Guild Wars 2 Articles

[Regolyth]

That's some good info Gack. Thanks for the update.

[Morreion]

Guild Wars 2: Measuring Up
In the latest Guild Wars 2 column here at MMORPG.com, Managing Editor Jon Wood takes a look at originals and sequels. At times, it seems that the first is better and more fulfilling than the second. Jon wonders whether this pattern will continue with Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. Read Jon's GW2 column and then let us know what you think in the comments below.

Guild Wars 2: The PvP Question
In the latest Guild Wars 2 column here at MMORPG.com, Bill Murphy takes a look at the elephant in the room: PvP and Guild Wars 2. There is very little known about one of the most popular aspects of the original Guild Wars and how it will be brought into its successor. He's got a few thoughts about Guild Wars 2 and PvP so be sure to take a look. Weigh in with a few of your thoughts below.

Comparisons to DAoC- that's encouraging!

Guild Wars 2: The Fifth Profession
In his latest column about all things Guild Wars 2, MMORPG.com Community Manager Michael Bitton considers last week's tease from ArenaNet that the fifth profession will be announced in January. Mike has a strong opinion as to what that fifth class will be. See if you agree with his reasoning and then weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Guild Wars 2: 2011 - For Amusement Purposes Only
In his latest Guild Wars 2 column, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller reveals himself to be a betting man. His wager with you, our faithful readers, is the likelihood (or not) that Guild Wars 2 will actually see the light of day in 2011. Read Garrett's thoughts on the wager and then give your virtual betting handshake in the comments beneath.

Garrett's guess: late 2011.

Shatterer Boss Fight from Guild Wars 2 (Gamescom Footage) (YouTube)

6:53 video clip.

An ArenaNet retrospective: "We're not a video game company, we're a community building company" (Massively)

Most members of the Guild Wars community probably identify strongly with the next part of the video. "You know, we're not a video game company, we're a community building company. We just happen to have one of the coolest ways to build a community, which is through a video game." Marketing Manager Chris Lye touched on one of the other huge advantages that ArenaNet has over many other MMO studios.

Includes a 15-minute video.

Flameseeker Chronicles: Community and what it means in game development (Massively)

I think ArenaNet handles its heavy community focus well and manages to make it a useful tool for game development. That's a difficult balance to strike; a heavy community focus is great, but in the end it's got to contribute something to game development and maintenance. Right now, ArenaNet's community focus is what's driving the hype train, but the team is in a potentially difficult situation right now. The devs were in a position in which they had to announce the development of Guild Wars 2 much earlier than is considered standard in the gaming industry. Combine this with the enormous scope of the project, and you've got a hype train that's been chugging along for an awfully long time.

ArenaNet reveals the wisdom and power of the Kodan in Guild Wars 2 (Massively)

"Judging" is to put it mildly, really -- the kodan view themselves as the arbiters of spiritual purity within the world, even as they flee from the elder ice dragon Jormag.

Become the bear? I already am the bear: Massively's look at the kodan of GW2 (Massively)

The developers have clearly put a lot of thought into this storyline. Add to that the fact that fans are incredibly excited about every bit of information they can get their hands on at this point, and it would be a shame to push it to the back burner. I can only assume there's a similarly heavy focus on the lore of non-playable races for every playable race, and it would be very nice to hear these kind of details on those as well.

[Morreion]

Guild Wars 2: All Quiet on the Tyrian Front
In our continuing series of articles dedicated to Guild Wars 2, MMORPG.com's Bill Murphy notices that the last few weeks have not netted fans much in the way of new information as compared to the figurative bombardment of the fall months. Bill further speculates that maybe the dearth of information just may, in fact, be the point. Check out Bill's thoughts on the matter and then add a few of your own in the comments.

Flameseeker Chronicles: Why is the lore of Guild Wars so important? (Massively)

The entire foundation of the game is built on a world that could be beautiful and peaceful again -- if we would only step in as heroes. We've learned over the years to care about Tyria and its inhabitants, and even though that might seem like such old news that it's not even worth mentioning, it's played a big part in bringing us where we are as fans today. We're invested in the denizens of Tyria, so a completely new race brings a pile of questions and fascination from us. We need to know who they are, what they want, and how they fit into "our" world.

ArenaNet confirms Guardian profession for Guild Wars 2 (Massively)

Community Manager Regina Buenaobra quickly confirmed the news and promised a full reveal next Thursday.

Guild Wars 2: ArenaNet Reveals The Guardian (MMORPG.com)
As speculated last week, ArenaNet and NCSoft have officially unveiled the Guardian character class. We've got some brand new screens of the Guardian in action as well as information about special skills, weapons and virtues that this master tactician possesses. Check it out and then leave your impressions in the comments below.

Behind the scenes with the Guild Wars 2 Guardian: Massively's interview with Jeff Grubb and Eric Flannum

Eric Flannum: To me, the Guardian feels a lot like playing a caster who wears heavy armor. This is in contrast to what you'd typically think of when you think of the Paladin archetype found in many games, which feels like a melee bruiser who also knows a few spells. The Guardian also doesn't feel particularly religious, but he does feel spiritual. What I mean by that is that the Guardian embodies certain ideals without ascribing to any one faith in particular, which is also a bit different than your typical Paladin archetype.

What’s Your Style? Jon Peters Talks About Combat (ArenaNet)

Another important part of Guild Wars 2 combat is mobility. We felt that in order to get the dynamic and visceral feel that we wanted combat to have, players needed to be more mobile. A lot of work went into this from animation systems to animations themselves allowing skills while moving. It takes a lot of pressure off of the skill system and puts in back into movement, tactical play, and ground control—the areas where we wanted the game to be focused. Couple that with dodging arrows and double tap dodge rolling and you create a combat system that is more like a first person shooter where finding real cover, flanking and other more realistic fighting techniques find a lot more use. This again de-emphasizes the importance of roles and focuses players on what we intend, which is how their profession plays.

Guild Wars 2: Bittersweet
It's with a bittersweet pen that MMORPG.com Community Manager Mike Bitton writes about the Guild Wars 2 class reveal of the Guardian. He had been sure of the Mesmer but admits that Guardians bring a lot to the party and maybe that's not such a bad thing. Check out Mike's thoughts about the Guardian and then add a few of your own in the comments section.

I tend to enjoy classes that bring a lot to a team, and oftentimes this means tanking, or in games that allow for it, crowd control heavy classes that can turn the tide of battle. The presence of a good Ranger type class tends to negate all this though regardless of whether or not it is the more selfish variant or a good support class, and so I plan on rolling a Ranger at launch, though I am still eager to find out what the Mesmer will be like in Guild Wars 2 as the Mesmer comes in as a close second for me. However, between the Warrior and the Guardian, the Guardian would definitely be my choice. The flexibility offered by the Virtue mechanic is a huge draw, and I really like the fact you have to make a tactical choice when utilizing Virtues as you would have to sacrifice your own benefits to help your team.

Character Art in Guild Wars 2 – Designing Humans (ArenaNet)

With Guild Wars 2, we’re adding a great deal of visual customization. Our armor is divided into six interchangeable parts: helmet/headgear, shoulders, coat, legs, gloves, and boots. We are also introducing the ability to have one piece of armor replace multiple pieces. For example, if your human warrior has an elaborate coat with built-in shoulders and helmet, this is available as one piece and replaces the three pieces on your body. This principle also works with full outfits. Designing armor this way allows us to create outfits that don’t have to adhere to the modular design, allowing for greater diversity.

Human (Guild Wars 2 official site)

The humans of Tyria are an embattled race. Over the past three hundred years, they have lost much of their territory. Old enemies and new races threaten traditional human lands on all sides. Yet the human race survives, defending their remaining lands and maintaining the human spirit as they have for centuries. Their greatest city, Divinity's Reach, shines as a beacon of hope for the people of Kryta and beyond--even those dwelling deep within charr territory. The human legends are indelibly imprinted on the souls of all the races of Tyria, be they friend or foe.

[Morreion]

Fozzik of Vanguard's Silky Venom fame has become a big fan of GW2. Check out this series of articles he's written, I learned some things about the game:

Guild Wars 2: Spiritual successor to EQ (part 1) (The Last Bastion)

For anyone who’s interested in Guild Wars 2 (I’m going to shorten the name to GW2 for the remainder of the post because I’m lazy) and has read the available information about the game, it’s probably pretty clear that ArenaNet is breaking some serious new ground with their game design. This title will be, in some ways, completely different from anything the genre has seen before. What people may not have realized yet is that I believe ArenaNet went back to the roots of the genre and really took a very fresh look at what originally made these games good. They wanted to make a real MMORPG this time around, and it really seems like instead of looking at the “modern formula” (i.e. what passes as an MMO these days) for their inspiration, they went back to games like EQ to see what really makes (or made, at least) this genre tick.

...In GW2 I’m seeing a return, with a new and innovative spin, to the EQ way. It can be described very simply…but there’s a huge amount of depth and complexity to this one concept… Players will be able to do almost ANY content in the game at or below their level any time they want. With a higher-level player to group with, even the higher-level content will be available through side-kicking. ArenaNet has created a system where the player’s power scales down to the content…so nothing ever becomes trivial. You never outlevel anything. As you level, the entire world of content opens to you, providing many choices of what to do or where to go, and you can stay in an area you like for as long as you want, without sacrificing your advancement in the game. Maybe for the first time since EQ, the feel of a massive world of possibilities open to the player will return.

Guild Wars 2: Spiritual successor to EQ (part 2) (The Last Bastion)

The leveling curve in GW2 will be flat. There will be a lot of levels, allowing for greater granularity of advancement, but the later levels won’t take any longer than the early ones. With a constant flow of advancement, players will likely become comfortable with the pace, and their attention may be easier to draw away from the grind. Next, the dynamic content in GW2 will offer a constantly changing and complex landscape for the player to explore. The scaling of player power and of the dynamic events that I talked about in part 1 will also mean a great many ways to just play, rather than constantly concern yourself with levels. Just the simple facts that you never outlevel any content and can always play with your friends regardless of their level are HUGE in terms of getting the player’s mind off of the experience bar.

Guild Wars 2: Spiritual successor to EQ (part 3) (The Last Bastion)

Content scales dynamically and quickly in challenge and complexity based on players, so people joining or leaving don’t ruin your play. More players means more interesting and challenging content right away. More players means things get more complex and deep, rather than just more trivial or more tedious. Maybe more importantly…ALL the content is like this, with very few exceptions. The bulk of the advancement in the game comes through dynamic events, which are public quests that continuously play out throughout the world and players can join in at any point. There’s no separate path for solo and group, no separation of play styles into little boxes of content designed just for them. Players will be out in the world together, doing content that works if they are alone, and works just as well if some strangers show up and join in.

Resources and loot are handled individually, so players aren’t competing with each other when playing cooperatively. Resources you harvest in the world use phasing technology, so that each player has their own individual nodes and players don’t have to race each other. Loot is earned based on individual participation, and distributed in a way that not only ensures each person gets a share, but that players have a substantial amount of control over what items they get.

Guild Wars 2: Spiritual successor to EQ (part 4) (The Last Bastion)

ArenaNet is focusing heavily on delivering the story to the player in better ways, and allowing the player to be a part of the story as it develops. They will be making use of new technology to make the story literally happen all around you as you play (through dynamic events and cut scenes). For the first time possibly ever in this genre, we’re going to see it become easier, simpler, and more fun to learn the over-arching narrative as you play, and become a part of it. Not only will dynamic events allow the player to see and feel events unfold, but it will allow the world to be that much more believable. Instancing is being used to provide each player with a personal story to create on their own…it unfolds based on the players choices and interaction with the NPCs, much like a single-player RPG.

By bringing back the focus on a deep and immersive virtual world, and by developing new and potentially groundbreaking ways to deliver…and involve the player in…the story, GW2 will be taking some of the best elements of early games in this genre and providing improved and unique twists. Yet again, in my humble opinion, this points to GW2 being a game that will be enjoyed by long-time MMORPG fans as well as new players, and also being a much longer-term and more engaging experience. I hope.

Guild Wars 2: Spiritual successor to EQ (part 5) (The Last Bastion)

I’m really rambling… so let’s get to where GW2 comes in. In prior posts, I think I’ve outlined pretty extensively some of the many ways that GW2 is bringing back more of that focus on the journey. Endgame is being beaten down into a more manageable scope…and much more time and development effort seems to be going in to creating an experience that really is persistent and designed to last. Not because there will be massive time sinks forcing you to do the same thing over and over, but because there will be lots of different ways to play, and because of the hook that making friends and being part of a larger community provides.

It looks like the depth is going to be there: The roleplaying and personal story, the multple paths of advancement, and the complexity of builds. Players increasing their skill and knowledge will be bigger factors again, and a substantial way to keep players enjoying the game over the long term. Players will be experiencing and affecting the lore through dynamic events and the personal story, and provided with great opportunities to be unique and stand out from the crowd with the positional and less role-restricted combat. The game is going to be much less about levels and reaching some arbitrary point at which the fun starts, and more about just playing the way you enjoy and making new friends.

[Morreion]

ArenaNet confirms Guild Wars 2 closed alpha and beta for 2011 (Massively)

"The existence of friends and family closed alpha and closed beta this year has changed nothing about the release date. The release date continues to be: when the game is ready," said ArenaNet's Regina Buenaobra.

Guild Wars 2: The Beta Cometh
With the turn of the new year, Guild Wars 2 fans began to look for news about the game that most are keenly anticipating. Among smaller news items since then, a hidden nugget of information came to light that caused heart palpitations worldwide: Guild Wars 2 will enter at least a pair of betas during 2011. MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy has a few thoughts about that exciting news. Check it out!

Mesmer and Assassin in Guild Wars 2? (Eurogamer)

The Mesmer and Assassin are not confirmed to appear in Guild Wars 2, but NCsoft has told Eurogamer that fans of those play-styles "will be happy".

There are three professions left to be revealed, "one more light [armour wearer], two mediums", GW2 lead designer Eric Flannum explained...

So far, five of the eight Guild Wars 2 professions have been revealed: all of the returning GW1 professions - Elementalist, Warrior, Ranger, Necromancer - and one new profession, the Guardian. The Warrior and Guardian share the heavy armour class; the Elementalist and Necromancer share light armour; and the Ranger wears medium armour.

GDC 2011: ArenaNet's Adam Vance talks localization for Guild Wars (Massively)

Cultural issues informed a great deal of the localization troubles the game [Guild Wars] faced early on, even disregarding the issues that the Chinese government had with certain imagery surrounding the Necromancer. (It's a well-known fact that images of death and decay are frowned on by the Chinese authorities, which is a bit of an issue for a class solely focused upon exacerbating rot and animating corpses.) Language servers, for instance, were a fix implemented after the regional server system was implemented in Europe. While all European players were able to play, there were particular frictions between German and French players, which prompted ArenaNet to move to limiting servers based on language within the region.

Guild Wars 2: GDC Presentation Report
During last week's GDC, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller had the opportunity to participate in a Guild Wars 2 panel. The Norn, Thief and a large-scale dynamic event were the focus of the panel. Garrett's got all the important information taken from the panel. Read on and then let us know what you think.

Norn Week Begins! (ArenaNet)

The norn, who first appeared in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, are a larger-than-life race of shape-shifters who revere the Spirits of the Wild. Driven from their homeland in the distant north by the rise of Jormag, the Ice Dragon, the norn resettled in new hunting grounds further south.

So what makes the norn so…norn?

Aside from their size and their ability to shape-shift into a powerful half-animal form, norn are defined by their unique worldview. They value glory and deeds of valor above all – they’re just built that way. “The norn get famous or die trying,” says Lead Writer Bobby Stein.

A Spirit of Legend (ArenaNet)

A Shaman’s Burden

Unlike humans, whose priests are revered for their dedication to one god, all norn feel equally guided and befriended by the spirits. Some norn don’t follow a particular path, preferring instead to revere all the Spirits of the Wild, following each whenever its lessons are relevant in their day-to-day lives. Those who choose to become shamans devote themselves to a Spirit’s sacred area: a shrine, lodge, or hunting ground dedicated to their patron Spirit of the Wild. They serve their people as guardians and teachers, protecting their territory and instructing others in the lessons of the spirit they revere.

Guild Wars 2: Norn Q&A and Fly Through Video
The Arena.Net and NCSoft have released a new in-house Q&A with Jeff Grubb, Continuity and Lore Designer, Ree Soesbee, Continuity and Lore Designer, Eric Flannum, Lead Game Designer and Bobby Stein, Writing Team Lead. The brief Q&A features the Norn, the hearty humanoids from the Shiverpeaks. Check it out along with a fly through video of the Norn starting area.

The norn character seeks to make their name, earn glory, and be a hero. The initial norn story is one of meeting challenges and earning the respect of their peers. They may choose to approach the world from a position where they use physical tenacity to overcome obstacles, or one where they look to their spirituality and instinct to guide them, but in all cases, it will be true to the spirit of the norn.

GDC 2011: ArenaNet unveils new profession and Norn starting area for Guild Wars 2 (Massively)

Includes a 7-minute and a 28-minute video.

Prepare for PAX East and… the Thief! (ArenaNet)

Includes a 34-second video clip.

ArenaNet interview gives new details on the Guild Wars 2 Thief (ArenaNet)

The Thief's stealth skill causes fans to wonder if it could be broken or interrupted by stealing, but these new skill videos show otherwise. The Thief character can steal an item from one enemy then zip off to use it as a weapon against another -- with both enemies unaware of what was happening until the blow is delivered to the second foe.



Only the first minute is in German, after that it's English!

Andrew McLeod Talks Crafting in GW2 (ArenaNet)

We decided to go with a discovery system for learning recipes so as to allow crafters to distinguish themselves. When there is a static list of recipes learned from a trainer, every character with that crafting discipline is the same. However, with a discovery system, players that spend time and effort on their crafting disciplines have a way to distinguish themselves.

Leveling up your crafting skill uses an experience system—each item you craft is worth an amount of experience. There are 400 skill points in each discipline, though crafting items will often give multiple points worth of experience. Our intent is that you should never have to make something you consider worthless while leveling a crafting discipline.

PAX East Preview: Izzy on Attributes and Iteration (ArenaNet)

Recently, we’ve changed the attribute system to be simpler, and it solves many of the above issues.

* Power—increased attack damage.
* Precision—increased critical strike chance.
* Vitality—increased health.
* Toughness—increased defense/armor.

These new attributes solved all of the old problems, simplified the system, and made already-interesting choices more meaningful for the players. We added the toughness because we felt three attributes did not give us enough diversity in the item system, and its straightforward use complemented the others well. What choices will you make when assigning attribute points to your character in Guild Wars 2?

Guild Wars 2: Norn Thief Impressions
Arena.Net's Guild Wars 2 was one of the most keenly anticipated games for fans to see at last week's PAX East trade show. MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy was able to get a hands on look at the game, including character creation. Bill chose to take a look at a Norn Thief and has some terrific impressions to share. Check it out!

The basis of the Norn starting area is that you’re about to take part in The Great Hunt which is a sort of rite of passage for your people. But before you can do that, you have to prove the Elder that you’re ready. So off I went as my sultry blonde Norn woman self to collect the trophies necessary to do just that. Now, here’s the best part of Guild Wars 2 in my opinion and something I hope that will be carried throughout the game. Sure I just found out I had a collect quest. But I didn’t know it. I didn’t just get a quest and wander to an area on the map and kill things until I had enough pieces and parts. I was hollered at by a woman, told that I needed to get trophies so I could take part in the Great Hunt, and told where I could go generally to find them.

[Morreion]

NCsoft: Guild Wars 2 beta coming later this year, will probably release in 2012 (Massively)

"Starting from year 2012, we believe substantial growth will be driven by new blockbuster titles like [Blade & Soul] and Guild Wars 2. Also, Guild Wars 2 will go into beta testing stage in the second half of this year."

ArenaNet delves into the lore of the Guild Wars 2 Hylek race (Massively)

The Hylek are a returning race in Guild Wars 2, so Eric Flannum has taken some time to delve into their story -- who they are, how the various tribes differ, where they live, and much more. The lore overview is interspersed with various quotes from Hylek leaders and even an Asura researcher who mentions the death of a colleague (no relation) from a poisoned Hylek spear wound.

Those Sneaky, Sneaky Skritt (ArenaNet)

Skritt are small, rat-like creatures in Guild Wars 2 who come from deep beneath the surface of Tyria. At first glance, these skittering fur balls may seem barely capable of rational speech, but they wield weapons and wear clothing and armor like more advanced races. Also, as the asura will tell you (or as any careful observer might note), the skritt actually gain intelligence when many of them congregate. Speaking in chirps and squeaks so fast that it sounds like buzzing to human ears, they share information, parse knowledge, and determine actions between themselves. The more skritt there are to do so, the more rational, intelligent, and cunning their activities become. One skritt alone is a simple-minded individual, capable of performing basic tasks and keeping himself alive, but an entire colony of hundreds? Clever enough to challenge even the brainpower of the asura.

Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu #3 (Tap Repeatedly)

I think determination, discipline and really hard work are all components of success. You also have to be wired in a certain way. I’m not a psychologist and therefore not eloquent at defining those qualities, but there seems to be people who have more ease in functioning on that different plain; connections happening in a different way, whether by instinct, intuition, or something else. There is a little bit of that, but the main indispensable attributes are the ability to focus, tenacity and drive. It doesn’t happen often for all these qualities to be concentrated in one individual, let alone in thousands upon thousands of individuals.

Guild Wars 2's Johanson: MMO class trinity is "tired" (Massively)

"We're basically saying, listen, this as a core game mechanic is tired, we can do something better, we can do something more interesting than this," Johanson explains.

Guild Wars 2: How to make MMOs better - Interview (Eurogamer)

We're not just doing PVP, we're doing competitive PVP and we're doing an open-world, world-versus-world PVP system as well. We're not just doing a story chain that you can play through or an open world full of events, we're doing an open world full of events, your personal story chain, and all the different, branching versions that all the different races offer. We're doing dungeons, and we're not just doing dungeons, we're doing repeatable versions of dungeons that have different storylines that branch that you can play through.

Guild Wars 2: Why You Should Care (Ten Ton Hammer)

GW2 will feature a system of "active combat" that places a heavy emphasis on movement and positioning, and takes your eyes away from babysitting rows and rows of cooldowns and specialized maneuvers that you only use once every 20 hours of gameplay. Through a combination of different combat-related features and mechanics, the makers of this game are attempting to create a much more immersive and intuitive combat that will help players feel more like they're in control of the action, rather than playing whack-a-mole with timers and health bars.

Writing the Charr: It's just plain fun to write for the bad guys (Massively)

The Iron, Ash, and Blood legions are strongest when they're cooperating and working together: "Blood musters the fiercest warriors and dominates on the battlefield through sheer ferocity and strength of numbers; Ash practices subtlety and stealth, choosing its targets carefully and then eliminating them with deadly precision; Iron provides the ordinance and the strong leadership required to keep this potentially explosive alliance from tearing itself to pieces."

ArenaNet on designing the Charr: "A fire-worshipping race of hell cats" (Massively)

The plan was clear, though, and that helped: "The Charr would be the main threat to the humans of Ascalon, so we wanted something inhuman, iconic, and intelligent." This mindset, combined with the feline look that the design team had planned from the start and a hefty dose of horns and fire, led the artists to what Katy refers to as "a fire-worshipping race of hell cats." Most Guild Wars fans can agree that she struck just the right design chords.

An Introduction to the Environment Art of Guild Wars 2 (ArenaNet)

Towns and forts were blocked out with grey box shapes that were gradually replaced with more complex architecture. Streets were dressed with lampposts and strings of flags flapping in the wind. Homes were decorated with furniture and draped with tapestries. Shop shelves and market stalls filled with wares. Fires began to crackle in hearths and smoke started billowing from chimneys. Moss appeared on roof shingles and confetti appeared to dance above street carnivals. Housecats began to prowl around backyard gardens full of melons and potatoes as pigeon flocks took to the air in swirling columns. Fields sprouted swaying grass and flowers, waves began to lap at shorelines, and layers of cloud condensed overhead.

Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet's Bobby Stein (Tap Repeatedly)

The conversational dialogues we’ve been releasing are mostly idle scenes. These are background exchanges between two or more NPCs around cities, towns, and out in the world. What’s potentially misleading about these audio samples as they’re portrayed on the developer blog is that they’re not of the front-and-center variety, but ambient and generally heard in pieces as you’re exploring an area. When you hear things out of context such as on our developer blog, it’s sometimes jarring. People jump to conclusions because they don’t have a sense of where it fits into the experience. Most of those fears are unfounded, though, because when those scenes are viewed and heard inside the game they sound a lot more natural because of where they happen and at what volume they’re played.

Guild Wars 2 is skill-based, says lead designer (Massively)

"For really large level spreads of say 10 or more levels, then the gear and raw power of the character is going to be a huge factor. When you are talking about smaller level differences then skill plays a very large role." Given the more action-based combat mechanics of the game, we think this makes a lot of sense.

Interview pro Guild-Hall.cz !

Could you describe your favorite dynamic event?

Eric: My current favorite starts with a norn named Gareth. He is looking after his son and his two daughters. These children are a bit of a handful (as most norn children are) and occupying all of his time so he’s asking generous adventurers who pass by to bring him dolyak meat so he can get his smoker going and make some much needed money.

It’s a chain that involves his children wreaking havoc at the homestead and culminates in their attempt to use a “ritual” (which involves spreading honey all over the floor) to get the spirit of bear to send a bear play mate for them to wrestle. It turns out that their ritual is perhaps too good and much to their surprise an entire horde of bears descends upon the homestead.


Video: City of Lion’s Arch (ArenaNet)

Lion’s Arch is run by the Captain’s Council, a committee of wealthy merchants and sea captains. Those who wish to take an active hand in the city’s governance must prove themselves regardless of their race and heritage. They must be respected as a noted ship commander, and they must have contributed to the city’s growth or health. If they are seen as a leader in the city, then they may purchase one of the seats on the Captain’s Council – when one becomes available. This system of political governance leads to a great deal of one-upmanship among the local captains and on the council itself.



Interview: Escaping The Grind In Guild Wars 2 (Rock Paper Shotgun)

RPS: How can you prevent what happened with Warhammer Online, where the public quests sort of fell apart as players levelled up and left them behind so anyone coming along later had no-one to tackle them with?

Martin Kerstein: Those had the problem that they were not scaling. Our dynamic events scale, from an individual player up to how many players are taking part, and they dynamically scale. So if you start out on your own, obviously you have less opponents, but if a bunch of other players come by – and that’s another good thing, all the people participating in those dynamic events, whether they’re grouped or not, get rewarded, so you’re always glad to see another player. It’s not like ‘hey, there’s another player, which means I’m going to level slower because he’s killed my mobs and I have to wait for a respawn.’ Instead it’s ‘hey, there’s another guy, so it will be more challenging and more fun, or we’ll do it faster’… So if other players come along it will scale up, and if they leave it will scale down. It’s all dynamic.

Guild Wars 2's explosive seventh class: The Engineer (Massively)

What if slinging bombs isn't quite your thing? Fear not, because the Engineer's pretty versatile. Weapon Kits are another new element -- they're utility skills that equip a new weapon (and set of weapon skills) when activated. Flamethrower, anyone? That's right, the Engineer can equip a flamethrower as a short-range AoE weapon, and it comes with a pretty impressive set of weapon skills. AoE-flee is less of an issue thanks to the Backdraft skill, which sucks fleeing enemies back into range. Air Blast is another handy skill, one that will deflect incoming ranged attacks.



Flameseeker Chronicles: Analyzing the Engineer (Massively)

After watching the skill videos... well, an embarrassing number of times, I've come up with three or four distinct styles of weaponry. First there are the steampunk-style items: the Glue Shot pistols, the rifle carried by the human female Engineer, the turrets, and the flamethrower. Second, one item has a real-world modern feel -- the now-infamous landmine. Third, there are very primitive items that I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see in Guild Wars 1, like the bomb pack, the health pack, and the exploding barrel. In fact, we do have exploding barrels in Eye of the North. Finally, there are brief glimpses here and there of rifles with a colonial feel to them, which seems to fit some of the early concept art.

[Morreion]

Guild Wars 2: Eric Flannum Talks Engineers
Last week's revelation of the Guild Wars 2 Engineer has been met with a lot of excitement. MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager had the opportunity to talk with Guild Wars 2 Lead Game Designer Eric Flannum about the Engineer. Eric has a lot to say about the class that goes BOOM! Check it out and then let us know your thoughts about the Engineer.

Eric Flannum:
I think a lot of people think of the turrets when they think of the engineer and think that it must be a very static profession. While it’s true that the engineer does not emphasize movement the way that a thief or ranger might, there is still a lot of positioning involved. Most of the engineer kits and weapons can be used while moving. For example, the grenade kit is definitely a very mobile weapon with all of the grenades being usable on the move. Even with the more “static” elements of the engineer play style such as turrets and mines there is a lot of movement and positioning involved as the engineer must attempt to line enemies up in their minefields or get them to stay within reach of their turrets.

ArenaNet dispels the controversy regarding the Guild Wars 2 Engineer (Massively)

"Players in general are exceptional and unusual figures, heroes who stand out among their people. Just as there are asura warriors and norn necromancers, it's not unheard of for an inquisitive, mechanically-inclined sylvari to become an engineer."

PLAY! Video game symphony will feature music from Guild Wars (Massively)

On June 21st and 22nd, Seattle-area concertgoers can feast their ears on the live sounds of Soule's Guild Wars score (as well as several other seminal game-related works including Soule's instantly recognizable themes for Morrowind and Oblivion). The music is all part of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, and ArenaNet is highlighting the performance on its official blog.

Guild Wars 2's Eric Flannum on promises, pets and purpose (Massively)

He also said that the team is striving to "push the fun and collectability" of the mini-pets system over Guild Wars 2's predecessor.

Quaggan SMASH: Guild Wars 2 reveals its most cute -- and deadly -- race yet (Massively)

Look at that guy up there? Isn't he just the cutest thing ever? Oh, ignore the teeth -- Quaggans are big softies, really.

Jonathan Sharp Talks Underwater Combat (ArenaNet)

There’s a huge amount of underwater content in Guild Wars 2, and we want you to be able to explore it all without stressing about drowning. When you dive underwater, a breathing apparatus is instantly put all up on your face. We provide you with a default breathing apparatus, but you can find all sorts of cool gear to help keep you exploring the depths of the ocean.

The Daily Grind: Would you be as excited for Guild Wars 2 if it were a subscription game? (Massively)

The elephant in the room would appear to be the game's business model, and the pay-once/play-forever system is appealing. Is it the main appeal, though, or is it a combination of the game's depth coupled with this business model? Put another way, would you be as excited for GW2 if you had to pay a monthly sub to play it?

Video: The Ascalonian Catacombs Dungeon Cinematic (ArenaNet)

In this particular cinematic, we actually get to see the charr laying siege to Ascalon, watch the walls of the human city crumble, and hear the mad King Adelbern damning the entire kingdom with his infamous cursed sword Magdaer. These types of cinematics are a fun way for us and the fans to get a glimpse into Tyria’s history, and actually show in the most dramatic way possible how history has come to pass.

William Fairfield on Designing the Dungeons (Massively)

The dungeon we are spotlighting this week is the Ascalonian Catacombs. I was involved heavily in creature design and helping craft the explorable version of this dungeon. The enemies in this dungeon are primarily Ascalonian ghosts and a group of creatures known as gravelings. These menacing creatures feed on the essence of the ghosts and are twisted by that power. One of my favorite creatures among these is the graveling breeder; this foul beast will expel another graveling from inside itself onto some poor unfortunate adventurer. The Ascalonian ghosts are a throwback to Guild Wars, and many players will recognize the abilities being used against them: the all-too-familiar sting of a Crippling Shot, the burning singe of a Meteor Shower, or the brilliant shine of a Ray of Judgment.

Into the Dungeons! (Guild Wars 2)

Breaking the dungeons into story and explorable modes allows the designers to tailor each type of play to the needs of the players. The story mode of a dungeon, while challenging, should be survivable by a typical group of adventurers. The explorable mode, on the other hand, is set up to be a challenge worthy of an organized group of experienced players who coordinate their attacks. Given that the dungeons require more organized, focused groups, we get to work out some truly awesome boss battles that require teamwork and planning to overcome. There are a number of these scripted battles in each dungeon, and some of the bosses are truly massive in both size and power.

Going behind the scenes of Guild Wars 2's sound team (Massively)

This short video documentary chronicles some of the methods that the team uses to draw players into the game world via just the sound, just to make each little echo sound as immersive and natural as possible. It's a look at one of the more ubiquitous aspects of MMOs that most players don't think about, so if you're at all interested in the design going on behind the scenes of Guild Wars 2, jump on past the break.

The Hidden Complexity of Sound Design (ArenaNet)

Ghosts with dynamic loops: Ghosts are a little different, as we mix other sounds in with the original voice. A pre-delayed impulse reverb is used as well as whisper and moan loops. The looping whisper track is dynamically controlled, peak following the original voice. With this approach, the voice is still legible, but it has a unique, otherworldy feel.





Dream and Nightmare

The sylvari are the youngest race in Guild Wars 2, awakened with the rise of the new age in Tyria. They may be unfamiliar with the world, but they have dreamed of it, and they share a rich and compelling vision that guides their path. From the day of their awakening, each sylvari feels called to defend the land and fight the Elder Dragons. They are united in this purpose beneath their mother, the Pale Tree.

The Sylvari Soul – Angel McCoy on Writing the Sylvari (ArenaNet)

A sylvari’s honor gives her a sense of propriety that the youth of other races do not have. In many ways, they are like the Arthurian knights (without the gender bias). They take their duties seriously, and they live by a personal code. Their justice system involves duels, and when duels no longer satisfy, then the wisdom of an elder sylvari prevails. While evil sylvari do exist, most stand up for what is right, and even those who succumb to nightmare have a hatred for the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the horrors of Orr.

Kristen Perry on Designing and Redesigning the Sylvari (ArenaNet)

The sylvari are a race of true plant people. They are described in our lore as a noble, attractive humanoid plant race, so it became clear that what I needed to design first was their concept of anatomy. This definition lead me to first consider wrapping vines and stems to follow human musculature. However, I quickly realized that this was going to have a couple of unwanted effects: one, the body looked too sci-fi, like cyborg body suits; and two, it made them look as if their skin had been peeled off. It was creepy. This extreme concept made it obvious that whatever anatomy I created would have to be attractive and may have to bend the fantasy rules of evolution, if there truly are any such mandates.

Flameseeker Chronicles: Sylvari week wrap-up (Massively)

I personally don't see the Sylvari as Elves because I don't think about it that way. If the aesthetics, abilities, and lore of a race appeal to me, I'll play it without a need to make it fit a pre-conceived definition. If they're not my thing at first glance, I'll give it a test run to see if my first impression continues after a hands-on, but I can't see myself slapping a label on something and dismissing it on that basis without trying it firsthand.

[Morreion]

Guild Wars 2 Player vs. Player Overview (Ten Ton Hammer)

Tournaments are the more organized side of structured PvP. Tournament play is 5v5, but matches take place on the same maps that are used for hot join play. Tournaments will run with varying frequency, and different reward levels will allow some players to get their feet wet in the smaller tournaments while more-organized teams battle it out in the larger tournaments.

Guild Wars 2 Interviews: Gamescom Interview with Colin Johanson
During last week's Gamescom in Germany, MMORPG.com's John Milburn had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Arena.Net's Colin Johanson about all things Guild Wars 2. It's an entertaining and enlightening interview that is not to be missed. Keep reading for our exclusive Gamescom Interview with Colin Johanson.


MMORPG.com: Give us some examples of the mini games.

Colin Johanson: In the human city there's a mini game which is a shooting contest where you compete with other players to shoot targets. Like when you were a little kid and got a rifle to shoot stuff at amusement parks!

Another one is where you can have a bar brawl, you can throw beers and chairs at each other, punch and fight. It's basically a drunken brawl. You earn points for knocking out other people.

One other involves beer kegs and teams against each other out on ice. Which involves ways to make people slip on the ice by pouring beer on it. The team which has the most kegs win.

Guild Wars 2's crafting system detailed and demonstrated (Massively)

However, unlike many MMOs that give you a set list of recipes based on your crafting level and then limit you to crafting only those recipes, Guild Wars 2's system allows players to experiment with different combinations of materials to see if they form a new recipe. Only guy on the server who's figured out how to make that badass warhammer? Don't tell anyone and monopolize the market!

Guild Wars 2 General Article: PAX 2011 – Dynamic Events and Guild Halls
Some of the biggest and most exciting stories PAX centered around the hotly-anticipated Guild Wars 2. MMORPG.com's Carolyn Koh sat in on a panel discussion with Arena.Net developers to find out more about both dynamic events and guild halls. We've got some terrific nuggets of information to share so keep reading! Leave your thoughts in the comments!

There was much talk about the ability to shoot through a wall of fire and for it to pick up the characteristic and become a fiery arrow. The team confirmed that any sort of projectile going through a persistent effect will pick up that effect, as another example, a thrown weapon through a cloud of poison. They would not elaborate further as this is a system currently being worked on and not yet in a final state.

Mr. Sparkles, A Tale of the Asura (ArenaNet)

“There’s a problem.”

“The wagon is not moving, it is cold outside, and you’ve awoken me from my nap,” said Flummox, propping himself up on his elbows, one eye still closed in desperate hope. “I can guess there is some form of problem. Now tell me, my young sylvari, what is the problem?”

Ambition on a Grand Scale – Matt Barrett Talks Asura Environment Art (ArenaNet)

Our designs for asuran architecture draw heavily from ancient Hindu temples: massive stone columns, intricate, masterful carvings, and a sense of being inside a mountain. I have a particular fascination with architectural spaces that are defined by massive forms, and this plays in perfectly with the asuran penchant for flexing their mastery of stone. As well as carving it, they imbue stone with (or coax out of latency) a vital energy to do their bidding—be that a battling golem, an energy-multiplying pyramid, or a floating drink coaster.

Guild Wars 2 Necromancer, Thief gameplay videos captured at Eurogamer Expo (Massively)



Guild Wars 2 designers deliver more Asura goodies: Inquest and Golems (Massively)

Jon Peters was a little less verbose regarding the Asura's battle suit skills, mostly because these abilities are still in development. However, we learned that although the battle suit is designed for a single operator, when a battle suit is called, any race can pilot it. And when asked if these mechs could be used in PvP, Peters replied, "In World vs World vs World PvP, absolutely yes! In competitive PvP the battle suit will get banned from tournaments."

Eric Flannum on the Guild Wars 2 G-Star Demo (ArenaNet)

Some of our players may recognize “skill challenges” as being similar to a system we spoke about a while back called “profession challenges.” These two systems are one and the same. In the past, profession challenges were specific to a particular profession and were used to acquire traits. In playing these challenges, we found that they tended to split up people who were trying to play together. One player would want to go to one spot on the map to find their profession challenge, while their friend would want to go somewhere else to find a different profession challenge. Because this had an adverse affect on players being able to play together, we decided that it was better suited to skill acquisition than something as profession specific as traits.

Jim Boer on the Evolution of Cinematic Conversations (ArenaNet)

At the time of our initial design meetings, our characters were designed to only look good at standard game-viewing distances, but were not suitable for cinematic close-ups. This presented an additional quandary for the cinema team. We didn’t have any extra bones allocated for facial animation, and because we’re using a combination of unique faces and customized vertex morphing, any sort of mesh-based animation (i.e. morph targets) was rather impractical, since we’d have to create those animations for each preset head. As such, we settled on a visual compromise, pushing the character back far enough so you could see them in reasonable detail, but not zooming in far enough to see the flaws that would become apparent in a close-up shot.

Mesmerizing revelation: Guild Wars 2's Mesmer is the final class (Massively)

To be honest, if ArenaNet had announced that the eighth and final profession for Guild Wars 2 was anything but the Mesmer, there would have been worldwide riots. Fortunately, such is not the case, as the studio confirmed in a brief tweet that the Mesmer would be the last addition to the class roster.

Guild Wars 2 to 'officially enter closed beta' this Friday [Updated] (Massively)

[UPDATE: ArenaNet elaborated on the beta information by explaining "We have a studio internal selection process for our Closed Beta that starts on Friday. There will be no public application form."]

The Daily Grind: Now that all Guild Wars 2 professions are revealed, which will you play? (Massively)

that's an easy question... Mesmer. First class I ever played and is my main character in GW1. Regardless of playing everything else it's still my favorite. I'm sure I'll play a little of everything in GW2, that's just one way I enjoy my MMO's, but Mesmer will be my favorite again, videos are already proof of that.

Massively talks Mesmer: Our exclusive interview with Guild Wars 2 designer Eric Flannum (Massively)

Our skills are so visual in Guild Wars 2 that we knew we had a chance to play around with some illusion mechanics, and that's where the concept of illusions filling some of the void left by the removal of hexes came into being. For example, we use the Phantasm mechanic to simulate a skill like Backfire by having the Phantasm constantly applying the Confused condition. Because of this, the player has a choice to deal with the Phantasm or the Mesmer directly and can't just rely on simple condition removal to deal with the threat. The Mesmer at its core is all about setting up these kinds of situations.

Guild Wars 2 Year End Development Update (ArenaNet)

We still really loved the idea of the Steal skill replacing the F1 skill (we called it “pocket stealing”), and with every stolen item now giving only one skill, it seemed like something we wanted to try again. At first, we decided to hack a version of it in as a potential trait. But as it turned out, everyone wanted the trait, and it was clear to us that the way Steal works needed to change yet again. So now, stealing always pockets the item, allowing you to use your regular skills until you decide to press F1 to pull the stolen item out, use it, and return to your regular skills. Steal does not start its recharge timer until you use the stolen item. All of this makes stealing a more natural part of moment-to-moment combat for the thief. So a thief may now steal a handful of feathers from a moa, store it for later use, continue using their regular skills, and at just the right time, use the feathers to blind the moa—or a new target—and stealth the thief.

[Morreion]

GW2 Closed Beta Info Floods The News!

Guild Wars 2 General Article: The Closed Beta Preview (MMORPG.com)
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars 2 team are ready to let loose the hounds as coverage of this past weekend's limited closed beta event goes live! In our first feature, we give a general overview and our thoughts about Guild Wars 2 in a must-read editorial for all. Read on and then let us know what you think in the comments.

I’ll end this section with one very important note: exploring is very key to Guild Wars 2. Sick of being too handheld in recent MMOs? Don’t worry. GW2 will give you some very basic areas to look for (provided you ask one of the game’s “scouts”, but beyond that it will be up to you to find adventure, to find people in need of a hand. The scouts (denoted on the map by a spyglass) will give you some of the surrounding area’s major event locations, but as you tend to them you’ll undoubtedly stumble upon others like breadcrumbs leading you to locations that don’t have a label. One such example is the Shaman Rookery in the starting zone for the Norn. It’s a dank and dark cave, filled with extremely difficulty encounters and platforming tasks that will drive you mad as enemies and crows knock you to the base of the cave and force you to start from the beginning. You won’t know what’s at the end of the trial, but you’ll be damned sure to keep trying to defeat the shamans and jump from platform to platform to see what prize awaits you. Areas like this, among so many others, will make explorers’ dreams come true.

...Now the wait really begins. We’ve had our taste, and we want more. There is very little I feel I can complain about just yet when it comes to ArenaNet’s latest. I’m sure as time wears on and I get closer to writing the review after launch, I’ll find something to nitpick on. An early candidate is the crafting, for example. But so much of what ArenaNet has been promising since we first got details on this sequel is falling into place. All the hype we read from the devs is turning out to not be hype at all, but rather promises kept. Those things they said they wanted to do: the axing of holy trinity, the massive PVP, the more dynamic questing… it’s all true. It’s all here, in beta form, and it’s absolutely fun, fun, fun. It’s been a very long time since an MMO surprised me. More often than not, you know what you’re getting when you pick one up. Guild Wars 2 is doing so many things different from the norm, and at the same time they’re creating a new norm. We often talk about innovation in small steps, but that’s not ArenaNet’s style. If all keeps going as planned, Guild Wars 2 will wind up every bit as revolutionary as has been promised and we’ll all have a new champion to herald. This is just the beginning, just the first taste. And I am drooling for more.

Guild Wars 2 Previews: PVP and World vs. World Preview (MMORPG.com)
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars 2 team are ready to let loose the hounds as coverage of this past weekend's limited closed beta event goes live! In this feature, we take a look at the awesomeness that Guild Wars 2 PvP is slated to be. See what you think, then leave us a comment or two!

Battles were fast and furious in the open world and players ran in packs to really tackle the objectives. You had guilds, servers and groups all working towards a common goal of winning glory for their server. It helps the server as a whole for those who hold the most objectives in the zone (via various buffs and bonuses). The great thing too is the terrain for battles. Winding trails, open fields, snow capped peaks all play a part in the world to fight over. Also there are huge fortresses and walls to battle around. The great thing about castle sieges and attacks on the gates is that every player has lots to do. In playing a Ranger I found that having a bow and a great sword was a fantastic combination. At level seven you can swap weapons on the fly and so switching from ranged to melee gave me a ton of attacks and maneuvers depending on the situation. In one battle when attacking a gate I was swinging my great sword to break down the door, next thing you know I was turning to trap the defenders coming behind us and using the bow to hit the casters who were in the back of the group. These types of quick game changes and constantly looking over your shoulder will keep players on edge the entire time.

Guild Wars 2 Previews: The Starting Zones Preview (MMORPG.com)
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars 2 team are ready to let loose the hounds as coverage of this past weekend's limited closed beta event goes live! We take a look at the first place that players find themselves in when starting the game and offer our impressions. See what you think and then leave us a comment or two.

The Norn's beginning quest were all based on worshipping the spirits and were very different from each other. While bear wanted me to prove my strength, Raven challenged me with riddles to test my wisdom. The enemies in the area were also varied. I faced other Norn factions like the Sons of Svanir, Skales, and Wurms. The enemies themselves were very basic. I'm not saying that they were easy to defeat, but they didn't have any special abilities that made me feel threatened. They were just large, but so are the Norn. The enemies were also spaced out, keeping the action very focused. I felt that the progression from quest to quest was smooth and well thought out. I think that with the land being divided between the spirits, they were able to keep certain enemies from mixing with each other.

Guild Wars 2 Column: The Good & Bad of Guild Wars 2 (MMORPG.com)
ArenaNet and the Guild Wars 2 team are ready to let loose the hounds as coverage of this past weekend's limited closed beta event goes live! In The List today, we take a look at both the awesome and the not-so-awesome things we discovered about Guild Wars 2. See what you think and then weigh in with your thoughts.

2.) The World vs. World

We just learned the details last week, and this weekend we got to play it. Words can’t describe the feeling you’ll get wandering the Eternal Battlegrounds with your closest guild mates or even complete strangers. You’re fighting for your entire server, and it instills within you a sense of true pride to go out there and make a stand. Siege weapons, dynamic events, underwater attacks, trebuchets, ballistae, explosives… these fortnight-long wars will be the talk of the town once everyone’s had a taste. Sure a lot of ideas are borrowed from the past, but that’s okay, because it’s been far too long since we had three-faction PVP this good.

Guild Wars 2 has the most magnificent cities of any MMO, ever

Now I've been all around these great big MMOs and I've seen all kinds of cities, but I just can't wait to get back to Tyria's city-states, back to the sweetest cities in any virtual world. You know, I wish they all could be Guild Wars 2 cities.

Why? Because they are massive, sprawling, and filled with detail. Because they feel like actual cities, and not just hubs for player meet-ups or commerce. They are places to explore, filled with opportunities to climb onto rooftops, slip between buildings, or, in some cases, fall to your death. They're an adventure unto themselves.

...There's plenty of work to be done

As much as I would love to be able to plunge right back into the world of Tyria, ArenaNet still has plenty of work ahead of them before Guild Wars 2 is ready for launch.

Specifically they need to iron out the game's performance issues. I played on my powerful desktop PC and a capable gaming laptop, both of which struggled with the game on anything other than the lowest graphics settings. Cranking up the quality resulted in horrid frame rates, and massive world versus world battles between dozens of characters caused both systems to slow to a crawl. ArenaNet just needs to fine tune the game's engine, finding the right balance between beauty and playability.

Guild Wars 2: Impressions From The Closed Beta (Games On Net)

Killing an enemy rallies you instantly and brings you upright again ready to fight, so it actually takes a fair amount of opposition to put you down. This works well because it makes dying into a gambit: if you know you’re going to lose, can you whittle a nearby enemy’s health down enough for them to serve as your rally-whipping-boy? If you kill this guy shanking you with a knife, will the shaman over there finish you off? And if he does, will there be anybody left around to use as a patsy for a rally? There’s even a neat last-stand deal where you can rally instantly for a short time, but if you don’t kill any enemies during that time, you just flat-out die.

...The game’s lag might also be put down somewhat to what seems like an unoptimised engine: GW2 is clearly going for quality over broad install-base appeal, and while the graphics are quite lovely as a result, their loveliness seems disproportionate to the amount of chug they generate. Even on low settings, my machine would occasionally struggle with what looked like fairly undemanding environments, and certainly ones that would have presented no problem in other recent MMO’s. There's also possibly some room to improve the way the server handles large gatherings of people, as the slideshow that was the goodbye party can't be put entirely down to graphical problems.

Hands-On Preview: Guild Wars 2 Closed Beta (AusGamers)

Combat Training
Combat in Guild Wars 2 is one of the most intuitive systems I've encountered. Using “1” through to “0” on the keyboard, the first five spots are reserved for weapon skills. Each weapon has its own unique skills which are unlocked through use. Main hand weapons have three skills, with off-hand weapons having two. Two-handed weapons use all five of these slots. Slot 6 is dedicated to healing and slots 7-9 are used for customisable skills. The “0” key is saved for Elite skills unlocked once your character hits level 30. After boosting myself up to level 30, I picked the Rampage Elite skill for my Ranger, which boosted several combat stats for him and his pet. Lasting 20 seconds and accompanied by an impressive flame effect on my character, this skill made a huge impact on combat, letting me rain down a turbo-charged volley of arrows on unsuspecting groups of Centaur.

A jaunt through Tyria: hands on with the Guild Wars 2 beta (VG24/7)

Another way of getting around the city are waypoints, which upon discovery can be used to transport yourself to various zones in an area, saving your feet in the process. Waypoints are also out in the wider world map, so if you need to run to town in order to empty your bags or receive a reward for doing an NPC a favor, waypoints will come in handy – for a fee. Another option is Asura Gates, which take you to larger zones, and these are located in each race’s main city, as well as story-specific locations.

GWOnline visits Guild Wars 2 – This is Our Story…

From the moment you step through the portal (yep, portals still exist despite being persistent) you’re in a real city. NPCs are not only dotted around selling their wares and services but they’re walking around the town, they’re having conversations all neatly annotated with speech bubbles. Children are laughing and playing and talking about big dogs, grown ups are talking about their wives and businesses. The sheer size of this place is mind blowing. Walking around the inner rim alone will take a good 10, 15 minutes and that’s if you don’t stop to look around. And it’s hard not to stop and look around. Even then there’s huge areas inside the city. I took a guided tour from an NPC in the area where the Elonians took up refuge, the Ossan Quarter. Another NPC joined me for the tour while the tour guide talked a bit about Elonian history, mentioned a few names and places and discussed the places she was pointing out on the tour. There’s stuff like this all over the city. You could be here for months and not see everything.

Guild Wars 2 – Press Beta Weekend – Second Impressions (GWOnline)

There’s one mechanic I’m not sure I like and that’s durability. There does need to be something in the game that punishes you for dying all the time (No more death penalty. Yay!), but durability is worrying me a little. Thankfully it only occurs on death and it’s not a huge gold sink, also repairing stuff is easy. The solution to not having to deal with repairs is to play smart and don’t die, so I guess it all evens out. I never got to the stage where any of my armour broke or went into the red danger area so it wasn’t too bad, but still, I shall continue to eye this aspect suspiciously.

Guilds and Influence (GWOnline)

As advertised, being in multiple guilds is a big thing with Guild Wars 2. All characters can hop in and out of the guilds on that account if they so wish and joining them is as easy as accepting the invite. You can then choose to Represent one of those guilds with your activities. Various tasks from dungeons to Dynamic Events gives influence, so if you want to level up your All Sylvari guild’s influence, for example, make sure you’re representing the All Sylvari guild when doing thing.

If you don’t want to represent a guild at some point, just hit the “Leave” button. You’ll still be in the guild, in their roster and so on, but can go elsewhere or just be alone. To permanently leave a guild there’s a little red X next to the leave button, click that and you will be rid of your ties to that guild forever or until someone invites you back.

This will be great if you want your small guilds for a little group of friends, but want to be part of something much larger and influential in the Guild Wars 2 world.

Guild Wars 2 isn't like any MMO you've played before (Destructoid)

Social aspects aside, it didn't really strike me how fundamentally different Guild Wars 2's philosophy was until I ran the Ascalon Catacombs dungeon. The trinity as you know it is absent -- there are no tanks, no dedicated healers, and no classes focused entirely on DPS. Every class feels unique both in terms of weapon skills and mechanics, and every class can contribute significantly in terms of dealing damage and helping the party with support and utility. You don't need any particular party composition to complete the PvE dungeons in Guild Wars 2 -- my group was made up of two Rangers, two Guardians, and an Engineer. According to the developers, the game has been explicitly designed so that you can grab anyone around you and run a dungeon, without worrying about which classes you have in attendance.

Don't mistake this design choice for a decision to make dungeons easy, though. They're not. They're actually quite difficult -- even with three developers in our group, we wiped four or five times. Not because the dungeon was unfairly difficult or because the bosses had an unfair advantage, but because we often simply weren't paying attention and/or didn't quite have a handle on our classes yet.

Guild Wars 2 [Preview] - Beta first impressions (INCgamers)

However, in Guild Wars 2 when you die, you have a chance to come back to life through the “downed mode”. When you die you’re presented with a number of downed skills which you can target the enemy with in a last-ditch attempt to survive. It’s not always successful though, and when you do really die, the map pops up and you select a previous waypoint to resurrect at. The “downed mode” works incredibly well and it keeps the action flowing, it also means that you can get yourself out of some nasty situations without an annoying hike back from a resurrection point.

All over the map waypoints can be discovered and when the map first pops up you soon realise just how big the game world is, with only a couple of days to test the game, we barely scratched the surface. Once again the amount of polish to even the world map is fantastic, great care and attention has obviously been taken to present the relevant information to players and to make finding your way around pretty straightforward.

Closed Beta Test Coverage (GW2 Guru)

Lots of info links!

Guilds in GW2 (GW2 Guru)

Once you’ve chosen to represent a guild, you will start to gain influence as you play. The more you socialize and group with your guild during leveling and other activities, the more influence your guild can gain. For instance, the last time [HOT] received influence was when people completed events, engaged in PvP and did soloed content — nine events were completed for 189 influence, one PvP match was won for 110 influence, and 37 solo activities gave the guild 82 influence.

“But what is influence good for?” you ask. A lot. Below the Roster tab is the Upgrades tab and within it you have four different categories: Politics, Art of War, Economy, and Architecture. Politics represents things such as PvE influence gain buffs, guild emblems, guild armor and weapon contracts and guild party items. Art of War is pretty self-explanatory — you’ll find WvW and Structured PvP buffs and influence gains, less-costly siege weaponry and suits. Right now there are few upgrades for Economy, but they’re still highly useful for a growing guild. This tree houses your karma, experience, magic find and gathering buffs. Last but not least, we have Architecture. Architecture represents the bones of your guild, the upgrades that truly support your guild no matter what stage of growth you are in. They are things such as your guild bank, bank expansions and the ability to build more than one upgrade at a time.

Guild Wars 2 closed beta impressions -- Shawn's thoughts (Massively)

Creating a character is straightforward and versatile. There are choices for certain aspects of the body, but the sliders and predetermined choices aren't overwhelming. There was a big deal made by players of earlier demos about the choices you make when you first create your character and how that will affect your story, but you don't need to fret about making wrong choices. These questions help determine your background a bit (such as whether you were raised on the streets or born of noble folk), and the opening cinematic will come together based on those choices. It's a fun addition to the game that will carry through your storyline quests as you progress. For example, if you were raised by noble blood, the first NPC who will aid you in your story will be a snooty lord. Yes, he can fight, but he just hates to get his expensive clothes dirty.

Guild Wars 2 closed beta impressions -- Elisabeth's thoughts (Massively)

For example, I had a signet utility skill that reduced incoming damage, the Mesmer I was grouped with would occasionally use Chaos Storm (which granted me boons), and the Guardian had some minor AoE heals tied into his skills to help offset some of the damage I was taking. Although we encountered many prolonged fights, the multifunctionality of professions made it very easy for players' positions to ebb and flow with the battle. Because of that, if things were a little risky for me at the front line, I could drop back, swap to my bow, and do some damage from a safe distance while someone else stepped up for some mano-a-mano. Let's have some clarity here: players do have heals. Some profession have more healing capabilities than others. However, if anyone were to try to pidgeon-hole them into the role of dedicated healer, they would not only be playing this game poorly, but also unsuccessfully. No profession has a high enough healing output to be more effective as a pure healer than as a support or support and offense hybrid role. Any supposed benefits from having a dedicated healer would be overwhelmed by the loss of effective control and damage.

[dortmunder]

akamikeb has been playing the beta and putting up videos.

These are 2 I really liked. He shows a short bit of one of the World vs World maps, along with the in-game map of it.

I'm starting to believe this game has no way of being bad. Dying to play it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ll54HWQDws&context=C3b29b55ADOEgsToPDskKdsxb1b9gd3AW-6HeJmTfR

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SMYW3tvYeE&context=C3b29b55ADOEgsToPDskKdsxb1b9gd3AW-6HeJmTfR