Curse

Coridan · Mar 27, 2007, 03:23 PM // 15:23

From GW site

http://www.guildwars.com/press/relea...2007-03-27.php

Press Release - March 27, 2007

Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars Expansion Announced

NCsoft, ArenaNet reveal future plans for high-flying online roleplaying franchise; Guild Wars: Eye of the North scheduled for holiday 2007 release

Bellevue, WA., March 27, 2007—NCsoft® and ArenaNet® today revealed their exciting plans for the future of the hugely successful Guild Wars® franchise. The companies announced that development already is underway on a full sequel to the original Guild Wars games. Guild Wars 2TM will draw from the game mechanics that made the original Guild Wars one of the most popular online games ever and will add a fully persistent world. It was also revealed that, like its predecessors, Guild Wars 2 will not have a subscription fee. No launch date was announced, but the ArenaNet team anticipates that Guild Wars 2 will go into beta sometime in the second half of 2008.

In addition, ArenaNet developers are working on the first true expansion for the Guild Wars franchise, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM. Due to hit store shelves during the 2007 holiday season, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM will require at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns (PropheciesTM, FactionsTM, or NightfallTM) in order to play. It's a game that will benefit long-time players of the Guild Wars games, with all of the content targeting existing Guild Wars characters.

"We felt it was extremely important to reward those people who have been playing Guild Wars since the game first launched in 2005," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Those players have seen three very large campaigns created in a little under two years and so we think it's time to begin filling in the details of the existing world and to provide more content for current characters. We are thrilled to focus our time on something that our players have been asking for."

Set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will have 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and even more items, weapons and titles.

And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.

"It's the payoff we hope players will appreciate as we continue to build on the Guild Wars franchise," said Strain. "We're excited to announce these two new products and we want players to know that Guild Wars has an extremely exciting future in the months and years ahead."

An exclusive full preview of Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars: Eye of the North can be found in the May issue of PC Gamer which will be on newsstands by April 3. More information on the Guild Wars franchise can be found at http://www.guildwars.com.

http://www.guildwars.com/press/relea...ofthenorth.php

Guild Wars: Eye of the North

In the face of Tyria's greatest challenges, heroes have arisen to thwart the forces of darkness. The Titans have been driven back to the demon realms, Shiro has been unmasked, and Abaddon has fallen.

Now a new darkness threatens Tyria. Great earthquakes wrack the lands, opening huge underground complexes beneath the earth. Boiling up from that darkness, an ancient enemy may spell the end of the Age of Man...

Guild Wars players will soon be able to embark on a journey that will take their existing characters into the treacherous reaches north of the Shiverpeak Mountains. There, they must stand side-by-side with both friends and enemies from the past, recruit new allies and heroes, and delve deep into perilous dungeons to face an ancient evil. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. One thing is certain; at the end of this battle, nothing will remain the same.

Expanding the World
Guild Wars: Eye of the North expands upon the continent of Tyria, telling a tale that takes place after the events of the Prophecies campaign.

Players will be able to take existing characters from any of the previous Guild Wars campaigns into Guild Wars: Eye of the North. There, they will find adventures and encounters worthy of battle-hardened heroes who have faced such adversaries as Shiro and Abaddon as they seek to uncover the mystery behind the great earthquakes. The Eye of the North expansion contains only max-level content. There's no time to train raw recruits; no time to study with great masters. Only heroes need apply.

New Races, Old Enemies
In Guild Wars: Eye of the North, players will encounter two new races: the enigmatic Asura, masters of magic who were driven from the depths by a great danger, and the fiercely independent Norn, who are more interested in contests of personal prowess than the troubles of the world around them. And as the Deldrimor Dwarves fight a desperate battle against a new evil welling up out of the earth, players will once again come face-to-face with humanity's most-hated enemy—the Charr.

Delve into the Deep
Guild Wars: Eye of the North introduces another exciting feature to the Guild Wars legacy—multi-level dungeons!

As the story of this expansion unfolds, players will delve into eighteen vast dungeons to face untold enemies, search for clues about the menace facing the world, and uncover new weapons they can use in the final confrontation. These immersive, multi-level dungeons will take characters deep beneath the earth and expose them to challenges the likes of which have never been seen in any Guild Wars game to date.

Become Part of the Legend
Heroes are born in the crucible of conflict and tempered in the flames of battle. Their deeds shine throughout history as a beacon of hope to those who must rise to defend the world in ages to come, becoming part of the legend of the land. The legends forged within Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, and the Eye of the North will not be forgotten in the future world of Guild Wars 2.

Your deeds from the original Guild Wars campaigns will be commemorated in the Eye of the North expansion in your Hall of Monuments. The Hall of Monuments will reflect the achievements you earn in Eye of the North as well as those earned in Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. You will even be able to show off your hall to friends. Then, when Guild Wars 2 arrives, each of these monuments will correspond to special features your Guild Wars 2 characters can "inherit" from your own legendary past, giving you access to exclusive titles, companions (Heroes and pets), weapons, attire, and miniatures. These inherited items are unique: there is no other way within Guild Wars 2 to acquire them.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North Features

Tons of new content designed exclusively for your existing Guild Wars characters
18 huge, multi-level dungeons to explore
Monuments of your Guild Wars achievements that give access to special items and titles in Guild Wars 2
150 new skills (50 of which are special, roleplaying-only skills) to use against your foes
10 new Heroes to help you in your adventures
40 new armor sets suitable for the great heroes of the land
A first look at three of the exciting new playable races in Guild Wars 2
Numerous new items, weapons, and titles to attain

""And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.""

from the second link

Your deeds from the original Guild Wars campaigns will be commemorated in the Eye of the North expansion in your Hall of Monuments. The Hall of Monuments will reflect the achievements you earn in Eye of the North as well as those earned in Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. You will even be able to show off your hall to friends. Then, when Guild Wars 2 arrives, each of these monuments will correspond to special features your Guild Wars 2 characters can "inherit" from your own legendary past, giving you access to exclusive titles, companions (Heroes and pets), weapons, attire, and miniatures. These inherited items are unique: there is no other way within Guild Wars 2 to acquire them.

sounds exciting...

BTW i know there are multiple threads about this bu this is official from GW...if u want to move or delete it feel free to

Fender · Mar 27, 2007, 03:25 PM // 15:25

no more crappy mag scans of Gwen:

Etta · Mar 27, 2007, 03:27 PM // 15:27

How you doin', Gwen?

Arduin · Mar 27, 2007, 03:29 PM // 15:29

Guild Wars: Eye of the North introduces another exciting feature to the Guild Wars legacy—multi-level dungeons!

So.... now Guild Wars officially has dungeons

Tetris L · Mar 27, 2007, 03:30 PM // 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coridan

""Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.""

I wish ANet had made it much clearer that this isn't a "storage" of GW1 items, armor, gold, or anything, because that is a very common misconception.

boxterduke · Mar 27, 2007, 03:33 PM // 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuildWars

your Guild Wars 2 characters can "inherit" from your own legendary past, giving you access to exclusive titles, companions (Heroes and pets), weapons, attire, and miniatures. These inherited items are unique: there is no other way within Guild Wars 2 to acquire them.

I wonder if this means, that we can get our current weapons and armor (attire)?
If so then this could be very interesting indeed.

Etta · Mar 27, 2007, 03:36 PM // 15:36

Man, holiday season seem so far away.

BSSuperman · Mar 27, 2007, 03:38 PM // 15:38

Stop wishing your lives away - thats time that you're never ever gonna get back.

Arduin · Mar 27, 2007, 03:38 PM // 15:38

O.o New titles too... Still lotsa months to go. D*mn you ANet for getting me this excited

Oh my, I want a flying pet too

Tetris L · Mar 27, 2007, 03:41 PM // 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etta

Man, holiday season seem so far away.

Do ANet realize that the term "holiday season" is very unclear to many people, especially people outside USA / non native english speakers?

clawofcrimson · Mar 27, 2007, 03:43 PM // 15:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxterduke

I wonder if this means, that we can get our current weapons and armor (attire)?
If so then this could be very interesting indeed.

most likely refereing to holiday items

Ferret · Mar 27, 2007, 03:44 PM // 15:44

The official news certainly keeps up the excitement, but it's a shame it still doesnt give a clearer picture of when Eye of the North will be released.

Holiday 2007 is a bit vague and the write up says 'soon'. Hmmm, summer holiday release maybe (even if play.com and game.com say sept'07)?

Mylon · Mar 27, 2007, 03:45 PM // 15:45

Heh, Guild Wars 2 is going to have a very high level cap or unbound advancement. I wonder if this means I'm gonna get my +1 HP per skill point I was asking for?

I'm pretty sure the bonuses will be tiny, to keep PvP pretty fair.

FeuerFrei · Mar 27, 2007, 03:51 PM // 15:51

gwen looks kinda anxious O.o.... making me impatient

Zallya · Mar 27, 2007, 03:59 PM // 15:59

From the Wired article the main site links to:

Quote:

Speaking of running around the world, that's something you'll actually be able to do; run, jump, basically just dork around however you like. When you land in a new world, O'Brien explained, you don't want to have to read a bunch of skill descriptions, you want to run around and jump and swing, so that's what you'll be able to do in Guild Wars 2. It's meant to be a learn-by-doing sort of situation--rather than have overly complex skills that take an excessive amount of brain matter to understand, players will learn less complicated skills that they will be encouraged to test out in any situation they can think of. What happens if you use this skill while jumping, or that one while surrounded by monsters? Who knows? Give it a whirl and find out! Strain referred to it as "emergent complexity,"

That part just got me exited.

ravensong · Mar 27, 2007, 04:00 PM // 16:00

who is that sexy blonde on the announcement window

FeuerFrei · Mar 27, 2007, 04:14 PM // 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravensong

who is that sexy blonde on the announcement window

now that u mentioned it...whoa...that norn is HAWT!!!!!!!

Ulivious The Reaper · Mar 27, 2007, 04:23 PM // 16:23

I LOVE the guild wars concept art, but wtf are these o.o http://www.guildwars.com/images/conc...pt-035-lrg.jpg

charrs long lost cousins?

Dreikki · Mar 27, 2007, 04:26 PM // 16:26

I know this is a stupid question, but when is holiday season? :$

GenobeeX · Mar 27, 2007, 04:26 PM // 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ulivious The Reaper

I LOVE the guild wars concept art, but wtf are these o.o http://www.guildwars.com/images/conc...pt-035-lrg.jpg

charrs long lost cousins?

Most likely, Looks like they now come in assorted colors. All these concept photos make me all the more anxious to play as them in GW2. Looks like ill have to settle meeting them in GW:EN for now.