Will Guild Wars 2 be your holy grail?
by Shawn Schuster 
Aug 25th 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Guild Wars 2
With so much time being taken between our last bit of news and this full-blown trailer, GW fans were beginning to seriously lose hope. I have been an advocate for Guild Wars 2 since the day it was announced, although I did have some reservations about the divulged game mechanics at first. It seemed ArenaNet was giving up on its unique approach to online games and what the founders learned at Blizzard, and converting it into every other MMO out there. The original Guild Wars broke so much ground that it literally raised a new generation of gamers. Solved were the problems of finding a group, grinding for XP, discovering which server your friends played on and camping spawns. Guild Wars popularized the solutions to these problems and offered them in a streamlined package that didn't cost you a dime each month. It's exactly what many gamers were waiting for to get them into the MMO space, including myself.
So back in May of 2007, while the rabid fans were patiently awaiting news of the next chapter -- rumored to be called Utopia -- PCGamer magazine breaks the story that there will be no new chapter and in its place, a sequel. Well, ok, I guess that might work. What will this sequel be about? In the magazine, we get word that the GW team wanted to do so much more with the game, but they were restricted with the current engine. Despite the fact that Guild Wars was made to solve the problems of World of Warcraft and EverQuest, players wanted many of those game mechanics back. They wanted to jump. They wanted to run out of a city without a load screen. They wanted a freaking auction house. ArenaNet, being the customer-oriented company that they are, listened to the fans. They realized that to progress in the industry, it takes much more than solving flawed mechanics in other popular games.
So for the last two and a half years, we've only heard about a series of books that will be released to explain the story between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2. We were also assured that Guild Wars 2 was definitely in the works. But that's about it. During this time, we saw the rise and fall of two released NCsoft titles: Auto Assault on August 31, 2007 and Tabula Rasa on February 28, 2009. In addition to this, we've seen Dungeon Runners and Exteel turn into afterthoughts while unannounced projects fell into obscurity (Blighted Empires, anyone?). The publishing company went through some financial troubles and quite a few resignations as well, including one of ArenaNet's founders, Jeff Strain. Can you blame even the hardest of the diehard fans when they (we) got a little unsure if GW2 would really see the light of day? Sure it's not ArenaNet's fault, but would NCsoft put up with the lack of news and plummeting reputation?That's what scared us the most. Not if ArenaNet could actually pull it off, but if NCsoft would give them the chance to pull it off. Yet, in their special ArenaNet way, they still blew us all away with this trailer. We forgive you, Anet! We forgive the neglect and the secrecy. Or at least I do.
So what is it exactly that makes so many Guild Wars fans excited about a game that may not release for another two years, based on a four-minute teaser?
I believe it's hope. Hope that Tyria will live on through a shiny new coat, and everything a player could ever want will be there. We have hope that ArenaNet will continue with its tradition of reinventing the genre and create a game that will blow us away as much as the original did over four years ago. Sure we've heard all about these "required" mechanics that will be in Guild Wars 2. There will be an auction house, there will be jumping (and swimming!) and there will still not be a subscription fee. But what many people may not take into consideration is how deliciously sneaky ArenaNet is. Do you honestly believe that GW2 will simply be just another fantasy game, but thrown into the GW world and lore? Will a z-axis and a less-spammed WTB/WTS channel make this game worth buying over Guild Wars 1? Our hope can only go so far, but what's really exciting is the fact that we're basing this hope off of what we know this team is capable of producing.
Here's what we know so far:- There will be an auction house
- There will be jumping and swimming
- The game will look more amazing, graphically, than the first.
- While requiring more powerful hardware than GW1, GW2 is still said to have low system requirements.
- There will be no subscription fee (although there may still be an RMT-based store like they have now).
- The world of Tyria will stay consistent with what we know and love, especially in Eye of the North. Sure it will be 250 years later, but we will still recognize the general feel of it.
- We will be able to play four additional races: Charr, Sylvari, Norn and Asura.
- We will have persistence to the world, yet instancing will still be used in dungeons and missions.
- There will be no more click-to-move.
- Instead of following exclamation marks around the map, there will be a new Event System, much like an open quest. This will allow events to happen whether the player is present or not.
- Jeremy Soule will be doing the soundtrack again!
- There will be a day and night cycle.
- A new Companion system will improve upon the current Heroes system.
- PvP will be broken into Structured PvP (much like is in GW1 now) and World PvP (similar to Warhammer's Open RvR).
- Current GW character names and Hall of Monuments achievements will carry over into the sequel.
- There will be ... guns?
Here's what we hope for Guild Wars 2:
- Our Hall of Monuments achievements are more than just titles. This connection between the two games is a major draw, and I hope it's something spectacular.
- That the rumors of the game being sharded are false. That ability to play on one server with your friends is one of the most revolutionary design implementations in Guild Wars 1, and we don't want to lose that.
- The dual class mechanic will remain.
- We need mounts! With the implementation of that z-axis, hopefully we'll get flying mounts as well. Of course, this would contradict the fact that they solved the problem of long travel times, but I trust that ArenaNet could implement mounts for vanity purposes, while maintaining fast map travel.
- A real crafting system, much like pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies, or even what Fallen Earth has now.
- Housing beyond a Guild Hall. You can't deny the interior decorator in us all.
- No motorcycles!
So come on ArenaNet, make us proud. Show us that our dedication to this game for all these years will pay off more than it ever did with Guild Wars 1. Show the rest of the doubting MMO community that they should have been playing this game all along. Show us our MMO holy grail.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Nadril said on 6:25PM 8-25-2009
It's an ambitious project, one that (if it delivers on what it is promising) will probably change the industry.
I wish them the best of luck.
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Sally said on 6:26PM 8-25-2009
I honestly cannot think of a more exciting gaming event than when GW2 FINALLY announced that trailer. Even people who do not know the game were impressed with it.
Gorgeous art work, more than just screenplay from the game, it was a tribute to the art and design of the game; design that has made millions of faithful fans.
I think this game is going to big, and if there were ever to be a WoW killer (other than WoW committing suicide all by itself) this might indeed be it.
Now if they could JUST release some kind of date. Even if it like Q4 2010, it would make lots and lots of people very happy!
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Jaeden said on 6:36PM 8-25-2009
As much as I look forward to, there are 2 things that I am hoping will also be included in the game:
1.) A less confusing skill system. Whenever I try to play GW, I still get frustrated trying to figure out how to get that skill on my Hero. Who the heck knows...pls tell me...because I can never figure it out.
2.) Easier to control heroes.
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starmonkey said on 7:11PM 8-25-2009
Personally, I found the skill system for GW to be great. I love the idea of builds that you can change almost anytime.
I spent ages reading up on various skills and trying to create the "best" build I could.
Then I found this site:
http://pvx.wikia.com/
And I started hunting down skills + elite skills I didn't have.
It was very satisfying when you make it to hard-to-reach places, find some unique monster that doesn't spawn there all the time, defeat it, and capture it's elite skill.
Good times, good times.
Not to sound harsh, but I never had issue with points 1 & 2. Reading the two wikis helps (the unofficial was around before the official, content is similar but sometimes one is better than the other, so I use both):
http://wiki.guildwars.com/
http://guildwars.wikia.com/
Jaeden said on 7:24PM 8-25-2009
I've looked at all those sites and have no clue how to get any other skills other than the skills (and secondary) of my main character. I have no problem with my main character, but it is my heroes that I don't know how to get skills for them.
Mr Rodgers said on 11:41PM 8-25-2009
To get all the skills, just change your secondary profession to each class and cap them all. Whatever you have capped will also be usable by your heroes.
starmonkey said on 7:04AM 8-26-2009
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Hero_skill_trainer
http://www.guildwars.com/gameplay/gwnfeatures/heroskills.php
Seriously mate, The Google knows all :)
Yoh said on 6:56PM 8-25-2009
Someone sounds optimistic.
Me? Well I'm cautiously optimistic, but the holy grail? Ah, yeah..... get of the grass noddy.
From what little we have heard so far, I think it will be good. I see nothing immediately objectionable, but then we haven't heard anything about the core mechanics yet, and that's what will make it or break it for me.
If the were to destroy everything I every loved about the first GW, then I just wouldn't play it. But then we are talking about Arenanet here, so I give them a lot of slack because they deserve it.
I won't know until they release more, but for now I'll play.
It'll get me back into MMO's, so that's something.
But I'm not going to get my expectations up, so that way I won't be disappointed.
(more due to having unrealistic expectations then anything else)
~Yoh
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Snowyjoe said on 7:10PM 8-25-2009
I have all of the GW titles... but i havn't finnished them all. The only one I've played through completely is probably Profocies.
Reason why was becaue I quit GW for 2 years and came back to it this year, buying all the stuff i didn't have.... but now, when everyone else are just working on achivements and testing out the best PvP deck.... I feel left out, the only one trying to explore the world, watching the cut-scenes, and trying to collect the skills without buying the skill packs.
A little big of me dies everytime when I join a group and they tell me to play this spec and then I tell them I don't have the skills.....
I miss the olden days when GW was still new and everyone was a newbie :(
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zgomot said on 1:44AM 8-26-2009
Hey mate we're in the same boat.
I've been playing GW on and off for about 2 years, but have only just recently finished Nightfall (the others I did not), so I too feel a bit behind the curve. I'm not putting much thought into it though. The game is fun enough I can enjoy it alone... with henchies and heroes.
If you eve feel lonely whisper me. My in-game-name is: Radu Dumitrescu. I'll be thrilled to go out exploring and skill capping with you.
Poozle said on 7:07PM 8-25-2009
Given the information on the Guild Wars Aion page, I can't see flying mounts being in Guild Wars 2.
Q: Will Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2TM feature flight capabilities?
A: No, flight is not a featured character capability in Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2.
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Arnie said on 7:32PM 8-25-2009
Thank you for the article. The most intriguing part about the game was that they are planning to remove questing as we know it and replace it with this event system. I am really curious how this plays out in the general feel and story telling of the game.
Also, they already mentioned that skills will level with character level which IMHO sucks. The best part about the game was the unique skill system they had. I think they leaned too far on the PvE side of the playerbase & trying to attract folks who were intimidated by learning about the skill system. I can agree that they had too many skills to keep track of but that does not mean it was bad, it just needed a reduction in skills.
Also, their other gameplay mechanics like conditions & curses & hexes were so logical in the skill context and each brought so much variety in the gameplay that it was easily one of the best part of the mechanics & I hope that also makes a return.
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wolfsterne said on 7:47PM 8-25-2009
I want to quote Tycho from Penny Arcade here.
"Even if and it's a big if GW 2 is as good as WoW it still won't matter, at this point nothing short of head and shoulders better than WoW will do"
This is what every single developer is facing right now. I just watched the latest NEXT GEN super amazing 20 min game play video on Biowares SW:TOR and I just couldn't see it dragging my guild away from Wow, and I eat sleep and breath Star Wars. Nothing short of a game that rocks the foundation of the genre will get much notice I'm afraid...and I know when people say things like this it pissses of those who want desperately to see the king fall, but it is just the unfortunate truth right now.
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Averice said on 9:26AM 8-26-2009
I don't know. I mean if your entire goal is to beat WoW then yeah, that's going to be rather impossible. But that's what's always intrigued me about Guild Wars, even though I've never played any of their games. It has the easy potential to live along side a normal subscription game just for the fact that it's not a subscription game. It's much easier for GW and WoW to co exist than War and WoW, or EQ and WoW.
The trailer looked amazing, and I hope that they offer a free trial from the start, or at least an easily accessible open beta. Kind of tired of all these "open beta!" advertisements when they're not, you have to have a paid membership to file planet.
Guild Wars has just never seemed to have the presence that other MMO's brought to the table. I mean look at AoC, that game managed to get a huge amount of people buying the boxed game and their game sucked, their advertising was quality though. Guild Wars 1... it was mainly word of mouth. I think that if GW2 can continue with the promotions like they have done with this trailer, pushing the market, that they'd gain a large number of subscriptions. Maybe that's just something NCSoft doesn't do well, even their Aion promotions feel a little empty when compared to other MMO games advertisements.
Oh, but yeah, I agree with you. The Star Wars MMO could use a little more oomph as well. I'm not even playing WoW atm, and I really don't think a "dynamic storytelling" push is going to get them too far. Maybe they'll follow the GW model of no subscription though, then it would be worth the buy.
Bryan said on 7:48PM 8-25-2009
Not my Holy Grail. I never considered the first Guild Wars an mmorpg anyway. Not saying I won't at least try the game, but I could really care less about this game. Even if it does make itself better than the first game and more of an MMO I just don't see what they hype is about.
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seldom said on 7:57PM 8-25-2009
Not my holy grail. But perhaps the closest. I like the no-grind philosophy they've adopted. I'm only hoping it stays sufficiently differentiated from typical mmos. The art is a big turn-on, their stated aims are a turn on as well. We shall see how it shapes up. I have little expectation for the games coming out this year (unless Fallen Earth manages to be a sandbox game with an EvE like trajectory when it goes live; but Aion and CO are crap). Further off games are pretty disappointing as well.
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Shigi said on 8:04PM 8-25-2009
i think its going to be a different game then the first guild wars. but with ArenaNet behind it im sure it will still be very good and its on the top of my to get list.
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GaaaaaH said on 12:00AM 8-26-2009
What are everyones opinions on flying in GW?
I think i'm against it, but may be persuaded
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Wjowski said on 12:39AM 8-26-2009
I can't wait 'til Guild Wars 2 releases so we can hear the fandumb whine about that game too.
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mszv said on 12:42AM 8-26-2009
Oh yeah - I'm waiting, but I'm one of the people who loves Guild Wars, and I came late to the party! I'm still slowly working my way through.
It looks super wonderful, and the article is great. And Jeremy Soule doing the music again - can't get any better than that!
I'm hoping GW2 will still be solo friendly and casual gamer friendly. There's a lot to figure out in GW (for someone like me) but you can go slow and you can figure it out. I actually like the exclamation point over quest givers heads - the straightforward nature of it works for me. On the PvP part, just like in GW, I'm happy it's there and separate from the PvE part. I don't do it - but people seem to like it, and then there are more sales and that's good, and I can do the PvE part in peace!
But I'm sure going to give GW2 a try - I'm eager to see how it plays out!
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