Filed under: Guild Wars

Guild Wars Dragon Festival offers a roaring good time

by Krystalle Voecks Jul 3rd 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, News items

If you're one of the many Guild Wars players out there, you're probably well aware of the festival that occurs right around this time each year. If, like some others, you have Guild Wars - probably even installed on your machine, but haven't logged in for a little while - then now is the time to head back in-game! Why? Because it's time for the Shing Jea Boardwalk to reappear, heralding the opening of the annual Dragon Festival.

Compared to the demon mask being offered as a turn-in for 250 Victory Tokens last year, the team at Arenanet have really outdone themselves with this year's wicked-looking Imperial Dragon Mask, seen above. Players who want one of these shiny, limited-time holiday masks will have to bring their best skills to the mini-games on the boardwalk like Dragon Arena and the Rollerbeetle Races. The event runs through Sunday, July 5th for those wanting to get in on the party and score some wicked limited-time Guild Wars goodies.

Choose my Adventure: Reaching the Crystal Desert

by Shawn Schuster Jul 1st 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Guild Wars, Culture, Events, in-game, Lore, Quests, Massively meta, Roleplaying, Choose my Adventure

Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as the ultimate goal is reached, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

When last we saw our Guild Wars heroine, she had just finished exploring every city in Kryta and was off to do the same in the Maguuma Jungle. According to your votes, Moira Zonk the Necromancer headed off to unlock each of the eight cities in the Jungle and ultimately reach the Amnoon Oasis in the Crystal Desert.

Now that she sits at the Oasis, recovering from her travels, she's ready to head off in whatever direction you'd like. Keep reading below for more on her travels and the newest poll where you can vote on where she ventures next.

First Guild Wars trilogy novel titled and given unofficial release date

by Shawn Schuster Jul 1st 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, New titles, Guild Wars 2, Rumors

You may remember back during our coverage of PAX 08 last year when we reported on ArenaNet's announcement of a Guild Wars book trilogy, set up to explain the lore between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2. Recently, Ravious at Kill Ten Rats wrote a great post compiling the information we have now, combined with some brand new info on what looks to be the first novel in that trilogy.

Guild Wars: Fall of Ascalon by Matt Forbeck is set to release on or around February 23, 2010. What's even more interesting is some speculation from a GW fan concerning what may be the second book, possibly being penned by J. Robert King, also for release in 2010. Of course this begs the question of timeline. Are these three books all being written at the same time, to be released around the same time, or will they be written and released well into 2011? As far as we know, Guild Wars 2 won't come out until these books have all been released, so with the first book coming out in February of next year, we probably won't hear anything new about Guild Wars 2 until then, at least.

One Shots: A festival panorama for Friday

by Krystalle Voecks Jun 26th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

We're always glad to hear from new contributors here at Massively. Every One Shots we get is a window into what our readers are playing - like today's gorgeous panoramic screenshot from Guild Wars that was sent in to us by Shawn W. But if you think this is cool, you should see the full-size image over on Shawn's Flickr account, or the one in our gallery. Lovely! Shawn writes: Here's a shot I took of Kaineng Center. ANet decked out KC for the 4th Anniversary celebration in April (including lowering the lights to make it twilight) and just left it that way.

Screenshots from all games are welcome. Just email those in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing! We'll post it here and give you the credit for sending it in.
Gallery: One Shots

Guild Wars' Xunlai House Tournament temporarily shut down

by Kyle Horner Jun 25th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, News items

Guild Wars and ArenaNet community manager Regina Buenaobra has announced that due to issues with the Xunlai House Tournament point distribution on June 18th, the decision has been made to temporarily halt Xunlai until the error has been completely resolved. Apparently, some players were getting the incorrect amount of points, while others weren't getting any points.

According to ArenaNet, they have the correct point amounts for May and will be making sure everyone gets the proper amount, whether or not they reported a problem with their points. Currently, there's no date on which Xunlai will be restored, but Regina makes it very clear that they're working hard on getting the issues ironed out.

It's not a fun situation for anyone, but we'd just like to say good on ArenaNet for jumping on the issue like a frenzied lion on a juicy antelope. Hopefully the dates for May point reissues and Xunlai's reopening aren't too far in the distance.

One Shots: I remember when home looked like this

by Krystalle Voecks Jun 21st 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

With our very own head honcho playing through Guild Wars, we're seeing quite a bit of Ascalon as it was during Prophecies. But what of those lands later into the Guild Wars storyline? Today's One Shots comes to us from Kateri, who gives us a bit of a spoiler (for those who haven't played further, anyway) into what happens in the timeline. Kateri writes in: [This is] my Ranger character in the Eye of the North expansion, scouting enemy territory. For people who turned Ascalon from a pastoral idyll into a ruined wasteland, the Charr certainly keep their own lands looking pretty!

When you're out and about in your favorite MMO, why not snap some screenshots and send them our way? It's always appreciated as we love to have lots of different worlds to show off. Just email them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the game the image is from, and a brief (or long) decsription! We'll post your image for people to enjoy both as part of the column, and in our massive One Shots gallery - now well over 575 images strong and counting!

Gallery: One Shots

Choose my Adventure: Conquering Kryta

by Shawn Schuster Jun 17th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Guild Wars, Lore, Hands-on, Choose my Adventure

Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as the ultimate goal is reached, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

You voted and I listened, as this week's adventure took me through every town and outpost in the entire Krytan area. Eight cities later, I'm here to beg for more!

I found it very interesting that the readers wanted me to stay in Kryta and finish out the exploration of this area. It either means that you want me to take my time and do things the right way (although I did run down to Sanctum Cay and Riverside Province from Temple of the Ages), or you simply want my time in Guild Wars to last a bit longer. Either way, I'm here to do your bidding! Speaking of that, it's time to vote for next week's goal! Click through after the jump and let me know what will be next for our beloved Moira Zonk. Also be sure to check out her ongoing in-character journal and gallery, starting this week as she leaves Lion's Arch.

Gallery: Choose my Adventure: Guild Wars

One Shots: Not a bad place, if you ignore that evil thing

by Krystalle Voecks Jun 12th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

Guild Wars fans seem fairly split on the few teaser pieces of art for Guild Wars 2, but they're all pretty similarly fond of the many beautiful areas of the current incarnation of the game if the One Shots mailbox is any indication! Take, for example, today's gorgeous Guild Wars One Shot from Jen!

Hi! My name is Jen, and this is a shot of the lonely, forgotten city of Fahranur, The First City which is located on Istan. Tragedy struck the first inhabitants of this city, leaving behind only ruins. it's a quiet spot, and probably my favorite place on Istan. Well, if you ignore the stirrings of Abaddon deep in the ruins...
Do you have any strange, funny, or otherwise off the wall screenshots you've taken in your favorite games? No? Well, snag some screenshots from your favorite game anyway and send those in! We're looking for lots more submissions - and with summer here, we know more folks are playing. Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com, and be sure to tell us who you are and what we're seeing in the screenshots. Yours could be next!

Choose my Adventure: Reaching Lion's Arch

by Shawn Schuster Jun 9th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, Culture, Massively meta, Hands-on, Choose my Adventure

Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as the ultimate goal is reached, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

Now we're playing some Guild Wars. As voted upon last week, Moira Zonk the Necromancer has ventured into the Krytan lands of Lion's Arch and conquered the great Galrath. It was quite a week as she went from the lush, peaceful lands of Ascalon before the Searing, to the burned-out shell of a city after the Charr had attacked. Now that she has reached this week's goal, it's time to decide on another one. Vote below, just after the jump, to determine what her next course of action will be. Plus, don't forget to read her own accounts of her adventures through Tyria in the gallery below. For Ascalon!

Gallery: Choose my Adventure: Guild Wars

One Shots: Sunlit shrine

by Krystalle Voecks Jun 5th 2009 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

Guild Wars, for being several years old, still manages to inspire players to stop and capture images for One Shots. It really is an amazing case of art design - and we really can't wait to see Guild Wars 2, as we expect that timeless style to continue there. Today's image, however, is from Guild Wars player Max D, who writes in: Attached to this e-mail there's a Guild Wars screenshot. It represents a Melandru Shrine, deep within the lavish Maguuma Jungle found in the Prophecies campaign. Such shrines can be found throughout the entire game, but this one is truly an example of how gorgeous they can be. As the Guild Wars lore says: "Her statues attract weary travelers. Beneath her branches await plenty of fresh water and shelter from the elements."

Have you found small and interesting details in your favorite game that just made things that much more enjoyable for you? Perhaps there are aspects of the worlds you adventure in that really make you stop and stare. We love all MMOs, so send in your screenshots to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, server, class, or whatever infomation you'd like to give us on yourself. A quick description is welcomed and encouraged, too!

Gallery: One Shots

Choose my Adventure: Leaving Pre-Searing

by Shawn Schuster Jun 1st 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Guild Wars, Game mechanics, Massively meta, Hands-on, Choose my Adventure

Gallery: Choose my Adventure: Guild Wars

One Shots: Elvis is everywhere

by Krystalle Voecks May 29th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

So, perhaps it's not quite Elvis - maybe it's more Pete Wentz with that hairdo, but Khuras Ironhand of The Amazon Basin Guilds and Alliance who sent today's Guild Wars One Shots in to us suggested Elvis, so we figured, what the heck! He's definitely got an outrageous enough outfit to be Elvis-styled! Khuras tells us a bit more about this area: [This] is from Shing Jea Monastery, a Canthan New Year Celebration Event day - I thought I just saw Elvis. As Mojo Nixon says, "Elvis is everywhere!"

If you've snagged some screenshots from your recent travels, why not send us a few? We're always on the lookout for more screenshots to add to One Shots. All you need to do is email us at oneshots AT massively DOT com with a screen, your name, and the name of the MMO. A description is a good idea too, unless you want us just getting silly with our interpretations. We'll post it here and tell everyone you're the silly person who sent it in.

Gallery: One Shots

Choose my Adventure: Introducing Moira Zonk

by Shawn Schuster May 27th 2009 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Guild Wars, Events, in-game, Leveling, Massively meta, Hands-on, Roleplaying, Choose my Adventure

Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of journals and galleries here on the site. Then, as the ultimate goal is reached, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

After Monday's post getting us on our way in Guild Wars, you voted on what type of character I should make to begin my adventures. The character has been made and the first goal has been reached: getting a second profession. In this installment, you'll vote on the next goal and the ultimate goal I should reach before moving on to another game.

I've decided to make this project go two ways: one as a basic rundown of what I've done in the game to achieve my goals, and another to be more of a supplementary 'in-character' journal provided in the captions of the gallery, linked below. So follow along after the jump for an explanation of how your choices molded my newest Guild Wars character, and don't forget to vote in the newest polls before tomorrow at this same time, when the polls will close.

Gallery: Choose my Adventure: Guild Wars

Major skill update now added to Guild Wars

by Lesley Smith May 22nd 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play

Guild Wars fans are in for a treat with the announcement of a whole host of PvP and PvE skill updates designed to balance gameplay which have just been added to the game. ArenaNet have posted a nice explanation of what this latest update is trying to achieve:

"The major goals for this update are to address the power of certain spike builds, make pressure builds a more viable option, adjust some skills to encourage tactical use, and provide some buffs to underused skills. In GvG, we have continued to see extremely versatile spike builds dominating; they are able to split, be defensive, and output high damage spikes while still having many of the tools needed to counter other build types. They could do it all, and do it all a bit too well. We've targeted certain key skills to tone down these builds' ability to do high damage spikes and shut down other build types."

You can find the full run down of the changes here.

One Shots: Long way back from hell

by Krystalle Voecks May 19th 2009 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars, One Shots

With Guild Wars' recent 4th Anniversary, it seems like more eyes are turning towards the various campaigns released under the Guild Wars banner. Today's One Shots shows off a darkly intriguing image sent in to us by Bob J. who writes in: Hell's Precipice is the switchback path that leads along the ridge of Abaddon's Mouth, an incredibly fierce volcano. It is along this path that the Titans prepare to wage war against the entire world of Tyria. Will no one stop the unholy army? What about that dashing Elementalist over there? This is the setting for the last mission in the original Guild Wars. And it's awesome.

We love to see screens from MMOs both big and small, but we need you to send them in! It's really easy to do - just drop an email to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out, and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

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Earth Eternal Open Beta	Q3 2009