The last chapter in Guild Wars 2‘s Flame and Frost series is due to begin April 30th according to a new teaser page ArenaNet released yesterday. In Flame and Frost: Retribution we’ll take the battle straight to the Molten Alliance and their deadly smiths and face off against a “final hybrid menace unlike any Tyria has ever seen.” We’ll also get the chance to team up with Rox and Braham, our two NPC buddies.

That’s all the information that has been released so far regarding this final chapter of the Living Story event, but stay tuned to the official teaser page for more details as the date closes in.

Are you that guy (or gal!) who all your guildmates come to in search of trait, stat, and weapon build advice? Do you consider yourself an expert on your profession and which builds to use when? Have you had experience writing up profession guides? How would you like to share that knowledge with thousands of viewers?

You might just be in luck. Guild Wars 2 Junkies is looking to add a few more enthusiastic, talented volunteer writers to our team. We’re specifically looking for profession experts this time around, but if something else is your area of expertise, you’re more than welcome to drop us a line! All that we ask is that you’re a true fan of Guild Wars 2 and can show us that you know a thing or two about writing. You’re more than welcome to set your own schedule and write whenever your feel inspired. If you do an awesome, consistent job, there may even be opportunities for this to become a paid position.

If you have any questions or would like to apply to become a writer for Junkies Nation and Guild Wars 2 Junkies, please feel free to contact Jason Dodge at dreagon@rerollz.net or Laura Hardgrave at laurah@rerollz.com. Make sure to have a writing sample handy when you contact us!

Yesterday we finally gained access to one Guild Wars 2 tool that has been requested for quite some time now: Leaderboards! Players can access PvP ranks, WvW ranks, and a list of our top achievers in the game by going to this section of the official Guild Wars 2 site. Leaderboards currently feature rank positions, rank totals, character names, account names in some cases, rank adjustments, and rank deviations. ArenaNet is planning more for the tool as well, which Nate Long detailed in a recent developer blog:

“We’re starting with the top 100 users in PvP and Achievements, but over the next few weeks we’ll ramp this number up and add some different ways to slice the data to help you get the most relevant information possible.”

“We have lots of plans for ways we can expand and enhance this data to include more information about more of the game—the current release is just the first taste of what we’re doing. As always, we love hearing what you have to say, so feel free to post any comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. on the forums.”

The ArenaNet developer team who’s hard at work on improving Super Adventure Box (SAB) has been paying close attention to players on the official forums who have been providing their feedback on the awesome mini-world of nostalgia that has kind of taken the community by storm. Josh Foreman told the community that if SAB was a success in Guild Wars 2, the feature would see a few new worlds and updates. Well, it’s pretty safe to say SAB has been a success. Currently the team is working on World 2 for Super Adventure Box.

Keep reading to see some of Josh Foreman’s thoughts on how development for future SAB content will work and what the team may be able to improve upon.

Can’t get enough of Guild Wars 2′s Super Adventure Box? Yeah, me neither. Even the music is catchy. But hey, I’m also guilty of still having a fairly large selection of MIDI tracks on my computer, so I may not be the best person to ask. Luckily, for Super Adventure Box nerds like us, ArenaNet released something pretty awesome yesterday– the Super Adventure Box soundtrack! The whole thing’s available for your listening or downloading pleasure on SoundCloud, which, if you’ll remember from before, is also where ArenaNet has posted other world event musical tracks in the past (and audio outtakes!).

Go on, take a listen. You know you want to!

Catch up this week as we have a roundtable discussion with Ridculy of Knights of the Temple, Slade of Lords of the Dead and Jonalynne of Herfolge Boldklub (say that 10x fast).

Is WvW ranks creating too many zergs? Is there less incentive to play the game now as it was intended?

We talk about SABs, Wildstar, TESO and the future of PVP in the MMORPG genre.

We are please to announce our latest arm of the Junkies Nation Network: Wildstar Junkies! It has been our long tradition to launch and cover the latest and greatest MMORPGs coming out on the internet. It’s been a long while in coming, but it’s finally here. We are dedicated to bring you the latest news, opinion, guides, community coverage when it comes to Wildstar.

Wildstar is going to be a bright spot in the MMORPG playing field. Going back to the roots of large scale raids with a taste of hardcore-ness and then including a way to incorporate player housing so it doesn’t feel like you’re playing with a doll house, we expect Wildstar to be at the top of the genre.

Let’s not even forget that it’s combat system is slowly living up to it’s hype with a hybrid “soft-targeting” system that is a hybrid of some action-based games like TERA and the old tab-targeting system of World of Warcraft. We can’t wait to get our hands on the game on our own PCs.

So please bookmark us and follow us on twitter!

Get your 8-bit on, folks! Here’s a preview of all of the weapon and item skins you can grab in today’s brand new Guild Wars 2 event called Super Adventure Box. This time around we have a cool selection of weapon skins and a few extra goodies to collect. Now, one thing to make note of upfront– there are quite a few weapons skins missing for the event. There are no pistols, rifles, 2-handed hammers, 1-handed maces, daggers, warhorns, axes, torches, or focuses. It’s really a shame about the missing pistol skin, especially, because there are some iconic models ArenaNet could have played with. The development team did issue the following statement, however:

Originally posted by Josh Foreman (Source)

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We are a very small team. The more skins we made, the less stuff we could make in the Box. So we settled for a minimal set, with plans to add to it with each new World we release. I love Engies and I wish we could have served them and Thieves better this time around, but had to make some tough choices.

Now, on to the skins currently available and their previews. Keep reading to take a peek!

ArenaNet put together a pretty awesome April Fool’s joke and corresponding event for Guild Wars 2 this year. How, you say? Take a look at this page. It’s totally 8-bit. Even the video is awesomely 80s, right down to Rytlock Brimstone’s super-cool shades and the grainy TV textures. The event’s name is even pretty cool. Super Adventure Box? Sounds fun– count me in! The greatest thing about the event is that it’s not just an April Fool’s joke. It’s in-game starting today and will last for the entire month of April.

Super Adventure Box, at its core, is an event that lets you explore a whole 8-bit world that was created by an Asura by the name of Moto. In this world there’s a story to follow and three levels of platforms, puzzles, and critters who are bent on slowing you down. As a bonus, you’ll collect Bauble Bubbles along the way which can be used for items inside the 8-bit game or outside in Rata Sum, where Moto’s willing to share a selection of weapon skins and other unique goodies.

For those of us who gamed during the 8-bit era, the whole instance is a trip down memory lane, complete with cheesy dialog, sound effects that sound oh-so familiar, 1-UPs, clay pots to break, hearts that display health, and shopkeepers inside little buildings that want lots and lots of business. They also cheer us along as we wander around and break stuff, which is highly amusing.

Can you tell this event’s pretty much blown me away? I’m a sucker for nostalgia. What can I say? Go check it out! It all starts in Rata Sum. ArenaNet published some answers to common questions regarding the event if you’d like more information and some tips and tricks for getting through the levels. And stay tuned for our weapon skin preview, which will be published shortly.

LIVING STORY

Flame and Frost: The Razing

A hybrid army erupts through fiery portals in the Shiverpeaks. This “Molten Alliance” between dredge and Flame Legion has created an enemy powerful enough to massacre any who stand in their way. One ranch, one homestead at a time, they’re wiping out all resistance. The razing has begun.
In Flame and Frost: The Razing, the third installment in this four-part series, we meet Braham and Rox, two fervent Tyrians who believe in doing what’s right, even if it means putting themselves in danger. They’re defending the people and places they love, and they’ll need your help.

For the full notes, keep reading.