Event January 20-22, Free Preview of Chapter 2!!

NCsoft, ArenaNet Announce Guild Wars: Factions

Free Player-versus-Player Event to Provide Sneak Peek for Players All Over the World

Bellevue, Wash., Jan. 10, 2006 — NCsoft®, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announces Guild Wars®: Factions™, the next chapter in the critically acclaimed Guild Wars franchise from ArenaNet® studios. The Factions campaign will release in the second quarter of 2006. It offers players an incredible gameplay experience with many new choices, including new regions, professions, skills, missions, and monsters, along with expanded options for both Cooperative and Player-versus-Player (PvP) play, and enhanced features for guilds.

Players will get their first chance to experience the new campaign when ArenaNet opens its servers to everyone for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend. This worldwide event—scheduled for January 20 through 22—is open to both existing Guild Wars players and to those who do not have a Guild Wars account. ArenaNet is distributing free access keys to the event at http://www.guildwars.com.

The event will enable players to experience two new professions being introduced in the campaign, the Assassin and the Ritualist. Participants will also be able to try out a number of the skills added to Guild Wars: Factions, including some of the deadly skills of the Assassin and the arcane spells of the spiritual Ritualist. They will also be able to get familiar with the new PvP continent, Battle Isles. Battle Isles will introduce players to new PvP experiences, new and expanded arenas, new quests, and a new explorable area as well.

Another feature available during the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend is Observer Mode, where players who aren't participating in a battle can view the proceedings and check out the strategies and tactics used by top-ranked guilds as they fight for supremacy.

"We're excited to be offering this free preview of Guild Wars: Factions to players throughout the world," said Patrick Wyatt, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Factions is a huge step in the continued evolution of the game, and I think gamers are really going to be excited about the new features they're going to see!"

In September of 2005, Guild Wars surpassed more than one million units sold in North America and Europe, a milestone reached in less than five months. Guild Wars is a competitive online roleplaying game that rewards player skill more than time played. Players explore a rich fantasy game world, acquire skills, build personalized characters and compete in head-to-head guild battles with players from around the world.

http://www.guildwars.com/press/pr13-10-01-06.html

Thought you guys would want to know this :-)

Just found it today

Sorry if this was already in another topic, but my search didn't find anything else.

That is a good marketing idea. I can't wait.

I cannot wait for this! I am going to be telling ALL of my friends who don't have GW...this is going to rock! Thanks alot!

all questions will be answered in a form of freebie preview... I am anxious.

I think this is awesome and i cant wait, but i do have a question. Hopefully someone will see this thread and will be able to answer it.

Im assuming in order to try out the new classes you need to make a new pvp character. What about those of us who have all of our available slots used up on pve characters and we dont want to delete those just to try a class for a couple days. Even though it might be tempting. So, will we get a temporary extra slot or are we just screwed? Im sure ANET has already thought about this and plans on doing something about it.

If all else fails i guess i can get a free temporary access key and use it, but some of might not want to mess with all of that. I know i would,i really want to try out the new classes.

I don't think you will be required to delete a character if you don't have one available.

I am looking forward to this.

I think it would be nice if they would just let you create a new character...make it to where you can have 5 characters instead of 4. maybe even 6 characters

Wow, some good info there.

So, it's April, May or June for sure now.

I think the access key creates a temporary account, you can create 4 new characters, but not in addition to your original account. after the event I'm sure the free-temp accounts would be wiped. ... just my guess.

just a though, but maybe they will release it on the anniversary of the innitial release of gw?

That is awesome!

Just saw I won't be online that weekend a lot because of tests the following week .....

so pls take a lot of screenies, like around the 200000 of them, and maybe some people who won't be there (like me), can enjoy this too .

If you ask me, the "Free Account" is probably a 6 char account to be wiped after about 2-5 mons of testing. If an existing player wants to test, he/she/it(cuz u never know if an alien is playing o_0) gets 2 extra slots (I hope...) and will not get wiped.

Oh, and it would be really cool if there was a quest in the current version that allowed you to get to chapter 2, the same way you get from pre-searing to "The Story". Maybe that should include the ability to gain a few more levels, but thats just my idea.

Well Im sure that if they are going to give us the access to use the new characters the will give us the extra slot or 2 for the event. If not then Im screwed cause im in love with all my toons and aint planning on deleteing them anytime soon.

holy crap 200000! you can almost animate that, lol ... in fact i'm sure ppl will make some frap vids out of the event...

OMG I THINK I CRAPPED MYSELF!



Sooooo Goood!

think about the original open beta weekend event for everybody long ago.

since they may (or may not) have any further events they may be wiped after the event and if kept would go dead on release unless a retail key was put in.

in any event all chapter 2 progress/items would be gone.

will we be able to unlock new skills with fraction,or will all the skilsl be unlocked?

Hehe, remember, it seems like this will only be a PvP event, not PvE, so we may not get to see much, if any at all, of the Co-operative content.

I'm not much of a PvPer but even I'm excited about this, roll on the assassins!

I say release is somewhere around Memorial Day. Gaile set the drop dead date at June 30th. I don't expect them to release this 3 months before that. She brought that date up for a reason, and it still probably has a ways to go before it's ready to ship.

Awesome!

i'd like to hear from gaile or someone about what will happen to those of us at our 4 character limit, like others i won't delete one of my characters just to play an assassin for a few days...

do you REALLY think they would anger people by making them delete characters just to try something they may not buy?

use your brain for a moment

yes the slots will be available for trial

This free for all event creates perfect opportunities to promote this game to my friends.
When WoW was distributing free trial keys...I wondered if ArenaNet is planning to do similar thing to attract new players.
Finally it's here

Edit: I think ArenaNet has well planned schedules. While they are promoting the game to Japanese audience...they are releasing a new profession called "Assasin" which is like ninja lol. Japanese and ninja...sure sounds familiar =D

wooo.. can't wait!

we would most probably only be able to use template builds for ritualist and assasin.. they wouldnt want people to know all their skills..

awwwww well i might get one anyway, but I wanna try PvE with the new chars, i dont play pvp ah well, should be cool anyway

I have a few ideas about the new classes I want to try... *evil grin*

Awesome. Cant wait to try the ritualist or assassin. Should have made it sooner though :P.

BOOYAH!!!
*makes sure he has time off form work on the 20-22

I'm geeked!

And to let us have a go at the new professions for free is sweet!

I am guessing that chapter 2 will have 4 character slots just like the first one. Since it says it is a stand alone game. So we might end up with 8 total! That would rock! And hopefully all chapter 1 skills that we unlocked carry over to chapter 2. I'm not really sure how that would work though, since chapter 2 loses some of the original skills.

*wanders off in thought

1 day before The Deadly Test Week. I'm going to either cry myself to sleep, or use it as an excellent excuse not to procrastinate all the work up to that time.

Let me procrastinate my decision.

By chance does anyone have a picture or link to the "Ritualist" I am so curious on how this character looks.

This weekend should be fun for NOOB slaughtering, but then again we never used the new characters... so I guess we are the NOOBS

immm where did you get the wild idea that any skills would simply go *POOF* as you arive in the new lands?

you do not lose any skills you already have.

I cannot wait for this also, I'm gonna take pics of how the new characters look and their armor and such and see how it copairs when the game is out. I'm sure there will be minor changes like when Guild Wars came out and the betas.
woooot

Did they say when the preview keys will be ready?

Hmm...according to information I read from official source long time ago...
Expansions are "not standalone".
You need to have "core retail version of Guild Wars" in order to play any expansions. But you will have freedom in which expansions you want to own. For example...you can skip any expansions. You can buy #2, skip #3 and buy #4. You will just not have #3 contents...thats all. As I mentioned earlier...Core is must have.
Just wanted to clear this, for new people who is seeking more informations.

We have a release date now at least. Too bad I was hoping for 1 quarter release. 2nd quarter is April-June. Next question when is pre-order dates and items?

Looking forward to the event. Need to go grab that mag for some skill peaks.

WRONG PERIOD

ALEX WEEKES STATED THAT THIS IS NOT AN EXPANSION BUT A STANDALONE NEW CHAPTER.

GET IT STRAIGHT

THE QUOTE

This one isn't a rumour, it's black-n-white printed official (or whatever colours the magazine used ). Guild Wars: Factions does not require Guild Wars.
__________________
Alex 'GhostRaptor' Weekes
Guild Wars Community Relations
NCsoft Europe