Guild Wars 2 PvP fans have a lot to be excited about. The addition of the upcoming Stronghold game mode represents more than just another option in ranked queues. In many ways it is a key component that will help pave the way for an effective reboot of what we’ve come to understand about sPvP over the past 2 ½ years since GW2’s critically acclaimed launch.

During a recent visit to the ArenaNet offices, I had the opportunity to play the new Stronghold game mode, and ended up sitting in on as many matches as I was able throughout the day. All told this ended up being around 10 full matches, so enough to get a decent feel for not only the game mode, but how it will impact how we approach sPvP moving forward.

While I did attempt to record multiple matches later in the day, the captured footage is a bit rough around the edges. I’m in the process of wading through the footage to find usable clips, but wanted to weigh in on the new game mode in the meantime. I’ll be using a number of screenshots from our matches to help illustrate some key points, so even without the full video you should hopefully get a better understanding of how Stronghold will impact sPvP overall.

Stronghold Overview

Before drilling down into some of the particulars of the map and match flow, I provide some additional insights for how Stronghold will factor into sPvP in broader terms.

1. Map Rotation

One important thing to note about Stronghold right off the top is that it will directly enter the main map rotation. While I fully expect it will receive the lion’s share of map votes to start out, over time it will inject a much needed random element into the rotation beyond which flavor of Conquest you’d like to consume.

This random element means that you won’t simply want to dial in a stock build for your profession that happens to be considered the most prominent at a given point in time. Because Stronghold plays very differently than Conquest, it opens up a ton of new build options and concepts that might not be considered as viable otherwise.

2. Specialized Roles

Keying off of the above, players will be able to specialize in some very distinctive roles that don’t really have an analog in Conquest matches. Escort and defensive roles will be huge, and movement skills will shine even more brightly.

I’ll provide a quick example of how I started to rethink my stock necromancer build following my first few Stronghold matches.

Each team is going to want some players to focus primarily on running supply to spawn Archers and Door Busters. This role factors in 2 very important things:

  1. Movement between supply and the spawn points
  2. Channeling, as you’ll be doing so to both gather and spend supply
  3. A tertiary function in this same role could be to take point on channeling the Hero spawns on either side of the map once they become available since this factors in both of the first two points above

To help with movement, there are a few obvious necro skill options:

  • Locust Swarm – 15s Swiftness
  • Spectral Walk – 30s Swiftness
  • Signet of the Locust – Passive 25% Movement Speed

Perhaps an even more interesting consideration than the above (I typically have one of the above slotted at all times in Conquest currently) is when I began looking at traits. In particular, the Adept level Death Magic trait Dark Armor suddenly has more viability in sPvP, as you gain additional toughness while channeling. In the role described above, you’ll be channeling quite often, so this once easily overlooked trait suddenly seems very attractive.

3. Thinking Beyond sPvP

A third and final point I wanted to mention here before drilling down into match flow is that this new mode factors in multiple things you’ve already learnt in other areas of GW2, but have found new applications here. A few noteworthy items include:

  • Trebuchets – these can help open areas on the map, similar to Battle of Kyhlo, or be used to help clear enemies from key areas such as the supply
  • NPC Guards – these are tougher (elite) mobs that can basically one-shot Door Busters, so taking them down is critical to getting to the enemy lord. A 2-player offensive team can typically handle them, provided you’re not also under attack from enemy defenders.
  • Door Busters – these will remind you of just about any escort event you’ve ever done. Area swiftness will be king, as will skills like Well of Blood, Healing Spring, or other area heals.

Match Flow

Because of the distinctive win condition of Stronghold, matches tended to resolve at a slightly faster clip than most ranked Conquest matches I play. The average ended up being somewhere between the 6-8 minute mark, though I suspect that will change as players learn the importance of fulfilling specific roles rather than devolving into a free-for-all zerg.

At the start of each match, you’ll have 1 Supply that you can spend on either an Archer or Door Buster. Archers will help protect the Busters and actively attack any enemy players within range. As the match progresses, the archers can also help apply pressure on enemy defenders. (each hit did roughly 2k damage to my necro, so the damage output from multiple archers can stack up quickly) A good mix of both NPC types at the start of the match tended to work well, unless the full enemy team rushed the supply at the start in which case a full run of Door Busters could potentially be more effective to break through the first gate quickly.

Supply is located roughly in the middle of the map, in a circular area. Having supply runners than can withstand a beating is important, as well as slotting skills than can interrupt channeling. Due to the narrow entry points, skills like the guardian’s Line of Warding are going to be huge here when it comes to supply denial.

As the match progresses, you’ll want to continue running supply, but one runner should split off to channel the Hero spawns as soon as they become available. These are tougher NPCs that can make a big difference in your offensive push, and it is entirely possible for one team to summon them from both sides of the map, providing an even greater offensive advantage.

One area that I found most players largely ignored, and helped my teams win more often than not, is proper defense. It always amazes me how often people capture and then leave points undefended in Conquest, leaving them wide open for the enemy team to flip. Failing to properly defend in Stronghold is even more damning, as it will likely cost you the match very quickly.

Each inner gate does have some elite guards, but without player support they go down about as quickly as Svanir. From there all it takes is a few Door Busters to get through the gate, and then the final stage of the match begins.

Perhaps my favorite thing in this game mode is the fact that the Lords will be downed prior to being outright defeated, ending the match. In one instance my team managed to revive our Lord, and then rally back on the offensive to win the match. It was a total rush, and one of the things I’ve always felt is sorely missing in Conquest. In Conquest, it is extremely rare to flip what looks like a sure defeat into a victory. From my experience, this occurs maybe 1 out of every 50 matches played or more.

In Stronghold, you can literally be seconds away from defeat and still have a chance to turn things in your team’s favor. This is huge, and makes the entirety of Stronghold matches feel more vital overall.

Another major takeaway is that you no longer have the same concerns about players gravitating to fighting off-point so darn often. While teams should always remain conscious of objectives and map state in Stronghold, each enemy defeat still has more value regardless of where it occurs.

Lastly, I fully believe that Stronghold will offer a far more engaging spectator experience, and is going to excel when it comes to sPvP broadcasts. The map itself has plenty going on, and organized team play will see lots of activity across multiple areas at once.

Stronghold Gameplay Footage

After a few days of wrestling with the footage, I managed to salvage videos of two full sPvP matches. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to salvage any of the footage while playing the revenant, so in both I’m experimenting with different necromancer builds. In the first, I’m mainly playing a bit more defensively, while the second is more of an offensive run. It should also give you some indication of just how condition-heavy the revenant is, and how critical it will be to come prepared with solid condition removal options. Both videos will be published shortly under separate cover, so be on the lookout for those to go live. For additional Heart of Thorns preview coverage, you can also visit our handy list of links to all currently published articles and videos. 


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Reuben "Sardu" Waters has been writing professionally about the MMOG industry for eight years, and is the current Editor-in-Chief and Director of Development for Ten Ton Hammer.

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