Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Previews
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With the End of Dragons expansion for ArenaNet's MMORPG Guild Wars 2 scheduled to go live in late February, a number of outlets were given a chance to spend some time with an early build. And so, if you wouldn't mind knowing more about this upcoming expansion, you can now find a number of hands-on previews below:
As someone who's spent plenty of time in the game's current Strike Missions, I'm confident the Mai Trin fight was better than any of them. But the gamble for ArenaNet is that Strike Missions are an attractive proposition for returning and new players, especially given the prestige most MMOs place on full raids. "Compared to Raids, Strike Missions offer fun and engaging encounters that players can tackle even if they only have an hour of time to play for a day," says Rich. "We believe in that accessibility, and think that the End of Dragons iteration of the game mode builds on the strengths of the game mode while showcasing the lessons we’ve learned."
NME:
Although there’s not too much longer to wait for End Of Dragons, I wrapped up my preview wishing I could stay logged on for a bit longer. It feels like the theme of this whole expansion – whether by multi-seater mounts, fishing with pals, or bridging the skill gap between communities – is togetherness, which is why I logged off thoroughly excited to come back to Cantha with the rest of the excited community.
I went into this preview excited for End of Dragons, but I walked out counting down the days until launch (metaphorically, of course, since we still don’t have a specific launch date). I think there’s a lot here to give fans of Guild Wars Factions nostalgic feels, but the Cantha of Guild Wars 2 also feels so new and different that players who skipped the original Guild Wars won’t feel left out of the loop.
One thing we aren't getting with EoD is new guild missions for the new zones. I know, there never was any indication we would get them; after all, we haven't for other expansions. It is, however, something that always feels weird that they aren't included with new expansions. Especially considering one of the functions of a guild hall is to act as a hub and get the guild to the start of the missions quickly. Even if there aren't new mission types, having new treks, bounties, races, and puzzles with each expansion would have been amazing and helped those still feel like a meaningful part of the game.
As a long-time Guild Wars 2 fan, I was concerned that End of Dragons might have trouble changing up the formula as much as previous expansions did. Heart of Thorns brought us gliding, Path of Fire brought us mounts; would a two-person mount and skiffs be enough to freshen things up? I’m happy to say that while the new changes don’t completely change the formula, all of them are fun. The new elite specializations are a blast, fishing is a great pastime, and the maps look like some of the most interesting to explore and learn about. I can’t wait to see everything else End of Dragons has to offer when it releases in February 2022.
