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Guild Wars - All News

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Friday - July 19, 2013
Saturday - May 25, 2013
Tuesday - May 05, 2009
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Box Art

Friday - July 19, 2013

Guild Wars - Could Last Forever

by Couchpotato, 00:30

Eurogamer has wrote up an article about Guild Wars lasting forever, and even provided a  video looking back on the game.

There are still people playing famed eight-year-old MMO Guild Wars 1, and developer ArenaNet has no intention of abandoning them.

"Oh absolutely not," lead content designer Mike Zadorojny told me recently.

"The game itself was so efficient on the server side in terms of the resources, like, it runs on a fraction of the hardware that we need for running Guild Wars 2, so having that on the back-burner is nothing compared to GW2.

"There's still a community there that's really passionate and really thriving in there, so we want to support them as best we can."

The team supporting the old MMO, however, is minuscule, and the chances of new content are slim.

"We've been doing a lot of automation support so that the game itself could last forever, even without anybody really touching it," added Zadorojny.

"They're not necessarily making new content right now but there is a team that is monitoring if there are massive issues they're taken care of, and they're supporting them."

Source: EuroGamer

Saturday - May 25, 2013

Guild Wars - Development To Be Halted and Automated Suppport

by Couchpotato, 00:27

ArenaNet announces on the Guild Wars website that all support, and development for the original Guild Wars is halted.

It's hard to believe that there's been more than eight years of Guild Wars. So much has happened since our release in April of 2005: two additional campaigns, an expansion, two major live story arcs, new festivals, new content, countless new features, and quality-of-life improvements have been added to the game. The change has happened so naturally over time, it's hard to believe how stark the difference is between when the game first launched and how it stands on the live servers now.

Over time, our focus has shifted to updates that not only help maintain Guild Wars but help the game maintain itself. With this focus in mind, we'll no longer be releasing any new content for the live game except in support of automation. Our goal is to get the game to a place where it can continue to run and be available to all of our fans. We have a lot of love for Guild Wars—it's the game that made us what we are today—and we want to continue sharing it with everyone!

I want to make sure that players correctly understand our intentions behind these changes and the overall push for automation. As I've said, we want the game to be in a place where it's able to take care of itself. While we will not be producing new content, the Live Team will still be around to perform critical fixes for crashes or other serious issues. We want to support the players who made us successful by ensuring the game provides the best service possible without constant supervision and attention. Reducing the need for manual intervention makes it easier for us to keep Guild Wars running in the years to come.

 

Tuesday - May 05, 2009

Guild Wars - Fourth Anniversary

by Woges, 13:54

Guild Wars celebrates four years in service with a feast of interviews.

Today marks our fourth anniversary, and as part of the celebration we're exploring the past, present, and future of Guild Wars with a series of insider interviews!

  • ArenaNet studio head Mike O'Brien shares his thoughts on the origins of Guild Wars and its exciting future in the latest MMOZine and in this interview on IGN.

  • Guild Wars Lead Designer James Phinney chats with the folks at ZAM about the fourth anniversary, the lasting appeal of Guild Wars, and how the game has evolved over the past four years.

  • Over at GameZone, Community Manager Regina Buenaobra reflects on the anniversary and the role of the Guild Wars community in the game's continued success.

  • System Designer Curtis Johnson gives OMG RPG his thoughts about the past four years and the big anniversary celebration.

Don't miss any of this special coverage as Guild Wars observes its greatest anniversary celebration yet!

Continuing with our anniversary celebrations, we've got more insider interviews for your reading pleasure!

  • Game Designer Colin Johanson talks with Gamervision about the lasting appeal of Guild Wars, his favorite design experience from the game, and the big anniversary blowout.

  • Game Designer Eric Flannum gives Rock, Paper Shotgun readers a glimpse into his thoughts about Guild Wars and shares some of the high points he's experienced as a designer and a player.

  • System Designer Ben Miller sits down with RPG Fan to talk about what makes Guild Wars stand out among MMOs, as well as the past, present, and future of the game.

  • Community Manager Regina Buenaobra's chat with Talking About Games covers the origins and progression of both Guild Wars and its community.

  • Community Manager Martin Kerstein shares his thoughts about the evolution of Guild Wars over the past four years in this Gameplay Monthly interview.

Saturday - April 25, 2009

Guild Wars - Six Million Units Sold

by Woges, 17:33

It's all in the PR.

Guild Wars Surpasses Six Million Units Sold

NCsoft and ArenaNet Mark Four-Year Anniversary of Genre-Defining Game with Major Milestone and New Game Content

 

SEATTLE, Washington — April 24, 2009 —NCsoft®, the world's premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and ArenaNet®, a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and the acclaimed developer of Guild Wars®, today announced that on the cusp of its fourth anniversary, the Guild Wars franchise has exceeded six million units sold. Guild Wars is the award-winning and genre-defining series that is one of the most popular and successful online role-playing games in the industry.

To commemorate these milestones, ArenaNet has just released a major content update, including new quest content and extra storage options. Additional in-game birthday festivities will be available starting on April 28th, the official anniversary of the game. For more information on the fourth anniversary updates, go to http://www.guildwars.com/community/news.

"We are humbled by how gamers have responded to Guild Wars over the past four years, and we are proud that the game and its community have helped to continually shape, define, and expand the genre," said ArenaNet studio head Mike O'Brien. "Our subscription-free business model has proven to be a big hit with gamers, bringing an enormous and diverse online community to the game."

Guild Wars is one of the most successful PC gaming franchises of all time. Since its release in 2005, it has received numerous awards for its innovative design, world-class art direction and robust content streaming engine. ArenaNet continues to support the game's thriving community with regular in-game events, updates, and community activities.

The Guild Wars universe contains three campaigns and an expansion pack: Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions®, Guild Wars Nightfall®, and Guild Wars: Eye of the North®. Last fall, NCsoft released Guild Wars Trilogy that combines all three campaigns with additional bonus items.

For more news on the Guild Wars franchise, go to http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news/ or http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news/press-releases. For more information on the game, visit the Guild Wars website at http://www.guildwars.com. The award-winning Guild Wars franchise, including the recently released Guild Wars Trilogy, can be purchased from retailers or downloaded from the NCsoft Store at https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl.

Thursday - February 19, 2009

Guild Wars - Free Trial

by Dhruin, 11:18

NCsoft has announced a free trial for Guild Wars, which - of course - is free of ongoing fees after purchase, anyway.  You don't have to enter a credit card but they also don't explain the limitations on the page.

Thursday - January 15, 2009

Guild Wars - Plans for 2009

by Myrthos, 23:27

The Guild Wars Live team has made an announcement on the Guild Wars site about their plans for 2009. In april they plan to release a content update with some new stuff for players:

The Live Team is now designing the first big content update of 2009, which we expect to release in April. We had many discussions towards the end of last year and ended up with a major wish list and a plan for what it would take to make that list a reality. At this point, we have a clear idea of what is ahead of us and we hope everyone will be as excited about these prospects as we are.

Here are a few features we are currently developing for April:

  • Increases to account-based storage
  • Improvements to character-based storage
  • Account-based changes to the Hall of Monuments

 

Source: Massively

Monday - July 28, 2008

Guild Wars - Re-review @ Eurogamer

by Woges, 19:21

Positive re-review from Eurogamer.

Guild Wars' extremely low level cap (20) has proven to be a stroke of design genius. Because it doesn't take very long to build up a top-level character, a lack of new players is barely even a problem for the community - the game is balanced towards characters with customised equipment and skills, rather than a buffed-up level. As it always has, Guild Wars rewards you for experimenting actively with your character rather than simply pouring endless hours into the number next to its name; for switching around stats and skills intelligently rather than slaughtering rats for hours on end. It's a welcoming system for new players, and it also means that you can come back to the game after years and still have a top-tier character, rather than finding yourself left way behind the curve.

This is the perfect way for a non-subscription MMO to work. Subscribers would be irked to see new players build up top-level characters so quickly, but in Guild Wars players come and go all the time. You can pour in as many hours as you like for that GBP 20 price tag, over as great a timespan as you please. Consequently there's little elitism in the community - long-term players don't have that slightly bitter sense of entitlement that develops when you've been shelling out USD 15 a month for years on end.

Wednesday - June 25, 2008

Guild Wars - [Dev Update] Upcoming Changes to the Hall of Monuments

by Woges, 17:25

 Upcoming changes to the HoM on the Guild Wars Wiki.

Since the release of Eye of the North there has been a lot of discussion about how the Hall of Monuments works. We intend to address a few of the larger concerns raised by players. We are not able to announce a specific date at which these changes will be released, but we're explaining them now so that players can choose their play patterns accordingly.

1. In the Hall of Monuments, you will be able to choose to view your accomplishments by character or by account. This is a setting you’ll be able to switch back and forth.

2. Hall of Monuments accomplishments will be sent to Guild Wars 2 by account. All Hall of Monuments accomplishments for any Guild Wars character on your account will be available to every Guild Wars 2 character on your account.

3. We will be adding support for Tormented weapons to the Hall of Monuments.

Thursday - May 22, 2008

Guild Wars - PvP/PvE Skill Balancing

by Woges, 14:41

Preview of the PvP/PvE balance changes.

With this week’s update we will introduce a new system to split certain skills into separate PvE and PvP versions. With this system we can update skills for one game type without affecting the other. To prepare players for the changes, we have decided to post this Dev Update as a preview. The skill changes will go live on May 22.

With the new system, we can restore skills to their original forms, so they are no longer impacted by PvP balance changes. For example:

  • "Incoming!": increased duration to 1..5 seconds; added PvP version with previous stats.

Where balance changes were required for PvP, but not PvE, the skill has been split and the changes will apply to the PvP version. For example:

We will be reintroducing the PvP balance changes that we tested from April 17 – May 1, but now these balance changes will apply only to PvP.

Skills that differ in PvP play will have (PvP) listed at the end of their names when viewed in PvP outposts and matches. These skills will automatically be adjusted within PvP outposts and matches. Players can equip their skills as normal, and the game will use the PvP version where appropriate.

We recognize that this is a new system, with different stats possible for the same skill in PvE and PvP. We intend to use this system to the benefit of all players, and maintain our dedication to careful evaluation of each skill that we balance. Since this is the initial roll-out for the new system, we altered more skills than we would expect to in future updates.

Sunday - April 27, 2008

Guild Wars - Daniel Dociu Interview @ BLDGBLOG

by Woges, 01:37

Daniel Dociu interview I noticed posted at RPS.

BLDGBLOG: Finally, what about the Petrified Tree?

Dociu: That was part of another chapter in our game. We thought that there should be some kind of cataclysm – or an event, a curse – that turns the oceans into jade and the forests into stone. We had nomads traveling the jade sea in these big contraptions, like machines.

So the petrified forest was a gigantic forest that got turned into stone, and the people who were happily inhabiting that forest had to find ways to carve dwellings into the trees: different ways of shaping the natural stone formations and giving them some kind of functionality – arches, bridges, dwellings, and so on and so forth. It was a blend of organic and manmade structures.

At that particular point in time, quite a few of my pieces were the result of my fascination with the Walled City of Kowloon. I was really sad to see that demolished, and this was kind of my desperate attempt to hold onto it! I was incorporating that sensibility into a lot of my pieces, knowing it was going to be gone for good.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Thursday - April 24, 2008

Guild Wars - Third Anniversary Celebration

by Woges, 21:38

Guild Wars will be celebrating it's third year with an in-game event.

It's that time again! Three years ago this Monday, Guild Wars was launched and players entered the world of Tyria for the very first time. Now, the franchise stands tall with two additional campaigns, an expansion, and an eagerly anticipated sequel on the way.

We couldn't have done it without the loyal support of each and every one of you. Whether you stepped into Ascalon in 2005 or if you've just created your first character, we'd like to thank you with a celebration in your honor.

The festivities begin on Thursday, April 24 after the live update, running until Noon on Tuesday, April 29. Read on for details about all the fun!

Tuesday - April 22, 2008

Guild Wars - State of the Game

by Woges, 20:19

Billard on Guild War's 2008 RAWR Cup Title Series Spring Tournament.

The RAWR Cup has laid the groundwork for future third-party-sponsored events. Guild Café and Rebel Rising have shown again that player-run tournaments can be successful. Further, ArenaNet has shown a willingness to support such events. Already, discussions have begun for future tournaments, including suggestions for limited play tournaments where only certain professions or skills would be allowed.

Saturday - March 22, 2008

Guild Wars - ArenaNet Artists selected for Spectrum 15

by Woges, 13:43

 Eight ArenaNet artists to be included in Spectrum 15.

We'd like to recognize the eight ArenaNet artists whose works were selected for publication in Spectrum 15, an annual showcase of the best fantasy, science fiction, and horror artwork created each year. Congratulations to Richard Anderson, Matthew Barrett, Daniel Dociu, Jaime Jones, Jason Juan, Kekai Kotaki, Jason Stokes, and Doug Williams.

Tuesday - March 11, 2008

Guild Wars - State of the Game

by Woges, 13:08

Mark Yu talks Rangers.

Like the Mesmer article, this State of the Game is not an exhaustive resource for how to play a Ranger in GvG. Yet, it should provide players with an idea of what they're doing correctly and what they still need to practice. Staying with the main team can be an effective way to learn how to play a Ranger if you're new to the profession. However, effective split techniques and the ability to use predictive interrupts can only be mastered with intelligence and, most importantly, experience. The next article will discuss the importance of communication in the midline, and how roles are divided between Rangers and Mesmers.

Guild Wars - Tops Five Million Units Sold

by Woges, 04:18

A bit late with this one but GW has a press release here.

"Guild Wars is a proven success and has set a new standard for online RPG games with its unique business model and superior playability," said NCsoft CEO Taek Jin Kim. "ArenaNet is dedicated to creating games that expand the market and provide great new content to our loyal player base. This success has built a great foundation from which the next generation of Guild Wars games will grow."

With the development of Guild Wars 2 underway, ArenaNet will continue to provide dedicated support to current Guild Wars games and its millions of customers.

Sunday - January 20, 2008

Guild Wars - Open Travel @ Official Site

by Inauro, 20:50

ArenaNet has announced changes to the travel and territory system that will allow Guild Wars players to play in different language districts.

As part of our goal of supporting global player interaction, we are making changes to the Territory and District user interface. As of later today, players in Korean language districts can travel between American, European, and Korean districts. Players in Japanese and Taiwanese language districts will be able to travel to the other language districts following a subsequent game update in the coming weeks. The end result is that players in any language district will be able to travel to any other language district within Guild Wars. We will continue to offer International Districts as an additional location for players to meet one another.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - January 15, 2008

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:10

A new State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a look back at the events of 2007. 

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - January 09, 2008

Guild Wars - Animation Interview @ IncGamers

by Inauro, 21:01

IncGamers talks to ArenaNet's Heron Prior, Scott Mayhew, Christian Venturini, and Rebecca Coffman about the animaton process in Guild Wars.

Could you describe the different steps in animation? Is there any artwork first?

HP: Each animator has a different process. Some like to sketch out a series of key poses before they start. Some like to look for video reference to study. Some just like to get up out of their chair and act out the motion. Sometimes it’s a combination of all three.

SM: I tend to block in with some pose to pose but end up going with a lot of straight ahead after the timing has been worked out with poses.

CV: Sometimes when an animator is experimenting with new animation techniques, or is given an experimental assignment, they will do a rough animation pass so that the programmers can hook it up and make sure it functions as desired. Once this test is passed, the animator can then dedicate more time to revising and polishing the animations.

Thursday - January 03, 2008

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 20:56

A new State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site examines the importance of frontline synergies in GvG matches.

In GvG matches, games are most often won through teamwork. While coordination spanning all eight members of a team is important, high-end play actually places greater emphasis on compartmentalization. A typical balanced build of two Warriors, Ranger, Mesmer, Elementalist, two Monks, and a flagger can be divided into smaller teams. These teams commonly work in pairs, such as Monk pairs, Warrior pairs, midline pairs, and so on. Each pair needs excellent synergy to coordinate maneuvers and play at the maximum effective level. And, if the players themselves lack synchronization, they may have difficulty playing with one another. There may be discomfort, silence, or too much clutter over voice chat.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - December 03, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:19

This week's State of the Game article takes a closer look at balanced builds in Heroes' Ascent.

When it comes to Heroes' Ascent many people use the term "gimmick" when defining most team-builds because they compare the builds to GvG. The problem with that comparison, however, is that Heroes' Ascent and Guild Battles have different objectives. The objective in every Guild Battle is to kill the enemy Guild Lord (or give each player on the opposing team 60% Death Penalty). The objectives in Heroes' Ascent, though, change with each map. The criteria for determining whether a build is balanced or "gimmicky" are essentially different for Heroes' Ascent than for Guild Battles. Also, gimmick builds in Heroes' Ascent are often used to farm fame in the first map or two, while balanced builds are used to progress all the way to the Hall of Heroes.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - November 26, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:25

This week's State of the Game article takes a look at how recent class  changes have affected the Guild Wars metagame.

Casters with Heal Party run flags and help relieve pressure on the party without fear of an Assassin jumping on them. Monk backlines run Word of Healing. No, you haven't stumbled upon another "remembering the past" article. This month, two significant skill balance updates shook up the metagame. At this rate, this article may become outdated before it even gets published! So let's take a quick look at some of the more immediate effects on PvP: Monk Skill Bars have changed dramatically, Assassins must re-evaluate how quickly they can take down enemies, and fewer teams will ask Necromancers to substitute for Monks.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - November 20, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:19

A new edition of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

What brings this to mind is some interesting news I learned while traveling through Tyria, Cantha, and Elona these past few weeks. It seems the Fraternal Order of Bakers and Brewers (FOBB) plans to gather at secret locations across the lands to exchange recipes, share samples of their goods, and spread their special brand of cheer (to the dismay of bar maids and innkeepers alike).

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - November 13, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:20

This week's State of the Game article features a discussion about skill balance between player represetative 'Ensign' and ArenaNet frontman 'Izzy'.

Ensign: Currently, things are indeed balanced in the sense that everyone runs the same basic three or four builds with slight midline variations: two Warriors, two Monks, Ranger, Mesmer, Blinding Surge Elementalist, and a flag runner. Many matches thus end up being boring mirror matches, where the teams are pretty even, but not very interesting.

Izzy: The top level of PvP is stagnant, especially as compared to the past. This is a result of fixing past issues, in particular the power creep caused by Nightfall's release. Nightfall introduced many skills that added more physical damage, as well as improving the damage of all professions. This greatly increased the damage output of 8v8 team builds, which in turn led teams to look for ways to mitigate this higher level of damage. Now, teams basically try to bring enough defense to hold out until Victory or Death (VoD) where they will then be able to score some kills. Thus, teams attempt to make good tactical decisions on the way to VoD, and many interesting tactics are then employed at VoD.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - November 06, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:19

This week's State of the Game introduces Delta Formation, the winners of the October tournament.

Most members of [DF] came from either Team Flamingo [FFs] or Dei Victorae [dV]. Both guilds had often played aggressive split builds on Frozen Isle and were friendly rivals. Over time, the guilds suffered inactivity problems as some of their members were unable to play as often. Eventually, when they repeatedly had trouble assembling a full core team to play in their main guild, members from [dV] began running PUG GvGs in a smurf guild called The Igloo Has Melted [emo]. To fill out the PUG, they began inviting [FFs] players, starting with Yue and gradually including others. Both [FFs] and [dV] had similar play styles, so playing together in [emo] was a fun and easy way for players in both guilds to remain active.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - October 29, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:14

This week's State of the Game takes a stroll down memory lane, asking players to 'remember when...'

1. Lightning spike actually used Elementalists with lightning skills?

The first dominant lightning spike build consisted of several Air Elementalists with Chain Lightning. They'd queue up the skill and stun enemies into submission by dropping two or three players with the first volley. Over time, their popularity faded and Mesmers, with their fast-casting ability, took up the lightning spike role, firing off skills like machine guns. But Mesmers relied on elite skills from the Elementalist line, and a set of skill balances made it too hard for anyone other than a primary Elementalist to use those skills. Eventually Ritualists moved to the forefront of lightning spike. They had their own skills for spiking, so they didn't have to depend on a secondary profession. And, unlike Elementalists, Ritualists had the advantage of varied defensive and healing skills.

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - October 27, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Review @ Ten Ton Hammer

by Inauro, 00:51

Ten Ton Hammer considers the latest expansion in the Guild Wars franchise, Eye of the North.

In essence, Guild Wars: Eye of the North is more of a prequel feature to ArenaNet’s upcoming full-figured MMORPG, Guild Wars 2. The developers in numerous interviews have announced that Eye of the North really attempts to blend the two games together from a story standpoint, but they’ve also included some features that have never been explored in MMORPGs before.  

Source: Ten Ton Hammer

Wednesday - October 17, 2007

Guild Wars - Bonus Mission Pack Interview @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:17

Drop by the official Guild Wars site for an interview with Colin Johanson, design lead for the upcoming bonus mission pack.

1. What is the Guild Wars Bonus Mission Pack? How many levels does it include? How does it fit within the Guild Wars universe?

The Bonus Mission Pack is a four mission collection we're giving away as a thank you to players who've spent at least $29 (€26/£17) or purchased Guild Wars: Eye of the North during our in-game store and PlayNC promotion (note: this promotion ends October 31, 2007). In it, players relive four great moments in Guild Wars history by playing iconic characters during the events that turned them into legends.

The mission pack provides four solo "story" missions. Each story is tied to one of our Guild Wars games. The original Guild Wars story tells the tale of how Saul D'Alessio and the White Mantle drove the invading Charr army from Kryta with the help of their unseen gods, the Mursaat. In the Guild Wars Factions story, we see a young Togo fight betrayal to bring an end to the Tengu Wars. The Guild Wars Nightfall adventure puts the player in the role of Turai Ossa at the Battle of Jahai, where the leaders of the two greatest armies in Elonian history squared off in a battle to the death. Lastly, players will experience Gwen's escape from her Charr captors and initiate her first meeting with the Ebon Vanguard from Guild Wars: Eye of the North.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - October 15, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:19

The final installment in the splits series of State of the Game articles is online at the official Guild Wars site.

As the previous articles on split tactics discussed, the purpose of splits is to divide an opponent's focus among two or more key areas on the map, such as each team's base, the flagstand, or any point where a team can control movement during a match. By splitting, a team’s caller intends to create a favorable mismatch at one of the map's key areas and then exploit that mismatch.

The guild halls examined in this final chapter all have quick routes between each team's base. Typically, these routes are far removed from the flagstand, making splitting the only tactical option for maintaining control over them. These paths become key areas as well because control of them poses an immediate threat to the opposing base.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - October 08, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:14

Part three of the State of the Game series on splits is now available at the official Guild Wars site.

Well-executed split maneuvers share several key characteristics. Successful split squads move in to the enemy base and act quickly to eliminate NPCs and then escape before opposing players arrive. Good splits also create mismatches, allowing a team to collapse on outnumbered opponents for quick, easy kills. Lastly, split teams maintain control of key areas of the map to prevent opponents from establishing a strong position in one place unless they give up ground at another.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - October 01, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10

This week's State of the Game article continues the in-depth look at split teams begun last week.

This second article in a series on split-team tactics addresses offensive and defensive tactics related to Corrupted, Imperial, Uncharted, and Druid's Isles.

Teams often decide to run a build dedicated to splitting because it can force poor match-ups with opposing teams who may not be, for whatever reason, as well equipped to split. A 6/2 or 5/3 offensive split can pose a mismatch against opposing base defenders, the flag stand team, or sometimes both. When this occurs, one of the split teams can overwhelm its counterpart, and force the opposition into reactive play.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - September 27, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:13

This week's State of the Game article takes a look at teams capable of splitting well.

The current guild battle metagame favors teams capable of splitting well. With builds investing heavily in static defenses, splits are often necessary to produce kills and advantages in battle. At the same time, successful splits can often create an NPC advantage, which is more important due to changes to VoD. With a 200% damage buff against the Guild Lord, a large NPC swarm applies heavy pressure at the flag stand.

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - September 26, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Review @ GameZone

by Inauro, 23:04

GameZone reviews Guild Wars: Eye of the North and concludes:

GWEN is truly the best expansion in GW’s run. It is geared for those who have achieved the level cap, but the adventure is superbly told. If you own Guild Wars, you owe it to yourself to purchase this game.

Monday - September 17, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Review @ Games32

by Inauro, 23:18

Games32 reviews Eye of the North, the first true expansion for Guild Wars.

From the start I will tell you that GWEN, as the developers used to call Eye of the North, is not just another expansion. It gives you plenty of opportunities to come back for more.

As GWEN was intended as an expansion, you won’t have a new starting area; you won’t be able to create new characters. For you to taste the Eye of the North flavor, you must have a level 20 character. And the will to face the dangers of the Underworld.

Saturday - September 15, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Review @ GameSpot

by Inauro, 01:52

GameSpot awards Guild Wars: Eye of the North a healthy score of 8/10 and concludes:

The most negative and positive things that can be said about Eye of the North are things that could be said about the previous games. The dumb henchmen AI, inconsistent pathfinding, and incomplete follow command are the same as they always were. Of course, if you've played enough Guild Wars that you would consider purchasing the expansion, you've learned to deal with those minor quibbles. Nevertheless, they're still there, and they still occasionally get in the way of the fun. Yet as always, the action itself is visceral and exciting, which isn't exactly something that can be said about the combat in most RPGs. It's also remarkably tactical, requiring smart choices that enable you to take just the right eight skills into battle. This is the stuff that makes the expansion worth every penny, and reminds us that getting more of the same can (albeit rarely) be a wonderful thing. If you're still playing Guild Wars, Eye of the North is an easy purchasing choice because it was made just for you, and it rarely disappoints.

Source: GameSpot

Tuesday - September 11, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:26

A new State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars sites takes a closer look at secondary professions.

Guild Wars characters are based on one simple but ingenious system—each character may use one primary profession and one secondary profession. Although it may seem like players use skills mainly from their primary professions, the secondary profession can actually have an enormous impact on the success and usefulness of a character, especially within PvP play.

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - September 08, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Review @ GamingHeaven

by Inauro, 00:48

GamingHeaven awards Eye of the North the very respectable score of 87/100.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North delivers to the table plenty of new content for veteran players. The sheer amount of new terrain rivals each of the three GW chapters, as does the number of new skills. The move away from missions and towards dungeons is welcome - bringing some much needed change to the PvE dynamic. The fact that it is suited only for veteran players might put off newcomers, but it makes the experience that much better for all the longtime players of GW. Highly recommended!

Sunday - September 02, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Interview @ 2404

by Inauro, 00:47

2404 talks to Ben Miller, Lead Designer of Guild Wars, about the Eye of the North expansion.

1.) What is the background and setting for the game please?

It is set in the original Continent Tyrian and four major regions such as frigid, Shar Homelands, Tarnish Coast which is overgrown jungle and the Depths with are cavernous tombs.

2.) What are some of the new character classes, weapons, and locales?

There are no new professions but there are tons and tons of new items. We were shooting for an expansion not to make the game more complex and as such we have over 40 new armor sets. There is even a Ninja mask that can be worn by any profession. While weapons are not profession specific, some will of course be better suited for some classes than others.

Friday - August 31, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Live @ Official Site

by Inauro, 10:40

Eye of the North, the first expansion pack (the others were new campaigns) for Guild Wars is now live.  The official site has the details.

  • 4 new regions to explore, including the continent-sprawling Depths
  • 18 multi-level dungeons rife with traps, puzzles, secret passages, and dangerous foes
  • 150 new skills to unlock and use
  • 10 new Heroes to command from races old and new, including the fierce Norn, the magical Asura, and even a few surprises
  • Your own personalized Hall of Monuments to preserve your achievements, trophies, and titles across all Guild Wars games, allowing descendants to reap the benefits of your character's fame in Guild Wars 2
  • 40 new armor sets, including rare, stand-alone pieces

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - August 23, 2007

Guild Wars - Sneak Peek Weekend @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:09

Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for a rundown on the upcoming Eye of the North Sneak Peek Weekend

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - August 16, 2007

Guild Wars - Coverage @ MMOG Nation

by Dhruin, 01:25

MMOG Nation's Michael Zenke dropped us a line to point out some extensive coverage of Guild Wars: Eye of the North and Guild Wars 2. This newsbit links to some six parts in total with highlights including an Eye of the North preview and an interview with Arena.net founders Mike O'Brien and Jeff Strain.  Here's a grab from the interview:

MMOG Nation: Why do you think that Guild Wars needs a true sequel?

Mike O’Brien: We’ve been working on Guild Wars for a long time, and have an opportunity to really understand our fans. A lot of this comes from us thinking internally about what people would like to see in Guild Wars. There are a lot things we can do in a campaign or expansion, and a lot of things we can’t do in a campaign or expansion. We’re kind of ambitious people. We want to make Guild Wars the best game it can be. We don’t want to be in a position where there are fantastic things we want to do, but we can’t because they have to interact with design decisions we made many years ago.

So when we start to think about a certain level of high-level changes, such as adding a persistent world or redoing the movement mechanics so that it’s much more ‘joy of movement based’, jumping and running and that sort of thing, we start to see that that is a difficult change to make in a backwards compatible way. Why should we be constrained to do it in a backwards compatible way. Why shouldn’t we make the best Guild Wars game we can make?

Thursday - August 09, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Preview @ GameSpot

by Inauro, 23:05

GameSpot previews Eye of the North, the upcoming expansion for Guild Wars.

Though it is an expansion, Eye of the North should pack a full game's worth of content. Part of that is due to the size of the expansion, as the new lands that are introduced are as large as the continent of Tyria from the original Guild Wars. But it goes a bit deeper than that. Since the expansion is designed for existing Guild Wars players who have maximum level-20 characters, the designers don't have to worry about building content for beginning players. So ArenaNet can focus on stuffing Eye of the North with nothing but high-level content that will keep even the best Guild Wars players busy.

Source: GameSpot

Thursday - August 02, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Video Interview @ Pro-G

by Inauro, 23:24

Pro-G has an Eye of the North video interview with Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet.

Monday - July 30, 2007

Guild Wars - Bonus Mission FAQ @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:17

The official Guild Wars site has been updated with a series of frequently asked questions regarding the upcoming Bonus Mission Pack.

When can I play the content in the Bonus Mission Pack?
These missions will become available sometime during the month of November, 2007.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Preview @ GameShark

by Inauro, 23:12

GameShark previews the upcoming Guild Wars expansion pack, Eye of the North.

Eye of the North will be the first true expansion pack for Guild Wars, introducing new content for play with your existing character. Unlike previous stand alone titles Nightfall and Factions, you'll need a high-level character to explore the new locales in Eye of the North. The expansion is targeting dedicated users, although it will be possible to engage in some of the new mini-games if you're not quite that advanced.

Wednesday - July 25, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Region Preview @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:12

MMORPG.com previews Gunnar's Hold, one of the new regions featured in the upcoming Guild Wars expansion, Eye of the North.

One of the largest of the current Norn settlements is Gunnar's Hold, home of the master Norn armorer Gunnar Poundfist. This large hearthstead towers over the Norrhart Domains in the middle of the Norn hunting territories. As such it is a general gathering point for Norn and other races who pass through the area.

Source: MMORPG.com

Thursday - July 19, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Trailer @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:26

The Guild Wars site has been given an overhaul for the premiere of the official Eye of the North trailer.  Head on over and check it out.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Previews @ Games Radar & WarCry

by Inauro, 23:18

Games Radar and WarCry dish up previews of Eye of the North fresh from E3.

Games Radar

So what do players want? Well, ArenaNet thinks we'll want to see the legacy of our original Guild Wars avatars survive the aftermath of our inevitable exodus to greener pastures in Guild Wars 2. It's been known for quite some time that Eye of the North's Hall of Monuments will preserve your characters' achievements from the original campaigns while nudging you towards the upcoming sequel. But details on how the Hall of Monuments will work and what kind of achievements they'll provide has been shrouded in mystery until now.

WarCry

In the new areas of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, players learn the stories of the new or reworked races and can curry their favor through missions and even unique mini-games. For example, the Norn have an arena combat game. There, players engage in single combat with famous NPCs they've met previously in their Guild Wars career. If the player wins, they gain favor with the Norn.

Tuesday - July 17, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Screens @ Gameplay Monthly

by Inauro, 23:13

Gameplay Monthly has four new Eye of the North screenshots for your entertainment. 

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Pre-Orders

by Inauro, 23:08

NCSoft and ArenaNet have announced that players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will be given access to a sneak peek weekend at the end of August.

Tuesday 17th July/...NCsoft® Europe and ArenaNet® announced today that the prerelease bonus pack for Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ is set to arrive on retailer’s shelves on July 20th and will include a host of compelling features, including exclusive in-game items and access to the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Sneak Peek Weekend set for later this summer.

The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack will be available from retailers in North America and Europe as well as at the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com and via the Official Guild Wars online store.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North is the first ever expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars franchise of fantasy online role playing games, which will be released to the public on August 31, 2007. This expansion will provide new content accessible to players who have any of the previously released Guild Wars campaigns (Guild Wars, Guild Wars: Factions™, or Guild Wars: Nightfall™).

Players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will gain access to the Sneak Peek Weekend, August 24–26, 2007, where they will be able to log into the game for a first look at Eye of the North. Players will be able to explore the Far Shiverpeaks region of the world, home of the barbaric Norn. Everything players obtain during the Sneak Peek Weekend, including items, XP, Heroes, and loot, will be permanent and available when the expansion goes live.

The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack also comes with exclusive weapons, including the Glacial Blade, the Hourglass Staff, and the Darksteel Longbow. These new weapons are based on the winning designs from the Guild Wars Design-a-Weapon Contest held earlier this year. In addition, the prerelease bonus pack includes a Guild Wars Trilogy Trial DVD that provides access to all three of the Guild Wars campaigns for a special trial promotion lasting 10 hours or 14 days, whichever comes first*.

“We believe this feature-packed prerelease delivers real value to our players,” said Mike O’Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. “From past experience, we expect the Sneak Peek Weekend alone to be hugely popular, and players won't want to miss this chance to get a leg-up before the game goes live.”

For more information on the Guild Wars franchise, visit the Guild Wars website at http://www.guildwars.com. The award-winning Guild Wars series of games can be purchased from retailers or downloaded from the PlayNC store at https://secure.plaync.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl.

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - July 14, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Impressions @ IGN & GameSpot

by Inauro, 04:37

Both IGN and GameSpot have formed some impressions of the upcoming Guild Wars expansion Eye of the North.

IGN

Eye of the North includes some of the races that will be playable in Guild Wars 2, including the shapeshifting Norn, magical Asura, the Dwarves, and the Charr. We saw some of the heroes you'll meet along your travels in the expansion like Pyre Fierceshot, a Charr Ranger, Vekk, an Asura Elementalist, and Ogden Stonehealer, a Dwarven Healer. To build reputation and open up new missions and items with each race, Eye of the North will offer some mini-games. The Warlike Norn toss players into a fighting arena where the opponents are characters from previous Guild Wars releases. The Asura, favoring intelligence over brawn, challenge players to a game of Polymoch, a kind of battle chess involving game pieces with elemental properties.

GameSpot

Eye of the North is the first true expansion pack for the series. The chapters, such as Guild Wars: Nightfall, were separate games unto themselves. Eye of the North will require you to have an existing Guild Wars character. If you do, you can explore the relatively high-level content in Eye of the North. It's set on the continent of Tyria, the continent featured in the inaugural Guild Wars, and in many ways it will bring that storyline to a close.

Source: IGN

Monday - July 02, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Pricing @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:02

ArenaNet and NCSoft have announced the intended release date and price for the upcoming Guild Wars expansion, Eye of the North.

Bellevue, WA., July 2, 2007—NCsoft® and ArenaNet® announced that Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM, the first ever expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars® franchise of fantasy online role-playing games, will be released to the public on August 31, 2007. The Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion will be available for an expected price of $39.99 in North America and €34.99 in Europe, as well as through the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com and in the Guild Wars in-game store.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North will continue the no subscription fee model pioneered by ArenaNet, and will provide new content accessible to players who own both the expansion and any one of the three previously released Guild Wars campaigns (Guild Wars, FactionsTM, or NightfallTM).

The Guild Wars franchise has sold more than 3.5 million units since the release of the original Guild Wars campaign, in 2005, making it one of the most popular online role-playing games of all time.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North follows up on events told in the original Guild Wars campaign, and is set in previously unexplored areas of the continent of Tyria. The expansion contains a host of new features that will appeal directly to veteran Guild Wars players, including 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all ten Guild Wars professions, ten new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and more items, weapons, and titles. Additionally, through the innovative Hall of Monuments, Guild Wars: Eye of the North creates a path for players to carry the legacy of their characters into the upcoming Guild Wars 2. The Hall of Monuments will allow players to preserve their accomplishments and titles from Guild Wars, Factions, and Nightfall, which can then be claimed in Guild Wars 2.

"Guild Wars has one of the most committed and loyal player bases I've ever seen, and Guild Wars: Eye of the North is our way of delivering prized content to veteran players and creating a link to the future of Guild Wars," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet.

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - June 27, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North FAQs @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:27

The official Guild Wars site has been updated with a series of frequently asked questions about the upcoming expansion, Eye of the North.

Do I need to own a copy of one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns in order to play Guild Wars: Eye of the North?

Yes, because Eye of the North is an expansion rather than a new campaign—and because it is intended for your high-level characters—you need to own at least one of the Guild Wars campaigns—Guild Wars (the original campaign), Guild Wars Factions, or Guild Wars Nightfall—in order to play Guild Wars: Eye of the North. However, you do not need to complete any of the previous campaigns to play GW:EN.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Preview @ GameSpy

by Dhruin, 01:17

GameSpy has kicked up a preview of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, with input from ArenaNet's Ben Miller:

"One of the things we're most excited about is the chance to explore the Charr," Miller said. Most players' experience of the Charr (a race of beast-men antagonists who annihilate the human nation of Ascalon in the first game) has been as a monolithic wall of hostile theocratic zealots in service to their gods. When the Titans the Charr worship turn out to be all-too-mortal and fall to the players at the end of Prophecies, this throws the race into chaos. The Shaman caste, long accustomed to being at the top of the Charr food chain, were rocked when legions of Charr apostates broke away from the control of the clerisy. While the Shamen quickly reasserted control, Charr society has never fully recovered. Now the Shamen must watch for dissension in their own ranks even as they prosecute their war against the ruined kingdom of Ascalon. "The Charr are still incredibly vicious," Miller said. "Eye of the North will let people see them from a new perspective, though. They'll be able to get a chance to understand better how the Charr view themselves."

 

Tuesday - June 26, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Developer Diary @ Gameplay Monthly

by Inauro, 23:11

A new Eye of the North developer diary is online at Gameplay Monthly.

In designing Eye of the North, our first true expansion for the Guild Wars online RPG, we wanted to improve on what worked well in the past, throw out those quest types that gamers routinely hate, design new quests and new quest types that players had never seen before, and give people more options so they could play the game in many different ways, instead of forcing all players down the same path. In short, when it came to quests, we wanted, in the immortal words of Graham Chapman, “to seek the holy grail.”

Monday - June 25, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:12

This week's State of the Game article examines the recent Guild Wars play balance testing.

On Friday, June 15, 2007, ArenaNet gave us a new set of changes to play with. Introduced as a "play balance test week," it had immediate impact on the metagame, ranging from GvG to the arenas to Hero Battles. Assuming the changes remain in place, they promise to steer the metagame in another direction. To explain the update, developers posted a list of notes on the official Guild Wars Wiki. This State of the Game article takes a peek at how the various tweaks affected gameplay over that first weekend, and looks at implications for the future.

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - June 23, 2007

Guild Wars - Interview @ Games Radar

by Inauro, 02:58

Games Radar talks to Eye of the North Lead designer Ben Miller.

GR: Regarding the new multi-level dungeons, can you tell us how they'll differ from what we've seen in previous Guild Wars campaigns?

Miller: As far as the multi-level dungeons go, probably what a player could think of them as are super cool, redone, epic versions of Sorrow's Furnace. Sorrow's Furnace is only one level, but it's a super huge map. It has distinct areas, it has NPCs with quests that kind of explain the areas and at the time we released it, it had some of the most unique rewards that we had in the game, which at that time, when we did Sorrow's Furnace, we released the unique green items that dropped off of bosses. And we carried that over to Factions and Nightfall… and so it's basically gonna be an expanded, epic version of Sorrow's Furnace and it's going to have some of the most unique loot and experiences that Eye of the North has to offer.

Wednesday - June 20, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Creatures @ Gaming Nexus

by Inauro, 23:10

Gaming Nexus has scored some exclusive information about three of the new monsters to be featured in the upcoming Guild Wars expansion, Eye of the North.

Fleshreavers are horrible, fleshy monsters with an unusual method of evolution. A young fleshreaver is born as barely more than a small skeleton; the parents assure the survival of their young by layering muscle, tissue, and flesh over the delicate newborn.

Monday - June 11, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:06

This week's State of the Game article examines the importance of midline characters in guild vs. guild combat.

Ask GvGers what role they usually play and they'll normally respond with frontline, backline, or midline. The job of the frontline (Warriors, Dervishes, thumpers, etc.) is to disrupt, pressure, and, ultimately, kill the opposition. The role of the backline (primarily Monks, but perhaps including Ritualists) is equally clear—to keep the team alive. In contrast, the midline is less straightforward. Although a team might expect the midline to directly help kill targets or heal teammates, usually the midline's major role is to facilitate the frontline and backline in accomplishing their respective jobs. So how important is the midline?

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - June 09, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Images @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 02:42

MMORPG.com has added five new Eye of the North screenshots to its gallery. 

Source: MMORPG.com

Monday - June 04, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10

This week's State of the Game article takes a closer look at Elementalists.

Throughout the history of GvG, the Elementalist has played a key role in almost any build. Some teams bring Elementalists for the AoE fire damage, while others use Elementalists for damage negation. Elementalists have also always been extremely useful for running flags. For an interesting read on the situation of Elementalists before Nightfall, check out Adam's analysis and predictions and see how close he got.

Source: ArenaNet

Sunday - June 03, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North @ IGN

by Inauro, 23:06

IGN previews dungeons in the upcoming Guild Wars expansion, Eye of the North.

The labyrinthine underground known as the Depths is comprised of a vast network of passageways that touch continents near and far. GW: EN dungeons are not your typical dingy caves, mind you. They are rich with plant life, decorated with ornate carvings and majestic statues, and home to fantastic creatures. One of the biggest challenges our art department faced was to make each dungeon feel unique, while at the same time capturing the sense of an enclosed, sometimes claustrophobic, environment. Unlike the wide-open plains of Elona, groups will have less room to maneuver around obstacles. Enemies travel in high concentrations, so there will be little time to think or relax while pressing onward to the next objective. That stated, some dungeons are simply huge. Your party might trek through twisting pathways one moment, only to be spilled out into a huge open cavern the next.

Source: IGN

Tuesday - May 29, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:26

This week's State of the Game article examines automated tournaments.

After spending weeks perfecting your team's GvG build on the open ladder, your guild finally decides to risk the rating points and signs up for its first Automated Tournament. After paying five Tournament Tokens to Tolkano, your guildmates buzz with anticipation over your voice server as the seconds count down until your first first-round pairing. The moment of truth arrives. As the Automated Tournament system pairs you up with a top-100 guild you’ve played before on the ladder, you feel confident that meticulous skill selection and attribute point tweaks will earn your first tournament victory in a high-profile match. Zoning into Burning Isle for round one, your team races across the lava, ready to Hex some Warriors and knock down some Mesmers—only to have your team spiked out and rolled over by five Searing Flames Elementalists.

Welcome to Automated Tournaments, where guilds can use their knowledge of both the maps and their opponents to rack up Qualifier and Tournament Reward Points.

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - May 26, 2007

Guild Wars - Contest @ Official Site

by Inauro, 00:22

ArenaNet is holding a Brand the Bosses contest to name boss monsters for the Eye of the North expansion pack.

The Guild Wars team would like to invite players from around the world to participate in the 2007 "Brand the Bosses" Contest. This monster-naming competition will allow Guild Wars fans to dream up creative names for boss monsters. All names submitted will be considered by the designers as possible boss monster handles for use in the Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - May 21, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:22

This week's State of the Game article examines the importance of the right equipment.

While Guild Wars PvP revolves around Skill Bars, equipment selection also influences the ultimate outcome. Unlike in other games, however, players may access weapon modifications with easily-acquired Balthazar faction. Although characters can't change armor during a PvP match, players have four weapon sets to swap between. Good micromanagers can double-click a weapon or offhand in their inventory to equip it during the match. So when players craft their gear, how do they best to tailor it to their character needs?

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - May 14, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:16

This week's State of the Game article examines the choices available to the Dervish class, and asks why the Melandru build is the best.

The Dervish, introduced in Nightfall, is a spiritual disciple able to turn into living representations of each god. Using these Avatars, the Dervish has carved out a niche in the GvG world as a tough melee flag-stand character. Despite many other decent elite skills to choose from, the emerging standards for most Dervish Skill Bars are based on an Avatar.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - May 07, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:22

This week's State of the Game article examines disruptive play.

Click! Every caster hears that dreaded sound eventually. It happens when the enemy disrupts a spell, possibly important enough that the tide of battle turns. Interrupts and knockdowns at key moments serve a crucial role in defeating opponents. But what separates the great interrupters from the mediocre? And how do casters counter disruptive tactics? Let's take a look.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - April 30, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:35

This week's State of the Game article takes an observers position on one of the top guilds in the game.

In today's article I observe a top guild and shamelessly dissect their build. I detail why they chose their skills, talk about the opponent's guild hall choice, and discuss strategic maneuvers. While this is useful for people just starting PvP, regulars of Observer Mode may find this analysis quite familiar, and even comforting.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - GW 2 Preview @ GameSpy

by Inauro, 23:17

GameSpy speaks with the ArenaNet team about the decision to make Eye of the North the last expansion for its successful Guild Wars MMO, and instead focus on the development of a sequel.

According to O'Brian, the genesis for Guild Wars 2 came about during the planning stages for the next Guild Wars campaign. "Guild Wars is a really unique game," O'Brian said. "In looking at the design, we got a lot of things right. The problem was that after two years we also saw a lot of ways in which the core gameplay could be improved. These weren't things that could be addressed by adding new layers on top of the original game, though. They involved going in and making upgrades and improvements to the fundamental gameplay systems. In the end we made the decision that in order to truly make the ultimate version of Guild Wars we were going to have to make Guild Wars 2."

Source: GameSpy

Saturday - April 28, 2007

Guild Wars - Second Anniversary @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:19

The original Guild Wars game is two years old this weekend. For more on what ArenaNet and NCSoft have planned head on over to the official site.

April 28 marks the two-year anniversary of Guild Wars (original Prophecies campaign) as well as the one-year anniversary of Guild Wars Factions, and what an exciting two years it has been! With three campaigns available and an expansion on the way, Guild Wars has developed into a successful game enjoyed by millions of fans worldwide.

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - April 25, 2007

Guild Wars - Sequel Interview #2 @ CVG

by Dhruin, 01:38

CVG finally finishes their interview with ArenaNet's Jeff Strain and Ben Miller on Guild Wars 2.  Here's a snippet:

You got the Eye of the North expansion coming out for Guild Wars later this year - but what's going to happen to Guild Wars after the expansion comes out now that Guild Wars 2 is coming?

Jeff Strain: We'll continue to support it with live content, we'll continue to have holiday events and support the tournament infrastructure of the game. It's obviously very much in our best interests to keep Guild Wars players happy, because we think most of those Guild Wars players will be Guild Wars 2 players. Between now and the release of Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars will be fully supported by us as a development team.

The other important point to make is that nobody has to worry about what's going to happen to the Guild Wars servers or Guild Wars 1 after Guild Wars 2 ships. As long as there are people playing and enjoying Guild Wars 1, we'll continue to run the servers and support the game.

Monday - April 23, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:38

This week's State of the Game article looks at the abilities available to the Monk class.

Regardless of whether you regularly walk the Monk path, observing current Monk practices can prove helpful. Monks struggling to keep their teams alive can improve their methods by seeing what works and what does not. And for those aggressive folk striving to break the efficiency of a backline, nothing helps like knowing thine enemy.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - April 19, 2007

Guild Wars - Hard Mode @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:13

ArenaNet and NCSoft have announced a new gameplay type for Guild Wars: hard mode.

Hard mode is not for the faint of heart. We've made adjustments to provide you with heartier henchmen and followers (for example, lower level henchmen will become level 20 upon entering a Hard mode area), but the levels of all of your foes, as well as their AI, have been enhanced. The monsters are not only harder to kill, they fight smarter than ever. So, your success in Hard mode will be determined, more than anything else, by your skill at playing the game.

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - April 18, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Interview @ GameSpot

by Dhruin, 00:40

ArenaNet's Ben Miller has spoken to GameSpot about Guild Wars: Eye of the North.  Here's an early snippet:

GameSpot: How does Eye of the North differ from the previous Guild Wars chapters, Nightfall and Factions? We understand that this isn't a traditional, stand-alone chapter like those, but something new.

Ben Miller: The biggest difference is its focus on content for existing Guild Wars characters. It packs new, exciting adventures for all those characters you already have and love. The expansion itself is much more open, with an emphasis on the feeling of exploration of new lands and new peoples. It also combines a lot of what people loved from everything we have done in Guild Wars, Factions, Nightfall, and our free live update, Sorrow's Furnace.

Monday - April 16, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:59

This week's State of the Game article looks at collapsing guild hall tactics.

In a tactical context, collapsing means pinching and trapping an opponent between two or more groups of your players. Visualize a scenario where your enemy splits 6/2 and sends six players to the flag stand while two others take a side route to harass your base NPCs. In response you send a split team to drive them out of your base, while the main part of your team engages at the flag stand. When the enemy split team heads for home, rather than letting them rejoin their team, your main group relinquishes flag control to collapse on the enemy splitters and kill them. This type of maneuver wins games because it yields a temporary numerical advantage, often just long enough to gain ground, to inflict death penalty, kill NPCs, and get a morale boost.

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - April 11, 2007

Guild Wars - Sequel Preview @ Games Radar

by Dhruin, 01:04

Games Radar is the latest site with coverage of Guild Wars 2:

It’s 100 years later in the world of Tyria, in the kingdoms of Ascalon and Kryta - the original Guild Wars: Prophecies setting. The same key tenets of gameplay remain in place, but much has changed alongside the ever more sparkly graphics; not least that everything seems… well… persistent. Up until the advent of the sequel, when you ventured outside a settlement there wasn’t much chance of bumping into a friend.

No chance actually - you and your party would meet up, then fight through an instanced zone. Loads of other people could well be fighting there, but you’d be in a curtained-off, parallel dimension, and never the two would meet. Guild Wars 2, however, will take place in a fully persistent world - and still won’t ask you for any fees.

Monday - April 09, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:29

This week's State of the Game article examines the concept of breaking the enemy in guild vs. guild battles.

Breaking the enemy means pressuring until the opposition can no longer handle a full fight at the flag stand and must retreat or rethink strategies. There are many ways to break an opponent, from countering a skill to capitalizing on a positioning mistake to a catching a lucky morale boost. The Celestial Tournament generated some examples of this process I will discuss below.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - Sequel Interview #1 @ CVG

by Dhruin, 22:32

The first part of an interview with Arenanet's Jeff Strain and Ben Miller is up at CVG, discussing Guild Wars 2:

In what major ways does the experience you plan to offer with Guild Wars 2 differ from what you've offered with Guild Wars?

Jeff Strain: I think, first and foremost, one of the biggest differences that people will perceive in the world between Guild Wars 2 and the first campaigns is that it's much more of a living, breathing world. In Guild Wars, we were able to tell very specific and very grand stories through the use of our instancing technology and the way we structured the campaigns. Each campaign had a big epic story and we were really able to cast you as the hero of that story.

In Guild Wars 2, we want to retain our ability to do that, but rather than telling one big monolithic story our goal is to pursue story arcs and story bubbles - that players can choose to take their characters into a story arc and maybe there a several missions and persistent areas that'll tie that together. And there's going to be numerous of these story arcs throughout the world. What we want to do is adopt more of a sandbox mentality, that players can direct their own play and pace to a much greater degree than they could in Guild Wars 1.

So, the way we kind of say it is that in Guild Wars 2 we're building a world and all the mechanics that go along with that world and then we will tell stories within that world, whereas in the original Guild Wars it was more that we were telling this big story and developing the world to fit that story.

Friday - April 06, 2007

Guild Wars - Expansion & Sequel Interview @ Eurogamer

by Dhruin, 23:31

Guilds Wars 2 and Eye of the North are the subjects of a conversation with ArenaNet designers Ben Miller and Eric Flannum at Eurogamer:

Eurogamer: You've mentioned that Guild Wars 2 will be more "persistent" than the first game, perhaps offering less instanced content. How is exactly is it all going to work?

Ben Miller: In Guild Wars everybody plays in the same world and you can play with anyone you meet who has the game; you never run into the problem where you play on a different server to someone and can't adventure with them.

But a downside is you might never meet people from a random pick-up group you once went adventuring with again, because the world is so enormous.

So in Guild Wars 2 we want to have a big "persistent world" where you're out running into other people as you play. You could be fighting a dragon attacking a tower for instance, and other players will choose to come to your aid, rather than having you shut off from other players in your own instance of the world. Although some elements of the game will remain instanced - like in Guild Wars - such as dungeons, because it's cool and natural for them to be. [more]

Wednesday - April 04, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:21

A new edition of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The Xunlai Agents have exciting news! They plan to grant everyone additional storage. Veteran travelers who venture into every corner of the world will receive the greatest rewards, however, because storage capacity will increase with each region—Tyria, Cantha, and Elona—that you frequent. Thus, even if you spend all of your time in a single area, your storage will increase, giving you an additional vault from that region to add to your original storage box. If you are a world traveler like me, and if you journey through all three realms, your storage will quadruple, for you will receive three additional vaults to add to your Xunlai box.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - March 29, 2007

Guild Wars - Expansion & Sequel Interview @ About.com

by Dhruin, 22:32

About.com has grabbed ArenaBet's Jeff Strain and Mike O'Brien to discuss the two recently announced future Guild Wars projects:

I understand that another release in the Guild Wars series, Eye of the North, is in development. Is it really the end, or will further expansions be considered if Eye of the North is a success?

Jeff: We haven't actually announced what the follow-up plan is for Guild Wars. This is the first Guild Wars expansion but we certainly haven't said that this is the end of Guild Wars 1. Regardless of our product release strategy, it goes without saying that even after Guild Wars 2 ships we have no intention of shutting down servers or ending support for Guild Wars 1. At this point we just don't know if there will be Guild Wars 1 releases after Eye of the North... we're not closing our doors to the idea, but we can't say anything definite about it one way or the other.

Wednesday - March 28, 2007

Guild Wars - Wiki Opens @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:22

ArenaNet has announced the opening of an official Guild Wars wiki .

After a few weeks of early preparation, we're now eager to throw open the doors of the official Guild Wars Wiki. We invite you to join the GWW community and help us create a wonderful resource for Guild Wars players—now and into the future. Set up a user page. Edit an article. Create a new skin or upload images to flesh out one of the articles. Whatever your level of expertise, you have a contribution to make on the GWW! And if you'd rather simply use the GWW as a resource, you’re very welcome, too. Dive into the Guild Wars Wiki through the main page, found here.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - March 27, 2007

Guild Wars - Guild Wars 2 Interviews

by Inauro, 23:36

Both Kotaku and Wired have interviews with the ArenaNet development team featuring discussion of the newly announced expansion pack and sequel to Guild Wars.

Guild Wars - Guild Wars 2 Announced

by Inauro, 23:33

NCSoft and ArenaNet have announced the development of Guild Wars 2 and "the first true expansion" for the original game, Guild Wars: Eye of the North.

Bellevue, WA., March 27, 2007—NCsoft® and ArenaNet® today revealed their exciting plans for the future of the hugely successful Guild Wars® franchise. The companies announced that development already is underway on a full sequel to the original Guild Wars games. Guild Wars 2TM will draw from the game mechanics that made the original Guild Wars one of the most popular online games ever and will add a fully persistent world. It was also revealed that, like its predecessors, Guild Wars 2 will not have a subscription fee. No launch date was announced, but the ArenaNet team anticipates that Guild Wars 2 will go into beta sometime in the second half of 2008.

In addition, ArenaNet developers are working on the first true expansion for the Guild Wars franchise, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM. Due to hit store shelves during the 2007 holiday season, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM will require at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns (PropheciesTM, FactionsTM, or NightfallTM) in order to play. It's a game that will benefit long-time players of the Guild Wars games, with all of the content targeting existing Guild Wars characters.

"We felt it was extremely important to reward those people who have been playing Guild Wars since the game first launched in 2005," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Those players have seen three very large campaigns created in a little under two years and so we think it's time to begin filling in the details of the existing world and to provide more content for current characters. We are thrilled to focus our time on something that our players have been asking for."

Set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will have 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and even more items, weapons and titles.

And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.

"It's the payoff we hope players will appreciate as we continue to build on the Guild Wars franchise," said Strain. "We're excited to announce these two new products and we want players to know that Guild Wars has an extremely exciting future in the months and years ahead."

An exclusive full preview of Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars: Eye of the North can be found in the May issue of PC Gamer which will be on newsstands by April 3. More information on the Guild Wars franchise can be found at http://www.guildwars.com.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - March 26, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:15

This week's Guild Wars State of the Game article takes a closer look at the melee professions.

Melee characters rely on mobility, endlessly dancing into and out of the enemy's backline or midline. The fluidly shifting frontline offers a different perspective on the field. While that perspective can sometimes be narrow, target calling often comes from here because these players actively scan for weak targets, whereas midline players tend to concentrate on interrupts, shut-down opportunities, defense, or spreading Health degeneration.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - March 22, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:32

Issue #37 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The gods must be pleased with us! During the upcoming weekend, the Favor of the Gods will not be required to enter the Underworld and the Fissure of Woe. For some unexplained reason, all worthy citizens will be allowed to travel to these dangerous, yet profitable locales freely. This will no doubt be heralded as one of the grandest displays of divine endowment in recent history!

Source: ArenaNet

Wednesday - March 21, 2007

Guild Wars - Future Developments @ Guild Wars Guru

by Inauro, 21:25

Guild Wars Guru recaps a PC Gamer article on the future of ArenaNet's flagship title.

They are abandoning the Campaign format because it required them to reinvent GW completely for every chapter, and it began to feel 'bloated' to them. It's also increased the tutorials and has created a barrier to new players entering the chapters. The Expansion increases the timeframe but allows them to do what they want to with the game, without worrying about new professions, or pre-lvl20 content. This is a new blueprint for a completely new game.

Monday - March 19, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:24

This week's State of the Game article takes a look at some of the Guild Wars character builds that have fallen from popularity over time.

The metagame, merciless in its constant evolution, has smashed many popular skills and ubiquitous character builds into the ground while elevating others to center stage. Intended mostly for nostalgic amusement, this article documents the rise and fall of some of this popularity. But who knows, maybe someone will think of a new way to use one of these relics, dust it off, and bring it back into the limelight.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - March 15, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:30

A new edition of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

A mysterious celebration from a far-off realm will influence our fine lands this weekend. Featuring iconic representations of strange quad-leafed plants, this holiday is unlike anything I have seen before. While I am uncertain what the holiday commemorates, it is clear the underlying themes are the color green and the zealous consumption of alcoholic beverages. Actually, many who celebrate this holiday in that distant land may not even know what they are celebrating, but that does not seem to stop them from having a good time!

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - March 12, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:34

This week's State of the Game article takes a look at "basic ganking". 

Gankers seek to take advantage of an unguarded base to reduce the number of NPCs the opponent will have at the flag stand at VoD and, if possible, to kill the Guild Lord before VoD. With twenty minutes between the start of the game and VoD, gank squads have plenty of opportunities to infiltrate and accomplish these goals.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - March 06, 2007

Guild Wars - Eye of the North Revealed

by Dhruin, 12:14

The Inquirer has a piece on an upcoming (and apparently final) new expansion for Guild Wars titled Eye of the North, as well as a roadmap for Guild Wars 2:

NCSOFT HAS ANNOUNCED the development and release dates for regular annual expansion of Guild Wars universe, and not too surprisingly, that this expansion will be the last throw of the dice before its successor appears on the market.

The add-on will be known as Eye of the North, and stands to be released in Q3 of 2007. The price of the add-on is not known at the time of annoucement, but it will be less than already present campaigns. In order to play the game, gamers must own at least one of the already released GW campaigns, like Nightfall, Factions or Prophecies.

Eye of the North brings a conclusion what happened in Tyria after Guild Wars: Prophecies ended, and as such - is 100% oriented towards games with characters of maximum level. We know GW gamers want the numbers, so here they are: 18 new multi-level dungeons, 40 new armour sets, 10 new Heroes and massive 150 new skills, out of which 50 belong only to PvE (Player versus Enviroment).

We'll publish the actual announcement as soon as we see it.

Source: Bluesnews

Thursday - February 08, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe #33 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:39

Issue #33 of The Scribe is available at the official Guild Wars site.

Continuing their policy of including public discourse in their decision making process, the Priests of Balthazar plan to increase the number of combatants a team may take into Heroes' Ascent from six to eight during a trial period. As many of you may recall, the party size was reduced some months back after positive response from the citizenry at the time. However, considering recent modifications made over the past few weeks, and the numerous pleas for the return of larger teams, the priests feel the time may be ripe to reevaluate group size.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - February 05, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:37

This week's State of the Game article focuses on pressure builds.

A pressure build, as mentioned in my previous article on build making, is one that focuses on winning by simply producing more damage than the enemy can survive in the long run. This is different from a spike build, which attempts to kill players before the enemy Monks can react, and split builds, which take the divide-and-conquer approach.

Source: ArenaNet

Sunday - February 04, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe #32 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:21

Issue #32 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The Priests of Balthazar have had more than a week to peruse the vast amounts of feedback returned after the Heroes' Ascent Trial Weekend, and we should expect to see the results soon. Many of the proposed changes will likely return—albeit in altered form—while others that received negative reactions will likely remain shelved. The high level of participation and feedback the event inspired was the very goal of the weekend and, from what I have seen, it seems all would deem the event a great success on that basis.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - January 29, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:15

This week's Guild Wars State of the Game article examines the tactical differences between the game's GvG battlefields.

It has happened to many new guilds—they put some wins under their belt but then, suddenly, bump into strange maps and start taking losses. Not from a lack of skill, necessarily, but perhaps from a lack of knowledge about the unfamiliar terrain or assorted quirks of these maps. Talking to the Canthan Ambassador [Guild Halls] NPC in the Great Temple of Balthazar does help to get a basic orientation for each map, but many map features only become active during an actual Guild Battle.

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - January 22, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:12

Another day, another build article at the official Guild Wars site.  Check out this week's State of the Game entry for a new GvG build analysis.

Another year passes and new builds are developing all the time. Even though some things remain constant, there is still an ever-changing metagame within Guild Wars that guilds should keep an eye on when designing team builds.

After initial GvG testing of builds and strategies, Spirits of War decided on a build to play while waiting for the next shake-up of balance changes. After experimenting with Hex pressure last year we changed to a spike-style build this year. The result is a solid build that held up to top teams on the ladder and gave us an opportunity to train new members and gain valuable experience.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - January 18, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe #31 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:41

Issue #31 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The Priests of Balthazar are now ready for the exciting trial weekend in Heroes' Ascent! Combat fanatics eagerly awaiting the trials have speculated extensively about the nature of any changes, believing that such knowledge may gain them an early upper hand. Confident the changes are more extensive than many expect, the Priests of Balthazar consider the guesswork of even Heroes' Ascent veterans at this point to be mostly futile. However, feedback given after the event is a different story. The priests say they intend to study all correspondence and public response carefully to determine the value of these far-reaching modifications.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - January 16, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:41

The latest State of the Game article takes a look at getting out of the rut of standard gameplay.

Remember how you felt the first time you rode a bike and could finally turn without falling? That kind of satisfaction comes from a sense of accomplishment. Not simply learning, but applying what you've learned and seeing the results of that hard work. This article is about finding your way back to that feeling when you're stuck in a rut—when nothing seems to work any more.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Friday - January 12, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe #30 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:56

Issue #30 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

Rumors are circulating that the winds of change are coming. More to the point, the Priests of Balthazar will be making a variety of changes to Heroes' Ascent within the next few weeks. Upon further investigation, I have found these rumors to be true, and in turn, I have acquired a few details from high-ranking Priests of my acquaintance. While the priests won't provide specific information on the proposed alterations, they assure me their ideas will be open to discussion.

Source: ArenaNet

Tuesday - January 09, 2007

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:45

This week's State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site examines a GVG team build.

Welcome to an exciting new year! With automated Guild Battle tournaments around the corner, many guilds will want to try out different team builds to find something they feel comfortable with in a competitive environment. To help with this process, I have put together a team build for us to analyze and even included skill template codes if you want to try it out.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - January 04, 2007

Guild Wars - The Scribe #28 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:34

Issue #29 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The Wintersday challenge has concluded. And yet, as many have noticed, warm weather has not returned. Though the lands in Tyria and Elona haven't yet thawed, those loyal to Dwayna assure me that soon only the mighty Shiverpeak Mountains will be covered in Grenth's white blanket.

Source: ArenaNet

Friday - December 29, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:27

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a look at basic builds.

This article is a collection of basic tips for designing a build to be run in a Guild vs. Guild setting. Many, but not all, of the points I make also apply to other forms of PvP.

Because the creative process is usually very disorganized, I won't try to explain it here. It can start with a flash of insight about a skill combo, an accidental discovery when changing an existing build, or something else entirely. Whatever the origin of your idea, the concepts in this article should be helpful when fleshing it out.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Friday - December 22, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #28 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 20:10

Issue #28 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

May Dwayna protect those who wish to enter the areas I am about to mention. The City of Torc'Qua and Ravenheart Gloom shall truly challenge your might, so I shall arm you with knowledge designed to help you through the perilous reaches of these unholy regions.

The City of Torc'Qua contains some of the most forsaken souls in all of the Domain of Anguish. These traitors of the divine swore their allegiance to the false god Abaddon and, in his defeat, have been driven back to their dark sanctuary. Ironically, this sanctuary was once used as a prison.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - December 18, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:24

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site examines the importance of positioning and movement.

Positioning and movement of individual characters can mean the difference between breaking an enemy team and your own team falling apart. The overextension of one character can lead to an untimely demise, resulting in a temporary numbers imbalance and time wasted resurrecting the fallen character. In cases where two teams are otherwise equal, such a transient advantage often translates into a more permanent advantage, such as a morale boost. The following tips attempt to explain how to maximize individual and team positioning.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - December 14, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #27 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:45

Issue #27 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

As an addendum to the advice I shared in last week's missive concerning survival in the Domain of Anguish, I wish to share with you a few more specific strategies for prevailing in the Foundry of Failed Creations and the Stygian Veil. The overall strategies I shared last week still hold true. I simply wish to elaborate on some and add others that hold true in these two treacherous locales.

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars - Franchise Passes 3M Units

by Dhruin, 11:08

ArenaNet has announced the Guild Wars family has passed 3 million sales:

GUILD WARS EXCEEDS THREE MILLION SOLD

Breakthrough Game Series Hits Major Milestone as ArenaNet Announces Wintersday Festival and Exciting New Game Features

December 13, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) — Fueled by sales of the hit game Guild Wars NightfallTM, the latest release in the award-winning Guild Wars® franchise, sales for one of the world's leading subscription-free online roleplaying games have surpassed three million units worldwide in a little more than a year and a half. This milestone event was announced today by ArenaNet®, developer of Guild Wars®, Guild Wars FactionsTM, and Guild Wars NightfallTM, and NCsoft® Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games.

"Reaching three million units sold in such a short amount of time is absolutely incredible," says Robert Garriott, CEO, NCsoft North America. "Coupled with the recent news of Guild Wars Factions winning Billboard's Multiplayer Game of the Year, we couldn't be prouder of what the team at ArenaNet has accomplished with the Guild Wars games."

In further news, ArenaNet announced today the details of the in-game Wintersday Festival, as well as some exciting new features to be implemented in the game over the holiday season.

Monday - December 11, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:49

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at the upcoming Winterfest Tournament.

This season's playoffs feature the most guilds ever vying for that permanent Gold Cape trim. Top-tier guilds have a little more leeway to take losses on their way to secure spots in the playoffs while guilds that barely missed out on previous playoffs get a chance to prove themselves in a tournament setting. Hopefully, smooth playoffs this weekend will lead to future tournaments that allow more guilds into the competition.

Source: ArenaNet

Sunday - December 10, 2006

Guild Wars - Fun For All Ages @ npr.org

by Kawika, 20:28

National Public Radio has published an interesting article about the fifty-and-over crowd's increasing indulgence in MMOs, using Guild Wars as a main example, and a desire to see computer games and peripherals designed with an older group in mind. Game on seniors!

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 25 percent of all gamers are 50 years or older, and game makers are looking for ways to market to that age group.

 

Friday - December 08, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #26 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:16

Issue 26 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

The Domain of Anguish has been accessible to select adventurers for nearly a week now, and most who have paid the forsaken locale a visit can attest to the sheer ferocity and destructive powers of the Domain's protectors. While a rare few have indeed fought their way to the inner regions of the Domain of Anguish, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from a few tips to help in their struggle. I have spoken with my most trusted and wisest confidants, and their information should prove helpful to anyone caught up in this epic struggle. This week, I will reveal some overall strategies my informants believe will be useful throughout the Domain of Anguish. Then, in following dispatches, I shall provide more focused tips for specific locations within the Domain. Many of these tips should also prove useful elsewhere, but within the Domain of Anguish they are literally essential to survival.

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - December 07, 2006

Guild Wars - Skill Synergy: Part Two @ Official Site

by Kawika, 21:54

Part Two of Guild Wars' helpful Skill Synergy primer has been published. Included are builds for the Assassin, Monk, Mesmer, Ranger, and Ritualist professions. Also, be sure to check out Part One if you haven't already.

Builds form an integral component of Guild Wars, and selecting skills is just as important as how you use those skills. Many skills act in synergy with each other and offer tons of options for combinations. We'll examine some of those opportunities in this article, and start explaining how skills work with each other and how certain types of skills can "cover" other ones.

Friday - December 01, 2006

Guild Wars - Review @ Games Radar

by Dhruin, 21:15

Games Radar is just catching up on Guild Wars with a review of the original just having been posted.  The score is 9/10 and here's a snip:

With furious PvP competition and lots of content for casual questers and hardcore adventurers, Guild Wars has something to offer for everyone. You won’t experience the same feeling of immersion that you’d get from playing World of Warcraft or EverQuest II as the game loads you and your party to areas separated from the rest of the players online every time you leave town, which makes playing Guild Wars feel more like a 3D version of Diablo II at times. But with no monthly fees you can’t go wrong with this top-notch RPG that threatens to break the standard "pay to play" business model.

Thursday - November 23, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #24 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:50

Issue #24 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.

As I mentioned in last week's missive, the Order of Whispers has been investigating a rumor concerning a portion of the Realm of Torment previously unknown to Elonians. Through diligent interrogation of the only known soul to escape the forsaken region, members of the Order of Whispers have located an entrance to the region, and have begun sending in scouts to assess the risks associated with allowing Elonians to enter this land of unimaginable pain and suffering.

 

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - November 20, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:33

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a look at the role of the leader in a team.

Ask most Guild Wars players who the most important person on a team is, and practically everyone will give you the same reply: "The Monk." They are wrong. I have been around Guild Wars since before the first PvP map was put into the game, and my focus has always been competition. In my experience, what separates a good team from a decent team is nearly always the leadership. Not the leadership of choosing members and deciding play times, but the in-battle leadership that PvPers refer to as "calling." This article is about how to do it effectively over voice communication like Ventrilo or Teamspeak.

Source: ArenaNet

Friday - November 17, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #23 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:43

Issue 23 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site. Snip:

I have heard early, unconfirmed reports of an unknown region of The Realm of Torment. Though my source is...less than reliable... he reports that this area may contain the most vicious and dangerous adversaries Elonians have faced! However, with great risk comes great reward, and my informant has also begun ranting and raving about the great treasures he saw during his short foray into this mysterious area.

More... 

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - November 13, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:39

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at the impact of Dervishes and Paragons following the release of Nightfall.

While no longer enjoying the imbalanced power levels from the first Nightfall preview event, Dervishes still pack a good offensive punch or occupy more of a utility role for the team. In addition, some guilds have experimented with using Dervish as a secondary profession.

In a purely offensive role, Dervishes have the ability to clear out a crowd. With the ability of the scythe to hit up to three adjacent foes combined with the area damage of Dervish Enchantments, Dervishes make a powerful frontline ally. Skills like Wounding Strike and Crippling Sweep give the Dervish options to deal damage and apply Conditions to multiple enemies simultaneously. Furthermore, a Dervish's scythe has a higher maximum damage than any other weapon in the game.

More... 

Monday - November 06, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:22

The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a look at how the release of Nightfall will affect PvP in ArenaNet's MMORPG.

Nightfall is upon us, and upon PvP, bringing with it a bevy of changes and improvements. Two new classes debut in Nightfall: the spear throwing Paragon and the scythe wielding Dervish. Both come with lots of skills, enriching the already diverse pool of skills and opening interesting synergistic possibilities with existing professions. Additionally, existing professions gained a number of new skills of their own and underwent extensive balancing.

More... 

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - November 02, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #21 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:45

Issue #21 of The Scribe is available at the official Guild Wars site.  Here's a sample:

Many of those making their way to Elona have begun arriving at the great port of Kamadan. The Sunspears are scrambling to muster and train as many troops as possible to launch a strike against those attempting to release a powerful, world-threatening evil. It is the Sunspears' most fervent hope that, upon removal of those responsible for this atrocity, peace will once again return to Elona.

More...  

Source: ArenaNet

Monday - October 30, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:26

Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest State of the Game report in which ArenaNet go one-on-one with the #1 seeded guild, Team Quitter.

Q: How did you guys initially form and how many players are in your guild?

A: Team Quitter is composed of nine members from varied backgrounds: we have three members from I Guild I [iGi], three from We Pwn Char [Char], one from Clan Kgyu [KGYU], one from Fallen Angels [fA], and we have one member who is currently involved purely with Heroes Ascent. We all knew each other from constantly competing against one another in regular GvG ladder matches. When all of our guilds disbanded at relatively similar times (though some have since reformed) it was easy to join together as friends with identical goals. Thus, the guild One Hitter Quitters [QQ] was born. After finishing third place in the first of several "fun seasons" One Hitter Quitters changed our name to Team Quitter, knowing we had formed a solid, highly competitive GvG team.

 More...

 

Source: ArenaNet

Thursday - October 19, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #20 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:56

Issue #20 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.  Here's a snippet:

Many prophets, seers, and oracles sense a sinister presence looming on the Horizon. No, I am not referring to the ominous force that was felt during the Sunspear training event some weeks ago, but rather a more mischievous, humorous, and—perhaps to some—familiar villain.

I am, of course, referring to the maniacally insane, and yet surprisingly social, Mad King Thorn of Tyria. This madman gained his notoriety for atrocious deeds while amongst the living, but has since earned a more amusing reputation in death, after visiting Lion's Arch and Droknar's Forge during last year's Halloween season. Spewing jokes that make the citizenry groan with more vigor than the souls of his tortured victims and playing games that exploit the mortality of his audience are just two of his favorite pastimes.

More... 

 

Monday - October 16, 2006

Guild Wars - The Scribe #19 @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 14:39

Issue #19 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site. Here's a snippet:

As of late, I've come under a deluge of reports about a vast increase in valuable items found amongst the leaders and champions of our most hated enemies in Cantha. These mystical weapons, originally created for generals or leaders as prized tools of war—hence their designation as "Unique Items"—have been reproduced in much higher numbers than ever before and distributed widely throughout the hordes of villains that plague our lands.

More...

Wednesday - October 11, 2006

Guild Wars - Creature Feature @ IGN

by Inauro, 22:37

IGN takes a look at some of the new creatures to be added to ArenaNet's Guild Wars with the upcoming release of all new adventuring areas.

Heket

Heket are a nuisance to anyone traveling across Elona. These amphibious creatures thrive near lakes and rivers, but roaming packs can be found in the more distant, desolate, and arid areas of the nation. No matter where they prowl, heket spawn at an alarming rate. From birth, they compete with each other for food, slaughtering smaller and weaker siblings. Once they're strong enough to leave their breeding grounds, they form packs and roam further from home, using those same vicious instincts to prey on unwary travelers. Any adventurer who crosses the path of a pack of heket should be ready to defend their supplies, their food, and their very life. If they aren't stopped, then larger, more vicious heket may be bold enough to attack humans near the gates of outposts and settlements. Human adventurers accept the fact that they must keep the population of heket to a minimum, if only for the sake of survival.

More...

Source: IGN

Monday - October 09, 2006

Guild Wars - State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:00

The latest State of the Game feature at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at observer mode.

Ever wanted to know just how those top guilds climb the ladder on their way to prestige and prizes? Well, if you want to find out and get some serious entertainment at the same time, give Observer Mode a try.

Observer Mode is a feature in Guild Wars that allows players to watch the top 100 guilds compete against other guilds in Guild-versus-Guild (GvG) combat. It is a great tool for players to see what other teams are running and helps people learn more about competitive play in the game.

More...

Friday - October 06, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Preview @ GameZone

by Dhruin, 01:10
Yet another Guild Wars: Nightfall <a href="http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p30256.htm" target="_blank">preview</a> can be found at GameZone:<blockquote><em>The new characters are somewhat keyed off existing classes, but seem to be a nice addition with some unique aspects. The paragon has group buffs, viewed as leadership skills, but the true measure lies in the buffs he (or she) throws out adding bonuses to the paragona "!s own abilities. To lead one needs followers and the return on the paragona "!s magical skills is solid. The paragon also begins by using a spear and the throw animation is solid. Throw the spear and another magically takes its place in the hand of the paragon. The dervish uses a scythe and is a mosaic of motion with the weapon (can you say a Swhirling dervish?a ?). There is almost a brooding element to the dervish animation, as if the class is weighing the consequences of each keyed attack. Still, the dervish is capable of doing a great deal of damage.</em></blockquote>

Guild Wars: Nightfall Event Press Release

by Dhruin, 00:02
The recent Guild Wars: Nightfall World Preview Event generated the following <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases/pressrelease-2006-10-05.php" target="_blank">press release</a> on its success:<blockquote><em><b>Guild Wars Nightfall Debuts to Mass Acclaim and Record-Breaking Numbers in Weekend Global Event<br><br>Nearly 500,000 Fans Played more than Four Million Hours in Landmark Gaming Event!</b><br><br>October 5, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) a  With the October 27, 2006 release of Guild WarsA NightfallTM drawing close, nearly half a million players around the world got their first taste of one of the year's most-anticipated games in last weekend's World Preview Event. Players spent an average of 8.5 hours each over the course of the weekend, announced ArenaNetA, developer of the award-winning Guild Wars franchise, amassing more than four million total hours of game play. This weekend's numbers shattered the previous attendance record of three million hours set during the Guild Wars FactionsTM preview event earlier this year, as fans immersed themselves in the new Guild Wars Nightfall continent of Elona, sampling the game's new features, mechanics, and missions.<br><br>"We knew we had struck a chord with our players as soon as the Nightfall World Preview Event got underway," said Mike O'Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Their response has been amazingly positive to everything in the game; especially the Heroes." Heroes are a new feature of Guild Wars Nightfall. They are non-player characters integral to the storyline that players can customize and control throughout the game. "Heroes gain experience, follow player direction in battle, and can be equipped with skills, weapons, and even secondary professions of the player's choice, said O'Brien. "They are a wildly popular component to this game that we've spent significant time developing, and we're thrilled our fans have responded to it the way they have."<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller in North America and Europe upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. In Guild Wars Nightfall you'll explore opulent cities, brave savage coasts, delve deep into ancient monuments, and find your way across poisonous deserts as you determine the fate of the new realm of Elona. The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is available in retail stores worldwide now. The Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and Guild Wars Nightfall Collector's Edition will be released worldwide on October 27, 2006.</em></blockquote>

Thursday - October 05, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Hands-On @ HEXUS

by Dhruin, 23:38
The latest Guild Wars: Nightfall <a href="http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=6938" target="_blank">preview</a> comes courtesy of HEXUS:<blockquote><em>Admittedly, Ia "!ve only briefly played Guild Wars once before, but knocked it on the head due to my old PC not being able to cope. Now I have a nice new gaming rig, so it was only right that I stopped by to test out Guild Wars Nightfall in this weeka "!s recent press preview day. When I say a Sstopped bya ? that's not strictly true. I spent 9 hours embroiled in this fantasy land and can certainly see why millions of fans are so addicted as I battled my way through dozens of missions and side quests, spent some time playing air guitar with the NCSoft staff, slayed dozens of magical creatures, and took a casual stroll along the coastline of the Plains of Jarin.</em></blockquote>

Source: Blue's

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Updated Impressions @ GameSpot

by Dhruin, 01:29
From a few days ago comes GameSpot impressions of Guild Wars: Nightfall that offers input from Jeff Strain on "Heroes, Quests, and Setting":
One of the things that ArenaNet was hearing from the fans was that Guild Wars was almost too fast a game at times. There was so much emphasis on running from battle to battle that there wasn't a lot of time to, figuratively, stop and smell the roses, see the sights, and so on. Things only got faster with the introduction of Guild Wars Factions' faction war, which pits guilds against one another in a persistent online war for territory. The focus, once again, was more on battles than on exploration. So the focus in Nightfall is less on constantly battling and more on adventuring in a beautiful and vibrant world. Nightfall will introduce traditional-style quests, complete with traps and puzzles. The idea is to feature not only combat, but also interactivity with the environment. These quests are being designed for groups, but you can still pursue them even if you're playing by yourself. That's because of another nifty new feature in Nightfall: heroes.

Monday - September 25, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:56
The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a look at some of the recent major changes to the MMORPG and how they've affected gameplay.

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - September 21, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe #16 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:53
Issue 16 of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site.
This week, our roaming reporter shares some newly-acquired information about pets in Elona. He also has a bit of inside info on guild emblems, and gives some well-earned recognition to a few notable players and a worthy guild. Get the latest in this week's news scroll.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - September 20, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Preview Event Access Keys

by Dhruin, 22:37
ArenaNet has revealed the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/support/NWPE_Keys.php" target="_blank">access keys for the Nightfall Preview Event</a> for this weekend:<blockquote><em>If you have a Guild Wars accounta  either a retail account or one that you created for a trial or a previous eventa  you are all set to participate in the Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event! Just log into your Guild Wars account at any time between 12:01 a.m. PDT on Friday, September 22nd and 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, September 24th (between 07:01 GMT on Friday, September 22nd and 06:59 GMT on Monday, September 25th).<br><br>If you are new to the game, welcome to Guild Wars! We think you'll have a great time participating in our Nightfall World Preview Event. In order to join the event, you will need to create an account. To do so, simply click the "Download the Client" link on this page, or on the main page of our site. After you've downloaded the clienta  which takes only a few secondsa  please execute the client and follow the guided steps through the process of account creation.</em></blockquote>

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Features & Skills @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 00:33
The Guild wars site has a newly-added Nightfall product page with the obvious content, as well as a the first in a series of Skills features:
Over the course of the next three days, we will be publishing an expanding page in our Guild Wars Nightfall section that provides insight into certain new skills, with a few developer comments about their potential uses and combinations. The Guild Wars Nightfall Skills Page today provides information about Mesmer, Paragon, and Dervish skills. Check back tomorrow for more skill info!

Tuesday - September 19, 2006

Guild Wars: BAFTA Award Nominee

by Inauro, 22:34
And the award goes to... Guild Wars.<blockquote><em>Tuesday 19th September/...NCsoftA Europe is pleased to confirm that its critically acclaimed global success, Guild Wars Factionsa c, has been nominated in this yeara "!s BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards in the Multiplayer category. Developed by ArenaNetA, Guild Wars Factions was released on 28th April earlier this year, when it held the top spot in the PC charts for three consecutive weeks.<br><br>Dirk Metzger, marketing director, NCsoft Europe says: a SWe are proud to have a game that has not only garnered critical acclaim, but also dominated the software charts. Often, games only succeed on one front. With another campaign in the series nearly finished, the Guild Wars universe continues to go from strength to strength. We are greatly looking forward to launching Guild Wars Nightfall in October.a ?<br><br>Guild Wars Factions and the first campaign in the series, Guild Wars Propheciesa c, are subscription-free online RPGs. The Guild WarsA franchise has sold more than two million copies worldwide, and recently become a massively popular e-sport, attracting tens of thousands of competing players from all around the world. This year alone has seen two global tournaments, the Guild Wars World Championship and Factionsa c World Championship, netting winning guilds a share of more than $US200,000 prize money.<br><br>The next campaign in the series, Guild Wars Nightfalla c, will be released on 27th October, and will continue to offer the leading edge in online gaming.<br><br>More information about Guild Wars can be found at http://eu.guildwars.com/.</em></blockquote>

Source: Games Press

Monday - September 18, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:49
The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at the use of NPCs on the battlefield.
Non-player characters (NPCs) play a vital role in any Guild-versus-Guild combat. Teams use them to gain an offensive advantage over opponents, or use them defensively to make a stand and regroup after a setback. In an otherwise balanced fight, smart use of computer-controlled allies could give you that slight edge you need to overwhelm the opposition.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - September 14, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe & Update Notes @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:58
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest edition of The Scribe and the most recent update notes.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - September 13, 2006

Guild Wars: Fun Weekend @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:02
ArenaNet has announced a weekend event, and the official <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> site has the details.<blockquote><em>During the upcoming weekenda  September 15th through 17tha  Alliance Battles will receive a boost. You'll receive double Balthazar faction for all kills, double Kurzick/Luxon faction for all kills, and double Kurzick/Luxon faction for all wins. In addition, the battle line movement will be accelerated and the line will be seen to shift hourly, rather than every three hours. Join in the fun starting at Noon PDT on Friday, September 15th.</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: Nightfall World Preview Event Announced

by Dhruin, 01:58
ced a Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event</a>:<blockquote><em><b>Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event Set for September 22 - 24<br><br>Guild Wars Nightfall to Debut in Free Global Event Open to the Entire World! Millions of Guild Wars Players not the Only Ones Invited to the Big Event!</b><br><br>September 12, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) a  Announced today by ArenaNetA, developer of the wildly-popular franchise Guild WarsA, the studio's latest game Guild Wars NightfallTM will make its debut in a massive event open to anyone and everyone who would like to play. The event will take place September 22, 2006, beginning at 12:01am PDT and running through September 24, 2006 at 11:59pm PDT.<br><br>The Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event will feature previews of the new environments, new missions, and new battle arenas. The event will allow players to create Nightfall-specific characters from the six core professions as well as the two new NightfallTM professions, the Dervish and the Paragon, and try out new Nightfall skills. The entire Istani province of the new realm Elona will be open for player exploration, and players will be able to view the first Nightfall in-game cinematics. In addition, two new arenas will make their debut, the Sunspear Arena and Churranu Island.<br><br>For an added bonus, the November 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine, due in stores a week before the event, boasts a Guild Wars Nightfall cover story, and includes an access key for an exclusive, in-game, Gray Giant miniature. The Gray Giant will be useable during the World Preview Event, and then may be reactivated with a Guild Wars Nightfall account upon release.<br><br>The Guild Wars live events are world-renowned, drawing players in unprecedented numbers who log millions of gameplay hours. The Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event is expected to exceed prior Guild Wars beta records as eager fans await their first taste of one of the year's most-anticipated games, and ArenaNet is preparing to handle the flux of participants on its servers.<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. Guild Wars Nightfall continues the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting. Eager fans can get the Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack in stores on September 15, and the Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and Guild Wars Nightfall Collector's Edition on October 27, 2006.</em></blockquote>

Monday - September 11, 2006

Guild Wars: Autumn Season @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:50
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for a heads up on the Autumn championship season.
We will be restarting the Guild Wars Ladder this week, as a new fun season begins. The Autumn Season will give prizes in the form of copies of Nightfall and through in-game rewards, as well. The action starts at 17:00 GMT (10:00 a.m. PDT) this Thursday, September 14, 2006, and runs until 17:00 GMT (10:00 a.m. PDT) on Monday, October 16, 2006. Check out the rules for more information.

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - September 07, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe #14 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:56
Issue 14 of <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/community/thescribe/scribe-060907.php" target="_blank">The Scribe</a> is online at the official <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> site.<blockquote><em>This week's news scroll is hot off the quill of our roaming reporter. It covers the recent weekend eventa  which offered the first Guild Wars 6v6 combata  and in addition provides a small tutorial for cartography title seekers and commends several guilds who have displayed exceptional sportsmanship. Find all this in <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/community/thescribe/scribe-060907.php" target="_blank">Issue #14</a>.</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - September 05, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 22:52
This week's State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site focuses on recent GWFC winners, Death Machine.
Congratulations to War Machine [WM], the winners of the Guild Wars Factions World Championship! (And congratulations to fellow writer Michael Thompson for correctly picking War Machine to win it all.) War Machine saved several surprises for Leipzig, as did Idiot Savants [iQ], who shocked naysayers by pulling out some unexpected techniques on its way to the finals. With the different builds and strategies employed by the six guilds in the Championship and the widespread influence of Observer Mode on GvG, expect to face some new challenges in guild battles during the next ladder season.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: GWFC Champion Announced

by Inauro, 22:44
NCSoft and ArenaNet have announced the winners of the recent <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> Factions World Championship.<blockquote><em>NCsoft Europe and ArenaNetA, developer of the award-winning online role-playing game Guild WarsA, are extremely pleased to announce that on Saturday 26th August War Machine of Korea was crowned Guild Wars Factionsa c World Champion, walking away with $50,000 of the $100,000 prize money, bringing War Machinea "!s total earnings in the last three months up to $75,000. Runners up Idiot Savants of America also took home a healthy $25,000.<br><br>The Guild Wars Factions World Championship saw the return of five guilds from the Guild Wars World Championship which took place in Taiwan earlier this year, as well as a sixth open-invitational qualifier. These top players participated in a highly-competitive three-month series earlier this year, and earned their much sought after seats by rising to the top of hundreds of thousands of competitors from around the world.<br><br>This momentous event has firmly established Guild Warsa "! place in the focused world of e-sports, deservedly taking its place alongside the firmly entrenched Real Time Strategy (RTS) and First Person Shooter (FPS) genres as a completely new type of competitive computer game.<br><br>Guild Wars Nightfalla c is the next campaign in the wildly successful and critically acclaimed Guild Wars series. Guild Wars is an online role-playing game where players explore a rich fantasy world, acquire skills, build personalised characters, and compete in head-to-head battles with players from around the world. ArenaNet attributes the success of Guild Wars to compelling game design, innovative technology that offers a unique online game play experience and a revolutionary business model with no monthly subscription fees charged to users.<br><br>For further information, please head to http://eu.guildwars.com</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - September 02, 2006

Guild Wars: Ladder Manipulation @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:31
The official Guild Wars site has word of an investigation into ladder manipulation during the recent Fun Season event.
During the recent Fun Season, three guilds were found to have knowingly participated in ladder abuse as defined in the GWFC Events Eligibility rules. Specifically, the guilds were involved in proven instances of intentionally resigning matches or requesting others to resign in order to influence ladder rankings. The rules state that guilds engaging in such actions may be disqualified from receiving prizes in events during the GWFC, including the Fun Season. Since the rules violation took place only during the Fun Season, these guilds are no longer eligible to receive any of that season's prizes. The winners list will be adjusted to reward the top 16 eligible guilds.

To submit evidence of any ladder abuse/manipulation or other rules violations, please email tournament@arena.net.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - August 30, 2006

Guild Wars: PAX Updates & Heroes Ascent Weekend Event

by Dhruin, 03:43
The Guild Wars site has some <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/pax2006/" target="_blank">PAX Updates</a> including photos, winning team rosters and interviews, plus the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/" target="_blank">Heroes Ascent Extended Weekend Event</a> has been announced:<blockquote><em>Come and claim your fame in Heroes Ascent during this Labor Day weekenda "!s special event! For the first time in the history of Heroes Ascent, participants will face off against each other in smaller teams of six, earning double fame along the way! To add to the fun, this exciting extended event will begin at Noon PDT on Friday, September 1st and will run all the way until Noon PDT on Tuesday, September 5th! Be sure to join us in Heroes Ascent this weekend and take advantage of that extra time to rack up your fame!</em></blockquote>

Tuesday - August 29, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 09:19
This week's State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site focuses on playing a role in Guild vs. Guild combat.
In GvG matches, a successful defense usually entails more than two Boon Prots and good healing, or a multitude of Ritualist Spirits. Every profession can boost the team's defensive capabilities, although the precise interactions of skills and tactics may not be immediately apparent. Often a team will rely heavily on its offensive and utility characters providing essential support for the team. This article goes beyond Monk healing tactics and Ritualist Spirit-laying to examine what the other professions can offer to team defense.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - August 26, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:59
fc/matchschedule.php" target="_blank">Click here</a> for more information about the GWFC.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/matchschedule.php" target="_blank">Match Report</a>.<blockquote><em>Idiots Savant defeated The Last Pride by winning games 2 and 3 of the first round of the GWFC semi-finals, assuring themselves a place in the finals which are scheduled to take place at 14:00 GMT tomorrow. iQ will face the victor of tomorrowa "!s second semi-final match between War Machine and Treacherous Empire. That match takes place at 09:00 GMT. Details will be provided shortly in a full game report, and be sure to catch the truly amazing matches from Leipzig on Observer Mode.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/photoalbum/gamesconvention2006/" target="_blank">GWFC Photos</a>.<blockquote><em>The gallery is now open! Check out photos of the Games Convetion in Leipzig and the Guild Wars Factions World Championship in our <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/photoalbum/gamesconvention2006/" target="_blank">photo gallery</a>. More pictures to come soon!</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/" target="_blank">Leipzig Reports</a>.<blockquote><em>Wea "!ve just received the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/match3iqvsevil.php" target="_blank">full match report</a> for the first Semi-Final match; Idiot Savants vs. The Last Pride. Wea "!ve also received our <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/gailestrip02.php" target="_blank">second travel diary</a> from our community relations manager Gaile Gray. Be sure to check out all our reports from the Games Convention in Leipzig in our <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/" target="_blank">GWFC Section</a>.</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - August 24, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall Release Date Confirmed

by Inauro, 23:10
NC Soft and ArenaNet have confirmed the release date for the next installment in the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> saga.<blockquote><em>Thursday 24th August 2006/...Announced today from the Guild Wars Factionsa c World Championship in Leipzig, Germany, ArenaNetA and NCsoftA Europe give fans the date they have been waiting for a  Guild Wars Nightfalla c, the next game in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed franchise, will be available in stores worldwide on 27 October 2006.<br><br>In this third Guild Wars campaign, players must fight to hold back the night as a mad ruler attempts to free her outcast god and bring darkness to the continent of Elona. But they wona "!t fight alone. Guild Wars Nightfall introduces new customizable Heroes who level up, follow player instructions in combat, and use skills and equipment of the playera "!s choice. These Heroes will follow the player through savage coasts, ancient monuments, and poisonous deserts during an epic story that spans 20 missions and hundreds of quests. And for the ultimate one on one challenge, competitive players can choose to enter the new Hero vs. Hero Battles, where they pit their customized team of Heroes against those of other players from around the world.<br><br>Guild Wars Nightfall will be available in both Standard and Collectora "!s Edition. The limited edition and highly-coveted collectora "!s edition will include the Guild Wars Nightfall game as well as a Making of Guild Wars Nightfall behind-the-scenes DVD, collectora "!s art book, collectible skills pins, a character mini-standee, a poster-sized map of Elona, the Guild Wars Nightfall soundtrack CD and more.<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online role playing games. Guild Wars Nightfall continues the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting. Eager fans can get the Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack in stores on 15 September, and the Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and the Guild Wars Nightfall Collectora "!s Edition on 27 October 2006.<br></em></blockquote>

Source: ArenaNet

Guild Wars: Interview & Nightfall Impressions @ Gamesdynamite.de

by Inauro, 23:02
Gamesdynamite.de were kind enough to let us know that they have some new Guild Wars content (in German) available.

First up are the newest Nightfall impressions straight from the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany.

Also available is an interview with Jeff Strain and Mike O'Brian, the founders of ArenaNet, who talk about the development of the MMORPG-Market and their expectations toward the next ten years. They also tell us, why they are sure to keep up to the players expectations.

Source: Gamesdynamite.de

Wednesday - August 23, 2006

Guild Wars: Meet the Guilds @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:13
A number of interviews with the guilds competing in the Guild Wars: Factions Championship are available at the official site.
As our teams at the Games Convention in Leipzig start setting up today we wrap up our Meet the GWFC Guilds interviews this week with interviews from The Last Pride, Esoteric Warriors, and Irresistible Blokes. The Guild Wars Factions World Championship and the Games Convention start tomorrow!

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - August 22, 2006

Guild Wars: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:07
This week's Guild Wars Guild of the Week is Black Emperor. Head on over to the official site for a Q&A with the guild.
The Guild Wars Factions World Championship is coming up, and it's anybody's guess as to who will take first place and bring home the trophy. For one German guild this will be a special event, because it won the Wartower League, giving it the right to challenge a Guild Wars Faction Championship team. Here is what Black Emperor [bE] has to say about the upcoming event.

Q:Who in your guild designs the team builds you use, or is it a group effort?

There are two to three people who come up with a basic idea for a build. The rest of the guild then comes up with suggestions to improve it, and we try to tweak it together.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 02:25
A bunch of new Guild Wars happenings today: the Fun Season has ended, State of the Game: Championship Predictions has freelance writers picking overall victors and the Emblem Contest Deadline Nears.

Thursday - August 17, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe #11 @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 23:30
The Guild Wars site has the latest issue of The Scribe, following "the struggle between the Luxons and Kurzicks this week on a voyage from Fort Aspenwood to The Jade Quarry" and more.

Wednesday - August 16, 2006

Guild Wars: Weekend Event & Other Site Updates

by Dhruin, 01:03
The Guild Wars site has several new items on offer, srtaing with the announcement of an upcoming weekend event:
During the weekend of August 18 to August 20, you will earn double Kurzick, Luxon, and Balthazar faction in the Fort Aspenwood and Jade Quarry competitive missions! Additionally, all PvP characters that have access to Factions will now be able to participate in these missions simply by talking to the special Luxon Diplomats or Kurzick Recruiters that will be located in the Great Temple of Balthazar! The double faction fun starts at Noon PDT on Friday, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, with the PvP character access remaining open even after the event ends. Come join in the fun this weekend watch those faction points rack up!
...next is the Guild of the Week and, lastly, Making Sealed Play Work:
The dust has settled at the Guild Wars 5K Arena at Gen Con 2006. Learn how the winning team, Team Make it Work, came up with their strategy for winning the tournament in our Making Sealed Play Work article.

Guild Wars: Nightfall Trailer @ Official Site

by Dhruin, 01:00
ArenaNet has released an in-game Nightfall <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/video/" target="_blank">trailer</a>:<blockquote><em>Here's your chance to take an exclusive look into the world of Guild Wars Nightfall! For your viewing pleasure, wea "!ve put together a trailer of this exciting new campaign, featuring glimpses of breathtaking cities, lush landscapes, and terrifying new foes. Also previewed is brand new footage of our Dervish and Paragon professions.</em></blockquote>Strategy Informer also wrote in with their <a href="http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/guildwarsnightfall/movie/8880.html" target="_blank">mirror</a>.

Monday - August 14, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10
The latest State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at damage calculation in ArenaNet's free-to-play MMORPG.
When you attack a player with a weapon or skill, it means you deal damage. A successful attack displays yellow numbers above your target's head, showing how much Health loss you inflicted. Many variables influence this damage. The game calculates damage type, location on the target's body, armor level (AL), and any other modifiers like Enchantment buffs or Hexes. Once the game has crunched the numbers it determines how much damage you do. By remembering the basic damage types and how to resist them, players can hone their playing ability and select proper targets and skills when entering into a battle.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - August 10, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ GameSpy

by Inauro, 23:00
GameSpy takes another look at ArenaNet's Guild Wars in their latest "State of the Game" feature.
Prior to Guild Wars' launch, it was easy to be skeptical about some of the lofty promises being made. The prospect of a subscriptionless online RPG that would stream most of its content instead of using traditional patches was hardly a sure thing, but the game was received with both stellar reviews and brisk sales, and a thriving online scene soon emerged.
More...

Source: GameSpy

Wednesday - August 09, 2006

Guild Wars: Weekend Event & Guild of the Week

by Dhruin, 00:01
Two new items at the Guild Wars site today. First, there's Another Double-Your-Fun Weekend event:
This weekend, August 11 to August 13, you'll find yourself twice as likely to nab a rare drop from any chest in Cantha. And, to help you get into those chests, you will also notice an increase in the drop rate for keys, too! Come along this weekend and see what you can add to your collection of cool items! The fun starts at Noon PDT on Friday, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday.
...and then the usual Guild of the Week.

Saturday - August 05, 2006

Guild Wars: Guild Emblem Contest @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:52
With the announcement of Nightfall, the next installment in the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> saga comes a new contest.<blockquote><em>With the recent announcement of the next campaign in the Guild Wars sagaa  <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases/pressrelease-2006-07-18.php" target="_blank">Guild Wars Nightfall</a>a  we are delighted to announce a brand new Guild Wars guild emblem contest. Guild emblems are those distinctive icons that adorn a character's cape and show his or her allegiance to a particular guild. With the release of Guild Wars NightfallTM, our artists will be expanding your guild emblem choices, and you can help, too! <br> <br>We invite you to design a new and attractive guild graphic and submit it to us for judging. The prize? Up to 12 of the best symbols will be placed permanently into the Guild Wars emblem catalogue and will appear in Guild Wars Nightfall upon release or in an update soon after release. When added to the game, the emblems will be available for use by players around the world. <br> <br>In addition to inclusion in the game and recognition on our global websites, winners will also receive a full set of the eight collectible <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/skillpins.php" target="_blank">Guild Wars Skill Pins</a>.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.guildwars.com/events/contests/emblem/gwn-emblemrules.php" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - August 04, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe & GWFC Tie-Breaker @ Official Site

by Inauro, 09:25
Head on over to the official <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> site for the latest issue of <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/community/thescribe/scribe-060803.php" target="_blank">The Scribe</a> and details of the GWFC Season 3 <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/competingguildsset.php" target="_blank">tie-breaker</a> to be held this weekend.<blockquote><em>At the conclusion of Season #3 of the <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/competingguildsset.php" target="_blank">Guild Wars Factions Championship</a>, two guildsa  Esoteric Warriors and Irresistible Blokesa  ended up tied for the #3 seed in GWFC Championship Points. Therefore, these two guilds will be playing a special tie-breaker on Saturday, August 5th, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (18:00 GMT). This match will determine which guild will be the #3 seed at the GC in Leipzig, Germany later this month. The #3 seed will face Idiot Savants; the #4 seed and play against Treacherous Empires. Be sure to check out the tie-breaker match on Observer Mode, and watch for results on this website!</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - August 03, 2006

Guild Wars: Digital Download Available

by Inauro, 22:57
<a href="http://www.gamespress.com" target="_blank">Games Press</a> is carrying the following announcement regarding the digital distribution of <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a>.<blockquote><em>Thursday 3 August 2006/...For the millions of gamers worldwide who have become enraptured by the award-winning online roleplaying game Guild WarsA, equipping themselves with Guild Wars games and accessories has never been easier. Announced today by ArenaNetA, developer of the wildly popular Guild Wars franchise, and NCsoftA Europe, the worlda "!s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, the Guild Wars online store is now open for business.<br><br>Players will be able to download Guild Wars games and accessories directly from within the game, and the digital distribution will enable this content to be used immediately, without the need for downloads or CD installation. The store is initially selling Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factionsa c games, as well additional character slots to be purchased for existing player accounts, the item most requested by Guild Wars players.<br><br>a SFor the first time, NCsoft is giving access to its PlayNC store from directly within a game,a ? said Max Brown, Sales Director of NCsoft Europe, a SThis means that when players want to buy something to enhance their Guild Wars experience, they can actually do their shopping inside the game, instantly.a ?<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. Guild Wars Nightfalla c will continue the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting, build personalised characters, and find adventure in missions and quests, in a Guild Wars game unlike any players have seen before.<br></em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - August 01, 2006

Guild WArs: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:14
This week's Guild Wars Guild of the Week is Sinster Swarm.
With six years as a group, Sinister Swarm [Sin] is one of the longest-lived guilds in Guild Wars. A core group of Sin's players have upheld the guild through several games, including Dark Age of Camelot and Everquest.

After hearing about Guild Wars at E3 in 2004, the leaders of Sinister Swarm decided the idea of a fast-paced game with tournament play appealed to them. They yearned for a game that addressed the problems they saw in other MMORPGs. With the release of Guild Wars Prophecies, the GW Swarm was born. The guild adopted GvG play with a passion and has held its own on the ladder ever since. Although its all-time record is rank 89, Swarm won't rest until it's number 1.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Prerelease Bonus Pack Announced

by Dhruin, 22:29
From <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases/pressrelease-2006-08-01.php" target="_blank">ArenaNet</a><b>ArenaNet Announces Prerelease Bonus Pack for Guild Wars Nightfall<br><br>Fans to get first taste of next Guild Wars game in new retail package that will include exclusive character items, an additional character slot, screenshots and more</b><br><br>August 1, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) a  ArenaNetA and NCsoftA today announced a brand new retail package which will soon give Guild WarsA players their first look inside the exciting upcoming release, Guild Wars NightfallTM. The announcement comes on the heels of the Guild Wars Nightfall PVP Preview Event where players were able to create characters using the new Nightfall professions.<br><br>The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is expected to hit store shelves on September 15 and will feature:<br><br> * Guild Wars "Play Now" key for a 10-hour/14-day trial* of Guild Wars PropheciesTM and Guild Wars FactionsTM.<br> * Guild Wars Nightfall Bonus Key, providing one additional character slot for a Guild Wars Nightfall account, as well as two exclusive items for the new professionsa  a Firey Sunspear of Shelter for the Paragon and an Icy Soulbreaker of Enchanting for the Dervish<br> * Mini strategy guide, concept art, screenshots, in-game renders of characters and items, preview trailer, wallpapers, lore, quick reference card, music, and more!</em></blockquote>

Monday - July 31, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game & Weekend Event @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:12
Following on from last week's Guild Wars State of the Game article is this week's episode focusing on arena play. Snip:
Random Arena versus Team Arena

In the Random Arena (RA) players enter solo with a character and get paired with three other random players. This has some advantages and some disadvantages. Random players will have random builds and should not be relied upon to form a well-rounded team. Sometimes you won't be paired with a Monk healer, or sometimes you may lack a Warrior tank.
Also in the headlines is the following announcement regarding this coming weekend's in-game event.
This coming weekend offers special bonuses for players who enjoy missions, roleplaying, and unique items. Factions players will be granted access to all Canthan elite missions the entire weekend via an NPC in Kaineng Center. In addition, there will be double rare loot drops within Canthan Elite Missions during the weekend! This exciting weekend will begin on Friday, August 4, at 12:01 a.m. PDT (07:01 GMT) and will end Sunday, August 6, at 11:59 p.m. (that's Monday, August 7 at 06:59 GMT). We hope to see you there!

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - July 29, 2006

Guild Wars: Scribe #8 & In-Game Trophy @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:10
Issue eight of The Scribe is online at the official Guild Wars site. Also in the headlines is a suggestion that players visit the Temple of Balthazar to view the in-game trophy awarded to the winner of the Guild Wars World Championship.
Check out the Temple of Balthazar to see the sparkly new in-game trophy that commemorates the winner of the Guild Wars World Championship. The trophy allows you to read about the guild's various accomplishments and it lists the tournament team member names, as well. This is an example of an exciting option that will be expanded in the future.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - July 28, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall - Screens @ SW Slovenija

by Dhruin, 22:22
GW Slovenija has tossed up some Guild Wars: Nightfall screens. Thanks Blue's.

Guild Wars: Update Notes

by Dhruin, 22:10
ArenaNet has patched in a number of improvements to Guild Wars just in advance of the 'Nightfall' preview event - head here for the patch notes.

Wednesday - July 26, 2006

Guild Wars: GWFC Season 3 Match Videos @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:13
The Guild Wars Factions Championship Season 3 match movies are online at the official Guild Wars site.

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - July 25, 2006

Guild Wars: Guild of the Week & Nightfall Preview Event @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:25
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest Guild of the Week article and an announcement of the upcoming Guild Wars: Nightfall PvP preview event.
On the weekend of July 28th to July 30th, players will be able to experience a special sneak preview of the newly announced Guild Wars Nightfall campaign through our Guild Wars Nightfall PVP Preview Event!

During this time, both Guild Wars Prophecies and Guild Wars Factions owners will be able to:

* Create new PVP characters using the upcoming Dervish and Paragon professions.
* Test out both classes' exciting new skills in both beta-exclusive preview arenas and current battle arenas.
* Compete against other players in special PvP tasks to gain items that will be exchangeable for a variety of rewards throughout the weekend event.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: Nightfall Info @ GWOnline

by Inauro, 22:58
The good folk at GWOnline managed to track down NCSoft's Keith Quinn at ComicCon and gather a few details about Nightfall, the next installment in the Guild Wars saga.<blockquote><em>Although commonly referred to only as Guild Wars, the first Guild Wars title was actually called Guild Wars: Prophecies. The second, just out this past April, is called Guild Wars: Factions. The soon to be released episode is called Guild Wars: Nightfall. Although the games use the same game mechanics, play style, interface, and character creation systems, these episodes are huge, and are basically entirely new worlds. The amount of content contained in each campaign is extremely large. The company survives based not on subscription fees, but on box sales. The way GW looks at things, if you like the game youa "!ll continue to buy the expansions/episodes/campaigns. It drives the company to keep the game as interesting and a Ualivea "! as possible.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.gwonline.net/wiki/index.php/ComicCon_2006" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: GWOnline

Monday - July 24, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:10
A new State of the Game article at the official Guild Wars site takes a closer look at Arena Battles.
The Arena in Guild Wars is the battle-hardened ground on which the titantic clash of 4v4 play takes place. This article covers the two main arenas: Random Arena and Team Arena. Both of these outposts are found near the Great Temple of Balthazar and are accessible to Roleplaying characters through the ship icon on the world map.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - July 22, 2006

Guild Wars: Ladder Reset & Scribe #7 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:33
The Guild Wars ladder has been reset and ArenaNet is planning a fun event before the next round of the championship begins.
With the completion of the recent GWFC Open Event, we wanted to give you all a few days to relax before we begin the next event. Just as we did prior to the GWWC, we will be running a "fun" ladder event leading up to the GWFC. This will allow guilds competing in Leipzig to practice, and in addition, we can give out more cool prizes to the winning guilds!
Also in the headlines is the latest issue of The Scribe.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - July 19, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall - The Paragon and the Dervish Professions @ GameSpot

by Dhruin, 03:29
The Paragon and the Dervish Professions have been profiled at GameSpot:
Forget "campaign 3." The next chapter in the Guild Wars franchise now has a name: Nightfall. Like Guild Wars Factions, Nightfall is a stand-alone chapter in the Guild Wars online role-plaing saga and it will introduce a new continent to explore, new gameplay features to experience, and two new professions to play with. We got our first glimpse of Nightfall during the Electronic Entertainment Expo and learned that this chapter is set in a North Africa-like setting, with sun-drenched coastlines and dry, desert interiors.

Tuesday - July 18, 2006

Guild Wars: Nightfall Preview @ Gamespot

by Inauro, 23:04
Gamespot previews Guild Wars: Nightfall, ArenaNet's recently announced sequel to Guild Wars and Guild Wars: Factions.
Forget "campaign 3." The next chapter in the Guild Wars franchise now has a name: Nightfall. Like Guild Wars Factions, Nightfall is a stand-alone chapter in the Guild Wars online role-plaing saga and it will introduce a new continent to explore, new gameplay features to experience, and two new professions to play with. We got our first glimpse of Nightfall during the Electronic Entertainment Expo and learned that this chapter is set in a North Africa-like setting, with sun-drenched coastlines and dry, desert interiors.
More...

Source: Gamespot

Guild Wars: Nightfall Announced

by Inauro, 22:57
ArenaNet has announced the next installment in the Guild Wars series is already in development. Already in beta Guild Wars: Nightfall will be revealed in a first-look player-versus-player event scheduled for 28 a  31 July, 2006.<blockquote><em>Tuesday 18 July 2006, Brighton, UK/... ArenaNetA, developer of the worlda "!s leading subscription-free online role playing games Guild WarsA and Guild Wars Factionsa c, and NCsoftA Europe, the worlda "!s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announce today the title of the next game in the award-winning franchise, Guild Wars Nightfalla c. Further, Guild Wars Nightfall has entered the beta testing stage and Guild Wars players worldwide are invited to participate in an exclusive, first-look player-versus-player (PvP) event, July 28 a  July 31, 2006.<br><br>During the PvP Preview Event, both Guild Wars Prophecies and Guild Wars Factions players will get a first look at Guild Wars Nightfall, and will be able to try out the two new professions being introduced in the game; the Dervish, a scythe-wielding holy warrior, and the Paragon, guardian angel of the Elonian people. In addition to testing out the new professions and arenas, players will also be able to compete for items that will be exchangeable for a variety of rewards throughout the weekend event.<br><br>The Guild Wars Nightfall PvP Preview event will kick off on Friday, July 28 at 08:00 BST / 09:00 CET and will continue through Monday, July 31 to 07:59 BST / 08:59 CET.<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online role playing games. Guild Wars Nightfall will continue the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting, build personalised characters, compete in head-to-head battles with players from around the world, and find adventure in missions and quests, in a Guild Wars game unlike any player have seen before.</em></blockquote>

Source: ArenaNet

Saturday - July 15, 2006

Guild Wars: GWFC Update & Season 3 Movies @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:34
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest from the Guild Wars Factions Championship and the GWFC Season 3 Match Videos.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - July 14, 2006

Guild Wars: Match Reports & The Scribe #6 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:21
A trio of Match Reports and a new edition of The Scribe constitute the latest from the world of Guild Wars.

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - July 13, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:44
A new wallpaper commemorating the recent Dragon Festival event, details of ArenaNet's plans for this year's Gen Con, and the latest from the Guild Wars Factions Championship are the headlines from the official Guild Wars site today.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - July 12, 2006

Guild Wars: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:50
This week's Guild Wars <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/community/guildweek/gotw-2006-07-11-frozenflame.php" target="_blank">Guild of the Week</a> is Frozen Flame.<blockquote><em>Originally formed by four Finnish players, Frozen Flame is cited as being a creation of conveniencea  primarily for the use of Guild chat and the possibility of recruiting more Finnish players. In the Beta Weekend Events that followed, however, the guild started to expand and began to play PvP regularly. Eventually, the guild expanded to recruiting international players in hopes of becoming a world-class GvG competitor.</em></blockquote><a href="http://www.guildwars.com/community/guildweek/gotw-2006-07-11-frozenflame.php" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - July 11, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:26
This week's Guild Wars State of the Game article contains some tips for those planning to participate in the Guild Wars Factions Open Event.

Source: Guild Wars

Guild Wars: Interview @ CVG

by Inauro, 04:13
CVG talks with Michael Gills, ArenaNet Tournament Coordinator, about the future of Guild Wars as an online sport.
What challenges have you faced when attempting to stay on top of keeping the game balanced, and how has the introduction of large cash prizes changed the way you run the league?

Gills: As with any game, whether computer, card, or even a board game, there are many, many more players than there are the people who create it. While the designers do their best to create a fair and balanced game, the simple reality is that the player base will do a much more thorough job in testing the game and stretching the rules of it than can ever be done in-house.

With that said, one of the advantages that Guild Wars has over more static games such as trading card or videogames is the ability to be constantly monitoring and making changes to maintain the overall competitive balance of the game. With our streaming technology we are able to quickly make needed game balances and upload them to our entire player base. This was done constantly before high level PvP play was started and is watched even more closely now.
More...

Source: CVG

Monday - July 10, 2006

Guild Wars: GWFC Season 3 Winner @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:25
And the winner is...
The Last Pride, reigning GWWC champion, has fought to victory against War Machine in the finals of the GWFC, claiming the title of Season #3 winner. For seeding at the finals in Leipzig, the GWFC points page reveals the following: War Machine will be the first seed and The Last Pride will be the second. Esoteric Warriors and Irresistible Blokes are tied for third/fourth, which places Sacrament of the Waooru as the fifth seed. Naturally, the winner of next weekend's Open Event will be the sixth seed at Leipzig.

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - July 08, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:09
A new Match Report, the GWFC Season 3 Finals, and issue number five of The Scribe are the latest from the official Guild Wars site. Here's a snippet from the Match Report.
Our feature match this week involves two of the top Korean guilds as they tried to secure spots in the Season Three Playoffs. Since the release of Guild Wars over a year ago, War Machine [WM] has consistently finished among the top guilds in the world. Known for its uncanny ability to execute successful split strategies in practically every guild hall, WM presents a tough challenge to any team. The Benecia Renovatio made a strong showing in the first season of the GWFC, only to miss the Season Two playoffs by a narrow margin. RenO still has a chance to surpass WM and obtain a second slot in the GWFC Finals for Korea, but must first top WM in the final ladder standings.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - July 07, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:44
Match Reports, bot bannings, and GWFC Tie-Breakers are the order of the day at the official <a href="http://www.guildwars.com" target="_blank">Guild Wars</a> site.<br><br><b>Match Reports</b>.<blockquote><em>We will be presenting several match reports over the next few days, and our intrepid game reporters submit their articles. Please keep your eye on this post, and we'll expand the list as we add more reports. The match reports offered so far are: <br> <br> * <a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/matchreports/2006-07-03-ibvsemt.php" target="_blank">#5 Irresistible Blokes [iB] vs. #4 No Clue [emt]</a> <br> * <a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/matchreports/2006-07-02-ewvsreno.php" target="_blank">#7 Esoteric Warriors [EW] vs. #2 The Benecia Renovatio [RenO]</a> <br> * <a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/matchreports/2006-07-02-wmvste.php" target="_blank">#1 War Machine [WM] vs. #8 Treacherous Empire [Te]</a> <br></em></blockquote><b>Bots Banned</b>.<blockquote><em>In order to maintain a solid game economy, we constantly monitor the game for the use of cheats and exploits. Over the course of the last week, we banned more than 4,000 accounts of players using "bot" programs intended to mine the game for gold and items. The use of such programs is strictly against our User Agreement, and their use can have a negative effect on the game's economy and on all players who play the game legitimately. We will remain diligent on the matter of bot use, and will continue to take action against those accounts involved in such use.</em></blockquote><a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/season3times.php" target="_blank">Tie-Breaker</a>.<blockquote><em>As the dust settled on the GWFC Season #3 playoffs, two guildsa  Sacrament of the Waooru and Treacherous Empirea  ended up tied for GWFC championship points. Therefore, these two guilds will be playing a special tie-breaker on Sunday, July 9, at a time that will be announced on the <a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/gwfc/season3times.php" target="_blank">Guild Wars Factions Playoff Page</a>. This match will determine whether the Japanese or American guild receives an invitation to the championship at Leipzig in August. So be sure to check out the match on Observer Mode, and watch for results on this website!</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - July 06, 2006

Guild Wars: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:08
This week's Guild Wars Guild of the Week is Comité de la Bière de Nains (French Dwarven Ale Committee).
Originally formed in October of 2005, the French Dwarven Ale Committee became an official Guild Wars guild on December of the same year. Why the discrepancy between the times, you may wonder? The story of how the guild's creation is a rather unique one...
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - July 05, 2006

Guild Wars: Dragon Festival Update @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:23
The Dargon Festival page at the official Guild Wars site has been updated with some new information.
Taking place in and around the Shing Jea Monastery starting on June 30, 2006 at 7:00 GMT (Midnight PDT June 29) and running through July 5, 2006 at 7:00 GMT (Midnight PDT July 4), the Dragon Festival is an exclusive weekend event for Guild Wars Factions players.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Sunday - July 02, 2006

Guild Wars: GWFC 3rd Season Playoff Times @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:04
The playoff times for the third season of the Guild Wars: Factions Championship have been posted at the official Guild Wars site.

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - July 01, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:07
There's a significant number of updates at the official Guild Wars. Here's a round-up.

Season 3 Playoff Bracket Set.
New Storage Options.
The Scribe Issue #4.
Dargon Festival Event.
Match Report - The Last Pride vs. No Clue.

And rounding things off is the announcement that the second printing of the Guild Wars: Factions Collectors Edition has shipped.
The second printing of the Guild Wars Factions Collector's Edition has shipped and should be available in stores in North America next week. Check with your favorite retailer for availability. We want to thank you for your patience as we fulfilled the unprecedented demand for the CE, and we look forward to seeing you in the game sporting your new back-up dancers and Kuunavang miniature!

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - June 29, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 00:45
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest Guild of the Week profile, information on the GWFC Final Seasonal Playoffs, and a new State of the Game article focusing on the Ritualist class. Snip:
The Ritualist is a unique and flexible profession that can benefit any team. By channeling Spirits from the Underworld, this profession can heal an ally's injuries or wreak havoc on enemies. Although some players shy away from this profession, claiming that it is too difficult to play, it's well worth taking another look at. Having a firm understanding of the Ritualist's attribute line and different Spirits, as well as how to use skills effectively, will give you the knowledge you need to play this flexible profession with confidence.

Source: Guild Wars

Sunday - June 25, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 03:39
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest from the Guild Wars: Factions World Championsip, a new in-game event, and a free download of the complete Guild Wars Prophecies manual.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - June 23, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:01
Head on over to the official Guild Wars for the latest edition of The Scribe and a new State of the Game article that takes a closer look at Alliance Battles.
What is an Alliance Battle, anyway?

One of the new competitive map types in Guild Wars Factions is the Alliance Battle. In the game, there is an ever-present front line that moves between the two warring factions of the Luxons and the Kurzicks. Depending on how well each side is faring the border can shift left or right and affect the control of some outposts. The border dictates which map an Alliance Battle is taking place on. If the border has been pushed all the way to the Luxon side then the map will have a heavy Luxon advantage. Likewise, if the border has moved to the Kurzick side, they will gain an advantage to compensate for lost territory. The main Alliance Battle map is Saltspray Beach, which is playable when the border is dead center.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - June 21, 2006

Guild WArs: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:12
I Seek HK is the latest guild to be profiled in the Guild of the Week series at the official Guild Wars site.
I Seek Guild H K is one of the oldest and largest Chinese guilds active in Guild Wars. Originally formed as I Seek Guild [ICQ] in the American Region, many of the guild's members switched to their home territory with the recent release of Guild Wars in Taiwan. Since the switch, I Seek Guild H K has grown to nearly one hundred members and has consistently finishing in first place for its territory in the Guild Wars Factions Championship.
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - June 20, 2006

Guild WArs: 2 Million Units Sold @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:58
ArenaNet and NCSoft <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases/pressrelease-2006-06-19.php" target="_blank">announced today</a> that sales of Guild Wars have passed two million units.<blockquote><em>June 19, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) a  ArenaNetA, developer of the world's leading subscription-free online roleplaying games Guild WarsA and Guild Wars FactionsTM, and NCsoftA Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announce today the Guild Wars franchise has sold more than two million units worldwide to date. In further news, sales data from The NPD Group shows Guild Wars Factions as the number one selling PC game in North America for the month of May 2006.<br><br>"The highly successful release of Guild Wars Factions has solidified the Guild Wars franchise as a mainstay with gamers," says Bob McKenzie, Senior VP of Merchandising, GameStop, Inc. "As a top seller for GameStop and EBGames, we watch with high interest how this property continues to make a stronghold for itself in the marketplace."<br><br>When the first installment in this award-winning series, Guild Wars, launched in April 2005, it revolutionized online gaming and was an instant bestseller worldwide. Not to be outdone, ArenaNet's hotly anticipated Guild Wars Factions, released April 28, 2006, was the number one game in both North America and Europe for the month of May.<br><br>"ArenaNet continues to take chances in both game design and business model, and it's great to have the fans respond so enthusiastically right out of the gate with Guild Wars Factions," says Patrick Wyatt, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Our fans have been overwhelmingly supportive of Guild Wars, and we will continue to make the Guild Wars franchise bigger and better with each release."<br><br>Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions are global online roleplaying games in which players immerse themselves in a rich fantasy world, build personalized characters, compete in head-to-head battles with players from around the world, and find adventure in missions and quests. In the game that has captivated millions of players, more than 7000 guilds worldwide are currently competing in the Guild Wars Factions tournament season, the finalists of which will be flown to Leipzig, Germany in August to compete for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. For complete tournament rules, please visit www.guildwars.com.</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - June 17, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:25
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for the latest Match Report, a .pdf version of the Factions game manual, and an update on the GWFC skill pins.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - June 16, 2006

Guild WArs: The Scribe #2 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 08:03
The second edition of <a href="http://guildwars.com/community/thescribe/#" target="_blank">The Scribe</a> is online at the official Guild Wars site. Here's a snippet from the new edition:<blockquote><em>During my travels across Tyria and Cantha I have met many people. And while all have a calling of their owna  be it soldier, merchant, mercenary, or scribea  each shares a deep appreciation for unique items.<br><br>I recently received worda  as yet confirmeda  that adventurers have found a few items previously unknown to our world. It is unclear from where these items originated, but early reports state that they are of fine craftsmanship, and are unique in appearance. I have spoken with local blacksmiths and craftsmen in both Cantha and Tyria, and none of them will take credit for the creation of these new objects. So many questions come to mind: What are these wonderful items? Where did they come from? Why have they mysteriously arrived? Yet all of these questions are trivial when compared to the biggest question on everyone's mind: Where can they be found?</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - June 14, 2006

Guild WArs: Guild of the Week @ Official Site

by Inauro, 07:00
The Republic Edge (TRE) is the latest guild to be profiled at the official Guild Wars site.<blockquote><em>TRE was founded May 17, 2005 with the goal of being an active Singapore-based community. The founders determined to focus on fun and friendship rather than playing Guild Wars competitively.<br><br>TRE accepts active players that share the guild's vision, culture, and ability to play within its active gaming sessions. TRE's other unique attribute is its diverse membershipa  the guild encompasses players from ages 15 to 40, with professions ranging from students to doctors.</em></blockquote><a href="http://guildwars.com/community/guildweek/gotw-2006-06-13-therepublicedge.php" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - June 13, 2006

Guild Wars: State of the Game @ Official Site

by Inauro, 08:50
A new <a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/stateofthegame/balancedbuild.php" target="_blank">State of the Game</a> article is online at the official Guild Wars site.<blockquote><em>The oldest and arguably best GvG template in Guild Wars is the balanced build. Balanced builds have been around since the first BWEs, and they still make up a large portion of GvG builds. These complex builds require a great amount of tactical precision and multiple layers of synergy between the individual characters, and they demand multiple levels of offensea  pressure, spike, and split. Balanced builds test individual skill and team coordination in ways that few other builds do. Ask many top teams which type of build they prefer to play, however, and you'll usually receive the same responsea  a balanced build.</em></blockquote><a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/stateofthegame/balancedbuild.php" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: Guild Wars

Monday - June 12, 2006

Guild Wars: Match Report @ Official Site

by Inauro, 05:29
The latest Match Report at the official Guild Wars site details the battle between That Hideous Strength [THS] and Black Crescent [BC].
This match, which took place early in the third season of the GWFC series, featured an aggressive display from two top guilds: That Hideous Strength [THS], ranked 28th with 15 wins and 3 losses, and Black Crescent [BC], ranked 16th with 22 wins and 3 losses were the contenders. Each team sported two very similar builds, and in the end it came down to the skills each team carried that allowed them to counter the offensive capabilities of its opponents. In this typical-length match, That Hideous Strength used its skills effectively to defeat its higher-ranked opponent with minimal casualties.

Source: Guild Wars

Friday - June 09, 2006

Guild Wars: The Scribe @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:15
has much to show for it. Like tolling bells, success seems to swing from side to side, keeping this brutal war at a seemingly endless stalemate. <br> <br>The front is just now shifting toward Saltspray Beacha  the borderland between the Kurzick and Luxon nations. In recent days, Kurzick forces pushed the Luxons past the Harvest Temple. The Luxon response to the Kurzick occupation was swift and relentless, finding the weaknesses in the Kurzick strategy and exploiting them.</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - June 08, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:58
ArenaNet has updated the Guild Wars Open schedule and uploaded a new wallpaper at the official site.

Source: Guild Wars

Tuesday - June 06, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:43
The official Guild Wars site is sporting a new State of the Game article and three new GWFC Season Two Playoffs movies. Here's a snippet from the SotG article:
With Guild Wars Factions now five weeks old and the third season of the Guild Wars Factions Championship underway, let's look at some of the new character builds in rotation and how they impact the game.

Assassin
Used by: I Black Widow I [Wi] in game one against The Last Pride [EvIL]

* Golden Phoenix Strike (Dagger Mastery)
* Shock (Air Magic)
* Falling Spider (Dagger Mastery)
* Twisting Fangs (Critical Strikes)
* Shadow Refuge (Shadow Arts)
* Dark Escape (Shadow Arts)
* Caltrops (Shadow Arts)
* Aura of Displacement [Elite] (Assassin No Attribute)
More...

Source: Guild Wars

Thursday - June 01, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 06:56
Another day, another slew of updates at the official Guild Wars site.

Guild of the Week #50.
The Orphans of Kukai takes a unique approach to its interaction with the world of Guild Wars. All fifty members of OOK are dedicated roleplayers and remain entirely in-character while playing through the game. By doing so, members of the guild are able to further not only the story of their character, but also their interweaving stories with one another. This has helped create a rich history for the guild. OOK's lore, which they have shared with us below, continues to evolve as the guild grows and expands its presence in the lands of Tyria.
GWFC Highlight Movies.
The quarter finals of the GWFC Season 2 Playoffs offered several exciting matches. You can watch highlight movies from those four matches in our Competitive Section.
Match Report: Season 2 Finals.
With European guilds earning huge upset victories over the top Korean and American guilds in the first round of play, it came as no surprise that the top two European guilds, Esoteric Warriors [EW] and Irresistible Blokes [iB], would end up facing each other in the finals of the Season Two Guild Wars Factions Championship playoffs.

Source: Guild Wars

Wednesday - May 31, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 04:28
The official Guild Wars site has been updated with three new items.<br><br><a href="http://guildwars.com/competitive/articles/stateofthegame/gvgbasics.php" target="_blank">State of the Game</a>.<blockquote><em>At its core, Guild Wars GvG is a struggle over a few main resourcesa  Hit Points, Energy, NPCs (archers, footmen, and bodyguards), flag control, and morale boosts. All GvG builds are designed to compete for these main resources, and to this end they utilize offensive, defensive, utility, and healing skills. Teams use offense to take away enemy hit points, and defense to protect their own hit points. Energy, NPCs, and utility aid friendly offensive and defensive measures through indirect means.</em></blockquote><a href="http://guildwars.com/support/gameupdates/skillupdates-05-30-06.php" target="_blank">Skill Update Notes</a>.<blockquote><em>Skill Update Notes for Week of May 29th<br><br>The following skill updates will be incorporated into the game within the next 10 days. At that time, they will be added to the Game Updates page.<br><br>All<br><br> * Shadow stepping no longer moves you farther than the radius of the radar.<br></em></blockquote><a href="http://guildwars.com/" target="_blank">Ladder Restart</a>.<blockquote><em>The Guild Wars tournament ladder will be restarting for the third season of the GWFC series at 08:00 GMT on May 30. Be sure to watch the best guilds compete for a slot in the Season 3 Playoffs. These final playoffs will determine the five guilds that have earned the most GWFC points and a trip to Leipzig, Germany to compete in the Guild Wars Factions Championship!</em></blockquote>

Source: Guild Wars

Saturday - May 27, 2006

Guild Wars: Updates @ Official Site

by Inauro, 01:38
Head on over to the official Guild Wars site for information on bots, guild emblems, and the GWFC semi finals.

Bots.
In our continuing efforts to preserve a solid game economy and to support the legitimate Guild Wars player, we have been actively pursuing those who use "bots" in Guild Wars. In the last week, we have closed more than one thousand accounts of those using third-party programs, and we will continue to take similar action in the future.
Guild Emblems.
As promised earlier this week, we have randomly drawn 25 entries from all those we received from around the world in the Guild Wars Factions Guild Emblem Contest. These contestants will receive a collectible Guild Wars Skill Pin as a token of our thanks for taking part in the contest. The winners of the random drawing are listed on the contest page, along with a few additions to the winner and honorable mention lists.
GWFC semi finals.
The semi-finals and the finals of Season Two of the Guild Wars Factions Championship will take place this weekend. Visit this page to find out the dates and times of the matches, and don't miss a minute of the action! Join Observer Mode for your view of all the battles.

Source: Guild Wars

Information about

Guild Wars

Developer: ArenaNet

SP/MP: Massive
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: MMORPG
Combat: Real-time
Play-time: Unlimited
Voice-acting: Unknown

Regions & platforms
North America
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2005-04-28
· Publisher: NCsoft