Guild Wars: Factions Announcement!!!

[j0j081]

Bellevue, Wash., Jan. 10, 2006 — NCsoft®, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announces Guild Wars®: Factions™, the next chapter in the critically acclaimed Guild Wars franchise from ArenaNet® studios. The Factions campaign will release in the second quarter of 2006. It offers players an incredible gameplay experience with many new choices, including new regions, professions, skills, missions, and monsters, along with expanded options for both Cooperative and Player-versus-Player (PvP) play, and enhanced features for guilds.

Players will get their first chance to experience the new campaign when ArenaNet opens its servers to everyone for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend. This worldwide event—scheduled for January 20 through 22—is open to both existing Guild Wars players and to those who do not have a Guild Wars account. ArenaNet is distributing free access keys to the event at http://www.guildwars.com.

http://www.guildwars.com/press/pr13-10-01-06.html good news imo (nana2)

[GamerGuyX]

MMORPG forum announcement!

As seen on TV!

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=42

:p

[SDinc]

Nice marketing on their part. That is going to be one crazy weekend if anything goes wrong though!

[superklye]

This is awesome! This game keeps getting better and better! New classes (at least the assasasin) sounds sweet! I'm really excited to see how they pull off the thief class in this game.

I wonder if it's going to be a free, downloaded-once-logged in expansion or if it's a pay one. I have no problem paying, that's for sure. This game has proved to me that it's worth every penny I put into the CE so far.

[superklye]

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-campaign-2/680914p1.html

Just found this interview. Apparently, it's a stand alone expansion.

EDIT: This is frickin' awesome. Man, I love these guys.

That's when he segues into describing Factions. "Factions is a stand-alone expansion for Guild Wars." he says. "Players will be able to purchase Factions and have a lot of fun with it without having to purchase the original game. Of course, those players who do have both will have the benefit of being able to cross back and forth between them, bringing items and abilities across and having access to much more content." Strain uses the card game Magic: The Gathering as a metaphor for the way ArenaNet sees the development of the Guild Wars franchise. "Magic: The Gathering keeps re-inventing itself with each new edition and players are never forced to buy older cards to stay competitive. They can always enjoy a one edition game -- Factions will do that for Guild Wars. What Factions-only players will miss out on is some of the richness that comes from mixing different editions together."

EDIT 2: Well, no raise on the level cap it seems. Though the article further explains that assassins will be able to dual wield and use stealth and the Ritualist is a big-time summoner. Plus, they said they plan on having two retail expansions a year, each with whole new areas, skills, campaigns and two new classes per.

It'd be really sweet if they did something like D&D has with the epic levels and/or prestige classes, but how they would, I don't know, since we're not constrained to the skills we can use. Any Warrior skill can be used by any Warrior, etc.

[zoomy942]

holy hell. i love this game. i dont play games nearly as much as i used to, but GW doesnt ever dissappoint. holy moley, holey moley, holey moley

[angshuman]

I just hope the new chapter has a story that was not written by a 13-year old. And as for role-playing content, you actually get to make ONE choice in the game - the faction you want to belong to! It's not much, but hey, it's a start in trying to fulfil its claim of being a "Role Playing Game".

I'm still going to pre-order it though :p... I think it's a fantastic co-operative and competitive action/adventure game :)

[TierMann]

I have and play GuildWars and they put just about as much info as they did in the press release in the in-game news. What's still missing is where I have to be at what time to get a key and download the client. The 20th-22nd but do we need to sign up or something?

[Mr. Hunt]

I have and play GuildWars and they put just about as much info as they did in the press release in the in-game news. What's still missing is where I have to be at what time to get a key and download the client. The 20th-22nd but do we need to sign up or something?

Heh... I was wondering the same thing... says guildwars.com... but I can't find anything about signing up for the weekend anywhere :\.

[TierMann]

Heh... I was wondering the same thing... says guildwars.com... but I can't find anything about signing up for the weekend anywhere :\.


To: press@arena.net
Subject: Open Faction Weekend

Message:
WTF?
Please Respond.

--Adam

Hopefully I'll hear back.

[Mr. Hunt]

Hopefully I'll hear back.

lol

[supra]

w00t!

[Slyder]

Brilliant news about the exp pack. Man this so pwns WoW so much hardcore style.:cool:

[TierMann]

http://www.guildwars.com/default.html

How do I get a key for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend?

We will be providing keys on the official website, www.guildwars.com, starting the afternoon of Friday, January 13th. All gamers are invited to join the event, whether they are a Guild Wars account holder or not. One regional key will be distributed for each of the American and European regions. This means that there's no need to worry about having a separate key for yourself and each friend who wants to play; all players from America will use a single key and all players from Europe will use another single key. The keys will be distributed via the official website, but you're also free to share with friends via email.

I am a Guild Wars account holder. Do I need to get a key?

Existing Guild Wars players do not need to acquire a key. They will obtain access to the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend at the time that it launches. Oh, and players may want to pay close attention to the game world in the days preceding the event; things are changing in many interesting ways.

When can I set up my Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend account?

Anyone who owns Guild Wars does not need to do anything to activate the new content or to join the event. Those who do not own Guild Wars, or who intend to set up a different account for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend, can start account setup upon obtaining the key and they then can return to play at the start of the event.

Will I have more character slots for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend?

Character slots will remain at four. However, those with an existing PvP character slot are invited to create a new PvP character to try out the new professions: The Assassin or The Ritualist. You are also welcome to use one of the global access keys to create a second account, if you wish.

How will I get Assassin or Ritualist skills during the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend?

You will start with a limited number of skills for the profession that you choose, and you will be able to acquire more skills through the unlocking process based on the gain of Faction during PvP gameplay.

If I unlock Assassin or Ritualist skills during the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend, will I be able to keep them?

Yes, you will keep the Assassin and Ritualist skills that you unlock during the event. They will remain in your skill listing, but they will be inactive until you acquire the retail version of Guild Wars: Factions. On the other hand, the things you acquire on your normal retail account -- Faction Points, Fame, increases in Rank, Guild Wars Ladder ratings -- would remain on your account.

If I delete a character to make a Ritualist or an Assassin, will my character be replaced at the end of the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend?

No, your character will not be replaced at the end of the event. So be sure you choose carefully and that you are aware that the characters that you create with the Ritualist or Assassin as a part of the profession setup will need to be recreated or “rerolled” after the event.

Will you be able to merge my Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend account with my existing account?

No, we will not be able to merge accounts. If you wish to keep your attainments from the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend event, we heartily recommend that you play on a PvP Character slot on an existing Guild Wars account, in order to retain your unlocked skills.

Will the account that I create for this event be useful in the future?

The account that you use for the event could be converted into a regular retail account with the purchase of Guild Wars: Factions. The account also may be used for subsequent events, as long as you acquire the key that pertains to any future event.

Will there be future Guild Wars: Factions events?

Yes, definitely! Watch for more events in advance of the release of Guild Wars: Factions.


The Guild Wars Team would like to invite gamers everywhere to join us on the weekend of January 20th for a Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend Event! This event will take place on the Battle Isles, the new PvP continent. Players can visit this new area of the world to to try out a brand new arena, to visit the new combat training zones, or to experience the PvP explorable areas. Join us to get an early look at how PvP will evolve with the coming of Guild Wars: Factions!

The Event Schedule
Start of Event: January 20th: Midnight Pacific Time; 8:00 a.m. GMT; 5:00 p.m. Seoul
Closing Time: January 22nd/23rd: 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time January 22nd; 7:59 a.m. GMT January 23rd; 4:50 p.m. Seoul January 23rd

Your Key to PvP

American Players:
888D9-H27PG-NM72D-PLHJ1-2HG11

European Players:
66DG9-C4RHB-9FKD6-287BJ-LRGCJ

Feel free to share this key with your friends, guild mates and gaming partners!

Download the Guild Wars game client now! (http://www.guildwars.com/downloads/GwSetup.zip)

Weee! So players that allready own the game down have to get a key or download a different client. That's pretty cool.

[emailthatguy]

I just hope the new chapter has a story that was not written by a 13-year old. And as for role-playing content, you actually get to make ONE choice in the game - the faction you want to belong to! It's not much, but hey, it's a start in trying to fulfil its claim of being a "Role Playing Game".

I'm still going to pre-order it though :p... I think it's a fantastic co-operative and competitive action/adventure game :)

as far as i know all the story is written by the same dude. i cant find the link but its the same guy that did all the story for balders gate

[slick]

Richard Garriot. Same guy that made all of the Ultima's and Lineage's.

[superklye]

Why do so many people hate the story? The parts that I have seen have been pretty good and it's a HELL of a lot better than the "story" in WoW. In fact, after all the time I spent playing, I couldn't even FIND a story in WoW.

[killahsin]

yeah wow is mainyl just a bunch of silly little sub stories weaved around small quests

[j0j081]

I just hope the new chapter has a story that was not written by a 13-year old. And as for role-playing content, you actually get to make ONE choice in the game - the faction you want to belong to! It's not much, but hey, it's a start in trying to fulfil its claim of being a "Role Playing Game".
I thought they stated it's neither an rpg or mmorpg.

[angshuman]

I thought they stated it's neither an rpg or mmorpg.
The official term is "CORPG" -- Competitive Online Role Playing Game. They are not staking any claims to the game being an MMO, but they do insist on the Role Playing part.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Anet for the fact that they made an effort to integrate a story into a cooperative online game, something that is not quite straightforward. Their Mission system with its varied objectives is quite good. My only gripe is that the effort was halfhearted.

And then there's the voice-acting. It is really, really bad. If you want an example, go do an infusion run and listen to the dialogue between the Seer and the PC. It really sounds like a couple of coders were paid overtime to read the dialogue out of a manuscript. It sounds so cheesy I felt embarrassed to just listen to the damn thing when I played it the first time.

Now compare that to the voice-acting in a game like KOTOR.

[j0j081]

I think the voice acting is okay with some characters. I haven't gotten very far into the game yet but Warmaster Hammer or whatever his name is sounded pretty good for a dwarf.