Guild Wars franchise fans already knew that ArenaNet was planning something big for the OG game’s 20th birthday, and indeed we also knew that part of that would include (at least) 38 re-released weapons that were once part of preorder packs or special region events, like the Japanese launch shield and the Korean Coke items. But there’s more, including a huge sale, a new edition of the game, and previously unmentioned weapon upgrades – yes, if you don’t own the game or you thought it was all too confusing or expensive, this is definitely your moment. First, the sale and the new edition:
“Guild Wars […] is celebrating two decades of operation with a new content update and an all-new edition that compiles two decades of value into a single collection. Titled Guild Wars: The 20th Anniversary Masterpiece Collection, it includes all three of the game’s campaigns (Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall), the Eye of the North expansion, and the Bonus Mission Pack. This special edition of the game will be available on the Guild Wars 2 store for 80% off, the biggest discount in Guild Wars’ history. In-game items will be up to 60% off, and the sale will extend to discounts on other editions on Steam.”
Note, with the current sale, the entire game and all of its content is $7.
And what about those upgrades? Guild Wars Game Director Stephen Clarke-Wilson teased “some other rare drops” last week, and now we know what they are. “[N]ew weapon upgrades for main-hand weapons will also be included in the rare drop tables; these ‘of the Profession’” modifiers will set the level of the named profession’s primary attribute to as much as 5, even if you wouldn’t normally have access to that attribute, granting new build possibilities to established characters,” the studio says. “The modifiers will also cause the weapon to which they’re applied to create glowing streaks in the color associated with their profession.” Oh yeah, particle effects!
Finally, for you folks who absolutely insist that actually Guild Wars 1 is a CRPG and not an MMORPG, please note that in this ArenaNet press release, the studio is extremely clear that Guild Wars 1 is a “legendary MMORPG” – indeed, a “landmark MMORPG that redefined the genre.” Since you’re so beholden to studios’ labels, you’ll surely update your schema accordingly.
Happy birthday, Guild Wars!
P.S. – If you want to celebrate Guild Wars but prefer the sequel, Super Adventure Box begins today! Likewise, don’t miss the community playthrough going on right now!
