Beta Development Update – New Changes Seen in First Beta Weekend
February 21, 2012
After binging on the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend video buffet, you may have noticed a few curious features that had not been previewed or elaborated before. Here’s where lead game designer Eric Flannum and the rest of the developer team come in, summarizing the nifty additions designed to make the game more awesome in a new ArenaNet beta development update.
Downed First before Completely Defeated
– Once a player reaches a critically low HP, he or she will enter into a so-called “downed” state that unlocks four final abilities, three of which can be used to attack in a last ditch to end the battle while the fourth is a channeled heal that gets interrupted on damage. If this final effort fails, you will die.
Compass
– Same as in most MMOs, the interactive compass can zoom in and out, and can be pinged to help coordinate team movement.
Meta-Events
– Reminiscent of dynamic events seen in Rift, meta-events span a large part of the map and will embroil players without advance notice, which should inject some thrill while questing.
Hidden Treasures
– For map completionists, exploring every nook and cranny of the Guild Wars 2 world may lead you to surprising treasure spots that “will test your platforming abilities” or pit you against “dangerous foes that will stop at nothing to see you dead.”
Boons and Conditions
– New list of boons and conditions available, which are basically buffs and debuffs. They’re now more functional, have more impact and more visible.
Check out the ArenaNet Beta Development Update blog post below.
Beta Development Update | ArenaNet
