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Guild Wars

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Game Info

Windows
Developer: 
ArenaNet
Genre: 
Fantasy
Release Date: 
April 28, 2005
Monthly Fee: 
None
Official Website
T
Before the Western market was inundated with free-to-play Asian imports, Guild Wars was the only game that offered a free-to-play business model and constant PvP action. With over four million...Before the Western market was inundated with free-to-play Asian imports, Guild Wars was the only game that offered a free-to-play business model and constant PvP action. With over four million units of the original game (Guild Wars: Prophecies) sold in stores, there's no denying the popularity of this free-to-play game.

Set in a medieval fantasy world, Guild Wars allows players to choose from ten different total professions. In the original release of the game, players could choose from six of these professions, with the Nightfall and Factions expansions adding two more professions each. While there is a player versus environment (PvE) portion of the game, most players play Guild Wars to engage in player versus player combat (PvP). With a level cap of only 20 levels, players can quickly become a top-tiered character in PvE, yet the main drive to hit level 20 is to earn skills that can be used in the PvP arena.

Finally, the PvP competitions are separated into seven different areas of competition, each with its own nuances and goals. Players are urged to continually play Guild Wars because large cash payouts are available to the best players of the game. The money on top of the fun of PvP continues to keep Guild Wars an incredibly popular game.
  • Houston, We Have Guild Wars

    Houston, we have a MMOG.
    The Houston Chronicle has posted a quick little ditty about Guild Wars that takes a brief, but focused look at the game. Vin Diesel can play four Guild Wars characters at once using only the powers of his mind. His mind powers had nothing to do with the following, though they could have if he had wanted them to:

    "It's a sad fact that most massively multiplayer online games are dominated by gamers with way too much time on their hands.
    Building a character and maintaining relationships within an online world often demand more time and energy than a casual gamer can muster. Guild Wars , a PC-based online game from ArenaNet and Austin-based NCSoft, seeks to change that by making it easier to join."

    Related Links:

     

    News
    Tue, Sep 13, 2005
    Boomjack
  • Guild Wars Review at Killer Betties

    PvP With No Monthly Fee Says Killer Betty.
    Killer Betties has posted a review of Guild Wars. Killer Veronica was unavailable for comment, as was Jughead, but we are confident had they responded they would not have said this:

    "When compared to the other Massive Multiplayer Online games around,
    Guild Wars is fairly unique. It has no subscription fees, and thus, no
    credit card. If all you want to do is purchase the game from your local
    game retailer…fine. That’s all you need to purchase. However, there are chapters released every six months with exciting new game content and skills, although NCSoft stresses that these are completely optional and players will not be barred from PVP (player vs. player) combat if they have not bought the latest chapter. "

    You can read the entire Guild Wars Review at Killer Betties.
    Related Links:

    Reviews
    Mon, Sep 12, 2005
    Boomjack
  • GW Deskpaper at the Official Site

    Better late than never

    Guild Wars' Wednesday deskpaper hit the site a day later than usual, but since the Arena.net folks released the "Sorrow's Furnace" expansion this week I guess we can give them some slack.

    This week's wallpaper shows a blending of concepts for the fiery depths of Sorrow's Furnace. Find your choice of wallpaper sizes and aspect ratios, and decorate your desktop with something befitting of the latest Guild Wars update

    Help yourself to some Guild Wars: Sorrow's Furnace deskpaper here!

    News
    Fri, Sep 09, 2005
    Ethec
  • IGN Interviews Guild Wars Composer

    Does "Sorrow's Furnace" have a loose fan belt?

    Nope! Give Jeremy Soule- Arena.net's Composer for Guild Wars- some credit, that's the new music. If you're a fan of that big angry Wagnerian symphonic sound that makes besting "feeble muskrats" feel like fighting the demon overlord for the souls of mankind, this interview might be of interest to you!

    Soule also talks of DirectPlay, a fee-based service that allows game music composers to deliver more music to games and expansions gone gold.

    IGN: Since you also worked on the music for the initial Guild Wars game, how did you approach this project? How did you keep true to the original Guild Wars music while still creating your own unique sound for this update?

    Jeremy Soule: Guild Wars is a purely symphonic experience. I rely heavily on past composers such as Wagner and Beethoven. For this expansion, I made the "colors" darker, but kept the framework of Guild Wars in place. The main theme makes an appearance, and there are some textural similarities to Guild Wars. Fans of my work know that I favor big sounds; this orchestra is even bigger than what we used for the original Guild Wars. In virtual terms, we would need over 400 players to duplicate our sound in an acoustic reality.

    More of the Guild Wars: Sorrow's Furnace music interview here!

    Features, Interviews
    Fri, Sep 09, 2005
    Ethec
  • "Sorrow's Furnace" Preview at IGN

    /sings "And that's the recipe for makin' sorrow!"

    How would you like to have your spirit shackled so you can be treated as a contemptible slave in a sweltering dungeon? We thought you would, and so did Arena.net! IGN is hot for Sorrow's Furnace, and we can see why...

    With the addition of Sorrow's Furnace, players will receive two new zones with a ton of new quests and content along with smaller additions to existing areas and new gameplay mechanics. These guys play the game a ton themselves and workers dedicated to looking through player feedback and compiling it for the team to see have found some obvious areas of improvement. One of the most glaring bits that many players have mentioned is the issue of progression and reward. As it is right now, players making their way through the story campaign will tromp along swimingly, growing in power and skill at a great pace, when they'll run smack into a wall that slows progression mingling frustration with the fun.

    Read the lengthy Guild Wars: Sorrow's Furnace preview at IGN.

    Features, Previews
    Wed, Sep 07, 2005
    Ethec
  • TTH Takes a Closer Look at GW Tactics

    While the thought of "Counters" and "Smiting" might bring back early Parochial school memories...

    ...these are also terms used to descrbe important aspects of Guild Wars strategy. Even after the recent updates, smiting is the most common offensive technique employed on the scene. Important to note though, is that many good teams are not predominantly using smiting! Learn about the prominent cases of smiting, and the counters that can shut it down. Do your part to bring variety back onto the scene of Guild Wars!

    The current scene of smiting involves an Elementalist/Monk using fast recharge skills and Zealot's Fire, which takes advantage of using enchantments and Ether Renewal to keep up both energy and health with every cast, while dealing significant damage. Seems unfair? Many people feel that Ether Renewal should be changed, or rather, rebalanced.

    The full TTH Guild Wars Strategy Highlight: "On Smiting and Counters" is now available for your esteemed perusal!

    News
    Tue, Sep 06, 2005
    Ethec
  • Arena.net Offers New GW Expansion Screens

    More screenshots than you can shake your current build at!

    A few new screens today of "Sorrow's Furnace," Guild Wars' Sept. 7th expansion pack.

    Sorrow's Furnace, and its accompanying explorable area Grenth's Footprint, will open to Guild Wars gamers on September 7th. A pair of new screenshots of Sorrow's Furnace is offered today in our Gallery. The shots show two views of combat within the subterranean depths of the depleted mine.

    Take a look at the screenshots at the Guild Wars official site.

    Images, Media
    Fri, Sep 02, 2005
    Ethec
  • New Professions Page / Deskpaper for GW

    A profession? My profession is weak bylines!

    Guild Wars' official site is sporting a new page dedicated to explaining each of the game's six professions. But who has time for that when there's deskpaper (and yes, we at TTH want to change your hearts and minds about what's been previously dubbed "wallpaper" - does it go on your wall? Nope.), sweet sweet Guild Wars Deskpape, to be downloaded?

    Wallpaper of the Week 31 August 2005

    This Wednesday's desktop presents an early concept for a Guild Hall design, dating from summer of 2004. You'll find your choice of wallpaper sizes and aspect ratios in the Gallery, or on this direct link.

    Professions Section Updated 31 August 2005

    We've taken another pass at the Professions Section and now display the names and descriptions of each skill and the related skill icon, as well. Find this expanded content on this page.

    Have a look at the Guild Wars professions, or have a sample from the Guild Wars Deskpaper tray. Go on!

    News
    Thu, Sep 01, 2005
    Ethec
  • Arena.net Confirms GW Expansion Launch Date

    Because Sorrow doesn't need air conditioning in September...
    Arena.net has announced that "Sorrow's Furnace," the free, major summer expansion for Guild Wars, is set for digital release on September 7th:

    "ArenaNet®, creators of the #1 selling competitive online roleplaying game, Guild Wars®, announces the release of the much-anticipated Guild Wars update: Sorrow’s Furnace. To be released on September 7, 2005, the update will be available free to all Guild Wars account holders and will stream to them live at game log-in.
    Sorrow's Furnace offers two large, explorable regions: Grenth's Footprint and Sorrow's Furnace. These regions will provide exciting new high-level content to Guild Wars players, and will offer new quests, new monsters, new items, and more. For characters who have completed their ascension in Guild Wars, these areas will provide new opportunities for exploration and reward."

    Read the Guild Wars official press release, then check out the TTH Guild Wars site for more great information on Guild Wars builds, competitive tactics, news, and much more!

    News
    Tue, Aug 30, 2005
    Ethec
  • Guild Wars Interview at IGN

    All PvP. All The Time.
    IGN has posted a Guild Wars Extreme PvP Weekend interview featuring Isaiah Cartwright. Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright from the Ponderosa ranch rode up and shouted:

    " With the multiplayer event coming up so quickly this Friday, ArenaNet
    was good to take the time to answer some quick questions about the
    update and what people can expect both from it and the future of Guild Wars. ArenaNet's Skill Balance Game Designer Isaiah Cartwright provides the answers to the future of skills in one of the most popular RPGs on the PC. "

    You can read the entire Guild Wars Interview at IGN.
    Related Links:

    Features, Interviews
    Thu, Aug 25, 2005
    Boomjack
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