Guild Wars 2 Reveals World Versus World Details

By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief

With alpha testing on the horizon, ArenaNet has felt the time to pull out the big guns is at hand. What big guns does Guild Wars 2 still have in its pocket you might ask? Turns out the revival and reinvention of Dark Age of Camelot’s RvR system is the hydrogen bomb they’ve been saving to explode hype before launch!

So the term World versus World is a strange term in the MMORPG genre. It requires a bit more explanation than most so called big reveals. Basically all the elements that made Dark Age of Camelot’s system a legend in the industry will be present. Three servers will go toe to toe in an attempt to destroy each other’s castle’s in siege warfare in an over the top recreation of Capture the Flag. Except the flag is a relic that grants great benefits to the server in control of it, and in order to capture it you must infiltrate the most heavily guarded defenses of your enemy’s fortress and then run all the way back to safety before your foes shoot a magic arrow in your spine.

This isn’t going to be a short ordeal like Guild War’s previous GvG system. We are talking about a 2 week cluster… you get the idea! The battle will take place over four huge persistent maps in which players will be auto adjusted to level 80 strength to allow even new players to have an impact on the server wars. Each server will have its own safe borderlands map for planning and preparation, and the fourth map, known as the “Eternal Battlegrounds,” will be where the true war will take place. A massive central keep will mark the center of the Eternal Battlegrounds, an ideal point to control should you want to take any offensive front against your enemies to obtain their relics.

Apparently besides the epic central fort there will be plenty of smaller forts beneficial for players to conquer and control. Each is built on unique terrain including ancient mountainous ruins, an island castle, and a narrow peak atop a long steep climb. To make the siege warfare feel realistic, there will even be small supply trains and siege machines available for players who wish to support their server but don’t particularly like front-line combat. Trebuchets, arrow carts, catapults, ballistae, and even dreaded siege golums are all among the objectives you will need to control and utilize effectively to achieve victory.

For the more PvE centric but patriotic players, GW2’s dynamic world events will be taking place within the Mists as well. If you can successfully accomplish some of these missions, it can unlock mercenary camps filled with NPC combatants ready to give your army that final push to overcome a strong fortification. Between players escorting caravans, NPC mercenaries, and siege machinery I think we have the makings of a legendary PvP system here.

One final note and the thing I’m truly excited about is Guild Wars 2 is implementing a system I’ve waited for years to see implemented into a PvP-centric game. My wait is finally over and GW2’s Mist will offer players the ability to gain loot including armor and weapons from fallen foes in PvP. However this isn’t the typical full loot system or item stealing system seen in most PvP focused games of the past. Instead the defeated player loses nothing and the victorious player gains something specific to their job and level that they can actually make use of. Instead of grinding dungeons you can now grind fortresses to acquire the gear you need!

This may just be the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned this month as I think Guild Wars 2 will be going all out with reveals once their alpha press test is underway!