PvE
NOTE: This is straight from ArenaNet's blog, I did not write this:
-What Are the Dungeons?
Dungeons are multiplayer, instanced adventuring areas. Unlike most of the rest of Tyria, which can be explored by solo players... dungeons are designed to be played and enjoyed in pre-arranged groups, composed of either your regular guildies or a pick-up team. Whereas our event system creates a dynamic, ever-changing world and our personal story allows you to weave a tale unique to your character, dungeons represent an evolution of the original Guild Wars game experience: instanced areas with a single group of players running through them.
Calling these adventure areas "dungeons" is a bit of a misnomer, since not all of them are underground. However, since the dungeons in Guild Wars 2 evolved from the dungeons originally presented in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, the name pretty much stuck. They share two key traits with their predecessors: dungeons are group activities and they are very dangerous.
At the time of this writing, we have eight dungeons in Tyria. They are not beginner's content; the earliest of them requires characters who've reached level 35.
Story and Explorable
When creating the dungeons, the team was faced with two seemingly exclusive desires: we wanted to tell a story with a set beginning, middle, and end, but we also wanted to create an instanced area that players could return to and enjoy in multiple ways. One model is plot-driven, while the other embraces more open, sandbox-like gameplay, and never the twain shall meet. But we did get them to meet.
Each of our dungeons is divided into story and explorable versions. The story version of each dungeon comes first, and completing it unlocks the ability to run the explorable version. In turn, the explorable versions of the dungeons have several options (usually three), each of which creates a different set of challenges and goals in the game. So, when we say that there are currently eight dungeons, we really mean there are thirty-two dungeons, as each dungeon has a story version and three explorable versions.
The dungeon story mode tells the tale of the iconic characters—former members of the legendary band of adventurers known as Destiny's Edge—Zojja, Logan, Rytlock, Caithe, and Eir. At the start of the game, each player gets to know the iconic of their race. If you are asuran, you will cross paths with Zojja; if you are human, you will earn the respect of Logan Thackeray. By about level 30, you are a trusted confidant of the iconic characters, and you realize that they have their own problems, centering on the tragic breakup of Destiny's Edge.
The backstory of these iconic heroes is told in the novel Edge of Destiny, but it's not necessary to have read the book in order to understand these characters as they appear in the game. As players fight through the dungeons, they encounter each of the iconics and deal with the repercussions of the group's breakup. Over the course of the dungeons, players will bring the feuding members back together, a microcosmic metaphor for the larger challenge of bringing the five main races together to fight the Elder Dragons.
For example, in the Ascalonian dungeon, players plunge into the catacombs beneath haunted Ascalon. The norn hero Eir Stegalkin is hunting for the remains of King Adelbern's sword, Magdaer. The charr tribune Rytlock Brimstone wants you to help him stop Eir before she stirs up the restless spirits of the Ascalonian ghosts. Both you and the iconic characters discover that there is more going on in the old Ascalonian Catacombs than anyone had anticipated.
That tale is told and resolved in the story mode, but what of the explorable version of this dungeon? This content happens in the same area as the story mode, but it takes place after the events of the story. What happens in story mode directly affects the circumstances of the explorable mode.
Dynamic Events
As a result of your actions in the story mode, a powerful darkness is welling up from the depths beneath the dungeon. Now the Durmand Priory is trying to figure out how to deal with this new problem. You and your party choose which of three approaches you'll use to handle the threat. Each of these three options creates a different version of the dungeon, with new areas, new challenges, and new and more difficult creatures.
This gets back to something we've been talking about throughout our work on Guild Wars 2: your actions have consequences. Because of what happens in story mode, new challenges arise in explorable mode. The idea of breaking dungeons into two mutually supporting components frees us up to tell stories, not just about the place, but about the iconic heroes and how they come to terms with each other. And yes, you can even run through story again, if you so choose.
We've also brought the dynamic event system into the dungeons. Even in story or explorable modes, the dungeon has bonus events that can be triggered by player actions, by location, or even by random chance. Even when you're adventuring again in the same dungeon and making the same choices, you can get a different gaming experience as a result of these bonus events.
Behind the Curtain: Dungeon Secrets
Breaking the dungeons into story and explorable modes allows the designers to tailor each type of play to the needs of the players. The story mode of a dungeon, while challenging, should be survivable by a typical group of adventurers. The explorable mode, on the other hand, is set up to be a challenge worthy of an organized group of experienced players who coordinate their attacks. Given that the dungeons require more organized, focused groups, we get to work out some truly awesome boss battles that require teamwork and planning to overcome. There are a number of these scripted battles in each dungeon, and some of the bosses are truly massive in both size and power.
Dungeons are optional, but are a lot of fun for players who seek a challenge. They don't interrupt your personal story line, but can enhance that story line. As you get into the proper level range, your character is made aware that a dungeon is available. Running dungeons doesn't affect your advancement along your personal story line, and you can reach the penultimate step in the story without setting foot in a single dungeon instance. (That ultimate step? Well, we don't expect you to fight an Elder Dragon all by your lonesome.)
Dungeons are geared toward a style of MMO play involving organized groups. While a group can encounter dynamically scaling events, the instanced nature of the dungeons creates a more tailored experience that captures the epic nature of Guild Wars 2. If your personal story represents your ongoing growth as a hero, the dungeons are like chapters in an epic novel. And, of course, there's the treasure you get from them as well. Yes, I DID Say Treasure
Each dungeon comes with its own unique armor and weapons. The armor from the Ascalonian dungeon is different from what you'll receive in the dungeon of Sorrow's Embrace, which is different from the treasure found in Lord Beetlestone's estate (remember that I said not all the dungeons are underground). While we expect that people will encounter the story mode once, they may run the explorable versions as many times as they want, increasing the quantity of armor and weapons that are available from that dungeon. Also, these armors and weapons are unique to that particular dungeon, and will not be found elsewhere.
What Dungeons Bring to the Party (and Vice Versa)
Dungeons
We recognize that MMO players come in a variety of playing styles and interests: PvP, PvE, crafters, explorers, lore hounds, social gamers, casual players, and more. Dungeons in Guild Wars 2 reward players who enjoy organized parties and epic challenges. These players expect not only threats that challenge well-coordinated parties, they expect great rewards for their triumphs. The dungeons of Guild Wars 2 are rewarding to them, but also to those who want to know more about the iconic heroes, those who relish the instanced content from the first Guild Wars, and those who want to delve deeper into the world around them.
ArenaNet gave us an AMAZING example awhile back of a dynamic event with the, already well known, boss fight, "The Shatterer". Keep in mind, this is only a level 45-50 encounter. The level cap is 80... Here's a video of him, but ignore the first few seconds:
-The Event System Explained
Guild Wars 2 will use a very different system for quests this time around, with the "event system". Events will happen with or without you there. If you ARE there during an event, then you can complete the quest by participating, and the outcome of the event may affect what happens next. For example:
A dragon shows up near a particular town or village. The players nearby can choose to fight the dragon. If they are successful, the dragon may flee or die, and the players are rewarded by the village elder. However, if the players fail, the dragon destroys a bridge vital to the village. At that time, the village people attempt to build a new bridge, and the players may help them by fending off a group of bandits that see the opportunity to attack.
These events can and will overlap. Two events may have nothing to do with each other, but in order to receive the rewards for say, escorting a caravan, you might have to fend off centaurs from the garrison. This results in you doing two events at once. -Keep in mind that this all happens in persistent public zones, and any player wandering by can jump in and help out. Even better, the events scale according to the number of players present, so that off-hours players can still experience at least the majority of the content. Anyone who helps in any of these event gets credit for the work they've done via experience, karma (a separate currency that appears to be tied tightly to the event system) and loot. The difference here is that if a boss drops a rare item, everyone gets to roll on it - and everyone who rolls will get the loot. You never take an item away from someone else. ArenaNet's intention is to make players always want to help each other.
The vast amount of dynamic content that ArenaNet is promising to serve up, is very
impressive. I can't wait!
PvP & WvW
The structured PvP allows for balanced competition. There will be two primary modes of play; tournament and pick-up play. Tournament play will be similar to Guild Battles from the original Guild Wars, where pre-organized teams of five fight on a level playing field through bracketed tournament play. Pick-up play allows individuals or groups to join a game based on map, available space, and other settings. It will have variable team sizes, up to five a side and will be hot-joinable.
A character used to enter structured PvP will retain race and profession. The character will be given a fixed maximum level, and all skills and items will be available without the need to unlock them first. Player statistics will be tracked and used to generate a player ranking.
WvW or World vs World Explained
This is where servers/worlds fight against each other in a large conflict. This involves hundreds of players, seiges, supply chains and other good stuff. This is PvP but based in a large scale open world.. which again, allows hundreds of players at all levels to drop-in and drop-out at any time. For up to two weeks three different worlds are matched up on a random map to compete for rewards for their world.
World PvP is intended as a casual form of PvP, designed to be a more relaxed bridging point between PvE and the tactics and pressure of structured PvP. Players of any level or PvP experience can participate and be useful.
World PvP takes place in the Mists, an area outside of the Tyria world map. It will be accessable to characters almost immediately from character creation. There is no limit to the number of players which can access World PvP at one time. It has been suggested there could be several hundred characters on each side of a WvW battle.
Players entering WvW enter with the level, equipment and skills their character has at that time. They can be sidekicked which allows them to play with or against players of higher level but this does not unlock more abilities for the character.
For up to two weeks three worlds are matched against each other. The match ups favors matching worlds of similar strength or ranking. A world's rank increases as they win more often. During combat there is no direct way for these worlds to communicate with each other.
There are four different WvW battlefield maps, one of which is picked when the worlds are matched up. Each battlefield map is split into 4 sub-maps: a central zone which is initially neutral, and a home map for each of the three worlds participating. Each of the maps are filled with resources and objectives which can be captured by the worlds, including castles, fortresses, mercenary camps, mines, lumber mills and villages. There are NPCs in the maps but they are intended mainly to slow down players so defenders from the other world can join in the fight for the objective. The NPCs are of a defensive nature rather than offensive so are typically less dangerous than another player.
When a new match up starts, players begin in their home map and capture locations there. The resources gained from mines and lumber mills are used to rebuild walls, create siege engines, and generally defend the world's fortress. Once they move to the central map players joining will start at their world's portal keep. From there they capture objectives while dealing with players from other worlds. Play will travel between the central map and home maps as worlds gain and lose footholds. Teams will be able to invade their opponents’ home maps by first going through the center map.
The maps are intended to allow teams of different sizes participate. Larger groups might try a full assault of a keep, but individuals can disrupt supply caravans to weaken defenses or a small group can capture objectives which will stop
reinforcements. Guilds will be able to take and hold keeps.
There are global and individual rewards available in World vs World combat.
World benefits: Territories and control points within the map will confer benefits to the world that controls them, such as faster energy/health regeneration, increased drop rate or increased experience gain for a time.
Individual rewards: Players can gain experience and level their character entirely in World PvP. Killing people in World vs World gives the player loot which means a player doesn't need to leave World PvP to get better gear.
