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Q: We really appreciate that you took the time to answer some of our questions .
Stéphane Lo Presti: We really appreciate the support of the Guild Wars 2 fansites all over the world!
Q: Probably all veterans of the original Guild Wars are wondering about the Hall of Monuments rewards. We’ve already seen the items, but how are we going to obtain them? Will Hall of Monuments play some bigger part in the plot than just storage for items?
Jeff Grubb: You will be able to access the Hall of Monuments through your home instance, and that areas is still under design. We’re still working on the particular details of the transfer and are not ready to reveal yet how players will obtain them.
Q: Is there going to be a dynamic weather system in Guild Wars 2? Will it have any influence on fights or will it somehow enhance interactions with the environment?
Stéphane Lo Presti: The weather in Guild Wars 2 will be dynamic and change, but it will not have any particular effect on gameplay or the environment.
Q: Gaining levels and learning new skills is essential for any MMO-RPG game. Could you tell us something about the way we will be able to develop and improve our characters? What are the ways in which they can learn new skills?
Stéphane Lo Presti: We described the attribute system in a blog post. As Izzy describes in this article, iterative development is one pillar of our philosophy and we are still working on various aspects of our skill system in Guild Wars 2.
Q: Do you have anything interesting in stock for guilds? Did the concept of a guild evolve somehow since the original Guild Wars? Will guild members be able to form parties in order to compete in PvP or challenge the PVE content together?
Stéphane Lo Presti: It is too early to give you details about the guild system, but we can say that we are going to provide many new tools that will allow guilds to have a rich community life. Players will, of course, be able form groups in the game and enjoy PvP or PvE together.
Q: Jumping, swimming – there are variety of new ways in which our characters will be able to move. How will this enhance our experience and reception of the world of Tyria?
Stéphane Lo Presti: Well, first we’ve made sure that the world is really in three dimensions. There are locations which can be accessed by jumping and the underwater environments are built to reflect the nature of this particular part of the world. The world of Guild Wars 2 is built like a real environment. When exploring, you can choose to jump over obstacles or go around them, to climb down slopes or take a shortcut by swimming through a lake.
Movement is not solely restricted to exploring; the combat system in Guild Wars 2 relies also on movement and we’ve introduced a lot of dynamic ingredients into the mix. In addition to rolling for example, some skills will enhance the combat by allowing you to flank your enemy or end up behind your foe with one move, as you can see in the Ranger skill video Serpent Strike.
Q: The real asset of every MMO is the state of its endgame. How long does it approximately take to reach maximum level? What do you have in stock for players who finish their personal history and reach the level cap?
Stéphane Lo Presti: With Guild Wars 2, we want players to have fun experiencing our content in a variety of ways. In addition to personal story, the world is filled with tons of dynamic events. Players also have access to dungeons, instanced areas which we’ve described in this article. With five different races and all the choices that the personal story offers, from the character creation screen down to many points in the personal story, there is plenty of room to explore.
And that’s not even mentioning the PvP, which will have a massive World vs. World mode as well as smaller, more competitive modes.
Q: During all those years, we took part in many different events, holidays and festivals that were celebrated in the lands of Tyria, Cantha and Elona. Can you tell us which of those festivities are coming back in Guild Wars 2? What kind of mini-games and attractions can we expect to see?
Stéphane Lo Presti: We’re still working out the details on holidays and festivals, so we’ll give you more information as it becomes available.
Q: As we already know, Cantha and Elona will not be accessible in the initial release of Guild Wars 2. We were wondering if people of Tyria remember people from other continents or are they too focused on their own problems right now? Maybe there are some cultural influences that have spread over Tyria before undead corsairs blocked access to Cantha and dragons cut off Elona?
Jeff Grubb: Cantha and Elona are remembered, and their cultural influences continue in Tyria even if ties to those lands are desperately reduced. There was a lot of travel between the areas before the Elder Dragons awoke, and you will find (among the humans) more Elonan and Canthan names mixed with Ascalonian and Krytans. In addition, the passage of 250 years has melded various cultures , which is reflected in the professions of Guild Wars 2. For example, the guardian profession of Guild Wars2 is influenced both by the paragon Sunspears of Istan as well as the monks of Tyria. The Arch Exchange, the most important financial institution in Tyria, was founded by a Canthan expat whose family was shut off from his homeland.
Q: Blizzard has its World of WarCraft and soon Bioware is going to finish developing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Do you take a closer look on what’s happening in the MMO universe? Who do you think might be the biggest rival for Guild Wars 2?
Stéphane Lo Presti: We are focusing our attention 100% on Guild Wars 2 and want to make it the best MMO we can make. This is our main goal, so we’re not going to venture into speculating about other games.
Q: What is ArenaNet currently focused on? What challenges currently lie ahead of your company?
Stéphane Lo Presti: Right now our focus is on making Guild Wars 2 the best MMO and we’re happy with the progress we’ve made so far. Every day brings different challenges and we’re embracing them!
