June 25, 2013
Chaos has come to Lion’s Arch and the culprits responsible for the mayhem have holed up in their hideout! Inspector Ellen Kiel spearheaded the investigation into the murder, and she’s now gathering teams of deputies to capture the perpetrator. Better sharpen your weapons and skills—this criminal promises to be a slippery eel
Events
New Story Dungeon: Aetherblade Retreat – June 25-July 9
Find the hidden entrance to the Aetherblade base and take the fight to the pirates! It’ll take skill, courage, and no small measure of agility to battle your way to the Aetherblade Captain and First Mate.Developer Livestream – June 24 at 12PM PDT
Take an inside look at the Sky Pirates of Tyria release with ArenaNet devs during the preview livestream on our Twitch channel on Monday, June 24 at 12PM PDT.New Guild Wars Novel: Sea of Sorrows – Available June 25
We’re proud to announce Sea of Sorrows, the third original Guild Wars novel by Ree Soesbee!Sea of Sorrows follows the thrilling adventures of young Cobiah Marriner, founder of the reborn city of Lion’s Arch.
Buy the Book >Sea of Sorrows Scavenger Hunt—Begins June 25
In this new permanent content, retrace the steps of Cobiah Marriner. Twelve plaques have been set up to honor the history of the city and its founder. You can find clues to the plaques’ locations in Sea of Sorrows. Complete the scavenger hunt to earn five skill points.Aetherblade “Not So Secret” Jumping Puzzle – Begins July 1
Introducing a new, permanent jumping puzzle! An Aetherblade airship is hidden inside a holographic mountain – find your way in, fight with the pirates inside, and prove your prowess using a pair of hard-to-find diving goggles.
Rewards
Track Down Aetherblade Caches! – June 25-July 9
The Aetherblade pirates have hidden caches of plunder around the world in hard-to-reach locations. Scout them out to take a share of treasure and earn special achievements.
Mini First Mate Horrik
Commemorate your struggle against the Sky Pirates of Tyria with this fierce, cannon-wielding miniature companion. Finish the Against the Aetherblades achievement to win a little First Mate Horrik for your very own.
Monocle
Players who face down the deadly Aetherblade Captain will have a chance at a new, stylish Monocle. This dandy piece of Headgear is combat-ready, tradeable, and full of sophistication!
Aetherized Rewards
Your journeys through the Aetherblade Retreat will earn you a chance for items like rare salvageable materials or a new infinite tonic recipe in addition to guaranteed rare item rewards. Enduring the trials of the Not So Secret jumping puzzle will win you a set of exotic shoulderpads.
New Items in the Gem Store
Last Chance to Get Dragon Bash Items!
The Dragon Bash items won’t be in the Gem Store forever – you only have until July 8 to pick up a Fireworks Launcher or some Rich Dragon Coffers! Rich Dragon Coffers hold tasty candy and a chance at fireworks or rare drops like Dragon’s Jade Weapon skins or a mini Holographic Risen Knight. The Dragon Bash Mini Pack is also leaving the Gem Store soon; it won’t be available after July 15, so be sure to pick up your holographic companions before then!
New Features
Skill and Trait Balance Update
We’re introducing our largest balance patch ever in this build, which includes significant updates to traits and skills to introduce more viable build diversity. Every single profession trait line is seeing changes and we’ve also made updates to some less popular skills to improve their effectiveness.
Learn More
Custom Arenas and Spectator Mode are out of Beta!
Custom PvP arenas allow players to host private matches and customize their map settings. This feature is leaving beta, which means that Custom Arena Starter Kits will be available for anyone to purchase in the Gem Store. Spectator Mode is also officially out of beta – together, these two features allow for practice, competitive play, and tournaments!Mortar Mastery Joins the Growing List of World vs World Abilities!
Players can increase their mortar effectiveness by training in Mortar Mastery. Improvements in this line include increasing mortar blast radius, beefing up on damage, reducing skill recharge, and even adding a new skill, Mortar Barrage!
