Guild Wars is a series of online role-playing games created by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft. The games received high praise from critics and won many awards, including "Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, as well as awards for Best Value, Best Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), and Best Game. Guild Wars was recognized for being the first major multiplayer online game to use a business model that did not rely on monthly subscription fees. It also used a gameplay style that separated players into individual areas and offered high-quality graphics that worked well on computers with basic hardware. In April 2009, NCSoft reported that 6 million copies of Guild Wars games had been sold. The sequel and fourth main game in the series, Guild Wars 2, was announced in March 2007 and released on August 28, 2012. It included improved graphics and gameplay features and continued the tradition of no subscription fees. By August 2015, the Guild Wars series had sold 11.5 million copies.
Publications
The NCSoft crossover game Master X Master included Rytlock from Guild Wars 2 as a playable character.
Guild Warssubseries (2005–2007)
The original Guild Wars series includes the games Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, and Guild Wars: Eye of the North. These games take place in the same fictional world called Tyria. The games offer two types of gameplay: a team-based story mode where players work together to complete missions, and a competitive mode where players fight each other in special areas. From 2005 to 2013, the series included three standalone games, one major expansion, and smaller updates. Each game focuses on different parts of Tyria happening at the same time. Players create an avatar to help save Tyria from enemies. They can team up with other players and computer-controlled characters to complete tasks. Competitive fights are voluntary and limited to specific areas. Players can create characters with the best gear for fighting, which is uncommon in most online games. ArenaNet held official tournaments where players and teams competed for prizes, including up to $100,000.
Players use a 3D character to explore the world. The game shows the world from a third-person view but also allows a first-person perspective. Characters can move, chat, and perform actions like fighting or picking up items. Players choose from up to 10 different character classes. When creating a character, players select features like hair, face, skin, and name based on their chosen class. As players progress, they can change their character’s appearance with new armor and weapons. Players can start in a story-based world or jump directly into competitive battles.
The highest level a character can reach is 20, with 170 attribute points. Completing certain quests can add 30 more points, for a total of 200. Players earn experience to learn new skills or buy items. A class, or profession, defines a character’s abilities. For example, Warriors use strength and wear heavy armor, while Elementalists use energy and wear lighter armor. Players can also choose a secondary class, but they cannot use the main attribute of that class. Skills from the secondary class are weaker than those from the main class.
There are over 1,000 skills in the game, but players can only use 8 at a time. Choosing the right skills is important for teamwork and survival. The main classes are Warrior, Monk, Elementalist, Ranger, Necromancer, and Mesmer. Other classes like Assassin and Ritualist are only in Guild Wars Factions, while Paragon and Dervish are only in Guild Wars: Nightfall. The expansion Guild Wars: Eye of the North does not add new classes.
The game world includes towns and outposts where players can find services, quests, and other players. These areas help players form teams to explore the world. When players leave these areas, they enter private zones to fight monsters or complete tasks. As players advance, they gain access to more towns and can travel instantly between them.
Combat uses weapons and skills. Skills have different effects, like attacking enemies, healing allies, or giving extra health. Some skills work with weapons to increase damage or cause effects like bleeding. Each skill depends on specific attributes, similar to a points system in other games. The skill system is often compared to card games because of how skills interact. Players can change their skill setup in towns but cannot change it during battles. A well-chosen skill combination helps players support their team.
In story-based gameplay, defeating enemies gives gold and items that can be sold or traded. Rare weapons are found by defeating strong enemies or opening treasure chests. In competitive battles, players earn "faction" points based on their performance. For example, "Balthazar faction" points are earned by winning matches.
Guild Wars 2(2012)
Guild Wars 2 is the follow-up to the original Guild Wars. It was released on August 28, 2012. The game's story focuses on the awakening of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the major disaster this causes in Tyria. This threat brings the game's main groups together to form a Pact. From 2012 to 2014, the game received regular updates with temporary content called Living World Season 1. From 2014 to 2015, updates shifted to a permanent model that connected with the characters' story. These updates, known as Living World Season 2, included a story about awakening Mordremoth, leading to the game's first expansion pack.
Heart of Thorns is the first expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on October 23, 2015. The story follows the Pact's battle against the Elder Dragon Mordremoth. New features were added, including a new profession called Revenant, improved skills for existing professions, gliding, and guild halls. This was followed by two years of updates, covering Living World Season 3. This season focused on the aftermath of fighting Mordremoth, early battles against other dragons, and the return of the god Balthazar, who wants to kill the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik. It also introduced raid content, a feature promised in the marketing of Heart of Thorns.
Path of Fire is the second expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on September 22, 2017. In this story, Pact heroes chase Balthazar and the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik to Elona, a continent first seen in Nightfall. This expansion added new mounts to the game. Content updates will include Season 4, which focuses on fighting Palawa Joko, and Season 5 of the Living World.
End of Dragons is the third expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on February 28, 2022. This story follows Pact Heroes as they travel to Cantha to finish fighting the remaining Elder Dragons. This expansion added improved skills for all professions, a new combat mount called the siege turtle, and features like fishing and skiffs.
Secrets of the Obscure is the fourth expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on August 22, 2023.
Janthir Wilds is the fifth expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on August 20, 2024.
Visions of Eternity is the sixth and most recent expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 and was released on October 28, 2025.