Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure

Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure is the fourth major expansion to the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 from 2012. The expansion lets us learn the secrets of the Wizard's Tower and save Tyria once again alongside new allies. The expansion was once again developed by ArenaNet.

Plot

The story revolves around the demonic Kryptis threatening the world. The demons make use of cracks in reality to attack Tyria and Amnytas - a floating location inhabited by mighty mages. The heroes must join forces with new allies and save both lands.

Mechanics

Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure introduces a new region (two areas available on the release day) and an isolated group of wizards possessing vast knowledge and many treasures.

The players' main objective is to seek out and close the rifts demonic armies use as passageways. Along the way we're assisted by the antique guardians of Tyria, the Astral Ward and the titular artifact. There are also two new Masteries focused on dealing with rifts and the Kryptis race. The expansion also grants more combat flexibility due to a revamped rune system and access to weapons previously exclusive to elite specializations.

Players who own the base version of Guild Wars 2 and have characters on at least level 80 will receive access to the Wizard's Vault - an improved reward system for completing daily activities and timed challenges. We can spend the currency gathered this way (Astral Acclaim) to purchase access to new weapons, items, cosmetics, crafting materials and many others. It's worth noting some challenges are exclusive to the owners of the expansion.

The game also introduces flying mounts, as well as new instances and dungeon for parties of five or ten.

Technical aspects

Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure is a non-standalone expansion and thus requires the base version of Guild Wars 2 to work.