The top 5 reasons why you should be excited for Guild Wars 2

For generations, war and chaos raged across the land of Tyria.Five great races competed and warred against each other, struggling to tip the balance of power in their favour.

Then the dragons woke. The all-powerful beasts stirred from their millennial sleep under earth and sea, with their magical breath the dragons spread destruction and created legions of twisted slaves. A deathless dragon named Zhaitan raised the sunken nation of Orr, triggering earthquakes and tidal waves that destroyed entire cities across the Sea of Sorrows. Zhaitan's armies surged from the sea, hungry for the destruction of the five races of Tyria:

Magic, technology, and cold steel will determine the ultimate fate of the world.

Welcome to the ever-changing fantasy world of Tyria, the magical setting for ArenaNet’s highly anticipated MMO - Guild Wars 2.

Guild Wars 2 is due for release on August 28, but we can't wait, so in the meantime we wanted to share with you the top five things that excite us about this groundbreaking MMO.

5) Five Races and Eight Professions to choose from

Players can create heroes from one of the five great races – Charr, Asura, Norn, Sylvari and Humans – who must set aside their differences and unite against the Elder Dragons.

Some races are fan favourites from the original Guild Wars, some are new, but each race has been fully fleshed out with its own unique personality, starting area, quests and access to the full range of character professions.

Speaking of professions, players can choose from one of eight, each with its own distinct style of play, unique powers and weapons. Would you rather play a Warrior and get close to your foes in hand to hand combat? Or how about the firebolt slinging attacks of the Elemantalist? Or is the Necromancer’s ability to raise an army of undead minions to do your fighting for you, more your style?

4) Action Orientated Combat

In Guild Wars 2 you will experience a new kind of high-impact, fast paced combat that is different to most MMO’s that have come before.

Attack on the move, dodge and roll away from enemy blows. You can team up with other players for powerful combos, take advantage of handy environmental weapons, and unleash spectacular skills and spells.

Your character's combat style will change and grow depending on the weapons and skills you choose to equip, allowing you to play exactly the way you want to.

Do you want to wield Sword or Mace? Shield or Torch? Rifle or Bow? Two handed sword - or a sword in each hand? It’s up to you! Guild Wars 2 is putting the fun back into fantasy combat.

3) Personal Stories

Your personal story begins with key decisions you make when creating your character’s biography and then evolves with each fateful choice you make in the game.

You decide who lives, who dies and what path you’ll walk in life, and those choices have a lasting effect on both your personal story and your private home instance.

2) PvP

Choose to face off against small teams of other players in intense matches where skill and audacity determine the victor. Alternatively take your fight to the battlefield with World vs. World vs. World combat where three global teams constantly struggle for supremacy.

Battle over key objectives on a wide variety of maps loaded with game-changing secondary objectives like cannons and trebuchets to give your team the vital edge. Make a name for your team during the daily, weekly and annual PvP tournaments.

1) Dynamic Events

Besides looking amazing, the world of Tyria is full of constant change where your actions have a real and persistent effect on your surroundings.

When travelling through the world you will encounter dynamic events that respond and change based on how you react to them. Will you defend that village from rampaging centaurs or let it burn? The choice is yours!

Team up with other players to make a difference in the world around you – you never know what is just about to happen!

Perhaps the best feature of all is that Guild Wars 2 requires no ongoing subscription fee to play. Get the game and play online for as long as you want, it’s that simple.

For more information on Guild Wars 2, visit www.guildwars2.com or click here to purchase.