Filed under: Flameseeker Chronicles

Flameseeker Chronicles: The consequences of an aging economy

by Rubi Bayer Mar 15th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Economy, Flameseeker Chronicles

About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted Obsidian armor for my Elementalist. Those who know me laughed (and are probably laughing as they read this), because it's been a bit of a joke that she's not had it until now. She is without a doubt my most favored character in any game, sporting a wardrobe that borders on ridiculous, a minipet for every occasion, and heroes bearing Tormented weapons. She's spoiled rotten, but the Elementalist version of Obsidian armor has always reminded me of those little cups you take camping. I just never cared for it.

Eventually I thought "she's got everything else, so why not that?" The fact that it was a snap decision set me thinking about the economy of Guild Wars today. Sure, it'll take me a bit to earn the armor, and I'll be spending a fair amount of time in UW and FoW, but it's not out of reach by any means. It's not an epic goal, it's just something to keep me amused for a few weeks, and that speaks much more to the game than it does to any sort of virtual wealth I've accumulated. Follow along after the jump, and let's take a look at the implications of that.

Flameseeker Chronicles: Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City

by Rubi Bayer Mar 8th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles

We recently heard that Ghosts of Ascalon, the first Guild Wars 2 novel, is due out this summer. The plot of the book revolves around a group of adventurers traveling from Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City in search of the Claw of the Khan-Ur, a Charr relic that is the key to a truce between the Charr and the humans. Traveling from Divinity's Reach to Ascalon City is quite a hike, even in present-day Tyria (which is presumably much friendlier to travelers than the world of Guild Wars 2.) Since Jeff Grubb -- one of the principal designers of Guild Wars 2 -- is involved in the book, hopefully the tale will give us a look at the land of Tyria 250 years into the future.

For now, we'll have to content ourselves with piecing together what we know of the world and taking a look at the path our (hopefully) intrepid heroes will be facing. Examining future lore based on partial knowledge is a tricky thing, because there are so many different opinions and schools of thought. Follow along after the cut for a ride on the speculation train, and feel free to add your thoughts at the end!

Flameseeker Chronicles: The great nerfbat of '10 (or why ArenaNet didn't fail)

by Rubi Bayer Mar 1st 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Game mechanics, Patches, Flameseeker Chronicles

Last week's Guild Wars skill update sparked discussion among players that shows no sign of slowing any time soon. Player reactions ran the full spectrum, from delight to the infamous (and ineffective, since the player in question never intended to stop playing and the box didn't burn very well anyway) box burning. Whatever your feelings on it, there's no doubt that this huge skill update had a pretty big impact on the community over the past few days. Follow along after the jump for a closer look at the aftermath.

Flameseeker Chronicles: It's all Kun Shao's fault

by Rubi Bayer Feb 22nd 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Game mechanics, Flameseeker Chronicles

The Xunlai Tournament House in Guild Wars was a great idea in theory. Once favor was no longer tied to PvP, it served as an excellent incentive to keep PvE only players involved in the other half of the game. All players -- whether actively participating in the tournament or not -- could make predictions on the outcomes of the monthly 1 vs. 1 and Guild vs. Guild matches. Points were distributed based on the accuracy of the predictions, then traded to Tolkano for prizes, usually Zaishen Keys.

Players responded very well to the concept, with many purchasing second, third, and even fourth accounts to snap up more Tournament Reward Points each month. The Zaishen title helped fuel the enthusiasm, and ZKeys soon rivaled Globs of Ectoplasm in value, even briefly becoming another alternate currency in game.

All good things must come to an end, though.

The Flameseeker Chronicles: putting the guild in Guild Wars

by Rubi Bayer Feb 15th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Guilds, Flameseeker Chronicles

Last week we talked about keeping Guild Wars fresh after four years. While much of it centers around your attitude, the "multiplayer" part of MMO makes a big difference. A heavily instanced world like Guild Wars can get pretty lonely if you don't make the effort to play with people, particularly since it has such easily accessed heroes and henchmen. Fortunately, Guild Wars again has the advantage of age, in that there are many, many established and active guilds out there accepting new members. The downside of this is that there are many, many established and active guilds out there accepting new members. Choosing one can be a bit overwhelming, so let's take a look at how best to put the guild in Guild Wars.

Flameseeker Chronicles: Keeping an old game new

by Rubi Bayer Feb 8th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Opinion, Flameseeker Chronicles

"Guild Wars is an old game." As the game approaches its fifth birthday and Guild Wars 2 continues production, that's a phrase you'll hear more and more. While it's true that the game has been around for a while now, age doesn't necessarily equal stale or boring. On the contrary, it means you've got an established game with an experienced development team behind it, and they've had time to work out all those bugs, kinks, and emergency patches that are so common in new games. Even better, you've got a strong player base that knows their way around.

The largest factor in what makes a game fun for you is your attitude and outlook, so let's take a look at some ways to keep from falling into the trap of assuming there's nothing left for you to do in Guild Wars.

The Flameseeker Chronicles: A guide to the Canthan New Year festival

by Rubi Bayer Feb 1st 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, Flameseeker Chronicles

Token farming, Rollerbeetle racing, and AFK-ing the rings. Hot on the heels of Wintersday Redux comes Canthan New Year 2010. Guild Wars players joke about the AFK-fest, and while it's a great opportunity to work on those lucky and unlucky titles, there is much more going on. ArenaNet puts together a great festival every year, with old favorite quests and NPCs returning to dole out Lunar tokens and Fortunes as well as a heap of other treats. There is a lot going on, and it can be a bit overwhelming if this is your first Canthan New Year, so let's take a peek at the festivities.

The Flameseeker Chronicles: Community guide to Guild Wars

by Rubi Bayer Jan 25th 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles

Welcome to Tyria! The Flameseeker Chronicles will be a regular feature here at Massively, in which we cover all things Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, beginning with this handy-dandy community guide.

Guild Wars has been around for a while now, and has the advantage of a strong, knowledgeable fan-based community. There are literally hundreds of fan sites and forums, Twitter pages and Facebook pages all devoted to Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. It's very easy to get overwhelmed, so view this as a guide to where you can find the most comprehensive information for whatever you are looking for, be it gameplay information, news on game development, skill and build help, and much more.