathering tools can be upgraded to account-bound versions by unequipping them and bringing them to a Black Lion Weapons Specialist.
• Marjory’s Axe, Marjory’s Dagger, and Kasmeer’s Staff are now available as skins in the Style category of the Gem Store for 600 gems each.
• A pair of spirit wings rises from the player’s defeated foe. The new Permanent Sanctified Finisher is available in the Upgrades category of the Gem Store for 600 gems.

Improvements

• PvP Locker slots have been added for the Toxic hand and shoulder armors received from the Toxic Gloves Skin and the Toxic Mantle Skin, both available in the Style category of the Gem Store.
• Soulbound permanent gathering tools can be exchanged at a Black Lion Weapons Specialist for account-bound versions. Players must unequip the tool before exchanging it.
• All future permanent gathering tools from the Gem Store will be account bound and will cost slightly more than the soulbound versions.

Source

 

Are you ready to enter the Tower of Nightmares that’s spreading evil through Kessex Hills? Now that a way inside has been found, it’s time to storm the tower and attempt to put an end to its toxic growth.

LIVING WORLD

The Nightmares Within

The way is open. The bravest are entering the Tower of Nightmares and confronting scores of powerful enemies. Toxins in the air make the going rough, and players won’t know whether they’re encountering a hallucination or a living foe. No antitoxin can protect them from their inner demons, but someone has to bring this tower down before Kessex Hills is lost to the nightmare.

Story

• Thanks to the heroes of Tyria, Marjory Delaqua’s research has yielded a viable antitoxin that has allowed teams from the Seraph, the Durmand Priory, the Vigil, and the Order of Whispers to infiltrate the Tower of Nightmares in Kessex Hills.
• Air purifiers have been placed at key locations to counteract the toxic clouds around the base of the tower, allowing access to the interior. To destroy the heart of the nightmarish structure, brave squads have attempted to carry newly designed antitoxin injectors to the top of the tower, but they haven’t been heard from since. It’s now up to the heroes of Tyria to defeat the Toxic Alliance and destroy their tower.
• Players will receive in-game mail from Lady Kasmeer Meade informing them that the Tower of Nightmares is now open. Use the Show Me functionality in the mail to find the location of the Tower of Nightmares.
• Once inside the Tower of Nightmares, players will need to make their way up the tower, scaling three floors of horrifying dangers to reach the heart of the tower—a massive, noxious bloom pulsing with malevolent power. At the apex of the tower, players can enter the chamber protecting the tower’s heart and begin a story instance that can be completed solo or with a group of up to five players.
  • Upon defeating the challenges of the story instance, players can finish what the scouting team could not: inject Marjory’s antitoxin directly into the heart of the tower!
  • The story instance also has a repeatable mode so players can confront the challenges as many times as they like for additional rewards and accolades. Upon each completion, players will be able to inject another dose of antitoxin, weakening the tower that much more.

The Tower of Nightmares

• The interior of the Tower of Nightmares has been revealed, and it is as deadly as its name suggests. The Tower of Nightmares is an open-world map designed to challenge even the hardiest of groups. Fighting side by side, players will need to rely on each other to survive.
• Players will participate in a number of new open-world events throughout the structure and encounter the deadly hallucinations and lethal champions of the Toxic Alliance.
• Within the Tower of Nightmares, a mysterious chest was found at the top of the tower. The chest’s lock is an intricate mechanism that seems to require a three-pronged key. The pieces of the key for this Tri-key Chest can be found on creatures within the Tower of Nightmares, or they can be acquired through trade with Marjory’s Helper Dee back at the Thunder Ridge Camp in Kessex Hills. Players will also receive one complete set of keys in the initial mail from Kasmeer. Combine the keys to create a Tricolor Key.
• The Tower of Nightmares content will be available until the tower’s heart is destroyed. Watch the progress as more antitoxin is injected!

Nightmare Chambers

• Throughout the Tower of Nightmares, players will find smaller blossoms that resemble the tower’s heart. Within these chambers, players will experience their deepest fears and encounter twisted visions of their past.
• The Nightmare Chamber instances are designed for either solo or group play and are comprised of a number of random elements. Each time a player enters a chamber, there is a chance to see something, or someone, different. But is any of it real?

Open World

• The Toxic Alliance isn’t giving up on its plans for domination simply because their tower has been breached. Toxic Offshoots and Toxic Alliance events will continue to run throughout this release, giving players a chance to finish many of the achievements they may have missed in the last release.
• The Antitoxin Injected indicator is a representation of the amount of antitoxin that has been pumped into the heart of the tower by the heroes of Tyria and will update periodically.

Rewards

• Finishing the meta-achievement for The Nightmares Within rewards players with a Gas Mask Skin. This headgear skin has three dye channels and can be applied to head armor of any weight class. It’s just the thing for infiltrating a hostile and toxic environment like the Tower of Nightmares.
• Players will be awarded with a Mini Toxic Nimross miniature for completing the Tower Hybrid Master achievement.
• Tricolor Keys can be used to open the Tri-key Chest at the top of the third level of the Tower of Nightmares. Besides its guaranteed rewards, there’s a chance for players to receive unique items:
  • Air-Filtration Device Skin—a headgear skin for all weight classes
  • Toxic Spore Skin back-slot item
  • New, exclusive miniature

Achievements

• The Nightmares Within meta-achievement will task players with combating their way through the interior of the Tower of Nightmares, conquering their fears in the Nightmare Chamber instances, defeating the Toxic Hybrid, and injecting antitoxin into the heart of the tower.
  • Completing special Nightmares Within daily achievements during this release will contribute to the meta-achievement. These are earned by participating in specific Nightmares Within content each day.

NEW FEATURES AND CONTENT

Structured Player vs. Player

• Added a new Custom Arena option: Force Respawn. When enabled, players will automatically respawn at the end of their respawn timers, and defeated players will no longer be resurrectable.
• Solo Arena players will now be shuffled before joining a match to promote a more even and challenging game.
• The compass and map will now display enemy markers for enemies who are in combat and within line of sight of one of your teammates.
• Trick-or-Treat Bags have been reverted back to reward chests, and candy corn has been removed from Solo Arena and Team Arena. Until December 10, PvP will offer double reward chests for Solo Arena and Team Arena wins.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH

General

• Introduced further server-side optimizations, with significant improvements during heavy combat scenarios.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Fixed the Solo Arena UI to always have a Leave button instead of a Disband button.
• The PvP panel now remembers the last opened tab.
• The trebuchet in Battle of Kyhlo no longer awards personal scores for hitting minions.
• The PvP medal on the Character Select screen now directly represents the player’s rank.
• The Custom Arena configuration UI now disables the Play button when it’s expired.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE

New Items and Promotions

• All permanent gathering tools will now be account bound rather than soulbound. For one week, account-bound versions of the Jack-in-the-Box Scythe and Bone Pick gathering tools will be available in the Services category of the Gem Store for 1000 gems each.
  • Previously purchased permanent gathering tools can be upgraded to account-bound versions by unequipping them and bringing them to a Black Lion Weapons Specialist.
• Marjory’s Axe, Marjory’s Dagger, and Kasmeer’s Staff are now available as skins in the Style category of the Gem Store for 600 gems each.
• A pair of spirit wings rises from the player’s defeated foe. The new Permanent Sanctified Finisher is available in the Upgrades category of the Gem Store for 600 gems.

Improvements

• PvP Locker slots have been added for the Toxic hand and shoulder armors received from the Toxic Gloves Skin and the Toxic Mantle Skin, both available in the Style category of the Gem Store.
• Soulbound permanent gathering tools can be exchanged at a Black Lion Weapons Specialist for account-bound versions. Players must unequip the tool before exchanging it.
• All future permanent gathering tools from the Gem Store will be account bound and will cost slightly more than the soulbound versions.

Source

 

As we announced back in December, we’re down to just four releases to go in the current storyline of living world. The first of those four releases is nearly upon us, and we wanted to help take a moment and look back at the key moments that have brought us up to this point as a refresher before we dive-head first into countdown to the big finale:

Video (clicky clicky)

At the very beginning of 2013, trouble arose from the depths as the dredge and Flame Legion charr worked together to begin production on sonic based, magically infused weapons in an underground facility. On the heels of their defeat, a new threat arose from the very heart of Lion’s Arch: ruthless sky pirates led by Mai Trin known as the Aetherblades assassinated a member of the Captain’s Council in hopes of stealing his seat to further their nefarious schemes. In the aftermath of the assassination, we discovered that the Aetherblades, using Inquest holo-technology and advanced engineering, were building a fleet of airships in the midst of Lion’s Arch itself! Though the Aetherblade’s plots were foiled, questions arose – was there someone lurking in the shadows orchestrating the chaos that plagued Tyria? Who could bend these unlikely allies to their will? At this point, we didn’t know why she was amassing sonic weapons and an air fleet, but the question was on the minds of Tyrians everywhere.

These questions were quickly answered when Scarlet Briar crashed Queen Jennah’s jubilee celebration, taking control of the queen’s very own watchknight defenders and stealing herself an army of clockwork foot soldiers. She added them to her twisted army and began an on-going assault against the people of Tyria, testing their defenses to see how they reacted to large scale attacks. Though Divinity’s Reach was saved, Scarlet herself vanished. We heard rumors of Scarlet’s origins , how she looked deep into the eternal alchemy ignoring the warnings of the pale tree and saw something that changed her forever, warping her and turning her into what she is today.

In the search to find her after her escape from Divinity’s Reach, we discovered an Aetherblade military training base nestled inside of the Twilight Arbor of the Nightmare Court, where she was stockpiling armaments and training soldiers. But for what ends? Soon after, Scarlet and her courtier allies bribed the cruel and xenophobic krait with their fabled obelisk shards to enlist their help in growing a massive, noxious plant tower in Kessex Hills, which covered the land in a sickening toxin. Though we were able to bring down the massive structure, Scarlet seemed to have gained the knowledge she was looking for from it before its destruction, what did this tower of nightmares and its powerful toxin gain her?

In the Thaumanova reactor fractal, we discovered that Scarlet and her Inquest cohorts discovered a form of ley lines, magical energy crisscrossing the world that seemed tied to the research being done in the reactor. But what do these ley lines mean?

Finally, as Wintersday celebrations approached, more and more probes labeled “do not touch†began to appear around the world. Seemingly built using the technology garnered from the dredge and flame legion Molten Alliance weapon facilities, we know now what their alliance helped build – but the question remains: What are these probes meant to find?

Looking into 2014 and back on the plot of the main story of 2013, many questions remain: why did Scarlet brings these groups together? What did she see when she looked into the eternal alchemy, and how did it change her? What is she trying to accomplish? Is she just nuts, or is there something far more sinister going on? How do each of these moments through 2013 tie together?

The answer to all of these questions await in our four upcoming releases in 2014: and lead to one final moment that will change the face of Tyria forever.

Source

 

January 21 Content Release Notes
LIVING WORLD
The Origins of Madness

For weeks, mysterious probes have been thrumming ominously all across Tyria. Now, the Vigil has ordered a trio of crusaders to investigate three mysterious new probes that have been sighted in Bloodtide Coast. Meanwhile, the Priory in Lornar’s Pass has observed Scarlet Briar’s watchwork minions streaming into their region. What’s the connection between these events, and what exactly is Scarlet up to?

Twisted Marionette Weapon Test

• New world event: Twisted Marionette world boss
• Scarlet is recalling her twisted watchwork troops from all over Tyria to power her aethercannon weapon test. The results could be deadly if Scarlet is allowed to carry out her test.
• Players must unite with fellow adventurers and allies to stop the attack!

Twisted Marionette Rewards

• Completing The Origins of Madness meta-achievement will reward players with a Gift of Sprockets, which will create a new sprocket generator in their home instance.
• Participating in the fight against the Twisted Marionette in Lornar’s Pass and investigating the energy probes throughout Tyria will grant players access to a hitherto secret location—with additional rewards inside.
• Additional exclusive rewards include:
  • New power, precision, and healing power stat combinations. Includes both exotic (Zealot’s) and ascended (Keeper’s) items.
  • New Mini Twisted Watchwork Moa

Code Fragments

• Gather code fragments from the battle at the Twisted Marionette weapon test.
• After completing the story components of the weapon test and the great jungle wurm investigation, players can discover how to use the code fragments.

Triple Trouble

• There’s a rumble in the jungle, and the Vigil needs help! Assist Crusaders Xutt, Yipp, and Zepp as they investigate three new probes in Bloodtide Coast.
• After forging new allegiances to take down Tequatl the Sunless, it’s now time for players to rally their forces together in an all-new epic encounter!

Triple Trouble Rewards

• Completing the new permanent meta-achievement, Triple Trouble, grants players the title of Great Jungle Wurm Slayer.
• Assisting in the investigation of wurm activity in Bloodtide Coast will give players a chance at new exclusive rewards:
  • New wurm-themed ascended armor pieces
  • New wurm-themed rifle skins
  • New great jungle wurm minis
  • New exotic wurm minis
• Additional note: Players can no longer sell sprockets to vendors, but they are still tradable at the trading post.

Achievements

• The Origins of Madness meta-achievement will task players with engaging in the fight against Scarlet’s Twisted Marionette weapon test in Lornar’s Pass.
• Completing The Origins of Madness daily achievements will also contribute to the meta-achievement. These are earned by participating in either the Twisted Marionette weapon test in Lornar’s Pass or the Triple Trouble investigations in Bloodtide Coast.
• The permanent Triple Trouble boss meta-achievement will task players with successfully defeating the great jungle wurms in Bloodtide Coast while also performing various feats to help out in the fight.

BALANCE, BUG-FIXING, POLISH
General

• Fixed a bug that caused cooldowns to be reset while using the jump pads near the Tequatl encounter.
• Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving credit for completing fractal level 50.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Endless Toy Golem Tonic to produce the wrong item.
• Fixed a potential client crash in the Cliffside fractal.
• Improved some of the creature descriptions.
• User Interface: Various updates have been made to the right-hand side of the HUD to improve its appearance and functionality.
• User Interface: Hints have a new arrow that is more visible and animated.
• To mitigate performance issues, items that summon pets now have a 30-minute cooldown.

Profession Skills
General

• Leave Transform: This skill can no longer be set on auto-attack.

Elementalist

• Arcane Wave: This skill is no longer ground-targeted while underwater and will now activate the area effect on the targeted enemy.
• Earth’s Embrace: Fixed this trait to properly have reduced recharge when traited with Cantrip Mastery.

Engineer

• Rocket Turret—Rocket: This skill is no longer ground-targeted while underwater and will now fire at a targeted enemy.

Mesmer

• Chaos Storm: Fixed a bug that caused this skill to stun enemies whether or not it dazed them when traited with Confounding Suggestions.

Necromancer

• Putrid Mark: This skill will now blast an area only once when the trap executes.

Structured Player vs. Player

• Battle of Khylo: Any destroyed trebuchets, clocktower windows, and clocktower walls will now reappear when the match begins.
• Legacy of the Foefire: Any destroyed gates will now reappear when the match begins.

World vs. World

• The Guard Leech boon has been renamed to Applied Strength.

BLACK LION TRADING COMPANY GEM STORE
New Items and Promotions

• A new 3-pack of masterwork great jungle wurm minis is now available for a limited time in the Minis category of the Gem Store for 300 gems.
• A new Great Jungle Wurm Finisher is now available to surprise enemies from below in PvP and WvW. Available in the Upgrades category for 800 gems.
• Instant Trait Reset will be removed from the store at the end of January 27. It will still have a rare chance to be in Black Lion Chests.

Improvements

• Deposit All Collectibles no longer deposits miniatures. However, they can still be individually deposited by right-clicking on them.
• Double-clicking a Black Lion Chest when players do not have any keys will now open the store and show players the keys.
• The Black Lion Weapons Specialist conversation has been tweaked for clarity.
• The Black Lion Chest rewards have been entirely overhauled, affecting all drop rates. Significant changes are below:
  • Tonics are no longer a dedicated slot in the drop. Instead, tonics will now occasionally drop like all other rewards.
  • Players will now get two rewards plus a booster from each chest. This means they can potentially get two of anything from a single chest.
  • Rare minis are now much rarer from Black Lion Chests.
  • New drops of Endless Mystery Tonics can be traded until they are used once.

• The following items have been removed from Black Lion Chests:
  • Karma Booster
  • Glory Booster
  • Heavy Bag of Coins
  • Name Change Contract
  • Small Guild Discovery
  • Medium Guild Discovery
  • 1 Copper

• The following items have been added to Black Lion Chests:
  • Instant Trait Reset
  • Communal Boost Bonfire
  • Essence of Luck (50)
  • Essence of Luck (100)
  • Metabolic Primer
  • Scroll of Knowledge
  • WXP Booster
  • Gathering Booster

Source

 

It’s time to take back Lion’s Arch: log in on March 4 and participate in the final confrontation with Scarlet Briar!

Keep track of the constantly changing world of Tyria with the Living World Atlas, an interactive map loaded with art, video, audio, and other content. Discover the history of Tyria today at atlas.guildwars2.com.

Source

 

Lion's Arch currently looks awesome right now, it's currently under siege and really does look like it. I can't wait to see what it looks like after the Event.