http://www.guildwars.com/press/relea...2007-03-27.php
Press Release - March 27, 2007
Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars Expansion Announced
NCsoft, ArenaNet reveal future plans for high-flying online roleplaying franchise; Guild Wars: Eye of the North scheduled for holiday 2007 release
Bellevue, WA., March 27, 2007—NCsoft® and ArenaNet® today revealed their exciting plans for the future of the hugely successful Guild Wars® franchise. The companies announced that development already is underway on a full sequel to the original Guild Wars games. Guild Wars 2TM will draw from the game mechanics that made the original Guild Wars one of the most popular online games ever and will add a fully persistent world. It was also revealed that, like its predecessors, Guild Wars 2 will not have a subscription fee. No launch date was announced, but the ArenaNet team anticipates that Guild Wars 2 will go into beta sometime in the second half of 2008.
In addition, ArenaNet developers are working on the first true expansion for the Guild Wars franchise, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM. Due to hit store shelves during the 2007 holiday season, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM will require at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns (PropheciesTM, FactionsTM, or NightfallTM) in order to play. It's a game that will benefit long-time players of the Guild Wars games, with all of the content targeting existing Guild Wars characters.
"We felt it was extremely important to reward those people who have been playing Guild Wars since the game first launched in 2005," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Those players have seen three very large campaigns created in a little under two years and so we think it's time to begin filling in the details of the existing world and to provide more content for current characters. We are thrilled to focus our time on something that our players have been asking for."
Set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will have 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and even more items, weapons and titles.
And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.
"It's the payoff we hope players will appreciate as we continue to build on the Guild Wars franchise," said Strain. "We're excited to announce these two new products and we want players to know that Guild Wars has an extremely exciting future in the months and years ahead."
An exclusive full preview of Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars: Eye of the North can be found in the May issue of PC Gamer which will be on newsstands by April 3. More information on the Guild Wars franchise can be found at http://www.guildwars.com.
http://www.guildwars.com/press/relea...ofthenorth.php
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
In the face of Tyria's greatest challenges, heroes have arisen to thwart the forces of darkness. The Titans have been driven back to the demon realms, Shiro has been unmasked, and Abaddon has fallen.
Now a new darkness threatens Tyria. Great earthquakes wrack the lands, opening huge underground complexes beneath the earth. Boiling up from that darkness, an ancient enemy may spell the end of the Age of Man...
Guild Wars players will soon be able to embark on a journey that will take their existing characters into the treacherous reaches north of the Shiverpeak Mountains. There, they must stand side-by-side with both friends and enemies from the past, recruit new allies and heroes, and delve deep into perilous dungeons to face an ancient evil. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. One thing is certain; at the end of this battle, nothing will remain the same.
Expanding the World
Guild Wars: Eye of the North expands upon the continent of Tyria, telling a tale that takes place after the events of the Prophecies campaign.
Players will be able to take existing characters from any of the previous Guild Wars campaigns into Guild Wars: Eye of the North. There, they will find adventures and encounters worthy of battle-hardened heroes who have faced such adversaries as Shiro and Abaddon as they seek to uncover the mystery behind the great earthquakes. The Eye of the North expansion contains only max-level content. There's no time to train raw recruits; no time to study with great masters. Only heroes need apply.
New Races, Old Enemies
In Guild Wars: Eye of the North, players will encounter two new races: the enigmatic Asura, masters of magic who were driven from the depths by a great danger, and the fiercely independent Norn, who are more interested in contests of personal prowess than the troubles of the world around them. And as the Deldrimor Dwarves fight a desperate battle against a new evil welling up out of the earth, players will once again come face-to-face with humanity's most-hated enemy—the Charr.
Delve into the Deep
Guild Wars: Eye of the North introduces another exciting feature to the Guild Wars legacy—multi-level dungeons!
As the story of this expansion unfolds, players will delve into eighteen vast dungeons to face untold enemies, search for clues about the menace facing the world, and uncover new weapons they can use in the final confrontation. These immersive, multi-level dungeons will take characters deep beneath the earth and expose them to challenges the likes of which have never been seen in any Guild Wars game to date.
Become Part of the Legend
Heroes are born in the crucible of conflict and tempered in the flames of battle. Their deeds shine throughout history as a beacon of hope to those who must rise to defend the world in ages to come, becoming part of the legend of the land. The legends forged within Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, and the Eye of the North will not be forgotten in the future world of Guild Wars 2.
Your deeds from the original Guild Wars campaigns will be commemorated in the Eye of the North expansion in your Hall of Monuments. The Hall of Monuments will reflect the achievements you earn in Eye of the North as well as those earned in Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. You will even be able to show off your hall to friends. Then, when Guild Wars 2 arrives, each of these monuments will correspond to special features your Guild Wars 2 characters can "inherit" from your own legendary past, giving you access to exclusive titles, companions (Heroes and pets), weapons, attire, and miniatures. These inherited items are unique: there is no other way within Guild Wars 2 to acquire them.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North Features
- Tons of new content designed exclusively for your existing Guild Wars characters
- 18 huge, multi-level dungeons to explore
- Monuments of your Guild Wars achievements that give access to special items and titles in Guild Wars 2
- 150 new skills (50 of which are special, roleplaying-only skills) to use against your foes
- 10 new Heroes to help you in your adventures
- 40 new armor sets suitable for the great heroes of the land
- A first look at three of the exciting new playable races in Guild Wars 2
- Numerous new items, weapons, and titles to attain
""And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.""
from the second link
Your deeds from the original Guild Wars campaigns will be commemorated in the Eye of the North expansion in your Hall of Monuments. The Hall of Monuments will reflect the achievements you earn in Eye of the North as well as those earned in Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. You will even be able to show off your hall to friends. Then, when Guild Wars 2 arrives, each of these monuments will correspond to special features your Guild Wars 2 characters can "inherit" from your own legendary past, giving you access to exclusive titles, companions (Heroes and pets), weapons, attire, and miniatures. These inherited items are unique: there is no other way within Guild Wars 2 to acquire them.
sounds exciting...
BTW i know there are multiple threads about this bu this is official from GW...if u want to move or delete it feel free to
