GUILDWARSINSIDER

Bog Otters gives a demonstration of how the new makeover kits work. Check it out in the video below!

GuildWars2.com‘s front page was just updated with new graphics for the upcoming Wintersday event to be held December 11th through January 3rd of the new year. This time around, it looks like Toymaker Tixx will be at the center of it all.

At the time of writing this article, the official Wintersday page is not yet live.

Guild Wars 2 is an amazing game but have you ever stopped to consider all the technical aspects of building an MMORPG? Over on Gamasutra they’ve put up a new video featuring Cameron Dunn as he discusses all the technical challenges that ArenaNet had to overcome when creating both of the Guild Wars games. 

There is a good amount of technical information to found in this 45 minute video presentation, but it provides some very good inside into what goes on on the servers where are characters reside. 

Hit up the link here if you’d like to check out the video.

Anyone that has been fretting over a poor hairstyle or feeling that your Asurian is just a little too tall, your day of relief is finally here.  Arenanet has released via Twitter that Self-Style Hair and Total Makeover Kits are now available at the Black Lion Trading Post.

The Self-Style Hair Kits will allow you to change the style of your hair and horns. This kit will cost you 250 gems per kit or 1000 gems for five.  If you are looking to change more than your head area, then the Total Makeover Kit will allow you a complete modification of your character’s looks.  You will be able to change everything about your character, except decisions that would change your personal story; that would include your race, profession and background choices.  The Total Makeover Kit will cost you 350 gems for one or 1400 gems for five kits.

ArenaNet’s own Chris Whiteside did an almost 10-hour marathon ask me anything over at Reddit’s r/Guildwars2/ board. There was a ton of good information and insights about new content and fixes coming down the pipeline, and as you can imagine, a massive AMA such as this can be difficult to weed through. Never fear, because we here at Guild Wars Insider have curated the best responses for your viewing pleasure! Here are some quick and fast takeaways for the impatient:

• The new rarity, Ascended, was a one-time fix, and ArenaNet says it’s their mistake and this tier (that is, a tier in between exotic and legendary) should have been in the game to begin with to fill the time gap between the two levels. There are no plans for the foreseeable future to add another rarity level, although a small amount of vertical progression will occur through infusions. Horizontal progression, such as the new Apothecary gear set and other possible attribute combinations, are in the plans as well.
• Ascended gear will be fleshed out, with weapons and armor coming in the future.  The cost to produce this gear, as well as the way it is acquired, is also being revisited, as it’s currently seen as too grind-heavy.
• ArenaNet is looking in to better ways to communicate with the community. Much of the anger directed towards Ascended gear was because players thought it was just the beginning of a gear treadmill and not a one-time game fix, and it took a while for that information to disseminate through the community.
• At the same time, they were “acutely aware” of the reaction Ascended gear would cause.
• They’re not done with Southsun Cove and Fractals of the Mist. Both of the new content pieces will continue to receive updates, fixes, and new content.
• For Fractals specifically, ArenaNet is working on the fracturing (hah) the current setup enables in the community, with more hardcore players only wanting to run higher levels.
• Asuran weapon size is being revisited.
• How to fix the five racial cities being ghost towns is currently being discussed.
• New content for World vs World is on the way.

The full list of curated questions is after the jump.

For the full Reddit thread, head on over here: Reddit.com

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Just found out that SteelSeries is having a sale on all their gear today.. up to 50% off on GW2 items. Now’s a good time to pick up some gaming goods for yourself or as a gift.

You can find a list of available GuildWars2 items here…

And feel free to read GWI’s review of the SteelSeries peripherals as well.

ArenaNet posted the latest WvW Rankings… how’d your server rank?

This week we have a reviews for everyone!  The Lost Shores event was on everyone’s mind, but we also take some time for opinion from a first time player (who happens to be a game developer). Without further ado, here is your weekly round up:

Psychochild is a game developer (co-founder of Near Death Studios) and game consultant.  He recently picked up a copy of Guild Wars 2 to give it a try.  His opinions were so lengthy that he had to split them into two posts.  His review was so through, we decided to bring you both parts in this weeks round up. In the first part, we hear his opinion of the Good, Bad and Rest of the stuff.

ArenaNet did a good job getting the word out, but some people have continually gushed about the game during beta. This drove up my expectations, so I think I’m a bit disappointed that the game isn’t better than what I experienced. Anyway, the tone of this post might come across as being negative. I think the game is pretty good and I’ll probably play it a while more, but if it I could find no fault with it I’d put myself out of a job, wouldn’t I?

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Spike TV has announced its nominees for this year’s Video Game Awards show. Guild Wars 2 has beaten the typical MMO snub for this award, grabbing two nominations for Best Multiplayer Game and Best PC Game.  The show will be aired on December 7th, 2012 on Spike TV. You can vote for your favorite Mulitplayer game and PC game by following the links.

Good luck to Arenanet and all Guild Wars 2 fans!

Studio Design Director Chris Whiteside will be taking any and all questions for an AMA on Monday, November the 26th. The AMA was announced as a response in a thread to the growing concern of the future of Guild Wars 2. With all the hubbub about the Ascended Gear being a treadmill, and the one-time events being dishearteningly unfair for EU players, this AMA will more than likely consist nearly entirely of questions concerning these aspects.  The AMA will take place on Reddit at 12 PM PST, so be sure to head over and check it out or ask any questions that you might have. Here’s the quote from the thread, as well as a link to it.

Hi All,

Thanks for your feedback we really appreciate it. I would like to take the opportunity to answer your questions in an AMA on Reddit on Monday 26th (12pm PST- More details to follow) to talk about recent updates to the game and our philosophy for Guild Wars 2 moving forward.

Please keep in mind that there we are about to begin the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and are out of the office (and likely in game) until Monday. Happy Holidays everyone!

Chris