What’s up internet? Time for a close-up of the next major feature in GW2: Heart of Thorns (HoT). Today we’re not looking at just any feature. As a matter of fact, in several of their interviews ArenaNet put this feature forward as their most important one. It’s supposed to be the foundation of the future of GW2. It’s the Mastery System.
If you look at any MMO and their expansions, the first thing they do is raise the maximum level and add another tier of gear. This is what we call vertical progression. Not our cup of tea says ArenaNet, we prefer horizontal progression and evolve GW2 without adding levels or gear. It was their selling point at the launch of GW2 almost 2,5 years ago. It’s also what has been keeping them afloat and not failing like Elder Scrolls Online and Wildstar are looking to do. A very ambitious goal but is it feasible?
This is what Colin Johanson had to say about the Mastery System at Pax South: “
"The mastery system is an account-based, PvE progression system. As you progress through the jungle, it is available to every character you have that is level 80 - you will complete content and overcome challenges in the jungle that reward you with mastery points (MP)." ”(source reddit)
The first thing to note is 'account-based' meaning you will not have to repeat earning your MP’s for every character. Second thing to point towards is '‘PvE’' because Colin was being pretty specific when he mentioned that. At launch The Mastery System (MS) will be solely a PvE-element and will not factor in PvP or WvW. Finally, this system is also locked behind the expansion HoT. So no HoT, no masteries which makes sense to be honest. As to the goal of the MS, lead designer Isaiah Cartwright says the following: “
"What we've really done is try to make a system that works a little bit more like what we've seen in console games like Metroid or Zelda where the progression systems feel a little more natural, feel a little more integrated with the environment and content and allow you to interact with the world around you," (source IGN-article)
”You’ll be spending your MP’s in tracks containing several tiers. The progress of your masteries will be traceable next to your nameplate just like it shows you your level as well as on the training bar that will replace your experience bar when you reach level 80. This is a really good example of how this is a progression system. This MS should equip us with the abilities to survive in the jungle and will, because of that, mainly impact the new areas we’re getting in HoT. The original GW2-areas are not forgotten however, as you will also be able to earn MP’s there. A good thing if you ask me as it will not make GW2 and HoT feel like different games isolated from each other but rather unite the two as one whole. The MS will be expanded upon in the future. It is actually very possible you’ll already receive some MP’s when HoT launches as you may have completed some challenges like exploration or group content.
Let’s have a look at one of the things you can spend you MP’s on: Hang gliders. Yes you heard it right, gliders. It’s one of the more eye-catching elements of this expansion. It’s also ArenaNet’s answer to all the people who wanted traditional mounts. With enough MP’s you will be able to reach areas in Maguuma that you couldn’t before on your glider. This raises some questions however and one of them is the way gliding will be implemented. Will you be able to glide anywhere everywhere or will it be restricted to certain areas? Colin mentioned wind currents that will be used to gain altitude which seems to point towards a rather restrictive way of gliding. Then again, from the footage we saw in the IGN-trailer, it seems gliding is more open worldly and non-restricted to certain areas. As to the implementation ArenaNet said the following:
“Once you’ve unlocked the Gliding Mastery track, you can pull out your glider any time you’re in free fall in the Heart of Maguuma. When you first pull out your glider, you’ll notice that you have a limited amount of energy while in the air. Be careful—if you run out of energy while gliding, your glider will collapse and you’ll be in for a rough landing!” (source)
Another question we have to pose is the added gameplay value gliding brings with it. It’s all neat and cool to glide but if it’s just used to reach places you couldn’t reach before it feels rather wasteful. What happens, for example, to your skills when you glide throughout the jungle? Can you still use your skills? Because if you can that basically adds the possibility of air combat to GW2 and a whole new dimension to the game. However, as I mentioned earlier the MS at launch will be a PvE-feature so gliding in WvW or PvP is out of the question for now. That doesn’t mean however that the possibility of air combat in PvE is gone. In both the trailers currently out, you can see several enemies soaring throughout the jungle. ArenaNet also said the following:
“When you train the Gliding Mastery, however, you’ll have the option to soar freely through the treetops, escape the dangers that await you on the jungle floor, use the air to your advantage in combat against certain foes, and save yourself from accidental death by slipping.” (source)
Does this mean we’ll have to fight enemies in the sky with our gliders? I don’t know but if we do get air combat for PvE, it isn’t unimaginable to think of air combat in WvW. Can you imagine the impact air combat could have on WvW if done correctly? I doubt we'll ever get something masteries-related in sPvP, since Masteries is locked behind the expansion and sPvP is all about equality between all players. To be clear, air combat is just a wild speculation on my part. It’s very possible speculation is all what it is ever going to be but it's still very exciting nonetheless.
The Mastery System doesn’t stop with gliding however. In the IGN-interview we saw these mushrooms which we, with enough MP’s, will be able to use as jump pads to reach previous inaccessible places. The MS also doesn’t forget the lore junkies as yours truly. HoT will add new civilizations to the game and with them come new languages. These languages will only be understandable to the player if they spend MP’s. By understanding these languages we will be able to access areas we couldn’t otherwise. It’s a very nice way to change lore from a passive element to an active element and make even non-lore junkies care about the rich lore GW2 has to offer. MP’s will also factor into the combat as some new enemies will have special defenses like very sturdy bark armor which will only become penetrable if you spend MP’s on it. This is a very good example of how the Mastery System acts as a means of progression. Masteries will also help you in fractals as it will enable you to conquer higher fractal levels which will probably be new ways/abilities to counter agony. Finally the MS will also impact crafting, collecting and building and more specific it will impact crafting a legendary. The most frustrating about crafting a legendary the past 2,5 years was finding a precursor. The drop rate is so low and so RNG (=luck), it’s amazing we had to wait this long for the precursor hunt. We don’t really know yet how the MS will make acquiring precursor easier but it should give us less headaches as it has been doing thus far.
In the end the Mastery System looks like a very brave and exciting idea. It could be a revolution in the way player progression works in MMO’s. On the other hand it could also land GW2 on its face to be mocked and ridiculed by the MMO-landscape. Only time will tell what it will be.
