PCGamer has an extensive preview of the forthcoming Guild Wars 2 "Stronghold" PvP mode that will arrive with the Heart of Thorns expansion. In Stronghold, teams are given a fortress, each with a lord nestled deep within. Teams have two objectives: To protect the Stronghold and Lord; and to invade and kill the opposing team's Lord.
To do so, players will be able to gather resources to bring two different types of NPCs into the match to assist in the battle:
- Archers that can do massive harass and damage the opposing team's NPCs. Archers do little damage to the gates of the opposition's Stronghold
- Doorbreakers can do massive damage to the opposition's Stronghold gates but can be taken down in a single shot by Guards
Teams will also have access to a trebuchet used to throw boulders at any strategic point on the map. While they can be destroyed, trebuchets can be rebuilt almost instantly if supplies are available.
According to the article, PvP players should be reasonably well-acquainted with these mechanics as they were secondary objectives on existing Conquest maps.
As the new system has been tested, the team has noticed players organically falling into roles: High DPS clearing lanes for the NPCs, evasive builds utilizing their skills for delivery of supplies, and support builds manning trebuchets and picking off NPCs coming within range.
Lastly, at certain points in the fight a "Hero" will arrive on the battlefield, a mercenary of sorts, that can be recruited by either team through the use of a 10-second channel. From what developers said, the Hero becomes the focal point for an all out brawl between the two teams trying to recruit him/her.
Read the full Guild Wars 2 Stronghold article at PCGamer.com.
