This week on GuildCast, the Secret of Southsun update has arrived, a Guild Wars 2 expansion has been confirmed, and more.

Whoo! It’s here! The Secret  of Southsun update has arrived! And it brought with it… Tentacle backpack thingies? Okay.. Interesting… Sounds pretty cute actually. Soo… what else did the Secret of Southsun bring with it?

Richie and Matt tell Gary all about what new things have made it to the island, as well as the crab toss minigame, new supply crates and who the new content is available for. (Hint: It seems that ArenaNet would like everyone to enjoy it.)

Expansion time!

Oh those earning calls… So much comes out of them. Including talk of expansions. Yes, yes.. We know, this GW2 expansion thing has been brought up before.

So what’s the buzz this time? Well, according to NCSoft‘s managing directior:

Okay.. Don’t freak out yet guys.. Because Massively got a little clarification on this and well… :

So it seems like ArenaNet is pretty happy with just sticking to the living story thing at the moment and they’re waiting to see if it’s even worth doing an expansion at all.

All that and more…

To see everything the hosts have to say about all of this and more watch the video!

And remember, we love getting viewer questions. If you have a question to send to the crew, you can send it to submit@gamebreaker.tv. And, if you want to make a video question, be sure it’s around 30 seconds long and you send us a YouTube link.

And, as always… If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out here.

The post Blue Flowers appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

Microtransactions from the Gem Store is a success for NCSoft

Well, it looks like Guild Wars 2′s model with Gem Store microtransactions has been going, and is still going, pretty well. NCSoft has declared that Gem Stores sales are “consistent and strong”.

The Results

Managing Director Nah Seong Chan was talking about the profit made from digital transactions during NCSoft’s first quarter earnings call. He said “it is difficult for us to talk about the specifics in this area because it is a business issue“. However he surmised that digital transactions for Guild Wars 2 are still doing very well.

“…when compared to our initial expectation in terms of the box sales and the item sales, we have seen very consistent and strong performance in this area, and we do believe that we will be consistent going forward.“

What This Means For Guild Wars 2

This means the development team at ArenaNet can continue making more great content for Guild Wars 2 players and hopefully in the near future an expansion!

As the saying goes for free-to-play or buy-to-play games with cash shops: if the game and cash shop is good, people will buy from the cash shop. And it seems that a lot of players are happily supporting Guild Wars 2 through the Gem Store. Which usually translate to “we like this game… we like this game a lot”. Well… that and they probably wanted the limited Gem Store items. However it’s good that ArenaNet can provide Gem Store items that players wilfully shell out money for. Hopefully, they keep up the good work.

So Guild Wars 2 gem purchasers, you can feel happy knowing that your support is keeping Guild Wars 2 strong. And to all you Guild Wars 2 players out there, you can go and enjoy the new Secrets of Southsun living story content that ArenaNet has recently released.

The post Guild Wars 2 Microtransactions: Still Consistent and Strong appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

Plans For Guild Wars 2 Expansion Announced

A Guild Wars 2 expansion is in the works. In the company’s recent quarterly financial conference call, NCSoft’s Managing Director, Nah Seong Chan, said they are “preparing” a Guild Wars 2 expansion. That is basically all that is known thus far, as no other hints were handed out.

“We are preparing and Expansion pack, but in terms of when we will actually launch it, it’s something that we’re still monitoring the situation on…We’re looking at the performance of the game and deciding when it would be the best time to do the launch, and that’s still something we’re thinking about.”

So there you have it. There will be a Guild Wars 2 expansion… someday. This is interesting because as of last March, there was no expansion in the works at all. “Expansions are definitely something that we’ll potentially look at in the future, but we don’t have a timetable on it,” said GW2 Director Colin Johanson.

The quarterly conference call and the Guild Wars 2 expansion tease come right as The Secret of Southsun is about to hit. This latest chapter of the GW2 “Living Story” takes us to the beach! Tomorrow we will head to Southsun to drive out crazed wildlife, kick back with a little Crab Toss, and discover the secret that is affecting the area so harshly. However, The update doesn’t focus entirely on the new storyline. There are interesting changes to WvW involving a few new toys to “spread mayhem.” Two kinds of WvW traps will be available at Traps and Tricks Outfitters, and more specialty items are promised for the future.

Although there are no real clues as to what the Guild Wars 2 expansion could be, it is always fun to speculate. What features do you hope will be added? What kind of content would you look forward to conquering? New Race? New Class? More uncharted territory?

The post Guild Wars 2 Expansion In The Works appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

This week on GuildCast, the Guild Wars 2 May update has been revealed,

The Guild Wars 2 May update is coming and that means it’s time to return to Southsun Cove, the island introduced in the Karka event. While some players may feel that ArenaNet is just rehashing content, it seems like a pretty solid way to keep the entire game world alive and changing. 

The update also includes new things like a crab tossing mini-game, the introduction of traps to WvW and more.

Does living story mean temporary content?

According to ArenaNet, that’s not what it means at all. But, it does seem reasonable for the community to question that, especially with the latest living story having a dungeon that will be going away. And considering the on-again, off-again nature of some players, a lot of people may end up missing out on a lot of content.

That said, Colin Johanson decided to address these concerns, stating:

All that and more…

To see everything the hosts have to say about all of this and more watch the video!

And remember, we love getting viewer questions. If you have a question to send to the crew, you can send it to submit@gamebreaker.tv. And, if you want to make a video question, be sure it’s around 30 seconds long and you send us a YouTube link.

And, as always… If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out here.

The post The May Update! It’s A Dead Giveaway appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

The Secret of Southsun is the Latest Chapter of GW2 “Living Story”

The Secret of Southsun will hit Guild Wars 2 on May 14^th. In the latest installment of the GW2 “Living Story,” you travel to Southsun Cove to help Inspector Kiel control the unexplained violence that has recently erupted. After taking care of some rabid wildlife, you will try to uncover what has caused the unrest:

Trouble is brewing on the tropical island of Southsun Cove.

The merchants and traders of The Consortium have given shelter to refugees driven from their lands by the Molten Alliance, but many of these new arrivals feel more like prisoners than guests. With the new settlers on the verge of rioting and someone—or something—driving the local wildlife to new heights of aggression, it’s up to you and Lionguard Inspector Kiel to quell the violence and discover the Secret of Southsun!

The Secret of Southsun update will include new content that is not restricted to just the Kiel partnership. Crab Toss! Is a new mini game that will be instanced while players try to score points by capturing hermit crabs and fighting off karka. Admittedly, this sounds fun.

Slight Changes in WvW 

Traps are coming with The Secret of Southsun. A new Traps and Tricks Outfitters will appear on the WvW maps. There, players can purchase traps that will remove stealth or supply from enemy players. So far, those are the only items confirmed, but in the future we will see “Even more ways to spread mayhem in the Mists!” 

The Guild Wars 2 official site has nine screenshots depicting scenes from The Secret of Southsun. As expected, there are new NPCs to help you with your quests and aggressive animals that are out of control and jumping right at you.

May 14^th is coming pretty soon. Are you looking forward to The Secret of Southsun? 

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This week on GuildCast, the Flame and Frost living story comes to an end, arenas and spectator mode are a thing and banning drama.

The Flame and Frost living story’s grand finale has arrived and it’s apparently great ending centered around a specific dungeon. Interestingly ArenaNet is specifically calling the dungeon a “living story dungeon.”  Of course, the gang ponders what this means in relation to story and exploration. And of course… whether or not there are various difficulty settings.

Class Changes

Yeah, there’s a lot going on in the area of class changes. Players can look forward to nerfs on at least one popular skill. In addition, there have also been changes to Ride the Lightning’s cooldown. Actually, there are quite a few nerfs and skill changes. It’s so hard to list them all.

Exploits and Bans!

some things you just cant do by accident and apparently this exploit is on of them. You pretty much have to modify your game client to get it to work. Sooooo… That means you can’t claim you didn’t know.

Obviously, ArenaNet were pretty quick to lay down the ban-hammer on those who attempted the exploit. Unfortunately, it seems that more than just those who used the modified client were caught in the cross fire. ArenaNet has since rectified the accidental bans. But we have no word as to whether they will be doing something to make up for the inconvenience to the players.

All that and more…

To see everything the hosts have to say about all of this and more watch the video!

And remember, we love getting viewer questions. If you have a question to send to the crew, you can send it to submit@gamebreaker.tv. And, if you want to make a video question, be sure it’s around 30 seconds long and you send us a YouTube link.

And, as always… If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out here.

The post Flame And Frost Finale! appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

Take control and battle your friends in the all new Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas!

 Get ready to do battle with friends and enemies inside your very own Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arena. In a media conference call last week ArenaNet announced that along with the Flame & Frost: Retribution patch that is scheduled to release on Tuesday April 30th, they would also be bringing beta testing for Custom Battle Arenas to the live Guild Wars 2 servers.

What is a Custom Battle Arena you ask? It is a small server that players will be able to rent via a Gem Store purchase that will give them their own private playground on which to test their PvP skills with friends, teammates, allies, or enemies. The choice as to who has access to your Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arena is completely up to you. Players who rent Custom Battle Arenas can set up members lists, passwords, and ban lists.

Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas can host 1v1 matches, team scrimmages, or be used to host entire tournaments. But why would you want to host your own tournament? I’ll tell you why.

Full Spectator Mode

The new Guild Wars 2 Custom Arenas will feature a full-on spectator mode that will allow viewers to take in all the action, or let shoutcasters call the action and stream it for the world to see.

Spectator mode will come with a ton of features including the ability for those spectating live on the server to see a player’s full build, including armor and weapons, traits, and skills. Spectators can follow individual players during combat, or use preset cameras to see it all.

Don’t worry if you’re trying to practice and want to keep things under wraps, spectator mode can be disabled by the Custom Battle Arena owner.

How Much and How Long?

Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas are still going to be in beta, so everything is subject to change, or has not yet been determined. ArenaNet has not announced a price point for renting Battle Arenas, but did say that the rental duration would most likely be a month at a time.

The community will also be able to chip-in and help cover the expenses of renting a Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arena. There will be a token available in the Gem store the players can purchase and use to gift additional time to their favorite Battle Arena operators.

Who Will Be Testing

At first, beta testing of the Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas will be open to the top 50 or so ranked PvP players and select media sites who will be able to set-up Custom Battle Arenas. It looks like other players can be invited into those Arenas, but that may be subject to change at any moment. It is still beta after all.

MMO’s In E-Sports

Guild Wars 2 devs stated that they believe that barrier to entry is what keeps a lot of MMO’s out of the e-sports scene. Before players can truly experience competitive PvP action, they must first level up through a game with content they may or may not enjoy. GW2 fixes this by bolstering every player to max level during structured PvP, giving them access to all skills, traits, and abilities that other players have. So a new player can create a character, and within minutes be duking it out in max-level PvP combat. 

Plenty of MMO’s have talked a big game when it comes to entering the e-sports scene, but a full-on spectator mode is a huge step in the right direction. We have yet to get our hands on any of these upcoming Custom Battle Arena features, but keep an eye out next week for some hands-on information and sneak peeks at what’s coming in Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas.

The post Guild Wars 2 Custom Battle Arenas Coming appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost: Retribution Brings Tons of New Content

The fourth and final phase of the Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost living story event is set for release on Tuesday April 30th, and will bring with it one of the largest chunks of GW2 content the game has seen thus far.

New Story Dungeon – Molten Weapons Facility

After months of struggling against the Molten Alliance of the Flame Legion and Dredge, it is finally time to strike at the heart of your enemies. Players will descend upon the Molten Alliance’s weapon facility deep beneath the Shiverpeaks. Under the mountains the Molten Alliance have forged horrendous new weapons of destruction, and it is up to you, the heroes, along side iconic characters Rox and Braham, to infiltrate this facility and destroy it.

Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost developers are expecting big things from this newest Story Dungeon. There are epic boss encounters with unique combinations of skills and mechanics for you and your party to overcome, and the Molten Alliance are carrying all new weaponry that has not been seen on Tyria before. Braham and Rox will also be carrying some unique weaponry to assist you and your party as you venture into the weapon facility, and their weapons plus two more will be available in the gem shop as weapon skins.

In a media conference call last week, the devs behind the Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost: Retribution patch said that the new Molten Weapons Facility story dungeon would require teamwork to get through, and that players would encounter new mechanics and abilities as they made their way through the facility and be able to learn how to react to each one before meeting up with each big boss who will have a deadly combination of skills and fight mechanics.Along the way players will encounter not only members of the Molten Alliance, but will also have to free prisoners. There are also natural denizens of the deep lurking throughout.

The Molten Weapons Facility is geared to be challenging content, but is not intended to be for “hardcore raider” types only. Players of all skill levels should be able to see and participate in everything that Retribution has to offer.

Everyone Can Play

Players of all levels can participate in the Molten Weapons Facility story dungeon. Players below level 80 will be leveled up and able to join in the adventure and take part in the conclusion of the Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost living story saga.

The End, But Not

The Flame & Frost: Retribution patch may mark the end of the Flame & Frost chapter of the Guild Wars 2 living story, but by no means does it mean that the stories from Flame & Frost will not continue. Developers said in last week’s media conference call that the stories of Braham, son of Eir, and Rox the Charr will continue, and we will likely see new iconic characters introduced in the future. There is also still the issue of the many refugees who have been displaced due to the events of Flame & Frost. This chapter may be coming to a close, but it is only a small cog in the overall living story of Tyria.

And that’s not everything that’s coming on April 30th!

New Guild Missions

Gather your guild mates for brand new challenges! Transform into quaggan for a cool new guild rush through the icy waters of Frostgorge Sound and track down 24 new guild trek locations scattered all over Tyria!

Guild Siege Weapons and Back Banners

Deliver death on the battlefield in the name of your guild! Now guilds can purchase powerful WvW guild siege weapons or fly their colors proudly with new back banners.

New World vs. World Abilities

Give your character an edge in the Mists with expanded WvW abilities. Become a battlefield menace with the brand new Arrow Cart Mastery ability! Make NPCs fear your name with five formidable new levels in the Guard Killer ability line!

New Retribution Items in the Gem Store

Go sub-surface with the new sonic Tunneling Toy! Update your wardrobe with cute new backpack skins! Give your weapons an iconic look with skins based on Rox’s bow and quiver and Braham’s mace and shield, available for a limited time only! 

Custom Battle Arenas

The Guild Wars 2 Flame & Frost: Retribution patch is also bringing Custom Battle Arenas to live servers for beta testing. We’ve got a full article coming up in just a short while that will fill you in on all the goodies coming with Custom Battle Arenas.

The post Guild Wars 2 Flame And Frost Finale Coming April 30th appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

ArenaNet makes dreams come true!

Perhaps some of you noticed that at the beginning of the Super Adventure Box commercial the young gamer was playing a Guild Wars 2 themed platformer game featuring Rytlock Brimstone bounding across a grassy mario-esque world. The reasoning behind this was for it to appear that the young man was playing on an older version of the make believe console Super Adventure box. Perhaps the regular Adventure Box?

So what the cinematics team over at ArenaNet did in order to make that seem like it was the case, was they created a game called Rytlock’s Critter Rampage. Originally the plan was to create a few short bits in After Effects, just to get the idea across but apparently one of the cinematic artists at ArenaNet, Delly Sartika, has always wanted to make a retro platformer game. So he volunteered to build out a playable version of the totally fake game, thus further proving how awesome the team at ArenaNet really is!

The version that was shown in the commercial was just the first draft. According to ArenaNet cinematics team lead Matthew Oswald It took Delly about three weeks of work to flesh out the final version.

The Final Version of the standalone mini game Rytlock’s Critter Rampage is playable on the official Guild Wars 2 website in this post here. (Scroll down and click on the play button with Rytlock on it) It’s like Sonic the Hedgehog meets Mario with quaggans and bunnies and turtles, except you play as Blood Legion tribune and former member of Destiny’s Edge, Rytlock Brimstone. 

“They took his treasure and his pride… Now, they will pay with their lives!”

Here are some tips from the pros:

• Play on “Easy Mode” unless you are a wizard
• There are 10 secret treasures
• There are 4 Special endings:  3 for “Rytlock Mode” and 1 for “Easy Mode”
• Save often!

The post Presenting Rytlock’s Critter Rampage appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.

This week on GuildCast, WvW skills will be changing in the upcoming Guild Wars 2 patch, Jon Peters talks weapons and it’s time to watch out for phishing emails!

Another Guild Wars 2 patch is on its way and it’s bringing some interesting changes coming in regards to how skills work between PvE and Dub v Dubs. Now.. We did talk about some of these changes last time, but our hosts were a bit skeptical. But, it appears their skepticism was unfounded and ArenaNet will be going ahead with these changes in then next Guild Wars 2 patch.

Incoming Changes!

Jon Peters stopped by Guild Wars 2 Guru and he had a few words to make about changes to weapons in the future.

It’s time to watch out for those phishy emails.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, if you get random emails telling you to click a link to verify changes to your account. STEER CLEAR. If you’re worried that your account might actually be in trouble, hop onto your browser, type in the url for the game’s site and reset your password directly from there.

Don’t click any links you’re not sure of.

All that and more…

To see everything the hosts have to say about all of this and more watch the video!

And remember, we love getting viewer questions. If you have a question to send to the crew, you can send it to submit@gamebreaker.tv. And, if you want to make a video question, be sure it’s around 30 seconds long and you send us a YouTube link.

And, as always… If you missed last week’s episode, be sure to check it out here.

The post Gary Lies! appeared first on Gamebreaker.tv.