GuildWars.com news/Archives/200606

The following lists the June 2006 news from the official GuildWars.com site.

June 30th, 2006

 * Match Report

This week's match report details a recent battle on The Burning Isle map. The combatants were The Last Pride and No Clue, two top-ranked guilds on the Guild Wars Ladder.


 * Dragon Festival Begins!

The Dragon Festival has begun, and players now are seeing a lantern-bedecked Shing Jea Monastery in a whole new light. NPC's are inviting visitors to participate in a novel form of PvP, to undertake new quests, and to try their hand at various carnival games. There are new wares in the collectors' stores, and a special event memento – a dragon mask – can be obtained from Emperor Kisu himself. You may have read some of the event details a few days ago. But that was really only the tip of the rice cake as to what you will experience now, on Shing Jea Island, during The Dragon Festival. Come join us in the celebration!

June 29th, 2006

 * The Scribe Issue #4

Our wandering monastery scribe speaks today of the news on everyone's lips: The start of the Dragon Festival. In addition, he writes of an unusual profession combination and skill set, and of a few kindly citizens of Tyria and Cantha. Pick up your scroll today!


 * Collector's Edition Ships

The second printing of the Guild Wars Factions Collector's Edition has shipped and should be available in stores in North America next week. Check with your favorite retailer for availability. We want to thank you for your patience as we fulfilled the unprecedented demand for the CE, and we look forward to seeing you in the game sporting your new back-up dancers and Kuunavang miniature!


 * New Storage Option Coming Soon

Players who own Factions will soon see a new feature on their accounts that is sure to please: The Xunlai Agent storage system will be enhanced to include an entirely new vault for the storage of materials of all kinds. You can get the details on this page.


 * Season 3 Playoff Bracket Set

The guilds that will be participating in the GWFC Season 3 Playoffs are set and ready to go! This season is the most globally diverse yet. You'll see 5 American guilds, 5 European guilds, 3 Korean guilds, and 3 Japanese guilds take the field! Which guilds will win honor and glory for their region? Who will earn the special in-game name recognition prize? And what exactly is this unannounced prize? Watch the playoffs to find out!

June 28th, 2006

 * State of the Game: The Ritualist

This week's State of the Game article focuses on one of the new professions of Factions: The Ritualist. The feature includes detailed explanations of the Ritualist's various attributes and skills, as well as several tips for playing this interesting class.

June 27th, 2006

 * GWFC Final Seasonal Playoffs Begin

The final seasonal playoffs for the Guild Wars Factions Championship get started this weekend. Twelve matches will take place over Saturday and Sunday, with the first match beginning at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, July 1st. The semi-finals and finals will take place on the weekend of July 8th and 9th. The schedule page and playoff grid will be updated frequently over the course of the next two weekends so that you can keep up on match outcomes and rankings. And remember: You can catch all the matches on Observer Mode!


 * Guild of the Week

This week, the spotlight shines on a European guild, the Elite Legion Fighters, who proudly claim the acronym ELF and declare a "no height restriction policy" in their membership guidelines. You can meet this guild in the weekly Guild of the Week.

June 23rd, 2006

 * Final Season #3 Weekend

The competition is fierce as guilds head into the final weekend of Season 3 of the Guild Wars Factions Championship. As always, you will be able to catch key games this weekend on Observer Mode. We look forward with keen anticipation to seeing which guilds head into the playoffs, which will begin on July 1st!


 * Prophecies Manual Offered

The complete game manual for Guild Wars Prophecies is now available as a download from our website. The PDF file can be read, saved, or printed, as you desire.


 * Dragon Festival Announced

We are pleased to announce details of an exciting summer event, which begins on June 30th. Check out our Events Page for more information about the celebration!

June 22nd, 2006

 * State of the Game: Alliance Battles

This week's article on the state of the game offers insight into one of the popular new features of Factions: the alliance battle. From getting started to winning rewards, you'll find a pack of helpful hints in this week's State of the Game article.


 * The Scribe Issue #3

This week's issue of The Scribe offers a look at recent battlefield strategies, details the new combat pay and benefits for soldiers, and offers recognition to a few exceptional players, as well.

June 20th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

This week's Guild of the Week article features one of the first Guild Wars guilds to be formed in Hong Kong. Now 100 members strong, I Seek Guild H K has consistently performed well in competitive play and has risen to the top of its region in recent championship seasons. Read about the guild here.

June 19th, 2006

 * Two Million!

In a joint press release issued today by NCsoft and ArenaNet, the companies confirm that the Guild Wars franchise has sold more than 2,000,000 units. In addition, the release confirms that Guild Wars was the top-selling PC game for the month of May 2006. We want to extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who helped us reach this milestone, and thank you for your continued support of Guild Wars!

June 16th, 2006

 * Skill Pins – Set #2 Announced

As you may be aware, the winners of the Guild Wars World Championship selected eight of their favorite skills, and from those we crafted attractive 1-inch skill pins. The first two pins (Crippling Shot and Aura of the Lich) were released in May at E3. Now you have a chance to collect the 2nd set of pins at the San Diego Comic-Con in July. Find out more on this page.


 * Factions Manual Offered

A PDF version of the Guild Wars Factions game manual is online now and available for you to download. This allows those who purchase the game through our PlayNC Store to have their own copy of the manual, and gives others the opportunity to save the manual on their computer or to print an extra copy. Check back next week when we'll be offering a PDF of the Prophecies game manual.


 * Match Report

Today's match report features a battle between two American guilds. Idiot Savants and Saihatsu Ashi are currently vying for a spot at the Guild Wars Factions Championship in Leipzig, Germany, this coming August.

June 15th, 2006

 * The Scribe #2

Today's edition of the weekly news scroll offers an on-the-spot report on a frequently seen profession, with insight into its current popularity. You can also read about a few more commendable citizens, and be the first to catch wind of a rumor making the rounds of Tyria and Cantha. Pick up your copy of The Scribe today!

June 14th, 2006

 * Wallpaper for Wednesday

Is you're craving a fresh look for your desktop, head on over to our Gallery for a brand new wallpaper. Based on a piece of concept art of Cantha, you can find the wallpaper offered in different sizes and aspect ratios on this direct link.

June 13th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

We turn the spotlight of the Guild of the Week feature towards Singapore, and The Republic Edge, a veteran Guild Wars guild and founder of a newly-formed alliance, as well. Find out about TRE on this page.

June 12th, 2006

 * State of the Game

Today brings you another State of the Game article, and this one with a focus on balanced builds, the major proponent of most GvG play. Learn some of the general tactics and quite a few specific counters that such a build offers, in this week's article.

June 9th, 2006

 * Match Report

Another article on GvG play is on offer today, featuring two guilds not previously covered in a report. Check out the details of a match between That Hideous Strength and Black Crescent on this link.

June 8th, 2006

 * Introducing The Scribe

We're happy to unveil a new publication for you: The Scribe is a weekly periodical that will share a few stories from within the game. Written by a traveling monastery scribe, the articles will range from news about the Alliance Battles to stories about guilds and events. You'll probably see a few kudos to individual players, as well. Catch the inaugural issue linked from this index page, and look for future editions on Thursdays!

June 7th, 2006

 * Desktop Decoration

This week's wallpaper is a presentation of concept art for the Canthan location called Raisu Palace. Pick up the latest in computer backgrounds here.


 * Guild Wars Open Dates

We have updated the dates during which the Guild Wars Open Event will take place. You can find the final date and schedule information on this page.

June 5th, 2006

 * GWFC Finals Movies

You can catch the highlights of the GWFC Season Two Playoffs in three new films, hosted in our Competitive Section on this page. Catch the semifinals—Sacrament Of The Waooru vs. Esoteric Warriors and War Machine vs. Irresistible Blokes—and the exciting final clash between EW and iB!


 * State of the Game

This week's State of the Game feature takes a look a several new characters builds, ones you may have seen used with great effect in the GWFC Season Two Playoffs. Check out the character assessment, and learn how these builds are impacting the game, in this week's article.

June 2nd, 2006

 * GWFC Open Detailed

As you may know, the Guild Wars Factions Championship offers an "open" opportunity for a sixth guild to be part of the finals in Leipzig, Germany, in August. We've provided more details, both on the Rules Page for the championship and on a new GWFC Open Page, as well. Read all about it, and we hope to see your guild in Germany!