Guild Wars Embark Beach Update Detailed

ArenaNet has plans to roll out an ambitious new patch for their venerable subscription-free MMORPG Guild Wars, and if you'd like to get a better idea of what will be included in the "Destination: Embark Beach" update, you'll want to hit up this page on the official website. Here's a bit of what to expect:
Chart a Course

The Zaishen Order has kept this secret tropical location in the Battle Isles hidden from outsiders until now! Embark Beach is a scenic, full-service beachfront outpost that offers a variety of service and merchant NPCs to cater to your character's needs. From Embark Beach, your party can travel together to any destination in any Guild Wars campaign or expansion that they've purchased. It's the perfect place to embark on an adventure!

Mercenary Heroes

Need some companions for your travels? Fight alongside other characters on your account with our new Mercenary Heroes, available in the In-Game Store and NCsoft Store.

When you purchase a Mercenary Hero slot you can (hire) any level 20 character on your account to travel with you as a Hero. When you purchase a Mercenary Hero slot, you can create a custom Hero that keeps your character's name, profession, appearance, and whatever armor or costume they're equipped with. Once you've purchased a Mercenary Hero slot, you just speak to one of the new Mercenary Registrar NPCs in all major towns. Create your own unique, customized party with Mercenary Heroes today!

Other Features

Embark Beach and Mercenary Heroes aren't the only new additions in the latest update. Here are the highlights:

'¢ Seven Hero Parties Now you can take along seven Heroes in your party instead of three. You can even outfit your entire party with Mercenary Heroes!
'¢ Daily Zaishen Vanquishes Take on a new Zaishen Vanquish quest every day! Each day will feature a new area offering a quest you can earn extra incentives and rewards for vanquishing that map. Just look for the signpost in Embark Beach.
'¢ Pre-Searing Daily Quests We've added new daily quests for those who enjoy adventuring in historic Pre-Searing Ascalon. These quests, which scale in difficulty and reward based on your level, contribute towards the Legendary Defender of Ascalon title!
'¢ Minion UI With the new improvements to the minion UI, controlling your minions just got a whole lot easier.
'¢ Title Changes We've made changes to both the Survivor and Drunkard title tracks.
'¢ Login As We've introduced a way to set your character's status when you login, allowing you to login as (online,) (away,) (do not disturb,) etc.