One of the key highlights of Guild Wars 2’s impending Secrets of the Obscure expansion is easily the overhaul of the skyscale mount, the free-flying dragons originally introduced as an endgamer prize way back in season 4 of the living world narrative. Acquiring the skyscale has never been strictly necessary for gameplay, but it’s always posed a serious challenge for casual players, given the time and resources needed. As outlined in this week’s dev blog, ArenaNet is paving the way for the skyscale to be much more accessible in the expansion, which is essential since the new maps take full advantage of it.
“Four years into the future, we’re telling a story in primarily aerial maps that take advantage of different types of travel and movement – and we’re adding a parallel path for unlocking the skyscale and its masteries in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure,” the studio says.
Players will work their way up the new flight training mastery tree, akin to the original mastery line, with added perks for those who unlocked the skyscale the original way. The blog outlines everything from the new aimed and non-dismounting fireball skill to the various high-flying tricks on offer. “One of the explorable zones includes a new Skyscale Target Practice adventure that’ll have you racing around and spitting Fireballs left and right,” says the team.
“As we approached giving players reliable access to the skyscale in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure explorable zones, we took what we learned from maps such as Dragonfall and sought to improve the mount “rental” experience. In the new expansion maps, you do not need to go to a specific location in the map to hop on a skyscale—you’ll have access to the mount button just like players who have permanently unlocked it, allowing you to mount whenever you choose. Assuming you get to Skywatch Archipelago, the first new explorable zone, by following the normal story progression, you’ll have skyscale access when you first set foot there.”
MOP’s Flameseeker Chronicles columnist Colin previously penned a piece detailing the problematic anti-new-player grind for the original skyscale and cheering on ArenaNet’s planned changes for SOTO.
