Flame and Frost: Prelude event sets the stage for big changes to Guild Wars 2

Get ready for some big changes to Guild Wars 2. In about a week, a new event, titled Flame and Frost: Prelude, will take place, effectively paving the way to a multi-stage narrative that will forever change the world of Tyria.

A description for the event reads:

The sky falls and the ground shakes in the lands of the north. Charr and norn refugees crawl from the wreckage of their homes in the Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau, struggling to find shelter in the south. The call goes out for volunteers to assist the victims in this time of need, when earth and sky seem to have become the enemy…

So what exactly does Flame and Frost: Prelude entail? From January 28 to February 4 the regular eight-team/three-round paid tournaments will be replaced by two-team/single-round paid tournaments in the Temple of the Silent Storm map. After the week is over, ArenaNet will add Temple of the Silent Storm to the regular rotation of both free and paid tournaments.

A new rotation of daily achievements will also be added as well as brand-new laurels as a reward for completing them. Laurels can be redeemed for rewards like the new Ascended gear and Infusions. A variety of new Utility Infusions and Ascended Amulets can be purchased with these new laurels.

Other features include a new guesting system that allows you to play with friends on other worlds in the same region without changing your home world. Guesting will be free, but moving forward there will be a gem fee for transferring home worlds. You can change home worlds freely before January 28.

As usual, ArenaNet promises the typical "other improvements" like enhanced performance in WvW, adjustments to side-kicking balancing, and UI improvements. These will all be further detailed in the upcoming release notes.