Greetings Gamers!
Back in June, we announced that the Guild Wars 2® team was developing the first new borderlands map for World vs. World in over a decade and we're building it alongside the players who live and breathe it. Our first beta test for the new map begins on November 10, so mark your calendars! Today, we'd like to share an update on our progress so far, what we're aiming to achieve, and give you an early look at some gray-box screenshots of the map.
Lessons from the Desert
When we developed the Desert Borderlands, we didn't show the map to the community until it was in a mostly final state. This didn't afford the team with ample flexibility to respond to feedback, especially when it came to changing the layout of the map. This time, just like we did with the Push PvP game mode, we're involving you much earlier in the process. When you get your hands on the map during the first beta, it will be in a gray-box state, meaning that the art and assets won't be final, making it much easier for us to make changes. We'll be able to alter the layout of the map and objective placement, which will impact things like travel time and combat flow. The competitive team's top priority is making sure this new map captures what players love about the current World vs. World battlegrounds while building an experience that is fresh and exciting.
For the first beta, we won't be introducing any new map mechanics like we did with the Desert Borderlands. We found that we threw a lot at the community all at once, such as controlling the elemental shrines for special bonuses and the energy cannon event in the oasis. While we're interested in exploring these sorts of additions, we want to save that for when we're further along. Instead, we'd like to focus the first beta on gathering feedback on the map and objective layout. We want to focus on how it feels to navigate the map, where battles occur, and how long it takes to get from place to place. After we're satisfied with the layout, we'll move on to things like unique map mechanics.
Battle in Ascalon
When this beta begins, to maximize the play time on the new map, all Alpine Borderlands will be replaced with the new gray-box map. Eventually, we plan to have this new map permanently replace the current Green Alpine Borderlands, making each borderlands unique with a distinct theme. Set during the cataclysmic events of the Searing in Ascalon, our new map will allow our World vs. World players to explore a battlefield of one of the most iconic areas in Tyria. The Ascalon-themed map will encapsulate areas from pre-Searing and post-Searing with tie-ins to both humans and the war-driven charr of that age.
Get Ready for the Beta on November 10
After the first beta test, we will be running more beta tests before this map is released to the live game. Subsequent beta tests will have changes to the map and objectives based on the feedback we gather from this first one, and potentially some brand-new map and objective mechanics. We're hoping to take advantage of the betas to see what could work not only for this new map, but also as possible additions to WvW as a whole.
When we get closer, we'll be opening up a feedback thread on the official forums to gather your thoughts. We're looking forward to shaping the new borderlands map with the World vs. World community. When the time comes, make sure to be vocal about what you like and don't like!
Until next time, as always, we'll see you in the Mists!
