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Charr week coming for Guild Wars 2 fans
With the exception of King Adelbern and his faithful scribe, the Charr were the first living beings we saw in Guild Wars. They're the most familiar non-human creatures to long-term Guild Wars fans, and players have watched them grow in strength and cunning -- and even become reluctant allies -- over the past six years. The Charr will finally be a playable race in Guild Wars 2, to the delight of a huge portion of the fanbase. As much as we know about the Charr, we're always eager for more information, and next week ArenaNet will release all of the details on this race that fans could hope for. That's right, the company has announced on Facebook that Charr week is next week. The developers have given a little teaser in the form of some art -- use the image to hold you over until Monday, and enjoy Charr week!
The Perfect Ten: Best non-traditional MMO fantasy races
Elves. Dwarves. Humans. Halflings. Gnomes. Hobbits. Dark elves. High elves. Half-elves. Wood elves. Keebler elves. Elvish impersonators. Are you as tired as I am of the endless regurgitation of stock fantasy races in our MMOs? It seems inconceivable (I do not think that means what you think it means) for a new fantasy title to come out without most of the above races infesting the character creation screen with moldy unoriginality, putrescent stank, and dusty boredom. That's why today I'm standing up to praise 10 MMOs that dare to go above and beyond the stale by offering mostly unique and different races than the rest of the market. Hopefully future games will learn from their example and throw off the yokes of generic oppression to give us something bold and refreshing!
ArenaNet releases Edge of Destiny Guild Wars novel
Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for that discerning Guild Wars fan on your list? ArenaNet may have just the thing in the newly released Edge of Destiny, the second novel tie-in to the popular gaming franchise. Penned by J. Robert King, the book takes place prior to the events chronicled in the original Guild Wars novel, Ghosts of Ascalon, and approximately five years before Guild Wars 2's time frame. The novel features the exploits of an adventuring company that you'll meet in the new game, including Rytlock Brimstone (a charr warrior), Snaff (an asura inventor), and Caithe (a mysterious sylvari). You can grab a copy of the novel on Amazon, or sample the first chapter at the official ArenaNet blog.
First Guild Wars novel announced: Ghosts of Ascalon to release this summer
We know from the lore of Guild Wars 2 that Ascalon will become what is literally a ghost town thanks to King Adelbern, his sword Magdaer, and his last-ditch effort to drive out the Charr in a cataclysm known as Foefire. The effects of the event reach farther than anyone would have thought in the first Guild Wars 2 novel, now officially titled Ghosts of Ascalon. The ghosts of slain Ascalon soldiers are the only inhabitants of the area now, defending their home from invaders and generally making it a pretty unwelcoming place. In Ghosts of Ascalon, Queen Jennah is attempting a treaty with the Charr, who are unwilling to deal until the Charr artifact the Claw of the Khan-Ur is retrieved from -- where else -- Ascalon City. A small band of adventurers sets out for Old Ascalon to retrieve the artifact from a dangerous land and an unwilling ghostly king. (Since Lion's Arch is gone, we assume they couldn't find anyone to run them.) The book is scheduled for release this summer in North America and Europe. For now, check out the FAQ on the Guild Wars 2 site.
Analyzing the newest Guild Wars 2 trailer
ArenaNet has a very early, very wonderful holiday gift for Guild Wars fans this morning: a brand new Guild Wars 2 trailer. (Take a moment to cheer, then we'll move on.) The trailer is amazingly beautiful, something we've come to expect from ArenaNet and particularly Guild Wars 2. But if you don't let yourself get distracted by the eye candy -- something that is admittedly hard to do -- there is a lot of new information here, including more details on people and places we've already heard of, and some fascinating possibilities to explore. Take a look at the video here, then follow along with us as we explore this new information from ArenaNet. If you're unfamiliar with Guild Wars 2, this will help you get acquainted, but we also have some deep lore speculation for current Guild Wars fans. (The video can also be found at the official Guild Wars 2 site.)
One Shots: Charr confrontation in the Eye of the North
Today's screenshot comes to us from the climax of one of Guild Wars: Eye of the North's most memorable quests - Assault on the Stronghold. Your character leads a charge of fiercesome Charr warriors against another group of their kinsmen, in a desperate bid to stop the unleashing of terrible, terrible things. To do so, you have to bust through the fortifications surrounding the heretic Charr encampment. Luckily you have some help: a giant siegeweapon built on the back of an enormous insect. The screenshot above depicts the confrontation between your Charr allies and Pyre Fierceshot, the noble Charr warrior who you call friend.These mighty opponents arrive just in time to save the soul of their people; they're also just in time for Guild Wars' fourth anniversary! Make sure to check out all of recent feature coverage on the game in honor of the event. Especially make sure you check out our retrospectives on both Prophecies/Factions and Nightfall/Eye of the North.Do you have a screenshot of a dramatic quest? An MMO cutscene that just floored you? Whatever your flavor of screenshot, we'd love to see it. Just toss it into an email to oneshots AT massively DOT com!%Gallery-9798%
Building the Bane
Over at GameZone, there's a lengthy article about the origins of the main villains of the whole Tabula Rasa saga: The Bane. It's also got some beautiful shots from Destination Games of a Thrax soldier and the Neph, and goes into a bit of detail of the Bane hierarchy -- standard story fluff, you'd think, but intriguing.The Thrax are quite well personalized as a race, actually -- in that they're immediately recognizeable as repulsive, and that you want to shoot them. It also makes a break from tradition in that they're the first foe you'll encounter in TR, and that they're not stupid; instead of the usual fighting of rats / bats / giant spiders / kobolds to introduce you to a standard MMO, dropping assorted body parts that you'll immediately sell for two shillings. Not that I'm a cynic, and not that other MMOs don't have their own memorable opponents -- be they Charr, Nazgûl, or other players.Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to kill some Trolls.
