LazyAssGamer - Flame and Frost Prelude comes to Guild Wars 2

In the most recent patch to Guild Wars 2, released yesterday (January 28th), ArenaNet revealed a cornucopia of changes to the game, as well as teasing the story-focused events of the upcoming Flame and Frost prelude.

The patch notes set the scene for the soon-to-be-released expansion:

A mystery presents itself in this first entry in a multipart Living Story series. What could be causing such discord in the foothills of the Shiverpeaks? All those poor homesteaders and ranchers displaced with nowhere to go calls into question if the storms could be that bad—or if there’s something more sinister stirring up the flame and frost. The ground is shaking, and the sky is falling in northern Wayfarer Foothills and Diessa Plateau. Norn and charr refugees, crawling from the wreckage of their homes, are fighting their way to shelter in Hoelbrak and the Black Citadel. Many are in shock and wounded; most have only what they can carry on their backs. A call has gone out for volunteers to assist them in their time of need, when the environment itself seems to have become their enemy.

On the afternoon of the 29th, a number of refugees began to wander the area known as the Wayfarer foothills. Player are able to erect signs pointing them to safety, offer aid to those who are injured, and recover family mementos from the fallen. These refugees speak of strange weather and the appearance of steam vents in the North; this is confirmed by a quest in which players must plug large steam vents with the bodies of Ice Elementals.

The rest of the patch notes, which can be found here, include numerous changes, including long awaited fixes to the Fractals of the Mist Dungeon. Players will now be able to rejoin a group if they leave or have been disconnected. In addition, the method of progression has been reworked so that players of any Fractal level can work together.