This week in Guild Wars 2

Written by  //  December 7, 2012  //  Community  //  1 Comment

Happy anniversary: this is the 52nd weekly community roundup I’ve done here at GuildMag. A full year of “This Week in Guild Wars 2“, continuing to bring you what we believe is the most comprehensive collection of Guild Wars 2 links from official sources, fan sites, blogs, podcasts, videos, and fan fiction.

On Sunday night, two teams from the Royal Tyrian Highlanders were working through part of Orr (one of our weekly “help a guildie” events), and we got into a long, long dynamic event. We were just coming up on what we expected to be the finale … and all got disconnected at the same moment. When we got back into game, not everyone respawned where they had left off and the event had reset. A bit of a disappointment, to say the least.

On a happier note, ArenaNet started sending in-game emails to those who got disconnected during the Ancient Karka event and were not able to access the end-of-event chest. I was very happy with the contents of my belated reward chest (even though I opened it on a mid-level alt rather than my level 80 ranger). I was also happy to get two of my alts past early blocking issues (my guardian needed one last skill point in Snowden Drifts (Vilnia Shadowsong), and my mesmer needed both a skill point and a vista in the southeastern corner of Gendarran Fields). In both cases, I was able to find another player to work with and fight to the objective. I still love the ease of teaming-up with other players to get things done in Guild Wars 2.

Official Guild Wars 2 news

  • Guild Wars 2 wiki — Game status updates. “This is the current status of the most important issues we’re tracking with Guild Wars 2 live service. (This page is updated by ArenaNet staff and protected against non-admin editing.)”
  • YouTube — State of the Game Discussion with ArenaNet Developer Jonathan Sharp. “Here is the video recorded from the very first episode of GW2Guru – State of the Game Discussion featuring ArenaNet developer Jonathan Sharp and some of the most competitive players currently.”
  • GamingBolt.com — Guild Wars 2 Interview- We talk to ArenaNet about how the MMORPG has been doing post launch. “Our editor George Reith recently had the chance to chat with Guild Wars 2′s game director, Colin Johanson for ArenaNet over the phone and they talked about plenty of stuff. It was a lengthy chat, and we got a lot of information and snippets off him.”
  • Kill Ten Rats — Interview with Izzy on Data and Design. “In the middle of development between Guild Wars 2 The Lost Shore and Wintersday, ArenaNet’s Isaiah “Izzy” Cartwright took some time to answer a few questions I had about using data for design. (Be sure to also check out the recently publicized video of a GDC talk by Cameron Dunn also discussing data and design for Guild Wars 2 on a more technical aspect.) Read on for Izzy’s thoughts on designing content around the economy, player activity, and other surprises in the data.”

Recent GuildMag posts

  • The Bare Bones – The Basics of the Necromancer. “Every two weeks, I’m going to be bringing you the latest news and tips about our beloved pet-summoning, condition-inducing, life-stealing, death-cheating profession. These tips and tricks will, hopefully, provide you with some useful insights to the necromancer and make for some fun reading while helping out anyone who chooses to play one. And if you choose to not play a necro, my column may just give you that little bit of insight you need to crush one. (Good luck with that by the way, all you non-necro players. =D)”
  • Mind Wrack 101: Mesmer Problems. “You may, at some point, find yourself thinking, “Wait, I thought my clones were supposed to be the ones who do no damage and die in one hit — not me.” You may feel that your beloved mesmer has been blessed with the lethality and lifespan of an actual butterfly. Well, at least you look good…”

Fan articles and blog posts

  • Taugrim’s MMO Blog — My Take on Ascended Gear in Guild Wars 2. “If you play or follow Guild Wars 2, you’ve probably heard the uproar regarding the introduction of Ascended gear with the big Lost Shores update that was released on November 15th.”
  • Nerdy Bookahs — Advent Calendar – Second Week (02.12. – 09.12.). “The first week’s giveaway is almost over (18 more hours now!), but that was not all we can give away this month! Welcome to the second week and new bundles.”
  • Inventory Full — Confounded Expectations: GW2. “Long, long ago, when Guild Wars 2 was just a shimmer on the horizon, people wondered what it might become. Some imagined sunlit uplands, sparkling snows, where happy friends fed rabbits and merrily tossed snowballs. Others saw an ever-changing world, deep, mysterious, unfathomable, each day its own fresh revelation. Still others talked of glory, vast armies clashing on the plains, huge siege-engines hurling fire against towering battlements, war without end.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Trading Post — Two Quick Questions about Making Gold in GW2. “Markco, Question 1.If I were to follow your guidelines and only stick to about a 5s profit for each item, how much money would I be able to make in a week? Question 2. When buying these items, how many should I be buying at a time?”
  • Guild Wars 2 Hub — Volcanic Fractal Guide. “Set underground amidst a tribe of Grawl, its your job to save the human sacrifices and stop the Shaman leader. Volcanic Fractal is short and can be completed in as little as fifteen minutes with an experienced group, it can however be challenging in the early stages.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Riches — Calm Before the Storm: Wintersday Speculation III. “Speculation on Wintersday started early. What this means, is that those who may have missed out on the last rush on items may have a chance to get in before the content drops. Here’s what most items being speculated on look like on GW2spidy after last week’s spikes”
  • Healing the masses — An Iceberg of Issues. “I really like the ice berg metaphor they are using for Structured PvP right now but maybe not in the way it was meant. Right now there is a flashy front to it but underneath is a rather big problem for all those involved. Other amusing iceberg metaphors could be the top being the current SPvP iteration with the rest being what was promised and what is needed to make a decent system. Or I could just say it is an iceberg of issues that funnily enough may be sinking this next Titanic MMO or at the very least their Esport aspirations which could have brought in a lot of media attention and many many new long term customers.”
  • Kill Ten Rats — Small Thoughts, Small Complaints, Small Post. “I am very surprised at the degree I continue to log in to Guild Wars 2. In a constant period unspoiled by content updates, expansions, etc., I usually flit around 2-3 MMOs. I don’t nibble as much as Syp, but I do enjoy small plates. Guild Wars 2 has continued to be my main MMO, and I am having a blast with alternate characters, which is something I rarely do in most MMOs. I will have to discuss my WvW-only character in a future post.”
  • GW2Guru — State of the Game Discussion – Transcribed Part: 1 Now Available! “If you missed our State of the Game video discussion with ArenaNet developer Jonathan Sharp then make sure to drop by here to give it a read. If you for some reason aren’t able to watch the video version then we are providing you with a transcription of the entire show.”
  • MMORPG.com — Level 80, Now What? “The world and lore of an MMO helps bring a game to life. As players demand more from developers, games are showing us larger worlds, and telling us bolder stories. Even with all this, if a character isn’t interesting enough players won’t keep playing. This grand world will become unpopulated, and the potential legends will never be told. In Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet has tried a few things with character progression to help keep our interest in the game. And while it’s a valiant effort is made, it isn’t perfect.”
  • GameSpy — Massivity: The Two Big Social Flaws of Guild Wars 2. “There’s something off about Guild War 2‘s approach to socialization. You might remember that I’d worried about the strength of its community back in August. While it’s since proven itself to be an outstanding MMORPG in most respects, it’s bad news for a game that seems designed to favor socialization over hardcore progression that I recently met a level 61 player who didn’t know he could use /s command to chat directly with other players. He’d been in numerous dynamic events and even jumped into PvP for a bit, but for him, the experience of Guild Wars 2 was no more social than speeding down a busy highway. There are problems here, and I can point to two major ones that together pose significant challenges for the continued success of ArenaNet’s ambitious MMORPG.”
  • Twitter — @G0DL1K3D3V1L. “For all #GuildWars2 dungeon runners out there questing for your tokens, a helpful guide for buying your set: http://i.imgur.com/t4rOe.jpg #GW2″
  • Massively — Flameseeker Chronicles: Ascended gear in Guild Wars 2. “It’s time to take a look at the new Guild Wars 2 item rarity: the Ascended tier. The first bits of Ascended gear came in with the Lost Shores patch, but we’ve been a little busy since then, have we not? Anyway, ArenaNet’s Chris Whiteside took some time (like, the better part of a workday — and then he went home and kept on taking time) to do an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, which largely focused on the question of Ascended stuff and what it means for the game.”
  • Time — Top 10 Video Games. “Guild Wars 2 is one of those rare games that unexpectedly knocks your life off-kilter, like a meteoroid banging into a satellite. Call it the pinball machine of MMOs, devoted to keeping you entertained by the minute, whatever you’re doing. You’ll get into snowball fights, go on scavenger hunts for eggs, play catch with barrels, defend homesteads from ice worms, protect towns from bear hordes and knock out enemy portals that spawn creatures like the Chitauri in The Avengers. All those events and hundreds more play out in real-time — with, as Bono would say, or without you, lending Guild Wars 2 the feel of a living world, and the sort of compulsive anywhere-you-go playability other MMOs only dream of.”
  • Inventory Full — You’re Not Going In There, Are You? “Three months in, my sum total of dungeon runs in Guild Wars 2 is stuck at one. Is that because I don’t like dungeon play? Nope. Maybe it’s the terrible reputation GW2‘s dungeons picked up right from the start? Not really. Perhaps there’s just so much else to do? Well, there is that, but no, that’s not the main reason.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Trading Post — 30 Markets in 30 Days: #13. “Market #13: Large Claws.”
  • Qorthos — Jeweler’s Guide. “There are many guides to Jeweler on the internet. Most of them require an excessive amount of crafting to complete. Below is an exact list of every material necessary to level Jeweler to 400 and the instructions for crafting. Do all crafting or discoveries in a step before advancing to the next step. In the left column, the prices that I was able to find and the costs for each step.” [Raphia: H/T to Killabytes Online for the link.]
  • Guild Wars 2 Hub — All I Want for Wintersday Is. “Dear ArenaNet, Please consider, on account of my good behavior*, the following requests.”
  • GW2Guru — State of the Game Discussion – Transribed Part: 2 Now Available! “If you for some reason aren’t able to watch the video version then we are providing you with a transcription of the entire show.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Trading Post — 30 Markets in 30 Days: #14. “Market #14: Mystic Forge Nodes.”
  • FarShiverpeaks.com — Strike Squads. “If you think that PvP should be a nice honourable affair, where the 1 vs 1 is sacrosanct, then you’re reading the wrong thread. Otherwise – let’s get on to the concept of the Strike Squad. A Strike Squad should be made up of at most 4 players. No more. 5 players means that any fights you get into will be flagged as battles – and will be displayed on the map for all to see as giant orange swords. So, you’ve got your Strike Squad together. What now? Well, your objectives are any – or all – of the following” [Raphia: Some good advice for small teams here. My guild does a lot of this when we're in WvW.]
  • Divinity’s Reach — Odds and Ends. “Guild Wars 2 has slowly drawn its creeping tendrils into me, and I keep becoming more engrossed into the world of Tyria. I don’t play too much, but I keep feeling these strange urges to keep returning.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Riches — Long Term Versus Short Term Investments. “I wanted to take a quick break from the wintersday speculation (while there’s still time – before more tidbits drop and markets start fluctuating even more) to talk about short and long term investment in Guild Wars 2.”
  • Post-Launch Reviews — Guild Wars 2. “Warning: this is a very long review, because it’s a very big game. As of this writing I’ve played well over 400 hours and I still have plenty more to do. Also, this is sooner than I usually review a game, but I love Guild Wars and I couldn’t not play it.”
  • shinanai.org — Welcome to the fan-made Guild Wars 2 Wintersday Calendar! ” This project was put together by artists from the GW2 Guru forums and the GWOnline forums. The calendar is based on an advent calendar, with new art released once a day from December 1st all the way to December 24th. Please click on a number to see that day’s artwork – days that haven’t been yet will not be clickable until the artwork is available.”
  • TVTropes — Video Game: Guild Wars 2. “The sequel to Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG developed by ArenaNet. Like the original, there are no monthly fees once you purchase the game itself, which has both instanced and persistent zones. The game is set in the continent of Tyria, on the world of Tyria, 250 years after Guild Wars. Five Elder Dragons have awakened and are wreaking havoc across the planet; cutting off continents, flooding cities and, in the case of Zhaitan, raising undead armies.”
  • Guild Wars 2 Hub — Black Lion Underground – 06 December 2012. “It’s been a while since my last Black Lion Underground. In the void, I’ve probably spent well over 350g on various bits and bobs. I suppose you have that financial freedom if you aren’t actually seeking a legendary weapon. After all, what else is there to spend your money on? Please note that all prices are based on the time of writing and are subject to change based on market fluctuations.”
  • The Inquisitr — Guild Wars 2: A Solid MMO In Search Of An End Game. “It is hard to dislike Guild Wars 2. The game has wonderful graphics, strong characters, and probably the smoothest and most enjoyable leveling experience ever seen in an MMO. The crafting is fun and useful, the economy is working as intended, and even the item shop works well without unbalancing the game.”
  • Qorthos — Artificer’s Guide. “This is the third of my crafting guides. This guide will take you from 0-400 in 1.4 gp. Although there are many guides on the web that are very similar to this one in function (but not form), I’m still making it. I’m working on 100% guide completion. That’s an achievement, right?” [Raphia: Hat-tip to Killabytes Online for the link.]
  • Guild Wars 2 Trading Post — 30 Markets in 30 Days: #15. “Market #15: Mini Colocal.”

Videos and podcasts

Community Events

  • GWOnline.net — GWOnline Events – November Winners. “Our judges have convened, the six divines were consulted and the winners have been decided for Novembers events!”
  • Gaming World Entertainment Network — Fracathon. “Guild Wars 2 fans will be pleased to hear there is a 24-hour gaming marathon coming our way on December 15th! The guild Ethereal Dawn have be making plans to raise money for Child’s Play. Starting at 12:00pm central five members of the Ethereal Dawn will be venturing into Fractal of the Mists.”

This section is intended to help you to publicize your guild or alliance event, and as long as your event is open to the whole Guild Wars/Guild Wars 2 community, we’ll list it here. Send us the details at community@guildmag.com and we’ll get it out to the fan community (given that we only do a weekly wrap-up, try to send the information at least a week in advance).