Guild Wars FAQ
What kind of game is Guild Wars?
Guild Wars is a competitive online role-playing game. Players can engage in cooperative group combat, in single player adventures, or in large head-to-head guild battles. Guild Wars is a mission-based game set in a stunning 3D fantasy world that offers full, integrated support for guilds. Because the team that is developing Guild Wars has had experience creating successful online game series such as Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo, the members are familiar with the complex issues surrounding online games, and are creating a game that's both easy to learn and compelling to play long term, and yet doesn’t require players to spend hundreds of hours slogging through the preparation just to get to the fun bits.
When will it be released?
The release is scheduled for 2nd Half 2004.
Will there be a monthly fee for Guild Wars?
No, there will not be a monthly subscription fee of any kind, anywhere.
What are the system requirements for Guild Wars?
The final system requirements have not yet been determined, but currently we have set the following as minimum system specifications for those involved in our Guild Wars Alpha Test:
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
800 MHz Pentium 3 or equivalent
256 MB RAM
GeForce 2 class video card with 32MB RAM
(Recommend: GeForce 3 class video card with 64MB RAM)
250 MB hard drive space
Internet connection
Who is ArenaNet?
ArenaNet is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft Corporation, and was founded in March 2000 by key members of the creative teams behind Blizzard’s game series Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, as well as the Battle.net gaming network. You can get a lot of good information about the company at our website:
www.arena.net.
Is Guild Wars an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game)?
The difference between Guild Wars and an MMORPG is that Guild Wars has been built from the ground up to create a fun and exciting experience right from the start of the game, even for first time players. We’ve eliminated frustrating elements such as spawn camping, kill stealing, endless traveling and treadmill gaming. Guild Wars provides an environment where you can meet new people and make friends in public gaming areas, but enjoy all the excitement of battle that comes from team-based combat in private virtual worlds. Finally, Guild Wars has been designed to reward gamers for their playing skill, and not solely for the number of hours they've spent gaming, which enables well-balanced competitive missions between players of almost all skill levels.
Are your in-game screenshots altered in any way? Do you rework them in an art program before adding them to the site?
No, our Screenshots Section includes only totally unaltered in-game images. We use a distinctive glow technology that gives a fantastical appearance to the game. All the in-game screenshots that are in our Gallery are completely unaltered, and come straight from the game to you.
Can I customize my character's appearance?
Guild Wars will allow for a wide array of character customization, including gender, skin tones, hair color and height. In addition, you will be able to dye shields, armor and weapons, creating a large variety of item appearances. We'll continue to announce further details in future articles and interviews, and will provide information on this site as well.
How many character classes are there?
We're showing the first three character professions at E3, but the game will release with many more. Furthermore, each character will be able to try out various professions before deciding to specialize in two professions; this will provide an amazing array of choices and play experiences.
Are characters persistent?
Yes, your character will continue from mission to mission, acquiring levels, items, skills and abilities. In addition, every character is stored on ArenaNet's servers, so no matter whether you play single player adventures, cooperative missions, or head-to-head battles, your character will be stored in a secure environment allowing you to log in to play from anywhere in the world.
Can I be killed by other players?
While Guild Wars has player vs. player combat, you're in control: you can choose to join in competitive missions and receive acclaim for conquering other gamers, or you can reap the rewards of solo adventures or cooperative team missions with an entirely different set of challenges.
Will the game have guild support? Will there be ladders and tournaments?
Guild Wars, as evidenced by its name, will have broad support for game guilds, including integrated support for worldwide tournaments and ladders, the ability for a guild to own and operate a guildhall, private guild forums, and more.
Do you have to be in a guild to play Guild Wars?
Not at all. Although there will be many positive aspects of belonging to a guild, there will be so many single-player missions, team cooperative and competitive missions as well as individual player-versus-player missions that you can be assured of many of those gaming sessions that run into the wee hours, no matter your playing style. Missions will come in all sizes and difficulties and can be joined individually, as part of a one-time team or as a member of a full-fledged guild.
Is Guild Wars always played online?
Yes. Guild Wars is designed from the ground up to be an online game. This allows maximum security to prevent cheating by other players, so your gaming experience won't be diminished by others. But perhaps more importantly, our online network allows us to stream content to your computer, so you will always have the most current version of the game, and will play in a world that can change on a continuous basis.
What platforms will Guild Wars support?
Guild Wars will initially be released on the PC, but we will continue to evaluate other platforms as we get closer to release.
Will I be able to play Guild Wars on a dial-up modem?
Yes you will. We are well aware that many users do not have broadband access, and we want the largest possible number of gamers to be able to join our game without being held back by technical issues like their Internet connection. We have designed Guild Wars to function excellently on a dial-up connection and our alpha testers confirm they have no problems with their connection, even testing from other continents.
Do you provide fansite resources? Where can I learn about the rules and guidelines for use of your materials?
ArenaNet strongly believes in fansites and wants to support them. Our Community Section is full of information and resources for fansite webmasters and other interested parties, including a program outline, a fansite kit, a program Q&A, and a Fansite News page that is updated regularly. All fansite staff members and others who use Guild Wars materials are bound by our Terms of Use document, which contains a good deal of useful information as far as copyrights, image usage and so forth.
How do I participate in the Guild Wars beta test?
We are currently in closed alpha testing, where all participants are involved by invitation only. Guild Wars will be having a beta test as well, however, and we'll be sure to give our fans ample notice so that they can sign up to come aboard. News about our beta test will be posted on this website in the future.
Where can I read more about Guild Wars?
There are a number of articles, previews, and interviews on the 'Net, and Guild Wars has been featured in several print magazines as well and has already been honored with a few awards. Here is a page with a list of reading resources.
