RPG Fan posted their first impressions of the upcoming expansion of Guild Wars 2.

A Hands-On Look at Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons

Guild Wars 2 is my favorite MMO of all time, and after a guided preview of the upcoming End of Dragons expansion, I’m happy to say that the future looks bright for fans of ArenaNet’s MMO.

My look at the expansion began in the Echovald Wilds, a dark forest filled with formerly petrified nature mixed with man-made technologies and structures. The Echovald Wilds is at the center of the battle between three warring factions that want to control the region of Cantha. While exploring the map I witnessed the conflict between the Jade Brotherhood, a gang of tinkerers that love jade technology, and the Speakers, a rival gang that opposes the Jade Brotherhood’s experiments and developments. The Kestrels, a third faction, act as a peacekeeping organization that aims to minimize the damage done by the gang war going on in the region.

The aesthetic of the maps in End of Dragons reflects their conflict, with the natural plant life and ancient structures of the Echovald juxtaposed against imposing laboratories and jade technology. The bright greens and purples help set the maps apart from other technology-covered maps, like those in the Asura starting area.

When End of Dragons releases, players will have the opportunity to work with all three of the region’s factions in events, renown hearts, and instanced content.

[...]

As a long-time Guild Wars 2 fan, I was concerned that End of Dragons might have trouble changing up the formula as much as previous expansions did. Heart of Thorns brought us gliding, Path of Fire brought us mounts; would a two-person mount and skiffs be enough to freshen things up? I’m happy to say that while the new changes don’t completely change the formula, all of them are fun. The new elite specializations are a blast, fishing is a great pastime, and the maps look like some of the most interesting to explore and learn about. I can’t wait to see everything else End of Dragons has to offer when it releases in February 2022.

Henriquejr spotted that Guild Wars 2 will get DirectX 11 support soon.

TechRaptor have an article about the indefinite suspension of the development on a new set of legendary weapons for Guild Wars 2, which was originally scheduled to be released with the Heart of Thorns expansion.

The decision has created division in the community as fans rush both to defend and condemn ArenaNet for the removal of content felt promised by an expansion long-since purchased. O’Brien has taken to the forums in effort to defend the decision and point out the slew of features that did indeed launch with Heart of Thorns, including Guild Halls, new Elite Specializations, and The Revenant, an entirely new profession. For some, however, his defense has fallen on deaf ears in the wake of ArenaNet’s instances of over-promising on what exists now as unfinished raids and missing Fractals content and updates, both part of an expansion launched last year. This is in addition to the stagnation of Living World content and abundant, long-standing issues with WvW population imbalances.

ArenaNet's game designers gave a forty minute presentation at EGX Rezzed about the expansion for Guild Wars 2 called Heart Of Thorns , and no I don't have a transcript.

ArenaNet posted a fifty minute recording of a new Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns Twitch livestream. As usual this a twitch recording, and it might not work for everyone.

If you're intrusted in reading a new interview with two founders of ArenaNet then head on over to PC Gamer, where they talk about the latest Guild Wars 2 expansion.

PC Gamer: Are you pleased with the reaction to the announcement?

Mike O'Brien: Definitely. We just had a fan gathering last night and got to hang out with a lot of Guild Wars players. Honestly, players are thrilled with what they saw yesterday. It's such a pleasure to hang out with them right now.

PCG: This expansion is unusual in that the lead-up has been almost two years in the making. Do you think it's going to be hard to balance the needs of players who've played all Living World episodes, returning players who have maybe only completed the main story, and any new players coming to the game for the first time? A lot has happened.

Mike: Well definitely a lot's happened. One great thing about Living World: Season Two is that anyone can play Living World: Season Two. Even down the road people can play Season Two. Certainly, right now, I recommend that anybody who's excited about Heart of Thorns should get into the game and play episode eight. Episode eight weaves right into the story of Heart of Thorns. Anybody who wants to set up for themselves what the story of Heart of Thorns is, play it now.

Dealspwn's Carl Phillips has rounded up all the details of the new expansion for Guild Wars 2 called Heart of Thorn. It was announced two days ago at Pax South 2014.

For fans of Guild Wars 2, last weekend was kind of a big deal. You see, it has been nearly two and a half years since the MMO sequel released, and despite some hiccups along the way it’s quite clear that their lateral approach to pretty much every genre convention has helped keep it enjoyable, eventful and, most importantly, relevant. It’s all in our colossal review from 2012. Since then, it has been one of the more regularly updated MMOs out there thanks to consistent content updates alongside the Living Story – the second season having demonstrated to its peers how to deliver an involving and interesting narrative.

That’s not too bad for an MMO that doesn’t have a subscription to keep the coffers full, but it was certainly time for something new to be thrown into the virtual world of Tyria. The rumour and speculation mill has been running rampant for weeks, with fellow writers theorising on what Heart of Thorns would be. The popular theory was an Expansion Pack, but because ArenaNet are not known for doing things traditionally it was clear that it wouldn’t be that simple. A new level cap? A new class? A new level of loot grind to chase after, thus leaving the old content in the dust?

As the reveal at PAX East showed, ArenaNet laugh in the face of linear thinking and once again provided a lateral approach to expansions with Heart of Thorns.

ArenaNet announced a new expansion for Guild Wars 2 called Heart of Thorns. Seems all the articles over the last month were right. So here is the trailer, and description.

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is the first expansion for Guild Wars 2. Founded on the idea that the journey is the goal, the Heart of Thorns expansion continues the Guild Wars 2 tradition of challenging the conventions of MMOs to fulfill the promise of what online worlds should be.

Jeff Francis of MMO-Play posted another editorial this week this time he shared his opinion on why it's time Guild Wars 2 to get an expansion instead of small updates.

ArenaNet has definitely taken a different course in the world of mmorpg games. When their original Guild Wars game was released, one feature was their PvP whilst the other was a buy-to-play revenue model that had no monthly subscription. It was this lack of subscription that really surprised the online gaming world as that conventional wisdom at the time thought that such an approach was doomed to fail.

However, such was not the case as Guild Wars was a profitable game that carved out a successful niche. One method that the game used to generate future sales was the release of expansions that players had to purchase. Fast forward to the present day where the thought of a full expansion for Guild Wars 2 is being discussed heavily in various forums. There are a number of compelling reasons why ArenaNet could go this route, and we'll examine them as we discuss why it's time for a Guild Wars 2 expansion.

If any of you still play Guild Wars 2 it seems NCSoft has trademarked a new expansion called Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. I found the information on PC GamesN.

Guild Wars 2 has received more than a few updates since it launches in 2012, with long, episodic story arcs, PvP-focused patches and gear overhauls, but NCsoft and ArenaNet have yet to tease an expansion. But it looks like one is now on the way.

Forum member Arahael sent us news that Guild Wars 2 is 50% Off till November 9th.

From October 30 to November 9, we’re chopping the price of both Guild Wars 2 Digital Heroic Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition in half! Now is the perfect time to pick up this award-winning MMO and experience a constantly evolving fantasy world where your actions make a difference!

ArenaNet is now offering a full week of free playtime for Guild Wars 2.

For a limited time, play Guild Wars 2 for free and experience why Guild Wars 2 is the fastest selling MMO in history!

The free trial begins at 12 a.m. PDT September 25, 2014 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT October 1, 2014.

We’ve opened up free trial account registration, so you can create an account now, download the game, and get ready to explore the world of Tyria on September 25!

If you participated in an earlier Guild Wars 2 free trial, you’re invited and your existing account will work for this trial too. Download the game now!

NCSOFT and ArenaNet sent out a new press release about a new Feature Pack for Guild Wars 2. Here is the information straight from the press release.

Big Upgrades Come to Guild Wars 2 with First-Ever Feature Pack

Today’s release of the ‘April 2014 Feature Pack’ introduces biggest single update for new game features since the MMO’s launch

BRIGHTON, UK – 16^th April, 2014: NCSOFT and ArenaNet, developer of the acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, today released the “April 2014 Feature Pack”, the first-ever Guild Wars 2 update dedicated exclusively to adding and enhancing game features for the award-winning MMO. The “Feature Pack” represents ArenaNet’s move towards releasing content updates that are focused on features and game systems. Going forward, these packs will be separate from the studio’s living world releases, which have primarily been the vehicle for introducing new storylines and story-driven game play. Just as with living world, feature packs and all new content added to Guild Wars 2 are available to players free of charge and without a subscription fee.

One of the biggest updates in ArenaNet’s highly anticipated inaugural “Feature Pack” is the introduction of a megaserver system. The system makes it easy for people to find game maps populated with friends, guild members and similar players. Other major new features in the pack include a new wardrobe system, dozens of new traits, and upgrades to PvP. The new content touches on game play, quality of life and social play, meaning what’s being implemented today promises to enhance the experience of every player in Guild Wars 2.

ArenaNet took a novel approach in introducing the pack, rolling out each major new upgrade individually and outlining what it means for players and the game. The studio created an “April 2014 Feature Pack” online hub where players could learn about changes in detail through videos, live streams and developer blog posts. While the site will remain live, the best way for players to experience just how much the “Feature Pack” will change the way they play Guild Wars 2 is to log in today.

A teaser trailer for the Edge of the Mists expansion of Guild Wars 2 has been made available as this press release explains.

Guild Wars^® 2 Gives a Glimpse into the “Edge of the Mists”

New teaser trailer for the game’s next living world release shows off atmospheric new map & continuation of Scarlet storyline

BRIGHTON, UK. – January 28, 2014: NCSOFT and ArenaNet, developer of the acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, today released a video trailer that introduces players to the “Edge of the Mists”, a brand-new realm that has remained undiscovered, and until now untainted by the evil machinations of arch-villain Scarlet Briar.

In the eerie “Edge of the Mists” preview video, the camera glides over the complex of floating islands that make up this new map, revealing the variety of terrain and landscapes players will encounter with the next release arriving Tuesday 4^th February. Dense cloud forests, icy mountains and crumbling temples provide players with a challenging new terrain to battle over.  As the video reveals, the players won’t be the only ones battling for control of this new realm.

The Aetherblades; dreaded sky pirates of Tyria; have also discovered the “Edge of the Mists”. Minions of Scarlet, the Aetherblades have descended from their airships.  Although their true aims in this virgin territory of Tyria remain unknown, what’s certain is that they’re ready to take on any newcomers.

Guild Wars® 2 is a visually stunning MMO that offers players the epic grandeur of a massive role playing environment combined with innovative combat mechanics, dynamic events, and customized personal storytelling.  Building on the success of Guild Wars, NCSOFT and game developer ArenaNet™ have created an MMO that lets gamers play the way they want, while at the same time retaining the no-subscription-fee business model that made the original Guild Wars so popular.

Eurogamer has a new interview for Guild Wars 2 with Game Director Colin Johanson, and Lead Content Designer Mike Zadorojny.

Concern: Look at NCSoft's financial reports: ArenaNet sales are steadily dropping. There's no subscription fee to keep the bank-balance ticking over, no paid expansion on the horizon. Fewer sales means less investment means less new content means fewer sales, doesn't it?

"If you look at any game ever made, a year after release, sales are always dropping - that's just very normal," responded Colin Johanson. "We're also very happy with the rate the sales have been dropping down. It's actually dropped much less than we would have forecasted.

"Something people forget about a lot is that we're already the fastest-selling MMO in history, so even if sales are declining a little bit, that's on the fastest selling MMO in history. We don't really have a problem with that.

"And we are only available in Europe, North America and Australia. We haven't launched in China, Korea, Russia, Southeast Asia, Brazil - many of the world's biggest PC gaming hotbeds are places that the game is not yet even available.

"We're extremely pumped about adding to each of these regions - we think that that sales number is going to take off again, and we're going to see a resurgence in territories we are out in as more and more players from other parts of the world get invested. And also as some of the really big projects we're working on in the background come to fruition, we're going to see a spike again in users.

"Sales-wise we're just following what any game would naturally follow."

As for dwindling investment, it appears to be a myth: ArenaNet had a whopping 300 people when Guild Wars 2 launched, and now... now there are 350 and counting - ArenaNet is hiring.

ArenaNet is offering to give a free copy of Guild Wars 2 if you  submit a video stating you will forswear every other MMO. Here are the details.

The Great MMO Migration is a program which provides MMO gamers two new ways to move to Guild Wars 2. From today until Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 11:59pm (PST), you can enter the video contest for a chance to win a free copy of Guild Wars 2. For those who don't want to enter the contest, ArenaNet is offering their award winning online roleplaying game at 40% off -- their lowest price ever, a historically low price of $29.99.

Eurogamer has another video with ArenaNet about new content for Guild Wars 2 from the Eurogamer Expo 2013.

Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet takes to the stage to discuss brand new content for the PC based MMO.

NCSoft announced that the Tequatl Rising update for Guild Wars 2 is now available. This new update comes with a new event, new features, and a new reward.

Events

· The Dragon Tequatl – Redefined! – This ancient dragon, scourge of the Splintered Coast, has become more formidable than ever, with an arsenal of new attacks and lethal tricks at its disposal.

Features

· Coming Soon – “Looking for Group” Tool – We’ve added a new system to help players find others to join in on their adventures.
· New Ruins of Power in World vs. World – Each borderland map in WvW has been redesigned to include five new Ruins of Power.
· Bosses – Updated! – We’ve adjusted all of our bosses to make them more challenging and fun!
· New WvW Ability: Flame Ram Mastery – Prepare to knock some gates down and set stuff on fire!

Rewards

· Wings of the Sunless – Earn this ominous new animated back item by waging war against Tequatl the Sunless!

MMOCast has a video preview of Tequatl Rising for Guild Wars 2 from the games anniversary bash.

With Guild Wars 2: Tequatl Rising getting closer (two days left), I thought we should take a closer look to the actual boss fight. And what better way to do this then watching the demo from Guild Wars 2 Anniversary Bash.

Lorehound has a new video interview with Game Director Colin Johanson.

ArenaNet announces the start of the World vs. World Season 1. So basically if your intrested in playing against others in a special contest give it a look.

I’m excited to introduce a major change to World vs. World, a World vs. World season! Starting on October 4th and running seven weeks through November 21st.

We love WvW at ArenaNet and we are excited to bring a brand new concept to the game: a season of WvW matchups. The basic idea is similar to a sporting season. We’ve broken the NA region into 2 leagues of 12 worlds each and the EU region into 3 leagues of 9 worlds each. The worlds in each league will compete with each other over the course of 7 weeks for a number of prizes based on their performance in each matchup and their performance over the course of the season. The leagues will be determined by world rating at the conclusion of the matchups prior to the start of the season. Once the season begins, the leagues will be locked and there will be no movement into or out of a league.

GamerHub.tv interviews Guild Wars 2 Developer Colin Johanson about ESports, and expansions.

ArenaNet has released a new trailer to celebrate the games anniversary.

Guild Wars 2 is celebrating its first anniversary! It's been a year of amazing successes, including being named as the fastest selling MMO of all time.

To celebrate the first year of Guild Wars 2 ArenaNet has a new blog retrospective going over the whole year, and even have a nice chart with facts.

So much has happened in the past twelve months that sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that it was just one year ago today that we launched Guild Wars 2 in North America and Europe.

Creating Guild Wars 2 was an enormous undertaking — two hundred developers working for five years — but releasing it was even more so. You may have heard it said that “building a successful MMO isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” I think that’s true – you have to adopt the long view – but sometimes the challenges after launch are so varied that it really feels more like a triathlon.

I swear this will be the last news roundup for the day it's just easier to post them together then separate. So on with the news.

ArenaNet and DFC Intelligence announced that Guild Wars 2 ranks as the all-time fastest selling MMORPG in Europe and North America.

“After triangulating against multiple data sources, it’s clear that Guild Wars 2 is the fastest-selling Western MMO of all time based on the first nine months of availability. This puts Guild Wars 2 in an impressive position when they release in China, where we’ve seen similar franchises really take off.”

In response to this ArenaNet is offering a free trial on August 23-25.

GamingIllustrated Editor Daniel Weinell has a new article talking about Guild Wars 2, and the currrent state of the MMO.

On the surface, Guild Wars 2 may look like other MMO’s, but beneath the surface lies a vastly different gameplay experience. The staples are all there: leveling up, gaining new abilities, teaming with friends and delving into dungeons. However, it is how all of this content is presented that sets it apart. ArenaNet has done a wonderful job of creating a truly living and evolving world. There is no better time to start a journey into the world of Tyria – in fact, the more time that passes, the more content will disappear.

Guild Wars 2 was an amazing game at launch and it is getting better and better as time goes on. In another year, the world may look completely different. ArenaNet has already revealed some of what the future will hold. New skills and traits will be added to the game in the coming year. They want to flesh out existing content by added more dynamic events, improving dungeons, and adding new ways to reward players. Crafting will improve as well as legendary weapons. It is an exciting time to be an adventurer in the world of Tryia.

MMOCast has a new article detailing ArenaNet's plans for Guild Wars 2.

During the latest blog post ArenaNet talks about the future plans for Guild Wars 2 until the end of the year. The key features they want to focus on are listed below.

MMOCast has a new article showcasing Guild wars 2 cutthroat politics, and a few other topics coming to the game in the future.

As we reported earlier, Guild Wars 2 latest update, Cutthroat Politics will be released on July 23^rd, 2013.  ArenaNet revealed  some new info about this new update’s events and the political agenda for Ellen Kiel and Evon Gnashblade.

During July 23 to August 5 Guild Wars will host a new series of events:

• Support Your Candidate: Evon Gnashblade and Elen Kiel are trying to secure a spot on the Captain’s Council of Lion’s Arch and you can help your favorite by using the Support Tokens
• Soutshun Survival: A new last man standing activity where you’ll have to battle other players by using only a bow and whatever supplies you can find. This competitive activity will reward the winners with Karma, coins and a chance to earn an exclusive Back Item.
• Aspect Arena: A new PvP activity where you pick one of the Aspects of Sun, Wind or Lighting, each with their own skills and face off in teams to collect crystals. You will earn karma, coins and a chance to win an exclusive Back Item
• Candidate Trials Challenge: Test your battle skills by facing waves of Aetherblade pirates and try to survive as long as you can. You will earn Support Tokens, loot and you may even get an Aetherized weapon

PCGMedia has an article with info on Guild Wars 2 Living World System.

ArenaNet have announced that they are bring a “Living World” system to Guild Wars 2, promising fortnightly updates that change the world based on player actions. From the announcement:

“Our goal is to make Guild Wars 2 the most frequently updated and best supported game experience you can find, and to that end, every two weeks there will be a release with brand new playable content and a mix of supporting features and updates across the entire game. As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days— those are now the only two states you’ll find the world of Tyria.”

This is fantastic for players of Guild Wars 2, to see the company still expanding on the already feature-filled game. Creating a world that is permanently impacted by player choices has always been something sorely missing in most MMOs, so it’ll be interesting to see whether ArenaNet can deliver on this.

NCSoft announced that Guild Wars 2’s newest update in its two-week Living World major release schedule" Bazaar of the Four Winds" is available. In this newest update merchants are converging from all corners of Tyria to sell their wares.

New Events

-Belcher’s Bluff Mini-game: Players can challenge their friends in this new, permanent mini-game.

-Sanctum Sprint Race: Navigate a dizzying obstacle course in this competitive race.

-Lessons from the Sky Scavenger Hunt: Players will need to show their mastery of wind, sun and lightning as they search for Sky Crystals and explore hard-to-reach places in the Labyrinthine Cliffs.

New Rewards

-Aspect Back Items: Players can compete in the Sanctum Sprint for a chance to earn one of three special back items representing the aspects of wind, sun and lightning.

-Personal Quartz Node: Players completing the update will be able to harvest quartz in their home instances, allowing them to craft new recipes.

-Zephyr Sanctum Model: Players who complete the Lessons from the Sky achievement will be awarded a miniature model of the Zephyr Sanctum, allowing them to view the ship at any time, even after it has flown away.

New Features

-Account Achievement Reward System: Starting with this release, players can unlock rewards like exclusive new armour skins, weapon skins and permanent account bonuses as they earn achievement points. They can also earn laurels, gems, gold, powerful items, and PvP and WvW rewards as achievement scores grow.

-New PvP Map – Skyhammer: Players can battle for control of three capture points in the new Skyhammer map.

Talking with Eurogamer ArenaNet's Lead Content Designer Mike Zadorojny has laid out the studio's plans for Guild Wars 2 , and explains the game might not ever get an expansion.

"So right now we're not really looking at expansions as an option," lead content designer Mike Zadorojny told me on his visit to London last week.

"It's something that's on the table but it's not something we're focused on, because what we want to do is - our idea here is that with Living World, we can do what expansions would have done but do it on a more regular basis."

Four discrete Living World teams, made up of designers of all disciplines, each spend four months developing roughly one full month's worth of content, "So they'll own two content releases in a particular month," Zadorojny said. The Flame & Frost update at the start of the year was an early example, the more recent releases more matured.

"This allows us to have this world that's changing and evolving and essentially goes into what television does: stay tuned next week when something exciting is going to happen."

ArenaNet and NCsoft are offering a 30% discount for Guild Wars 2. You can now purchase the digital standard edition for $39.99, and digital deluxe edition for $54.99. The price is only avaible at buy.guildwars2.com from 12pm PDT April 18, 2013 to 11:59pm PDT April 28, 2013.

Here is a bit of news for those that enjoys MMO's.

This weekend between April 19th-21st Guild Wars 2 will be free all weekend to those who can snag a code from various promotions around the interwebs. You have a good chance to get said codes by following them on Twitter or Facebook, where they will announce giveaways to the masses. If you already have a trial account from the last free weekend back in November, you can sit back and relax, as you can continue right where you left off.

Once you get a code go here to make your account, and download the client. It’s a big one so I wouldn’t put it off for too long. The free weekend starts at 12:01AM PDT on Friday, April 19th and ends at 11:59PDT on Sunday, April 21st.

An interview from PAX with Mike O'Brien, ArenaNet Studio Head and Co-foundercan be found at MMORPG.com.

"We've got some of the best artists we could find on our team," said Art Director, Daniel Dociu. "They are all incredibly talented. Some are young and others are veterans, but they are all passionate about what they do, and we encourage them and challenge them to test themselves and share their talent by entering these competitions."

Guild Wars 2 is the evolution of the aesthetic values of Guild Wars 1, as the technology is now available to take it to another level. A natural progression of the "Handcrafted Quality," said Daniel.

"Guild Wars 2 is the concept art come to life," he continued, pointing to the trailer playing that was the handiwork of Cinematic Lead, Horia Dociu's team.

Kill Ten Rats asked writer and world designer Jeff Grubb a few questions on Guild Wars 2.

Humans are an interesting wild card in the Guild Wars world.  What we know is they first appeared in Cantha, the Empire of the Dragon, and the now-called human gods were very relevant to all the lore built up in Guild Wars 1.  Now, with the awakening of the elder dragons and waning of the human race, the human gods are less involved in the world of Tyria.  Who or what created the human race and what is their point of origin?  Why do the other races seem to hold so little value in the human gods, who allegedly “created” Tyria as we know it?

The full story of the origin of the humans has yet to be revealed. They arrived in the Tyria (the continent) sometime after they first appeared on Tyria (the world). It seems, from their previous appearances, that they have come up from the south, so the “human homeland” may be further south than Elona and Cantha.  The idea of human gods “creating” Tyria is viewed by other races with mixed reactions. The charr think of it as theological propaganda (and that the human gods are not true gods, only more powerful, once-mortal, beings).  The asura are perfectly willing to accept the idea of gods as (rather large) gears in the Eternal Alchemy. Norn are perfectly willing to allow the idea of gods, but think of them as a different type of their own animal spirits. The sylvari consider them unproven, since the gods have not shown their presence directly to the sylvari.

Ten Ton Hammer talked with ArenaNet’s Jeff Grubb, Mike O’Brien and Daniel Dociu about the changes in Guild Wars 2.

Ten Ton Hammer: You have a new novel in the works titled Fall of Ascalon; Ascalon obviously played a major role in the original Guild Wars and had somewhat fallen to the Char early on, so how will this new novel fit into that aspect of the lore for GW2?

Jeff Grubb: The idea of Fall of Ascalon is a bridging story that happens between Guild Wars and 250 years later which is the time of Guild Wars 2. Ascalon experienced the Searing and was being overrun by the Char in Guild Wars 1, but what happened next was even worse.

Some of the populous escaped over the mountains to Kryta with Rurik, but a lot remained with Adelbern. When the Char made their final push into the city he unleashed a devastation that was worse than the Char itself. Its 250 years later and the humans and the Char have been fighting for 250 years, and now because of outside enemies or outside forces, they’re slowly coming together and we’re seeing the first signs of a tentative truce between the two warring sides.

The novel takes place a year before the start of Guild Wars 2, but within that story there is a lot of other stories as you’re hearing what happened between then and now, and what happened to some of the characters we know from GW2, what happened to the Ebon Vanguard, why do we see female Char now – we’ll be seeing female Char characters in the game but we didn’t see them before – so there’s a story behind that.

What about the coming of the dragons, and how did that effect Ascalon as well? So we’ve been seeing this progression all the way through, and part of the tale is to recover a Char artifact that would make this peace, this initial truce popular. So the Fall of Ascalon in many ways is basically the initial invasion of the Char, which they think of as basically a reclaiming of the lands that the humans drove them out of. Plus, what Adleburn did, what the dragons did and basically how did Ascalon get into the state that it is right now.

Eurogamer have a discussion on ArenaNet's sequal to the successful Guild Wars: Guild Wars 2.

As for whether it's the game that Guild Wars players will want it to be, O'Brien is confident. "Guild Wars was a very unique game. It takes a different approach to role-playing. Looking at our competitors, it has its genesis in the Magic the Gathering tradition rather than a straight Dungeons and Dragons tradition, and I think players really appreciate that breadth. Because it was so different, I think we got a lot right, but we also got stuff wrong. Guild Wars 2 is the ultimate game for Guild Wars players."

Guild Wars 2 won't be going into beta testing until much nearer its release; ArenaNet is keen to conduct most of the testing within its own, fast-growing team. The trailer, though, and the team's enthusiasm, have redirected our attention to this potentially landmark sequel after two years of silence. If it retains the accessible values of its predecessor across a bigger, persistent, more interactive world - without forcing us to pay a monthly fee for the privilege - it could really shake things up for MMOs.

Blue's News follows up on the recent announcement regarding GW2's release date.

A Letter to Our Fans on GuildWars.com follows up on recent reports of a Guild Wars 2 delay, as ArenaNet's Mike O'Brien accurately points out that because the game has never had a set release date, it can't really be delayed, and since he is correct, we apologize for helping cause confusion in that regard. When the online RPG sequel was announced there were plans for a beta test in the second half of last year before testing was delayed, so there does seem to be an acknowledgement of fan disappointment that Guild Wars 2 won't be released this year (which is what the investor materials he refers to seem to indicate), but he wants it to be clear that recent changes at NC West will be to the game's benefit:

There have been some published rumors over the past few days about Guild Wars 2 delays, and I'm writing you today to set the record straight.

You've all seen announcements about restructuring at NCsoft West, and it's natural to wonder whether that restructuring impacts ArenaNet's Guild Wars 2 development. In fact, the reason NCsoft West is restructuring itself is so that the company can put all of its focus into its top-tier games like Guild Wars 2. Our team continues to grow, and has the strong support and financial backing we need to achieve our goal of making Guild Wars 2 the best online role-playing game ever created.

On Friday, NCsoft released investor materials that showed a very broad release window for Guild Wars 2, with the explanation that release timing is still "to be announced." ArenaNet has never given a release date for Guild Wars 2 other than "when it's done." NCsoft's investor materials are a reflection of that philosophy.

I know some fans had hoped for a smaller gap between the launch of Guild Wars: Eye of the North and the start of beta testing for Guild Wars 2, but we communicated last summer that it would be some time before we could commit to any beta or launch dates. Guild Wars 2 is a large and ambitious game, and we're going to take the time to do it right.

I'm immensely proud of what our team has accomplished and continues to accomplish with the development of Guild Wars 2. We'll have a lot more to say when we're closer to release. Until then, we thank you for your continued interest and ask you to stay tuned.

Kotaku highlight GW2's delay mixed in with NCsoft's financial announcement.

Gamasutra reported that while NCsoft's sales were up 5 percent year-over-year, including a strong December quarter-over-quarter profit increase of 60 percent. But overall, the delayed launch of Aion: The Tower of Eternity helped contribute to a yearlong slump for the Korean MMO publisher.

Guild Wars 2 was announced in 2007; a public beta planned for last year was scrapped and will be launched closer to the game's release. According to VE3D, that's 2010 to 2011 (although VE3D doesn't say where exactly it got this.)

As early as summer next year apparently, or winter maybe, speculated at Massively.

When it comes to Guild Wars 2, you could say the folks at Massively are a bit excited about the game. You could also say we're a bit of a MMORPG news and features site, as well. The problem is that there just hasn't been much information to discuss about the sequel. Well, as it turns out, Kill Ten Rats has a little bit of meat for us to chew on -- but only a little.

In a conference call held in early November, it turns out there was some discussion about Aion. How is this pertinent to Guild Wars 2? Well, it seems that NCsoft is quite pleased with the marketed generated through buzz and online viral videos for the game. As of right now, the game is having an enormously popular Korean beta. So, the reasoning goes then that they'd like to see this approach taken with Guild Wars 2, as it saves NCsoft money -- something they apparently need a lot of right now -- and created plenty of awareness.

As for a release date, after being pestered by an uninhibited analyst about said date, NCsoft was willing to admit their interest in a holiday 2009 launch. The intriguing part of this whole shebang is that there appear to be "options" for the game's release, and the analysts aren't too pleased with the inevitable decline in Guild Wars' business. So, could we see the game earlier than next winter? Maybe next summer? Possibly, just possibly.

 FAQ up on GW2 here.

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.