Twitch Expansion Announcement - Heart of Thorns

For those of you that didn't get to watch the PAX South GW2 live stream on Twitch, here are my notes. I was going to make them all neat and coherent, but screw that. I've got gaming to do!
Spiral OUT!

NOTES:
Jennifer Hale awkward hype build
MUCH CRINGE, MANY AWKWARD, WOW
audience -- cosplay girl & people with commander tags
polite nerds listening so attentively

who were the bloggers at the beginning?
Super fast chat... spammers, !key?? eventually just tuned out chat

Mike's smile as he announced Maguuma Jungle Expansion

Mike O'Brien of ArenaNet

"in it together" where you're "always happy to see another player"

"the journey is the reward"

Expansion is typically: New gear, new level,

Mike understands new gear invalidates old gear, leaving behind a "wasteland of old content", same with new level cap.

"I think you need new challenges." -- Mike

72,000 watchers on Twitch

"Masteries"
--in jungle, master skills and abilities that you need to succeed in the jungle.
Vertical environment.
(was hoping Mike would fly off the stage on cables)

new professional specializations
customize your existing professions
new guild support and progression

"HoT is our new vision for character progression in GW2." - Mike

Colin is so adorbs and awkward and his goofy grin

Colin Johanson

[ME: My face hurts from smiling. I love my game. I love my "people".]

The Heart of Maguuma -- name of new area

3 biomes - core (floor), roots (under), canopy (high)

audience never knew when to cheer
friendliest gaming community is actually quite shy  :)

MASTERIES - account-based pve
available to level 80s
complete content to get mastery points
points spent on abilities on any character
"no-grind philosophy" (clapping)

--exploration mastery - climbing... don't fall!... get to highest point... "What do we do?" Crowd yells: JUMP!! (Laughter) "then the epic journey to meet the ground and splat", then swarm of rezzers come out of nowhere. (laughter) ... but now... mastery points to hang-glide!!
HANG GLIDE!!!!

--lore mastery -- understand languages and will access secret locations (applause)

--combat mastery -- sketchy details about this

--collecting, crafting, building mastery -- "legendary weapon is the ultimate version", what is hardest to get? -- Crowd: "Precursor!!" Mastery will allow you to build collections to send you on journeys, once completed, will give you precursor weapon! (much applause), PLUS new legendaries!

-- skills & traits - specializations system allows each proffesional to master a new specialization (UGH lost stream)
--> "rich druidic history" RANGERS will be able to grow themselves to become a DRUID. use staff, could never use before. access to new heal skill, new elite, new utility skills, new professional mechanics
--> necromancers with greatsword (laughter) causing much debate... why was Marjory learning? Necro specialization means they can use greatswords. (won't say more!)

LAUNCH DATE -- awww... he won't tell... "When it's ready." infamous GW2 quote

HEAVY ARMOR PROFESSION! Colin's smile...
omg omg omg
THE REVENANT!!!!
Rytlock!!! is one
"ability to channel and control the powers of the Mists"
channels power of great legends from the past
--king jalis ironhammer, great dwarf, his powers will be available
--demon malix, power of conditions

PVP - "it's time for me to go kill another person" (Laughter)
WvW -- "inside an RTS game" (what is RTS?), new WvW Borderland map! each keep has distinct theme and defending and controlling keep will give you special abilities and features, eg. fire keep will make magma pools for fast travel... holding objectives rather than just taking them will be a bigger component of WvW

PvP - "STRONGHOLD" game mode, fight for control of supply, spend supply to hire troops, you and troops assault enemies, kill Guild Lord to win, can win over heroes to help you,

guild teams and competition

GUILD HALLS!! (amazing cheers, extended!!) - only sketches to show us