Pre-release news/Archive/2010

October - December

When It's Ready

November 17

Whenever we get asked when Guild Wars 2 is going to be released or even when we're going to release more information, we always give the answer, "When it's ready." I realize that ultimately this is an unsatisfying answer, but at the same time it's the most accurate and honest answer that we can possibly give. So what do we really mean when we say "When it's ready"?

Read more on the development process...

Your Legend Lives On in the Hall of Monuments!

October 8

With the Hall of Monuments Rewards Calculator, you can now see what special rewards your Guild Wars 2 characters will "inherit" from your Guild Wars characters! Learn more about forging your legacy.

Test your inheritance here...

July - September

A Rewarding Experience – John Hargrove Talks About Loot

September 30

Hello, world! My name is John Hargrove, and I am one of the primary designers responsible for the rewards and item systems in Guild Wars 2. I guess I should start by saying that since the very onset of development on Guild Wars 2 we've been doing our very best to identify which aspects of the original game design were successful and core to making a true Guild Wars experience. With these ideals as our foundation, we've been building a game that stays true to the spirit of its predecessor while simultaneously moving the genre forward. With this in mind, I'd like to delve into a few of the core item-related principals that have shaped our design of the reward mechanisms and item systems in Guild Wars 2.

Read More on the reward system...

Live and Let Dye – Kristen Perry on the GW2 Dye System

September 29

I've been thinking for months now about how to describe the new dye system to you, which has been completely redesigned and is much more flexible than the original. There's one big change I knew would surprise the "dye hard" fans, so I figured I should reveal that information first. Besides, if we all have the collective gasp at the beginning, I'll know at least everyone will have a full tank of oxygen in their brains to read the rest of the article.

Read More on the dye system...

Rick Ellis Answers Your Extended Experience Questions

September 27

Tech Director Rick Ellis' blog post last week about the Guild Wars Extended Experience really got people talking. From IGN to Kotaku to PC Gamer to numerous forums and blogs, people were discussing how the Extended Experience can enhance Guild Wars 2. Some folks had questions — we've got answers.

We collected a bunch of frequently asked questions from all these conversations in one place for your reading pleasure.

Read on for answers to your Extended Experience FAQs!

Gaming Outside the Game: Rick Ellis Talks The Guild Wars 2 Extended Experience

September 21

Video games have evolved far past the button-mashing days when your entertainment was easy to forget because the game was simple. Games today often influence our emotions, making us feel as though we are part of the story, part of the game universe, and that we matter in important ways. The end result is that, very much like other forms of entertainment, we find ourselves drawn to the experience even when we aren't in-game.

Read more on extended experience...

Eric and Izzy Answer Your Necromancer Questions

August 31

Last week we unearthed the necromancer, the macabre master of life and death in Guild Wars 2. Many of you had questions about this updated take on the classic Guild Wars profession, so we summoned Lead Designer Eric Flannum and Game Designer Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright to answer the most common queries.

Read on for answers to your necro questions!

Unearthing the Necromancer

August 24

Just in time for gamescom, we've dug up the necromancer, a master of dark arts who wields the power of death... and life! This sinister Guild Wars 2 profession can summon undead minions, suck the life force from enemies, and cheat death with the eerie Death Shroud ability! Unearth the uncanny necromancer and his strange abilities.

Read more on the necromancer

Demo Tales from Gamescom

August 22

Gamescom 2010 is over! The doors have closed on Europe's largest game expo and the first playable demo of Guild Wars 2. We had a fantastic time showing our game to fans in Cologne this year, and we were excited about all the positive reactions to the demo. We came away from gamescom with tons of great memories and stories, and we thought we'd share some of them with you.

Guild Wars 2 Wins Gamescom Best Online Game Award

August 20

Guild Wars 2 has been awarded Best Online Game for gamescom 2010! Read about it on the blog post.

Gamescom 2010: Photos from the Floor

August 20

The doors are open at gamescom in Cologne, Germany, and fans from all over Europe (and beyond) are descending on the NCsoft booth. The French community manager, Stéphane Lo Presti, has been capturing the gamescom excitement with his camera. On the blog, and on flickr.

Designing the Demo: A Chat with Kim Chase and Leah Rivera

August 19

The world premiere of the Guild Wars 2 hands-on demo at gamescom is here! Over a hundred developers and artists have been working hard to create this first playable foray into the world of Tyria, a place that is as beautiful as it is deadly. Earlier in the week, David Campbell grabbed two key creators behind these areas —Content Designers Kim Chase and Leah Rivera—for a quick chat before gamescom began.

MMO Manifesto Reactions

August 13

The MMO Manifesto video showcased all the core features, design philosophy, and incredible artistry. ArenaNet's bold reinvention of the MMO and the incredible gameplay footage piqued the interest of players around the world, and was the topic of countless enthusiastic blog posts and forum discussions. Lead Designers Eric Flannum and Colin Johanson talk about it here.

The Road to gamescom: Writing the Demo

August 16

We're counting the days and hours until gamescom (Aug 18-22) and the world premiere of the Guild Wars 2 live demo. David Campbell talks with Writer and Game Designer Angel Leigh McCoy and Lead Writer Bobby Stein about how did the demo get produced. Read about it here.

The Road to gamescom: Assuring Quality

August 13

Games just don't ship without a QA team, and Guild Wars 2 is no exception. The ArenaNet Quality Assurance Team has been working furiously behind the scenes for months, making sure that the live demo of Guild Wars 2 we're premiering at gamescom on August 18 plays like it should. QA team members Bob Green, Joe Belousek, Joe Longworth, and Anthony Ordon broke off from their duties long enough to talk a little about QA's role in the upcoming demo. Read all about it here.

Walking the Walk

August 10

Mike O'Brien has talked the talk, but now he and the ArenaNet team are ready to walk the walk at GamesCom in Germany and PAX 2010 in Seattle.

Read about the demo and their plans. You can also watch the Manifesto video.

Talking Heads: VO and Dialogue in GW2

August 5

Bobby Stein talks about voicing the game on the blog. Everyone gets a voice all the time in Guild Wars 2!

Personality in Guild Wars 2

August 3

Curtis Johnson, one of the designers, writes a nice blog post about personality in Guild Wars 2. How you react to the game will affect how the game reacts to you.

Progression and Leveling in Guild Wars 2

July 29

Issiah "Izzy" Cartwright provides a brief blog post about progression and leveling in Guild Wars 2. The level cap is revealed to be 80, and level progression will be steadily and thus faster in Guild Wars 2 than in other MMOs.

Introducing the Ranger

July 14

Presenting the Ranger, a keen-eyed master of archery who can harness the power of nature or fight alongside his loyal animal companion. This Guild Wars 2 profession can lay traps, summon nature spirits, or barrage his foes from a distance.

Discover the multi-talented ranger and his potent pets.

Player, Heal Thyself - Healing and Death in GW2

July 8

Guild Wars 2 will challenge the way you think about healing and death in an MMO. Game designer Jon Peters shows how we break the mold with dedicated healing slots for all professions, new "downed" skills, decreased death penalties, and more!

Learn more in Jon's in-depth article...

April - June

Content Designer Matthew Medina Discusses the Alphabets of Guild Wars

June 21

Languages discussed in this blog entry by Matthew Medina. He speaks about current languages and new to come. Such as New Krytan, which was revealed as a language that was developed in between Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2.

Eric And Ben Answer More Questions on the Warrior and Traits

June 16

Questions answered in this blog entry Eric and Ben answer more questions related to the recently announced Trait system and and the Warrior profession.

Revealed! Guild Wars 2 Traits and the Warrior

June 9

Guild Wars 2 Traits Overview in this feature from Game Designer Ben Miller.

Plus: Revealed! The strong, the indomitable Warrior!

Beautiful Grim Auctions GW2 Art for a Good Cause

June 3

ArenaNet is supporting Beautiful Grim, an art auction started by Daarken, an artist at Mythic Entertainment, and Leif Jeffers, an animator at DreamWorks, to raise funds to help out Daarken's girlfriend Cat, who is currently recovering from breast cancer treatment.

See the article on this good cause's progress

Hands-on Demo

June 2

ArenaNet announces that they will not be appearing at E3, however they will be doing hands-on demonstrations at Gamescom in Cologne Germany, and Pax Prime in Seattle, USA.

Read more on upcoming game conventions...

House Style

June 1

Bobby Stein talks about the written style used for Guild Wars 2.

Read more on game writing...

Link Roundup: Personal Storylines

May 28

David Campbell's overview of Guild Wars 2's personal storyline.

Read more on personal storylines...

Ree Soesbee Answers Your Questions About GW2 Personal Storylines

May 27

Ree Soesbee answers some of our questions about personal storylines at the ArenaNet blog.

Ree Soesbee talks about Personal Stories

May 26

Ree Soesbee talks about the personal storyline in this article.

GW2 Merchandise Survey

May 24

ArenaNet requests your participation in a survey that will influence future Guild Wars 2 merchandise.

Eric Flannum Answers More of Your Dynamic Event Questions

May 20

Lead Designer Eric Flannum's fields some commonly asked questions on the ArenaNet blog.

Colin Johanson Answers Your Dynamic Event Questions

May 19

Colin Johanson answers your dynamic event questions on the ArenaNet blog.

The Fashion of Guild Wars 2

May 17

David Campbell interviews Kristen Perry about the fashion of Guild Wars 2.

Link Roundup: Dynamic Events

May 14

Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson's overview of Guild Wars 2's dynamic event system has created a lot of interested echoes on the web.

Check the link roundup for more...

Dynamic Events Overview

May 12

Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson elaborates about the innovative dynamic event system and how it challenges the fundamental ways content has been presented to players in traditional MMORPGs.

Read more on this dynamic system.

Nine GW2 Follow Up Questions with Eric Flannum

May 5

Due to the amount of GW2 information that was dropped last week, many questions that have been asked have not been answered. Regina Buenaobra sat down with Eric Flannum and asked him several questions.

Check the answers!

New Wallpaper - Norn elementalist

April 30

As a way of saying their thanks for spreading the word, ArenaNet has gifted us with another wallpaper. This one's about a male elementalist from Kekai Kotaki.

Guild Wars 2 Combat: Weapons, Races and Professions

April 29

In the second part of this feature, Lead Designer Eric Flannum goes into greater detail about the role that weapons, races, and professions play in Guild Wars 2's combat system.

Read even more on the combat system...

Revealed! Guild Wars 2 Combat and the Elementalist

April 28

Discover Guild Wars 2's dynamic, visceral combat in this two-part feature straight from Lead Designer Eric Flannum. He covers GW2 combat in detail, discussing environmental weapons, race and weapon skills, and more!

Plus: we reveal the versatile, formidable elementalist!

Guild Wars 2 Design Manifesto

April 27

Mike O'Brien has posted a blog article explaining the basic philosophy behind the development of Guild Wars 2. He talks about putting the RPG back into MMORPG, just being able to play with those around you without forming parties and discusses some game play details like environmental weapons.

This is the first in a series of blogs about Guild Wars 2 so expect more articles like this soon.

News this week!

April 26

The Guild Wars 2 Facebook page announced that they are going to reveal something this week and asked the readers to spread the word.

Teaser for Guild Wars 2 info

April 22

Apparently ArenaNet have got a taste for torturous information reveals after their Guild Wars War in Kryta campaign. Today Regina Buenaobra tweeted another image with slightly more detail than the image tweeted a few days ago by Martin Kerstein.

We're no clearer on what the image is for than before, but for those wanting to follow this torture to the end we'll be tracking the changes in professions reveals.

More Guild Wars 2 news in-coming

April 20

Chris Lye revealed in an interview with Kill Ten Rats that new Guild Wars 2 information is just a short while away. Martin Kerstein today twittered us on his personal account pointing to an obscured piece of concept art staying "The wait is almost over".

Check out the other sources section for links to the most recent Guild Wars 2 interviews.

January - March

The Final Video of Daniel Dociu's Guild Wars 2 Art Presentation

March 25

The final video of Senior Art Director Daniel Dociu's GDC presentation is now online! Daniel was a featured panelist at this year's conference, where he shared some awe-inspiring Guild Wars 2 concept art.

Check Out the Third Video of Daniel Dociu's GDC Art Presentation

March 23

The third video in our four-part series covering Senior Art Director Daniel Dociu's GDC presentation is now up! Take a look at some previously unseen Guild Wars 2 concept art.

Next Video in Daniel Dociu's Guild Wars 2 Art Series is Now Up

March 22

We've just posted the second in a series of four videos of Senior Art Director Daniel Dociu's presentation at GDC this year. Also you may take a look at some never-before-seen Guild Wars 2 concept art.

Concept art from GDC10

March 16

Daniel Dociu recently spoke at the Games Developers Conference about the role of concept art in the process of games development. To accompany his talk the Guild Wars team put together a set of slides showcasing their beautiful concept art from both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. The first part of these slides has been uploaded to YouTube – check it out!

IncGamers Guild Wars 2 Interview

March 1

IncGamers just posted an interview with some of the key designers of Guild Wars 2 that offers some further insight into the races, lore, and gameplay. What will PvP be like in the new game? How long does an asura live? Why can't all the charr legions just get along?

Find answers to these questions and more...

Ghosts of Ascalon: The First Guild Wars Novel

February 23

It's almost here! Ghosts of Ascalon, the first original Guild Wars novel, hits bookshelves this summer! An epic tale written by Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb, Ghosts of Ascalon helps to set the stage for the release of Guild Wars 2.

Head over to learn more on the book...

Jeff Grubb gets loreful with Ten Ton Hammer!

February 19

World-builder extraordinaire Jeff Grubb sat down with Ten Ton Hammer to discuss the lore of Guild Wars 2. Jeff talks about Elder Dragons, gods, dwarves, and more.

Read more on lore...

Developing professions and races

January 24

Insight into the development of races and professions for Guild Wars 2 was revealed today in a Guild Wars 2 Guru forum post from Martin. In it Eric Flannum, lead designer for Guild Wars 2, describes some criteria for adding a race or profession to the game. Head over and check it out.

Sound in Guild Wars 2

January 23

If you are interested in the ambient environment sounds of Guild Wars 2 head over to Guild Wars 2 Guru for a post from Regina on the topic. In it she relays information from James Ackley, the Audio Director, describing the sound generation system they're using for Guild Wars 2.