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ArenaNet Community and Content Manager departing for Undead Labs
ArenaNet's Community and Content Manager -- and resident zombie fanatic -- Emily Diehl surprised Guild Wars fans yesterday with a farewell message. This Friday will be Emily's last day with ArenaNet, then she's off to join some of her former colleagues at Undead Labs. "For folks that know me, it's no secret how much I love horror stuff. The first movie I ever remember seeing was Night of the Living Dead (when I was four), and I've been obsessed with horror ever since. I love Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 with a passion, but in this case, having the privilege to work on a zombie title is fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine." We at Massively join all of Emily's fans in wishing her the best of luck!
Flameseeker Chronicles: What have we learned from the War in Kryta?
It was another relatively quiet week in Guild Wars 2 news, but here at Massively we had an exciting interview with some of the ArenaNet team members about aspects of Guild Wars 1. In that interview, John Stumme snuck in some hints of what's to come for Guild Wars: Beyond. We finally got the official name of the Canthan content: Winds of Change. There's much more, too -- Keiran's coming back, there's a wedding on the horizon, and we haven't seen the last of the Lunatic Court. These new details sparked a lot of talk among the fans and got me thinking about player feedback from the War in Kryta. Follow along after the jump as we take a look, and then let me know what you think!
Costume design and hints of what's to come: Massively's interview with the Guild Wars team
Halloween may be over, but it lingers on in Guild Wars. The new costumes and the new Halloween masks can still be seen all over Tyria as players show off their latest dye mixes and combine the masks with various armor sets and costumes. The event resonates in another way too. We got so many hints and details on new and old characters in Tyria: we were introduced to the Lunatic Court, we met Mad King Thorn's ex-wife, and even Palawa Joko made an appearance. All of this seemed to hint at more to come, and fans were left wondering: is this the last we've seen of all this? We at Massively were anxious to know too, so we went straight to the source. Live Team Lead John Stumme, along with artists Susan Jessup and Kristen Perry, spent some time answering our questions about the thoughts and ideas behind the creation of the new costumes and masks. In between their answers, they managed to drop all sorts of exciting tidbits about what's coming in Guild Wars. Read on past the break to see for yourself!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 101
The lack of Guild Wars 2 news lately is getting increasingly frustrating. Don't look so surprised -- just because I think we shouldn't should curse and throw a fit and take what isn't ours doesn't mean I don't want news as badly as you guys do! I've been stalking Twitter, the ArenaNet blog, forums, and anything else I can think of, hoping for any scrap of GW2 news. Of course, there's nothing. There's a bright side to weeks like this, though. They allow me to visit topics that I don't have time for on weeks when I'm scrambling to keep up with the news avalanche. The brand-new Guild Wars players just keep on coming, and while it's so exciting to see the community growing like this, the vast majority of us have forgotten what it's like to set foot in Tyria for the first time. Oh, sure, we remember how amazingly beautiful Pre-Searing was and other overall impressions like that, but sometimes it's hard to remember the confusion of not even knowing basics like how to enter a mission -- or even what a mission is. So you guys who are standing in Ascalon City, feeling confused about where to even begin, while your alliance talks about doing The Deep in hard mode, this is for you. Press that handy button to continue!
Flameseeker Chronicles: I can't hear you, I have a pumpkin on my head!
Yes, that is my favorite Mad King Thorn joke. I laugh like crazy at it every year. The Halloween festivities are almost over, and as I write this I've got both accounts parked in Kamadan waiting for my Spectercles. You know what, while I'm on the subject of that festival hat, I'll go ahead and address the question of "How do I get a hat?" Unfortunately, if you are reading this and you do not have the Furrocious Ears or the Spectercles, you are too late. Some festivals keep collectors around for a period of time after the event ends so latecomers can still get the hats, but for Halloween you must attend one of the Mad King's appearances on October 31st to get them. This year's hats will look very familiar to Aion fans. Not being one of those, I prefer to enjoy my Spectercles from a different perspective and spend a lot of time saying "Awwww!" when looking at my characters in the Furrocious Ears. So what else has been happening in Tyria? Follow along after the jump to see!
Get Guild Wars: Eye of the North for $5.99
Guild Wars players both new and old are all about building their Hall of Monuments score these days, thanks to ArenaNet's recent announcement about the Hall of Monuments calculator. If you're anxious to get your connection to Guild Wars 2 underway but haven't purchased Eye of the North yet, it's your lucky day! Newegg has the expansion for $5.99 with free shipping. It's a box copy, so the instant gratification of digital download isn't an option, but that price combined with free shipping might just make it worth it to you. If you want to learn more about the expansion before you pick it up, check out the entry on the official Guild Wars wiki, then head to Newegg and get your copy!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Your guide to Halloween 2010
I've been focusing quite a bit on new Guild Wars players these days and this week is no exception. I'm excited to see how many players are picking Guild Wars up for the first time, or are returning after checking things out briefly way back in 2005. This week is a fun one thanks to the Halloween festival, and those of you who haven't played during one before are probably a bit overwhelmed. Even those of you who have been away for a few years may be surprised by how much the festival has expanded since you were away. This week's Flameseeker Chronicles is for you guys -- follow along after the jump and we'll take a tour of this spooky version of the world of Tyria.
ArenaNet releases new Guild Wars 2 concept art slideshow
If you were one of the lucky fans who attended the Guild Wars 2 panel at New York Comic Con, you were treated to a slideshow of typically beautiful concept art. Those of us who did not attend get to share that privilege now, thanks to ArenaNet. The developers have set the slideshow to music and released it as an HD video. The slideshow encompasses art from all five playable races, and the variety of images shown may well make an extra viewing or two worthwhile. The video includes everything from sweeping landscapes and huge vehicles to armor details and small household items. In between are creatures, armor sets, interiors, and much more. Follow along after the jump to see for yourself!
ArenaNet community manager debunks Guild Wars 2 rumor
Guild Wars 2 fans have been enjoying a series of articles at PC Gamer this week, but unfortunately the series came with a bit of misinformation. If you read through the articles, you may have noticed some news regarding dungeons as downloadable content in Guild Wars 2. The community was buzzing about that possibility until Community Manager Regina Buenaobra stepped in to clarify things: "We have not made a decision on whether to sell dungeon content as DLC, contrary to what the article states. The author of the article jumped to this (incorrect) conclusion based upon his interpretation of Eric's statements." Eric Flannum released a clarification that stated in part "...our core philosophy--of not requiring you to spend additional money to play the game and not making the game difficult or painful to play in order to encourage you to buy things from the store--still stands." Eric's full statement can be seen within Regina's forum post.
Guild Wars fansite hosts "Night of the Mini Pets" community event
A long-running event in the Guild Wars community should be gaining an extra dose of attention and excitement this year. In all the player buzz over the Hall of Monuments, many people have found the Monument to Devotion to be one of the most difficult to fill. That problem might be solved for many people thanks to the upcoming Night of the Mini Pets. Fansite Blade Radio has worked to coordinate this event for three years running, and each year hundreds of miniatures are handed out to Guild Wars players as prizes. This year is bigger than ever: Blade Radio has over 1,100 minis (both dedicated and undedicated) to distribute along with many other items including a prepaid Guild Wars 2 package. The event will be held for three nights beginning on October 29th, so check out the Night of the Mini Pets page for all of the details and a full prize list.
ArenaNet adding seven-hero parties, new outpost to Guild Wars
The latest ArenaNet blog post is up, bringing with it the Guild Wars War in Kryta survey results and some exciting news. One survey question regarding seven-hero parties sparked a lot of discussion in the community, and ArenaNet heard the answer loud and clear: An upcoming content update will bring the ability to fill your party with all heroes. For those of you who love grouping, the other half of this update is for you: "We're going to be adding Embark Beach-a new Zaishen outpost that will allow players to travel to all Mission outposts (that they are eligible for!) from a single location. So if you're looking to find something to do or someone to help you out, you just have to check one convenient location. Embark Beach will be included in an upcoming feature build containing some improvements for the game." Check out all of the survey results at the ArenaNet blog!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Stop telling me how to get 50 points when I only have three
I've spent a ton of time the past week talking about how to get 50 points in your Hall of Monuments, and while I'm happy with how much people seemed to enjoy it, I got a lot of feedback of another kind. This is the connection between Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2 that we've been waiting for, so a surprising number of players have either come out of retirement or are picking up the game for the first time. Those players read a guide on how to get 50 or even 30 points, check their calculators, see three points, and can't even begin to imagine how they'll catch up. Well, my main account might be sporting 46 points, but the image above is a screenshot of the calculator for my Massively/Guildcast account, so I am right there with you guys. For that reason -- and thanks to a pile of requests -- this Flameseeker Chronicles is for those of you just starting out. I mentioned some of this in last week's Flameseeker Chronicles, but it was geared more toward those who are already underway. This is more basic, so follow along after the jump for a guide on how to get up to speed.
Join the Guild Wars community for Pink Day in LA
You've probably noticed a lot of people wearing pink lately. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Guild Wars community is getting in on the act. It's all well and good to sport a little bit of pink on your clothing, but it's even more fun to jump in and help out. The Gaming World Entertainment Network is doing just that by hosting Pink Day in LA today. The group is taking over the Lion's Arch international districts of Guild Wars in an event that will raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and distribute a mountain of great prizes to participants. Prizes are both in-game and real-world, and several real-world prizes are non-Guild-Wars-related, so even if you're not a fan of the game, you can still participate. A donation of $10 to the Canadian Cancer Society counts as your entry in the prize drawing, so check out all of the information on the Pink Day in LA site. The front page has a donation button and simple instructions about how to make sure you are entered after you donate. The event itself is from noon until 6 p.m. MST in the international districts of Lion's Arch, so don't miss out! Finally, if you really want to get into the spirit of things, ArenaNet has a bonus for you. The developers have created a special pink dye vendor to hang out in LA during the event, so be sure to pay a visit while you're there!
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (V)
Day five! This is the last day in our Road to 50 series, and we're going to look at the final segment of the Hall of Monuments: the Monument to Valor. This is where you'll dedicate all of your most prestigious weapons, and there has been a lot of discussion among players regarding what they think should be included. In the end, though, you have three choices: Tormented, Oppressor's, and Destroyer weapons. You need to have a total of 15 weapons displayed in any combination, but you have to have at least one of each type for full points. The process of getting them isn't as bad as you might think, particularly if you take your time. It's just a matter of knowing where to look, so follow along after the jump and we'll go through them!
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (IV)
Today's focus is one I've been looking forward to all week: Guild Wars armor. It's a completely frivolous and cosmetic part of the game after a certain point -- max armor is max armor regardless of the outward appearance -- but there are some great options out there. As always, the Hall of Monuments calculator rewards variety. You'll need to have seven elite armor sets, with three specific types in the mix: Luxon or Kurzick, Vabbian, and Obsidian. These are obtained with varying degrees of difficulty, so we'll look at them all. Follow along after the jump and we'll look at how to get the full eight points in this monument.
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (III)
Today's Road to 50 is all about the Monument to Honor. The biggest of them all, the one with the cool statue behind it, and the one that you need 15 points rather than eight to max. You've got more freedom here, though: there are a total of 53 available titles and you need 40 for maximum points. This gives you some flexibility to pick and choose according to your playstyle, but it can still seem pretty overwhelming. There are some pretty efficient ways to do this, and once you start you'll be surprised at how quickly the bars start filling. Follow along after the jump and let's take a look.
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (II)
Welcome to day two of The Road to 50! After addressing minipets yesterday, I'm excited to spend today on their larger counterparts: pets and heroes. The Monument to Fellowship is so much fun to fill in my view, because it sends you to challenge missions, off-the-beaten-path quests, elite areas, and more in order to obtain everything on the list. Getting every pet required and armor for every hero in the game, in my view, is an opportunity to explore some real teamwork with your friends, guildmates, and allies while you see parts of Guild Wars that you haven't seen before. Follow along as I tell you all about how to get the full eight points in the Monument to Fellowship.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Brother, can you spare a diamond?
I've spent a lot of time the past few days with my inventory and storage panels open in Guild Wars. Like it did to pretty much the entire Guild Wars community, the surprise announcement of the Hall of Monuments calculator sent me into a tizzy of "What do I have? What do I need? I have to PvP? Noooooo!!" OK, maybe that last thing was just me, but my point stands. The revelation of all the shiny rewards and titles available on the point scale is thrilling. Personally, the "Flameseeker" title was my immediate goal, and I scrambled around to get that one right away. Now I'm chasing 50 points, as are several of my guildmates. I was happy to see so many of my inactive guildies back because of this, but I noticed something immediately. They were confused! (No, seriously. I love you guys, but I could practically see the "omg too much!" looks on your faces.) Just from hanging out and watching the community both in and out of game the past few days, I realized pretty quickly that this is happening all over Tyria. So many longtime players have gone inactive while they waited to see how GW1 was going to link to Guild Wars 2. Now they're back in droves after being gone for a while, and they feel like they might never catch up. So, this week's Flameseeker Chronicles is for you guys. Follow along after the jump and I'll help you get back in the game and all caught up.
Guild Wars 2 designers answer player questions about armor, crafting, and Transmutation Stones
Last week's Guild Wars 2 news got a huge community reaction. The loudest discussions came from the announcement regarding Transmutation Stones and their relation to the upcoming game's item shop. John Hargrove and Eric Flannum answered some of the most prevalent fan questions last night in the newest ArenaNet blog post. Predictably, most of the questions centered around Transmutation Stones, but we also learn a bit more about crafting, gathering, and armor stats. While some questions remain unanswered for the time being, there are plenty of new details to pore over. Follow along after the jump as we take a look at them.
ArenaNet adds Oppressor's Weapons to Guild Wars Hall of Monuments
The War in Kryta in Guild Wars is long over, but we've got a lot to remember it by. Some of those memories take the form of Oppressor's Weapons, the special items offered as a reward for your character once he or she finished helping Queen Salma retake her throne. Those were some hard-earned weapons, and ArenaNet heard the feedback loud and clear: the things deserve a place in the Hall of Monuments. "After discussing it here amongst the team, we decided to commemorate the players' hard-fought victory over the White Mantle by adding the Oppressor's weapon set to the Monument to Valor inside the Hall of Monuments. This new set will forever honor those who helped bring peace back to the troubled lands of Kryta." So says the latest ArenaNet blog post in a move that should make a lot of players very happy. Check it out for yourself, then join the stampede to Eye of the North.
