When it was announced that the newest event demo build for href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2"> style="font-style: italic;">Guild Wars 2

would feature the first public look at structured PvP, I knew it was

going to be a defining moment in the development cycle of the game. The

Battle of Kyhlo map being featured at gamescom and PAX Prime represents

one of the last major pieces of the gameplay puzzle for style="font-style: italic;">GW2,

and I made

it a personal mission this weekend to get some hands-on time with PvP

to see how the Conquest game type is shaping up.







href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/103793"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 338px;"

alt="guild wars 2"

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/103793">

I had a golden opportunity to do exactly that last night during a trip

to the ArenaNet offices where the developer hosted a party for its

fans. For those fans lucky enough to attend, it gave them a chance to

spend some time talking and gaming with the style="font-style: italic;">GW2

team in a much more

relaxed setting than the show floor could ever provide.







Since I wasn’t able to attend the open house at

ArenaNet’s new offices earlier in the summer, Randall Price

was awesome enough to give me a personal tour of the new space. As an

audio nerd it was a definite highlight to see the on-site spaces used

by the audio team, and I also learned that the announcer in the newly

unveiled Battle of Kyhlo map is none other than Jon St. John, known by

many as the voice of Duke Nukem.







Eventually we made our way to one of the game testing spaces where

ArenaNet had set up 10 systems for fans to participate in some PvP, and

I jumped at the chance to play through as many matches as I was able.

Over the course of the evening I played in a good dozen matches, and

walked away with a good handle on how the Conquest game type is shaping

up. Given my background with the necromancer profession, it was also a

great opportunity to get a feel for just how badass the necro is in PvP.







href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/103789"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 331px;"

alt="guild wars 2"

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/103789">

In terms of build, I decided to change things up for each match since

our demo characters had access to all available skills and weapon sets

for their profession. Likewise, the overall tactics employed by the

teams I played on or against as the night progressed also changed up a

fair amount for each match. In some, the trebuchets factored heavily

into combat, while in others they were largely ignored.

Regardless of the specific tactical approach to the map, it was clear

from the outset that the pace of combat in PvP is far more active than

what you’d expect from an MMO. Matches were rarely one-sided,

and I could see exactly why it was said that PvP in style="font-style: italic;">GW2

will easily

appeal to competitive gamers of all stripes, such as hardcore FPS

players.







There has been some debate amongst fans about whether the trebuchets in

the Battle of Khylo are over- or underpowered for the map. To be honest

I truly believe it really depends on how heavily teams opt to use them,

because they can certainly help or hinder your ability to capture and

hold each of the three points.















For example, in one match I decided to stick to defending a single

capture point. Building up a small army of minions and making active

use of weapon swaps, Death Shroud, and the newly revealed necro elite

skill Lich Form, I managed to fend off the opposing team for the first

half of the match. Eventually one of them must have decided that

they’d had enough and it became increasingly difficult to

hold the point while dodging a constant stream of siege attacks.







For the necro fans out there who have been itching to learn more about

Lich Form, or have begun to question the overall usefulness of the

latest iteration of Death Shroud, I’ll have a full report on

both points and much more this week over on href="http://www.necrobator.com/">NecroBator.com.

One thing I

will note here in the meantime, however, is that necros are one of the

most resilient professions in PvP currently, and Lich Form is a perfect

example of just how powerful elite skills are in style="font-style: italic;">GW2.







href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/103794"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 338px;"

alt="guild wars 2"

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/103794">

As powerful as the necro can be, skilled players would watch for me to

drop out of Death Shroud before unleashing a series of knockbacks and

stuns while it was recharging. That helped illustrate that PvP in style="font-style: italic;">GW2

will be far more about player skill and less about creating powerful,

unchanging metabuilds.







Another thing that arose to the forefront during my PvP matches is the

way that cross-profession combos factor into combat. While

I’ve experienced this in smaller doses during my PvE

experiences with the game, the focal points created by the capture

points in Conquest matches made this aspect of combat far more readily

apparent.







Rezzing teammates or using finishing moves on enemies to send them

directly to defeated also helps keep combat in PvP incredibly fluid.

Since both abilities can be interrupted, neither one felt overpowered

for the game type, and in fact added yet another layer of depth to the

overall experience. Likewise, the downed state abilities can really

save your bacon and help you stay in the fight rather than taking a

brief dirt nap. As a balancing mechanic, I think it was a smart call to

include the finishing moves because they add another tactical element

into the mix.







The overall pacing and length of matches is spot on, and it will be

interesting to see what kind of server and tournament types ArenaNet

adds into the mix. They’ve definitely nailed the sweet spot

of making PvP an exhilarating experience that leaves you itching to

dive into your next match as soon as your current one comes to a close.

I could have easily continued playing matches for most of the night,

and as my time at the ArenaNet offices came to a close I left wanting

more.







href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/103792"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 338px;"

alt="guild wars 2"

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/103792">

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it once again;

Guild

Wars 2 is shaping up to be a

true industry changer. The same

attention and care being put into the design of the PvE experience has

gone into PvP as well, and I can easily see it developing into the next

great e-sport title that competitive gamers will flock to, regardless

of their genre backgrounds.







Hands-down GW2

PvP has been the high point of my PAX experience this

year, and I have absolutely no doubts that style="font-style: italic;">GW2

is going to be a huge,

huge game. Guild

Wars 2 is the breath of fresh

air that the MMO

industry has sorely needed, and worthy of every bit of hype it receives.

