Tender W
olf’s
The Serpentine Races
On T
he Tube with
Daelin Dwin
The
Deep
Exclusive Covera
ge from:
By the community, for
the comm
unity
October - Issu
e #3
© 2003-2010 Ar
enaNet, Inc. All rights r
eserv
ed. NCsoft, the in
t
erlocking NC log
o, Ar
enaNe
t, Ar
ena.ne
t, Guild W
ar
s, Guild W
ar
s 2, and all associa
t
ed log
os and designs ar
e tr
ademarks or r
egis
t
er
ed tr
ademarks of NCsoft Corpor
a
tion. All other tr
ademarks ar
e the pr
operty of their r
espectiv
e owner
s.
This issue’s
theme:
The Deep
Abadd
on
The
Lux
ons
Title Hun
t
er
s: G
W
AMM
P
oe
try
And mo
And mo
r
e..
..
This
issue:
→
San Diego ComicCo
n
Twitchy's ComicCon rep
ort.
Water
s of Tyr
ia
A thorough article on the waters of the
world and the
ir
unsolved m
ysteri
es
→ Fall Fa
shion
acclaimed "God Walking Amongst Me
re Mortals"
titl
e.
GamesCom Q&A with Jeff Grubb and Colin Jo
hanson
A continuation of our vide
o interview.
On Th
e Tube With Da
elin Dwin
A recap of some of the most entertaining Guild War
s
videos on Yo
uTu
be.
chance to win exclusive PAX swag!
History and
Cul
ture of th
e Luxo
n Armad
a
Background lore on the nomadic factio
n.
The Dee
p
Delve into a mine deep beneath the jade sea, and dis-
cover the evils containe
d within.
→ Poetry
→ End of the Lin
e
The last tidbits and a pre
view of what we’re planning
for the next issue
.
P
AX-
Pr
im
e 2010
GamesCom
San Diego
Comi
c Con
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Magazine |
Page
1/67
EDITOR’S WO
RD:
The next convention was GamesCom, and with
it
came a lot of exciting gaming news and th
e first
hands-on demo of Guild Wars 2 playable by
the
public. Our Dutch dele
gation, consisting of myself,
Arghore,
Jonny10 and Asuran, couldn't wait to
play
the demo and inte
rview the developers. We have
several articles about the demo and the
convention
from each of our perspectives, in addition to an e
x
from each of our perspectives, in addi
tion
to an
ex-
clusive chat from the ArenaNet Party featuring Ar
g-
hore.
Lastly, GuildMag write
r Izari
and editor Jess tre
kked
across the country to Seattle for
PAX Prime. Izari
brought home with her a ton of swag as well
as ex-
clusive coverage of the event including the
GW2 dy-
namic events panel and the
invitation only Are-
naNet party.
Reports from:
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Report | Page
2/67
By T
wit
ch
y
June 22nd-25th marked the weekend of my third Comic Con in downtown San Die
go, Cali-
fornia. Born and raised in SoCal all my life
, it actually saddens me that I haven’t gone to
more Comic Cons than that. It re
ally is an awesome place—comic books, movies, video
games and even some cable TV networks all share the floor at the massive e
vent. Even
though it’
s dubbed Comic Con, the convention itse
lf pretty much houses something for ev-
eryone. So it really comes as no surprise that the
attendees are a veritable mosaic of all dif-
ferent types of people. You’ve got the cosplayers,
the mega comic
book nerds, th
e gamers,
the fangirls and even a significant portion of re
gular, curious people braving the crowds for
the fangirls and even a significant portion of regular, curious people braving the crowds for
a glimpse of just what the
heck is going on.
Comic Con is massive and an ende
avor to prepare for. The event is in July, but my friend and
I had to buy our badges in October. That sounds ridiculous, but Comic Con sells out at an ob-
scenely fast pace, and I wasn't about to miss out. Hotels are also a factor that you have to
stay on top of. The hotels around the convention center are usually very, ve
ry expensive,
b
ut
still book fast around the
days of the con. More affordable options are at a farther distance,
but such a trade-off is usually not as painful as it sounds. Navigating downtown San Die
go
and finding parking is actually quite simple with a little
knowledge of the area.
wednesday-
July 21st, Wednesday night,
was the big drive down for me. A-er work
I gathered my
things, stu-ed them into my car and began the
uneven-ul ride
from Los Angeles to La Jolla,
San Die
go where my friend’s apartment was. Immediately a-er arriving and ge-ng se-led,
my friend and I went to sleep. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and we couldn’t
wait!
A-er our brief walk, we waited in the
registra-on line for maybe a half hour. Despite the
amount of people gathered to pick up badges the -rst day,
I was pleasantly surprised to
-nd the line moving at a dece
nt pace. The giant swag bags that Warner Brothers has been
known for every year were par-cularly popular this -me around, it was almost as if e
very
major company there had their own giant tote for you to haul things in. Howeve
r, I hon-
estly don’t recommend it since the things are so big that once you start -lling the
m with
junk, the weight begins to do a numb
er on
your b
ack.
The -rst day of the con mostly involved me
and my friend ge-ng a feel for this year’s
venue. We wandered the dealer’s hall -rst thing, to beat the crowd that would ine
vitably
hinder us later in the day. Thursday was pre-y good in that regard,
I managed to scan the
whole perimeter of the dealer’s hall, taking in as much as I could. N
Cso-’s booth was
nestled nicely in a corner and easy to locate and remember for the future. Later in the day,
my friend and I a-ended a couple panels for TV shows we we
re fans of. A-erwards we le-
the conven-on center for the Mario- next door. It was here that all post-pane
l freebies
were given out. T-shirts, hats and posters galore! Not a bad way to end the day.
were given out. T-shirts, hats and posters galore! Not a bad way to end the day.
friday-
Friday was a shopping day for us. We arrived there at around the same -me, and foun
d th
e
crowd circula-ng in front of the conven-on ce
nter a bit bigger than the day before. In the
morning, it was easy to squeeze through the sizeable throng, but we kne
w that come a-er-
noon it would be a zoo. Inside
, the dealer’s hall was a bit more boisterous and a few booths
changed up the atmosphere a li-le to impress the growing crowd. Paramoun
t had
a Th
or
display that wasn’t there before- a huge golden throne that had to be aroun
d 40 -. across
.
It was gaudy as heck, but cool to se
e up close!
Reports from:
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Report | Page
3/67
By T
wit
ch
y
The next day was the big one, Saturday, where the major panels and major crowds
invad
ed
poor, unassuming downtown San Diego for the geek-out party of their lives. My friend de-
cided to wait four hours in line for the Harry Po-er panel in Hall H. My plan was a bit more
productive—NCsoft time! I ventured to the booth at arou
nd
noo
n, when at least some
people were off to lunch. I didn’t really notice much difference in the crowd, though.
NCsoft, like I said, was situated in a corner. It was the
refore easy to find, and to me, in a
thankfully le
ss crowded area
.
The booth housed several rows of nice computers, all playing demos of N
Csoft’s Aion or
City of Heroes. I goofed off on an Aion computer for a while, flying around and admiring the
game’
s amazing scenery and detail. Couldn’t quite figure out where I was going, though.
After that, the line for the book giveaway started deve
loping, and I decided to try my hand
at getting a free copy of Ghosts of Ascalon. And I didn’t leave empty-handed either!
Sunday, the event’s crowds started trickling away, li-le
by li-le. We decided to take advan-
tage of lowered sales at the dealer’s hall, as was tradition on Sundays,
and remained there
for several hours. There was a distinct feeling of the convention “toning down” a bit, which
I didn’t mind. Though it was a new day, I was exhausted. Four days of d
raggin
g heavy b
ags,
wading through crowds and walking miles through conve
ntion halls and downtown stre
ets
can do a number on anybody, but it was definitely a fun way to workout. In the end, my
drive home was long and boring as expected,
but I left satisfied that my time there was in
no way wasted
.
no way wasted
.
San Diego Comic Con is crowded, smelly and exhausting. It sometimes takes an incredible
feat of patience to navigate, and even then you might not make it to that long-awaite
d
panel. But regardless of these faults, I plan to go again. And again. With the
amount of stuff
to see and do, things to tinker with and buy and awesome people to meet, I cannot stres
s
enough how amazingly fun the e
xperience is. NCsoft and the Guild Wars 2 team's presence
there made my experience doubly enjoyable, and I alre
ady can't wait until ne
xt year.
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild W
ars magazine
Lore | Page 4/
67
By Thalador Do
omspeak
er
The sea itself is separated from the Unending Ocean by a
narrow strait, called the Strait of Malchor,
that li
es be-
tween the Ruins of Orr and
the Tarnished
Coast.
It was
named after the sculptor who created the first generation
of the statues of the gods. The S
ea of So
rrows is an
imp
or-
tant trade route mainly for Canthan
traders and
Xun
lai
agents. Visitors from the
Dragon Empire and Elona also
have to sail through this be
autiful, but sorrowful se
a in
order to reach Lion’s Arch, the Krytan capital.
giant’s basin:
These lakes often confuse newcomers and visitors ali
ke.
The two lakes form a pair, although the
one that lies to the
east near the foothills of the Shiverpeak Mo
untains
is
called Le
sser Giant’s Basin (obviously the smalle
r of the
two). Both of them are saltwater lakes and they provide an
abundance of fish for the northern provin
ces an
d to
wns of
K
ryta.
Our knowledge of its sea life is incredibly scarce
. Som
e
people who have crossed the Clashing Se
as claim to have
seen krakens as well as other fearsome and g
igantic crea-
tures, but so far these reports have not
been
proven offi-
cial
ly.
There are four known historical events that are tied to the
There are four known historical events that are tied to the
Unending Ocean. One is from 175 BE (Before the Exo
dus
of
the Gods). In this year the Margonite
s, originally a se
afar-
ing tribe of humans before
their transformation into de
-
monic beings, settled the ocean’s Elonian coasts as we
ll as
those north and to the west of the land, possib
ly along th
e
Orrian peninsula. The
ir vessels also ruled and cruise
d the
ocean during those peaceful ti
mes.
ocean during those peaceful ti
mes.
The second, the third, and the fourth
even
t are all con-
nected to the Great Corsair Wars. The First Great Corsair
War began in 712 AE, but other than its beginning, nothin
g
else is known about this se
ries of maritime battles. How-
ever, we know a lot more about the Second
Great Co
rsair
War. It started in 982 AE and ended with
the defeat of
Lady
Glaive's armada at the hands of Seamarshal Mato
ha in
1016 AE. After her loss, Lady Glaive fled to Or
rian wate
rs
1016 AE. After her loss, Lady Glaive fled to Or
rian wate
rs
on her ship, the Queen of Fools, where she and her crew
were granted amnesty by King Zoran (father of K
ing Reza
who was the last monarch of the kingdom)
in
the un
der-
ground caverns we now call S
hards of Orr.
waters of the tyrian continent
:
the sea of sorro
ws:
The inland sea that conne
cts the shores of Kryta, the Tar-
nished Coast and the Ruins of Orr origin
ally had
a mu
ch
brighter name. Prior to 1071 AE its name was the Bay of
Sirens. After Orr sank to the bottom of the
sea, seafarers
ventured into Orrian waters to determine the fate
of th
e
peninsula. The
re they saw firsthand the horrible effects of
the Cataclysm. The disastrous event destroyed many ships
that were in the proximity of the explosion,
and after some
that were in the proximity of the explosion,
and after some
time, more and more of the wreckage has washed ash
ore
Water is powerful; more powerful, I'm su
re
,
than yo
u rea
l-
ize.
-Bahltek
The lands of Tyria are
full of unsolved myste
ries. The seas
and lakes of Tyria hold even more of these
myster
ies. No
one knows how many species live there
, how many long-
forgotten ruins lie at their bottoms or how many powerfu
l
and ancient relics reside
amongst their waves. The
time wi
ll
come when the mortal races dare enter the unkno
wn
and
try to shed some light on the
aforementioned mysteries,
but they must prepare, for the seas and lakes won’t give
away their secrets easily. Until then,
allow me
to dive
into
the mysteries of Tyria’s waters.
the oceans of tyria:
So far we have knowledge of only one ocean, the Unending
Ocean, or some may call it the Clashing Seas. It's unknown
whether there are more, or if only one ocean divides the
continents of the world. This e
normous body of water
separates the continents of Tyria and E
lo
na from Can
tha.
The Battle Isles (inhabite
d by the Priests of Balthaza
r and
the Zaishen Order) lie
somewhere in the ocean, however, it
must be closer to Cantha, since the Empire of the Dragon
must be closer to Cantha, since the Empire of the Dragon
claims the isles as its own. The actual distance be
tween the
isles and the
continent has never been measured scientifi-
cally, but captains and travelers say that it
is as mu
ch as
several hundreds of mile
s.
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild W
ars magazine
Lore | Page 5/
67
By Thalador Do
omspeak
er
presence of this entity, and believed a simple spe
ll
could
reveal the nature of its power. However, in the momen
t he
cast it, the power tapped into him, twisting bo
th h
is b
ody
and mind. Svanir was trapped in his be
ar form, but he was
not sane. His body be
came icy, and spikes of ice jutted out
of his shoulde
rs. His sister resisted the grim power, but was
cursed by it (she could not become the Bear until she sle
w
Svanir). The
Nornbear, which Svanir had become,
raided
Svanir). The
Nornbear, which Svanir had become,
raided
norn travelers and settlements, until Jora ended his mad
-
ness in 1078 AE, during the Great Destroyer crisi
s.
A short, but special discussion with Alk
ar,
the gr
eatest
Dwarven historian and scie
ntist of our time, makes me be-
lieve that the source of Svanir's corruption was an Elde
r
Dragon called Jormag. He
told me not to delve into this
matter more, for something terrible could happen
. He said
farewell and descended into the
Depths. I haven't met him
since then, and without the Tome of Rubicon, I cannot con
-
tinue this research. One thing is sure: be wary if you visi
t
tinue this research. One thing is sure: be wary if you visi
t
Drakkar Lake
...
ste
amspu
r bay:
Steamspur Bay is a massive frozen bay south of Droknar’s
Forge. Port Sledge, the only Dwarven seapor
t, is e
sta
b-
lished near its coast.
The river itself is very special. Those
who trave
rse and
know it best call it the Dark River. Many guides and fe
rry-
men claim that something unseen is casting an unn
at
ural
shadow over the course of the river. The source of this
shadow has not been discovered yet. However, some ex-
plorers and archivists speculate that the
re's a hidden Mur-
saat city - because of the unseen source of the shad
ow -
somewhere close to its banks. None have found this city
so
far, or if they did, they could not return to te
ll the tale. Or
perhaps Saul D'Alessio did,
but he
did not speak of the
city's location? somewhere close to its banks. N
one have
found this city so far,
or if they did, they could not return to
tell the
tale.
drakkar lake
:
A norn hunter, Svanir, was corrupted by somethin
g an-
cient, cold, and powe
rful, when he was chasing wolv
es
with his sister, Jora, through the eerie lake
. Svanir
fe
lt the
However, the
more interesting of the two is the Greater
Giant’s Basin. This inte
rest is inspired by the area calle
d
Watchtower Coast, which,
true to its name, holds several
now-ruined towers. Nobody knows the true pu
rp
ose of
these crumbled guardians, but historians speculate
that in
ancient times these guard towers protected Kryta from a
mysterious northern threat that might have had the means
to cross the lake.
to cross the lake.
Also, the province of Shaemoor and the are
a of Divinity
Coast is the site of K
ryta’s oldest settlements. Historical re-
cords state that the coast and its
neighb
ou
ring land
s have
been occupied by humans for more than seven hundred
ye
ars.
the ullen river:
Its real name is Ullen River,
but those of us who know it
best never call it that. It's the Dark Rive
r to us. Dark as in
absence of light, yes but that's only part of it. A shadow lies
over that region, and it is cast by something...uns
een,
I sup-
pose y
ou coul
d say.
-Old Jone
ss
The Ullen Rive
r river begins its journey from the southern
hills of Twin Serpent Lakes,
then flows in a western dire
c-
tion towards the Maguuma. Deep within the jungle, it turns
south and continues its flow until it reaches Tangle
Root.
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Lore | Page 6
/67
By Thalador Do
omspeak
er
![[*]"The Northern Seas": A large sea or ocean that borders](index_html_files/59.jpg)
![[*]"The Northern Seas": A large sea or ocean that borders the shores of the region that is north of Kryta and the Giant’s Basin. [*]"Delta River": A large river that flows from Greater Giant’s Basin and empties into the "Northern Seas" with a large delta. [*]"Maguuma Lake": A large lake west of Greater Giant’s](index_html_files/60.png)
![[*]"Maguuma Lake": A large lake west of Greater Giant’s Basin and north of Bloodstone Fen. [*]"Amnoon Bay": A long bay that leads to Amnoon Oasis from the Sea of Sorrows. [*]"Dalada Lake": A medium-sized lake within the heart of](index_html_files/61.png)
[*]"Dalada Lake": A medium-sized lake within the he
art of
the charr homelands. The lake is litte
red with smalle
r is-
lands, with one large island standing out from the r
e
st,
which is characterized by strange
, spiked formation on this
particular island. Thanks to High Priest Alkar ag
ain,
it se
ems
that the spike
d ridge is another Elder Dragon, named Kral
k-
atorri
k.
as the Crystal Desert was covered with water. It was the
center of the Margonite civilization. During their golden
age they built their towns and cities on the
islands that
stood out of the mighty sea. The Temple of the
Si
x Gods,
which was drawn into Torme
nt when Abaddon fell, also
stood at its shore. It’s not fu
lly known
what h
appened
to
the sea. Some (like Thade
us Lamount, the famous Tyrian
historian) say that the gods raised the
land so all the water
historian) say that the gods raised the
land so all the water
emptied into the ocean, while others bel
ie
ve
that
Abaddon’s fall boiled the
sea and devastated its coastline,
since the area known as the Desolation was fo
rmed in
the
very same year as the Crystal Desert. Only the gods know
the truth to
this mystery.
One thing is sure
. The rise of the First of the Margonite
s is
connected to the Crystal Sea: Jadoth, a persecuted Margo-
nite, was chased by an armada of Forgo
tten warships
through the Crystal Sea. On the 51st day of his e
xil
e
, he be-
seeched his god, Abaddon, to smite the Forgotten. Ab
ad
-
don saved the haunted Margonite
, then "gifted" him with
his magic. It happened in 1 BE, according to a quote
d part
of the Scriptures of Ab
ad
do
n.
Today, only the rotted ship rigs, the tattered sai
l clothe
s
and the broken hulls mark that the
area was once a sea.
The same ship parts are the only remnan
ts of
the on
ce
grand Margonite culture.
"thirsty river":
In the distant past, a mighty river shaped the lands east of
Augury Rock. Adventurers can still see the deep channels
of the river, but they will find no water there, only sand
and dry wind. The Rune Circle, one of the keys to Ascen-
sion, can be found in the imme
diate area of the former
river, and amongst the ruined ships of th
e Margon
ites.
Those who wish to Ascend must cleanse the
mselves
through a ritual that burns away the person's e
arthly im
through a ritual that burns away the person's e
arthly im-
perfections. The forgotten are still guarding this holy site
.
* Twin Serpe
nt Lakes/Footprint Lakes: Smaller lake
s that
dot
the
area
near
Riverside
Province.
The
Ul
le
n
Riv
er
ori
gi-
nates from this area.
former seas and rive
rs of the tyrian
continent:
the crystal sea:
And so it came to pass that Jadoth, being persecuted by
the
horrific Forgotten armies,
and hounded from his home, did
seek refuge among the cooling mists of the Crystal Se
a.
-Scriptures of Abaddo
n,
1 BE
Before the Exodus of the human gods, the arid area known
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars
magazine
Lore | Page
7/
67
By Thalad
or Doo
mspeak
er
The Elon river overflows its banks every spr
ing, re
vi
ta
lizi
ng
the nearby plains in the proce
ss, which allows the vill
ages
to begin the harvesting season. The river is protecte
d by
nature spirits, the Water Djinns. The
se entities are almost
one with the river, and it is their sacred duty to de
fend it
from evil or anyone who would wish to harm the river.
Dehjah and Yartu are two of those spirits who are
friendly
to mortals except those whom threaten their bel
ov
ed riv
er.
to mortals except those whom threaten their bel
ov
ed riv
er.
In the year of 1075 AE,
Warmarshal Varesh Ossa, descen-
dant of the legendary Turai Ossa, made pacts with the ban
-
ished god, Abaddon. He
r rituals enable
d demons to slip
into Tyria from the Realm of Torment. The
Drought (a
greater demon) made its lair within the Mahnkelon Wate
r-
works, intending to consume the Elon. The demon did n
ot
only want to taint the waters, but planne
d to barrel down
the river, cross the channel and destroy Istan. F
ortun
ately,
Sunspear heroes, the then Master of Whispers, an
d th
e
river spirits thwarted its plans by destroying the w
retche
d
creature.
the bahnelon river:
The Bahnelon is a river east of the
Elon. It is much sm
alle
r
than its sister, and doe
s not have as deep of an impact on
the lives of the Kournans. Partially unde
rground, it emerges
to the surface near the Mahnkelon Ward, a water-pu
mping
station used to filtrate parts of the Elon and flush
the waste
into the Bahnelon, from where it continue
s south until it
flows into the
sea at Freeman’s Cove (a small corsair com-
munity).
The river Elon is the
life-giving force
of Elona. Without it,
the
provinces of Vabbi and K
ourna would be arid deserts. The
source of the river is somewhere near Dasha Vestibul
e
, or
further north, but Elonians consider the
Mirror of Lyss to be
the beginning of the Elon. The Mirror is a be
autiful lak
e in
the heart of Vabbi. The Sebe
lkeh Basilica, the most ornate
and magical temple in Elona,
and the heart of the
Lyssan
faith, is floating dire
ctly above the reflecting pool.
faith, is floating dire
ctly above the reflecting pool.
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild W
ars magazine
Lore | Page 8/
67
By Thalador Do
omspeak
er
* Lake Puang: A small lake in a cave ne
ar Tsume
i Vi
lla
ge.
It is fed by the impressive Zen Nai Falls and provi
de
s fresh
water from the mountains not only for the local inhabit-
ants, but for the Empire of the Dragon as well
- since it
serves as Cantha's main water supply. It seems to be an im-
portant site for the naga of Shing Jea Island. N
aga wizards
and witches can be
often seen here.
* Miki Lake: A :ny, frozen lake in Jaya Bluffs. Overru
n by
the tengu and the ye:. It is not far from Zuuyu
n Point
, th
e
highest peak of the eastern mountain range of the
island.
* Tei Lake: A shallow lake north of the Daijun Library,
in
the valley of Zen Daijun. Pilgrims who visit the
valley
for en-
lightenment often rest near this beau:ful and so
othing
po
nd
.
As you can all see, there’
s much to discover about th
e
waters of Tyria. Magical proper:es, sea life
, for
gotte
n r
eli
cs
and ruins. We all know that one day,
we’ll go underwater
and try to find the answers to these ques:ons. Bu
t when is
that
day?
-Thalador Doomspe
aker
Season of the Scion, Day
230 of 1079 AE
The Rijeka River can be found in the southern parts of th
e
Echovald Forest. The Rijeka runs alongside Durh
eim Ar-
chives, cascades along a se
ries of waterfall
s, and then con-
:nues westward un:l it reaches the Canthan seas. T
he
river is quite special, as it is said to be flowing with the es-
sence of the Echovald Forest. The famous Mo
urning V
eil
Falls is part of the river.
The Jade Sea was a beau:ful sea bordered by the Ech
ovald
Forest and the Empire of the Dragon. It froze into solid jad
e
207 years ago. In the year of 872 AE, Shiro Tagachi mur
-
dered Emperor Angsiyan in the middle
of the Harvest Cer-
emony. In turn, Shiro was slain by the combine
d might of
the assassin Vizu, the Luxon champion Archemorus and t
he
Kurzick Saint Viktor. Shortly be
fore his death, Shiro le
t out
a cry that was empowered
by a dark force from ano
ther
realm. The sound of the wail spre
ad, and so did its effects
began to materialize. The Echovald Fore
st was petrified,
and the sea turned into jade
, earning its name.
The majority of the sea’s creatures either became one with
the sea, or became corrupted. Many of th
e
once benevo-
lent Saltspray Dragons turned mad from the Jade Wind.
The naga did not become corrupt; inste
ad, many of their
species became frozen in the sea. Only a fe
w escaped to
land. They had
to ab
and
on t
heir old ways an
d ethics in
order to survive in the
new, harsher environment. No
longer did they live in peace with the Canthan human
s. In
longer did they live in peace with the Canthan human
s. In-
stead, they wanted to make them pay for wh
at they had
do
ne.
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars
magazine
Generic | Page 9/67
By Iz
ari
Last issue
, you guys voted and decided your favorite city
dresser was the sassy mesmer in Lion's Arch (and wh
o
could blame you!). I announced a call to arms for mi
xed
armor sets that look great together,
and you guys an-
swered enthusiastically. Check out these creative combos
and pick your favorite
!
Next 'Attire Around the World' will highlight the be
st of the
best of Hallowee
n costume creativity. Send in your quirky
holiday combos to izzie@guildmag.com. Be
sure to check
out Tyria's spookie
st outfits in our November issue!
Jera Velaso
Ivan Ruse
Gaz The Malevolent
Armor trends to look out for: tops with long sle
eves for
both genders, coupled with skirts and high boots for
lad
ies.
Gentlemen will find loose,
long bottoms perfect in this
weather. Those who opt for he
avier armor can lean to-
wards plate with a few revealed areas to ve
nt during the
warmer hours of the day. Thick northern armo
r with
fur
should be
avoided for now.
The best part about Hallowe
en? The chance to ignore ev-
erything stylish and go for the ultimate trend: good, o
l'
fashioned fun! Masks and costume
s of all types from any
festival will be popular,
but of course those
specific to Hal-
loween are great. Ritualists get to shine
in the
ir mummy-
inspired Ancient a
rmor and ne
cromancers can pretty much
wear anything to scare everyone. Witchy elementali
sts
look great with Wicked Hats and Elite Stormfor
ge
d armor
together. The possibilitie
s are endless!
absolute accessorie
s
For the fall, Destroyer Gloves look great w
ith the
se
ason's
colors
and
the
me.
Blindfolds,
the
Dread
Mask
and
Grenth
costumes make great extras during the shi
s
ing weather.
Tyr
ia
[Old
Asca
lo
n]
![Cantha [Echovald Forest]](index_html_files/82.jpg)
Elona
[Sulfur Wastes]
September kicks off the holiday season and Tyria's in
habit-
ants can look forward to wide-spre
ad monthly cele
bra-
tions, giving everyone an opportunity to look their be
st.
First, get your patches and boots ready for the Corsair self-
observance coming up this month,
and the highly antici-
pated Hallowee
n holiday will give
e
veryone a chance
to
throw caution to the
wind and don the
ir favorite, wackiest
ensemble
s!
regional
palettes
Autumn is the season for tree lovers, and we all know th
e
Kurzick are huge fans of of the
forest. Their color sche
me
influences Cantha's fashion this fall,
so keep an eye out for
deep blues, silvers and amber, a color trend that wil
l con-
tinue into winter and spread globally. Kurzick
A
rmor is we
ll
suited for the season as wel
l, e
spe
ciall
y for ele
mentali
sts,
monks and warriors.
Elona may not see as drastic a weather shis, but they
still
enjoy a little
cooling off in the
northern regions. The dark
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Review
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazine
Revie
w | Page 10/
67
By Dut
ch Sunsh
in
e
As you may have read in the reviews befo
re, Gui
ld
Wars 2 was available
in de
mo-form
at
at both GamesCom and PAX. Quite a lot of sites have published various videos giving
in-
sight into how the game actually plays, other sites have posted hands-on reviews discuss-
ing their opinion on how the game played. But GuildMag tho
ught you might also
be
inter-
ested in reading an article on what the demo actua
lly co
nsisted of.
creating your characte
r
I wear _____ on the battlefield. Because of this I am recognized and given proper respect.
•
I was raised ______.
By c
ommon f
olk
Among the n
obility
In the streets
One of my biggest re
grets is that
________.
I’ve
never searched fo
r my true parents
I never recovered my sister’s body
I passed
up an o
pportunity to perform in the circus
Everyone said I was blessed by ______ when I was young
.
Dwayna
After these questions you were asked to sign your biography by e
ntering your name, which
also shows how well everything has been designe
d to immerse the player into the
game
,
making it actually fe
el like you already in exist in Tyria. In Guild Wars 2 your name
can con-
tain 19 letters (spaces include
d) and it will not limit you to ne
eding to have a surname and
last name, instead you can just go with only a surname.
the human kingdom, a territory goi
ng into oblivion
In the demo that was available at GC and PAX there were two large are
as for you to
ex
-
plore. You could e
xplore the human starter area, using a level one human character. The
character gave you a chance to familiarize yourself with the game play and gene
rall
y just
play aroun
d.
This area started with a movie
,
telling you that you’
ve been either
living in the streets or amongst
the nobles, based on your pre
vi-
ous answers to
the biography
questions, which really mak
es the
story feel more like it’s your story,
instead of a random story th
at
instead of a random story th
at
you’re forced to follow. You ge
t to
see that your character already
has some friends and that he
was
traveling outside the city only to
find out that Shaemo
or was being
attacked by centau
rs.
The elementalist’s creation screen
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Review
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars maga
zine
Review |
Page 11/67
By Autho
r
Another new feature which was not so immine
nt, but sdll felt right,
was the fact that there
was no tradidonal,
linear tutorial but instead the playe
r was thrown into acdon immedi-
ately. You were asked to help save the people of Shae
moor that were being attacked by the
centaurs and thus you insdncdve
ly went searching for the villagers in ne
ed of hel
p. Aft
er
you helped them reach safety in a ne
arby tavern, you felt like you needed to do more
to
help, so you went out and helped Captain Thackeray with another centaur attack on
a
nearby fortress. After you nearly succeeded in getting rid of the centaurs, one centaur
shaman, fled from the group to summon an elemental, causing two huge stone hand
s to
shaman, fled from the group to summon an elemental, causing two huge stone hand
s to
grow out of the ground. This was not just some "kill the ten rats quest," no, it was a mas-
sive elemental that you,
as a level one or two, needed to destr
oy to save
the fortre
ss.
After your bravery in the previous battle
, you were sadly knocked out for three whol
e day
s,
you even got a visit from a friend while
you were unconscious! Now is where the
fr
eedom
of an open world be
gins, you could literally do anything you wante
d now, either follow
your personal story line
or walk out into the persistent world to enjoy the
dynamic events
or just enjoy the beauty in the available zones, ranging from Di
vinity
’s Reach to a r
ui
ne
d
Temple of Ages. If you decided to just follow your personal storyline
you were either
thrown a surprise
party or you were involved in a bar brawl or
e
ven [enter stre
et ver
sion
here], based on the diderent answers given in the biography. All in all,
the personal story
here], based on the diderent answers given in the biography. All in all,
the personal story
really promises to give each player a personal e
xperience of the game
’s stor
y and it wi
ll
only grow! An example given could be that the guards want to arrest the people wh
o par-
dcipated in the bar brawl but because you helped out in Shaemoor you're not arrested
.
All in all,
this area was mostl
y use
d to
give you an impression of what th
e
game had to oder so far, bu
t I’m su
re
that as the game develops and the sto-
ryline gets implemented into thi
s par
t
of the game ,it will prove to be an inter
-
esdng area to explore for both old Guild
Wars players and new ones.
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Review
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazine
Review |
Page 12/6
7
By Dut
ch Sunsh
in
e
In the original Guild Wars, you were locked on the yoor. You couldn’
t jump or swim, the
only thing you could do was run around in the world. In Guild Wars 2,
however, it’s possible
to jump, swim, and you’re even allowed to dodge at the cost of a small amount of e
nergy
by double tapping into the direceon you want to go. Another returning and helpful fu
nceon
was the auto-run opeon,
which makes longer walks less boring for your fingers and e
nables
you to enjoy the world around you as your camera was not locked onto the character’
s
back, but on his posieon. This funceon also enable
s you to view your character up front as
you could in the original Guild Wars.
you could in the original Guild Wars.
Targeeng and auto-attack in Guild Wars 2 has also undergone
a revamp. Whereas in the
original Guild Wars you would auto-attack your ene
my by merely clicking on it, you now
have to choose a skill and bind it as an auto-attack skill,
which also makes it easier for a spe-
cific skill to be repeated. However, since the auto-targeeng in Guild Wars 2 is modifie
d and
the placement of your character is more important than it was in
the original Guild
Wars,
you now have to make sure that you’re close enough to an enemy in order to h
it h
im.
Fo
r
example, when you’ve got a warrior and want to attack an enemy that’s slightly ou
t of
yo
ur
attack range, you’ll sell use your skill but inste
ad of hitting,
you’ll miss. N
evertheless, target
attack range, you’ll sell use your skill but inste
ad of hitting,
you’ll miss. N
evertheless, target-
ing is made easier in Guild Wars 2, as the
only thing you’ve to do is to make sure your
enemy is in sight to auto-target it. In other words, the enemy that’s the closest to you gets
targeted automaecally. When attempeng to kill a larger boss,
you’ll get muleple vi
sual
clues as to where you can attack him. These visual clues are represented by a ci
rcle
yoaeng
in front of the enemy’
s body.
As we meneoned before on one of our GuildMag Blitz blog posts,
the level cap has been
raised from level 20 in the original Guild Wars to 80 in Guild Wars 2. N
ext to this,
the
l
evel-
ing curve will smooth after a while
so that all your levels wil
l be
equal
in length to obtai
n.
Next to these old funceons, the compass also shows you where your ne
xt waypoint
is in
whatever zone you currently are
in, and it also makes a wider difference between the dis-
played dots (no longe
r will you’ll be confuse
d about who’s your team member or just an
all
y).
While the compass sell rotate
s with how you move your screen in-game, it no longer di
s-
plays all the direceons of the compass,
but instead is l
imited to the N
for North.
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Review
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Review
| Page 13/6
7
By Dut
ch Su
nsh
in
e
These skills are determined by what kind of weapons you’
re currentl
y wearing wielding. Are
you wearing wielding a sword and a shie
ld? You’
ll get three sword skills,
and two skills to
use with your shie
ld. Are you using a rifle? You’
ll get five skills which make use of the rifle.
You can’t change these skills as they’re the general setup for these weapons.
5. Utility s
kill
s
Utility skills on the other hand can be tweaked. The first (or 6th if yo
u cou
nt t
he first five
skills) of these skills will always be
your healing skill,
whereve
r you g
o. This sk
ill
is to m
ak
e
• The necromancer has a bar which fills up with life force
, obtained by
either sl
aying en-
emies or using certain skills. At any time
, the Necromancer can activate his De
ath Shroud to
unlock 4 new skills to defe
at his enemies. The Necromance
r also enters the Death Sh
roud,
with whatever amount of life force
he had remaining, when he is downed. N
ow you may
wonder, why would I want to be in my downed state form? Well, as a necromance
r your
skills are quite impressive and cause a lot of damage. It also comes in handy whe
n you need
to scout an area ahead, as your character will transport back return to the
original activa-
tion point of the skill whe
n your life force, which replaces your health while transformed,
tion point of the skill whe
n your life force, which replaces your health while transformed,
run
s out
.
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Review
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazin
e
Review |
Page 14/6
7
By Dut
ch Sunsh
in
e
While the experience bar was more present in Guild Wars, in Guild Wars 2 it got wor
ke
d
into the overall inte
rface and got stretched across the whole screen. Your current level
is
shown at the
utter far left of the experience bar.
Event Tracker
This one is a handy fe
ature that you’ll be lik
ely
to often use use often. It shows what eve
nts you
currently have active. This can be used to moni-
tor your progress in multiple dynamic events at
one time. White bars are used to sho
w the
player how much morale the enemy has le
ft, the
health bar of a boss, how much longer the walls
will hold,
or how much health a certain charac
will hold,
or how much health a certain charac-
ter or structure may have remaini
ng
.
Options
These buttons indicate various options that will be
accessible in the final game, though
for the demo they were off-limits.
In Guild Wars 2 your equipment is split from
your inventory, but has added a few othe
r
things to the panel. To start off,
there are
quite a few new armor slots added to th
e
equipment panel. You can now e
quip a sepa-
rate earring for your left and ri
ght e
ar, a neck-
lace, a cape, and two slots for rings,
one for
each h
and.
each han
d.
Next to the usual display of a he
lmet, torso, gloves, leggings, and boots, you can now
also equip shoulde
r plates. All equipments change, as usual, as soon as you equip the
m.
At the bottom of the equipment panel you can find an option to manually change
your
weapon set by clicking on a two-spl
itting arrow.
The inventory returns an
d is better than
before,
as now you’ll be
able to have
at least five
bags
with twenty slots each, resulting in a fin
al su
m of
one hundred inventory slots. To compare,
in
Guild Wars,
there were 45 normal inventory sl
ots
and 20 weapon slots in the recently added equ
ip-
ment packs.
You do start out with a bag of only twe
nty slots,
and just like in Guild Wars you
can also click th
e
different bags to go to each one of
them, b
ut as
an added addition, you can also scroll down
with
a scroll bar on the right side.
Guild Wars 2 - Demo Revie
w
GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magaz
ine
Review |
Page 15/67
By Dut
ch Sunsh
in
e
• Attrib
utes
Each armor has up to three dye
slots for you to modify,
and
fourth one to
make your armor
look more lik
e a set when com
-
bined with different pie
ces of
armor.
We’ve made a video of this
dye
system whi
le we
were
at
GamesCom so be sure to check
that out via our conve
ntion vide
o
page which you’ll find a link to at
the end of this article
.
Attributes have also seen a makeov
er from the orig
inal
Guild Wars, no longer does e
ach profession feature a se
pa-
rate set of attributes. Inste
ad, everyone shares the same
attributes, although some are locked and faded out in gray
when it might not be so smart to use
a certain attribute for
your profession. Attributes that do affe
ct your current skill
setup are depicted with a small arrow on the
right side
of
the attribute.
the attribute.
Unlike Guild Wars, wher
e you nee
de
d to have a ce
rtain
amount of attribute points to add anothe
r point to your at-
tribute, you can now add all attribute
points se
parately.
When reaching a new level, you’ll obtain 6 a
ttri
bute points
to use.
This panel is divided in two columns,
one column with your available options. The
se are
decided by two factors, namely your profession and the weapons you’
re currently wear-