Getting Started : Guild Wars 2 Basic Information

Guild Wars 2 was first launched in March of 2007 and is the sequel to 2005's original game. Guild Wars 2 was launched on August 28, 2012. The release date was exposed on ArenaNet's blog on June 28, 2012. Arenanet began offering 3 pre-purchase editions of the game beginning on April 10th, 2012: Digital Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and Collector's Edition. Anyone who pre-purchased the game was given a 3 Day Headstart, starting August 25th, 2012 at 12:00 am. PDT (GMT-7).

Setting

Guild Wars 2 takes place approximately 250 years after the incidents of the Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion. The wicked dragon Zhaitan has got risen and also created an army of the undead which threatens all of the mortal races of Tyria, the planet in which Guild Wars is set. In the interim between Eye of the North and Guild Wars 2, technology has developed superior to permit guns and other mechanical devices, and new races (primarily the Sylvari and the Asura) have recognized themselves in the world.

Game Engine

Guild Wars 2 uses a heavily modified Guild Wars game engine which includes support for real 3D environments, more detailed conditions and models, better lighting and shadows, new animation and effects systems, plus new sound and cinematics engines and a more flexible combat and skill-casting system.

Gaile Gray has indicated the game will support DirectX 10, but not need it to play. Guild Wars 2 will utilise the Havok physics engine to provide ragdoll animation and destructible environments, as well as occlusion culling technology registered from Umbra Software to optimise 3D object rendering.