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For the past three years, the core game of MMORPG Guild Wars 2 has only been available if you pay upfront for it. Now anyone can head over to its website and download the game for free.
The reason for this change is due to the upcoming expansion “Heart of Thorns.” ArenaNet explained that charging players for both the core game and expansions can get out of control and become very expensive for players. This is why, instead of charging for the core game, going forward ArenaNet is asking players to buy only the Heart of Thorns expansion and they’ll get the core game at no extra cost.
On top of that, by making the core game free, ArenaNet hopes that new players will be enticed to try the game out. This, it is hoped, will also push them towards buying the Heart of Thorns expansion once it’s out in Europe and North America on October 23rd.
That’s not all the Guild Wars 2 news. ArenaNet also revealed more details about Heart of Thorns – which we already know adds advanced progression, a new weapon for each class, the Revenant class, guild halls, and a new area called the Heart of Maguuma Jungle.
What ArenaNet revealed are the 10-player Raids that Heart of Thorns will add. They’re said to add new action-oriented challenges as to defeat bosses you’ll have to “actively manage your position, dodge” and “coordinate on objectives.” The first Raid wing will have three bosses and an event that is said to have you literally running for your life.
Raids are also to be tied into the new Mastery system of progression. “We’ll be introducing new Mastery tracks and abilities that will be closely tied to progressing though raids, which our designers will be talking about in an upcoming blog,” ArenaNet said.
You can find out much more about the Raid system in Heart of Thorns here.
