Hello everyone, and thanks for coming to our blog! My name is Drew Nicolo, and I’m a technical artist here at Pure Bang Games. That means that I do a little art, a little programming, and a lot of getting the two to work together.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how to kick things off, and then I remembered the old adage “write what you know.” In light of that, I’ve decided to write about something I know very well: Guild Wars! Today begins my weekly column covering what is one of the most talked about MMOs of 2012, Guild Wars 2.
A few months ago, Guild Wars celebrated its 7th birthday! That is quite a long time for any game to see constant play, let alone an MMO with no subscription fee. I must admit that I let my Guild Wars character fall by the wayside for many of those years. It wasn’t until ArenaNet announced exclusive benefits in Guild Wars 2 for your achievements in Guild Wars’ The Hall of Monuments that I returned to the world of Tyria. And what a different world it was!
Many of the pet peeves I had with Guild Wars when I left had been ironed out, and I could not have been happier with the progress the game had made while I was gone. I had to wonder, if such strides could be made with small patches in Guild Wars, what could ArenaNet accomplish by building an entirely new game from the ground up?
You’d have to be living under a rock if you are a gamer who hasn’t heard about Guild Wars 2 by now. Guild Wars 2 is plans to take a lot of the established MMO paradigms and turn them on their heads. If you are in fact an under-the-rock-dweller then take a look at their MMO manifesto over on the Guild Wars 2 website. Needless to say Guild Wars 2 has high ambitions, but does it live up to the hype?
Having played in the beta for Guild Wars 2 I can answer that question with a resounding “Maybe!” There are certain aspects that ArenaNet nailed, while others were frankly difficult to gauge over the limited scope and time period of the Beta Weekend Events and stress tests. I’ll give you a synopsis of my impressions on each of the big features Guild Wars 2 is implementing.
Classes:
I was ecstatic when I heard that Guild Wars 2 would get rid of the “Healz, DD, Tank” holy trinity of MMOs. Guild Wars 2 has done away with strict class systems in order to ensure that all classes and players can work together — every class will be able to take care of itself with a dedicated healing skill, and there will be no ideal party formation. Has Guild Wars 2 achieved this ambitious feat?
Yes! I spent time as both a Thief and an Elementalist and neither one felt more useful than the other. In fact the game has made it so difficult to pick which class I want to play that I have decided to take both classes to the level cap! (This coming from the guy who, after seven years in Guild Wars, only hit the level cap of 20 once). Both classes felt distinct. Their play styles varied greatly, but not their roles. In addition, whenever I encountered another player who decided to help (more on the interaction between players later) I never felt burdened by their class choices while playing with that player.
If you’re interested in checking out what the classes in Guild Wars 2 have to offer take a look at this handy build tool, you can check out skill sets people have made or create your own. Guild Wars 2 Codex
That wraps up today’s post! Tune in next week when I cover lessons I learned from Guild Wars 2 as a technical artist !
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