Eye of the North heroes: Pyre Fierceshot

Eye of the North introduces several new heroes, and one of them in particular is a bit of a surprise. Pyre Fierceshot is a Charr. Didn't think you'd be inviting a Charr to join your party, did you? On top of that, the missions and quests that Pyre opens up require you to not only team up with Charr, but actually help them out.

As his name implies, Pyre Fierceshot is a Ranger. His default skills are:

• Dual Shot
  
• Kindle Arrows
  
• Resurrection Signet
  
• Savage Shot
  
• Throw Dirt
  
• Troll Unguent
  

Pyre has Ranger armour labelled as a Charr set, with an armour rating of 13-70, depending on level. His armour bonuses are:

• +30 to Elemental damage
  
• +5 to energy on his chest armour
  
• +1 to energy regeneration on his leg armour
  

You first meet Pyre in Grothmar Wargrounds, during the quest "Against the Charr". To recruit Pyre, you have to complete the Primary Ebon Vanguard quest "Warband of Brothers". On completion, Pyre is unlocked as a hero, and can be used in your party.

Pyre is an excellent Hero addition to your party in Eye of the North. Having a Charr is fun anyway, and if you need a Ranger, Pyre tends to obey orders and run off less than Acolyte Jin - which can be a real life saver on some missions.

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Guild Wars Bonus Mission Pack Preparations

I've posted before on the Guild Wars blog about ArenaNet's Bonus Mission Pack promotion. The latest game update, streamed to Guild Wars clients on the 26th October, has brought in this welcome addition:

Made preparations for the final week of the Guild Wars Bonus Mission Pack Promotion. At approximately 07:01 (GMT) on October 27, players will be able to check their Guild Wars account (using the in-game option “Edit Account") to determine whether they have qualified for the Bonus Mission Pack. Eligibility is not updated automatically. Account status will be updated periodically from Monday through Wednesday of next week.

So, if you've bought Eye of the North from the Guild Wars store - or you picked up one of the existing Guild Wars campaigns - you should now be able to get confirmation you've qualified for the Bonus Mission Pack.

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Eye of the North introduces the Asura

The second of the two new races in Eye of the North are the Asura. You first encounter Vekk, an Elementalist Asura who is helping the dwarves, during the first Eye of the North mission, where you travel to Boreal Station.

After you've completed this mission you'll notice purple Asura gates appear, not just on the Eye of the North map of Tyria, but also in Elona and Cantha (if you have the Nightfall and Factions chapters). Clicking on these gates will instantly transport you to Boreal Station, in much the same way as the ships near the major cities in each chapter will take you to the main capital cities on each continent.

The Asura are small, magical humanoids, who for centuries have lived underground. The emergence of the Destroyers, however, has forced them to the surface, where they seek new allies.

As well as introducing a new mini-game - Polymock - and a new Title Track, the Asura are also important for being one of the new playable races in Guild Wars 2.

You can read a bit more about Guild Wars 2 here, and this previous blog post has information about the Asuran Title Track.

Their powerful magic, and ability to create and manage the tough GOLEM machines, makes them formidable allies in Eye of the North. The Asura will certainly be fun and challenging characters to play in Guild Wars 2.

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Halloween videos from Guild Wars

If you've not got the Guild Wars Prophecies or Nightfall campaigns (or you haven't travelled south to check out Lion's Arch or Kamadan) here's a great video from Jporiey showing the new Halloween decorations.



Nicely done, and gives a good taster of the special Halloween content now starting to appear in Guild Wars.

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Halloween comes to Eye of the North

You might be wondering what's going on in Eye of the North, and the rest of the Far Shiverpeaks. Eerie monuments have started to appear, and not only have NPCs been transformed, but they items they are now offering are very different.

Guild Wars is gearing up for the return of Mad King Thorn on Halloween, and changes are sweeping the land. Talking to NPCs, you'll find the following special items available:

	Witch's Brew: One sip of this potent brew will set your world spinning 'round and 'round.
	Absinthe: Drink this beverage to be engulfed in a ghoulish flame.
	Ghost-in-the-Box: Feeling brave? Open this mysterious box to receive a spooky surprise.
	Squash Serum: Swallowing this potion might give you a big head. A big, orange one, that is…
	Transmogrifier Tonic: Transform yourself into the spirit of Halloween itself using this item!
	New Mystery Item: Go out into the world and defeat monsters for a chance to obtain a special treat, new this year

I can also recommend heading to Lion's Arch or Kamadan, and taking part in the Halloween Costume Brawl. With two new arenas, the Costume Brawl features team based PvP with a twist. You choose to take part as one of the characters from Guild Wars - using their outfit, items, and unique skills.

It focusses the combat on skill, as you have no control over your build, and is incredibly good fun. The winning team picks up some special Halloween rewards as well as Faction points, so it's well worth having a go.

Talk to NPC Bobby [Costume Brawl] in Kamadan or Lion's Arch to take part.

While in the Eye of the North explorable areas, keep an eye out on monster drops as well. You'll find some special Halloween items dropping between now and the 31st October, when Mad King Thorn will return.

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Master of the North updates in Eye of the North

With some recent updates to sterling silver, there has been some more information and clarification of the Master of the North Title Track.

The Eye of the North mastery points needed for each rank of Master of the North are now at:

Rank	Title	Eye of the North mastery points:
1	Adventurer of the North	100
2	Pioneer of the North	200
3	Veteran of the North	350
4	Conqueror of the North	550
5	Master of the North	750
6	Legendary Master of the North (Max level)	1000

The amount of points you can gain has also been fleshed out, now that Hard Mode is available in Eye of the North.

For each of the Primary Quests (as defined in the Hero's Handbook) you get 5 Mastery Points, or 10 Mastery Points in Hard Mode.

For each of the Dungeons (as tracked in the Master Dungeon Guide) you get 10 Master Points, or 20 Mastery Points in Hard Mode.

There are 15 discrete Eye of the North map areas, each one giving 15 points when Vanquished (all enemies defeated) in Hard Mode.

Cartography gives you a varying amount of Mastery Points per map region, but the total is 101 Mastery Points.

Accomplishment	Points per Unit		No. of quests/areas	Sum Points		Total points
	Normal	Hard		Normal	Hard
Primary quests	5	10	11	55	110	165
Dungeon quests	10	20	18	180	360	540
Vanquishing	-	15	15	-	225	225
Cartography	Varies		15	101		101
Grand Total						1031

With Hard Mode now available, and the latest updates to Eye of the North, it's now much easier to plan and track your way to maxing out the Master of the North Title Track.

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The Secret Lair of the Snowmen in Eye of the North

In Eye of the North, the Secret Lair of the Snowmen is one of the best places to gain Dwarven Reputation Points, to gain rank in the Deldrimor Title Track. It can be completed relatively quickly, and can easily be done with just Heroes and Henchmen.

Here's a great video from XianDrinker which shows a (speeded up) run through the Secret Lair of the Snowmen, farming for Reputation Points and using a Minion Master to devastating effect:



Dungeons like Secret Lair of the Snowmen in Eye of the North give an excellent opportunity to perfect not only your character's build but also those of your heroes, and to try out new techniques and tactics with your henchmen.

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