After returning from the E3, ArenaNet team was very kind to answer our questions. Guild Wars Bulgaria and Gaile Gray are pleased to present this Fansite Friday Q&A to the Community.



Competitive Play

GWB: Where is the location of the following Elites?... Joking. Seriously, no matter how much we appreciate the game and enjoying the PvE aspect, we have to acknowledge the disturbance in the web ring (including some of the major Guilds), concerning the skill availability changes at release. And since we're against any pointless arguing, here's a simple question that will cover some of the things. Is there by any chance a plan of returning some of the Elite Skills at Trainers? At hard to reach explorable areas' outposts, maybe?

Gaile: We are looking at the current availability and acquisition system for skills, and there are several aspects of this system that are presently under review and consideration. As far as I know, Elite Skills will not be placed with trainers again, even those in remote locations. However, other options may be put in place in connection with players acquiring Elite Skills. I know what I am going to say is not a popular answer, but to this, I really need to say, 'Stay tuned for more information in the future.' The bottom line is that we are listening to Guild Wars players and we remain open to suggestions for improvements and change.




Game Enhancements

GWB: Trade channel was a must have! Thank you for implementing it. Still, there is a great number of player offers and it's somehow difficult to navigate. Any chance of including some form of auction trade system?

Gaile: The upgrades and additional options added to the chat system just prior to release were indeed very well received. Having more choices is always a good thing, and the Trade Channel seems to have helped quite a bit with allowing players to select and sort the in-game transactions that are part of a lively game economy. We're aware that other trade options would likewise be very well received and we'll certainly look into all sorts of options for trade in the future.

It's important to note that the implementation of a secure and useful auction system would take a significant amount of time to get started. The time invested in that development would need to be weighed against all sorts of other important projects, including the creation of new content such as the free live update that is coming in the summer.

Additionally, at the present time, our efforts in the area of new in-game technology are quite focused on the development and implementation of Observer Mode, which we know will add a considerable amount of fun to competitive play. When that feature is rolled out, or when the team requirements to finalize it are lower, I should imagine we'll move on to another significant opportunity for game additions, and who knows? An auction system may be part of that! :-)




Guild Competition

GWB: Guild Wars focuses on creation of different guilds in terms of size and goals. Do you intend to add more guild features before the expansions, just to make the players feel more comfortable and to strengthen the guild community? Can you give us more details about changes that we can expect in the near future?

Gaile: You can be sure that we'll be adding more guild features before the next chapter. In fact, some of those things are on the drawing board for implementation soon. We are, after all, Guild Wars. :-)

As for the future, you can expect a significant free live update in the coming weeks. This will be streamed to players in the form of two large explorable areas, with monsters, quests, the whole fine experience that you've had in other areas of Guild Wars. The areas are called Grenth's Footprints and Sorrow's Furnace. One will be primarily above ground, and the second will be below ground. The idea of another subterranean area is really super, because players are loving the interior locations in Guild Wars and I'm sure that many will agree that areas such as the Catacombs are simply breathtaking!

You may have seen the sneak peek movie that was released last week. If not, you can find it here: http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/movies/default.html. In this film, you've had a forewarning of this bleak and desolate region, and a hint of what is to be seen within the dark recesses of the mines themselves.

There were a lot of very surprised people at E3 when we first talked of this future update. I guess some people thought that we would release Guild Wars and then move on to the next chapter, leaving the first chapter as a static game. However, as we have always said, we intend to take full advantage of our streaming technology, and the live update that will bring you Sorrow's Furnace and Grenth's Footprints is just the first of several that will be given to Guild Wars players as a free extension of their purchase of the game.


Thanks very much to Guild Wars Bulgaria for this opportunity to chat about Guild Wars!

Gaile Gray

And Thank You Gaile and the whole ArenaNet Team for honoring our small exotic outpost. We wish a million happy hours to all fans of the Incredible Game called Guild Wars!

Guild Wars Bulgaria