Two questions: Battle Isles and PvE Cantha

1.) Alright, I know that after this weekend our new characters get locked up and we can't use them until we get Factions. However, is Battle Isle sticking around the way it is, or will it go back to the old HoH/arena locations? Mainly, I don't want to worry about the Zaishen challenges right now if I can do it later.

2.) When Factions does get released, does anyone know if a newly created PvE character will start in Ascalon or in Cantha? Or will you have a choice? I really don't want to play through the entire first game to get to Cantha with a new character...

1) I predict that battle islands will stay the the way they are regardless of account. this serves to enable prophecies-only and factions-only characters to still duke it out PvP-style, to avoid creating a huge void between to two account types.(it'll be interesting if Anet will incorporate a similar neutral ground for PvE...here's hoping!)

2) Anet already stated that you will ahve the choice to either start in pre-searing or for factions in a pre-searing-esque monastary. in short you will be able to choose where to start.

I don't remember this one, and i've been following the roll-in pretty closely ... can you support this with a link of some sort? (maybe sometime later when search is working again, unless you know right where it is... )

i saw it in either lions arch frog/Gaile talk that your character would have a choice of where it was *born*

I can't seem to find the source per say...but the info is aviable from different interviews around. from this forums own FAQ:

"Shing Jea Monastery akin to Presearing in Chapter 1, a tutorial area"

so it would seem safe to assume that it depends on where you choose to start your character; in the "Prophecies"-campaign or the "Factions"-campaign.

Well, you don't even need a source or a quote. Just start up Guild Wars and start a new PvE character, there's two choices, Prophecies or Factions campaigns. I havn't even looked anymore into it other than seeing that screen (I havn't tried clicking the Factions campaign button, but meh).

when you start a roleplaying char you have the choice to make it for either one of the campaigns.

I'll take Lovi's word for it, but just because you have that selection of the two chapters, doesn't mean you'll be able to choose a Ritualist or Assassin if you pick the first chapter, since class selection comes after you click one of the two ... hence my question Thanks guys!

Does anybody know how to defeat that mission called Zaishen challenge? It's after the monestary where you learn about hexes and conditions and junk.

what i am hoping for is when i buy chapter 2 and enter the key and start a new character i will see

if i choose chapter 1 start

8 professions to choose from giving me a chance to run a necro/as through the regular chapter 1 and then to chapter 2.

if i choose chapter 2 start

8 professions with new quests to get all the skills in a fresh setting doing something new.

HOPES PEOPLE NOT OFFICIAL INFO

I would also hope that we get the choice of running any archetype through whatever pre-searing we wanted. It would make good business sense as well. For example running about pre-sear with Assassins and Ritualists (belly dancers - should really give them the female ele dance tbh) is going to attract other new players who might not have Ch 2.