Guild Wars: Dev Chat from the Penny Arcade Expo!

Having never been to E3 or the Penny Arcade Expo, I wasn't quite sure what to expect this past weekend when I arrived in Bellevue, Washington. With the number of attendees double that of last year, I can tell you that PAX was a crazy experience. If it hadn't been for the abundant amount of Bawls (pun intended) and free swag, I'm not sure I would have survived. But amidst all the deafening sounds and sweaty nerds crammed in a small space on DS pictochat, I had the chance to interview one of the devs over at ArenaNet and here is what he had to say.

From Sean Ferguson Writer/Editor

We have a release date, we've had a look at the new classes Dervish and Paragon, are there any new styles of gameplay being introduced with Guild Wars: Factions?

With the release of Factions, we added the competitive missions and faction battles which were a great success. With Nightfall, you will continue to see that content, but we will be introducing a new hero system. This will be something that will crossover between the PvP and PvE content and is going to add an extra competitive edge, as well as provide for better soloing.

What exactly are heroes, and how will they affect gameplay?

Heroes are the new henchmen of Nightfall. Instead of just choosing from the pre-built henchmen available in towns, heroes are customizable to your will. They are more like sidekicks than henchmen. You will choose the skills they carry, what armor they wear, and what weapons/focuses they wield. Heroes level just as players do, and will take commands to perform the actions you choose for them.

Will you be able to take them into the PvP arenas?

With the addition of heroes will come a new form of PvP. People have been asking for the ability to do one-on-one combat, and that is exactly what hero battles will be. Your team will consist of your character, and three of your heroes. The opponent will have the same. With the ability to give your heroes direct commands, hero battles will bring a unique and exciting dynamic to PvP battles.
Note: It was unconfirmed if any hero content will need to be unlocked.

What about PvE?

Heroes will definitely be available as party members for PvE. With hero customizability and commands, soloing will be more dynamic and fun.

The PvP in Guild Wars has always been exciting, and the addition sounds like it will make it even more so. But what are we going to see on the PvE side of things in Nightfall? Any new styles of missions like we saw in Factions?

I can't confirm whether there will be any new types of missions, but you can expect to see the same great storyline, teamwork-intensive missions, and cut-scenes you've seen in both Nightfall and Prophecies. And having heroes on your side will definitely make things more thrilling.

While we're on the subject of PvE, there is something I have to ask you. When Factions was released, we noticed an immense change in leveling speed and skill procurement from Prophecies. Some players really enjoyed the change, and others not so much; will Nightfall be similar to Factions in that respect?

To be honest, that is still something we are working on. We have yet to decide whether we will stick with the Factions system, or try something different for Nightfall.

The entire Guild Wars community is anxiously awaiting the release of Nightfall, especially after the recent PvP preview event. The Paragon looks as though it is going to be an amazing addition to any team, but everyone's focus is on the Dervish. General consensus is that the Dervish is overly powerful. Does ArenaNet have any plans to do some nerfing?

Since the PvP preview event, some balancing issues have been addressed. We are still about two months from release, so there are many things still being tweaked, including the new professions. The PvP preview event was a great chance for us to see the Paragon and Dervish in action on a large scale, and to address the community's reaction and any issues that arose from it.
Note: You can read my opinion of the Nightfall PvP Preview Event here.

I can see your team is very busy here on the exhibition hall, so I'll wrap things up with one last question. Auction house; it's something we've all been wanting, and have heard rumors about for some time now, any word on whether there will be one in Nightfall?

The idea of an auction house is something we've been tossing around for awhile, but at this point, I just don't know. It's currently on the heap of other things we need to work on when we have time.

On behalf of WarCry and the Guild Wars community I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I know Nightfall is going to be a hit.

It was great talking with you and congratulations on making it to the finals in the 10K tournament.

I had the chance to talk with many other members of the ArenaNet team, and I can tell you that Guild Wars will have a great future in their hands.

-paperBag