The new mid-patch content adds story and more pirates to Dragon Bash.

Even more action is coming to Guild Wars 2’s Dragon Bash festival, and this new addition may put a stop to the entire party. Releasing over the next three days, a new story is added to the activities of Dragon Bash.

Starting today, players will be able to talk to Inspector Kiel and enter the first story instance. In this instance players will join the lighting of the effigy ceremony. This effigy burning is in honor of those lost to dragons and features representatives from many of the races in Tyria. Not everyone is in the festive mood as the ceremony soon becomes a battlefield against the Atherblades, a new faction of steampunk sky pirates.

The story will not only remain in the new instances. Beginning today players will find effigies in most explorable areas. Interacting with these effigies will cause players to dance (not a new dance) and set fire to the effigy. This also gives the player a health buff that stacks up to five times for a total bonus of 10% health. If uninterrupted for a few moments, players will receive the maximum five stacks from a single effigy. Each effigy burned will count toward the achievement Burn Down The Dragons.

The story then continues on Wednesday as players will join Marjory Delaqua, a private investigator out of Divinity’s Reach. The introduction to Miss Delaqua features a new type of cutscene that ArenaNet is calling an Action Frame. This new cutscene is reminiscent of old noir style PI movies. Players will join Miss Delaqua as she tries to uncover the culprit behind the crimes committed during the effigy ceremony.

The story doesn't end on Wednesday however, as a few of the suspects remain at large. On Thursday their whereabouts become known allowing players to track them down. Players will receive an in-game mail detailing them the location of all the suspects as they become available.

After tracking down all of the suspects, players will reconvene in Lion's Arch to put all the pieces together and uncover the true culprit. Completing the story line will award the player with Marjory’s Journal, an item that replays the new cinematic featuring Delaqua's introduction whenever used.

After the crime is solved, players may return to the Dead End Bar in Divinity's Reach (the location players had first met Miss Delaqua) to see extra follow-up conversations with Marjory and another familiar face.

Stay tuned to ZAM.com for more Guild Wars 2 news, previews and interviews.

Matt "Mattsta" Adams