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Flameseeker Chronicles Extra: A brief history of Guild Wars 2's Tyria, part two
Earlier this week we started looking at the history of everything leading up to Guild Wars 2 in what is probably a grave disservice to the lore writers at ArenaNet. When we left off, the Charr and humans were still bickering over Ascalon, players had just saved the world at the end of Prophecies, and there were still some 253 years left before the start of Guild Wars 2. Now it's time for the events from Eye of the North through Guild Wars Beyond and into the present day. This lore overview isn't even pretending to be all-encompassing, but it might help you understand what the dragon nonsense is about and what's going on with the world you're stepping into. Except where events had exceptional impact, we'll largely ignore what's going on in Cantha and Elona, or else we'd need two whole more posts. I hope it goes without saying that there are lore spoilers ahead, as well as Eye of the North, Guild Wars Beyond, and companion novel (Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny) spoilers. You have been warned.
[Updated] On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me...
[UPDATE: All winners have been selected and contacted. Thanks to everyone who entered!] On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me... seven years of memories! On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... six retail packs! On the fifth day of giveaways, Trion gave to me... five subscription codes! On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me... four pet items! On the third day of giveaways, Wargaming.net gave to me... three premium years! On the second day of giveaways, BioWare gave to me... two warring factions! On the first day of giveaways, Turbine gave to me... a lifetime VIP! We're carrying on with the 12 Days of Giveaways! Day seven has arrived, bringing seven years of history, development, and memories. That's right: Lineage II. While free-to-play games are a dime a dozen these days, it's much more rare to be handed a free-to-play game that already has seven years of content, polish, and updates behind it. NCsoft has given us a great Lineage II item to celebrate those seven years and the transition to free-to-play: a Darkmane Pacer mount bracelet. We've got 12 of those to hand out to some lucky Lineage II fans. Even better, the Darkmane Pacer comes bundled with a sampling of awesome items from the rest of NCsoft's lineup: a digital copy of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, a Guild Wars mercenary hero, 30 days of City of Heroes VIP status, an Aion Collector's Edition upgrade, and a pack of five True White dyes for an Aion character. Enjoy the mount in Lineage 2 and treat your gamer friends to some holiday goodies or enjoy a sampling of the NCsoft lineup all for yourself! In either case, enter by telling us about your Lineage 2 gameplay: Are you a longtime adventurer, a returning player, or just now setting foot in Aden for the first time? Let us know before the entry deadline: tomorrow, December 20th, at 3:00 p.m. EST. Check out the contest rules for eligibility, and best of luck!
The MMO Report: GW2 field trip edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey treks to Burbank, California, to check out Guild Wars 2's voice-acting studio and interview ArenaNet lead writer Bobby Stein. Stein tells the crew that his team has been working on GW2's voice-overs for three years, resulting in approximately 70 or 80 times the amount of voice work for Guild Wars 1's final installment, Eye of the North. Casey also interviews a trio of women portraying female Charr characters, but it just wouldn't be an MMO Report field trip if Casey hadn't given the voice acting a try himself. Rising to such stage directions as "he's a cat" and "now try it drunk," Casey receives a hard-earned standing ovation from the sound booth. All this and more in the MMO Report video tucked behind the break!
ArenaNet unearths treasure trove of lost Guild Wars concept art
ArenaNet has always taken Guild Wars concept art very seriously, edeavouring to make the in-game graphics match the concept as closely as possible. This is particularly true of Guild Wars and its upcoming sequel Guild Wars 2, both of which feature gorgeous vistas and impressive architecture. A lot of the original Guild Wars concept art has made its way to the public, where it offers us a glimpse of the visual targets for Ascalon, Kryta, Tyria and beyond. In a new devblog, ArenaNet's David Campbell unearths a treasure trove of previously unseen concept art for Guild Wars' Eye of the North expansion. David explains that these five postcard-style pieces were experiments by the art team to create distinctive environments using a variety of colour palettes. Among the postcards, you'll find forested areas, epic cliff-faces, enclosed valleys and even frozen tundra.
One Shots: Foreshadowing
Welcome to Endgame Week on One Shots! Today's image comes to us from Guild Wars, with a little dash of Guild Wars 2: This is the final fight in Guild Wars: Eye of the North. You have to kill the Great Destroyer and its minions, but looming overhead is something much bigger: one of the dragons that will awaken in Guild Wars 2. Do you have an epic endgame screenshot? Send it to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll show it off on One Shots with a helping of public thanks to you! %Gallery-112285%
Exclusive interview: Guild Wars unveils Hearts of the North
When we last left our heroes, a distraught Gwen was crying in the Hall of Monuments, and Keiran Thackeray had disappeared. Thankfully, knowledgeable Guild Wars fans weren't too worried over the fate of the most prominent couple in the game. Logan Thackeray and Ebonhawke in Guild Wars 2 carry our assurance that the original couple reunited and married at some point. That point has arrived with Hearts of the North, the newest content addition to Guild Wars. Hearts of the North brings new quests and missions to the game as you progress from the search for Keiran to the wedding festivities. There is plenty of variety, including a Bonus Mission Pack-style event in which you play as Keiran and a more lighthearted chance to help a Norn wedding planner arrange the ceremony. The highlight of all the new content, of course, is the wedding. There are five new costumes for you to choose from for the ceremony, so get ready to choose your favorite formal wear and help bring our lovebirds back together! Hold on though, because we have so much more for you! We are as excited to see new Guild Wars content as the rest of the community, and we inundated ArenaNet with questions. John Stumme had plenty to say to all of them, even tossing in a few extra surprises for us. Follow along after the jump for the full scoop on Hearts of the North!
One Shots: Falling for fall
Here in the Northern hemisphere, it's that gorgeous time of year again -- fall! With crunchy leaves and chilly days, it's a perfect time to snuggle down and enjoy some gaming in the evenings. Of course, if you live in an area where it's just a little too warm for the leaves to turn colors, you can enjoy some beautiful fall weather in Guild Wars! This image comes to us from Tammy M. who captured it recently in the Eye of the North expansion. She writes in to explain this lovely scene: "[Here's an image of] a beautiful waterfall in the Grothmar Wardowns. I was so happy with this screenshot that it is the wallpaper for my work computer, home computer, and iPod Touch. The level of detail the developers and artists put in to this game is just stunning." Have you found a lovely area in-game that became your desktop background? We're always interested in breathtaking scenery from around the MMOGsphere. If you'd like to share, send it in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description of what we're seeing. Please try to make sure the image is at least 1024px wide with as little visible UI as is possible. Yours could be featured next! %Gallery-85937%
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!
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.
One Shots: The top of the falls
While Tarnished Haven in Guild Wars is said to be a place for refugees on the run from the ruling faction in Lion's Arch, there's absolutely nothing tarnished about it from where we're sitting. Sure, it's a wild-looking area, but that wildness gives rise to beautiful locales like this waterfall. This image was captured for us to enjoy here on One Shots by Jostein H., who writes: "When I was exploring in Asura lands, I came across this beautiful waterfall in Tarnished Haven. Enjoy!" I think it's safe to say that we all will. We love to check out new and interesting screenshots of familiar lands. If you'd like to show us an interesting place you've found while out exploring, it's easy to do. Just email your screenshot to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note about what we're seeing in the image. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for showing off the interesting spot! %Gallery-85937%
Flameseeker Chronicles: Back to basics
With all the talk of Guild Wars 2 these days, many players are beginning to pay attention to Guild Wars, something they've not done before. And there's good reason to jump into Guild Wars right now. It serves as the backstory to Guild Wars 2; the entire Guild Wars trilogy plus the Eye of the North expansion can be had for a song these days; and there's no subscription fee. Players who are a little burned out on their previous games of choice are thinking that maybe there's something to this game after all, and I've been getting more than a few emails with general questions about starting this five-year-old game. So while we've been focusing pretty heavily on Guild Wars 2 in Flameseeker Chronicles lately, I decided to take this week to discuss why it's never too late to start Guild Wars while you wait for GW2 to arrive.
