{"id":933885,"date":"2025-12-29T11:31:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T11:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/YVo6SB36rA4qp3r9CFnh7K"},"modified":"2025-12-29T11:31:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T11:31:16","slug":"guild-wars-2s-5th-expansion-launches-next-week-and-once-again-a-mount-is-the-star-of-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/guild-wars-2s-5th-expansion-launches-next-week-and-once-again-a-mount-is-the-star-of-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Guild Wars 2’s 5th expansion launches next week, and once again a mount is the star of the show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We're just a week away from the launch of Guild Wars 2's fifth expansion, and with it the long awaited addition of player housing to ArenaNet's MMO. I've already spent a bunch of time with the new Homestead feature<\/a>, but recently I got a chance to sample the rest of the expansion too\u2014a hands-on press tour that let me try out a part of the new story, and explore some sections of the two new maps planned for the Janthir Wilds' launch.<\/p>\n

The trouble with an MMO preview, though, is it can be hard to get a sense of what really matters to players. The new maps look nice\u2014the first is a rustic haven for a new faction of bearfolk, full of cosy cabins hidden away in a wild forest biome. But this is a game designed to be played for hundreds of hours. The real meat of any Guild Wars 2 map is in the flow of its events, and the desirability of the rewards it offers. The real question is whether I'll still have reason to visit in three months'\u2014hell, even three years'\u2014time? Sure, I'm excited to explore these new spaces, and to properly attempt the second map's world boss meta with a proper number of players. Beyond that, though? I have no deeper analysis to offer.<\/p>\n

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Instead, I'm here to talk about instant, immediate gratification. I'm here to talk about the Warclaw.<\/p>\n

The Warclaw was first added to Guild Wars 2 back in 2019, as the designated mount for the World vs World game mode. You could<\/em> equip it in PvE, but really there wasn't any reason to. Unlike other mounts, it didn't offer any special traversal option. It had no role outside of the ability to use it in a competitive game mode.<\/p>\n

With Janthir Wilds, though, the Warclaw is getting a glow up. A new mastery line will give it new functionality in PvE maps. It's getting a handful of new combat options, and the ability to sniff out nearby treasure. But most importantly, it's getting a double jump.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: ArenaNet)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When ArenaNet first mentioned this last month<\/a>, my response was merely “huh, OK”. It sounds<\/em> neat, but how is a double jump useful in a world where the Skyscale exists<\/u><\/a>? An extra mid-air jump is less impressive in a world where you can already fly short distances. But then I played it and realised it wasn't just a double jump. Your Warclaw's mid-air jump ability actually has three charges, but, more importantly, it's tied to the endurance bar and actually regains energy while you're still in the air. That means, if you time your jumps right, you can fit in even more.<\/p>\n

I'll be honest: as we were playing through the expansion's first story chapter, I wasn't pulling my weight in the various fights that occurred. I was jumping\u2014trying to see how far I could bounce through the air. Using Season 4's Bond of Vigor mastery skill and a Mount Energy Booster 3 installed in my Jade Bot, I counted 17 jumps before landing. Reader, that is not a double jump. That is a septendecuple jump. And I suspect I could have got that number higher if I'd really tried.<\/p>\n

Bounce”<\/a> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n