ArenaNet announced that the first ever raid content for Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is coming on November 17. This is the first of three planned raid wings that will compose the first raid for the game. Get those gear checks ready because this won't be a casual stroll through the park.
Spirit Vale represents the first of three raid wings that will ultimately form the first full raid in Guild Wars 2, introducing a new style of challenging content. Raids in Heart of Thorns will be unlike anything players have experienced before, such as 10-player challenges designed to deliver epic encounters and rich rewards for skilled players, and with game play rooted in everything that sets Guild Wars 2 apart from other MMOs.

Starting with Spirit Vale, players will quickly discover that raids in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns are all about the same distinct game play mechanics that they have come to appreciate in the core game, with action-oriented combat where success is based on skill and the focus is on real-time strategies. Conquering the challenges in Heart of Thorns raids will require active strategies, not UI-gazing, with weapon and ability changes on the fly, skill combos, dodge rolling, and positioning for attacks being keys for conquering the content. One of the main aspects of game play in Guild Wars 2 is the versatility of each profession in the game, including the ability for all professions to heal. This will give raiders a large amount of freedom with party composition without reliance on the conventional tank, healer and damage dealer ‘trinity’ to take on challenges. The game’s player community is also widely recognized as one of the friendliest in MMOs because of its style of game play including the way rewards are distributed to all players who participate in an event, and the same will hold true for raids in Heart of Thorns.

With great challenge should come great rewards, and raids in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns will not only deliver epic encounters and massive boss fights, with enduring content that players can replay and refine, but also rich rewards. In addition to earning unique thematic rewards associated with the bosses they defeat, players can earn some of the most sought after rewards in Guild Wars 2 by completing raid encounters, including ascended armor and weapons. Beating raid content will also unlock the journey to attain one of the most sought after rewards in the game - legendary armor.

In keeping with tradition, this raid content will be provided to free for those who own Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

Editor's Note: Our review for Heart of Thorns is still being worked on. There was a lot of content to take in for the expansion. However, if you simply cannot wait for the full review, I have no qualms about stating that this is a fantastic expansion for the game. If you don't like the base Guild Wars 2 experience, however, you probably won't like this. However, if you do enjoy the base game, the expansion is a must buy.

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