Join ArenaNet president and co-founder Mike O’Brien and game director Colin Johanson for an exclusive sneak peek at what’s next in Guild Wars 2
and be among the first to hear how we’re setting up a new framework for how an MMO can grow its universe.
The Living World was just the beginning...
The livestream will begin with a pre-show at
10:00 a.m. CST (8:00 a.m. PST, 4:00 p.m. UTC) on the official
Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel, hosted by
special guest Jennifer Hale (Voice Actress:
Sylvari Female, Queen Jennah).
ArenaNet co-founder Mike O’Brien and Game Director Colin Johanson will then appear together at the "Guild Wars 2: Beyond the Point of No Return"
panel beginning at
10:30 a.m. CST (8:30 a.m. PST, 4:30 p.m. UTC) in the Main Theater at PAX South.
This panel is expected to last 90 minutes.
After the presentation, the livestream will switch over to post-show commentary from Guild Wars 2 community personalities "MattVisual" and
"WoodenPotatoes". Other members of the GW2 community such as "AuroraPeachy", "Bog Otter", "Jebro", "Chronick", and some surprise guests
have also been invited provide their personal insights into the day’s events both before and after the presentation.
For EU territories, ArenaNet has arranged parallel livestreams in
German with Honeyball and GuildNews.de ,
French with Ashuvidz and
Spanish with YukieKoori and GuildWars Update where fans will be able to follow the event in their native language.
Time remaining until Livestream begins:
Guild Wars 2's storyline involves the imminent reawakening of several ancient Elder Dragons, enormous creatures that devour magic and the various
races that use them. During the
events of the Personal Story that shipped with the game at launch, players joined with a band of heroes known as Destiny's
Edge to face and eventually defeat the Elder Undead Dragon, Zhaitan.
Beginning in January of 2013, ArenaNet began the ambitious "Living World" in which new episodes of story-driven content were added to the game every
month (starting in May 2013, these episodes began release every two weeks).
The first Season of the Living World dealt primarily with a deranged Sylvari named Scarlet Briar who united various enemy factions into an army and used
their various magic and technology to further her own goals. Her main objective was to seek out and disrupt Ley Lines, streams of magical energy that flow
within the planet, directing the energy towards the slumbering Elder Dragons in an effort to awaken them early. When she discovered one of the main Ley
Lines passed beneath the city of Lion's Arch (the main hub city of the game)
, her army invaded and subsequently destroyed the city while Scarlet's massive
drilling platform dug into the earth beneath the city's inner harbor.
The season ended with the player killing Scarlet, but not before she was able to disrupt the Ley Line and redirect its energy deep into the western frontier
where Mordremoth, the Elder Jungle Dragon, stirred for the first time in over 10,000 years.
Season 2 began with
an attack on the Zephyrites, a nomadic culture devoted to the teachings of Glint, a minor dragon who's Flameseeker Prophecies
defined much of the original Guild Wars Prophecies campaign. Their floating sanctuary crashed into the arid Maguuma Wastes, where players immediately
discovered both the origins of Scarlet's Madness and that the Zephyrites had inherited more than just Glint's wisdom. An unhatched dragon egg with the
potential to change the fight against the elder dragons was discovered in their care, though it was stolen by Caithe (one of the members of Destiny's Edge)
shortly thereafter. By tracking Caithe through the wilderness and experiencing visions of her past, players discovered that the Sylvari, one of the playable races,
are actually minions of Mordremoth who have retained their free will only by a twist of fate.
As the remaining members of Destiny's Edge lead
a massive airship attack into the heart of the jungle, their Sylvari allies fall under control of the dragon and
betray them as the fleet is completely destroyed, the fate of several key characters unknown. This is where Heart of Thorns is expected to pick up...
During this special weekend only you can pick up a copy of Guild Wars 2 for
75% off. That's $9.99 US, a ridiculously low price to pay for a game of this magnitude. The sale applies only to the Digital Heroic Edition and Digital
Deluxe Edition purchased through
buy.guildwars2.com from 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 24, 2015, through 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on January 25, 2015.
"I only see the Heroic Edition, where's the regular game?"
The Heroic Edition replaced the basic version of the game about a year after launch.
"Should I buy the Digital Deluxe edition?"
Probably not. Most of the items it grants are either short term boosts or
cosmetic items and the special Elite skill is slightly below average in terms of usefulness.
If you decide you want those items later, you can always buy the Digital Deluxe upgrade in game.
If you want to spend extra money, you are better off buying gems (the in-game cash shop currency) for things like extra bank space, armor skins or convenience items.
"How much does it cost to play?"
Guild Wars 2 has no subscription fees; once you purchase the game you're free to spend as much or as little money as you'd like. Cash shop items are convenience or
cosmetic only, and in-game gold can be converted into the cash shop currency ("gems") so you're never forced to pay real money for any cash shop items you want to buy.
"Any advice for new players?"
Advice for new players here!
"Are there Oceanic Servers?"
There are not. However, several members of the guild from Australia and Southeast Asia report minimal latency issues when connecting to the North American Server.
"I bought the game and have played since _______, what's changed?"
A lot. Like a
huge amount has happened in just the last few months. For a list of all the releases and a quick list of new features, see the
wiki's Releases page.
Alternatively, you can scroll down to the second section of
this post for just the major bullet points.
Is there a GAF Guild?
Yes, the GAF-based guild "Gaming Age Force [GAF] is quite active and has room for new and returning players. Anyone is free to join, including friends and family, though
we ask that potential members follow the
guild's policies (which are basically just NeoGAF's rules on hate speech and trolling).
We're a fairly laid back group that doesn't focus on any particular part of the game; you're just as likely to see GAFers in World vs. World as you are doing dungeons or
world events. There is no pressure to attend any guild events and we have no rules on representation (you can belong to 5 guilds at once, but only "Represent" one at
a time; some guilds have mandatory representation for.... whatever reason.)
GAFGuild plays predominantly on the Stormbluff Isle server, but due to the game's network structure players from any North American server can jump between servers
without paying to transfer. EU players who are interested in playing with GAFGuild should know that we have several European players who report minimal latency when
playing on North American servers.
Does Evilore Play Guild Wars 2 yet?
No, Evilore still does not play Guild Wars 2.
