Hi all,
Welcome to the Raids forum. The Raids team has been very busy over the past year putting together the first GW2 raids and we are now very excited to be able to share our creation with you. As part of Beta Weekend 3 you have the opportunity to experience the first boss, in the first wing of the first raid release.
A Pact expeditionary force has gone missing while exploring the furthest reaches of Verdant Brink. Shortly after entering the Forsaken Thicket all contact with the team was lost. Gather your comrades and brave this new area as you try to discover exactly what befell them. Note that the challenges ahead will be some of the hardest you have experienced in all your travels throughout Tyria.
It is important to remember the Raid content and the Enhanced squad UI are still in beta and while we feel the content is in a position to share with you, we do have enhancements and polish work scheduled. Below is a short list of those areas we know are outstanding.
Enhanced squad UI
• Open Squad control – a squad’s ability to self-organize vs. Commander controlled – is not yet enabled.
• As we change over to the new squad format there will be some disruption in the way existing squads work. Disbanding and forming a new squad should help iron out any lingering incompatibility.
• Squad member nameplates (the green rectangles representing each squad member in the UI) can become sized differently between subgroups. Resizing the overall UI should fix it.
• Calling a target (default CTRL+T) is currently squad-wide, but is planned to work per subgroup.
• Subgroup chat is not visible by default. It can be enabled in the chat window’s Tab Options if desired.
• Ability to hide other commander tags is not yet enabled. Currently your squad’s Commander tag will be highlighted when any tag is hovered over to make it easier to identify.
• The ability to see per subgroup and squad total supply count in WvW is not yet enabled.
Raids
• The ability to create a Commander less Raid squad with limited functionality is not yet enabled. During the Beta weekend players can pick up a Commander Compendium for your beta character from the NPC at the entrance to the raid.
• Squad leaders need to change the type of their squad to “Raid” in order to be able to enter the raid.
• Raiders will have access to ascended gear at a beta-only vendor inside the raid instance.
• Players will only have access to playing the first encounter of the raid wing.
• Achievements are not hooked up.
• Rewards are not hooked up.
To enter the Raid –
1. Complete the Silver Wastes tutorial mission
2. Enter the portal to Verdant Brink.
3. Complete the first story mission and enter the map.
4. If you don’t already have a commander tag, once you’re in Verdant Brink, speak to the NPC “Whispers Keeper” and ask him to make you a squad commander. (This commander tag will be available only for this beta weekend.)
5. Open your inventory bags and double click the Commander Compendium.
6. Check your ability to be a commander using the Party/Squad UI panel in the top left of your screen. There should be a “create” button with a commander tag dropdown menu.
7. After creating a squad, use the dropdown menu in the squad panel to select “Raid” as your squad type.
8. Invite your friends to the squad as you would with a party.
9. Once you are ready, enter the portal next to the Whispers Keeper.
10. You are now inside the BWE3 version of the raid. You will have access to the first boss encounter (Vale Guardian) and the area surrounding him.
We look forward to your feedback and we hope you enjoy your time in the Spirit Vale.
(edited by Paul Ella.2037)