Celeste and Allona were slightly delayed by delicious cake, but quickly regrouped to discuss the April Feature Pack, MEGASERVER TECHNOLOGY™, and other news from — and about — GW2.

Audio Version

What We Did This Week

 

Allona

• 
  
• Was trying to get my necro to 80. A few levels to go still.
  
• Stayed up way too late on Sunday night on to over-achieve on the Monthly by getting the jumping puzzles done. Did a marathon of five back-to-back!
  
• Dove down the crafting cook discovery hole. Need. More. Bag. Space.
  
• BOBBLING!
  

Celeste

• 
  
• A BUNCH of Thief PvP
  
• Engineer to 60! Got my falconer’s armor!
  
• Guardian from 29-35 in an effort to convince myself that I need The Moot while bobbled
  

 

Report from Vigil Keep

 

April Feature Pack

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/feature-packs/

• 
  
• World XP, Legendaries, and Ascended Gear - https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/account-bound-wxp-legendaries-and-ascended-gear/
  
  • 
    
  • We’ve known for a long time that account-bound WXP was happening
    
    • 
      
    • “To begin with, you will need to log into every character on your account that has earned WXP to have their WXP total added to your account total. You don’t have to visit WvW for this to work; any map will do. Once every character has logged in, your account is good to go. From that moment on all WXP you earn on any of your characters will be applied to your account total!â€
      
    • Yet another World Ability Point reset
      
      • 
        
      • Allona: I still haven’t respent the last reset! (say that 10 times fast)
        
      
      
      
    • Spend points as you like on a character (bunker ele and ram master necro, etc)
      
    
    
    
  • All legendary and ascended equipment converted to account bound instead of soulbound on equip
    
    • 
      
    • Allona: Yay! Have I mentioned ‘yay’? (not that I have any of either…)
      
    
    
    
  
  
  
• Armor Repair Costs and Free Trait Resets - https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/say-goodbye-to-armor-repair-costs-and-hello-to-free-trait-resets/
  
  • 
    
  • “We feel the time penalty to return and repair accomplishes our goal enough to not need a secondary cost that punishes newer and less experienced players the most.â€
    
    • 
      
    • Allona: I kind of loved this part of the post.
      
    • Celeste: this is the best part about the post and then it just goes downhill… So you’ll be getting free repairs but you’re also going to be getting less loot.
      
      • 
        
      • Allona: Meant to break the champ trains? “…in an effort to keep the economy balanced and spread out player activity a bit†Yup.
        
      
      
      
    
    
    
  • Reducing gold rewards from events and champion bags (just the raw gold output)
    
  • Mystic toilet: “we’re adjusting the way Zommoros distributes rare and exotic rewards a bit, allowing for more variation in output…. note: the rate of precursors will not be affected.â€
    
  • Trait resets: Unlimited free trait resets anywhere that you’re out of combat. Still no way to save a build for yourself. Will it encourage experimentation? Absolutely! Is it a hot swapping system? Nope.
    
    • 
      
    • Allona: baby steps.
      
    
    
    
  
  
  
• PvP Reward System and Gear Unification - https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/pvp-reward-tracks-and-gear-unification/
  
  • 
    
  • No more division between PvP and PvE gears
    
  • All PvP gear will be added to your wardrobe
    
  • Reward Tracks: earn loot boxes, crafting materials, transmutation charges, weapons, armor, skill points, and a lot more! In regular increments you’ll earn Tomes of Knowledge to gain levels for your character.
    
  • “There is also a rotating schedule of dungeon Reward Tracks that will allow you to play PvP to earn rewards from specific dungeons. Every two weeks, a different dungeon Reward Track will become available to players. These award weapons, armor, and dungeon tokens among other things. If you want to complete a specific dungeon Reward Track at your leisure, simply complete the story mode of that dungeon to unlock the PvP Reward Track permanently.â€
    
  • “Once you have experienced and participated in the Living World content, you will unlock an associated Reward Track so you have the option to continue to receive relevant rewards in PvP.â€
    
  • “With Reward Tracks, we now have a platform for PvP players to earn the components they need for their legendaries.â€
    
  • PvP Build UI: this is how you’ll set up all the stats that you want for your PvP builds, from the Ready Up stream they showed that if you want to change stats before the next round you could do so (I think it was with the caveat of doing so before joining a team, but I could be wrong).
    
  • Rank revisions: Anyone around Rank 54 will be boosted up to Rank 80 and gain all of their PvP reward chests when the patch goes live, people who are above ~1.5million rank will be moved above 80 with the “over-leveling†system similar to the PvE version of levelling beyond 80.
    
  • “The PvP and PvE daily and monthly achievements will be merged.“
    
  • For more information we highly recommend watching the episode of Ready Up where it is covered extensively: http://www.twitch.tv/guildwars2/c/3968869
    
  
  
  
• The Megaserver Awaits - https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/introducing-the-megaserver-system/
  
  • 
    
  • “With the megaserver system, players won’t be separated into different copies of the same map based on the world they selected on character creation. Instead, you will simply arrive in a map and be assigned to the version of that map that makes the most sense for you as selected by the megaserver system we’ve developed. This new system takes your party, guild, language, home world, and other factors into account to match you to a version of the map you’re entering. This will increase the odds that you’ll see the same people more often and play with people of similar interests.â€
    
    • 
      
    • Celeste: As someone who usually reps to a guild so I can chat rather than play with them I think this will take me away from my home server. I’m not sure I’ll be happy with the changes but I am eager to try things out.
      
    
    
    
  • “With megaserver technology, there are as many copies of a map as are needed to comfortably hold the population of players in that map at a given time. Rather than having a separate map copy for each home world and artificially limiting the amount of fellow adventurers you see, the megaserver system brings players together and dynamically opens up new map copies as necessary.â€
    
    • 
      
    • Allona: I am cautiously excited about this. The caution part is because of unique server community and what this might mean. BUT if it works like they’re intending, then it might not be a huge problem?
      
    
    
    
  • “With the launch of the April 2014 Feature Pack, we’ll be activating the megaserver system on our level 1–15 maps, main cities, and the PvP lobby. We’ll monitor and test the system to verify that everything works correctly. Later in 2014, we’ll activate our megaserver technology across the entire world of Tyria.â€
    
  • With regards to the RP community
    
    • 
      
    • https://twitter.com/__Mif/status/451378575627657217/photo/1 Non-RPer responds to concerns with what is essentially bullying and snap judgments. Good stuff, guys, nicely done.
      
    • https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/Megaservers-and-RP/first#post3847854 “To maximize your odds of running into other RP players more often, you’ll want to make sure you’re on the same world (generally TC is viewed as the RP world), and in guilds with other RP members also on that same world. For example, everyone from TC currently will be set to high priority to sort together, same thing goes with people from RP guilds who are from TC. We’ll continue to monitor, adapt and update the system as we go forward as well, for now I’d suggest seeing how it works once we enable the mega server system across all maps and then giving comments and feedback when you see it in action!†– Colin Johanson
      
      • 
        
      • Allona: I see others have brought up guesting … which, what would be the point when the switch is completely made? It wouldn’t be needed…
        
      
      
      
    
    
    
  • “The biggest benefit of this new system is that you’ll always find other players to adventure with in the open world, no matter what time of day it is. There are some maps in the game that tend to have smaller populations in them on each world; with megaserver technology, these lower-population maps will be full of players from the same global region, so you can always have a great experience and play any of the content in those maps.†UNDERFLOW. But still split NA/EU.
    
    • 
      
    • Celeste: If it still is split NA/EU there is the possibility that there will (likely) still be dead periods, which is their main boon to this feature.
      
    
    
    
  • “For players in guilds, the world your account uses as its home world is the same world that will receive your guild influence. That system has not changed (for now).†SQUEEEEE
    
  • “Later this week, we’ll be discussing how our transition to the megaserver system will affect the timing of world bosses and some changes we’re making to support this. We’ll also be discussing the long-term plan for guilds and WvW in relation to our megaserver system, so check back each day this week for more information!â€
    
    • 
      
    • So what might this mean for day 2 and 3 of these announcements? Tin foil hat time!
      
      • 
        
      • Allona: I wonder if they will add the ability to see guildies on the map; and — more than that — people on your friends list, or perhaps guilds you aren’t currently representing! And now for super-crazy speculation! What about in-game voice chat! Ooh! (yeah, yeah … not likely)
        
      • Celeste: WvW where you rep your home server but could end up playing on a server you’re not competing against and earn points/karma/etc, we’re already doing it for the EoTM map. NEVERMIND (https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/wuv/wuv/Megaserver/page/2#post3849677)  World bosses spawn on a timer based the amount of people are on the map?
        
      
      
      
    
    
    
  
  
  

 

Gem Store News

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/new-finishers-back-items-and-more-in-the-gem-store/

• 
  
• Minstrel Finisher – Celeste: I’ll wait for a sale/price change
  
• Glowing Crimson Mask – not dyeable
  
• Warrior Quaggan Backpiece – SOLD!
  
• Identity Repair Kit! – Bundles a total makeover kit and name change into one convenient package.
  
• Last week to get the Scarlet skins in the gem store and the Torment Weapons for the one ticket price
  

 

Ask An Asura – April Fools Featurette

 

That Shaman’s Fake .DAT

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/21uesj/exclusive_rise_of_the_tengu_mini_expansion/

• 
  
• Rise of the Tengu mini expansion!
  
• Some behind the scenes of how it was all done: http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/220s1o/thank_you_reddit_for_sharing_a_laugh_with_me_now/ My hat is off to you, good sir, I’m sure it took a lot of time.
  
  • 
    
  • TrueZorby When someone plans and executes a prank in 2 months, complete with phony accounts and mocked assets…You just can’t be mad at that effort. I wasn’t even mad as I suspected April fools as I read the title, but the amount that went in to it, now I’m impressed.
    
  • Allona: I was so jazzed by this. I cackled out loud to myself through most of it. And the skill icon for #4 just about killed me!
    
  
  
  

 

DragonSeason is Going Back to GW1

http://dragonseason.com/Front/tabid/124/EntryId/262/Goodbye-Guild-Wars-2.aspx

• 
  
• Celeste: Most predictable April Fools’ but still cute!
  

 

GuildMag is Cruel – Player Run and Owned Towns

http://www.guildmag.com/player-housing-new-continent-coming-guild-wars-2/

• 
  
• This lie is so fantastical simply by how few features there are for the RP community
  
• “for players that have more gold than they know what to do with†hilarious.
  
• “And to go with your newly acquired housing there will be new furniture shops added into the game, both in the new town and on the mainland. This furniture, like the housing, will come in varying tiers of value, with the more impressive stuff costing more (obviously). I asked one of the devs if furniture will be craftable when the update releases, to which he didn’t give a straight answer, but I think we can assume it will be, seeing as just about everything in Guild Wars 2 is craftable.â€
  
• “The shops in the newly added town are not going to be inhabited by NPCs. If you haven’t put together what I said in your heads yet, this means the shops will be run by players themselves! Guild Wars 2 was sold as the MMORPG which let you level up and progress any way you wanted to, but ArenaNet must have completely overlooked the RPG section of the title, until now.â€
  
• “And then with the money you are earning with your new in-game job you save and buy yourself up that mansion you’ve always dreamed about owning. There were speculations coming from the booths that depending on what sorts of housing you own and what sorts of rooms are in that house (e.g Library, Studio etc) you will receive passive bonuses to all of your characters, but they are, at the moment, just speculations.â€
  

 

BobbleHeaded Cliffside Fractal

http://youtu.be/yPGiGTNPwrk

 

What is Love?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vujNH9AdQ3Y

• 
  
• Celeste: Cute for 30 seconds. I dare you to watch to the end!
  

 

Bobblehead World Bosses

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/21x58h/bobblehead_world_bosses/

http://imgur.com/a/K9jJx

 

Zoijja looks pretty normal actually…

https://vine.co/v/Mep6eZjhWeY

 

Tales of Tyria

 

Nicely Done, Ele!

http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/21sv6a/finally_finished_painting_my_elementalist/

http://i.imgur.com/KELfknR.jpg

 

KasJory Art from Ependa

https://twitter.com/Ependa_/status/451110870777491456/photo/1

• 
  
• Allona: I love this so hard. Everything about it is perfection!)
  

 

Terry of the Traveller of Tyria Urges Us to Dance Without A Care

http://thetravelleroftyria.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/dance-like-nobodys-watching/

• 
  
• Maybe you’re a little down, Maybe you need a little refreshment, Maybe you just need a friendly face… “Yes, take time to breathe together. Grab a bunch of Norn and dance around a quaggan. Is it silly? Absolutely it is! Is it crazy? You bet! Is it a break from the stresses that this life offers? 100%.â€
  

 

Request for community events of the week/bi-week. Send us an email!

If you’ve got a burning question for our Ask an Asura segment, please let us know!

 

Contact Info

email: gwreporter-at-mmoreporter-dot-com (take THAT spammers!)

twitter: @gwreporter

site: guildwarsreporter.com

voicemail: 616-666-6778 (or use the widget on the right hand side of the website)

youtube: mmoreporternetwork (remember to ‘like’ our videos and subscribe to the GW Reporter playlist)

facebook: gwreporter

tumblr: gwreporter.tumblr.com

guild: collegium-gw2.guildlaunch.com

 

Visit us on Twitter!

Celeste: @celeookie

Allona: @onebigpear

 

Tune in to our livestream:

twitch.tv/mmoreporter (Wednesdays at 9:30pm EST/6:30pm PST)

Our sponsors: