Guild Wars 2’s Feb. 3 update folds Strike Missions into raids and adds a Quickplay queue

Guild Wars 2’s first post-launch update for the Visions of Eternity expansion arrives February 3, and ArenaNet is using it to reorganize endgame instanced PvE. The big change is that Strike Missions will be treated as raid encounters, with a new raid-focused UI meant to put raids, strike-style encounters, and raid wings in one place.

As ArenaNet previously outlined, Strike Missions are being rolled into the raid category, and you’ll access them through the updated raid interface and the Looking for Group panel, as well as via raid portals. Squad leaders will be able to pick specific encounters, including choosing an individual boss inside a multi-encounter raid wing. The update also lets squads move directly between raid maps without backing out and re-entering, which should cut down on downtime between fights.

Quickplay is the other major addition. It’s a queue option designed to get players into raids faster, but it is not full matchmaking. You’ll be placed into a squad, but the game won’t build a party composition for you. To compensate, everyone in a Quickplay raid gets a bonus intended to help groups succeed regardless of what roles they end up with. Quickplay also avoids assigning a commander or lieutenant by default, and any player can handle ready checks or place markers.

At launch, Quickplay will only include a curated selection of raids chosen for similar challenge levels across different group setups. ArenaNet says the new raid encounter won’t be part of that pool.

Rewards are being standardized across raid wings and encounters, with bosses grouped into five difficulty categories. Each category pays out the same amount of Magnetite Shards, and Magnetite Shards plus Gaeting Crystals will be the new raid currencies. A new raid rewards vendor will offer one-time and weekly items, and ArenaNet says three raid-exclusive rewards are coming in the update, including a Dhuum-themed skyscale skin.