Guild Wars 2
From Guild Wars 2 Wiki
Guild Wars 2 is the sequel to the Guild Wars currently in development by ArenaNet. It has been in development since 2007 and no official beta testing or release dates have been announced. Many new features have been announced which align with those of traditional MMORPG but it has been described by ArenaNet as the ultimate game for Guild Wars fans.
This article provides an overview of the features of Guild Wars 2. For more detailed information consult the fan FAQ or the wiki article for a topic that interests you.
Contents |
[edit] Races
- See also: Playable races
Five races are available for players to select from; Asura, Charr, Norn, Human and Sylvari. Each race will have a distinct flavor and story but remain equally able to run each profession.
[edit] Professions
- See also: Profession
There has been no official announcement about the professions available.
[edit] Persistent world
Guild Wars 2 features a zoned persistent game world which is split across multiple game servers. Instances are used for player specific content, missions and dungeons. It will be easy to transfer between the servers.[1]
[edit] World versus World
- See also: World versus World
World versus World, is a casual sort of competitive play featuring large on-going objective-based battles between a few matched servers. Players of any level can come and go, using the skills and equipment that they have. Victories here can provide benefits to the server.
[edit] Player versus Player
- See also: Structured PvP
There are two main forms of PvP; a tournament based game with even organized teams and pick-up play where individuals or groups can hot-join a map depending on a variety of settings. Players entering PvP get a fixed level and any items necessary to ensure an even footing.
[edit] Event system
- See also: Event system
Quests and their green exclamation points, are going to play a lesser role in Guild Wars 2. Events will occur in the game world depending on player action, or inaction. As players explore the world they will find dynamically occurring events which they can participate in and be rewarded for.
[edit] Level cap
The level cap is being raised. A sidekick system will be used to allow players to play with their friends of different levels.
[edit] Skills
- See also: Skill
There will be fewer skills than Guild Wars each with better animations as ArenaNet aim for quality over quantity. Guild Wars 2 will utilize a limited skill system. There are skills provided by profession and by race.
[edit] Companions
- See also: Companion
Each character will have the option to take a single customisable companion with them to balance the weaknesses of their character. This companion would not take up a slot within a party and any player who did not want to take a companion would be buffed to compensate. Henchmen or an equivalent are said to be making a return,[2] after early information suggested they would be removed.[3]
[edit] Crafting
Guild Wars 2 will have a "robust" crafting system and other means of non-combat player interaction.
[edit] Plot
In the 250 years since the events of Guild Wars the elder dragons have awoken. Massive forces of nature these dragons have wreaked destruction across the continent of Tyria forever changing its face and its inhabitants. For more on the intervening years between the two games read the Movement of the World and the prequel book Ghosts of Ascalon.
A character starts in the capital city of the race they choose, after a time they are able to join a multi-race organization. They work to unite the different Guild Wars 2 races against the dragons before focusing in on fighting one elder dragon in particular, Zhaitan.
[edit] World design
About half of the explorable areas will be underwater, accessible to players through an easily obtainable consumable item. The underwater areas will have new friendly races and their own events and are designed to be fun places to explore for all races.
A day/night cycle, faster than real-time, is being added to the game and some events will occur and monsters appear depending on the in-game time. There will be weather effects in-game. The interior of houses and buildings in the environment will be accessible to players.
[edit] Items
Armor will use a system of light, medium, and heavy armors. Weapons can be tied to one or more specific professions. Guns are a weapon available to all races.[4]
[edit] Guilds
- See also: Guild
Each character may join a separate guild. More has been added to the game to support guilds; guild achievements, a calendar and the ability to join guild chat from a web browser.
[edit] Fee free
As with Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 will require purchase of the game but no subscription fee to play. Further purchasable content will be made available over time. Guild Wars 2 will have micro-transactions similar to those offered by Guild Wars.[5]
[edit] Game engine
Guild Wars 2 uses a heavily modified Guild Wars game engine which includes support for true 3D environments, more detailed environments and models, better lighting and shadows, new animation and effects systems, plus new audio and cinematics engines and a more flexible combat and skill-casting system.[6] It uses Havok to provide destructible environment and ragdoll animation of creatures[7] and Umbra's occlusion culling technology.[8]
Required system specifications have not been released. The aim is for Guild Wars to run great on 'mainstream' or 'mid-range gaming' PCs.
The control system is going to be changed, in particular mouse movement in the form "click to move" will be removed from the game, [3] however target locking will still function.
[edit] Music
Jeremy Soule, composer for the Guild Wars series, will return to compose the music for Guild Wars 2.
[edit] External links
- Official Guild Wars 2 website (includes official trailer)
- Frequently Asked Questions on the official site, written by ArenaNet
[edit] References
- ^ Massively's interview with ArenaNet: Let's talk Guild Wars 2, Massively
- ^ Guild Wars 2 (magazine article translation from original Dutch), PCGameplay
- ^ a b Guild Wars 2 (magazine article transcription), PCGamer
- ^ Guild Wars 2 Teaser Trailer, Regina Buenaobra
- ^ GCO9: Guild Wars 2 Interview, Gamereactor
- ^ GC 2009: Guild Wars 2 - First Details and Q&A, IGN
- ^ Important Guild Wars 2 Questions Answered, ZAM
- ^ ArenaNet® Licenses Umbra for Guild Wars 2, Umbra
