Is Guild Wars 2 ready to become Massively Multiplayer? In their largest Beta Weekend Event yet, we ask Gazimoff to report on ArenaNet's developing MMO.

The Tourist Trap

Last weekend also saw the introduction of Lion's Arch; a city largely built from marooned ships and salvaged scraps. It provides a central hub, providing Asura Gate portals to all other major cities, as well as PvP combat in the Mists. Other amenities, such as banks, taverns and crafting facilities are also available.

On the top of a wooden tower at the west end of the city is diving board - a small mini-game, similar to the hidden puzzles and games dotted throughout the world. By pulling on a pair of goggles and jumping off, you can attempt to perform a dive. Will you succeed or land on the rocks?

The new city is also an example of how Tyria is steadily fleshing out. Several points of interest have now been added to the map, with each new discovery toasted by a small notification. If you needed a reason to explore the beautiful landscape, the linked achievements might just persuade you.

Playing to Learn

One of the biggest challenges faced by Guild Wars 2 is in retraining existing MMO players used to a simpler style of combat and game play. If there's one thing I saw from my travels, it's the conflict that emerges between training these new mechanics as part of our play style, and our incredible desire to go out and explore the beautiful world ArenaNet has created.

With a significant influx of new players, there were some major differences in how players tackled Guild Wars 2 compared to beta weekends. The great news is that the core elements of Personal Story and Renown or 'heart' quests both stood up to large numbers of participants. Dynamic events were a different story, with players either becoming overwhelmed by events that require a group, or where the event fell just above the level bracket for the area. 

Our World vs World experience was a similar story. Previous beta weekends had seen our home world blessed with strong coordination and sound strategy. Without that layer, the battlefield quickly degenerated into mob mentality, banding together in groups and using sheer strength of numbers. Against a well organized team with good communication, we were toast.

As the title of the game suggests, Guilds are a vitally important aspect of Guild Wars 2.  Being able to join more than one means there's no reason not to seek out allies and band together. From learning the basics and defeating world events, to dominating World vs World and PvP, having a close-knit community is likely to improve your home server's success as well as your own.

Hiccups and problems are to be expected in any MMO beta, particularly when it brings several new concepts and ideas to the table. How those systems perform when thousands upon thousands of players are using them is all part of testing. Refining and iterating on them between now and the game's final launch is what creates that desirable polished product we all want to play. While Guild Wars 2 has made a great initial splash, it's up to the development team to respond to player concerns. As always, we'll be watching.

Gareth "Gazimoff" Harmer, Staff Writer