Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars Expansion Announced

From GW site


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

no more crappy mag scans of Gwen:

How you doin', Gwen?

Guild Wars: Eye of the North introduces another exciting feature to the Guild Wars legacy—multi-level dungeons!

So.... now Guild Wars officially has dungeons

I wish ANet had made it much clearer that this isn't a "storage" of GW1 items, armor, gold, or anything, because that is a very common misconception.

I wonder if this means, that we can get our current weapons and armor (attire)?
If so then this could be very interesting indeed.

Man, holiday season seem so far away.

Stop wishing your lives away - thats time that you're never ever gonna get back.

O.o New titles too... Still lotsa months to go. D*mn you ANet for getting me this excited



Oh my, I want a flying pet too

Do ANet realize that the term "holiday season" is very unclear to many people, especially people outside USA / non native english speakers?

most likely refereing to holiday items

The official news certainly keeps up the excitement, but it's a shame it still doesnt give a clearer picture of when Eye of the North will be released.

Holiday 2007 is a bit vague and the write up says 'soon'. Hmmm, summer holiday release maybe (even if play.com and game.com say sept'07)?

Heh, Guild Wars 2 is going to have a very high level cap or unbound advancement. I wonder if this means I'm gonna get my +1 HP per skill point I was asking for? I'm pretty sure the bonuses will be tiny, to keep PvP pretty fair.

gwen looks kinda anxious O.o.... making me impatient

From the Wired article the main site links to:

That part just got me exited.

who is that sexy blonde on the announcement window

now that u mentioned it...whoa...that norn is HAWT!!!!!!!

I LOVE the guild wars concept art, but wtf are these o.o http://www.guildwars.com/images/conc...pt-035-lrg.jpg

charrs long lost cousins?

I know this is a stupid question, but when is holiday season? :$

Most likely, Looks like they now come in assorted colors. All these concept photos make me all the more anxious to play as them in GW2. Looks like ill have to settle meeting them in GW:EN for now.

I just want to further emphasize that no where has it been stated that the Hall of Monuments would be used to transfer any items/armor/weapons to GW2.


Looks like some people weren't so far off with the potential aztec/mayan influence guesses
http://www.guildwars.com/images/conc...pt-034-lrg.jpg

septemper-ish time of year



rofl its making me anxious too ^^ i love teh zebra charr, just goes to show they are part antelope and then one made love to a zebra lol

yes they are charrs...refer to thread
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10135324

Actually it's more like November/December.

I imagine holiday 2007 to be around Christmas time. I mean, it's got a few events going on then that people say "happy holidays," so why not? But, if I remember correctly, there was talk of this being released in Q3 of this year, which Christmas time would not fall under, I don't think.

Either way, it's still a long way off and makes me sad.

good point, i was just including halloween, my birthday, turkey day, etc. etc. still can't wait, so far away i'll be a junior omg!

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.

I don't think the "inherit" actually means a transfer of weapons....I would imagine that the weapon structure and even Armor structure would be totaly different in GW2....although it may give you the "skin" or look of the weapon/armor from GW1

Probably you do a quest, you get a monument, and as they've already said, you *unlock* items for GW2. I'd bet doing these Hall of Monuments quests gives you new bonus items/pets to spawn in GW2. It would be like instead of getting a spiritbinder for a pre-order or a Varesh from the CE, you get it for doing some GW:EN quests.

It's a way to provide continuity and bait people into GW2 without letting them actually transfer anything that wouldn't mesh with the very different game mechanics that are being cooked up.

Mayan/Aztec architecture. If that's for GW:EN, the only place announced that would match that scenery is the Tarnished Coast, home of the Asuras. I wonder what that's all about.

November/December is a long time to wait for something that isn't as big as the previous Chapters. Nevertheless this inheritance stuff sounds jolly good. Maybe if we ask really nicely we can inherit a "family fortune" from Guild Wars characters :P

I wonder if 2007 Holidays means, 2007 Christmas Holidays or does it mean 2007 Summer Holidays? They probably just RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOing with us again, it will probably be late, even though it shouldn't since so much less is being introduced in this one. Less skills, no new professions, no new map, so its all just add ons so it should be able to be released this summer, but who knows, we probably won't know a definite date till much later.

When someone says holiday season, it's always the Christmas season. Never the middle of summer.

This stuff looks great, I can't wait.
*holds breath*

Looks like the Inq was right on pretty much everything.

Can people FINALLY stop spouting the "WoW Clone" crap now?

Norns FTW

I see Halls of monuments isnt what i thought it will be,pretty much useless if i cant store stuff.I'll pass on GW2.

yay! something to break the addiction of wow!

for sure getting gw2, and i guess ill have to get EN so i can xfer my fow armors and crystallines, not to mention minis.

i loved gw, but it got boring fast, so i hope gw2 gives it a more mmo feel.

^Again, no where is it stated that EotN transfers armor/weapons/items or anything.

Cant wait to transfer my weapons/armor/chars/money with EN. Cant wait.

You can't do that with GW:EN. You can only store achievements.