What does it mean by merge your account?

Gaile mantioned all this stuff about merging yout accounts. I have the fist guild wars and already preorder factions... so what does merging mean?

You can take the chapter 2 account and:

Create a new account, with 4 slots but have no access to chapter 1 or the reverse (C2 can not access C1 at all)

Add the Chapter 2 key to your "current" account, get 6 slots total and once any character reaches the pre-req (c1 character is ascension) move that character from C1 and C2 at will.

If i create new account ,and later change my mind and want to merge accounts can i do it (without reinstaling the game)?

Nope. You have to merge or not merge when you use the chapter 2 key.

They have stated they will not allow merging if the key was already used (to create a 2nd new account).

The game key's are locked to your account and independent of where / how you have the game installed.
You could go to a friends house, install the client and log in to your account(s) - single merged or two independent and it will just download what you need on the fly to play.

Chapter 1 stuff + Chapter 2 stuff = Chapter 1 WITH Chapter 2 stuff

Once you've decided to create a new account, no amount of reïnstalling the game will make you able to merge the accounts.

So your first decicion is final.

I would like to see what kind of storage options are in store before i commit. Lack of enough storage is one of the flaws of this game and if there isnt enough, then i might be forced to not merge.

Way I see it, I'd merge no matter what. Why have 8 chars limited to half the game each when you can have 6 with full access? Storage shouldn't really be a problem; right now the only real storage problems are mods and greens that you're trying to sell, but if they do put in an auction house it should be easier (i hope) to get those out of storage.

hope there will be some sort of like manuel that explaines how to merge correctly iv spent to much time with ma old chars i dont want to lose them by being stupid and hitting the wrong button

Shouldn't be too hard... Go to 'edit account' @ login screen, click on 'add key', add the Factions key, press okay....

lol yeah its easy enough, you wont delete your chars or anything

A little doubt,

do i click factions type my account and then put the chapter 2 key?

or

do i click gw core set put my account name edit the key and change to the new one?

I'm assuming you mean.. what desktop shortcut?

It wouldn't matter, as it's an account-wide setting. That said, I doubt that there will be multiple shortcuts or installations for different campaigns. If you use a CD to install, it'll probably just copy over the data files to the 'Guild Wars' directory like it is now, and will still use the same executable.

At that point you'll have the data files for Factions, but not access. All you have to do is start it like you do every day. Then just log on, click 'Edit Account' on the lower left -> 'Manage Access Keys' and click Next -> Next again, and then enter your key. It'll figure out by itself what the key is for. Then you can just click back enough times to get to character selection and do whatever you want now that you can play Factions.

All this is mostly speculative, but it is also the most sane way to do it. I don't want 6 directories for all my different campaigns in a few years. I also definitely don't want to close out and start a different client each time I want to switch between campaigns. It's too early to be worrying about any of this anyway.

Since there seems to be some confusion, almost everything is stored server-side. The only thing on your hard drive are files like textures and sounds. Deleting Guild Wars is going to do nothing to your account. Nothing to your characters, or your character slots. Nothing to any CD keys you've entered before. You'll just have to redownload hundreds of megabytes of files to even get to your character, let alone go anywhere. Also, there is absolutely nothing you can do to wipe out all your characters with just one click. When it starts asking you to type their names, then you might want to make sure you clicked the right button. :P

how can someone not know what merging means, in whatever form,

eg you have half an apple pie, you buy another half and put one of the halves in the other pan with the other half now you have a whole apple pie.

geez come on now ... i guess it really shows how many kids play this game.

i have to go now and merge with my wife...