Guild Wars 2 launched its Dragon Bash update last week with a new update and celebration in Lion's Arch. We even had a chance to bash a dragon ourselves prior to the festivities. ArenaNet hasn’t slowed its pace with rapid-fire content updates for Guild Wars 2 and players will be getting yet another one next week with the Sky Pirates of Tyria.

During the Dragon Bash celebration the festivities took a nasty turn as players soon thrust into the midst of a murder conspiracy and next week you’ll have the chance to track down the killer as part of the expanding Living Story. In addition to solving a murder, the Sky Pirates of Tyria update will also add a new story dungeon with Aetherblade Retreat, a Scavenger Hunt in the Sea of Sorrows, a massive balance revision for skills and traits, new rewards, and Mortar Mastery for WvW.

Guild Wars 2: Sky Pirates of Tyria is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013.

Guild Wars 2® Sky Pirates of Tyria

Content update offers new dungeon, scavenger hunt, custom arenas, spectator mode and compelling social play experiences

SEATTLE – June 20, 2013: ArenaNet today announced the latest Guild Wars® 2 content update, Sky Pirates of Tyria, which will is scheduled to go live on June 25. The update brings players a robust update to the ongoing Living World saga, along with a new dungeon to explore, new events, rewards and features, not to mention the announcement that Custom Arenas and Spectator Mode is coming out of beta.

In regards to the Living Story content, Lion’s Arch is in chaos following a murder at the Dragon Bash. Inspector Ellen Kiel is spearheading the investigation and is gathering teams of deputies to capture the perpetrator. Players will need to sharpen their weapons and skills to track down the slippery culprit responsible for the crime. Players will join together and partake in multiple events that will lead them through thrilling content and discoveries as part of this update.

Details of the update include:

New Story Dungeon: Aetherblade Retreat – Find the hidden entrance to the Aetherblade base and take the fight to the pirates. It’ll take skill, courage, and no small measure of agility to battle through to the Aetherblade Captain and First Mate.

Sea of Sorrows Scavenger Hunt – In this new, permanent content, players search for clues to the locations of 12 plaques that have been set up to honor the history of the city and its founder, in the novel Sea of Sorrows by our very own Ree Soesbee, narrative designer, ArenaNet, hitting store shelves and Amazon on Tuesday, June 25.

New Rewards – A variety of new rewards are available, including Aetherblade caches, a First Mate Horrik miniature companion, a stylish monocle and more.

Skill and Trait Balance Update – The largest balance patch ever is being introduced in this build, which includes significant updates to traits and skills to introduce more viable build diversity. Every profession trait line is seeing changes.  Updates also have been made to some less popular skills to improve their effectiveness.

Custom Arenas and Spectator Mode leaves Beta – Custom PvP arenas allow players to host private matches, and customize their map settings. This feature is leaving beta, which means that Custom Arena Starter Kits will be available for anyone to purchase in the Gem Store. Spectator Mode also is officially out of beta. Together, these two features allow for practice, competitive play and tournaments.

Mortar Mastery Joins the Growing List of World vs. World Abilities – Players can increase their mortar effectiveness by training in Mortar Mastery. Improvements in this line include increasing mortar blast radius, beefing up on damage, reducing skill recharge, and even adding a new skill, Mortar Barrage.

For more details, or to experience Sky Pirates of Tyria, visit https://www.guildwars2.com/en/the-game/releases/.

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