Guild Wars: Nightfall Preview

There is a lot to be said for a game that entrances with just the load screen – a panorama from a realized fantasy world set to the sounds of the ocean and soft music.

Guild Wars: Nightfall, the next expansion in NCsoft’s Guild Wars massively multiplayer online game, does just that … and then follows it up with compelling gameplay elements that add to the GW universe.

When NCsoft and ArenaNet invited media types to hop in and have a look at the new expansion, the opportunity was snatched up.

Guild Wars breaks the mold for massively multiplayer online games. The subscription model for the game is very simple – there isn’t one. You buy the game, you play the game online with thousands of others for no monthly fee. The game has staging zones, cities and villages, where you can team up with others and then venture into instances zones on quests and to explore.

Logging in to the Nightfall event, the first elements of the new expansion are evident in the two new classes – the paragon (a commander type with high charisma ratings) and the dervish (holy warriors that have enhancements and can lay a fair amount of smackdown on enemy targets).

The expansion begins with the tutorial on the Island of Shehkah. James Earl Jones narrates the intro (if that is not James Earl Jones, then it is someone with the same sonorous intonations), and the game quickly propels players into the story of this new area.

The time of the five gods is at an end as night falls, but the story actually begins some time after that, when corsairs are seen off the coast and the player is teamed up with level 20 party members which help guide you through the tutorial. This is designed for the player that has never played the game before. Even resurrection is demonstrated by Kormir, who uses you as the example. Some of the new missions as a Sunspear will not have a resurrection shrine and should you fail, you begin the quest from the beginning. The path to Chahbek Village is an easy one and does a solid job of introducing newcomers to the basics of the game.

The new characters are somewhat keyed off existing classes, but seem to be a nice addition with some unique aspects. The paragon has group buffs, viewed as leadership skills, but the true measure lies in the buffs he (or she) throws out adding bonuses to the paragon’s own abilities. To lead one needs followers and the return on the paragon’s magical skills is solid. The paragon also begins by using a spear and the throw animation is solid. Throw the spear and another magically takes its place in the hand of the paragon. The dervish uses a scythe and is a mosaic of motion with the weapon (can you say “whirling dervish?”). There is almost a brooding element to the dervish animation, as if the class is weighing the consequences of each keyed attack. Still, the dervish is capable of doing a great deal of damage.

Another new element is the ability to add an NPC hero to your group. As players add NPCs, there is the ability to add a Hero-class character. This character is the same level as the player’s avatar and can level up. It is almost like having a pet, but it does limit the ability to round out parties for the quest with other skill-specific NPCs.

Most of the time, combat is handled through the use of energy (known as mana in some games) but players can also activate adrenalin skills. This is not a new concept to the game, though, as warrior classes have been using a form of it since the original launch. All new recruits must get to level 5 before picking a secondary profession.

The motif of the load screens would suggest an almost Egyptian flare but early in the quest runs, the landscape does not take on those stylings. The gateways to the instanced zones are translucent watery shimmering gates that are amazing to look at, and there are other animations that track the shimmering style. The environments are lush, though there are plains as well.

Quests are numerous and even early on players will find quite an array of main story quests and side quests that will unlock skills and reward players with coin and experience points toward the next level.

The motto of the Sunspears can be seen as an overview for the game itself – you never fight alone. Nightfall is looking to be a wonderful addition to the lore of the Guild Wars universe, while adding some solid new elements.