On the latest episode of Points of Interest, Game Designers Tyler Bearce and Hugh Norfolk sat down with host Rubi Bayer for a look at the guild objective claiming system in action. You can get up to speed on guild objective claiming by reading Tyler’s overview and deep dive before jumping in!

Tyler explained that guilds will need to have their own guild hall before they have the ability to claim objectives in World vs. World. This is both a measure of progression and an antigriefing mechanism. Up to three guilds will have the chance to claim a captured objective, with the guild with the highest number of members present taking top priority. If all three guilds decline to claim it—or if there are no guilds present—anyone can stake a claim.

The desert Borderlands map will display objectives and their claiming status and upgrades, as well as the destructible areas of each objective. A guild can have only one claim on each map, and players are encouraged to treat it as their guild’s home base, defending it for at least 10 minutes in order to start slotting cool upgrades. You’ll receive updates when objectives are captured or claimed, and you’ll even be able to send up a spy balloon to pinpoint the movement and numbers of approaching enemies on the map.

Tactics can be activated through the aptly named tactivator, which will put them on cooldown. Activation is restricted to guild members by default, but you can also choose to grant permission to nonguild players.

Next, Composer Maclaine Diemer and Composer and Game Designer Lena Chappelle joined Rubi for the “Bells and Missiles” segment to discuss the soundtrack of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™. Lena and Maclaine talked about composing music for the episodic Living World Season 2 content, using a live orchestra to create ambience for key moments and new zones. As both a designer and a composer, Lena has been able to compose music for content she worked on herself; she created the music and encounter design for the final battle against Scarlet Briar on The Breachmaker and suggested that more tense battles of that nature await players in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.

Maclaine has been working on a new system that will allow combat music to adjust to the tempo of a fight rather than looping the same track from beginning to end. Lena said that the music they compose often has multiple phases to reflect the story of a particular battle, so this system will help simulate that dynamic composition even in normal encounters.

Careful listeners may pick up on certain melodic themes throughout the score of Guild Wars 2, including a series of sinister notes Maclaine thinks of as Mordremoth’s leitmotif. Just as the main theme of the game is instantly recognizable, music associated with an individual character can act as an audial signature.

Maclaine and Lena revealed two new tracks from the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns score. The piece composed by Maclaine is dark, mysterious, and expansive to reflect the area it was created for. Lena’s piece is grand and triumphant, and it’s connected to both Rytlock Brimstone’s adventures in the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns announcement trailer and a certain golden cave.

Check out a video recording of the episode below!