Guild Wars Previews

A trio of new previews for ArenaNet’s Guild Wars have made their way to the web, based upon the game’s final Beta Weekend Event. The first is at GamingSource:

Character generation is less complicated than Dungeons & Dragons games like Neverwinter Nights but you’ll still have some important decisions to make. Players can choose from six classes, each with their own perks and uses. You’ve got your beefy warrior, healing monk, bow-wielding ranger, spell-toting elementalist, charismatic Mesmer and dark-magic expert necromancer. You’ll also be able to double up on your classes without any of the penalties players experience in D&D. I chose to be a Ranger/Monk. I like being the person who hangs back in a fight, so I thought a long range expert and healer would be a good combo. Players can mix and match whichever two classes they want at no penalty, you’ll literally be able to use the skills and abilities of your second chosen class. There is no way to unlearn your professions though so you’ll be stuck with your choice once it is made. It is important to scrutinise over the profession you choose as your main (first professions) however. This first profession will dictate your appearance as well as your maximum health and the speed of your energy (mana) regeneration. A warrior/mentalist will have lots of health but slow energy regeneration meaning you won’t be able to cast many spells in a battle. A mentalist/warrior will have fast mana regeneration but low health. To top off the role-playing experience when players level up they can increase their profession’s stats, making their skills more effective or adding more weapon damage as well as the usual increase in health and energy.

The second is at Xequted:

Each quest you successfully complete will earn you experience, and this experience is the best way to level up your character and progress to higher levels. There are twenty levels as a maximum for each character. You might think this is pretty low, but the limit is this way in order to accommodate the Player verses Player gaming (more about this later), which requires a level playing field for gamers to enjoy it the most. The aim is for player skill to be far more important than how much time a player has spent playing the game.

And the third is at GameZone:

Many MMOs try to do something fun when the beta session closes, and for Guild Wars, it felt not only like joyful play but held a sense of wonder as well. During a series of beta events over the past several months, those participating have watched the game grow and evolve. The festivities Sunday night were a fitting conclusion to a great series of beta events, and hold the promise of a solid and challenging title to come.