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There was a fairly large Guild Wars update yesterday. Here are the changes that you can expect.

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Guild Wars Game Update Notes

Update - Thursday June 1

* Decreased the Health penalty on attribute-boosting major runes from 50 to 35. Existing runes are unaffected.
* Improved chat in alliance battles so that players can see party messages from all members of their team.
* Updated the Zin Ku Corridor outpost so that it shows who currently has the Favor of the Gods.
* Added a Xunlai Agent to Zos Shivros Channel.
* Moved the Xunlai Agent in Jade Quarry [Luxon] to a more accessible location.
* Removed the Thief from the Imperial Isle guild battle.
* Updated the inventory of the weaponsmith in Maatu Keep.
* Updated art on the following creatures: Naga Wizard, Naga Raincaller, Naga Spellblade, Naga Witch, Naga Bone Collector, and Naga Sibyl.
* Fixed bugs and made improvements to the following quests: Stolen Eggs, Protect the Halcyon, Outcasts in the Quarry, Luxon Supply Lines, Song and Stone, Lambs to the Slaughter, Defend Denravi, Noble Intentions, and Hammer and Anvil.
* Fixed bugs in the following missions and explorable areas: Silent Surf and Riverside Province.
* Fixed a bug that occasionally caused quest markers and arrows to update incorrectly.
* Fixed some incorrect cinematic voiceovers.
* Fixed a bug that allowed players to drop items inadvertently while cinematics were playing.
* Fixed a bug that caused some players to disconnect with error 019.
* Added weapons to the Shiro and Jade Armor miniatures.

There are more. You can get them all here.

In the meantime, go check out our Guild Wars Community.

Arena Net and ATI have teamed up to bring you a spankin new contest with hot new prizes.

To participate just simply enter the name that you think fits the monster for a chance to win a prize. Come back each week for another chance to win. No purchase necessary. For a list of complete rules, click here.

Prize Details:

* Copy of Guild Wars Factions
* All-in-Wonder® X1900
* Winning Monster name appears in the game.

This weeks Monster

Choose a name for the monster. It can be a name that is a first and last name, such as Stank Reekfoul (a famous Guild Wars Prophecies monster) or it can be a name and a title, such as Neing the Tanner (a helpful NPC in Guild Wars Factions).

For those rules click here.

For the best Guild Wars Community ever, click here.

Auto Assault delay evident in NCSoft earnings drop

Posting a 49% drop from projected Q1 earnings and a 45% drop in operating profits from Q4 2005, NCSoft now has investor confidence and nasty gadfly lawsuits to worry about.

South Korea's largest publisher of online games, announced today its first-quarter earnings had dropped by almost half due to the absence of new products. In the January-March period, net income reached 6.8 billion won (US$7.3 million), down 49 per cent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.

If Auto Assault had released on schedule in late 2005, maybe NCSoft's earnings would have been a little more steady. No crying over spilled milk, though. Hopefully the April release of Auto Assault and Guild Wars Faction will get NCSoft's bottom line back on track.

Check out the NCSoft earnings alert at TMCNet.

You've been waiting for it. You've had anticipation like nobody's business. So much anticipation that you can't leave your home now for fear of missing any new news. It happens, it's ok. Just open the door, get in your car and go.

April 26, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) – ArenaNet®, developer of the award-winning online roleplaying game Guild Wars®, and NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announce today that one of the year’s most-anticipated PC titles, Guild Wars Factions™, has officially shipped. For fans of the game that revolutionized online roleplaying, the wait is nearly over as Guild Wars Factions goes out today to retail stores worldwide.

Guild Wars Factions is the stand-alone follow-up to Guild Wars, the game that set new standards in online gaming with fresh design, innovative technology and no-subscription-fee pricing. With an expected retail price of $49.99, Guild Wars Factions will be available worldwide and servers supporting the new release will “go live” at 12:01 AM PDT /7:01 GMT on April 28, 2006.

Those who pre-ordered the game will be able to participate in the exclusive Guild Wars Factions Head Start Event beginning at 12:01 AM PDT/7:01 AM GMT on April 27, 2006. These lucky gamers will have access to the game for a total of 48 hours, including a full 24 hours before the game’s global release. During the first 24 hours of the Head Start Event, ArenaNet has planned an exclusive in-game event titled "Day of the Tengu," in which players will join one-day-only "Day of the Tengu" quests, and earn exclusive in-game rewards.

“New features in Guild Wars Factions such as guild scrimmages, alliance battles, ranked character titles, and some surprises still to come all resulted from our drive to create a truly unique gaming experience for existing and new fans of the Guild Wars universe,” says Mike O’Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. “With a full year of development and a passionate design team, we think what we’ve created delivers on that and much, much more. Either played as a stand-alone game, or linked with your original Guild Wars account, Guild Wars Factions is a game we are thoroughly proud of—and still carries no subscription fee.”

Guild Wars Factions takes place on the Asian-inspired continent of Cantha, where players create a character from eight distinct professions—including the newly created Assassin and Ritualist—and join an epic quest that pits two warring factions, the Luxons and the Kurzicks, against an ancient evil, and against each other. As players become embroiled in this brutal war of conquest, new missions will provide both roleplaying fans and competitive PvP players the opportunity to help determine the fate of Cantha.

Guild Wars Factions is rated T for Teen. For more information, please visit www.guildwars.com.

Have tons of fun getting into this game.

Meanwhile, head over to our Guild Wars community.

More Guild Wars News.