GuildWars.com news/Archives/200712

The following lists the December 2007 news from the official GuildWars.com site.

December 21st, 2007

 * Happy Holidays!

Due to the holidays, there will be no new updates on our site until January 2, 2008. To show our appreciation to our fans for a wonderful year, we have added a new wallpaper you can use to show your Wintersday spirit. All of us here at ArenaNet wish you and yours a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday season. Enjoy the Wintersday events, drink a cup of nog, and we'll see you next year.

December 21st, 2007

 * FilePlanet Guild Wars Trials

For your enjoyment, FilePlanet is now offering Guild Wars trials. Subscribers to Fileplanet can sign up for the http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/guildwars/trial/ Guild Wars Trilogy Trial], which provides access to the Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall campaigns. Non-subscribers can sign up for a free trial that provides access to Prophecies. For more information on how to take advantage of these offers, visit FilePlanet today.

December 20th, 2007

 * December Tournament Wraps Up

The December finals of the $100,000 Tournament Series finished early this month to accommodate the holiday season. Read all about the GvG action between Rebel Rising and Storm Hogs here. We also give you a detailed breakdown of the exact skills used in both the Hero Battles and GvG tournaments. Find the skill charts here.

December 20th, 2007

 * Unlock Pack Promotion Extended

We are extending the 50% off promotion for the Skill and Item Unlock Packs through January 31, 2008 to offer players a few more weeks to take advantage of this special pricing. This extension will also give us time to implement additional payment methods for European customers. Stay tuned for more details.

December 19th, 2007

 * Guild Wars Music Added to Symphony Tour

We are proud to announce that the music of Guild Wars has been added to the tour of "Play! A Video Game Symphony". Beginning on January 19, this traveling orchestral show will begin a global circuit, performing in locations around the world. You can read more about this exciting news here, and be sure to visit the official symphony website for news about upcoming tour dates and ticket information.

December 18th, 2007

 * Wintersday Contest Winners Announced

Our hats are off to Nian, winner of the Wintersday 2007 Contest! Her design for a holiday helm was chosen as the basis for one of this year's two, special Wintersday gifts. All who attend the Wintersday final event on January 1, 2008 will be able to participate in the show-down between Grenth and Dwayna, and will score a special hat as a memento of the event. Find all of our Wintersday 2007 Contest winners, and see their concepts, on this page.

December 18th, 2007

 * Fansite Webmasters — Please Note

We would love to send a greeting card to the fansite webmasters and workers who support Guild Wars so well during the year. If you are a webmaster for a fansite that is a member of the Guild Wars Community Fansite Program, please send an email to [mailto:community@arena.net community@arena.net] with the names and mailing addresses of yourself and any staff members to whom you'd like us to send a card. Thanks!

December 18th, 2007

 * State of the Game: Meet Heart of Ashes and Dust (HAnD)

This week's article is all about HAnD, a Japanese PvP guild well versed in competitive play, with an impressive total of more than 1300 GvG matches played since March. The guild has participated in many tournaments and is the winner of both the May and November GvG championships. Guild members share about their history, strategies, rivals and friends, and explain why they run certain builds. Read about them here.

December 17th, 2007

 * Recent Tournament News

Congratulations to our December $100,000 Tournament Series winners! Rebel Rising claimed this month's GvG victory, and Joey on Tour was this month's Hero Battles victor. To see the full list of winners, click here.

Since this marks the end of the 2007 season, we're pleased to announce that we will be extending the Automated Tournament Series into 2008 with a variety of improvements! You can read more information on these planned changes here, and you can find the newly updated January Tournament rules here.

December 14th, 2007

 * December Tournament and Upcoming News

Don't forget! This weekend is the start of the December $100,000 Tournament Series Championships! You can start watching the final matches this Saturday on Observer Mode. The new series begins on December 16, so log on and play for a chance to be January’s champion. As the year concludes, we also have some exciting news about the upcoming Automated Tournament season. Stay tuned for this announcement on Monday.

December 13th, 2007
'''Wintersday Festival Approaches

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Starting at Noon Pacific (-8 GMT) on Friday, December 21st, Kamadan, Lion's Arch, Droknar's Forge, and Ascalon City will be bursting with seasonal joy. Make the rounds and gaze at ornate Wintersday decorations, talk to special NPCs, and engage in a host of themed quests, missions and games. Take part in one of nine grand finales—even claim a special headpiece as a memento—when you visit Kamadan and Lion's Arch during the 24 hours of Wintersday itself (starting at 12:01 AM Pacific on January 1st). Get the full details at the Wintersday 2007 event page.

December 12th, 2007
'''Unlock Pack FAQ Available

Do you have questions about the Skill Unlock Packs, but you don't know where to turn? Well, we have just the thing for you! We've put together an FAQ of the most commonly asked Unlock Pack questions, so be sure to check it out and get all the details of this new promotion.

December 12th, 2007
'''New Eye of the North Wallpaper

Spending some quality time at the Eye of the North this holiday? Decorate your desktop with some wintery flair to celebrate! Choose from two new wallpapers featuring the lovely Norn hero, Jora, in a variety of resolutions here.

December 11th, 2007
'''State of the Game: 2008 RAWR Cup Title Series Inaugural Tournament

The recent RAWR Cup was a third-party sponsored Guild Wars GvG tournament, with real world prizes at stake. It placed competitors in three divisions and used the familiar automated tournament system with Swiss rounds and single elimination, and was immediately popular in the PvP community. Read more about it, and how the final matches went down, here.

December 11th, 2007
'''Limited Edition Guild Wars PC

The folks at Commodore Gaming have put together a series of beautiful Guild Wars themed PCs. Available as full systems or just case and power supply packages, these limited edition units are sure to spruce up any gamer's rig.

Only 1,000 are available, so head over and check them out today!

December 10th, 2007
'''November Mini Mania Winners Announced

We are pleased to post the second of three winners lists for the North American Mini Mania Contest. Check out the list to see if you are a winner and, if so, to find out which miniature you will be adopting. Winners will receive their special miniature access key via email within 10 days. There is still time to toss your name into the hat for the December drawing. If you've already signed up, you are still in the running so there's no need to register again. Good luck to everyone as we enter the final stretch!

December 10th, 2007
'''Guild of the Week: YoHo

This week, we bring you the Pirates of the Searing. Crew members enjoy pirate outings with unusual events such as playing through Guild Wars Nightfall in its entirety with an all-Paragon group and clearing the Fissure of Woe every week. They share Hard Mode tips and talk about various in-game experiences here.

December 7th, 2007
'''Visit the Eye of the North for the Holidays

Have you longed to venture to the Eye of the North, but don't yet have a level 20 character? Then you're in luck! To help spread some holiday cheer, we're lowering the level requirement for the expansion, and giving everyone a present as well: a five-hour trial of GW:EN!

But that's not all! To kick off the celebration with a bang, we're holding a special Eye of the North in-game event! Starting this weekend, you can earn bonus experience, increase your chances to acquire rare items from chests, and find special items dropped by creatures throughout the expansion areas. Better yet, this event lasts until Sunday, December 16. That's ten days of holiday cheer!

Whether you're new to the Eye of the North expansion or not, don't miss this event! Want to know more? Read all the exciting details here.

December 5th, 2007
'''Artist Series Wallpaper

If you're a fan of the lovely but oh-so-dangerous Eve or have been admiring the unique style of our popular new Charr t-shirt, you're in luck! As a supplement to our Guild Wars Gear Store's Artist Series, we're providing you with a wallpaper showcasing a beautifully stylized rendition of everyone's favorite Necromancer. Grab this desktop decoration in a variety of ratios and resolutions here!

December 4th, 2007
'''Guild of the Week: TCP

The Centre Path leads a PvE-oriented alliance where members enjoy earning faction, controlling Kurzick towns, and partying with in-game events. They do dabble in PvP, mostly Alliance Battles for faction, but prefer mostly elite missions, Hard Mode dungeons, and playing through the game. Read more about this guild here.

December 3rd, 2007
'''State of the Game: Balanced Builds in Heroes' Ascent Today

This week's State of the Game discusses the difference between balanced and gimmicky builds in Heroes' Ascent, and examines how one balanced build is put together, how it works, and its vulnerabilities.