Guild Wars celebrates their fourth year in style

by Shawn Schuster Apr 24th 2009 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, Quests

This Tuesday, April 28th, Guild Wars will be turning 4 years old. In true ArenaNet fashion, the game has kicked off an epic event that will last until Noon on April 29th. There is much of the usual festivities we've come to expect from Guild Wars, such as sugary treats, fireworks, Rollerbeetle Racing, the Dragon Arena and much more. Those characters turning four will receive their special four-year birthday mini pets on April 28th, but as an added bonus, those characters celebrating their 1-, 2- or 3-year birthdays will also receive a mini pets from their corresponding year.

If that's not enough, there's the brand new April update, just released last night. This update isn't a simple skill balance or bug fix, it actually introduces new mechanics and exciting new features to the game. We were given a teaser about this update earlier this month, but now the complete details, and some new surprises have arrived. Read on past the cut below to find out more details on these features.

Storage Upgrades
Several new storage options have been added to the game, including a special 4th anniversary storage obtainable through a special code, and four new storage tabs available for purchase on the online store for $9.99 USD each. On top of this, every character will receive a new Equipment Pack that is designed solely to hold weapons and armor.

Hall of Monument Upgrades
Aside from improving the usability and display functionality of the monuments themselves, ArenaNet has also improved the monument to include both personal and account-wide achievements.

The Zaishen Challenges and Menagerie
As we spoke about this earlier in the week, this is a new way for you to unlock and unleash your characters' pets. You can either spend Balthazar Faction, Zaishen Coins or even real cash to unlock the pets in the Menagerie. In addition, there are plenty of new Zaishen challenge quests to complete on the Battle Isles.

Nicholas the Traveler
Nicolas the Traveler, also known as Nicolas Sandford before the Searing, is a wandering NPC who gives players special quests to seek out his long lost trinkets that he values so much. Find him, and his trinkets each week. He gives out a limit of five gifts per week, per account. You can read more about his sad tale here.

Rename Your Character
That's right, now it's actually possible for you to rename your character in Guild Wars -- for a fee of course. For $14.99 USD, your character can finally get rid of that awful "Captin Longsord" name you made when you were a kid and upgrade to a real name, with proper spelling and everything!

Extreme Makeover
ArenaNet has announced the ability to actually change the physical attributes of your characters with new Makeover credits. This is something that many players have been demanding for years now, and it has finally arrived. This allows you to change your character's hair style, hair color, skin color, body scale, facial type and even gender! A regular Makeover Pack is $9.99 USD, which includes five Makeover Credits, each allowing you to change any of these physical features on your character. The Extreme Makeover credits are the same price, but allow gender change in addition to all other physical feature changes.

So with all of these new additions added to Guild Wars and the Guild Wars online store, we're curious to hear your opinion on it. Let us know in the comments!

Tags: 4-year, anniversary, arenanet, breaking, breakingnews, guild-wars, ncsoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

khia Mann said on 3:05PM 4-24-2009

For some reason I expected more FREE updates, not commercial addons.

Darkwood71 said on 3:15PM 4-24-2009

Agreed. The lack of content updates and the vaporware that is GW2 has killed this game dead, dead, dead. It's sad that they can't seem to fix their cranial-rectal inversion, and do something that would revive this once fun and worthy title.

JaRly said on 6:27PM 4-27-2009

I don't know about dead. I still see alot of people playing GW, it might be dead for you but that is just you and not the entire community. I personally have no problem with the optional updates and am enjoying the actual free updates: extra bag space, Zaishen challenges have been a big hit from what I have seen, and the extras given out from Nicholas the Traveler can be pretty F-ing sweet; Gold Vampiric Dragon blade bad?

The way I see it you have one of two options:
1. Angrily complain and whine about the game and be a pooper or
2. Realize that it is just a game, and a fun one at that, and go with the flow.

Maxguy2099 said on 7:35PM 4-24-2009

Same here =[

Moose said on 3:20PM 4-24-2009

While I'm actually in favor of the whole micro-addon system, I think they should look at more of a iTunes model, and charge more in the $1 range. $10-$15 is fine for level expansions, but for a character makeover? Come on, NCSoft. You want people to shell out $10 for a virtual makeover in this economy?

PeterD said on 3:38PM 4-24-2009

If you've been playing Guild Wars for years, why wouldn't you shell out $10 to change your character's appearance? Unlike other MMOs you haven't been shelling out $15/month for 4 years just to play the game, and these prices are still in line with those charged by subscription games to do the same thing.

As to the lack of free updates . . . what exactly do you expect? Guild Wars' business model was based on the idea of paying for expansion packs to increase content rather than subscriptions. It's unfortunate that they haven't added any major content since the Eyes of the North campaign, but they've added vastly more content to their game over the last 4 years than has, say, World of Warcraft, and you've paid a hell of a lot less for it too.

kapoho said on 3:52PM 4-24-2009

Its unfortunate that so many people who I knew playing Guild Wars had the same complaints. I really wanted this subscription model to get popular and evolve into some sort of workable industry standard, but now developers are going more towards micro-transactions like this as opposed to a whole product to pay for once.

People have to feel like their game is evolving and going somewhere with some kinda of free patches and updates, otherwise most players will find it stale over time and move on to a more active developer.

Lloyd said on 4:16PM 4-24-2009

I think some people are focusing too much on the fact that Arenanet is introducing paid "upgrades" together with the update. If they take a moment to look at what is actually being sold, it becomes clear that the actual, playable additions are free, as it always has been. What you pay for are the new optional additions to your account, such as storage and character make overs.

I think it's great that Anet has continued to grow Guild Wars. I'm looking forward to future updates and what new purchasable content they'll add to the in-game store.

ThomasJ said on 4:23PM 4-24-2009

People just need to stop thinking that just because Arenanet doesn't charge a monthly fee that everything else they do should be free as well.

Zerocyde said on 10:12PM 5-03-2009

I don't think that way, I just think that name changes and stuff like that should always be free, no matter what mmo it is. Charging for name changes is just garbage.

Jack said on 4:51PM 4-24-2009

this game need to retired and simple changes like a name need to be free!

Vulturion said on 6:10PM 4-24-2009

I was sooooo delighted this morning to discover stylists were being added, and now my treasured Necromancer is finally free of his blue-tinted hair (there was no black available back in Prophecies) & generally weasel-ish features.

I'll be watching Professor Yakkington's schedule fantically for some time to come too, for the endless Cottontail Tonic must be mine one day.

Mr Rodgers said on 11:44PM 4-24-2009

I like the fact that the name and appearance changing things are overpriced. It keeps people from changing their name and appearance all the time while earning Arenanet a little more cash. I say if you're that desperate to make superficial changes to your character and are willing to pay for it with real money, then GW is as good a place as any for your cash to go.

The menagerie is a lot cooler than I expected. I love the NPCs placed everywhere that give you a run buff. It's much appreciated considering the area is bigger than I expected.

The single worst aspect of the entire celebration is how they're giving away the "free" storage. Their Web site has been completely unable to handle all the traffic, making it almost impossible to get the upgrade. It's dumb that they basically used the incentive of free storage as a plug for NCsoft's online store when the very store they're pushing can't even handle the load.

Darkwood71 said on 11:57PM 4-24-2009

It's not the cost of the changes that bother me. It's the fact that these changes are superficial and cosmetic. I'd be happy to pay for content additions if there were any, but that doesn't look likely. I'm willing to bet that GW2 doesn't see the light of day at this point. Feel free to prove me wrong NCsoft. I'll be playing WoW in the meantime.

Tom said on 5:58AM 4-25-2009

^^ This, more than anything, is what frustrates me about Guild Wars. All of the updates since Eye of the North have been, essentially, fluff and more fluff and fluff you can pay for if you like. Superficial, powdery fluff. A new hero (Mox)? Geeze. We already have 85 bazillion heroes. More storage? Sheesh. Not exciting. And now this ability to change my avatar for a fee. It looks to me like NCSoft is trying to milk every last drop from a dying cow.

Nothing substantial and game-improving (like substantive new content or the ability to use more heroes) has been added to this game for ages.

Each time Guild Wars announces a "big new update" I check it out, but I have been consistently disappointed by them. It's a shame, too, as Guild Wars has (had?) so much potential.

Cithrax said on 6:22PM 4-26-2009

^^It's a common misconception, but I'd like to remind everyone that Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 are developed, marketed, and released by Arenanet, which is owned by NCsoft, but ultimately better than NCsoft. Their devs are very good with talking to the community, and are a whole lot more likeable than NCsoft's. If NCsoft was making GW2, I'd be worried. But Arenanet can get through ANYTHING. (I'd also like to note that the entire update was made by an extremely small team consisting of about four people and maybe a few programmers. Only three of those people are still working on Guild Wars full time. Everyone else at Arenanet is mostly focused on Guild Wars 2. It's amazing they made any kind of update at all.)

ChuckD said on 8:01PM 4-26-2009

You have to remember that the Arenanet employee's have to get paid and with their business model this probably is the most logical thing to do. Everything can't be free.

Sam said on 5:24AM 4-27-2009

I have no issue with this at all. Optional stuff being paid stuff to help keep the game up and running? Fine by me. Guild Wars has been an interesting experiment in revenue models, and I hope they can keep on going with GW1 and GW2. I don't have anywhere close to the same expectations of GW as I do for a $15/month MMO, and I like some of the resulting design decisions the revenue model brought about (particularly with how the game doesn't waste my time like some paid subscription games do).

Darkwood71 said on 10:56PM 4-27-2009

Meh. I'm not angry, and I'm not really complaining either. I'm just stating what seems to be obvious, to most of us who have played through all 3 campaigns, EotN, and have gotten bored grinding in hard mode, the game's lack of content updates (which I'm more than willing to pay for) make this a dead game from a PvE perspective.

Evey now and then, I log in myself, and I too see a lot of people playing. So, my conclusion is either, they're new (and haven't gotten to grind hell for monument titles), or they enjoy grind. More power to them in any case, and I'm glad they they're enjoying themselves.

However, the GW2 vapor (and we won't go into the TR closing fiasco), has crippled my trust and belief in NCSoft's ability to deliver a great game. Superficial and cosmetic updates do little to change that.

So call me a pooper if you must, but I feel justified in my opinion here.

Rest assured though, if GW2 ever sees the light of day, I'll be front and center waiting to try it out (and have been for a year). Maybe NCSoft will prove me wrong. Only time will tell.

J said on 4:37PM 4-29-2009

Guild Wars isn't free it has never been. You can divide expense of buying original game and expansions per month and calculate from there. It surely is less than wow but then you can't unsubscribe after 1 month. Also if you spend more time than casual player in game you'll find out fast that getting those extra money updates is pretty necessary to "stay on top".

So yeah it's not free.

I would say guild wars has gotten pretty boring after they announced they're making guild wars 2. The game is obviously getting a bit old too. In MMO you want to develop your character and stuff but when there's incertainity if game is going to continue how long you don't really want to put much effort on it...

| 1 | 2 |