Guild Wars Nightfall

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Guild Wars Nightfall
Developer(s)	ArenaNet
Publisher(s)	NCSoft
Series	Guild Wars series
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date	October 27, 2006
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI: 12+
Media	DVD, CD, or Download[1]
System requirements	Intel Pentium III 1 GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 3GB Hard disk space, ATI Radeon 8500 or GeForce 3 series video card with 64 MB of VRAM, 56kbit/s internet connection, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP[2]
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse

Guild Wars Nightfall is a fantasy MMORPG and the third stand-alone campaign in the Guild Wars computer game series developed by Seattle-based game developer studio ArenaNet, a subsidiary of NCSoft corporation. Nightfall was released worldwide on October 27, 2006 after beginning in development in November 2005.^[3]

Nightfall takes place in the continent of Elona in the Guild Wars universe. It follows the player's character as they join the Order of the Sunspears and uncover the desire of Warmarshal Varesh to return a long forgotten god to the world through an event called Nightfall. The player, assisted by their hero allies, fight through civil war, ignorant Vabbi princes and Varesh's demon allies as they attempt to prevent the coming of Nightfall.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Professions 1.2 Heroes 1.3 PvE Gameplay 1.4 PvP Gameplay 2 Plot summary 3 Critical Response 3.1 Awards 4 Editions 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Nightfall is a continuation of the Guild Wars franchise and so follows the same gameplay principles. Guild Wars in previous releases attempted a marriage of Player versus Environment (or "PvE") and Player versus Player (or "PvP") gameplay, starting out with PvP being the logical endgame for the Prophecies campaign, and PvP interspersed throughout Factions play (in one part of the storyline, one of the only ways to advance is by engaging in PvP combat). Nightfall moves away from this as the storyline is more PvE focused than previous campaigns.

[edit] Professions

A player with Guild Wars Nightfall may create a character from one of the 6 core professions from Prophecies or one of the Nightfall-specific professions:

• The Dervish, described as a "holy warrior", wields a scythe and uses many different enchantments to support themselves and damage their enemies. They have the ability to temporarily transform into the likeness, or "form", of the Five Gods.
• The Paragon wields a spear and acts as a battle commander. Heavily armored, they are a support character capable of helping teammates through the use of "shouts" and chants, which affect all nearby allies.

The Assassin and Ritualist can only be created through the Factions campaign. If a person owns both campaigns, Assassin and Ritualists can travel to participate in Guild Wars Nightfall; but they cannot be created in Guild Wars Nightfall.

[edit] Heroes

In previous campaigns players could use NPC Henchmen, or "bots", to assist them with their questing. New henchmen available through Nightfall are called Heroes. Heroes are customizable in that the player can select skills, armor upgrades and weapons for them. The player also has a degree of control over the actions of the heroes: the player can set map waypoints for them, controlling the type of AI they use and directing the skills they use. Heroes are unlocked through play and can be taken into both PvE and PvP areas. A new PvP arena has been made available specifically for players to fight each other with their Heroes. A player cannot control more than three at a time^[4]. Heroes can be acquired by all characters (Tyrian, Canthan & Elonan) and used in battle if the player has a Nightfall account. Additionally, each other campaign has a hero available to add to Nightfall (an assassin for Factions, and a necromancer for Prophecies).

[edit] PvE Gameplay

As with the other Guild Wars campaigns, the maximum level for all characters is twenty. Nightfall strikes a middle ground with the other Guild Wars campaigns with the amount of time spent leveling; faster than Prophecies, where much of the game is spent achieving level 20, but slower than Factions where level 20 is very quickly achieved.

New PvE-only skills have been introduced available by gaining ranks in titles. The "Sunspear Rebirth Signet" is available by reaching a certain rank in the Sunspear Rank track, and each profession has been given a special Sunspear skill that increases in power as the player's Sunspear Rank increases. "Lightbringer's Gaze" and "Lightbringer's Signet" are available upon reaching level 2 and level 3 in the Lightbringer track, respectively (these skills also power up as the player's Lightbringer Rank increases). Also, wearing the skill title "Lightbringer" increases damage done to certain creatures in the PvE environment. Gaining higher ranks in the Sunspear and Lightbringer titles also awards players with hero skill points, which can be used to unlock new skills for themselves and their heroes to use; while buying skills with regular skill points (earned by levelling up and completing missions) can still be used to gain new skills, this method only allows you to unlock skills from the player's chosen profession; using hero skill points allows you to unlock skills from any profession.

Further benefits of title tracks have also been integrated into the game since; for example, the player's ranks in the Lucky/Unlucky (gained by playing various in-game gambling activities) and Treasure Hunter (gained by attaining "rare" items from chests) title tracks aid the player's chances of lockpicks not breaking when opening chests and reducing the chances of an item being destroyed when salvaging upgrade components (such as runes, which increase attributes, or crafting materials, used to create new armor).

PvE has been expanded when compared to the previous chapters; some parts of the game draw parallels to single player RPGs such as Knights of the Old Republic or Baldur's Gate. For example, the player has to undertake a certain Nightfall mission alone, without the use of Heroes, henchmen, or other players. The mission requires very little combat and is actually comprised of mini-games. Another example is a mini-mission that involves the player acting as a lawyer in a court case, where choosing the right line of argument will alter the outcome of the trial. The ability for the player to choose a course of action brings the game closer to its offline counterparts as opposed to the linear mission structure in other MMORPGs, as well as Guild Wars Prophecies and Factions.

The addition of Heroes has also made the game similar to single player RPGs, as each Hero has their own side quests the player can complete if they choose. Depending on which Hero you bring on quests, they make different comments on the current situation, whether remarking about ease of enemies during battle or random comments while standing around. Heroes also allow more freedom when playing as a single player with only computer controlled party members since they can be given more commands than ordinary henchmen and their skills can be tailored to specific situations. The addition of commands and customization makes many challenges that would have required other human players without Heroes possible. However, although the maximum party size is eight, the maximum number of heroes that each player may have in the party at any one time is three^{[citation needed]}. This helps to ensure that the game is not made too easy for more experienced players who could otherwise have been able to create an unbeatable all-hero party. The hero system has also lead to many Guild Wars players highly recommending Nightfall as a good starter campaign for newcomers to the game, as it encourages more strategic thinking and also makes playing PvE more straightforward (as especially in the earlier stages of the game, heroes may be of a higher level than henchmen and offer a better degree of survivability).

Mission structure has also changed somewhat. Like in Factions, bonus rewards are dependent on the performance during the mission, not just one side quest; however, the bonus could depend on something like killing certain creatures or preventing others from dying. For all but the last two missions, a certain hero must be in the party before the mission can begin. Also, not all the missions need to be completed, unlike in previous chapters. There are three pairs of missions where either one or the other must be completed before the plot progresses. Two of these pairs are selected depending on which hero was added to the party early on, while the third mission split offers a choice to the player. All the missions can be completed at the appropriate place in the plot, either depending on other players or by waiting until the plot has been completed (at which point players may gain all the heroes that they had previously chosen not to take).

[edit] PvP Gameplay

Prior to the release of Nightfall, ArenaNet announced the PvP Editions of the campaigns they have released. This made Nightfall the first campaign where players could have access to the skills and PvP parts of the campaign without having to play or pay for the PvE parts of the game. A player interested in PvP gains access to the core PvP content, 300 new skills for the Nightfall campaign, new guild halls and a new type of Arena.

Nightfall introduced an all new type of PvP Arena called Hero Battles. In this Arena, a player chooses three of their heroes to join them in combat against another player and three of their heroes. Each player must carefully choose the skills each of their heroes use, and micromanage how they use those skills in the Arena. Players may also use waypoint flags and micromanage hero targeting to order heroes to capture/defend specific points or attack specific targets. These hero battles have also created a new international tournament for solo players; previously, the only formal tournament was in the form of Guild vs Guild matches, which requires teams of eight players.

[edit] Plot summary

This video game-related article or section describes an aspect of the game in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.

The player's character is recruited as a junior officer in Elona's independent guardian force, the Order of the Sunspears. The player quickly earns respect and rank in the Sunspears dealing with unusual occurrences around Istan.

The strange deaths of a dig team excavating a long abandoned city, information about an event called Nightfall and its ties to the return of a forgotten god, Abaddon, start to cause concern for the Sunspears. Evidence builds that the Kournan delegation conveniently visiting are behind these unusual happenings. When the Kournan General, Kahyet, attempts to strike a deal with the corsairs harassing Istan, the Sunspears intervene. Kahyet is killed, plunging cautious relations with Kourna into strife. During a hearing with the elder council, Kormir - who had temporarily left in order to seek allies in Cantha and Tyria - returns, citing that similar occurrences have happened elsewhere.

Realizing the danger in the activities of Warmarshal Varesh Ossa, current Kournan leader, Kormir convinces the Istan council to cease diplomatic talks and instead start civil war to prevent Varesh from bringing about Nightfall.

Rallying the troops the Sunspears sail from Istan to Gandara, the largest fortress in Kourna and Varesh's seat of power, to confront Varesh and bring her to justice. After fighting through heavy defenses the Sunspears find Varesh who plays her trump card. She summons demons of Abaddon which rout the Sunspear troops. Kormir is left for dead as the remaining Sunspears flee through Kourna province.

The character establishes a hidden base of operations in Kourna, rescues Sunspears from the Kournan forces, rescues Kormir and prevents one of Abaddon's demons from corrupting Kourna's water supply. However these are only stalling tactics as through Varesh's rites Nightfall continues to come closer. The Sunspears travel to Vabbi to convince the Princes of that province that Varesh represents a threat to them and their people. They prove difficult to convince, believing her intruding forces will protect them from both the Sunspears and other natural threats to Vabbi.

Too late the princes see the treachery of Varesh. Although the princes use the power of Djinn in their province to protect their people, her troops and the Margonites, Abaddon's demons, already in Vabbi province move against the Vabbi princes. The Sunspears help as best they can to prevent Varesh's forces from prevailing. However, their best efforts seem to simply stall the inevitable, as the signs of Abaddon's coming begin to appear throughout Elona. After a Chaos Rift appears and sucks Kormir into the Realm of Torment, a part of the Underworld where only the most wicked souls go, the Sunspears decide they must pursue Varesh into The Desolation to stop her from completing the rites to return Abaddon to the world.

To pursue Varesh to the northern part of The Desolation, where Abaddon's link to the world is the strongest, the players release the undead lord Palawa Joko. He reveals to the Sunspears that the only way to traverse the sulfurous wastes is to tame the Junundu - an undead desert wurm, one of the few creatures alongside the elementals of the desert and Abaddon's demons that can survive the toxic atmosphere. Unlikely an ally as he is, it is he who aids the Sunspears in crossing The Desolation.

The heroes eventually reach Varesh, who is just about to open a rift to the Realm of Torment, and kill her. Unfortunately, it is too little, much too late, as the boundaries between both worlds is weak enough to be breached. The only option is to head into the Realm of Torment itself, find Kormir and face the God of Secrets face-to-face. The players cut off the Margonite source of power, the River of Souls, and discover that Abaddon is seeking aid from Dhuum, the god of death before Grenth overthrew him, and Menzies, Balthazar's half-brother. They also discover that two of Abaddon's main generals are none other than the Undead Lich and Shiro Tagachi, the primary antagonists from the previous campaigns.

Battling through Titans and Shiro'ken, the players reach the Temple of the Six Gods, a part of the world taken to the Realm of Torment when Abaddon was imprisoned by the five other gods. Before the heroes can ask for the help of the Gods to defeat Abaddon, they must defeat Abaddon's generals, Shiro and the Lich who defend the Temple. After defeating them Kormir and the heroes request assistance. Avatars of the Gods appear to say they will not help but to take their blessing "already within the heart of each human". The Sunspears must face and defeat Abaddon alone.

In the final battle, Abaddon is breaking free from the bindings holding him to the Realm of Torment. The Sunspears renew his bindings long enough to inflict enough damage to defeat him. When defeated Abaddon's power grows out of control and his Realm of Torment threatens to merge with Elona causing Nightfall without him. Thinking quickly, Spearmarshal Kormir sacrifices herself by running into the mouth of Abaddon, hoping to control or stop Abaddon's energies. Kormir is successful, but is forever changed as she now holds the power and knowledge of Abaddon. The God of Secrets, Abaddon, is over-thrown by the new Goddess of Truth, Kormir, who must set about undoing the damage done to the world by her predecessor.

The player may return to the Chantry of Secrets, base of operations for the Order of Whispers and enter the Domain of Anguish.

[edit] Critical Response

Reviews of Guild Wars Nightfall show that it was well received. While the reviews were favorable, it has been rated less favourably by reviewers when compared to other Guild Wars campaigns, Factions and the original, Prophecies.^[5] As the third game in the Guild Wars series, reviewers expected more from the game, for instance, Gamespot notes "the underlying game hasn't changed much and is starting to show signs of aging".^[6] Despite this, Guild Wars Nightfall was widely recommended as the best game in the series for new players to start in.^[7][6][8], and some extend this to say it is the strongest offering in the Guild Wars series^[9]

Heroes were viewed by many as a significant gameplay modification introduced by Nightfall. Heroes were commended for allowing the player more flexibility and choice in the game,^[7][10] but were also felt to be a mixed blessing because, more so than the existing henchmen, they are complex to micro-manage.^[7] and more likely take slots in the party which might normally be filled by human players^[6][8] Many commented that it seemed that the game was now more solo player focused than previous installments,^[6][10] Eurogamer suggests heroes bring "Guild Wars closer to the party-based RPGs of old ... instead of the solo-but-with-people RPG that it had initially delivered."^[11]

There were few Nightfall specific complaints. Several critics noted that existing characters from previous campaigns had to grind for Sunspear points to advance the storyline.^[7][10] This grinding for non-Elonian characters has since been removed. Others noted that for Elona-made characters the story starts slowly, only really starting once the point where existing characters may join the story has passed.^[8][10]

Some reviewers mentioned issues with the Guild Wars games in general. Several noted that while some modifications have been made to the interfaces, that other interfaces in the game were still lacking, ^[6][8] for instance Yahoo notes, "the chat and player-info features are rudimentary, and you only meet other players when you're in a town."^[12] It was also felt that Guild Wars is becoming an increasingly complex game due to the vast number of skill interactions^[6]

[edit] Awards

Guild Wars Nightfall has received several game awards. MMORPG.com awarded Nightfall RPG game of 2006.^[13] It received PC Gamer Magazine's 2006 awards for Best MMO and Best Value. 1UP awarded Nightfall the best Online/Multiplayer Game of 2006.^[14]

[edit] Editions

Pre-release Bonus Pack

The bonus pack is similar to the pre-order packs from the previous campaigns, and was available from September 15, 2006. It includes a game trial key, an additional character slot, weapons for the new professions and a CD containing bonus materials.

Standard

The standard edition contains the full game, which was released October 27, 2006. It contains 3 game CDs, a book of game lore, a manual, and a miniature map of Elona. New players will get four character slots while players adding Nightfall to an existing account will get two additional character slots.

In Europe, the standard edition was also released on a single DVD-ROM.

Collector's Edition

The Collector's Edition has the same content as the standard edition but is also known to include a behind-the-scenes DVD, unique Dervish and Paragon in-game emotes, a Varesh Ossa Minipet (Miniature NPC that follows the player), an art book, skill pins, a Varesh Ossa mini-standee, a map of Elona, a code to unlock extra in-game music and the Nightfall soundtrack CD. It also gives you a "Nightfall Buddy Key" to give to one of your friends. The Nightfall Buddy Key allows your friend to play Nightfall for 14 days or 10 hours (whichever ends first) without purchase.

PvP Edition/PvP Pack

The PvP edition unlocks all of the skills and professions which come with Nightfall for use in PvP. It does not allow the player to access the Nightfall PvE content and the player must unlock weapon upgrades and Heroes. The PvP edition is only available for purchase online.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The official Guild Wars website
• The official Guild Wars Wiki
• ArenaNet's listing of recognized Guild Wars fansites

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