Guild Wars 2: news and videos

My experience with Guild Wars 2 has been very similar to a lot of people I've met over the years. We all agree it's a wonderful, beautiful take on MMOs, and delivers on its promise of a subscription-free game. But at the same time, we ...   read

(Update: New deals now available for MGSV, added in below). Of the two AAA titles releasing on September 1st the big one is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. PC gamers are getting discounts up to 23% off at GMG dropping the price t...   read

Guild Wars 2 is gearing up to deliver nine elite specializations in the Heart of Thorns expansion, which will fundamentally change-up your class. The Reaper will switch up Necromancers entirely, allowing them to use greatswords t...   read

Blizzard did a great job with its streaming game hub, allowing players to jump into titles while they were downloading. Every feature may not be available and it might not look the best, but during particularly slow download sessions it was...   read

Guild Wars 2 is one of the most accessible MMOs ever made. Eschewing the Holy Trinity of class builds, you can basically pick any character you want and still fulfill a role in any group. Everyone can heal, and everyone can contribute ...   read

Guild Wars 2 is an ambitious project. While ArenaNet's initial offering of Guild Wars was more of a social dungeon crawler than an MMO (the company called it a CORPG, or competitive online role-playing game), the sequel was a bona...   read

Typically, MMOs are third-person affairs and for good reason. Whenever you find yourself in any dangerous persistent world, you want a good idea of what's around you to have the best possible view of the battlefield. Well, some aren't conte...   read

I've said it many times before, but one of the best things about Guild Wars 2 is the fact that you can jump back in anytime without needing to subscribe or feel like you missed anything. Monthly fees definitely still work for MMOs and...   read

Guild Wars 2 is a pretty great MMO. It's buy-to-play, which means you have to purchase the initial package first, then there's no subscription fees or nasty progression-hindering microtransactions. You buy the game, and it feels like ...   read

As a casual MMO player, I've always liked the Guild Wars series -- no monthly subscription fits my lifestyle, you know? I don't have to feel guilty about wasting money by not playing "enough," whatever that is. If you're of a similar mindse...   read

On Thursday, ArenaNet will kick off a week-long trial for Guild Wars 2. You'll be able to play the MMORPG for free from 12:00am Pacific on September 25 until 11:59pm Pacific on October 1. Trial accounts can be opened ahead of time, so I'd s...   read

Guild Wars 2's Chinese publisher had the MMO at 760,000 players on launch day. Two months later, it's reporting 3.8 million Chinese players. Guild Wars 2's first year sales, before the Chinese launch, were at 3.5 million, so total sales are...   read

ArenaNet is paving the way for the end of the current main storyline. Origins of Madness is the first big event of the year for Guild Wars 2. It's coming out on January 21 and this will see players fighting against Scarlet Briar once again....   read

In one of the more spirited giveaways I've seen in recent years, NCSoft and ArenaNet are giving away 5,000 copies of Guild Wars 2 to folks willing to pledge their undying loyalty to the game on camera.  For a chance to win a copy of t...   read

With the one-year anniversary for Guild Wars 2 rapidly approaching, ArenaNet has plans to host a free trial weekend soon. That'll kick off on Friday, August 23 at 12:01am Pacific and carry through Sunday, August 25 at 11:59pm Pacific. If my...   read

Time to dust off that Tyrian merchant hat and polish up all of your excess junk that you don't want -- I mean, quality product that you would hate to part with -- because the Bazaar of the Four Winds content for Guild Wars 2 has been releas...   read

At one point, Guild Wars 2 on consoles may have been a thing, as ArenaNet did some initial testing for it, but it appears as if the project has been scrapped. Speaking to Eurogamer, Lead content designer Mike Zadorojny explained, "Developme...   read

Do you still play Guild Wars 2? I do, and ArenaNet is listening to the folks who want more updates. Specifically, it looks like they're going to target updates every two weeks instead of a three week timeline. Speaking to Gamerzines, ArenaN...   read

Despite not playing as much Guild Wars 2 as I'd like to, that's okay -- it's not costing me anything. I can continue not playing free of guilt, which is the only way I can do MMO gaming any more, I've realized. ArenaNet has kindly shifted t...   read

[Update: Clarifying the comments made during the NCSoft earnings call, a representative reached out to confirm that ArenaNet is still "taking a wait-and-see stance" with regards to a possible Guild Wars 2 expansion. It is, as expressed prev...   read

For April Fools' Day, ArenaNet devised Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box update that went into the actual game as content folks could play. Part of the joke involved a commercial which briefly featured a kid playing an old-s...   read

If you were put off by having to manually locate a band of fellow adventurers in Guild Wars 2 without a third party add-on, it appears as if a late 2013 target has been set for an official "looking for group" tool. "As we’ve announced...   read

There are some companies who can make coming up with great April Fools' Day jokes look effortless and ArenaNet has secured itself on my personal list with Super Adventure Box, an update for Guild Wars 2. Watch the commercial above and prep...   read

Speaking to IGN, Guild Wars 2 director Colin Johanson stated that there are no expansions planned for the game at the current moment. While they haven't completely ruled any out, don't expect any soon. Johanson states, "expansions are defin...   read

With the recent introduction of a ranked matching system, ArenaNet has decided to drop the current system in Guild Wars 2 of paying to participate in high-level player-versus-player matches. The earlier system -- charging for matc...   read

If you've been on the fence in regards to checking out Guild Wars 2, now is a good time to take the plunge, as the digital and collector's editions are on sale for $39.99 and $54.99 respectively. Buying the game will grant you full access t...   read

ArenaNet has shared a look at a new aspect of Guild Wars 2 called guild missions. "Our team’s primary goal was to create a solid foundation to support PvE guild play," writes content designer Leah Rivera. "We wanted to create a feat...   read

ArenaNet has a new video out showcasing their new Norn-themed PVP map for Guild Wars 2, Spirit Watch. It promises huge idyllic vistas, crystal clear waters, and of course, deadly combat. The map will combine conquest gameplay with a ...   read

Guild Wars 2 has a system in place that allows higher-level characters to revisit low-level zones. The player's level is scaled down to match the zone, so they can still get the same challenge. This means they don't have to miss o...   read

A new update for Guild Wars 2 dubbed "Flame and Frost: Prelude" will roll out on January 28, adding a variety of features and setting up what ArenaNet has called a "multi-stage narrative" planned for the MMO this year. Going down the list o...   read

Guild Wars 2 had a pretty tall order to fill when it was released. It sought to change up the MMO formula once and for all, and despite the fact that I wasn't a fan of the original Guild Wars, I think it succeeded in spades. Still, the real...   read

Out of all of our nominee categories this year, discussion over our RPG category was the most heated by far. And it makes sense. Things looked rough for role-playing games for a few years, but now it's one of the most varied and popular gen...   read

The third big event for Guild Wars 2 is Wintersday, a holiday-themed excursion which spans a few weeks and begins ... tomorrow! Toymaker Tixx will be making the rounds to Tyria's major cities on a giant, rather terrifying airship. There's g...   read

It's another big month for Guild Wars 2 as ArenaNet prepares to kick off a one-time world event for the game dubbed "The Lost Shores." The official site offers a glimpse at this new storyline, which will begin at 12:00pm Pacific on November...   read

If you've been neglecting Guild Wars 2 as I regrettably have, the latest content update should offer plenty of incentive for you to clear some time for ArenaNet's Halloween festivities. Shadow of the Mad King begins today with the first in ...   read

In a blog post, Guild Wars 2 systems designer Jonathan Sharp has written at length about the future of the game's structured player versus player. In short, the team at ArenaNet has a lot in mind -- particularly when it comes to the eSports...   read

Upon seeing that Guild Wars 2 was getting a Mac version, I had to rub my eyes and look again. Turns out I read it correctly the first time -- the game is available for Mac OS X (Lion and Mountain Lion) right now. It'll be playable at no ext...   read

2, 2, 2! In just two weeks, and despite a short sales halt to preserve the customer experience, MMO Guild Wars 2 has moved over two million copies.  In the first week, sales of the game played it at the top of the the list of all forma...   read

ArenaNet is currently being laughed at throughout the Internet for releasing one of the silliest live-action trailers ever conceived. Such things are usually bad, but you'd have to work damn hard to come up with something more melodramatic...   read

On August 30, ArenaNet ceased its sales of Guild Wars 2 and restocking of retail inventories as a measure to "ensure that players who bought the game would continue to have the best online experience possible." We knew people were hyped for...   read

ArenaNet has revealed that scammers have a list of usernames and passwords from other websites, and are systematically trying them all on Guild Wars 2. Ah, the fun world of MMOs.  The developer puts the responsibility on the players, p...   read

ArenaNet has revealed that it banned 3,000 Guild Wars 2 players last night for knowingly exploiting a vendor error that saw them buying cheap gear and selling it on for economy-wrecking profit.  "The players we banned were certainly in...   read

I was skeptical of Guild Wars 2. The original Guild Wars, by ArenaNet's own admission, was a Cooperative RPG (CORPG), and not an MMO. As a result, the game was heavily instanced, and even though it was a decent dungeon crawler, I felt like ...   read

Guild Wars 2 hasn't even officially launched yet, but a dedicated player in the early access game has managed to grind his way to level 80 already. French user Surfeuze is officially the first player to hit the level ceiling.  Sur...   read

With the Guild Wars 2 headstart beginning tomorrow, many of you will be playing the game for the first time. Some of you may still be on the fence about whether to purchase it or not (hint: you should). If you haven't played in any of the b...   read

With the last beta weekend behind us for Guild Wars 2, there's about a month left of waiting before ArenaNet's anticipated MMO launches officially. The studio has put together four videos, each highlighting a distinct part of the game; the...   read

With Guild Wars 2 set to be released at the end of August, developer ArenaNet has released the details of what you can expect to play in the last beta weekend before we can get our grubby little hands on the final game. For the first time, ...   read

Those itching to get their hands on the single-disc Guild Wars 2 Collector's Edition Soundtrack that is shipping with the game's collector's edition in late August will likely be surprised by the posting today on DirectSong, which hosts man...   read

It's official -- after hundreds of placeholders, rumored release dates, and leaked information, Guild Wars 2 finally has an official release date of August 28th, 2012 (pre-orders get early access on the 25th!). I had the opportunity to visi...   read

Not a day goes by where I don't see people clamoring for some info on the next Guild Wars 2 beta weekend. Well, today you're going to get it! Compliments of Chris Whiteside, the official times for the second GW2 beta event are Friday, June ...   read