After a brief tease, Guild Wars 2's first living event of 2014, "Origins of Madness," has begun with ginger menace Scarlet Briar launching an all out assault on Tyria on two fronts, and players will have to team up if they want to put her monolithic monsters down for the count.
The first creature wreaking havoc is a giant puppet, the "Twisted Marionette," carving a path through the mountains at Lornar's Pass. Scarlet has gathered a massive platoon of troops at the foothills to guard the behemoth, so players will really need to work together if they hope to come out of battle against Briar's soldiers and the Marionette victoriously. But it's not just the mountains where players will be waging war.
Deep in the dark jungles in Bloodtide Coast, Scarlet has woken a three headed beast, the "Great Jungle Wurm." Again, this is no battle for a solitary rogue warrior, you'll want friends and a lot of sharp steel to destroy this massive oligochaete.
Described a recent press release, "Great dangers and action on an epic scale await in Origins of Madness, but great knowledge comes from overcoming these foes as well. In this release, players will uncover truly startling revelations about Scarlet's plan for Tyria and its citizens."
All through 2013, Scarlet was engineering plans behind the scenes so she could strike at Tyria from the shadows. But with these two creatures, she's set to make a stunning debut.
While Scarlet seems content to let her armies and creatures do her fighting for her for the the time being, she'll reveal her full plans soon enough. When the time is right...
Besides the two massive creatures, the event also brings in new items following the monster's themes. Defeating them will net players any manner of new equipemtn, from a wurm-themed rifle skin, and new ring or amulet, to special ascended armor components like the Wurmslayer's Masque, Shoulderguard, and Warfists.
Similarly, Gnashblade and the Black Lion Trading Company have put together a wurm-themed selection of goods for your enjoyment, but you'll have to check those out for yourself.
Check out the video below for a look at the writhing Jungle Wurm and titanic Twisted Marionette, and Queen Jennah help anyone that goes up against them.
Out since August of 2012, Guild Wars 2 was a hit before it even came out, with pre-sales totaling over one million. The game takes place 250 years after the first game, and features a "living, breathing" world with dynamic events that respond to player actions.
An action game at heart, survival in combat is based on timing, skill, and movement. Well-timed dodges or combo attacks are integral to any battle. Guild Wars 2 rethinks the outdated class restrictions of other games, giving players the tools and skills they need to play with friends regardless of their class.
The game is out now for PC and Mac.
