Guild Wars: Factions

By Tristan Clark

Since its release a year ago, Guild Wars has enjoyed both critical acclaim and commercial success, thanks to its unique gameplay and extremely user-friendly subscription fee (priced at a very reasonable $0.00). Instead of charging monthly, developer ArenaNet instead plan to release a full-blown addition to the game world every 6-8 months, the first of which is just around the corner.

Veterans and newcomers alike will experience conflict, combat and thrilling adventure in the mysterious realm of Cantha, the setting for Guild Wars Factions. As the saga continues, the factions of the empire battle for the realm; players will be able to pledge their allegiance to one of these factions and by their actions determine who the winner will be. While Factions is a standalone product that does not require the Guild Wars to play, gamers with Guild Wars accounts who purchase Factions will be able to play in both campaigns with their existing characters.

Possibly the most exciting new addition in Factions is the ‘meta game’. Upon choosing a side, players must team together and fight against the opposing team to control as much of Cantha as possible. Almost every piece of land in the game is contestable, from arid wastelands to gigantic cities.

Two new character classes are also available, in addition to the six already present. Players will be able to choose from the Assassin, who specialises in sneak attacks, and the Ritualist, a master of summoning spells.

Expect to see Factions hit these shores late April/early May – and expect to lose a lot of time to this addictive MMOG.

 del.icio.us  StumbleUpon  Facebook  Reddit