Hard Mode Fact Sheet

Inde

Site Contributor

Join Date: Dec 2004

Guild Wars Hard Mode Fact Sheet

http://www.guildwars.com/gameplay/hardmode/

For veteran adventurers seeking new challenges and rewards, Hard mode is sure to provide all of the glory you seek, and more!

Hard mode will become available to any player who completes a campaign in the standard mode. Once you complete a campaign with one character, any other level 20 characters on that account will also gain access to that campaign's Hard mode. (Ascension is not required for these characters.)

Adjusted Difficulty Levels

Hard mode is not for the faint of heart. We've made adjustments to provide you with heartier henchmen and followers (for example, lower level henchmen will become level 20 upon entering a Hard mode area), but the levels of all of your foes, as well as their AI, have been enhanced. The monsters are not only harder to kill, they fight smarter than ever. So, your success in Hard mode will be determined, more than anything else, by your skill at playing the game.

For those of you who may just now be getting your footing in Guild Wars, have no fear. We've also adjusted the difficulty of the regular game as well, providing a somewhat easier play experience during your early adventures, and saving the more difficult challenges and greater rewards for later, after you've become more battle-hardened.

Once you feel up to the challenge of Hard mode, though, here is a sample of what's in store for you:

Increased Title Ranks
  • Advance your rank as a Sunspear, gaining powerful new skills tailored to your profession along the way.
  • Increase your might against the minions of Abaddon by progressing through the ranks of the Lightbringer title track.

New Titles
  • Earn your place as a Guardian of Tyria, Cantha, or Elona by completing all of a campaign's missions in Hard mode.
  • Defeat all of the foes in each explorable area to attain the status of a Vanquisher, and track your progress on the World Map.
  • Increased Rewards

Greater challenges mean greater rewards.
  • You will find a larger number of both rare and uncommon items in your Hard mode adventures.
  • You will also acquire more experience points, and even more gold!

New Items

Testing your mettle in Hard mode will also give you the opportunity to find exciting new items.

Double-click on the Elite Tome while in a town or outpost to learn any elite profession skill already unlocked on your account.
Double-click on the Non-Elite Tome while in a town or outpost to learn any non-elite profession skill already unlocked on your account.
Double-click this Passage Scroll to teleport your party to the Underworld. This item can only be used in the Temple of the Ages, Zin Ku Corridor, or Chantry of Secrets.
Double-click this Passage Scroll to teleport your party to the Fissure of Woe. This item can only be used in the Temple of the Ages, Zin Ku Corridor, or Chantry of Secrets.

Lockpicking

Opening locked chests in Hard mode can be done using lockpicks. Why carry a dozen different keys when a lockpick can do the trick? Lockpicks aren't perfect, though; they may break. However, the ranks you earn in the Treasure Hunter and Lucky title tracks will increase both the chance that the lockpick will work, and that it will remain intact after each use.

Dougal Kronik

Dougal Kronik

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2005

Ontario, Canada

Glengarry Fencibles

R/

Wondering if the Elite Tome will add to your Skill Hunter progression?

Looks like I'll have to clear the continents again to get Vanquisher. Does Vanquisher have to be done in Hard Mode?

I know, I'll find out tonight, but it's just pretty exciting and I'm at work.

Dfx Gladiator

Dfx Gladiator

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Aug 2006

Portugal - Porto

W/

w0000t!!! Elite-Tomb FTW!!!!!

Jebus

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2006

Belgium

Legion of Sacred Light [LSL]

W/

Quote:
# Double-click on the Elite Tome while in a town or outpost to learn any elite profession skill already unlocked on your account.
# Double-click on the Non-Elite Tome while in a town or outpost to learn any non-elite profession skill already unlocked on your account.
Sooo awesome, but would those include unlocks made at the Priest?

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

Hm. Enhanced AI and higher levels? Don't we already have that in DoA?

Kakumei

Kakumei

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2005

Grind is subjective

learn this please

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryant Again
Hm. Enhanced AI and higher levels? Don't we already have that in DoA?
DoA definitely didn't have advanced AI.

Also: matter of hours!

thezed

thezed

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2006

Iowa, USA

HoTR

Wow. Vanquisher title sounds great! I was really hoping it would be something fun to obtain and it looks like it will be.

(wonders if he can find an excuse to get off work early today....)

noname4me

noname4me

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Feb 2007

Middle of nowhere,Pennsylvania, USA

W/R

I cant stop drooling! J/k. Anyway I cant wait to take on Hard Mode, (and gain access to those unlocked elites).

Hell Raiser

Hell Raiser

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2005

[PHNX]

Mo/

I hope to God this will not be a worldwide DoA.

Silent Coyote

Silent Coyote

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

UK

E/N

Matter of hours! Sounds interesting, should keep me interested in GW until GWEN comes out.

ctarl

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

If the Elite Tomes are going to count towards Skill Hunter I'm going to be one pissed off Skill Hunter ... and Skill Hunter will be just another "buyable" title ...

LoKi Foxfire

LoKi Foxfire

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

Florida

One Corgi Army {OCA}

R/Rt

FREAKING SWEET

I can't wait for Elite/Non-elite tomes! This is a great addition; it was such a huge pain in the butt having to recap new elites on my new characters just so I could freaking run a specific build!

Also, the Vanquisher title sounds freaking awesome. Now there's finally a point to reexploring every little portion of every campaign! It's also a great chance to finally get my last 1.5% on Tyria and earn another title!

FREAKING AWESOME wioejgoeigjweiojgwe

Just waiting until I see: WTS Elite Tome 100k + 100 ectos! (make them customizable to stop economy destruction A-net!)

Edit: I'm so glad I spent all that money getting on the Lucky title too!

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

I just hope Hard Mode isn't gonna be like DoA.

bobrath

bobrath

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2005

Texas

Scouts of Tyria

Have to agree that clearing every nook and cranny of mobs will be .... interesting. Especially when the one mob you couldn't find is a pop up!

VGJustice

VGJustice

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

Tyria, cappin' ur bosses

Boston Guild [BG]

R/W

Heh, the Vanquisher title reminds me of a time when I cleared Ice Dome for no particular reason. Now I can do it again for a reason. XD

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

Oy, what happened to Kakumei's post which I was about to quote? What, her old one is back up...

Aaaanyways, to Kakumei: Good point. I guess my mind somehow connected "better AI" with "better skills".

scottyboysn

scottyboysn

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

USA

Kingdom Of Deities [KOD]

R/

Passage Scroll FTW! Nice solution to the flawed favor system. No scroll to a secret cow level?

super strokey

super strokey

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2006

Soviet Canuckistan

N/

sounds great, those tomes should save me lots of money, also just read on their webpage and its says in a matter of hours we will get it. PIMP

Hell Raiser

Hell Raiser

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2005

[PHNX]

Mo/

"So, your success in Hard mode will be determined, more than anything else, by your skill at playing the game."

I hope this isn't a neat way of saying "So, your success in Hard mode will be determined, more than anything else, by the time you can spend beating away at superpowered monsters" <----- I don't have 5 hours to spend, and it is boring as hell to fight mindless, uberl33t enemies with imbalanced skills and huge mobs.

prism2525

prism2525

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Among dead bodies.

The Republic of Sky Pirates

E/

what about those mobs like nightmares that are not visible normally? do they count towards the vanquisher?

*I see they just WON'T say the name of any pve-only skill. Good or bad? i'm sooooo thrilled!!!*

Note: I know I sound like i'm overreacting but I can feel electricity going through me , and no, I'm not plugged in. XD

Aera

Aera

Forge Runner

Join Date: Dec 2005

Galactic President Superstar Mc [awsm]

E/

Wow. This is the first time I'm actually excited about something PvE related! GO ANET GO!

thezed

thezed

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2006

Iowa, USA

HoTR

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arkantos
I just hope Hard Mode isn't gonna be like DoA.
I agree. It should be around FoW/UW difficulty...a bit harder actually

super strokey

super strokey

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2006

Soviet Canuckistan

N/

I hope it gets more difficult as you go like the regular game does, like say lvl 20 charrs to start ending wiht lvl 28+ guys in the places like teh fire ilses or teh desolation. I cant wait to go back and redo all of tyria

Drop of Fear

Drop of Fear

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2006

W/

We need a confirmation: looking at the sheet it seems that vanquisher is a regular mode title... doing it in hard mode would be a little extreme i guess.

KIDGOOCH

KIDGOOCH

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2006

MD

R/Mo

Sounds interesting, can you switch back and forth from hard mode to regular? And where do you enter "Hard Mode" (Login Screen is my guess)?

What if you completed Proph, and Factions, but are still finishing NF (actually finished all three but working on Protector title for NF), if you go HARD in one does that automatically put you in HARD for everything?

thezed

thezed

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2006

Iowa, USA

HoTR

Hold off on all the questions guys. All will be reveiled in "a matter of hours".

(Im betting at 12:00 PDT)

foo

foo

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2006

Scars Meadows [SMS]

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drop of Fear
We need a confirmation: looking at the sheet it seems that vanquisher is a regular mode title... doing it in hard mode would be a little extreme i guess.
in the official page there is a picture which might imply otherwise.

Navaros

Forge Runner

Join Date: Apr 2005

Mo/Me

Do the tomes to teleport to FoW and UW bypass Favor completely? If so, that's awesome.

KamikazeChicken

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jebus
Sooo awesome, but would those include unlocks made at the Priest?
It says unlocked on the account, so yes.

prism2525

prism2525

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Among dead bodies.

The Republic of Sky Pirates

E/

Quote:
Empty your backpacks!

Get the keys and lockpicks ready!

Sharpen your blades!

Memorise your spells!

Fill up your quivers!

Groom your pets!

Wear the Lightbringer title proudly!

..........and tie up those shoelaces.........

For Hard Mode is at hand!
Disclaimer: I'm not saying it's online yet.

EDIT: Within a matter of hours could also imply "24 hours". I hope I'm dead wrong though.

thelegendozelda

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

OoT

W/Mo

So killing everything in every area gets you a new title, guess everyone can start with DoA and killing everything in it, mu ha!

Orbberius

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2005

Those elite tomes better be cheap on the market
like 500g or less

StormLord

StormLord

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2006

League Of Friends [LOF]

"any skill already unlocked on your account" probably means any ONE skill though, not ALL skills.

Knightsaber Sith

Knightsaber Sith

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Aug 2006

Few Fallen Heroes [FFH]

W/E

Vanquisher title sounds fun

Code=007

Code=007

Academy Page

Join Date: Feb 2007

Tomorrow Never [dies]

A/

elite tomes will make my day ñ_ñ no more suffering trying to cap from bosses like maw mountain hearth, just unlock with factions and use the tome! yay!

super strokey

super strokey

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2006

Soviet Canuckistan

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orbberius
Those elite tomes better be cheap on the market
like 500g or less
The ones to UW and FOW i agree but the others will be much more im sure

Dark-NighT

Dark-NighT

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

Stygian Veil

Shoop Da Woop [Lolz]

N/Mo

Aww this is simply Awesome. Im gonna have so much to do when it goes online, and with 9 Pve characters, that will keep me very busy doing it all

Sectus

Sectus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2005

Miss Meow Meow's Guild

Sounds very neat. I like the idea of the Vanquisher title. I really worry about the "new powerful pve" skills though... I really hope they aren't more powerful than ordinary skills.

thelegendozelda

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2006

OoT

W/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Knightsaber Sith
Vanquisher title sounds fun
yea sure does, might have to clear out all of DoA, to max it also

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by thezed
I agree. It should be around FoW/UW difficulty...a bit harder actually
Yeah, harder then FoW/UW easier then DoA seems right.