Player versus Player

There are two main forms of PvP: a tournament based game with evenly organized teams, and pick-up play where individuals or groups can hot-join a map depending on a variety of settings. Players entering organized PvP get a fixed level and any items necessary to ensure an even footing.

World versus World

World versus World is a casual but competitive player versus player mode featuring large, continuous, objective-based battles between a few matched servers. Players of any level can come and go, using the skills and equipment that they currently have. The winning worlds gain particular benefits, such as better prices at merchants.

Player versus Environment

Guild Wars 2 features a zoned persistent game world which is split across multiple game servers.

Guild Wars 2 has a significantly larger world than that of Guild Wars. Underwater explorable areas are a significant part of some zones, some of which have over half of the area underwater. These underwater areas are accessible to players through an easily obtainable consumable item and have new friendly races and their own events. The areas are designed to be fun places to explore for all races.

A day/night cycle, faster than real-time, is present in the game and some events will occur and monsters appear depending on the in-game time. There are also weather effects. The interior of houses and buildings in the environment are accessible.

Ranger vs Ogre

Event system

Instead of a traditional quest system, there are dynamic events. As the world is explored, objectives become revealed by occurrences around the player. For example, a town under attack is identifiable by the destruction caused by enemies and townspeople fleeing. Defending the town gives rewards. There are over 1500 events that can occur in a dynamic system based on player action or inaction in the world. Participation in these events thus affects the state of the world.

Personal story

In the 250 years since the events of Guild Wars, the Elder Dragons have awoken. As massive forces of nature, these dragons have wreaked destruction across the continent of Tyria, forever changing its face and its inhabitants. The player is thrown into the midst of this destruction. Each character has its own biography which affects the story and how non-player characters react. As the game progresses, organizations can be joined and situations approached in different ways; these influences change the experience of the story as it advances towards the final confrontation with the Elder Dragon, Zhaitan. There are therefore thousands of different story permutations possible.

Non-combat interaction

Guild Wars 2 will have a "robust" crafting system. Mini-game activities are provided in major towns.

Video show-casing the dynamic events system.

Mechanics: Combat

Combat in Guild Wars 2 is built around three facets: damage, control and support. Damage is simply decreasing the enemy's health, control is preventing the enemy from doing what it wants, and support consists of boosting the abilities of allies. Each profession is able to perform any of these roles. While some professions may be better at an aspect than others, no character is a specialist in a particular role. For example, there is no profession which focuses on the healing aspect of support - the best healing abilities available in the game are the compulsory self healing skills.

Combat is designed to be tactical; items in the environment can be used as weapons, body position can affect skills, and skills which allies use can interact with the player to create new effects. Even what is done at the edge of death can change the outcome of the fight dramatically.

Mechanics: Customization

It is known that the character will be able to choose from five playable races and eight professions. Unlike in the first Guild Wars, there will be no secondary profession.

Visual customization of the character will include physical options such as body type, height, and advanced facial customizations including facial hair.

Biography

When creating a character a biography is created by answering several questions about the character. Each question will affect the personal storyline for the character. Race and profession determines most of the questions that are asked.

Custom story

The personal journey of each character is tailor-made according to history and character, but also based on his or her choices while playing. For example, a player may decide to save a certain NPC, while another may choose to let him die. The former may then choose to go on a mission to rescue his comrades from imprisonment, while the latter will not have that choice. A custom story aims to make a player feel that the game reacts according to his or her choices.

Mechanics: Levels

Characters accumulate experience and gain levels throughout the game. The maximum attainable level for players is 80. Leveling up however, is not the only way to make progress. Other aspects of the game, such as accumulating skills, traits and achievements also play a major role in character progression.

The level progression is not geometric or exponential as in most other games in the genre. The amount of time and/or effort required to gain levels stays constant throughout the process.

Leveling curve graph

Character, Race and Proffesions

There are two fixed aspects to any character created: race and profession.

The selection of one of five playable races determines the appearance of the character and gives a flavor to the character in combat with versatile racial skills and through a personal storyline with the unique themes and history of the race. The selection of one of eight available professions determines most of what the character is capable of doing. It restricts the armortype wearable, but more importantly determines how the skill bar is built through the unique game mechanics of the profession, the weapons that can be wielded, and the skills and ability modifiers available. The profession abilities have been emphasized over racial abilities to make sure that each race is equally able to play each profession.

The five playable races of Guild Wars 2 are the Tyrian species that can be selected for player use upon character creation.

The choices that will be available at the game's release are:

• Asura
• Charr
• Human
• Norn
• Sylvari

Each of the races has a separate starting area in game, however as the story progresses they are able to interact with other races. The choice of race will, of course, alter the character's personal story. Each race will also have several character modifiers to create a unique backstory, such as the asuran college or human heritage, which will personalise the character's story further.

The 5 playable races.

There will be eight playable professions in the initial release of Guild Wars 2, although not all have been revealed at this time. All professions will be available to each race and are all being designed to be viable to play both alone and in groups. There will be no profession able to use every single weapon available in the game. A character will not be able to change their profession once they have been created.

The professions are divided into three categories based on their level of defense — there will be 3 scholars, 3 adventurers and 2 soldiers, which wear light, medium and heavy armor, respectively.

Scholars

• Elementalist — master of the elements; the elementalist changes their elemental attunement mid battle to adapt to any situation.
• Necromancer — master of the dark arts; the necromancer draws on life force and uses it to strengthen or heal themselves and others.
• 1 other profession

Adventurers

• Ranger — master of animals; the ranger calls upon their animal allies to assist them in the field of battle.
• 2 other professions

Soldiers

• Warrior — master of weapons; the warrior uses adrenaline to improve their attacks or fuel a powerful burst skill.
• Guardian — master of protection; virtues enhance the guardian's attack and defense until they are sacrificed to aid allies.

4 out of the 8 professions revealed so far.

Screenshots and Concept Art

These are some of the in-game screenshots taken from the official Guild Wars 2 website, under the media, screenshots section.

Some awesome concept art showcasing the different races' architecture, landscape and lore. All of which can be viewed at the concept art page of the official site.

Many wallpapers beautifully themed with GW2 art, lore and    professions can be found at the Guild Wars 2 wallpaper page.