Last week I had a blast playing the Guild Wars 2 stress test. I had a lot of fun, and spent most of my time exploring new areas throughout the many maps of Tyria. I had a lot of fun with the final event ArenaNet threw into the last bit of time, turning some players into corrupted monsters, fighting against other players in the PvE area. When the stress test ended, once again I was left with wanting more. There wasn’t much time to think about it though, as I still had a lot of work to do on some games.
The next day I woke up with the events of the stress test still very fresh in my mind. I noticed a notification was on my phone so I picked it up to see what was so important. There in my twitter feed, a number that change everything. The number was 28, and In front of it was a word. That word was August. I was in shock to tell you the truth. The sweet tweet I was reading was saying that on the 28th of August, Guild Wars 2 would be unleashed upon the world. If I remember correctly, when I read the tweet I was standing, and when I finished reading it I just sat right back down. I couldn’t remember a thing that I did the previous day on the stress test.
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We can get really addicted to a game that hasn't even been released yet. We search the net for info and vids, trying to fulfill the craving.
I’ve waited a long time for some games in the past, following every bit of detail of their development stages till release. I’m sure that if you’re a gamer you’ve probably have done it a couple of times. Guild Wars 2 is one of the really special games for me. Not only did the previous game entertain me, it taught me how to be better at my job. The stuff I’ve heard during the past couple of years, and actually witnessing for myself in small chunks, made me eager to experience it and learn even more. I know earlier this year they said it would be happening soon, but now that there is an actually number, it’s like all this waiting is going to pay off.
Now that a date is placed on the release of Guild Wars 2, what should everyone be doing until then? If you’re a veteran from the previous games, I would say to go through and make sure your Hall of Monuments is full, or at a point to where you’re happy with it. There’s still plenty of time to complete those last bit of challenges you haven’t done yet. Materials can still be pretty expensive to buy if you need to make more armors and weapons, but now is a good time to bust out those extra things that are just collecting virtual dust in your inventory, and try to strike some deals.
Now for those of you who haven’t touched the original Guild Wars games, it might not be a bad idea to do so. Not only can you get a collection set that comes with all the installments of the franchise, but it’s also cheap. Even though there are a lot of differences in how the second game plays from the first, but some of the core ideas are still in place. Even some skills are returning, but with a new twist. You can also still get a few things in your Hall of Monuments, as you can still update the HoM even after the release of Guild Wars 2. To have a chance at starting the game with a few extra goodies, and some knowledge about the world you’re about to play in, is always a good thing.
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This may, or may not, but an accurate representation of how I celebrated the Guild Wars 2 release date. I call this handmade costume, The Year of the Dragon.
What about those of you who have no interest in the first game at all? My only advice for you right now is to finish up whatever game you are playing now. Hit all of the milestones you want to hit, because when this game comes out there’s a good chance you won’t give any attention to other titles for a good long while. The stress tests last Wednesday was even extended for an extra hour, and it still felt like I had only played for 45 minutes. This game will just suck you in.
The fact that ArenaNet has a release date on Guild Wars 2 makes the wait a bit easier now. For years I have been waiting for this game, supporting ArenaNet every step of the way, and eating up every tiny bit of information they gave, and gobbling every game play video that hit the net. I’m just happy that the count down can now officially begin. I’m also very happy that I’m not in college. With the game being released right before classes start up again, I would probably fail the first half of the year on “accident”.
