Guild Wars 2 has just released its latest update, Code Of Creation, giving an exciting conclusion to its Visions of Eternity expansion. Here is our preview.
For a massively multiplayer online game to stay strong 14 years into its launch, Guild Wars 2 sure must be doing something right. This is in no small part because ArenaNet listens to feedback religiously, learning from their mistakes in the process and giving players what they want without sacrificing creative freedom. This whole concept comes to a head with its latest update, Code of Creation.
Part of the Visions of Eternity expansion, this newly released content wraps up a thrilling story arc with a bang. As a fan of intricate storylines and intrigued about what’s new in the genre, I naturally accepted an invitation to get a glimpse of it with the developers themselves. I was not prepared for how much MMOs have evolved.
This Is How It Ends
With an exclusive access to choose among 9 playable characters at level 80 to start the session, each one was more stylish than the last. From 5 races, each featuring their own specialization, when I noticed a massive anthropomorphic beast with modern sunglasses, I knew this was going to be a fun ride.
As mentioned, Code of Creation is the last update of the Visions of Eternity expansion, which means that the momentum built up to this point is reaching its boiling point. Through a Discord call, ArenaNet developers went on to explain how the conclusion to this adventure would determine the fate of the world, Tyria. Exciting.
Code of Creation offers six full chapters, from 14 to 19. Starting in Chapter 16, we meet the authoritarian Vloxx, who, as the developers put it, “talks a big game.” The small being from a species called asura certainly is imposing, what with every main quest dialogue voice-acted to perfection, amping up the histrionics expected of a finale.
The Guild Wars 2 lore is as complex as it is rewarding to learn, but the stakes, originating from an antagonistic faction called the Inquest, could not be higher. Every character involved, either friend or foe, transmits how important it is to stop this threat, no matter the cost. I get the impression that they will satisfy longtime players with this bombastic arc. And then there’s the combat.
If you have not played MMOs in a long time—or ever—you could be forgiven for thinking their combat is stale and mostly mechanical. This could not be farther from the truth in Code of Creation. What struck me as exciting is how everything is so fast-paced. No more tedious dialogues and endless clicking to attack enemies.
Once the fruitless conversation with Director Vloxx comes to an abrupt end, he sends his minions to fight against you in the bright-blue caverns you find yourself in. After realizing you are overrun with more monsters than you can handle, the game makes you hop on your mount and flee. This game of cat-and-mouse continues for a while until you meet fellow warriors to back you up.
More Challenge, More Rewards
This snappy combat gameplay is also present in the Code of Creation Meta Events. Providing the most challenge of each explorable zone, it is common to have dozens of players fighting together against a common enemy. In our preview session, this meant a massive Golem that barraged us with an unending area of effect attacks that had us moving as fast and as often as we could. A noticeable detail is how everything is quite difficult.
To reach this endgame area, players must have spent hundreds of hours honing their skills, and it shows. Much as it is not easy to come out triumphant, so it is satisfying to find a challenge that rises to the occassion for veteran players. Not to mention the juicy rewards, including the jaw-dropping “Wages of Stars” legendary sword.
Walking away from this riveting experience, one thing is certain: the stakes could not be higher on Code of Creation. If this preview’s goal was to entice new and old players to return for a taste of this latest update, sign me up.
