Guild Wars 2 Flame and Frost: Prelude Launches

Today ArenaNet launched the first step of a new Guild Wars 2 event. Flame and Frost is a three-part event that's said to bring big changes to the MMORPG in the months ahead.

In Flame and Frost: Prelude, the lands of the north are in upheaval. The sky is falling and the ground is shaking. Charr and norn refugees now flee to the south. Adventurers must assist these refugees and cope with whatever dangers are coming from the north.

The event brings a new achievement system for players. New daily achievements will give players something to strive for each day of the week. Completing daily and monthly achievements will earn you laurels that can be traded in for Utility Infusions as well as Ascended Amulets.

Today's update also introduced the long-awaited guesting feature. Guesting allows players to adventure with players on other worlds without transferring. The downside to this new feature is that permanently transferring a character to a different world is no longer free. It now costs gems to perform these transfers.

Player-versus-player enthusiasts can look forward to a "Temple of the Silent Storm" week. Until February 4th, the eight-team/three-round paid tournaments are being replaced with two-team/single-round paid tournaments. These tournaments will take place on the Temple of the Silent Storm map. Once the week is over, Temple will be introduced to the rotation for all tournaments.

The update is rounded out by a smattering of smaller changes. For example, the UI has been tweaked and the Gem Store features new items.