ArenaNet has unveiled new details regarding the high end Ascended gear in the upcoming November update via their official blog. Linsey Murdock, a game designer for the recent MMO has revealed that the content update will also include a new monster condition called Agony, which will be seen in the Fractals of the Mists dungeon and will require the Ascended gear in combination with Infusion slots to counter in-order to progress further.

As we watch Guild Wars 2 mature in its Live environment, we have found that our most dedicated players were achieving their set of Exotic gear and hitting “the Legendary wall.” We designed the process of getting Legendary gear to be a long term goal, but players were ready to start on that path much sooner than we expected and were becoming frustrated with a lack of personal progression.

Our desire is to create a game that is more inclusive for hardcore and casual players alike, but we don’t want to overlook the basic need for players to feel like they are progressing and growing even after hitting max level. Adding item progression is a delicate process normally undertaken in an expansion, but we feel it’s important to strive to satisfy the basic needs of our players sooner rather than later.

For those in fear of a slippery slope to a more gated experience where only the best can see the end-game content, ArenaNet has ensured that the items will be easily attainable, and will simply put an interesting spin on the current progression mechanics. For those worried that their current Exotic armour will be useless, such is not the case with very minor stat increases being seen on what will be obtainable in the coming weekend patch. Players from the original Guild Wars will recognise this new mechanic as a similar system that was used to protect against certain boss attacks, however with the obvious Guild Wars 2 tweaks.

Ascended gear works a little bit differently than other gear types. The stats and functionality normally added to gear through upgrade components are actually built into Ascended items. Instead of upgrade slots, Ascended gear has Infusion slots, and rarer versions of the items also come with additional Agony Resistance built into them. Players will be able to acquire Ascended Rings in the Fractals of the Mists dungeon, and Ascended items worn on the back can be acquired through special Mystic Forge recipes.

You can read up on the full discussion over at the Guild Wars 2 blog post, and let us know your thoughts about this new system being put into place in the comments below.