The latest ArenaNet blog has been posted on the Guild Wars 2 site to reveal to players how challenging content, in this case raids, is being designed. Crystal Reid and Jason Reynolds offer up several comprehensive sections to show how engaging and challenging raid content will work (along with rewards!) when the Heart of Thorns expansion arrives in October.
Raids will begin by simply partying up and walking in. There are no attunement quests, no gear check. Entering is as easy as zoning in. Once there, players will face off against event encounters including "holdouts, assaults, captures, defends and more", according to the blog, all of which are designed to test players' skill. Of course, no raid would be complete without epic bosses with multiple phases and mechanics which difficulty increases the deeper into the raid the party travels.
Of particular note, the team wants players to coordinate, communicate and utilize the roles they have chosen to fulfill. Players will be challenged by the content to use traits they may never have before, weapons of a different type or even the armor they arrive in.
"It's all about execution here."
Raid-specific Masteries will arrive with each raid release that will allow a player to add additional ones over time. Utilization of the correct Masteries will be key in defeating raid bosses.
Of course, rewards are the reason that many players raid to begin with and ArenaNet will not be skimping in this regard. Players will score unique rewards once a week, though raids can be played as often as desired. Raids will also feature exclusive new items that can't be found elsewhere in the game. These will be found alongside trophies for guild hall decoration and more.
Lastly, players can look for the first-ever Legendary armor that will be introduced in the new raid system. As with legendary weapons, players can switch out stats and more.
It's a great read about a fantastic and much-anticipated feature coming to the game. Check it out on the Guild Wars 2 site.
