GuildWars.com news/Archives/200605

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

May 31st, 2006

 * Match Report: Season 2 Finals

The all-European finale of the second season of the Guild Wars Factions Championship resulted in victory for Esoteric Warriors, moving them one step closer to the finals in Leipzig. We offer a match report of the 2-1 seasonal playoffs finals here.


 * GWFC Highlight Movies

The quarter finals of the GWFC Season 2 Playoffs offered several exciting matches. You can watch highlight movies from those four matches in our Competitive Section.


 * Guild of the Week #50

Guild of the Week reaches the half-century mark with a feature on a role-playing guild with an interesting guild history to share. Find out about Orphans Of Kukai on this page.


 * Weekly Wallpaper

If it's Wednesday, it must be time for a new wallpaper! This week's image is another based on Factions concept art. Refresh your work space, rearrange your icons, and catch a new desktop image, in a choice of ratios and resolutions, on this link.


 * Semi-Final Match Report

Last weekend saw the semi-finals and the finals of the Guild Wars Factions Championship playoffs. You can catch a match report on one battle—the War Machine and Irresistible Blokes face-off—in today's match report.

May 30th, 2006

 * Skill Updates Planned

As the 3rd Season of the Guild Wars Factions Championship gets underway, we've planned a significant number of skill updates for the various Guild Wars professions. You can read about the skill updates now on this page, and the updates will be incorporated into the game later this week.


 * State of the Game

This week's State of the Game article delves into the topic of creating a great Guild-versus-Guild build. Get some tips about putting together a powerhouse team in the new article.


 * Ladder Restart; GWFC Season 3 Begins

The Guild Wars tournament ladder will be restarting for the third season of the GWFC series at 08:00 GMT on May 30. Be sure to watch the best guilds compete for a slot in the Season 3 Playoffs. These final playoffs will determine the five guilds that have earned the most GWFC points and a trip to Leipzig, Germany to compete in the Guild Wars Factions Championship!

May 26th, 2006

 * GWFC Semi-Finals and Finals this Weekend

The semi-finals and the finals of Season Two of the Guild Wars Factions Championship will take place this weekend. Visit this page to find out the dates and times of the matches, and don't miss a minute of the action! Join Observer Mode for your view of all the battles.


 * Guild Emblem Bonus Winners Announced

As promised earlier this week, we have randomly drawn 25 entries from all those we received from around the world in the Guild Wars Factions Guild Emblem Contest. These contestants will receive a collectible Guild Wars Skill Pin as a token of our thanks for taking part in the contest. The winners of the random drawing are listed on the contest page, along with a few additions to the winner and honorable mention lists.


 * Bots Banned

In our continuing efforts to preserve a solid game economy and to support the legitimate Guild Wars player, we have been actively pursuing those who use "bots" in Guild Wars. In the last week, we have closed more than one thousand accounts of those using third-party programs, and we will continue to take similar action in the future.

May 25th, 2006

 * Match Report; Another View

Due to the high level of interest in the EvIL versus Wi match of the GWFC Season Two playoffs, a second match report writer has penned his thoughts on the battles. Find his new article right here.

May 24th, 2006

 * New Match Report

One of our game reporters has written up an article on a hotly-contested match that took place during the recent GWFC Season Two Playoffs. Find out the details of the War Machine vs. We Still Pwn Charr match on this link.


 * Desktop Decoration

This week's new wallpaper features a view of the lovely Factions Assassin. She is captured against a stylization of a piece of concept art of the Jade Quarry. Find the image choices over here.

May 23rd, 2006

 * EvIL vs. Wi Match Report

We've added a new match report to the Competitive Articles Section. Offering an interesting first-person perspective, the article covers the exciting match between The Last Pride and Black Widow which took place in the first round of the GWFC Seasonal Playoffs. Find the report here.


 * Guild Emblem Winners Chosen

The votes have been tallied and the winners are chosen. From more than a thousand entries, coming from every corner of the world, we have the full list of winners, honorable mentions, and related images, too! Find all this on our Factions Guild Emblem Contest Page.


 * Guild Wars Tops Charts

Today's press release from ArenaNet and NCsoft confirms what you may already have known: Guild Wars Factions is the topmost game on the PC charts for North America and Europe! Read the press release for details.


 * Guild of the Week #49

This week's featured guild has a home on, and is named for, one of our fine fansites. Guild Wars Latino members formed a guild years ago, and found renewed life in Guild Wars. Read about the group, and some of their preferred builds, in this week's GotW.

May 22nd, 2006

 * GWFC Playoffs Match Reports

Our match reporters have provided analyses on some of the exciting battles that took place during last weekend's first two rounds of the Guild Wars Factions Season Two Playoffs. Read about the Sacrament Of The Waooru vs. I Black Widow I match and the Irresistible Blokes vs. Rus Corp match, and keep your eye on the site for more playoff reports in the near future.


 * State of the Game: Early Factions Appraisal

In an early analysis of the addition of Factions to the Guild Wars PvP scene, this week's State of the Game article appraises various character builds and discusses their impact on the overall competitive play environment. You can the feature here.

May 19th, 2006

 * ATI Contest!

Our partners at ATI are offering great prizes for a new contest based on a popular Guild Wars theme. If you submit the winning name in the weekly Name the Monster contest, you stand to win some great prizes, including a brand new video card! Find all the details here.

And speaking of contests, the winners of the Factions Guild Emblem Contest will be announced on Wednesday of next week, and each will receive a special bonus prize: The two E3 skill pins!


 * Weekly Match Report

This week's match report covers a battle between two Top 20 Guild Wars guilds. The article captures an interesting moment in time, as guilds begin to incorporate new strategies available with the release of Factions. Read all about it here.

And to double your reading pleasure, find a second match report covering a meeting between two high-ranking guilds in the days immediately prior to the ladder lockdown and the start of the GWFC 2nd Season Playoffs. Locate that report on this page.

May 17th, 2006

 * Second Season Brackets Set; Participants Listed

The teams have responded, rosters have been checked, and we're ready to roll this weekend with the first two rounds of the Guild Wars Factions Championship. Find out who's playing whom, and when, over here.


 * Wednesday Wallpaper

It's that time again, time for a fresh new desktop image! Find this week's image&mdash;created from a melding of two moments within the Guild Wars Factions cinematic&mdash;on this link.

May 16th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week #48

Time is Running [OUT] is the novel name of the guild featured in this week's guild spotlight. Read all about them here.

May 15th, 2006

 * Season Ends; Prize Announced

The second season of the Guild Wars Factions Championship ended at 1:01 a.m. this morning. Exciting new details are provided in our GWFC Section where we are pleased to announced the prize for this season and to provide details on the playoff schedule, as well.

May 12th, 2006

 * EvIL Wins the E3 Challenge!

Reigning Guild Wars World Champions The Last Pride [EvIL] added another notch to their collective belt at the E3 2006 Guild Wars Factions Challenge. The champs flattened the competition in the exclusive E3 event and left with the gold medal, striking fear into the hearts of all comers and taking their legendary status to all-new levels of greatness. EvIL beat back challenges from talented guilds like Bring Back the Rifts, Peace and Harmony, Hellas Team, and The Benecia Renovatio. Coming in at second place with the silver were I Guild I [iGi] and the bronze medal went to Bring Back the Rifts [Rift]. Congratulations to The Last Pride on another hard-earned and well-deserved Guild Wars title&mdash;we hope to see you all again at next year's E3!

May 10th, 2006

 * Weekly Wallpaper

A new desktop is on offer for you, one created from Factions concept art of a Naga Village. Find your choice of wallpapers sizes over on this page.

May 9th, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

This week we turn the spotlight on a guild from France, Guilde des Pipo. They share a bit of guild lore with us, along with their PvP tips. Find the article here.


 * Character Birthday Presents

Guild Wars characters who have reached the venerable age of one year have started to make the exciting discovery of a wrapped and beribboned package in their inventories. You may know that a simply double-click of the package reveals a special Guild Wars Birthday Miniature. But you'll probably find additional information of interest on our Birthday Present Page, so head there now.

May 8th, 2006

 * State of the Game for May 1

This week's State of the Game article presents an introduction to the two new characters for Factions: The Ritualist and the Assassin. Head over to the Competitive Section, or follow this link to read the feature.


 * Rolling Out RSS

We're happy to announce that we have added an RSS feed to this website. An RSS feed is a feature that delivers the news directly to those who own an RSS reader and sign up to receive the transmittals. Click through for more about the Guild Wars RSS feed.

May 5th, 2006

 * Fans Present Gifts

On the release of Guild Wars Factions, many hundreds of fans and more than a dozen fansites joined together to send the Guild Wars Team two very special gifts. You can read about the gifts, see photographs, and watch a tiny video of a "thank you" call out, on a page that will be immortalized forever in our Community Section. Thank you, again, to everyone for such a lovely remembrance!


 * This Week's Match Report

Getting into our Friday groove for match reports, we offer an article on a late-April battle between Treacherous Empire and Stoned to Death. Find out the details of this match—in what is perhaps the final battle report featuring pre-Factions builds—on this link.

May 4th, 2006

 * Miniature Kuunavang Revealed!

The Factions Collector's Edition is continuing to ship on schedule, as mentioned in our April 28th news post. In the meantime, players worldwide are chomping at the bit to see the wonderful Factions Collector's Edition Thank You Gift: The miniature dragon, Kuunavang. Click here for a screenshot. And read yesterday's news post for more information about this special item.


 * The E3 Challenge: Schedules Set

The E3 Challenge is a series of guild-versus-guild matches that will take place next week during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. You can find out which guilds have thrown down the gauntlet, and when their matches will be taking place, on this page.


 * Weekly Match Reports Begin

Catch the first of a weekly series of battle reports on GvG matches between high-level guilds in our Match Report Section. The first account features two high-level European guilds, Esoteric Warriors and Rus Corp. You'll be able to catch these reports on Fridays in the future, when they will provide some thought-provoking reading as you head towards a weekend of gaming.


 * Screenshots: Factions Guild Halls

We thought you'd enjoy seeing a few shots of the four new guild halls for Factions. Head over to the Gallery to take a gander at a trio of shots from each hall, or click through this link.

May 3rd, 2006

 * FactionsCollector's Edition Gift

Factions CE buyers, we have great news! To show our appreciation for your support and patience as you wait for your CE to arrive, we decided yesterday afternoon to create a special Collector's Edition Thank You Gift. When you activate your Factions Collector's Edition access key, you will receive an in-game gift box containing a miniature of the dragon Kuunavang! Double click the box to reveal your miniature dragon. The gift will be one per account and will function like a Birthday Miniature. That is, they will be tradable, sellable (for in-game currency only!), or exchangeable between your characters. You will find your gift on the first character you bring into the game after we are able to implement this feature. We anticipate we will have these gifts ready within the next 10 days. And don't worry – all who purchase a Collector's Edition will receive a Thank You Gift!


 * Factions Fandango

The Guild Wars Team celebrated the launch of Factions with a party in the studio on the night that kicked off the Head Start Event. You can get a look at a few pictures from the party in our Photo Album.


 * State of the Game Article

We've posted a new State of the Game article in our Competitive Section. You can look for these articles on a weekly basis. In the future they will be published each Monday; however, you can find this week's article today, instead.


 * Weekly Wallpaper

This Wednesday's desktop image captures a climactic instant in the Guild Wars Factions cinematic, the moment when Kurzick and Luxon unite to perform an act of unquestionable justice. You'll find a choice of ratios and resolutions on this link.

May 2nd, 2006

 * Guild of the Week

Displaying an attitude as saucy as their name, The Kansas City Hotsteppers have been making a mark around Tyria since the early days of Prophecies. You can learn more about the Penny Arcade-based guild in this week's Guild of the Week.


 * California Fan Meet &amp; Greet

NCsoft is hosting a "meet and greet" for fans of their games, and that, of course, includes Guild Wars! You're invited to attend, but you need to sign up right away. Check out the Meet and Greet page for details.

May 1st, 2006

 * Ten-Day Grace Period Explained

The grace period mentioned in an earlier news post will end at 11:59 p.m. PDT on May 8. During the 10-day grace period, if you have a Prophecies account and have added a Factions pre-order key, you can create a 5th or 6th character. After the 10-day grace period, if you have not added a Factions (retail) key to your account, you will not be able to create a 5th or 6th character. We will not delete your new characters, items, or skill unlocks after the 10-day grace period. However, you will need to add a Factions (retail) key to your account in order to play with any Canthan characters after the end of the Extended Head Start Event.