Enter the Nightmare, venture further into a world of demons, and peer Through the Veil today. We got an early look at the latest Guild Wars 2 update, and what it means for Tyria.
Player, commanders, Wayfarer’s, members of Dragon’s Watch, and the like have all become accustomed to ongoing content drops from ArenaNet’s tales in Tyria. Today, we get another update for fans of Guild Wars 2 with the latest follow up to the Secrets of the Obscure expansion. After stepping into the Wizard’s Tower and facing off against the demons beyond, it’s time to take the fight towards the newest enemies of Tyria.
Inner Nayos
Moving forward from the seminal moments in ArenaNet’s latest expansion, this new update takes us to Inner Nayos for out latest outing. Devoured by fog and showered in ash, Inner Nayos is a hotbed of Kryptis activity that is as refreshingly different as it is familiar.
I began a tour of this new map at Memory’s Hollow, getting accustomed to these new surroundings. With Rift Hunters and soldiers loitering around a temporary campsite, this scene could be played out a hundred times over n Tyira. This is, however, just the starting point ana familiar recollection that tumbles out into a demon realm. What awaits beyond the safety of a few dimly lit beacons is a twisted embodiment of the Kryptis and a Nightmare more than a landscape. The creatures that you’ll across Heitor’s Dominion and out towards the Bleeding Wastes encounter are as viscerally unnatural and inventive as the Mordrem first were. Where the Jungle Dragon’s spawn were all teeth and foliage, the Incarnation of Judgement and Wanderers are just a couple of examples of the nightmarish problems that await. Floating urchins encrusted with spiny protection and peppered with bulging eyeballs hang in the air, which seem inspired by Doom’s Cacodemon. Even other ambient creatures feel like something torn from modern Mothman legends.
The withered blue palette and grey miasma is only perforated by blood red structures and seeping pools that make Inner Nayos like a sore that lives off fear of us interlopers. Some fantastic environmental work makes the entire experience feel wrong. Despite that unnatural air, there’s something familiar about the latest backdrop to ArenaNet’s adventure. Between the ruby red streams and tortured faces, there’s an organic flow to this slice of Nayos. What could be rock might be tree branches/. It’s like somebody took the Grove and made it into a Nightmare Court. That’s a visual cue that the ArenaNet play with consistently, and this map continues to effectively delve into that vein, playing on the mind to produce some genuinely interesting ideas and opponents.
What doesn’t necessarily thrill me is all of the content that’s contained in the map. Without spoiling too much of the meta, what I managed to play through feels largely derivate of what’s come before. The wider push and pull of the world is easily much more approachable than other large scale mas, but doesn’t break much new ground. Small moments still lift the experience. Using the Skyscale to shoot down floating turrets sits right alongside a mission to burn down Kryptis trebuchets. Even the final face off feels like a larger scale upgrade of recent Rift events.
Loot
Rewards are, much like the rest of the content, a mix of old and new. Expect a whole range of new weapons. With multiple sets added to the reward pool, You’ll be able to choose from a range of demonic new looks, to wear to the apocalypse. Like always, there’s a new armor, relics, and more. This provides plenty of new ways to play, and a reason to keep coming back into Inner Nayos. You can see some of the loot below.
Additionally, you’ll still find the same basic currency and chests that come dotted across Secrets of the Obscure, and I expect that much of the incentive for playing this outside of the central story will be the new cosmetics.
As I’m not spoiling the story experience, I won’t touch any story content for Through the Veil. Instead, I’ll note that it’s a mixed bag of bones. While I actually appreciate the way ArenaNet weighed the mix of new and ongoing rewards, I feel like some of this tale feels far too reminiscent of other stories told in Tyira. Like burning down siege equipment it can unfold with a sense of déjà vu. Despite that misgiving, Inner Nayos is the star of this show. It’s odd, and unsettling, and hints that maybe a true Nightmare is upon us. If yu own the Guild Wars 2 – Secrets of the Obscure expansion, get Through the Veil for free now. Find out more by jumping in and taking on some demons.
