Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds — Absolution Sneak Peek

The Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds expansion is coming to a close with its third and final update, Absolution. As with the earlier additions, the ArenaNet team were kind enough to lift the curtain a bit and give a taste of what is to come in this culmination of the fifth expansion, including a look at a new Meta event and a run through the latest Fractal!

Our session started off with our motley crew gathering around the somewhat irate Livia, who was “patiently” waiting for a chance to break down a massive magical barrier protecting the ancient Mursaat city of Bava Nisos — the newest zone added for players to explore. As one could expect, the local titanspawn were not thrilled about this breach, and attacked en masse, requiring us to defend the Necromancer as she worked.

Once the barrier was down, we were faced with the first large challenge of this Meta Event, a familiar face with a different name and some interesting new tricks… our group was comprised of journalists and others less versed in the intricacies of high-level Guild Wars, so we didn’t last long. However, this was all well and good, as we quickly respawned and turned our gaze onto the Fractal itself.

In this memory of old, our party took the form of Kodan alternatives to our many classes and delved deep into an area filled with foul energy and a darkness that seemed to sap our strength. Luckily, we had little balls of light that kept the insidious debuff at bay while we fought through the dungeon. One after another, our small team was forced to give up the helpful orbs in order to open special doors, requiring those with protection to keep close to their vulnerable allies lest they suffer the debilitating debuff. At the end of the Fractal, we faced a serpentine creature that tried to eat up both our spheres and us, but we managed to beat it in the end, and the devs had to bail us out of danger only once!

Both new features seemed like great additions, with the Fractal especially adding a level of strategy and co-operation with the constant need to keep your allies within the area of protection. Being somewhat out of the loop of the larger narrative, I probably missed out on some of the epic plot and history being shared; however, even I could understand that defining moments were either being shared or created.

In terms of new goodies, the developers showed off a few new sets of armour, some cool weapons, and the best companion one could ask for, the Floppy Fish. As for weapons, the expansion would add the Slumbering Weapon set, which featured somewhat dull weapons. However, this was by design, as using the weapons and completing certain requirements would unlock the second tier of said item, turning it into the powerful (and very bright) Lightborne variant.

The Wizard’s Vaults is also gaining a few sets, including the Ward Knight Armour set and the delightfully fungal Stone-Growth Weapons. Finally, Absolution also adds some fun relics, such as the aforementioned Floppy Fish, a literal fish that follows you around with the most dignified of manners, flopping.

If you are an eager decorator of your Homestead, then good news; the final update to Janthir Wilds is increasing the decoration limit to a total of 2000. Now, this is not automatic; you will need to gain the first additional 500 via mastery and the rest are purchasable upgrades that increase said limit in increments of 100 per purchase.

It is always both sad and exciting to see an expansion come to an end. On one hand, the stories told by Janthir will come to a close and we may need to eventually move on to new locations and adventures. On the other hand, however, we can now look forward to whatever the ArenaNet team have in store for us next. Until then, we can enjoy everything new coming with the Absolution update.