First Gameplay of Guild Wars 3: Fluid Movement System Affects Combat

The smoother movement sequences in Guild Wars 3 also affect the combat system.

The parkour elements with wall running are basically a weapon that players can utilize and that the developers of Guild Wars 3 have integrated into the movement. In a fight, we could see that the character could run up the wall for a few steps and perform wall jumps.

The player fought against several small dinosaurs that reached about hip height. In appearance, the reddish-brown reptile resembled a mini T-Rex with smaller arms. At first, he used standard attacks based on physical damage. 

Soon after, the character jumped off the wall and was momentarily airborne. As he positioned himself directly above his target, he executed his attack and arrows rained down from above onto the dino, dealing more damage than the standard attack. 

Additionally, opponents can be thrown against a wall in combat by actively building momentum through movement. 

In the fight against the mini-dinosaurs, Game Lead Designer Anthony Ordon gained an advantage with his archer by building up the momentum line and then smashing one of the dinos into the wall. This rendered him momentarily immobile, making it easy for the player to run up the wall and fire an arrow down from above.

It becomes even more sophisticated because we can even push enemies off cliffs. This allows us to kick opponents out of reach to eliminate them. 

But even outside of movement, significant changes have occurred in the combat system. Battles are now even more interactive, as players must identify the targeted weaknesses of enemies. 

One enemy in the gameplay presented to us had a backpack that needed to be destroyed in order for it to explode and free a trapped spirit. The backpack covered his entire back and protruded like a giant ball. The archer moved behind the enemy while his teammate, a necromancer, distracted him. The ranged fighter then fired projectiles at the backpack from behind to make it explode.

What was particularly exciting for me were the individual elemental powers, which allow players to coordinate with each other. The elements directly affect the environment. If spider enemies ensnare one in their webs and slow them down, we can burn away the troublesome obstacles with fire. 

In the presentation, we actually saw a skill wheel with 4 abilities. If players are only allowed to take four or just a few more skills into battle, the selection is limited, and the abilities taken along are crucial. 

Therefore, before each battle, we must weigh who in the team brings which element. These are not just simple debuffs but actual combinations. If a player freezes an enemy, a colleague can shatter the ice and deal significant damage. Therefore, a team should try to coordinate such combo builds in advance.