Living Story will add new characters, plot twists and drama to Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is introducing The Living Story this month, a new series of content that will add story threads, characters, plot twists and dramatic moments that affect the world, the game's narrative designer Angel McCoy announced today.

Posting to the Guild Wars 2 website, McCoy said that the job of The Living Story team is to "bring the world to life." As part of the initiative, the team will create content that is both temporary and permanent that will bring diversity to what players experience in the game world.

McCoy wrote:

The Living Story is simultaneously transitory and permanent. As the story arcs play out, the tale evolves. Each portion of the Living Story narrative will only be available for a certain period of time, yet it will have repercussions in the world and upon the people living in it. The occurrences in the Living Story leave their mark-both scars and flowerbeds-and these wounds and blessings are permanent.

The story arcs introduced through The Living Story will play out over time and will be woven into the game's plot so that it isn't jarring or obvious. Unlike Holiday events, they will be part of an evolving storyline. New characters will also be introduced who are "deeply connected to characters you've already come to know and love (or hate)."

A teaser for The Living Story commences now with the preamble Flame and Frost: Prelude. It will be playable for the next few months.