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In another move against the EQ mindset, the developers behind Guild Wars completely eliminated the need for players to find other players in order to group .Instead, ArenaNet created the “recruitable group” option. Although grouping is still desired, players no longer were forced to try and find a group on their own. Players can instead go up to a merchant and “hire” several NPCs to journey with them. Being a fairly solo-based individual, I found that nabbing a few hired NPCs was a great way to increase my damage potential and keep my warrior alive. I no longer had to fear mobs that were a few levels higher than me; I could handle them with my pre-fabricated group.

Questing to PvP

Despite the strong claims by many that argue that Guild Wars is more of MMORPG than CORPG, the developers at ArenaNet did have one claim that trumped many of the former contenders: Guild Wars allows players to enter into a PvP match with a pre-drawn list of level 20 skills without having to go through the tedious task of actually earning those abilities in the game first. From the moment they install Guild Wars onto their computer, players can instantly jump into battle and contend with opponents that are out for their hides.

High-level GW characters have a huge plethora of skills and abilities to choose from.

The fact remains, however, that the skill list that is preconstructed for those PvP-only characters is quite shallow and doesn’t allow players to truly draw on the tremendous power combinations that players can receive if they play through the roleplaying campaign.

When a player explores through the standard roleplaying campaign, any skills that he/she unlocks will become available on the PvP-only servers. In the end, it’s almost more advantageous for players to simply focus on the roleplaying campaign first in order to unlock all the high-end abilities that they can employ on the battlefield later on.

Though I had previously stated that leveling was fairly easy in the beginning of the game, leveling did get more difficult the farther I ranged out into the field. While still not as tedious or as grind-minded as Lineage 2 or early Everquest, Guild Wars may still be daunting to some people as they level their characters past 20 and into the upper portions of the game. Pre-fabricated groups will help you, but nothing compares to have a solid squadron of player-controlled characters to back you up against the bigger monsters. With other players on your side, you’ll easily climb up the level ladder and be wading into combat with your spells and sword ready.

And the PvP combat is fast and furious. With the absurd amount of skills and abilities that are accessible to each character, you’ll constantly be wading into battle going, “What the hell was that?” as some ominous black cloud settles over your character. Sometimes you’ll know what’s occurring – like if you get a fireball in the face – but if you’re not a veteran you might just be standing there in a stupor trying to figure out how to counteract that deadly cloud that just enveloped your avatar.

While the World of Warcraft sports Arena and Battleground functions, nothing quite compares (except the upcoming MMOTPS, Fury) to the regional sort of combat that is a foundational part of the game. Essentially, ArenaNet has drawn PvP teams into international “divisions” each of which can essentially hold control over the Guild Wars PvP servers. Momentum will shift one way or the other, and you’ll constantly get messages relaying to you which region is in the lead compared to the other.

The world of Guild Wars is exquisitely rendered, its still beautiful several years after release.

Technically Speaking

On the technical side of things, the graphical display in Guild Wars still offers one of the best presentations in MMOG gaming to date. With models that are attractive to look at yet refrain from being to “anime-ish”, the player should never tire of seeing his character tear down monsters and creatures that he encounters. While the graphics may not be as slick as some of the upcoming games (Tabula Rasa and Age of Conan come to mind), you won’t feel like you’re playing an incredibly old title either. Though the game may be reaching the two-year-old mark, there’s still a lot of spunk and style left in the Guild Wars engine.

Sounds and music are what you’d expect from an MMOG, and you’ll certainly enjoy them for the first few hours of your time in the game. The music is soothingly appropriate in place and rough-and-tumble in others. The sounds certainly don’t distract from the gameplay either, but there’s nothing that struck me as truly awe-inspiring in any of the presentation. I think most MMOG gamers only allow the music to play for a few hours in their games anyway, simply due to the fact that we can overlay our own personal soundtrack into our action and have a much better experience for it.

And the Verdict?

Guild Wars is a terrific game for old and new gamers alike. The graphics engine in Guild Wars is still cranking out amazing visuals and the player versus player combat is still an incredible draw for old MMOG vets like me. As I was telling my WoW playing compatriots, I like the opportunity to play a game that doesn’t force me into one particular class and where I can go into PvP at a moments notice rather than having to journey to a selected area to get my PvP fix for the day. It’s a great system, and one that I encourage everyone to try.

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Ten Ton Hammer is your unofficial source for Guild Wars news and features!

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