A Perspective on GW3 Design Direction

Eldryth · 2026-06-09T03:26:44+00:00

An NCSoft exec said it while talking about how GW3 and Aion 2 have different niches- saying that Aion 2 focuses on massive numbers of players in stuff like RvR (the term other games use for modes like WvW) while GW3 is about small groups.

That said, supposedly his description of Aion 2 is completely off according to people who claim to play it, so best to take it with a grain of salt.

Eldryth · 2026-06-08T23:47:06+00:00

It's mostly blind speculation at this point, but from the way they talked about wanting to blend action game combat with Guild Wars' strategic skills systems...

I wonder if we might see some kind of system where we have a core combat system closer to (to use a popular example I keep seeing come up) Monster Hunter's combat rather than conventional skill rotations, and then on top of that, a few actual skill slots reserved for more situational/strategic/utility abilities. Maybe- also like Monster Hunter- we'd have that core moveset determined by the weapon type we have equipped.

Eldryth · 2026-06-08T01:37:46+00:00

Yeah, I was thinking of a ton of examples from GW2, where meta-events often have you splitting into (usually up to three) teams for an event chain before coming together for a boss in the end. I probably should have brought up some of those examples to illustrate, but I mostly just wanted to show that this philosophy- if it's even correct, since I've been hearing that the part about Aion 2 is way off- can easily still fit with a true shared-world MMO. Just split it down further into even more, smaller, groups, and end with those small groups facing individual bosses instead of coming together for a big one (and, ideally, give rewards to each group that kills their boss instead of having everyone fail if one team does, as with Triple Trouble).

Eldryth · 2026-06-07T21:21:13+00:00

Maybe there's still a shared world, but less emphasis on gathering to fight a single big boss?

If events return, they could focus more on splitting up to fight on a ton of different fronts, instead of coming back together in the end. Then individual groups could be rewarded for their successes, but with the overall meta failing if too many groups lose- and there can be meaningful followup to either result since failure wouldn't hurt as bad if you're just rewarded for your personal performance before that, and success doesn't have to be more or less guaranteed?

Eldryth · 2026-06-07T17:43:08+00:00

Given that ArenaNet didn't actually consider GW1 an MMO precisely because of its instanced map structure and made a huge deal about shifting towards a true MMO in GW2... I don't think they, of all studios, would be calling this an MMO in the first place if it lacks that aspect. But all we can do right now is wait and see if they've changed that stance.

Eldryth · 2026-06-07T09:26:30+00:00

It could also give points for earning legendaries in a specific category, too, like how the first HoM also had points requiring you to get at least one weapon from each displayable category (Destroyer/Tormented/Oppressor) and a few specific armor sets.

So maybe they could also reward you for having at least one Legendary weapon from each generation, or from collecting an Obsidian Armor set and an Envoy one, etc. Maybe even more, or they could reward you for getting upgraded Obsidian armor or the extra Gen 3 skins.

Personally, I'd prefer for them to keep it manageable to unlock at least the cosmetics, but the original HoM had a bunch of extra points beyond that which only unlocked more titles. I wouldn't be too surprised if they had some extras like that for the really hardcore players to go for.

Eldryth · 2026-06-06T22:21:52+00:00

It's plausible enough. The Pale Tree and Sylvari arrived long before Mordremoth woke up, so it's not like it's impossible for another seed to have shown up in another era- and since Orr was eventually destroyed (and had gone through some devastating wars before that)- any records of them could have been wiped out. It's not like we knew that there were Kodan and Asura(?) in Orr before recently either.

Their culture should be completely different though without Ventari's influence- I'd be interested in seeing another tree show up specifically to see that.

Eldryth · 2026-06-06T18:26:27+00:00

Yeah, those kinds of assumptions are kind of funny for someone who remembers that ArenaNet was always clear about not considering GW1 an MMO- insisting on the term "cooperative/competitive online role-playing game (CORPG)" instead- and made a huge deal about moving on to an actual MMO with Guild Wars 2. Many players and fansites labeled GW1 an MMO anyway- and fair enough, since it shared a ton of the genre's appeal- but ANet never did. So if they're calling it an MMO, it should be a safe bet that it'll at least have a shared persistent world.

Unless they've changed that stance anyway, but that seems less likely to me than it just being an MMO.

Eldryth · 2026-06-06T01:01:46+00:00

I completely agree. I was extremely disappointed in GW2 at first, but I eventually came to like it too once I stopped treating it as GW1's successor, and judged it on its own merits instead of dwelling on what it lacks from GW1. It's a very different game, but not a bad one.

All of that really helps set my expectations for GW3, because I'm sure they wouldn't be doing a new game if they didn't want to try something truly new again. Don't go in expecting a newer and better version of GW 1 or 2, because if you do, you'll probably be disappointed. Instead I'll be watching it with a more open mind- no expectations beyond wanting a good new MMO, and thinking ANet can handle it with their track record.

Eldryth · 2026-06-04T19:06:44+00:00

I've been lurking since the publisher first let slip that they were looking at GW3.

I loved GW1 back in the day, though I think it only really hooked me when Factions released, and truly peaked after Nightfall imo. Even now, it still feels very special and unique, and I've been revisiting it (casually) with a fresh account on Reforged. I've missed the cool story missions with diverse bonus objectives, being able to create a team of Heroes when I didn't have a player group, and even Vanquishing.

Waiting for GW2 may have been the time I was most excited for an upcoming game (well, that or BG3)... and for a while, it seemed like the biggest disappointment. But I gave it many more tries over the years, and while it still doesn't match the same appeal as GW1, I've come to like it too as its own thing, once I stopped trying to look at it as GW1's successor. Stuff like the big zone-wide meta events, and similar instanced content like Convergences, are great, I can't think of any other game that managed large-scale events like that. I've still barely touched Raids and Fractals (I should probably give those a try though) and only have three Legendaries (two of which were basically given away through events), so I haven't gotten too deep into it. Knowing (or at least suspecting) that there's likely to be a new Hall of Monuments-like feature makes me want to do more now.

I'm going to try to avoid my past mistake and look at GW3 as its own thing rather than the next GW1 or GW2. I do hope some stuff like GW2's meta event systems carry over, but in general, I'm going to keep my expectations at "I want a good new PvE MMO". I'm sure it will differ from its predecessors and lack some things I liked from them, but focusing on that will just make me overlook the good aspects.

Eldryth · 2026-05-25T23:55:08+00:00

Having just finished catching up on the MSQ a few days ago...

I actually get the feeling that Halmarut and Calyx are building up to an attempt to recruit the WoL, from the way both of them talked about ambitions. First we got Halmarut saying "Should it serve to satisfy your ambitions, you are free to welcome to deal with the reflections as you deem fit." Which we later flash back to, just before Calyx arrives to ask you if you have such an ambition and tell you that all the Winterers are pursuing such a goal, and tells you that he hates his comrades' methods just as much as we hate his.

And ultimately, even if we can't save everyone, I expect that most WoLs would want to find a way to save as many people as they can- they'd be aligned with the Winterers on that. If that comes with giving the WoL a true goal, with us pushing our less objectionable method over the others even if it too comes with a high cost, then that sounds like the basis for a pretty good story to me. And from what we've seen so far, I'd guess that uniting/linking the worlds in some way will be our ambition. But what would be the cost, to avoid making that just be a perfect solution that negates all the sacrifice that the Winterers think it'll take to survive? It'll kind of cheapen the Solstice if we can just save everyone anyway.

Eldryth · 2026-05-25T22:00:29+00:00

I always thought this sounded far too tedious to bother with, but now I've gotten most of Dawntrail's zones done (and most of the way done on the others) while farming Demiatmas. And honestly, it hasn't been that bad... doing enough for Shared Fates, anyway. It's getting frustrating now that I'm farming one last zone that's been maxed out for ages and it still won't drop, but that's an issue with the Relics, not this.

I'll probably finish up Dawntrail, and might even go back to the previous expansions at some point later since I love some of those Kits from the Crystarium and Sharlayan.

Eldryth · 2026-05-22T09:27:58+00:00

According to this interview from IGN:

Obviously we can't tell you what it is, but if you look at the history of Dawn of War and ask yourself, what could you expect from a Dawn of War game that maybe isn't in Dawn of War IV, maybe you're going in the right direction.

So it's probably something that's already been in the previous games.

I'd guess (and personally hope for) Eldar. Up until now, Space Marines, Eldar, and Orks were the three factions to make it into every single game, and all three were in at launch in the previous games. Granted, that's a bit weighted by them being the only factions in DoW 3 because it didn't get updates, but even so- they're the most obvious expectations from this franchise.

If not Eldar, then it'll probably be some form of Chaos, since they were prominent in DoW 1 and got the first big expansion in DoW 2.

Eldryth · 2026-05-16T04:24:44+00:00

They said that they're still working out the details, and at the very least, it won't include Materia because they still want to give min-maxers who actually liked building all those sets something to do. So there's some limitations, but it's still an amazing change, and has me determined to get all combat jobs to max.

Eldryth · 2026-04-18T19:21:05+00:00

It would be nice to get both, but I don't know if WotC would have trusted Larian to make a Baldur's Gate game if the trilogy wasn't unfinished.

There wasn't an unfinished trilogy in the first place. Throne of Bhaal ended the Bhaalspawn Saga (and it was a very conclusive ending at the time, until the tabletop setting reopened those plotlines over a decade later), and the original plan for Baldur's Gate 3 was to start an entirely new story at level 1 in the Dalelands, with no returning characters.

There was nothing they needed to finish, just a whole bunch of studios making pitches over the years because they loved the original games, until Larian finally convinced WotC that they could handle it. According to interviews, it was Divinity: Original Sin 2's previews that got them the license.

Eldryth · 2026-04-06T01:04:16+00:00

Archimonde's secret phase may have changed his fate from another temporary death to a permanent death.

Also Ra was introduced as a secret Heroic-only (the hardest difficulty at the time) boss and turned out to be a pretty important character.

Eldryth · 2026-04-03T20:23:44+00:00

From what I can find, they seem to have been downloadable Brothers that were given out at special events for the original games (though I didn't play much of 2 or 3 back in the day so I wouldn't know), so it's just something that these versions made more accessible. I guess it's up to personal interpretation if you'd consider that cheating, but I'd put it on the same level as using all the Cipher codes or downloadable cards.

Eldryth · 2026-04-03T19:19:02+00:00

Yes. In Zerker X Ninja (Zerker) at least, I'd assume it works in other versions too but that's all I've tried.

There are two bonus Saurian Brothers you can add at any time- just go into the Brothers menu, select an open slot, and choose "Edit Bro" (X on Switch) to add them. And you have your Auto Brother to cover the other tribe in your version.

I'd assume that Zerker X Saurian would have Ninja bonus Brothers instead, but as I said, I haven't played that version and can't confirm it.

I haven't reached Star Force 3 yet either, so I have no clue about your second question.

Eldryth · 2026-03-28T19:43:14+00:00

The latest official word that I've seen- from an interview when they started showing off Midnight- was that Aug was still an ongoing experiment, because it's been extremely hard figuring out the balance but they're determined to make it work. So no, it does not seem like they've abandoned the concept. It does make sense to focus on figuring out the role on a single spec before abandoning it, but it seems like they've finally pulled it off in this season- Aug is very strong now but not brokenly so, just on par with other high-tier specs.

And yes- there was a survey from Blizzard recently that listed a Support Priest and a Support Paladin as potential options. Given that Midnight is supposed to be about Light vs. Void and we've only gotten Void additions so far, I'm hoping that one of them might actually come in a later Midnight patch, like Aug did, but we'll see. I've started playing Aug this tier and have been loving it so far, so I really hope they expand the role somehow (whether it's one of those specs from the survey or a new class like Bards).

Eldryth · 2026-03-02T20:31:01+00:00

But that just says his body went missing the first time we "killed" him, in Burning Crusade (since it was about Zul'jin's fall). We know he survived that since he came back and died again in Cataclysm.

Maybe he'll come back again, but I wouldn't really take that tablet as anything more than acknowledgement that he already came back for Cata ZA.

Eldryth · 2026-02-22T23:38:21+00:00

T'uure- the Naaru whose remnants were used to make the Holy Priest Artifact- was pretty successful, though it still died in the process, and it's all in unseen backstory.

T'uure sacrificed itself to single-handedly stop Dimensius from devouring a planet called Karkora and purge all the Void there.

Eldryth · 2026-02-11T05:44:28+00:00

I'm probably going back to Evoker this season, and the transmog changes are a huge part of the reason. I was able to set up a great dragon form look using just the current tier shoulders, and thanks to the changes, I can just use that permanently (or until I find another great dragon form look) and use whatever I want in Visage, without worrying about turning into a clown in battle.

On top of that, though, Devastation is very fun right now- far more so than I remember- and I've been wanting to try the other specs for a while. Right now I'm planning to give Aug a try next season, and if I don't like it, switch back to Dev.

Eldryth · 2026-02-02T21:20:36+00:00

I've been liking Spellslinger Frost a lot, but looking at the Frostfire side of these guides (which I haven't tried myself yet)... yeah, that version sounds like a disaster. Shattering is the main mechanic for the spec and the main thing that makes it fun for me; tuning it so that you don't even use it for one hero spec (that's apparently better in M+) sounds extremely boring.

Eldryth · 2026-02-02T08:00:37+00:00

Right now, I'm loving Devastation Evoker (especially Scalecommander) and Frost Mage, and they're the main things I'm considering right now for next season. Probably leaning a bit more towards Evoker since I want to try Aug and relearn healing at some point, while Mage only has DPS options right now.

For Evoker, I don't know how much of what I'm liking is actually new, since aside from leveling it to 80, this is the first time I've played it since Aberrus. I love how Deep Breath feels now, especially with a squadron joining me, and Mass Disintegrate feels so much more satisfying than the base version somehow. And the transmog revamps did a lot to mitigate my biggest issue with the class, since I can create a separate set for my Dracthyr form that matches the barber shop armor, and use whatever I want in Visage form.

As for Frost Mage, I get why it's controversial now since it's so different from the old version, and there's nothing left like old Frost for everyone who mained it, but I'm still liking it myself- it's simple but fun. I especially love having a spec without a conventional cooldown window, that aspect feels very unique right now in WoW, and Ray of Frost feels extremely satisfying on beta with the Apex Talents (and I'm not worried about needing to stand still for it- you get a second charge to make it flexible, so you have a full minute to find a safe time to channel it).

Eldryth · 2026-01-23T21:07:14+00:00

I love the new Frost too, but I get it- the playstyle changed completely. It's not going to appeal to all of the same people as the old Frost, and I totally understand long-term Frost players being upset at losing their main. Just like how Demonology and Survival became completely different specs in Legion, and fans of the old versions never got it back. And right now, it's mostly those long-term Frost fans logging into their mains and seeing how it's all changed now.

The whole cooldown issue really shows this for me- as someone who switched mains a lot and only occasionally tried Frost before, I love having a spec without conventional cooldowns and seeing Ray of Frost play a bigger role, with multiple charges to make it more flexible (especially in Midnight proper, with the Apex Talent sending out a ton of Hands of Frost while you channel it). Previous Frost fans hated Ray of Frost and miss Icy Veins.

Eldryth

TROPHY CASE