Greetings, Mistwalkers!
This week's update brings some exciting developments for World vs. World, including the start of the next World Restructuring beta, rewards updates, and improved kill credit for support-role players.
The Next WvW World Restructuring Beta Begins on June 9
We're currently overhauling how teams are created in World vs. World to improve player population balance and give you fresh new foes to lock swords with each week. This new system, titled World Restructuring, moves away from using worlds or servers as the basis for teams and will instead use your selected World vs. World guild to place you on a team along with your chosen community. You can learn more about the system here.
The next beta event will run from June 9 to June 23. We'll be running two matchups in a row for the first time using the system, allowing us to test the one-up, one-down matching system at scale and validate matchmaking bug fixes. Assuming this test goes according to plan, we aim to run another beta test later this summer that introduces the first version of the long-awaited Alliances system, which allows multiple guilds to combine forces and be placed on a WvW team together.
How to Participate
The beta begins this Friday, June 9 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-7) for Europe, and at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-7) for North America. To be matchmade with a guild of your choosing, you must select a guild to play with for this beta event prior to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-7) on June 8. To do this, simply open the Guild menu in the game, highlight the guild you'd like to play with in the guild list panel on the left-hand side, and then click the "Set as WvW Guild" button located just below your guild list. If you fail to select a guild prior to the deadline, you may be matchmade as an individual for the beta event (i.e., you and your guild will be placed on different teams).
Participation Rewards
Unlock a skin from the WvW-exclusive War Machine weapon set for completing the WvW World Restructuring Beta Veteran achievement by successfully capturing or defending five objectives during the beta period. We'll also be running a WvW bonus experience event between June 9 and June 23, granting 100% bonus to World Experience, a 25% bonus to reward-track progress, and a 50% bonus to magic find.
Live Today: New Ways to Spend your WvW Currency
A new vendor, Dugan, has been added to the bases in Eternal Battlegrounds, Alpine Borderlands, Desert Borderlands, and inside the Armistice Bastion lobby. Each week, this vendor offers WXP Boosters, Mystic Clovers, Memories of Battle, Provisioner Tokens, siege blueprints, ascended feasts, and more in exchange for WvW currencies such as WvW Skirmish Claim Tickets, Emblems of the Avenger, and Badges of Honor.
Introducing the Mist-Hardened Lockbox
A new WvW reward lockbox is now available from completing WvW dailies, the weekly WvW meta-achievement, and as a drop from tower, keep, and Stonemist Castle lords. The lockbox has a chance to drop a new WvW-exclusive infusion, crafting materials, Memories of Battle, WvW XP Boosters, ascended feasts, and the new WvW-exclusive Officer's Remnant weapons. Mist-Hardened Lockbox Keys, which are required to open the lockboxes, are available from each individual WvW weekly achievement and can be purchased from the new vendor.
The Mistwalker Infusion
A new Mistwalker Infusion has been added to WvW. An account-bound version is available for purchase from Dugan after completing the new Mists Research achievement, which is located in the WvW section of the Achievement panel. A tradeable Ball of Charged Mists Essence containing the infusion can be obtained by defeating keep lords and the Stonemist Castle lord, and as a rare drop from the Mist-Hardened Lockbox.
Improved Kill Participation for Support Players
Calling all support-role players in WvW: it's time to fill your bags…with Heavy Loot Bags! We've adjusted how kill participation credit is awarded to support players, which should bring their rewards more in line with damage-role players.