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Platform Win Publisher NCsoft Developer ArenaNet Release Date 08/22/2012

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8.5

Guild Wars 2 review: second coming

By Philip Kollar on Sep 05, 2012 09.05.12

Guild Wars 2 is not the MMO messiah. For the last few years, long-time MMO players have looked to a growing list of titles to steal the crown from World of Warcraft and lead the genre into a promised land of growth and innovation. From Rift to Star Wars: The Old Republic, many have tried and failed while eager fans and hyperbolic press releases positioned them as game-changers. Guild Wars 2 is the latest makeshift leader of the desired MMO revolution. It's the biggest departure in fantasy MMOs since World of Warcraft in 2004, but it's not the genre-shifting earthquake that some are demanding. Instead, Guild Wars 2 is built on the MMO model introduced in EverQuest; it offers a deep understanding of and reverence for what made that early MMO special. Every one of Guild Wars 2's complex,...

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Guild Wars support switching to automated, new content production ended

By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 18, 2013 05.18.13

Guild Wars, ArenaNet's 8-year-old MMORPG, will no longer receive new content and is switching its support to automated, the developer announced via the game's official website. According to the announcement post, the developer wants the game to be "in a place where it's able to take care of itself." "Over time, our focus has shifted to updates that not only help maintain Guild Wars but help the game maintain itself," the post reads. "With this focus in mind, we'll no longer be releasing any new content for the live game except in support of automation. Our goal is to get the game to a place where it can continue to run and be available to all of our fans. We have a lot of love for Guild Wars — it's the game that made us what we are today — and we want to continue sharing it with...

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Guild Wars 2 expansion pack is being 'prepared,' says NCsoft

By Emily Gera on May 13, 2013 05.13.13

A Guild Wars 2 expansion pack is underway, MMO publisher NCsoft revealed in its recent earnings report. The publisher confirmed during an earnings call it is "preparing an expansion pack." What this will comprise of was not revealed, while a company representative added that no launch date has been decided on. This news follows repeated statements to the contrary from developer ArenaNet. The studio said as recently as March 2013 it was not developing an expansion for the game. According to NCsoft's earnings report, Guild Wars 2 accounted for 21 percent of sales during the first quarter of 2013. Comparatively, the original Lineage made up 28 percent of sales, Aion made up 16 percent of sales and Blade and Soul made up nine percent. The publisher saw a decrease in sales across North...

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Guild Wars 2 The Secret of Southsun update arrives May 14

By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 07, 2013 05.07.13

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Guild Wars 2 Retribution update includes a dungeon, abilities and more

By Dave Tach on Apr 30, 2013 04.30.13

Guild Wars 2's Retribution update launched today, bringing a new dungeon, missions, weapons and more to ArenaNet's massively multiplayer online role-playing game, according to a post on the game's official website. The final chapter in the game's Flame and Frost series has players striking at the "heart of the Molten Alliance" guild, including an underground raid in a new dungeon that culminates in a boss battle "that will go down in Guild Wars 2 history." The dungeon is part of the game's Living Story content, which adds story threads, characters, plot twists and other dynamic moments to the game. Retribution also adds 30 guild trek locations and allows players to purchase guild siege weapons. The game's custom PvP arenas and spectator mode, which ArenaNet detailed last week, also...

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Guild Wars 2 adding custom PvP arenas and spectator mode

By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 23, 2013 04.23.13

Beginning April 16, ArenaNet is adding custom PvP arenas and spectator mode betas to Guild Wars 2 for testing, the company revealed today. The custom arena beta will include 20 customizable options, ranging from respawn type to member guilds to lock skills. During the beta phase, the feature will be limited to the top 50 QP ladder players in North America and Europe. Once the beta ends, players will be able to purchase arena kits from the gem store. According to Steve Bikun, server programmer, players can use custom arena time tokens to add rental time to their own arena or someone else's custom arena. Gameplay programmer Evan "Bluxgore" Lesh explained on the post that spectator mode will be a great way for players to learn from experienced players, and for those experienced players...

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Guild Wars 2's ad for Super Adventure Box spawns its own retro side-scroller

By Michael McWhertor on Apr 19, 2013 04.19.13

ArenaNet has turned a video game gag featured in an ad for Guild Wars 2 into a playable game. Rytlock's Critter Rampage, featured in a faux retro commercial for the MMO's Super Adventure Box content, is now available for free. On the Guild Wars 2 website, Matthew Oswald of ArenaNet's cinematics team, explained how the 16-bit-style side-scroller came about. "Originally, we just wanted to build out a couple sprites to fake the game in After Effects," Oswald wrote, "but one of the cinematic artists on my team (Delly Sartika) has long harbored an interest in building his own retro platformer, so he volunteered to build out a playable version of our totally fake game." The commercial for Super Adventure Box was released just prior to April 1 to promote an April Fools' Day gag that turned...

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Guild Wars 2 free weekend runs from April 19-21 for returning trial players

By Tracey Lien on Apr 15, 2013 04.15.13

A Guild Wars 2 free trial is being held this coming weekend (April 19-21) for those who have obtained serial codes and those who participated in past free weekend trials. Posting to the Guild Wars website today, the team behind the massively-multiplayer online game said a free trial will take place this weekend for those who won serial codes from websites Ten Ton Hammer, GameSpot, Twitch.TV, MMORPG, Curse, PC Gamer, ZAM and Polygon. Players who participated in the free trial weekend in November 2012 are also invited to return, with former free trial accounts being made active for the event. The free trial begins at 12:01 a.m. PT on Friday, April 19 and runs to 11:59pm PT on Sunday, April 21. More details can be read here. Polygon's serial code giveaway is here.

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Guild Wars 2 adds retro content pack Super Adventure Box, playable through April

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Apr 01, 2013 04.01.13

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Guild Wars 2 devs debate 'all the time' about if the game is too complicated

By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 13, 2013 03.13.13

Guild War 2's developers debate whether or not the game has become too complicated "all the time," following the game's many additions post launch, lead Isaiah Cartwright recently told Forbes. Speaking with the publication, Cartwright explained that this discussion is especially bolstered by the number of game currencies. "It's a debate we have here all the time, especially when it come to the number of currencies that are around," Cartwright said. "It really comes down to when you want to reward someone for doing a specific type of gameplay. Because we've been adding a lot of reward systems, we've seen an increase in the number of currencies out there." Cartwright added that the team is reaching an end to how many systems they can add. They'll instead continue to work on the...

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Guild Wars 2 teases third part of Flame and Frost storyline for March 26

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 06, 2013 03.06.13

The next installment in the Guild Wars 2 four-part Flame and Frost storyline, The Razing, is set to begin on March 26, ArenaNet announced. The Razing will introduce players to new characters Braham and Rox, who are struggling to protect their homeland. Players will join the pair in battle against those would seek to destroy their home, following their philosophy of doing the right thing without calculating the risk. A new group called the Molten Alliance, which includes the dangerous Flame Legion and members of the mole-like dredge race, has cropped up in the Shiverpeaks region. The group is strong enough to mow down any who would oppose them, and as they close in on their targets, razing the grounds settlement by settlement, players will join the resistance and meet them on the...

Guild Wars 2 Releases
North America
  • Windows
    • Released 08/22/2012
    • Publisher NCsoft
    • Developer ArenaNet
    • Score 8.5
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