Guild Wars 2 Frequently Asked Questions

Darksun

Darksun

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

USA

Karr's Castle

W/E

http://guildwars.com/products/guildwars2/gw2faq/

Quote:
Will there be a subscription fee for Guild Wars 2?
Nope. Like the original Guild Wars, there will be no subscription fee for Guild Wars 2. You just buy the game and play it online without paying a monthly fee.

Will Guild Wars 2 be an MMO?
Yes. Guild Wars 2 provides a massive, online persistent world.

How is Guild Wars 2 different from other MMOs?
While Guild Wars 2 adds a persistent world, it retains the unique nature of the original game including a strong narrative, extensive instanced gameplay, an anti-grind design philosophy, and strong support for competitive play.

Will Guild Wars 2 have non-human playable races?
Absolutely! In addition to humans, players will be able to create, customize, and play asura, charr, norn, and sylvari characters.

* The conquerors of Ascalon, the charr are ferocious, warmongering creatures—the intractable foes of humanity. Now, as greater dangers threaten their conquests, the charr legions marshal their war machines to meet their enemies with deadly force.


* The norn are half-giant brawlers from the frigid northern lands who can shapeshift into mighty bestial forms. They've been driven from their homeland by a force beyond reckon, and now regroup among the lost dwarven ruins of the Shiverpeaks.


* The asura, who once ruled the caves and tunnels below Tyria, are an advanced race of small stature and large intellect. Having emerged from the depths, the asura aim to rule the surface world with their powerful golems and razor-sharp wit.


* Not much is known of the sylvari, save that they are a race of sentient plant-beings, newly blossomed into the world. They are the youngest of the races, and are bound together by a common dream.

How will character progression work? Will you be raising the level cap?
Guild Wars 2 will have the kind of extensive character advancement appropriate to a persistent world RPG. It is our priority to avoid forcing players into the grind-based gameplay that too often accompanies a high level cap.

Also, to allow players the freedom to play together even if their friends are at a much higher (or lower) level, we are planning to implement a strong sidekicking system, similar to that used in City of Heroes.

We're applying this same philosophy to competitive play. Players will be able to engage in organized, balanced PvP (similar to GvG in the original Guild Wars) without needing to first level up characters, find equipment, or unlock skills. While inside the organized PvP area, all characters will be the same power level and will have access to the same equipment.

Will Guild Wars 2 be solo-able?
Yes. You will be able to advance your character to the maximum level without ever joining a group if you so desire. Most content will be designed in a solo-friendly way, though often with mechanisms for scaling up in difficulty when more players are involved. This will give players the option to experience the game whichever way they prefer.

At the same time, it is important for an MMO community to join together to overcome challenges. There will also be some areas in the game that require a coordinated group effort.

Can I play my original Guild Wars character in Guild Wars 2?
Because Guild Wars 2 is a whole new game with different professions and races, new technology, and expanded gameplay, it would not be possible to directly use an original Guild Wars character.

However, your original Guild Wars character names will be reserved for your use in Guild Wars 2. In addition, Guild Wars 2 recognizes the accomplishments commemorated by your original Guild Wars characters in the Hall of Monuments and provides you with unique rewards to showcase those achievements.

What are the system requirements for Guild Wars 2?
The system requirements haven't been finalized, but just as with the original Guild Wars series, we're committed to creating a beautiful game that will play great on mid-range gaming PCs.

When is Guild Wars 2 going to be released?
When it's finished. Seriously though, we haven't announced a specific release date yet, but when we do you can get those details and more right here on the official website.

When will there be a beta?
Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.

To stay up-to-date with the latest information about Guild Wars 2 and the beta test, be sure to sign up for the Guild Wars newsletter.
Awwww.. frick.. No Tengu.
most info seems old. No beta for 08, thats new.

Elite God

Elite God

Academy Page

Join Date: Jun 2007

The Island Below Shing Jea Monastary

Forever Knights

R/

No beta in 2008


Yah for Asura :>

Nightow

Nightow

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2006

Kindred Order of Souls [KOS]

Yeah, not much new info besides no beta in '08.

Quote:
When will there be a beta?
Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.
This is kinda a downer if you ask me.

netniwk

netniwk

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Bellgium

W/E

Meh,whatever stops the stream of stupid threads here.

mazza558

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

R/

Noooooooooo!

No Beta in 2008!

Meh, I'll settle for screenshots...

...for now.

Darksun

Darksun

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

USA

Karr's Castle

W/E

Seems to make sense though, Games take a long time to make. especially MMOs.
Wouldn't be surprised if it's delayed..

Quote:
Originally Posted by mazza558
Noooooooooo!

No Beta!
No beta in 08. Not no beta period. that's how rumors start.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LOTR123
BULL CRAP! How could they make it so there isn't a beta in 2008! I was looking forward to it too. =(
because it's taking longer than expected? dude.. how many times do games need to be delayed before people realize it's HARDER THAN WE THINK?

LOTR123

LOTR123

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2008

My mom's basement...

W/Mo

BULL CRAP! How could they make it so there isn't a beta in 2008! I was looking forward to it too. =(

netniwk

netniwk

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Bellgium

W/E

Did any of you guys really expect a beta in 2008 when we have zero,nill,nada info about the game??!?

mazza558

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by netniwk
Did any of you guys really expect a beta in 2008 when we have zero,nill,nada info about the game??!?
ANet have a tendency to collect lots of info about the game/chapter and then release loads in a press release/event, etc. There might have been a beta after such a release of info.

Darksun

Darksun

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

USA

Karr's Castle

W/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by netniwk
Did any of you guys really expect a beta in 2008 when we have zero,nill,nada info about the game??!?
Actually, we know:

time period it takes place in
events leading up to that period
where is takes place
the events taking place OUTSIDE of the continent
primary Adversaries
races we can play
persistent setup of the world
2 PvP breakdowns
PvE buddy system
changes in control

not really Nothing..

NiukNiuk

NiukNiuk

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

France

P/

I'm still expecting some info (even screenshots) during the Pax and Leipzig expos in august.

zamial

zamial

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2006

Usa

TKC

N/

No beta this year, bummer. I am curious about this statment maybe infuencing this section:

What are the system requirements for Guild Wars 2?
The system requirements haven't been finalized, but just as with the original Guild Wars series, we're committed to creating a beautiful game that will play great on mid-range gaming PCs.

If my take on that is correct, they are talking about the mid-ranged GAMING PCs at time of release. With the new intel Nehalm chip set comming, DDR3 ram should be the standard, that will raise the bar pretty high.

Horus

Horus

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2007

www.godtguild.com

Blades Of Burning Shadows [GoDT]-leader

Mo/

Quote:
We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.
this sounds so... awesome!

recon54

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2005

Necros Mausoleum

W/

welp, with there being no beta in 08 (which they originally said/planned), i guess that means they are running a lil behind on schedule now so we should start looking forward to a release date in around 2010, which i was alrdy expecting.

mazza558

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by guardian of dragon temple
this sounds so... awesome!
Yes. Well, if they expect us to be blown away, they may have some magic pixie dust of awesomeness to complete this task.

EDIT: Does it scare anyone that MMO games can take 1/16th of someone's entire life to make? Who knows what I'll be doing by the time this game comes out - I may have lost interest completely

Darksun

Darksun

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

USA

Karr's Castle

W/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by zamial
No beta this year, bummer. I am curious about this statment maybe infuencing this section:

What are the system requirements for Guild Wars 2?
The system requirements haven't been finalized, but just as with the original Guild Wars series, we're committed to creating a beautiful game that will play great on mid-range gaming PCs.

If my take on that is correct, they are talking about the mid-ranged GAMING PCs at time of release. With the new intel Nehalm chip set comming, DDR3 ram should be the standard, that will raise the bar pretty high.
people take these comments and twist them so bad. instead of focusing on the word "gaming" how could you miss the entire sentence before it: "just as with the original Guild Wars series". They've said it over & over I don't know how people think it's going to be too high.

The point: GW2 will have a similar system requirement (relative to the normal system at it's release) as GW1 (relative to the normal system at it's release) it's not going to "raise the bar" anymore than GW 1 did.

Brianna

Brianna

Insane & Inhumane

Join Date: Feb 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darksun
Actually, we know:

time period it takes place in
events leading up to that period
where is takes place
the events taking place OUTSIDE of the continent
primary Adversaries
races we can play
persistent setup of the world
2 PvP breakdowns
PvE buddy system
changes in control

not really Nothing..
Yeah I know, but screenshot or it didn't happen.

Just in general.. people want screenshots. They want to actually see the game. If we don't even get those yet, I don't really expect a beta anytime soon.

SirSausage

SirSausage

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2008

Poland

Architects of Forgotten Truths [AoFT]

W/Mo

Meh, no beta in 08, a shame really.
It's not like the end of the world, but Anet gotta release some new info about GW2. It's getting frickin boring.

Darksun

Darksun

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

USA

Karr's Castle

W/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brianna
Yeah I know, but screenshot or it didn't happen.

Just in general.. people want screenshots. They want to actually see the game. If we don't even get those yet, I don't really expect a beta anytime soon.
Yeah, but that's the point. People say that Anet is not divulging when really, they are. Those people just want SS.

Rift

Rift

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2007

Canada

Virtual Love [kiSu]

People should read this article to fully understand what developers mean when they give timelines.

zamial

zamial

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2006

Usa

TKC

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darksun
people take these comments and twist them so bad. instead of focusing on the word "gaming" how could you miss the entire sentence before it: "just as with the original Guild Wars series". They've said it over & over I don't know how people think it's going to be too high.

The point: GW2 will have a similar system requirement (relative to the normal system at it's release) as GW1 (relative to the normal system at it's release) it's not going to "raise the bar" anymore than GW 1 did.
The reason I am focused on the word gaming Is very simple. A gaming computer is an entirely different animal than A PC or computer. A "gaming computer" has much higher specs, dedicated graphics card (not an onboard), fast ram and cpu and a big power supply.

I did not mean to cause a sudden outbreak of paranoia, but baseing on the release date(sometime after Jan 1st '09) a mid-range gaming machine would look like: a fast dual core intel 45nm cpu/AMD phenom, 1066FSB motherboard and 4 gigs ddr2 800 ram, a dedicated graphics card like an 8800gt or a radeon 3870, a 550 watt psu. At that point in time these items will be considered low-mid range.

Omega X

Omega X

Ninja Unveiler

Join Date: Jun 2005

Louisiana, USA

Boston Guild[BG]

W/Me

Well, no beta in 2008. I've officially lost all interest.

Dylananimus

Dylananimus

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Mar 2007

The Eternal Champions

W/Mo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Omega X
Well, no beta in 2008. I've officially lost all interest.
Why? Were you planning to be a part of it?

I for one am still excited about GW2. If I find that the current game doesn't hold my interest I'll play something else until GW2 does come out. No big.

I loved the first game for 3 years though, so have no doubt the next one will get me all excitable when it does finally come out

Chico

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2007

I wan't some of whatever they are smoking.

http://guildwars.com/products/guildwars2/gw2faq/

oliverrr1989

Academy Page

Join Date: May 2008

Lore of Mythos [Myth]

D/

Funny, that's pretty much what I was thinking :P If Kurzick/luxon, norn, asura, deldrimor, vanguard, sunspear, lightbringer titles/skills aren't grind, I don't know what is.

Molock

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Qu??bec

Legacy of Angels [Halo]

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chico
I wan't some of whatever they are smoking.

http://guildwars.com/products/guildwars2/gw2faq/
Its reserved for anet employees only, sorry

Shadey

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

Quote:
it retains the unique nature of the original game including a strong narrative, extensive instanced gameplay, an anti-grind design philosophy
I dont know what to say..Im stunned..lol

MMSDome

MMSDome

Raged Out

Join Date: Sep 2005

I didn't really get anything useful from that tbh.

Tyla

Emo Goth Italics

Join Date: Sep 2006

Wow. I'm speechless.

Can I have some of that stuff too? I bet it feels awesome.

Siirius Black

Siirius Black

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2007

The Dragon's Lair

La Legion Del Dragon

E/

In a way, I'm glad that the beta is going to be until next year. Dont get me wrong, I'm a little disappointed because I was looking forward to playing the beta.
The thing is, anet want everyone to be very impress with their work on GW2 and that's why they decided to wait. That statement alone reasurres me that they are doing their best to meet our expectations.

DreamWind

DreamWind

Forge Runner

Join Date: Oct 2006

E/Mo

I chuckled a little.

Siirius Black

Siirius Black

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2007

The Dragon's Lair

La Legion Del Dragon

E/

Maybe they decided to remove the grind out of GW???

mmm nope, I dont think so, if you are able to show your accomplishments from GW1 in GW2, then there's the possibility of new titles in GW2. Which means.... yes ... ginding.

Borat X

Borat X

Academy Page

Join Date: Jun 2008

E/Me

no beta testing this year!!! ohhh nooooo

aaje vhanli

aaje vhanli

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2006

I kept saying there's no way they'll start beta in 2008. It always seemed too soon.

Of course, we should all be happier with aNet taking their time to make GW2 the best it can be rather than wanting to play a rushed, shitty ol' beta version.

I have to agree with Mazza558, though, screenshots (and teasers) would be nice. Can't wait for the excitement when that starts happening.



Absolutely disappointed there's no Tengu, btw... -_-;;
Not that I thought they'd actually add it

guildwars hero22

Banned

Join Date: Feb 2008

farming zashien (keys)

R/Me

Hey Anet You Wanna Lie To Me?, Ok I Can Play.

Im Gonna Buy Gw2!

Grunntar

Grunntar

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2005

My guess is they are referring to the absence of grinding required to make your characters competitive. You don't need to advance any of those titles to get into PvP.

(Of course there's player imposed "grinding" in some forms of PvP, though. Needing to be a certain rank to join a group, and such. But Anet didn't impose that requirement...)

That's how I interpreted it when I read the FAQ, anyway...

Yawgmoth

Yawgmoth

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2005

It looks like the only new info there is:
*no beta in 2008 - I'm not surprised with this.
They're clearly in very early stage of development, and they don't want to show the game so unfinished... whoever remembers GW1 presentations in 2003 and what changed in just 1 year since then will agree that no early beta may be a good choice.
*a mention of "reaching the maximum level" - disappointing, I hoped for something different this time. But is this even a clear statement they have decided to include a level cap?
*the game will be almost entirely soloable - also disappointing and repeat of post NF GW1... with no real incentives for group play it's just a Single Player Online RPG, again.

aTT!kus

aTT!kus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2006

U.S.

[FluX]

W/

id say if you have a 7 series gpu+ and 2 gigs ram gw2 should run smoothly on medium/high

Alexandra-Sweet

Alexandra-Sweet

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2006

That one place with the trees, mountains and snow

Ember Power Mercenaries [EMP]

Me/

Atleast we don't have to worry about Asian gold farmers now.

keli

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2006

Budapest

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by oliverrr1989
Funny, that's pretty much what I was thinking :P If Kurzick/luxon, norn, asura, deldrimor, vanguard, sunspear, lightbringer titles/skills aren't grind, I don't know what is.
its not a grind since you dont have to grind them if you dont want.... its optional (in the sense of beating the game)