Guild Wars 2 facts for kids

Guild Wars 2 is a popular computer game that you play online with many other people. It's a type of game called a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). This means you create a character and explore a huge fantasy world, completing quests and fighting monsters, all while connected to the internet with thousands of other players.

The game is owned by ArenaNet. Guild Wars 2 takes place in a fantasy world called Tyria. The main story is about a group of heroes called Destiny's Edge. They try to defeat six powerful and evil elder dragons that are destroying the world. Guild Wars 2 is the sequel to an older game called Guild Wars. In August 2015, the game became free to play. Before that, it had already sold over 5 million copies!

Playing Guild Wars 2

The world of Guild Wars 2 is the same as the one in the first Guild Wars game. However, many things have changed. This is because Guild Wars 2 happens 250 years later. You will see new buildings and different landscapes. Also, much of the land has been damaged by the elder dragons.

Creating Your Character

When you start a new game, you can choose from five different races for your character:

• Human: Like people in our world.
• Charr: Large, cat-like creatures who are very strong.
• Norn: Tall, powerful hunters from the snowy mountains.
• Asura: Small but super smart creatures who love technology.
• Sylvari: A brand new race, they are plant-like beings who are born from a giant tree.

You also pick one of eight professions. Your race and profession decide what special abilities your character can use.

Skills and Abilities

Just like in the first Guild Wars, your character has a skill bar. This is where you choose from many different abilities. The skill bar in Guild Wars 2 is a bit different. It can hold ten skills instead of eight.

• The first five skill slots depend on the weapon your character is holding.
• The 6th slot is for a healing skill.
• The 7th, 8th, and 9th slots are for other skills you choose.
• The 10th slot is for an "elite skill," which is very powerful.

ArenaNet made the skill bar more focused. This helps keep the game balanced, meaning no one profession is too strong or too weak. They wanted skills in Guild Wars 2 to be about quality, not just having lots of them.

Leveling Up Your Character

The highest level you can reach in Guild Wars 2 is level 80. This is much higher than the level 20 limit in the first Guild Wars. ArenaNet said that level 80 is a good maximum. It lets players enjoy the game's story without having to "grind." Grinding means doing the same boring tasks over and over just to gain levels. ArenaNet wanted players to have fun the whole time they played Guild Wars 2, so they made sure grinding wasn't needed.

Your character's level can also change depending on where you are in the world. If you go to an area with low-level monsters, your character's level will drop to be just above the monsters' level. For example, if a level 80 character goes to a level 5 area, they will become level 6. This makes sure that even high-level players can still enjoy playing in any part of the world.

Fighting Other Players (PvP)

There are two main ways to fight other players in Guild Wars 2:

• Structured PvP: In this mode, your character instantly becomes level 80 and can use all abilities. Players fight in small teams (five versus five) in quick matches that last about 10 minutes. The rewards you get here can only be used within Structured PvP.
• World versus World (WvW): Here, your character also becomes level 80. However, you can only use abilities you have already unlocked for your character. WvW matches last a whole week! You can join or leave whenever you want. The goal is to capture points like castles, forts, and camps. Holding these points gives your server rewards, like more experience and money from killing monsters.

Linking Your Old Account

Since Guild Wars 2 takes place 250 years after Guild Wars, you can't use your old characters. But you can link your old Guild Wars account to your Guild Wars 2 account. This gives you special rewards in Guild Wars 2. You earn these rewards by completing tasks in the first Guild Wars. When you finish a task, you add it to the Hall of Monuments. This Hall is found in the Eye of the North expansion for the first game.

Story

The story of Guild Wars 2 begins 250 years after the hero defeated the Great Destroyer in Guild Wars Eye of the North. During these two centuries, huge Elder Dragons that had been sleeping under the earth woke up. Five dragons are now awake, and they are destroying and corrupting the world of Tyria.

The Races and Their Struggles

• Humans: They have lost almost all their land called Ascalon to the Charr. The remaining humans now live in areas like Kryta and Ebonhawke.
• Norn: These nordic hunters were forced out of their homeland in the north by Jormag, an Elder Dragon of ice. The Norn now live in the Southern Shiverpeaks.
• Asura: This small but very smart race was driven from their underground homes in the west. Their homes were taken over by "destroyers," who are servants of Primordus, an Elder Dragon of fire. The asura now live in Rata Sum, a huge city that floats in the air.
• Sylvari: East of Rata Sum, a new race has appeared in Tyria. The sylvari look a lot like humans, but they are made out of trees, bushes, and even mushrooms. They are born from the Pale Tree, a special tree that was planted during Guild Wars Eye of the North.

Images for kids

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  The Guild Wars 2 world map, showing part of the world of Tyria. Players uncover areas of the world map as they play through the game and it's expansions.

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  Although humans begin Guild Wars 2 at a disadvantage, significant technological advances have taken place in the years since Guild Wars

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  Guild Wars 2 on display at Gamescom 2014 in Cologne, Germany

See also

In Spanish: Guild Wars 2 para niños