GuildWars.com news/Archives/200602

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

February 28th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week #38

This week's featured guild is Bring Back the Rifts [Rift], the team whose name is a nod to Guild Wars history, and whose accomplishments on the Guild Wars Ladder are of definite note. Read all about Rift on this page.

February 27th, 2006

 * Backstage Pass Contest

Here's a special opportunity for a handful of Guild Wars fans: Enter our Backstage Pass Contest to become one of a dozen players selected to attend a Guild Wars Factions press event in Seattle the evening of March 9th. If you're a local fan, or if you're nuts enough about the game to be willing to cover your own expenses to get here, check out this page for more details!


 * Guild Wars Ladder Event Ends Soon

As you know we kicked off a special ladder event on January 16. This event will be ending at 8:00 p.m. GMT on February 28, 2006. The purpose of this event was two-fold. To allow you to practice your competitive GvG skills for the upcoming Guild Wars Factions Championship Series and to sneak preview our new in-game tournament rewards. Once the ladder freezes, the top 8 guilds will earn these new special rewards. Watch on March 1st, when these top 8 guilds get to show off their rewards!

February 24th, 2006

 * Press Tour Coverage

ArenaNet Co-Founder Jeff Strain is currently on a press tour of Europe. Here are links to a few interviews and articles posted as a result of that trip:


 * Rebel Faction - ArenaNet's Jeff Strain - GamesIndustry.biz - UK
 * Guild Wars Factions - Total Video Games - UK
 * ArenaNet Co-Founder Confirms Third Guild Wars Campaign - Total Video Games - UK

February 23rd, 2006

 * Screenshot of the Week

This week's Guild Wars Factions screenshot is of combat in the Nahpui Quarters, part of the urban region of Cantha. Find the screenshot on this link.


 * Press Release

Following up on the Guild Wars World Championship, today's press release from ArenaNet and NCsoft announces the winner of the GWWC and provides information on the next tournament, the Guild Wars Factions World Championship. The Last Pride was crowned world champion on February 19th, and the next opportunity for a Guild Wars guild to start the climb towards a similar rank kicks off on March 7th, with the start of the Guild Wars Factions championship season. Find the details on the GWWC here and read about the Guild Wars Factions World Championship in today's press release, with details provided on this page as well.

February 22nd, 2006

 * Weekly Wallpaper

We have a new Guild Wars Factions desktop image on offer today. Created from concept art, the image reveals part of the Canthan landscape called The Undercity. You'll find the wallpaper in your choice of sizes on this link.


 * New Factions Gameplay Trailer

The first Guild Wars Factions Gameplay Trailer is available for you to download today, from our Gallery. The movie shows combat in various areas of Cantha. You can download your own copy here.

February 21st, 2006

 * Guild of the Week #37

Ectos and Shards is a North American guild that was formed just a few months ago, but which has already earned the respect of other GvG-focused guilds. EnS is currently 21st on the Guild Wars Ladder, and you can read about them, and their tips and strategies, here.

February 20th, 2006

 * Factions Preview Presented

You'll find a new preview of Guild Wars Factions over on Gamespot. The subject is environments, and the article offers screenshots and descriptions of areas such as the Emperor's Palace, the Jade Sea, and the Petrified Forest. Find the preview here.


 * The Last Pride Wins Taipei Challenge

The Last Pride, newly-crowned Guild Wars World Champions, played the winner of the Taiwan Regional Playoffs in the Taipei Challenge, which took place on the final day of the Guild Wars event. The Taiwan Regional Playoff Champion is a Hong Kong guild called Mission Impossible, already a fixture on the Guild Wars Ladder. The Last Pride claimed victory in the Taipei Challenge, but not without an impressive fight by the Taiwan Regional Winners. Congratulations to The Last Pride and to the Taiwan Regional Champion for a fine challenge match!

February 18th, 2006

 * Last Pride Wins Guild Wars World Championship!

The second match between defending champion War Machine and top rated guild EvIL began with EvIL having the home field advantage, and their selecting Warrior Isle for the map. War Machine split, sending one force with the Guild Thief out the side door up to EvIL's back door. EvIL split, too, and attacked the back door of War Machine's base. At 1:10, War Machine was already all the way up inside EvIL's base, working on NPCs. At 1:20 they took down one Archer. At 1:35 they took down a second.
 * Full Match Report


 * Last Pride Wins Game #1 in Finals

The 1st game of the Guild Wars World Championship started with The Last Pride (EvIL) challenging the Korean Regional Champion, War Machine (WM). The map for the first game took place on the Frozen Isle map. At the start of the game, both teams pushed towards the Flag Stand. War Machine immediately did its normal 4 and 4 split, but EvIL's entire team pushed towards the flags.
 * Full Match Report


 * Taiwan vs. Hong Kong in Exhibition Match

Teams from Taiwan and Hong Kong met in an exhibition match on stage at the Taipei Game Show. Both teams ran an IWAY build. Both teams headed directly to the center and there was an extended period of fighting, after which Hong Kong took the advantage.
 * Full Match Report

February 17th, 2006

 * Last Pride Wins Match #4

The second game took place on EvIL's map; EvIL selected the Frozen Isle map to execute their split strategy. As the game started, iQ headed straight to the center and then pushed for some early NPC kills. iQ took down one Archer, and EviL fell back to fight.
 * Full Match Report


 * EvIL Takes First Game

As the match began, both teams rushed towards the Flag Stand and started a direct assault. In a full out battle, The Last Pride (EvIL) took an early lead by killing two Idiot Savant (iQ) players at the 1 minute mark, and 2 more shortly later. iQ resurrected and dove right back into the fray. They tried some strong Gale locks but couldn't get a kill.
 * Full Match Report


 * War Machine Comeback in Close Match

At the beginning of the game, WM pushed into LuM's base using the back door. LuM retreated back into their base using the front door, from which they had earlier exited, and surrounded WM and proceeded to kill three of four of them. After that both teams attacked the Flag Stand in the center and each inflicted heavy casualties on the other team.
 * Full Match Report

February 16th, 2006

 * EviL Wins Match 2

The Valandor tried a risky move, splitting their team before 2 minutes had elapsed in the game. EviL responded by capitalizing on Val's reduced numbers and pushed through the front door, forcing Val to regroup. EviL was able to beat them in a straight-up fight, and pushed through to victory at about the 8 minute mark.


 * EviL Wins 1st Game

The Last Pride (EviL) won the first game of the Match 2 of the GWWC. It was a well-fought match, with a lot of back and forth and not a single death until the 13-minute mark. At that point, EviL made a good push and dropped both of Val's Monks. EviL then continued the push and killed a few of the NPC's in Val's base. Val ressed and pushed EviL out of the base, resulting in more combat just outside of Val's base. EviL got a series of good kills, pushed into the base, and killed the Guild Lord at about the 22 minute mark.


 * LuM Claims Victory in Match No. 1

After a short period between games for guild discussion of builds and strategy, both LuM and Te swapped out builds for the final game of Match No. 1. Te went with a spike build using a large number of Mesmers, and LuM was able to counter the build quickly. At 9:30, LuM took the victory, which moves them on to the next level of the competition, where they will face War Machine in Round 3, which takes place tomorrow.


 * Te Wins Second Game

Treacherous Empire claims victory just minutes past the VoD mark in the second game of the match. Te was running a heavy Degen build and put constant pressure on LuM the whole game. LuM retreated back to their base and went into a defensive posture, but took heavy losses at the mid-point in the match. LuM tried to make some pushes, but never was able to get solid grounding, and Te crushed them at about the 33-minute mark.


 * 1st Match Game 1 Report

LuM took a victory in the initial match of the GWWC after a comeback at the Victory or Death point. After suffering a deficit in Morale for the entire match, VoD served as the turning point in the tides of this battle. At the 35 minute mark, as the Guild Lord rushed the center, LuM massed their attack on the Guild Lord, brining the match to an end at about 38 minutes. For all matches, the 9th spot on each team is filled by our referees, who are actively viewing each match to assure that everything is progressing appropriately, and are there to provide the camera for those observing the match live on the big screen.


 * Weekly Screenshot

Another Guild Wars Factions screenshot is available today for your enjoyment. This image features a view of the Petrified Forest, a distinctive region within Cantha. Find the screenshot on this link.

February 15th, 2006

 * New Wallpaper

This week's wallpaper is a character study of Shiro, one of key figures in the story of Guild Wars Factions. Select your choice of desktop images on this link.

February 14th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week #36

Turning our attention to another international group, we offer today's Guild of the Week feature on The Shattered Hand, a competitive guild whose policies on member rotation and "smurfing" set them apart from many others. Read about TSH on this link.

February 13th, 2006

 * ESL 4v4 Ladder Event

The Electronic Sports League is offering Guild Wars players a chance to take part in a 4on4 +NPC fun ladder. Find out details here.


 * GWWC Week Begins!

Several members of the ArenaNet Team are heading to Taipei, Taiwan, to witness the Guild Wars World Championship. We will be filing spot reports and sending photographs from the floor of the Taipei Game Show starting on Thursday. We will furnish more detailed reports and match highlight films upon our return. We wish each guild the best of luck in the Championship, and look forward to meeting all of you!

February 10th, 2006

 * Meet the Guilds – War Machine

Wrapping up the Meet the Guilds feature, we present an article on War Machine [WM], this year's Korean Regional Champion. Read about them on this link.

February 9th, 2006

 * Screenshot of the Week: Kuunavang

This week's screenshot shows Kuunavang, a formidable and fantastical creature from the land of Cantha. See the newest combat shot from Guild Wars Factions on this link.


 * Factions Pre-order and Event News

In a press release issued today, ArenaNet provides details of the Guild Wars Factions Pre-order and of an upcoming pre-release event. The Factions pre-order will be available in just a few weeks, and the exciting pre-release event will take place next month. Find out all the details in the press release.


 * Factions Preview Event FAQ

Do you have questions about the upcoming Factions Preview Event? We may have the answers you seek in our new FAQ. Curious about characters? Mulling over the missions? Find out details of what you can look forward to during your upcoming weekend in Cantha by checking out the FPE FAQ!


 * Meet the Guilds – Treacherous Empire

Let's take a look at the second American guild going to the Guild Wars World Championship, Treacherous Empire [Te]. Guild members share their favorites—from characters to heroes—in their spotlight.

February 8th, 2006

 * Wednesday Wallpaper

A new image is available for you in our Gallery. This week, you can adorn your desktop with concept art showing a view of urban Cantha superimposed with a rendered version of the Guild Wars Factions Assassin. Find your choice of image sizes on this link.


 * Meet the Guilds – Lamer's Ultimate Majority

A midweek addition to the Meet the Guilds feature set is coming your way today with a look at Lamer's Ultimate Majority [LuM], one of two European GWWC guilds. Click through for the article.

February 7th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week #35

The GotW spotlight shifts to Europe, with an introduction to Centuria Europa Nova, a large guild that initially formed through the Guild Wars Europe fansite. This diverse guild has members from throughout Europe, and is active on both the PvP and cooperative Guild Wars scenes. Find out more here.


 * Meet the Guilds – The Last Pride

Let's take a look at another Guild Wars World Championship guild today, and find out about The Last Pride [EviL], one of the Korean guilds that will be participating in Taipei. The article is on this link.


 * The Taipei Challenge

As you’re aware, the six guilds participating in the Guild Wars World Championship are competing for their share of a $100,000 cash purse and a lot of other great prizes. And now, NC Taiwan has announced that it is offering a $10,000 cash prize if the top guild in Taiwan can beat the newly-crowned Guild Wars World Champion in an exhibition match. Find out the details on this page.


 * Welcome, Taiwan, Macau, &amp; Hong Kong

The world of Guild Wars is growing, and Guild Wars is growing around the world. We are delighted to announce that at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time last evening (Noon Tuesday in their time zone) NCsoft launched commercial Guild Wars service throughout Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong. We are very happy to welcome these new players to Guild Wars!

February 6th, 2006

 * Meet the Guilds – Idiot Savants

The second in the series of "Meet the Guilds" articles features American Regional Champion Idiot Savants [iQ]. You'll learn more about the guild members in today's feature.

February 3rd, 2006

 * Guild Wars Factions FAQ

The Guild Wars Factions FAQ is now available. The FAQ contains more than two dozen questions and answers about the upcoming game, and of course will be expanded on a regular basis to provide additional information as release approaches. Find it here.


 * Meet the Guilds – The Valandor

As we approach the start of the Guild Wars World Championship, we thought you'd enjoy getting to know the competing guilds just a little better. Find out the guild members' favorite professions, favorite skills, favorite villains, and much more. Meet The Valandor here.


 * Guild Wars Garners Additional Awards

The March 2006 issue of Computer Games Magazine presents their 15th Annual Computer Games Awards. Guild Wars has scored in the following categories: Best Game (No. 4), Best MMO Debut, and Best Technology. And don’t miss the preview of Guild Wars Factions in the same issue!

February 2nd, 2006

 * Design-A-Weapon Contest Winners Announced

After sorting through more than a thousand excellent entries, the Guild Wars Team has selected the winners and honorable mentions in the Design-A-Weapon Contest. The winning entries will serve as inspiration for team-created weapons that will be included in Guild Wars Factions upon release. The exciting news is that, due to the high quality of the entries, many of the honorable mentions will also be incorporated into Guild Wars Factions over the months following release. For more details, check out the Design-A-Weapon Page.


 * Screenshot of the Week

Our weekly screenshot provides you with another look at beautiful Cantha, in a vista overlooking part of the Emperor's Palace. Find the screenshot here.

February 1st, 2006

 * Welcome to the New Website

We'd like to welcome everyone to the new look and the new features of www.guildwars.com. Explore the site, and check out our newly expanded Gameplay Info and Lore sections and visit the new Awards page, as well. In the future we will be expanding content and adding new features, so keep the site bookmarked and check back often for news about Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions!


 * Welcome back, Wednesday Wallpapers

We are happy to announce the resumption of the popular Wednesday Wallpaper series, and start off with an image of The Guild Wars Factions Ritualist against a Canthan background. Decorate your desktop, Factions style, by downloading your choice of image sizes on this link.