Guild Wars 1 has received a patch with minor updates to celebrate its fourteenth birthday. Although the developers are focused on the successor Guild Wars 2, the game still has an active fan base.
What’s in the new patch? The patch from May 1 did not bring new content, but focused on “Quality of Life” changes. These include among other things:
- A master volume slider for sound
- The ability to prevent compass rotation
- An in-game clock
- The option to limit frames in the game
- A borderless window mode
- Many bug fixes
Even though the patch itself did not contain huge innovations, it has a symbolic meaning for the players. The developer ArenaNet has not forgotten its first game and the community. Since May 2018, there have been such updates from time to time.
Guild Wars 1 remains very popular among players
Although the last content update was more than seven years ago, there are still many players who stick to Guild Wars 1. And there are various reasons for that.
Do you need a lot of players in Guild Wars 1? MMORPGs usually rely on social structures and group formation. However, Guild Wars 1 has created a system that offers a home to both group and solo players.
While you can meet, chat, and form groups with players in cities, you fight in instanced areas. Thanks to the heroes and henchmen, you always set out with the maximum possible number of players, regardless of whether you have real players with you or not.
That’s why the game still works well 14 years after its release. You can interact with other players, but you don’t have to. Not even in PvP, where especially in the Heroes’ Ascension game mode, individual players with heroes as support currently dominate.
How extensive is the crafting of builds: In Guild Wars 1, you can only bring eight skills to an adventure. These are changed at an outpost. The selection of skills is immense. Each class has about 250 skills, and thanks to the secondary class, every character theoretically has access to all these skills.
If you then equip your heroes, you can easily spend several hours just perfecting the group build. The skill system is still considered by many players to be one of the best.
These are the titles in Guild Wars 1: ArenaNet has created a title system with Guild Wars 1 that is incredibly rewarding. There are titles for nearly all tasks in the game, and many can be achieved quickly.
But there are also titles that require months or years of work. The pinnacle is the “God Among Mortals” title, which you earn for obtaining a total of 30 different titles.
Those who ran around with the God were especially admired by many people in the first years after its introduction. ArenaNet even managed to transfer some bonuses to the successor with the Hall of Monuments.
These are the major differences to Guild Wars 2: Guild Wars 1 still has so many fans because there is no comparable game. The successor, Guild Wars 2, has done many things differently.
It focused on an open world, a different skill system, increased emphasis on PvE, and implemented storytelling in a completely different way. Not every fan of the franchise agreed with these changes. Some simply remained loyal to the predecessor.
Is it still worth buying Guild Wars 1 today?
Are there still many players in Guild Wars 1? The question of player numbers is difficult because there are various districts in the cities, and active players usually find themselves in instanced areas.
In the capitals Kamadan and Lion’s Arch, several American districts tend to develop during peak times. Most players currently gather there, regardless of their language. Appropriately for the current birthday event, even six districts can be found in the Monastery of Shing Jea, the first city in the Factions chapter.
So there are still players, and if you look in forums like Wartower, you will see that even German guilds are looking for new players.
Thanks to the heroes and henchmen, one can experience the story and meet many of the title requirements even without needing other players.
Is Guild Wars 1 worth it for Guild Wars 2 players? Those who already play Guild Wars 2 but have not yet checked out the predecessor have two good reasons to do so:
- The lore
- Special rewards for Guild Wars 1 players in Guild Wars 2
Of course, you experience Guild Wars 2 differently if you know the backstory. You will recognize areas, meet descendants or spirits of already known NPCs, and understand many references better.
Additionally, there are various armors, titles, and even achievement points if you use the Hall of Monuments from the expansion Eye of the North.
But be warned: Guild Wars 1 plays very differently from its successor. This starts with dodging roles, jumping, or casting skills. A guide for getting into the game can be found at the colleagues at Guildnews, for whom the author also writes.
How much does Guild Wars 1 cost? Guild Wars 1 is buy-to-play. You pay once for the game, but have no monthly fees. Additionally, there is a shop with clothing sets and account improvements like character and bank slots.
In the official store, you pay €39.99 for the Complete Collection with all 4 chapters. Each chapter costs €19.99 individually.
However, until May 7, there is a 50% discount for players. There, you only pay €19.99 for the complete collection and €9.99 per chapter.
Alternatively, you can also buy Guild Wars 1 on Steam. There, the trilogy without the Eye of the North expansion costs €29.99.
But not only in Guild Wars 1 are there updates. The successor is currently waiting for a very important one:
