The PvP future of Guild Wars explored

Over at Massively's sister site Big Download, the PvE vs. PvP column is exploring the future of Guild Wars' Player vs. Player elements. Talking to game designer Isaiah Cartwright, the site offers up a bevy of questions on the current and future game's signature arena-style combat. The designer touches on the interesting question of game balance when it comes to balancing the needs of one type of player over the other.

Cartwright as much as admits that the challenge of keeping skills balanced for both sides of the coin is a daunting challenge. In the future, they might even completely separate out the mechanics for these game components. A skill might do one thing in PvE, for example, and another in PvP. That would be for future projects, though: Arena.net's focus on Guild Wars is on maintaining the game's quality, not shaking things up. Other subjects of conversation include the impact of the skill unlock packs, the introduction of 'casual' PvP with Factions, and the possibility of tools for player-run tourneys in the future. Be sure to check it out for context on one of the most unique MMOs on the marketplace.