Finally! Guild Wars 2 is starting to open the gate on the PvP gameplay that we have wanted to hear about for the last well… entire time this game’s been announced. ArenaNet continues to work wonders with their upcoming MMO and players can now check out some of the PvP ideas that are hatching in ArenaNet’s back rooms. The first press release focuses on two forms of PvP which are Hot Join and Tournament Play. These pick up style games will give players separate areas to battle it out and prove their own individual worth. There is a slight mention on World PvP, but no official information has been given yet. For now, I’m sure there’s plenty to look at in regards to the Hot Join and Tournament style games.
The Hot Join PvP is straight up pick up games for players to jump into if they have little time. As ArenaNet mentions they are a great training ground and place for solo layers to fight it out. With games ranging from 1v1 to 10v10 it is said to be the casual side of PvP… tell that to the players. I think this format will offer a lot of fun for quick games. 1v1 is actually a very cool idea and looks to be a great way to test class balance in the game for devs as well. Hopefully they’re ready to catch a lot of metrics from these matches.
One of the key features for Hot Join games is the ability to browse and select games freely. Players can choose to enter at any time and maps will be uploading to start anew once a round ends. This system seems very open and offers a ton of freedom. There is only one draw back to think of and it is nothing that ArenaNet is doing specifically.
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It is how players will use the system. If games are favoring one side, players may quit quickly and move on to another game. I am sure ArenaNet will have balance measures in place, but overall these systems are ruled by the players. Time will tell, but I definitely think the freedom is a great step forward.
The Tournament Play is a bit more structured. The one part of the announcement that stands out is Player Run Tournaments. This feature is amazing and hopefully this is a place where players truly shine. I can see guilds hosting special tournaments similar to the old days of Ultima Online. As much as Guild Wars 2 is a “Next Gen” game they truly are taking old school elements from classic MMOs and making the best of them. With ongoing tournaments that span months and even a year this, it’s clear ANet has been planning on PvP being a big part of GW2 from the beginning.
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Another highlight in the annoucnement was the Conquest Game Type. In Conquest players will battle over specific capture points. Holding the points and killing players will get you the score fastest and the team that scores the most wins. This all seems pretty straight forward until you read down and find out what some of the capture points are going to be. Secondary objectives like Dragons (yes Dragons) are bound to make the game pretty intense. Players will be fighting over some great maps and working on wild objectives to win. Hopefully it won’t be just more of “Capture the saw-mill!”
In all, though we still have tons to learn about the massive World vs. World vs. World PvP, these first teases of PVP really do send goosebumps up my hardcore spine. Different formats, dramatic ideas, with a classic twist that we all know and love? Sign me up!
Oh and last but certainly not least is the greatest feature of PvP pretty much ever - Finish Them!
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The “Finish Them” feature just screams awesome as players will be prompted to enact finishing moves on downed players. Just as you get the Fight for your Life feature, you will also get the “Finish Them” feature in PvP. Overall this is pure fun and I cannot wait to see the animations that go with it. It is the icing on the cake for fraggers and tea-baggers alike… and I mean that in the best way possible.
Guild Wars 2 continues to amaze us as gamers with its style and approach to MMO gameplay. These announcements about PvP are just the beginning. As I mentioned above, we have not even heard all of the official details about World PvP yet. The only down side of reading the GW2 blog is waiting to play the game. Here’s hoping it turns out as good as it all sounds.
