GuildWars.com news/Archives/200608

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

August 31st, 2006

 * PvP Unlock Packs Now Available

Guild Wars players now have the opportunity to purchase PVP Unlock Packs for all Prophecies skills! For $9.99 USD (&#172;8.99, &#163;5.99), you can unlock all of the 70+ Prophecies skills for a single profession. For $39.99 USD (&#172;35.99, &#163;23.99) you can unlock all 450+ Prophecies skills for the 6 professions. Once unlocked, skills can be used by any of your PvP characters. Head to the Guild Wars Official Store to take advantage of this much-requested opportunity.


 * Final Leipzig Trip Report

We've just posted the final trip report from Games Convention, Leipzig, in our GWFC Section. In this article, Gaile details the events of Community Day at Leipzig and includes a few dozen of her favorite photographs of the event (and sneaks in a few favorite shots from Germany, too). Catch TR #5 here.


 * The Scribe #12: Bonus Issue

This week The Scribe has written an expanded version of his weekly periodical. You can read about the Guild Wars Factions World Championship and the Guild Emblem Contest from an RP perspective, learn a bit more about the recent addition of new weapons, and gain an introduction to many gracious players who have engaged in acts of generosity and giving. Find it all in Issue 12 of The Scribe.

August 30th, 2006

 * Final PAX Report: Live Event

The final article on our coverage of the Penny Arcade Expo details the Guild Wars Live event. Get the details on the various challenges and stations, and find out the winning faction, in the report.


 * More from Guild Wars at PAX

Our PAX photo gallery is now bursting at the seams with new images! We&#146;ve also got the full roster of teams that won prizes in the 10k Arena, and interviews from a Live Event player, an NPC and one of our 10k Arena tournament teams.

August 29th, 2006

 * Heroes Ascent Extended Weekend Event!

Come and claim your fame in Heroes Ascent during this Labor Day weekend&#146;s special event! For the first time in the history of Heroes Ascent, participants will face off against each other in smaller teams of six, earning double fame along the way! To add to the fun, this exciting extended event will begin at Noon PDT on Friday, September 1st and will run all the way until Noon PDT on Tuesday, September 5th! Be sure to join us in Heroes Ascent this weekend and take advantage of that extra time to rack up your fame!


 * Guild of the Week

This week we feature a guild that pre-dates Guild Wars itself! With over three hundred members across several MMORPGs, The Shadow Knights have certainly found a formula to keeping a family together. Read more about [SK] in this week&#146;s Guild of the Week.


 * Team UAX Wins the PAX 10k Arena!

Our second report from the Penny Arcade Expo has just arrived, with pictures! Be sure to check out the report to see which team won the 10k Arena, and see some pictures of the event.

August 28th, 2006

 * Trip Report #4

We have a new GC Leipzig trip report, fourth in a series of five. This one covers the final day of the competitive matches, the awards presentation, and the booth party afterwards. Did the guilds get to experience a new form of &#147;competitive&#148; games? When is a bathtub not for bathing? Find out here.


 * State of the Game: GvG Defense

In guild vs. guild battles, it&#146;s always important to play your role in defending your guild. Learn some tips on the different roles each profession plays in this week&#146;s State of the Game.

August 27th, 2006

 * PAX Guild Wars Events: Day 1

The first ever Guild Wars Live Event and the Guild Wars 10k Arena were a smash hit at the Penny Arcade Expo. Gamers clamored to partake in the Live Event and arrived early to secure their spot in the Sealed Play tournament. Read more about the first day at PAX, with photos, in our report.

August 26th, 2006

 * Another Trip Report

We have added another trip report to our GWFC Section. This one covers Friday, the first day of GWFC competition and has a bit about the NCsoft party, too. Catch the details here.


 * War Machine Wins Championship

After three intense battles against Idiot Savants, War Machine claimed the crown as the winner of the Guild Wars Factions Championship. We have posted the full match report with photographs to follow. Congratulations, War Machine!


 * Match #4 Results and Report

War Machine puts Treacherous Empire down for the count in match #4 of the Guild Wars Factions World Championship. See the results and current standings on our match results page. Check out the full match report for WM vs. Te here.


 * More Photos from the GWFC

The GWFC gallery is growing! We&#146;ve just added more photos from the Leipzig Games Convention to our gallery. Take a look at all the action here.

August 25th, 2006

 * More Reports from Leipzig

We&#146;ve just received the full match report for the first Semi-Final match; Idiot Savants vs. The Last Pride. We&#146;ve also received our second travel diary from our community relations manager Gaile Gray. Be sure to check out all our reports from the Games Convention in Leipzig in our GWFC Section.


 * First Photos from the GWFC

The gallery is now open! Check out photos of the Games Convetion in Leipzig and the Guild Wars Factions World Championship in our photo gallery. More pictures to come soon!


 * iQ defeats The Last Pride in Semi-Finals

Idiots Savant defeated The Last Pride by winning games 2 and 3 of the first round of the GWFC semi-finals, assuring themselves a place in the finals which are scheduled to take place at 14:00 GMT tomorrow. iQ will face the victor of tomorrow&#146;s second semi-final match between War Machine and Treacherous Empire. That match takes place at 09:00 GMT. Details will be provided shortly in a full game report, and be sure to catch the truly amazing matches from Leipzig on Observer Mode.


 * GWFC Match #1 and #2 Results

The results are in from first two matches from the Guild Wars Factions World Championship. Idiot Savants claim victory over Irresistible Blokes and Treacherous Empire narrowly gets the win against Esoteric Warriors. Click here for more information about the GWFC.

August 24th, 2006

 * Updated Match Schedule

The Bad news: this morning&#146;s technical issues lead to the cancellation of today&#146;s GWFC matches, and we have had to reschedule all the games that were due to take place over the next few days. The Good news: we finally have an updated version of the match schedule for you, and the first game will start tomorrow morning at 7:15 GMT.


 * Guild Wars Nightfall Release Date Announced

Announced today from the floor of the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, ArenaNet and NCsoft announce the global release date for Guild Wars Nightfall. Read more about the Guild Wars Nightfall and both the Standard and Collector&#146;s Editions in today&#146;s press release.


 * GWFC Playoff Update

Due to technical issues, we have postponed the start of the Guild Wars Factions Championship until tomorrow, Friday, August 25. We will update the GWFC Schedule as soon as we have the times of the matches, but most likely they will begin immediately in the morning (German time) on Friday. We look forward to the start of the event, and hope you&#146;ll enjoy viewing the matches on Observer Mode!


 * GWFC: The Guilds in Leipzig

The Koreans have landed. No, seriously, their bus just pulled up outside our hotel. My roommate, Tournament Director Michael Gills, dashes out to meet them downstairs ...

August 23rd, 2006

 * First Report from Leipzig

The first of what will be many reports from Leipzig is available now in our GWFC Section. This travel diary from our community relations manager, Gaile Gray, covers her pre-Leipzig journey, tells a bit about the host city, and describes the coming together of the guilds during the evening preceding the start of the competition.


 * Guild Wars Factions Championship Match Schedule

The GWFC begins tomorrow! For those who couldn't make it to Leipzig, don't worry. Matches will be viewable in-game on Observer Mode as official results become available, so you won't miss out. Check here for the GWFC match schedule.


 * Meet the GWFC Guilds

As our teams at the Games Convention in Leipzig start setting up today we wrap up our Meet the GWFC Guilds interviews this week with interviews from The Last Pride, Esoteric Warriors, and Irresistible Blokes. The Guild Wars Factions World Championship and the Games Convention start tomorrow!

August 22nd, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

With the Guild Wars Factions World Championship just around the corner, we&#146;re featuring an interview with the winner of the Wartower League who received the right to challenge a Guild Wars Factions World Championship team. Read more about Black Emperor in this week&#146;s Guild of the Week.

August 21st, 2006

 * Fun Season Ends; Ladder Frozen

Congratulations to The Benecia Renovatio [RenO] for winning the Guild Wars Fun Season, and to the top 15 guilds! For their efforts, we will be giving out the following prizes:


 * * Signed copies of Guild Wars and complete sets of skill pins will be mailed to the 8 players designated by the Guild Leader
 * ** Silver Cape trim lasts until the end of the next announced season


 * Ladder update:

The Guild Wars Ladder was frozen at 8:00 GMT (1:00 a.m. PDT) this morning, and will remain so for a period of time beyond the Guild Wars Factions Championship, which will take place August 24th through August 27th.


 * State of the Game: Championship Predictions

With the Guild Wars Factions Championship beginning on Thursday of this week, our freelance writers have accepted the challenge of naming their pick for the overall victor. Surprisingly, there isn&#146;t an overwhelming choice&mdash;several guilds are considered likely winners of the $50,000 top prize. Read all the predictions here.


 * Emblem Contest Deadline Nears

Here's a reminder that the deadline for the Guild Wars Nightfall Guild Emblem Contest is this Friday, August 25th. Be sure that your entry is postmarked on or before Friday, and send it to your local ArenaNet or NCsoft office, as shown on the contest page. We're delighted with what has come in so far, and can't wait to start the judging!

August 17th, 2006

 * The Scribe #11

Our roaming scribe follows the struggle between the Luxons and Kurzicks this week on a voyage from Fort Aspenwood to The Jade Quarry. The scribe also writes of some rumors about new weaponry, and observes more acts of virtue in this week&#146;s scroll.

August 15th, 2006

 * Nightfall Trailer

Here's your chance to take an exclusive look into the world of Guild Wars Nightfall! For your viewing pleasure, we&#146;ve put together a trailer of this exciting new campaign, featuring glimpses of breathtaking cities, lush landscapes, and terrifying new foes. Also previewed is brand new footage of our Dervish and Paragon professions. Download your copy today, and prepare yourself for Nightfall!

August 16th, 2006

 * Guild Wars Live debut and 10k Arena at Penny Arcade Expo

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) game culture celebration in Washington State will play host to the first ever Guild Wars Live Event. ArenaNet is sponsoring this epic Guild War Factions battle between the Luxons and Kurzicks at PAX, which takes place in Bellevue, Washington August 25-27th. And if you're attending PAX, plan on taking part in a Guild Wars live sealed-play tournament. PAX will be the second event to host a new sealed-play, 4v4 player-versus-player match-up, and anyone can participate! To sweeten the pot, participants will vie for over $10,000 in cash!


 * Final Set of Skill Pins released at PAX

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 set of pins (Crippling Shot and Aura of the Lich) was released in May at E3, the second set (Contemplation of Purity and Energy Surge) at San Diego Comic Con, and the third set (Gale and Eviscerate) were released at Gen Con. Now you have a chance to collect the 4th set of pins at PAX where you can also play in the very first Guild Wars Live, and compete for $10,000 in the Guild Wars 10k Arena! No account is needed; just bring your willingness to compete. All participants in the PAX 10k Arena will also receive the first three skill pin sets while supplies last as well! So come play Guild Wars LIVE, compete for $10,000 and get your own set of these limited edition pins!


 * Meet the GWFC Guilds

Our interview series continues this week with a look at the people behind the guilds participating in the Guild Wars Factions Championship. Treacherous Empire and Idiot Savants have shared with us a more personal look at the players going to Leipzig to represent their guilds.

August 15th, 2006

 * Competitive Weekend of Fun

During the weekend of August 18 to August 20, you will earn double Kurzick, Luxon, and Balthazar faction in the Fort Aspenwood and Jade Quarry competitive missions! Additionally, all PvP characters that have access to Factions will now be able to participate in these missions simply by talking to the special Luxon Diplomats or Kurzick Recruiters that will be located in the Great Temple of Balthazar! The double faction fun starts at Noon PDT on Friday, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, with the PvP character access remaining open even after the event ends. Come join in the fun this weekend watch those faction points rack up!


 * Guild of the Week

This week we feature one of the larger guilds of Guild Wars. The Apocalyptic Riders span the globe with their variety of cultures and customs. Learn more about the secret to The Apocalyptic Riders success in this week's Guild of the Week.


 * Making Sealed Play Work

The dust has settled at the Guild Wars 5K Arena at Gen Con 2006. Learn how the winning team, Team Make it Work, came up with their strategy for winning the tournament in our Making Sealed Play Work article.

August 14th, 2006

 * State of the Game: Damage Calculations

If you've ever wondered how damage is calculated in Guild Wars, this week's State of the Game is for you. Read up on damage types, location, and armor, and how the study of each of these elements can play a crucial role in successful combat.

August 13th, 2006

 * Gen Con Report #4

ArenaNet's first sealed play tournament held Gen Con in Indianapolis this weekend finished up with some fierce competition throughout the day. Team "Make It Work" emerges as the victor in our first ever sealed play tournament. Read the full details in our final report from Gen Con 2006.

August 12th, 2006

 * Gen Con Report #3

The third qualifier for the Guild Wars 5k Gen Con Arena was held Friday evening in Indianapolis. Team Sons of Narnia claimed victory in the third session of our first ever sealed play tournament. Find out more about the tournament in our full report.

August 11th, 2006

 * Gen Con Report #2

Our first ever sealed play tournament at Gen Con continues on to Session 2 today in Indianapolis. Six teams joined us today to compete in the second qualifier. See our report of Day 2 at Gen Con for details.


 * Gen Con Report #1

The Guild Wars 5k Arena is a hit at Gen Con! Head over to our Gen Con page for a full report of the first day action, and check back for additional reports during the weekend.

August 10th, 2006

 * Community Day at GC Leipzig

If you're planning to visit GC in Leipzig later this month, be sure to keep Sunday, August 27, open on your schedule. That is the day we'll be holding our Community Day at GC. We'll have trivia, meet 'n' greets, giveaways, and more. For those who come to the show in Guild Wars attire &mdash; be it a homemade Warrior helm or a full-out GW costume &mdash; there will be the opportunity to go home with special goodies!


 * The Scribe #10

Our news scroll rises to double digits this week, and within the latest issue our roving reporter discusses a recent event, provides new information about guild emblems, and recognizes the kindliest among us. Find a copy here.

August 9th, 2006

 * Two New GWFC Interviews

Two more Leipzig-bound guilds have answered our pre-event questions, and you can read them now. This week's interviews are with Irresistible Blokes and The Last Pride.

August 8th, 2006

 * Guild Wars Cover Story

Guild Wars gets great coverage in the August/September 2006 issue of Massive Online Gamer. You'll find the Ritualist adorning the cover, while inside, you can read an article about Factions, a PvP Primer, and two guild profiles. And don't forget to take advantage of the free Guild Wars Factions Trial Code. You can try out Factions yourself or share the code with a friend!


 * Another Double-Your-Fun Weekend

This weekend, August 11 to August 13, you'll find yourself twice as likely to nab a rare drop from any chest in Cantha. And, to help you get into those chests, you will also notice an increase in the drop rate for keys, too! Come along this weekend and see what you can add to your collection of cool items! The fun starts at Noon PDT on Friday, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday.


 * Guild of the Week

This week's featured guild got started on the first day of the release of Guild Wars Prophecies, as a group of real-life friends came together to have fun in both PvE and PvP. Find out more in this week's GotW.

August 7th, 2006

 * Update on Gen Con and Skill Pin Set No. 3

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 and the second set (Contemplation of Purity and Energy Surge) at San Diego Comic Con. Now you have a chance to collect the 3rd set of pins at Gen Con Indianapolis where you can also compete for $5,000 in the Guild Wars 5k Arena! No account is needed; just bring the entry fee and your willingness to compete. All participants in the Gen Con 5k Arena will also receive the first two skill pin sets while supplies last as well! So come compete for $5,000 and get your own set of these limited edition pins!


 * State of the Game: Flag Stand Control

This week's competitive article takes a detailed look at one of the core elements of Guild Wars PvP play, and offers suggested flag-runner builds and several tips on gaining that all-important morale boost.

August 4th, 2006

 * Guild Emblem Contest

With the announcement of Nightfall, and with our first view at images from the realm, it's time to announce a new community contest. The Guild Wars Nightfall Guild Emblem Contest starts today, and offers you the chance to earn your place in Guild Wars history and in your local Guild Emblemer's heart, too. Read the contest details here.

August 3rd, 2006

 * The Scribe #9

The Scribe, witness to the weekend visit of Elonians to the Battles Isles, writes about the land of Elona and the Paragon and the Dervish in today's news scroll. He also gives a nod to several recent acts of generosity and kindness that he noted during his travels through Tyria and Cantha.


 * Guild Wars Online Store Opens

We are happy to announce the highly anticipated opening of the Guild Wars Online Store. In a press release issued today, you'll see that current store offerings include access keys for Guild Wars Prophecies and Factions, and those much-requested extra character slots, as well.

August 2nd, 2006

 * GWFC Special Tie-Breaker this Saturday

At the conclusion of Season #3 of the Guild Wars Factions Championship, two guilds&mdash;Esoteric Warriors and Irresistible Blokes&mdash;ended up tied for the #3 seed in GWFC Championship Points. Therefore, these two guilds will be playing a special tie-breaker on Saturday, August 5th, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (18:00 GMT). This match will determine which guild will be the #3 seed at the GC in Leipzig, Germany later this month. The #3 seed will face Idiot Savants; the #4 seed and play against Treacherous Empire. Be sure to check out the tie-breaker match on Observer Mode, and watch for results on this website!


 * Guild Interviews

We kick off an interview series involving those six guilds heading to the championship with a couple of Q&amp;A's with the guilds Esoteric Warriors and Treacherous Empire. Look for more in this series in the weeks leading to the Leipzig finals!

August 1st, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

We're turning our spotlight on a veteran gaming guild, Sinister Swarm, and sharing with you in this week's Guild of the Week article a bit about their gaming history, an in-depth build and strategy outline, and several player profiles.


 * Nightfall Prerelease Info

ArenaNet and NCsoft issued a press release this morning, providing information about the Guild Wars Prerelease Bonus Pack for Nightfall. The retail package contains bonus items, a trial key, a character slot, and more. Read the details in the press release, found here.