Event January 20-22, Free Preview of Chapter 2!!

NCsoft, ArenaNet Announce Guild Wars: Factions

Free Player-versus-Player Event to Provide Sneak Peek for Players All Over the World

Bellevue, Wash., Jan. 10, 2006 — NCsoft®, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announces Guild Wars®: Factions™, the next chapter in the critically acclaimed Guild Wars franchise from ArenaNet® studios. The Factions campaign will release in the second quarter of 2006. It offers players an incredible gameplay experience with many new choices, including new regions, professions, skills, missions, and monsters, along with expanded options for both Cooperative and Player-versus-Player (PvP) play, and enhanced features for guilds.

Players will get their first chance to experience the new campaign when ArenaNet opens its servers to everyone for the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend. This worldwide event—scheduled for January 20 through 22—is open to both existing Guild Wars players and to those who do not have a Guild Wars account. ArenaNet is distributing free access keys to the event at http://www.guildwars.com.

The event will enable players to experience two new professions being introduced in the campaign, the Assassin and the Ritualist. Participants will also be able to try out a number of the skills added to Guild Wars: Factions, including some of the deadly skills of the Assassin and the arcane spells of the spiritual Ritualist. They will also be able to get familiar with the new PvP continent, Battle Isles. Battle Isles will introduce players to new PvP experiences, new and expanded arenas, new quests, and a new explorable area as well.

Another feature available during the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend is Observer Mode, where players who aren't participating in a battle can view the proceedings and check out the strategies and tactics used by top-ranked guilds as they fight for supremacy.

"We're excited to be offering this free preview of Guild Wars: Factions to players throughout the world," said Patrick Wyatt, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Factions is a huge step in the continued evolution of the game, and I think gamers are really going to be excited about the new features they're going to see!"

In September of 2005, Guild Wars surpassed more than one million units sold in North America and Europe, a milestone reached in less than five months. Guild Wars is a competitive online roleplaying game that rewards player skill more than time played. Players explore a rich fantasy game world, acquire skills, build personalized characters and compete in head-to-head guild battles with players from around the world.

http://www.guildwars.com/press/pr13-10-01-06.html

Thought you guys would want to know this :-)

Just found it today

Sorry if this was already in another topic, but my search didn't find anything else.

That is a good marketing idea. I can't wait.

I cannot wait for this! I am going to be telling ALL of my friends who don't have GW...this is going to rock! Thanks alot!

all questions will be answered in a form of freebie preview... I am anxious.

I think this is awesome and i cant wait, but i do have a question. Hopefully someone will see this thread and will be able to answer it.

Im assuming in order to try out the new classes you need to make a new pvp character. What about those of us who have all of our available slots used up on pve characters and we dont want to delete those just to try a class for a couple days. Even though it might be tempting. So, will we get a temporary extra slot or are we just screwed? Im sure ANET has already thought about this and plans on doing something about it.

If all else fails i guess i can get a free temporary access key and use it, but some of might not want to mess with all of that. I know i would,i really want to try out the new classes.

I don't think you will be required to delete a character if you don't have one available.

I am looking forward to this.

I think it would be nice if they would just let you create a new character...make it to where you can have 5 characters instead of 4. maybe even 6 characters

Wow, some good info there.

So, it's April, May or June for sure now.

I think the access key creates a temporary account, you can create 4 new characters, but not in addition to your original account. after the event I'm sure the free-temp accounts would be wiped. ... just my guess.

just a though, but maybe they will release it on the anniversary of the innitial release of gw?

That is awesome!

Just saw I won't be online that weekend a lot because of tests the following week .....

so pls take a lot of screenies, like around the 200000 of them, and maybe some people who won't be there (like me), can enjoy this too .

If you ask me, the "Free Account" is probably a 6 char account to be wiped after about 2-5 mons of testing. If an existing player wants to test, he/she/it(cuz u never know if an alien is playing o_0) gets 2 extra slots (I hope...) and will not get wiped.

Oh, and it would be really cool if there was a quest in the current version that allowed you to get to chapter 2, the same way you get from pre-searing to "The Story". Maybe that should include the ability to gain a few more levels, but thats just my idea.

Well Im sure that if they are going to give us the access to use the new characters the will give us the extra slot or 2 for the event. If not then Im screwed cause im in love with all my toons and aint planning on deleteing them anytime soon.

holy crap 200000! you can almost animate that, lol ... in fact i'm sure ppl will make some frap vids out of the event...

OMG I THINK I CRAPPED MYSELF!



Sooooo Goood!

think about the original open beta weekend event for everybody long ago.

since they may (or may not) have any further events they may be wiped after the event and if kept would go dead on release unless a retail key was put in.

in any event all chapter 2 progress/items would be gone.

will we be able to unlock new skills with fraction,or will all the skilsl be unlocked?

Hehe, remember, it seems like this will only be a PvP event, not PvE, so we may not get to see much, if any at all, of the Co-operative content.

I'm not much of a PvPer but even I'm excited about this, roll on the assassins!