Guild Wars 2 has a lot of different end game options for players who have completed their stories or are looking for a break from them. From the Fractals of the Mists, to PvP and WvW, there are many things that players can do that provide both a challenge and a great way to earn end game loot, experience, and participate in community-based action. One of the newer ways to do so is Strikes, which were released in 2019 as a later addition to the Path of Fire expansion and the Living World season of the Icebrood Saga. However, for the End of Dragons expansion, it looks like the devs have decided to make some changes to the Strikes across the board.
What are Strikes?
Strike Missions are 10 player PvE instanced events usually played in squads. Strikes were introduced to bridge the gap between the often incredibly high demands of the Raid community and the players coming straight from casual PvE.
Strikes provide a way for players to learn Raid based mechanics in an easier difficulty setting whilst still providing somewhat of a challenge. In addition, they are great ways to gain items and loot needed for crafting. Strikes are accessible through their portals in the open world, from the Eye of the North’s Strike Portal, or the Scrying Pool, but players must have the Path of Fire expansion if they wish to access the Icebrood Saga missions.
There are also Strikes for the Festive season, accessible to all players. Currently, there are eight Strikes available, with more to be released with End of Dragons.
Reward Changes
The current reward system is on a cycle based on a weekly rotation. By completing Icebrood Saga Strikes, players will currently earn Red, Blue or Green Prophet Shards based on the rotation of the week. Devs have decided to change that as they’ve deemed it complicated; they’ve also changed the rewards to match their ideas for the Strikes themselves.
All changes will come into effect on February 28:
- Icebrood Saga Strikes only give Blue Prophet Shards.
- Icebrood Saga Strike rewards will only cost Blue Prophet Shards
- All Red and Green Prophet Shards will automatically be exchanged on your next login after the expansion launches.
- Green Prophet shards will be awarded only through End of Dragons Strikes, and Red Prophet Shards have been removed.
