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Guild Wars Factions Wins Billboard’s DEMMX Award for Multiplayer Game of the Year

Kudos Continue to Roll in for Critically Acclaimed Guild Wars?Series

December 4, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) ?Guild Wars Factions? one of the year’s most-popular online games, took home the award for Multiplayer Game of the Year Wednesday at Billboard Magazine’s prestigious Digital Entertainment Marketing and Media Excellence (DEMMX) awards gala. Guild Wars Factions was honored as the best game played online by more than one player.

Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall?are online roleplaying games where players explore a rich fantasy world, acquire skills, build personalized characters, and compete in head-to-head battles with players from around the world. In addition to the compelling game design and innovative technology that make playing Guild Wars a unique experience, the success of Guild Wars is due in part to a revolutionary business model in which no monthly subscription fee is charged to its users.

First released in April 2005, Guild Wars topped the sales charts around the globe and launched what has become one of the most critically acclaimed franchises in the genre. The hotly anticipated follow-up, Guild Wars Factions, was released in April 2006, and again the game was #1 in North America and Europe. The latest adventure, Guild Wars Nightfall, was released in October 2006. With rave reviews and millions of players worldwide, Guild Wars continues to set the bar in online gaming.

Summing it up, Guild Wars Nightfall once again proves the viability of Arena.net’s and NCsoft’s “no monthly fee?strategy coupled with the constant release of new chapters for the game. Content wise, Guild Wars Nightfall is an excellent purchase for the Guild Wars community, but also for those who want to see why Guild Wars is so popular with MMORPG players who prefer competitive PvP gameplay above all else.

If you’re considering a facelift for your desktop, or if you’re a weekly wallpaper updater, you can find a new option here. This week’s image features a piece of concept art from Nightfall.

Our weekly series on competitive play takes a detailed look at how a combatant should be decked out for combat, from armor, insignias, and runes through weapons and unlocks. Get to know more about your options, and how to select the ones that are right for your characters, in the newest addition to the PvP Primer.

A long-lived guild that found a rebirth in Guild Wars, Everlasting Sacred Path has thrown itself into all aspects of the game, from PvE to GvG to Heroes' Ascent to the creation of guild lore to tie their history to that of the game world. They offer member introductions and detailed ideas on GvG in a amusingly-named PvP build in this week's GotW.

This weekend is truly special, as we launch the opening of the Domain of Anguish. Players who have completed Nightfall will be given access to this elite area through the Chantry of Secrets on Friday, December 1st. You will find four separate areas for players to explore, nearly a dozen quests, new armor upgrade options, a system for acquiring novel weapons, and of course a compelling mission as well. We look forward to seeing you in the Domain of Anguish!

• Made preparations for the Chinese closed beta test.
• Fixed several infrequent client crash bugs.

Come one! Come All! Help spread the news of the upcoming Wintersday Festival by entering our Guild Wars Wintersday Art Contest! It's simple, really: Just create a piece of art that captures Guild Wars and traditional winter holidays and send it along to us. What better way for all of us to get into the holiday spirit? What better way for you to win tasty prizes? Read the contest page to find out more. We look forward to celebrating your creativity this holiday season!

Bearing the final two comments in mind, Guild Wars: Nightfall is a worthwhile download for any role-playing fan and an absolute must have for Guild Wars fans.

You can gain insight into the new world of Hero Battles in today’s competitive feature. You’ll find build ideas, control and strategy tips, map info, and much more, in the newest of our State of the Game articles.

We’ve expanded the Fansite Kit offerings to include a bunch of new Nightfall-related items. The kit includes all sorts of images and assets to expand and decorate your fansite, including concepts, render, screenshots, and all the skill icons, too! Head over to the Fansite Kit page and click through to the new Guild Wars Nightfall Assets section. And remember: You can get the complete and newly-expanded list of all skills, including those for Nightfall, on the Skills Listing page, as well.

As part of a new marketing agreement, Pepsi and The9 will co-sponsor a national Guild Wars tournament and pimp over 10,000 Internet Cafes using decor based on NCsoft's popular fantasy setting. Cafe chaperones will now have to work twice as hard to keep sticky soft drinks away from the PCs. Beta testing for Guild Wars China begins in two days.

Highs
Great fleshed out story lines and characters, along with beautiful scenery.

Lows
Gameplay is mundane and can get repetitive.

Final Verdict
If you own Guild Wars, you’ll want to add this to your collection. If you don’t own Guild Wars, you may just want to try the free trial first.

Over the course of the last few weeks, we've been adding website content about several novel features of Nightfall. Today we're adding two new articles to our Gameplay Section. One is about the Sunspear and Lightbringer titles, and the other concerns Hero Skills and their acquisition. Head over to the Nightfall Features Section for more information on the game. Also this week, the Professions Skills Listing was updated to include all the current information about every skill in the game. Find that wealth of skill info here.

Order of Whispers Scouts Hidden Region

As I mentioned in last week's missive, the Order of Whispers has been investigating a rumor concerning a portion of the Realm of Torment previously unknown to Elonians. Through diligent interrogation of the only known soul to escape the forsaken region, members of the Order of Whispers have located an entrance to the region, and have begun sending in scouts to assess the risks associated with allowing Elonians to enter this land of unimaginable pain and suffering.

The Order is currently refusing admittance to any who are not long-standing and respected members of their organization. They are declining to share even the location of the entrance with any—including myself—who do not serve their brotherhood until such time they deem the information safe for public consumption. While the Order is remaining rather tight-lipped about this investigation, I was able to persuade a guard to share some information. This fellow—who, for the record, was conspicuously talkative for a member of an organization that values secrecy so highly—shared the fact that many of their scouts have encountered Forgotten in this realm. Apparently, the Forgotten are as concerned and curious about this new area as the Order of Whispers and many Elonians.

As for the gems my intoxicated friend mentioned in last week's interview, the Order's scouts report they have seen four different types in this new area. Please do not mistake these gems for the sapphires, rubies, and diamonds used in armor crafting. These are entirely different. And, while their use and purpose is not clear, many amongst the Order suspect them to be some sort of magical artifacts, perhaps used for a ritual or spell. Those in charge of the investigation hope the questions surrounding these gems—as well as the numerous other questions arising about this new area—will be answered upon further investigation. I will continue to share any information as I come across it, and may the Five Gods protect us from whatever evils may be waiting inside this ominous locale.

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Mahk Upgrades Miniature Varesh

The up-and-coming Istani toy maker, Mahk, recently had a stroke of good luck. As you may be aware, the young businessman struck a marvelous deal with a group of Vabbian merchants a while ago. This agreement allowed him to pursue his dreams and ensure a successful future for his family. However, the wise Mahk did not expend all of his talent on that project, for he has recently conceived of an improvement to the Varesh Miniature that is sure to be popular.

The idea began when his son complained that his Miniature Varesh toy was easily lost in the tall grasses of the Plains of Jarin, and that, unlike some of the other miniatures the boy had collected, the Miniature Varesh did not possess any weapons or accessories. Mahk, his confidence boosted by his successful dealings with the Vabbians, decided he could indeed improve upon the design. Working with his son's Miniature as a prototype, Mahk increased the overall size of the toy and added a scythe worthy of a warmarshal to his son's prized trinket. The boy then took his new and improved Varesh to various outposts and towns in Istan, showing it to everyone he met. News spread quickly, and within a matter of days Mahk had signed a new trade agreement—in gold ink, might I add—to lead a project that would provide this upgrade for all who own the collectable.

Luckily, the magical essence used to give these toys life also allows the improvement to be applied with no effort on the part of the owners. Once Mahk has perfected his new design, the upgrade will simply take effect. The process involves a form of magic unfamiliar to me. Mahk politely declined to share the details with me, citing the confidentiality of the "Toymaker's Code." But he believes, and I agree, that the changes will give all who own the Varesh Miniature a pleasant surprise.

Watch for these changes to take effect within the next week or so, and don't be surprised if Mahk's machinations make this toy even more desirable and, in turn, more valuable as a collectable.

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Random Acts of Kindness

I once again traveled across our fine lands, and during those journeys had the pleasure to note several acts of good will.

In Mihanu Township, Ahken Amun Ra offered directions to the Garden of Seborhin to a lost citizen. With these directions, the adventurer reached his destination in time to meet his party.

Amidst the crowds in the Kodash Bazaar, Holy Alliance Cora gave away some steel ingots to a Warrior in need of new armor. That contribution aided in properly equipping the Warrior for combat, which is a service to all whom he may fight beside.

Back in my beautiful home in the Shing Jea Monastery, Robynn Gravez offered directions to locate a brave Assassin Hero needed for a battle party. Helping people find an extra hand in battle is a help in and of itself, and for guidance of that nature, all citizens should be grateful.

While visiting with the Istanis, I witnessed Kartesh Al Tua offering assistance with a particularly complicated quest. By doing so, he provided aid to both those attempting to complete the quest and those who assigned it, so many thanks to you, Kartesh. At the same location, I also saw Cadavra Ravenstorm offering to escort players to some of the more difficult-to-reach Istani locales for no charge.

Thank you all for your kind natures and honorable deeds. May the Five Gods smile upon you.

I love the cultural richness of the game, because too many games stick to the tried and worn out westernized fantasy realms. Nightfall doesn’t really bring anything new game mechanic wise to the Guild Wars franchise, but it does offer some beautiful environments and cultural inventiveness to an otherwise bland fantasy genre.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, the addition of heroes and new story based missions will provide hours of enjoyment to casual role-players who prefer soloing through quests to the furious PvP modes. Guild Wars fans should not hesitate in picking up this title for the new professions and heroes alone. And with no monthly fees, Guild Wars Nightfall serves as an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with the MMORPG genre or Guild Wars series.

Feast your eyes on the guardian angel of Elona, the Paragon, as he is presented in this week's Wednesday Wallpaper. Decorate your desktop with more Guild Wars goodness, here.

• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from joining parties in the Team Arenas.
• Fixed a bug and made improvements to the following quest: Reclaiming the Temple.

For this next Primer, we begin to move away from Training, Zaishen, and Random Arenas. However, the builds listed below work fine in Random Arenas. In fact, we suggest that you try them out in Random Arenas or a similar arena for practice. Each of these builds has a good chance of proving useful in any PvP conflict, from Hero Battles to GvG to Alliance Battles.

Builds form an integral component of Guild Wars, and selecting skills is just as important as how you use those skills. Many skills act in synergy with each other and offer tons of options for combinations. We'll examine some of those opportunities in this article.

Five Builds from Five Professions: Dervish, Elementalist, Necromancer, Paragon, and Warrior

Blinding Dervish
Dervish/Warrior

Ebon Dust Aura

Ebon Dust Aura [Elite]
dervish/Earth Prayers - Enchantment Spell
Energy: 5
Activation: 0.25
Duration: 30
Recharge: 20
Enchantment Spell. For 30 seconds, if you are wielding an earth weapon, your attack Skills also cause Blindness for 4..10 second[s].

Scythe Mastery 16 (12+4)
Earth Prayers 10 (9+1)
Mysticism 9

Ebon Dust Aura
Vital Boon
Mystic Vigor
Pious Haste
Crippling Sweep
Victorious Sweep/attack skill of choice
Chilling Victory
Resurrection Signet

Equipment needed:
Ebon scythe. To make an ebon scythe, unlock an Ebon Scythe Snathe from the Priest of Balthazar for 1,000 faction, or unlock one in PvE. Ebon Dust Aura will not work without an ebon scythe.

Concept:
Melee shutdown, repeated Blindness and Crippling, survival.

Designed to fight against physical attackers, especially Warriors, this Dervish can close on a group of melee characters and repeatedly shut them down with constant Blindness and Crippling. In addition, the Blinding Dervish does a respectable amount of damage while keeping itself alive, meaning it can split from a group if needed or form part of a damage spike. The ebon weapon (needed for Ebon Dust Aura) does more damage to Warriors than a physical damage scythe would because Warriors have armor that gives them natural resistance to physical damage. Pious Haste not only provides a speed boost and self-Enchantment removal, but also generates Energy through your Mysticism bonus.

Skill Rationale:
This build centers on Ebon Dust Aura, although realistically, many combinations of skills work with this elite Enchantment. Crippling Sweep works to apply an additional Condition besides Blindness, making it harder to remove both of them. Crippling has the dual purpose of defense and offense. A Crippled melee character can't keep up with your allies, while a Crippled target can't run away from you. Vital Boon enhances your maximum Health, meaning the extra damage from Chilling Victory has a better chance of triggering. Victorious Sweep also works on the same principle, adding yet another self-heal. Pious Haste grants you extra speed to keep up with targets or escape from danger.

Counters:
Enchantment removal, Condition removal, Energy denial, block/evade, anti-caster Hexes, snares.

Searing Elementalist
Elementalist/any

Searing Flames

Searing Flames [Elite]
Elementalist - Fire Magic - Spell
Energy: 15
Activation: 1
Recharge: 2
Spell. Target foe and all nearby foes are struck with Searing Flames. Foes already on fire when this Skill is cast are struck for 7..112 fire damage. Foes not already on fire begin Burning for 1..7 seconds.

Fire Magic 16 (12+4)
Energy Storage 13 (12+1)

Fire Attunement
Aura of Restoration
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Searing Flames
Glowing Gaze
Liquid Flame/Skill of choice
Meteor/Skill of choice
Resurrection Signet

Concept:
Constant Burning, area damage, and direct damage.

Because of Aura of Restoration's quick recharge, use it frequently to cover Fire Attunement. If someone strips Aura from you, quickly reapply it to prevent the removal of Fire Attunement. Using this Enchantment in conjunction with the Glyph and Glowing Gaze, you should never run out of Energy. Even if someone does pull of your Attunement, you'll probably have enough Energy to get by until it recharges.

Due to the short recharge of Searing Flames, you can cycle through enemies quickly and make them all suffer from Burning. Make sure to follow each use of Searing with Glowing Gaze, and keep an eye on each target while doing so to make sure it's still Burning. You can see Burning from the fire animation around the body and the brown down arrow on the Health bar.

Skill Rationale:
Searing Flames has a quick cooldown, meaning you can cast it over and over again, but you can only do so with a reliable source of Energy. Because Searing Flames is an elite skill, the build relies on non-elite forms of Energy management.

Liquid Flame does extra area damage between Searing Flames casts (useful for groups of enemies) and knockdowns from Meteor (helpful to stop runners in Random Arena or put additional pressure on Monks).

Counters:
Fire resistant skills, Condition removal, Enchantment removal, Energy denial, knockdowns.

Spiteful Necromancer
Necromancer/Elementalist

Spiteful Spirit

Spiteful Spirit [Elite]
Necromancer - Curses - Hex Spell
Energy: 15
Activation: 2
Duration: 8..20
Recharge: 10
Hex Spell. For 8..20 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or uses a skill, Spiteful Spirit deals 5..35 shadow damage to that foe and all adjacent allies of that foe.

Curses 16 (12+4)
Soul Reaping 12

Glyph of Lesser Energy
Spiteful Spirit
Suffering
Reckless Haste
Ulcerous Lungs
Well of Silence/Vocal Minority
Parasitic Bond
Resurrection Signet

Concept:
Hex overload, Health degeneration, Warrior shutdown, anti-Paragon.

With a number of area-of-effect Hexes, this Necromancer can spread around a lot of misery. While it works best with a partner or two using Hexes (such as Mesmers and Water Elementalists), it can still do plenty of damage on its own. Places like Alliance Battles, in particular, favor this Necromancer due to the large number of opponents and NPCs gathering there. Spiteful Spirit does wonders against somebody not paying attention, but it starts to lose some effectiveness against cautious attackers. With this in mind, look for Pets, minions, and NPCs that attack. These types of NPCs can't call to their team that they have Spiteful Spirit on them, so they'll keep attacking while hurting everyone around them. Even without any NPCs for Spiteful, putting it on human players deters them from taking action. In Random Arenas, where Hex removal hardly exists, Spiteful Spirit can offer enemy Warriors or physical attackers a choice: stand there and do nothing, or fight and slowly kill themselves. Either way, that dilemma works out well for the Spiteful Necromancer.

The power of this build depends on Hex covering and placing Hexes on enemy groups. For example, Reckless Haste works particularly well on a Warrior train closing on an ally. Wait for the Warrior train to coalesce into a solid mass, then Hex them up with Reckless, Suffering, and Ulcerous Lungs. Reckless Haste, the Hex used to shut down the Warrior, then lies buried beneath Health degeneration Hexes, making it harder to remove. Use the same principle to cover Spiteful Spirit. Parasitic Bond works well as a cover Hex because it casts quickly and takes little Energy. When someone removes Parasitic Bond, you also get a Health return.

Look for Paragons (primary or secondary) and Warriors, making sure to get Ulcerous Lungs or Vocal Minority on them. As soon as anything dies, make a Well of Silence for additional Health degeneration and Paragon shutdown. In a high-corpse environment, such as Fort Aspenwood, Wells can decimate a group of attackers.

Skill Rationale:
Spiteful Spirit deters human players and kills NPCs. The other Hexes work to cover it and each other by blanketing an area of enemies. In addition, the Health degeneration works against any team you come up against, so this Necromancer has power everywhere. The Glyph of Lesser Energy makes the high casting cost of the Hexes more manageable, with Soul Reaping as a backup.

Counters:
Hex removal, constant party-wide healing, Energy denial, interrupts, knockdowns.

Battery Paragon
Paragon/Warrior

Energizing Finale

Energizing Finale
paragon/Motovation - Echo
Energy: 5
Activation: 1
Duration: 10..35
Recharge: 5
Echo. For 10..35 seconds, whenever a Shout or Chant ends on target non-Spirit ally, that ally gains 1..3 Energy.

Motivation 14 (11+3)
Leadership 10 (9+1)
Spear Mastery 12 (10+2)
Tactics 4

Spear of Lightning
Wild Throw/Spear attack of choice
Aria of Zeal
Energizing Finale
Song of Restoration
"Shields Up!"
"Watch Yourself!"
Resurrection Signet/Signet of Return

Concept:
Energy generation for spellcasters, party armor buff, healing bonus.

Above all else, this Paragon fuels the Energy of casters. A variety of Shouts and Chants serve to drive the battery of Energizing Finale on casters. Monks gain some of the greatest benefits from this Energy support. Additionally, the battery Paragon increases the team's armor, adds a healing bonus to help the Monks, and does damage with a spear.

With Motivation at 14, Energizing Finale lasts for 33 seconds. This means you can use the game clock to time it. For example, if you need to keep two Monks going, try using the game clock. Choose a convenient time, such as 1:00. Put Finale on one Monk; when it recharges, put it on the other Monk. Watch the game timer and reapply every 30 seconds (don't do it every 33 seconds, because it takes time to cast). Done right, you should have Finale on the Monks the whole time.

While making sure your selected battery targets stay in earshot, cycle through the Shouts and Chants you have to drive their Energy. Lastly, make sure "Watch Yourself!" fully expires before you use it again. If you use "Watch Yourself!" again while it is still active, the Shout won't trigger the Energy bonus from Finale. A Shout must actually end to initiate the Energy gain—reapplication doesn't count.

Skill Rationale:
Song of Restoration manages overall party Health, which indirectly means more Energy for the Monks (because they don't have to use it healing everyone). "Watch Yourself!", a pure adrenaline Shout, uses the Paragon's Leadership ability for self-Energy gain. Aria of Zeal returns Energy for each spell cast and functions as another Chant to trigger Energizing Finale. With this combo, your Monks shouldn't run out of Energy anytime soon.

Counters:
Vocal Minority, Well of Silence, Roaring Winds, interrupts, knockdowns, Energy denial, anti-adrenaline skills.

Dragon Sword
Warrior/any

Dragon Slash

Dragon Slash [Elite]
Warrior - Swordsmanship - Attack
Adrenaline: 10
Activation: 0
Recharge: 0
Attack. If Dragon Slash hits, you strike for +10..40 damage and gain 1..5 strikes of adrenaline.

Swordsmanship 16 (12+4)
Strength 12 (13 if using Enraging Charge)

Dragon Slash
Sever Artery
Gash
Sun and Moon Slash
Bull's Strike/Distracting Blow
Sprint/Enraging Charge
Frenzy/Flail
Resurrection Signet

Concept:
Constant and consistent damage, continual adrenaline generation.

The Dragon Slash Sword Warrior can inflict constant damage with adrenaline attacks. It may take a few swings to get the cycle going, but once this adrenaline engine gets cooking, it's hard to stop. This Warrior should hit targets as often as possible, never relenting, and apply consistent pressure the other team. As soon as this Warrior stops attacking, it loses the edge of the adrenaline/Dragon Slash combination.

Use a speed boost to close in on a target and charge up some adrenaline. Begin with low adrenaline skills, such as Sever Artery. If using Flail, stay near stationary targets, such as melee characters or any character that's knocked down or snared. After Sever Artery, do a Gash and follow up with Sun Slash. This should get your Dragon Slash charged all the way. After hitting with Dragon Slash, you get a substantial adrenaline return, which you can use to power your other attacks again. Once you get this cycle initiated, you can keep the attack chain going indefinitely.

If your Dragon Slash doesn't hit, you've just lost your 10 adrenaline investment, so you'll have to start building adrenaline all over again. As such, watch your target. If it blocks or evades your normal attacks, try to find a different target for using Dragon Slash.

Skill Rationale:
Dragon Slash fuels adrenaline. It forms the core component of the build. Sever Artery applies Bleeding for spreading pressure, while Gash adds a Deep Wound to make healing your target more difficult. Sun and Moon Slash gives another source of quick adrenaline, while Bull's Strike helps you catch kiters. Frenzy/Flail provides your "increased attack speed" (IAS), while Sprint/Enraging charge gives you a speed boost, along with the ability to cancel Frenzy/Flail, if needed.

Counters:
Blind, block/evade, anti-melee Hexes, snares, anti-adrenaline skills.

Synergy, Covering, and You

Each of these builds has two or more skills in it that combine with each other to generate desired outcomes. Learning how these skills interact with each other opens one aspect of the PvP metagame. Skill synergy occurs in just about every build, working on both an individual and a team level.

The concept of covering Hexes and Enchantments also occupies a central role in much of PvP. Important Hexes should go on a target first, followed by less-important Hexes. The same principle applies to Enchantments.

When you understand how covers work, as well as how one synergistic skill augments another, you have a better chance of making a build work. When you play against that same build, you'll also have a better idea of how to counter it.