Today, ArenaNet officially announced that the game’s next major content update, Bazaar of the Four Winds, will be going live on the 9th of July. Maintaining their commitment to their fortnightly update cycle, ArenaNet has been adding content every couple of weeks, bringing players exciting new features, events, rewards, and storylines, and making sure that Tyria remains one of the most frequently updated and best supported online worlds in the gaming industry.
Bazaar of the Four Winds sees merchants rallying from all corners of Tyria to sell on their wares, and the gathering is sure to bring plenty of “shady characters and risky trade” due to the arrival of the mystical flying Zephyr Sanctum, bringing along with it magical crystals and amazing movement skills to traders and adventurers alike.
As well as new themed-events, the following is also included in this update:
New Events
- Belcher’s Bluff Mini-game: Players can challenge their friends in this new, permanent mini-game.
- Sanctum Sprint Race: Navigate a dizzying obstacle course in this competitive race.
- Lessons from the Sky Scavenger Hunt: Players will need to show their mastery of wind, sun and lightning as they search for Sky Crystals and explore hard-to-reach places in the Labyrinthine Cliffs.
New Rewards
- Aspect Back Items: Players can compete in the Sanctum Sprint for a chance to earn one of three special back items representing the aspects of wind, sun and lightning.
- Personal Quartz Node: Players completing the update will be able to harvest quartz in their home instances, allowing them to craft new recipes.
- Zephyr Sanctum Model: Players who complete the Lessons from the Sky achievement will be awarded a miniature model of the Zephyr Sanctum, allowing them to view the ship at any time, even after it has flown away.
New Features
- Account Achievement Reward System: Starting with this release, players can unlock rewards like exclusive new armour skins, weapon skins and permanent account bonuses as they earn achievement points. They can also earn laurels, gems, gold, powerful items, and PvP and WvW rewards as achievement scores grow.
- New PvP Map – Skyhammer: Players can battle for control of three capture points in the new Skyhammer map.
What a joy it will be to experience the thrill of the trade!
[Source: Bazaar of the Four Winds]