This is perhaps to be expected as Guild Wars 2 is a live game with a continuously evolving story, it could be a little confusing if you’re coming back into the game after a break or similar though so is worth mentioning.įor those who love the game’s lore however, there is a lot to enjoy in this expansion, from subtle character references to revisiting areas not seen since the original Guild Wars and its Nightfall expansion. Whilst the general gist of the story is straightforward “Bad Guy wants to Kill X to do Y” and is easy enough to follow even with no other Guild Wars knowledge, the minutiae of the dialogue and character interactions expect familiarity with who these people are and the events of the Living World seasons and the prior expansion Heart of Thorns. It does however expect you to have kept up with characters and events. The return of undead lich Palawa Joko is handled with aplomb, acting as a shadowy puppet-master figure in the background compared to the more front and centre plot figures of Balthazar and Kralkatorrik. The plot is well written, with some excellent dialogue from the characters as well as some deft weaving of threads as it keeps the quite dense plot ticking along without getting too bogged down in exposition. If allowed to continue he would be able to absorb its power whilst also putting Tyria itself at risk. Path of Fire takes place after the events of Living World Season 3 with the player following the disgraced God of War, Balthazar, to the Crystal Desert as they attempt to stop him from killing the Elder Crystal Dragon, Kralkatorrik. Each area is huge with a unique look and feel, avoiding the potential trap that a desert expansion might have fallen victim to, from arid salt flats-esque areas to majestic crystalline formations caused by the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik “branding” the surroundings, there is a lot of gorgeous scenery to take in. Speaking of new areas, the expansion includes five areas from around the Crystal Desert and Elonian region of the world map, all of which will bring back a certain level of nostalgia for long term Guild Wars fans. Some areas even require use of multiple mount abilities to get to which makes solving these environmental puzzles quite satisfying when you piece them together. As you unlock mounts it enables you to revisit prior areas and finally grab that collectable you couldn’t see an obvious way to before. The way the new areas are laid out means you’ll constantly be seeing things you can’t quite reach, which leads to an almost metroidvania approach in their design. You can make them leap further, jump higher or enable them to pass through mysterious sand-like portals making leveling up your mounts feel actually significant. Mounts are where you’ll spend your earned experience as you progress as once again Path of Fire keeps the level cap at 80, utilising the Mastery system introduced in Heart of Thorns to improve your mount's abilities. From the Raptor’s long jumping to the Jackal’s blink-like teleporting, they feel much more unique and interesting than the usual speed boost that mounts tend to give in MMOs. Each of the main mount types, the Raptor, the Springer, the Skimmer and the Jackal, all have unique movement and combat abilities. There are four mounts that you can acquire as you adventure through the new areas, along with a fifth attainable via other means. The main headline feature of this new expansion are the mounts, they’ve finally been added to the game after players requesting them for years and they are implemented really well here. 2015's Heart of Thorns expansion took us to the jungle-laden heart of Meguuma, this time Path of Fire takes you south to the Crystal Desert and the kingdom of Elona as you try to track down and face the god of war, Balthazar. Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire is ArenaNet’s second expansion for 2012's original MMO release. Reviews // 12th Oct 2017 - 5 years ago // By Simon Brown Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire Review
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