The new Guild Wars 2 patch is live, and with it comes some exciting changes to the competitive experience! We spoke to some of our Pro League casters to get their take on the updates, and what they mean for the future of the game.
“The new patch will force at least a couple of new classes into the meta, which is really healthy for the competitive PvP scene,” says Joe “Storm” Nowasell. “It will also force new builds to be played on some classes that weren't forced to change in the patch before this.”
“The patch brought about a lot of changes that still may not even be obvious until the Finals,” says Daniel “Jebro” Littleton. “Mesmers and Revenants are a must with Druid also being strong.”
Though class updates were the main focus of the patch, the excitement seemed to be geared towards Thief. “Thief finding its way onto some team compositions is the most exciting thing,” says Storm. “Not every team will have one, but those that do will make it work well. It will be centered around high-burst combos with the revenant, and create a thrilling atmosphere in many of the games.”
Christian “Heurix” Thomasser, however, was focused on Necromancer, stating, “The change that had unquestionably the biggest impact in this offseason is the change to chill on Necromancers, namely the base duration reductions and the change to chill, [now] applying bleed rather than dealing damage itself.”
The anticipation was unanimous for the Legacy of Foefire updates, with all casters agreeing it will now be more difficult for the offensive team to win with just sheer force alone. “This change means that teams will have more opportunities to defend against lord rushing and that comebacks are possible after the leading team hits the 350-point mark, which previously meant the game was over due to the ease of aggressing into the keep and killing the lord,” says Heurix.
If all of that isn’t enough to get you excited for what is to come, we leave you with Jebro’s words; “I am hyped for what could possibly be some of the best Guild Wars 2 Pro League action we have seen to date!”
If you were missing the action, fear not! The #GW2PL will be back this Monday, May 9 at 5PM PST on the Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel! For all the latest information, visit the Pro League’s official website and follow ESL Guild Wars 2 on Twitter and Facebook.
