The next living world story event for Guild Wars 2, Icebrood Saga, will be available September 17. The announcement at PAX West in Seattle presented details about what players can expect to find in season five of the game’s event.
Along with the live conference showcasing the upcoming content, the team released a trailer for Icebrood Saga as well. The new season will take players to the far northern reaches of Tyria to the Shiver Peaks where they will have to battle hordes of ice creatures and a frost elder dragon.
Before showing off the trailer, however, Game Director Mike Zadorojny took center stage to talk about the previous living world events and what is coming to the game soon. One of the biggest fan reactions though came when he announced players will be able to use legendary runes and sigils to customize their character’s look.
“Character build and gear templates are coming to Guild Wars 2 in the near future. This means that players will be able to easily share their builds and switch between their different loadouts with ease. You’ll be equipped with the most approriate gear for whatever activity you’re doing. You’ll have full control over your character’s kit.”
All of which will be available for free without having to pay a monthly fee.
https://twitter.com/GuildWars2/status/1167472697351135237?s=20
Narrative Lead Julia Nardin and Narrative Designer Novera King also spoke about the new features to find in the event as well. They said one of the main reasons Icebrood Saga came about was the team wanted to focus more on the races of the world. It will revolve heavily around the Charr and the Norn as they make their home in the northern reaches of the land.
King explained why they chose to name it a saga saying,
“…the difference is more content teams. So that kind of gives us a bit of leeway on what a release is. It’s bigger than a season, it’s a saga.”
The prologue, Bound by Blood, will be available for free to players who own Path of Fire starting on the 17.
The development team also made the Heart of Thorns game expansion free to players who purchase the Path of Fire addition.