Guild Wars, Nightfall (Chapter 3)

Post by **Nadia** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:51 am

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/guildwar ... id=6154159
(pictures at link)

The Paragon
The paragon isn't meant to be a frontline fighter. Instead, the paragon is best suited in a support role as a battle commander, capable of supporting teammates by throwing spears and using verbal chants and shouts that can boost the fighting abilities of those nearby. And the paragon's angelic nature isn't just aesthetic, as this profession's presence can help teammates resist hexes and other curses.

It's easy to identify paragons on the battlefield, thanks to their angelic look. Even the paragon's armor is saintly in appearance, thanks to the incorporation of ivory and mother of pearl in its materials. And if that weren't enough, a paragon's metal armor usually has the form of wings engraved in it. It's no wonder that the Elonians in the game believe that paragons are guardian angels sent by the gods to serve as champions for the people.

The Dervish
If the paragon is best while standing back from a fight, the dervish is at home in the heart of one. These holy warriors are capable of striking at multiple targets simultaneously with their wicked scythes. Of course, they're armed with a whirling, spinning attack that's perfect for when in the middle of a bunch of foes. Dervishes can also cast spells on themselves that aid in their assault, and the profession has various healing and protection abilities as well. The profession's most powerful ability, however, is to temporarily transform into the physical embodiment of a god.

Since the profession is part warrior and part priest, dervishes are clad in robes rather than armor. Protection comes mainly from the dervish's agility in battle, as well as the various protection enhancements and spells. In addition to the robe, dervishes are equipped with bracers on their arms, and they're constantly hooded to show their humility to their gods.

Post by **Nadia** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:46 am

http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases ... -08-24.php

Guild Wars Nightfall introduces new customizable Heroes who level up, follow player instructions in combat, and use skills and equipment of the player's choosing. These Heroes will follow the player through savage coasts, ancient monuments, and poisonous deserts during an epic story that spans twenty missions and hundreds of quests. And for the ultimate one-on-one challenge, competitive players can choose to enter the new Hero vs. Hero Battles, where they group with a custom team of Heroes and fight against other players from around the world and their customized groups of Heroes.

Guild Wars Nightfall will be available in both Standard and Collector's Editions. The highly-coveted, limited run, Collector's Edition will include the Guild Wars Nightfall game as well as a Making of Guild Wars Nightfall behind-the-scenes DVD, a collector's art book, collectible skill pins, a character mini-standee, a poster-sized map of Elona, the Guild Wars Nightfall soundtrack CD, and more.

Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. Guild Wars Nightfall continues the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting. Eager fans can get the Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack in stores on September 15, and the Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and Guild Wars Nightfall Collector's Edition on October 27, 2006.

Post by **Nadia** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:19 pm

PVE open beta preview weekend - open to anyone
http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases ... -09-12.php

Guild Wars Nightfall will make its debut in a massive event open to anyone and everyone who would like to play. The event will take place September 22, 2006, beginning at 12:01am PDT and running through September 24, 2006 at 11:59pm PDT.

The Guild Wars Nightfall World Preview Event will feature previews of the new environments, new missions, and new battle arenas. The event will allow players to create Nightfall-specific characters from the six core professions as well as the two new NightfallTM professions, the Dervish and the Paragon, and try out new Nightfall skills. The entire Istani province of the new realm Elona will be open for player exploration, and players will be able to view the first Nightfall in-game cinematics. In addition, two new arenas will make their debut, the Sunspear Arena and Churranu Island.

For an added bonus, the November 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine, due in stores a week before the event, boasts a Guild Wars Nightfall cover story, and includes an access key for an exclusive, in-game, Gray Giant miniature. The Gray Giant will be useable during the World Preview Event, and then may be reactivated with a Guild Wars Nightfall account upon release.

Post by **Nadia** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:50 am

PC Gamer preview
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/show ... t=10044494

Since no one else started it, here's the rundown of what you'll find in the November PC Gamer (with Dervish on Cover, and Back as well!). I will not use direct quotes, images, or anything else copyrighted. I will update this throughout the day, but feel free to help me out by adding stuff yourself.

Those not intererested in the Gray Giant mini-pet should still pick this up. It's a great read, and has lots of cool pictures.

Oh, and this thread contains SPOILERS. You've been warned.

The End of the Trilogy?

Nightfall is "an apocalypse", says Jeff Strain. "It's an endpoint." It will tie up some loose ends from Prophecy and Factions. But don't worry, Chapter 4 is in the works, and hints of what's to come can be found within Nightfall.

Regions of Nightfall

Istan Starting region, themed after ancient Egypt. Contains port of Kamadan, where travelers from other chapters will start.

Kourna Savannahs and mud huts.

Vabbi Arabic themed with floating mosques and castles, magical fountains and tapestries with flowing text. SPOILER ALERT: This place will be devastated by the "evil god" at some point.

Desolation The poison desert, with sulfer pits. You'll even ride giant wurms in this stage to cross the most dangerous parts! (Yes, you control the wurms, getting special "wurm" skills to replace yours!)

Realm of Torment Hell, basically. Promises to look very gory, pushing the "teen" rating. Will be unmappable, as the fog of exploration persists even after you've "explored" a part of the realm.

Beefier Story / Better Voiceacting

Jeff Grubb writing (from D&D fame), more dialogue trees with NPCs, completing quests will have consequences on gameplay, professional actors hired for voice acting. Drinking and dancing mini-games (or Quests, sounds more like it).

Also, Nightfall is larger than Factions (20 missions vs 15), there will be branching storylines, (although not as extreme as the two Luxon and Kurzick paths in Factions), Three New Challenge Missions and One new Elite Mission (not based on Alliance, but opened at a certain point in game).

Swappable "Inscriptions" and Choosing Mods to Salvage

"Inscriptions" are "inherent bonus modifiers for weapons" and can be transferred among weapons, or sold for gold. Also, no more salvaging what you don't want, you can choose what component you want to salvage.

Templates for Your Characters include Secondary Changer!

You can now assign preset skill and profession builds and switch them in Outposts. "No more hunting through outposts for Profession trainer!" I assume they mean once you unlock a secondary, I can't see GW giving you secondaries for "free." Still, a much requested and needed feature!

Heroes

12 heroes, can have three a a time, will need specific heroes for some quests. Can upgrade Hero's skills, weapons, armor, and give them secondaries.

"Aggressive," "Defensive" and "Passive" modes, can be sent to to certain areas by placing "flags" on the mini-map. Finally, we can tell a Hero to hold an area!

There's also a list of the names and brief bios of all the Heros, which I won't bore you with. But I will reveal that one of the Heros (Zhed Shadowhoof) is a Centaur! (guess which Hero I want?) I guess you could say I'm a "Zhed Head!" Har, Har. (sorry, not much sleep last night).

300 New Skills

Including some new abilities for Assassin and Ritualist!

Post by **Nadia** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 1:36 pm

Gamespy: PC MMORPG of the Year -- Guild Wars Nightfall
http://goty.gamespy.com/2006/pc/index13.html

This year found the Guild Wars expansion-machine in full swing, with two standalone campaigns released six months apart: Factions and Nightfall. While we were very much into Factions, Nightfall edged it out in our minds. Its North African-inspired setting was extremely cool, and the two new professions introduced -- the vicious Dervish and the stalwart Paragon -- were just too cool for words.

In broader terms, Guild Wars is extremely close to being our favorite MMO ever due to its enlightened approach to the genre. The attention that ArenaNet pays to the game's PvP experience would be embraced by the industry at large in a perfect world, and its ability to offer such a stellar product without charging a monthly subscription is nothing short of revolutionary. If subsequent expansions reflect the level of quality we saw in Factions and Nightfall, then ArenaNet's model will be viable indeed.

Taxious · Post by **Taxious** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:09 am

Great expansion so far. I think they go a little crazy with the skills though. It's all about marketing though.

They make the new skills crazy good so that everyone that has the expansion has a giant advantage over those that don't. This makes more people buy it, and then when everything has calmed down, the overpowering skills get nerfed.