A few weeks again in a Friday Bullet Factors put up I discussed that ArenaNet was set to introduce Guild Wars Reforged to us.
Guild Wars Reforged
Sort of a giant 12 months for Anet, what with an enlargement and housing for Guild Wars 2, leaks about Guild Wars 3, and now a return to their 2005 traditional, the beginning of all of it, Guild Wars.
However what does that imply. They gave us just a few particulars, however while you drop one thing like that on us and say it will likely be right here in like two weeks, the thoughts can reel in coming to grips with the probabilities.
Anyway, I’ve been there and am now reporting again.
It isn’t a full remaster. It isn’t, as my creativeness steered in its most unhinged moments, one thing like Diablo II: Resurrected, the place actually the whole lot visible was redone, neither is it even an try and drop Guild Wars into the Guild Wars 2 engine and graphical aspect.
However neither is it a half-assed, contemporary begin, put within the minimal effort form of affair to attempt to revive some curiosity in a fading title previous its prime. The nostalgia card is clearly being performed right here, however they did put in some work.
As an alternative it’s one thing of a refresh of the unique. As Bleghast reported final week, it’s a little bit of a shopper refresh with some texture updates with some work on the UI to make it playable on the bigger displays many people have right here in 2025.
If solely we may get a little bit of that from SSG for LOTRO.
Which means the sport continues to be fastened in early 2005, earlier than World of Warcraft’s dominance made all people copy all of their UI conventions and we loaded up most each recreation on to our laptop from a CD or DVD. It stays a recreation very a lot of its time.
Which isn’t dangerous, and I used to be eager to test it out… and ANet had emailed me one thing about it so I clicked on the hyperlink and tried to determine the best way to… you recognize… play the sport. Or set up the sport. Or enter my code for the sport.
There have been points.
You see, I already personal a duplicate of the sport and a part of all of this was a “hey, you may come again to the sport along with your outdated code.”
MMO Bins on my shelf together with Guild Wars GOTY Version
The issue was that my mind was firmly fastened in 2025 the place you go setup your account on a web page… and ANet saved sending me to the Guild Wars 2 website to do issues, and on the GW2 website there’s a very apparent place to enter a product code on your recreation on the account administration web page.
This was strengthened by the truth that Guild Wars seems on the listing of attainable video games and expansions managed by the GW2 website.
So I grabbed that field off the shelf, dug out the code, typed it into my account admin web page, clicked “Redeem,” and obtained an error about it being an invalid code.
No specifics, simply probably the most generic form of “incorrect!” response that makes you examine for a typo or no matter.
I examine for a kind, tried it a pair extra time, modified case simply in case the sector was case delicate, as a result of I’ve seen dumber issues than that in my profession… and no pleasure.
My ever fertile creativeness counsel that perhaps the code was not legitimate because it had been redeemed already or related to a distinct account… which it most absolutely had… so I figured I’d simply go but it surely once more.
Why not? It’s simply $20 for all three main campaigns and ANet did some work on this, I don’t thoughts giving them somewhat money. So I did that, obtained a key, went again to the GW2 account admin web page and enter that model new key and… similar error.
Properly, crap.
So I made a decision to really learn up on the best way to even do that, since my mind was clearly on the incorrect path. I overlook the place I ended up discovering the small print… it positive wasn’t on the Guild Wars: Reforged web page within the FAQ. I believe I ended up within the outdated Guild Wars retailer web page the place you may nonetheless purchase some no very fairly priced cosmetics and located the steps.
They vital bit of information was that this all nonetheless labored because it did again in 2005, the place the very first thing you’ll do is put in the shopper. So first step, obtain the shopper, which you are able to do from the Guild Wars: Reforged, although the choice is off web page underneath a hamburger menu within the higher proper nook.
Obtain Right here
When you obtain the shopper launcher, it is going to then obtain all of the code wanted, which appeared to take some time. I believe we’re again in LOTRO launcher territory the place it goes file by file fairly than having a full bundle.
That accomplished, you may launch the shopper, at which level it is going to patch some extra.
After which, as soon as the shopper comes up, you may have the choice to “Create an Account or Add an Entry Key.” Clicking on that asks you whether or not you need to create a brand new account or add the code to an present account.
That is, as soon as once more, the early 2000s view of the world the place GW2 didn’t exist. Even though I had a GW2 account, that doesn’t matter, I wanted to create a brand new account as a result of there was presently within the ANet database no account related to that key for Guild Wars.
I made positive to make use of the identical e mail handle as my GW2 account and, ANet figured it out within the background, my key was accepted, my shopper was lively, and the entire thing was related to my ANet account.
Op success!
I’ll grant you, this might have most likely been simpler if I had simply purchased the model on Steam. I believe that takes care of all of your account stuff. However, for no matter motive, I wished to hyperlink my accounts collectively. No matter.
Then I made a personality… a ranger… as a result of I by no means study… and I used to be into the sport.
At that time I used to be as soon as once more reminded that we have been again in 2005 once more, the place identify tags beneath gamers and NPCs looks as if an thought and click on to maneuver was considered a requirement and the UI solely wanted to cope with perhaps a 1920 x 1080 decision monitor.
Happily, that final merchandise could be fastened. The UI now could be scaled up in measurement, going for regular to massive then bigger then additional massive, then “Okay boomer” in sizing. On my 3440×1440 monitor I used to be good with a middle-large possibility.
This was helped by the truth that the UI is pretty sparse. I imply, sure, I’ve a ton of display actual property for it to wander round on, however even on the comically massive scaling I may play the sport.
I additionally needed to flip off click on to maneuver. That was going to drive me insane.
Me, seconds after getting into the sport
There was that and some different little issues to do earlier than I settled down and will begin enjoying.
Quest givers are marked within the anticipated model, an exclamation level over the top, with inexperienced coloring being the nod to originality I assume. The sport even provides you directional recommendation and, among the many three map choices… the principle map, the mini map, and the mission map… I believe solely EVE On-line has extra maps in recreation… I used to be capable of finding my solution to the very first thing to kill… then I spent a minute determining the best way to assault.
I’m nonetheless not 100% constructive I’ve it down, however clicking on a hostile appears to ship you scurrying into vary to assault, which the area bar appears to the identical. The sport appears to select a hostile for you, although you may tab by way of choices. Not incomprehensible, however completely different sufficient to require some thought.
I made it to stage 2 fairly rapidly… I imply, that is solely a 20 stage recreation, so it feels prefer it may linger longer on ranges, however what do I do know… once I was instantly supplied the choice to select up a second class.
Was this all the time like that? I don’t know. I ended up going with monk as my second class… this was a take a look at character and I wished to get on with it.
The world itself and the cities… really feel sparse… however not in a foul means. Issues are open and never loads of extra particulars have been included. The textures look good. However I believe they all the time did, proper? Our group’s temporary run at GW again in perhaps 2008 to 2010 was lengthy sufficient in the past that I’ve forgotten nearly the whole lot save for the truth that it occurred.
I really feel like we went right here again then… perhaps…
Anyway, this appeared to be going properly sufficient that when Ula famous that Discord confirmed me enjoying Guild Wars I counsel it is perhaps one thing to look into for a subsequent recreation.
Potshot jumped on that and, having handed on to him the error of my methods in getting the sport going, he was patched up and in on Saturday evening. So we spent a while doing a little bit of operating round simply to get the texture of issues.
Into the woods
We managed to solely die just a few occasions… however one of many early quests is to group up with anyone, which will get you a sigil of resurrection and we had sufficient foresight to solely die one after the other, so we have been in a position to choose one another up after considered one of us had fallen.
In fact, the sport of the sport being GUILD Wars, we seemed into making a guild instantly… however that prices 100 gold and, on the time I checked, I had however 16 gold on me.
Sorry, this man received’t take an IOU
Issues went properly sufficient that we agreed that there was “one thing there” price going deeper on. Now we’ve got to get the remainder of the group on board. We will see how that goes. However the worth level is low sufficient and there’s no subscription charge, so it appears like an inexpensive promote.
We will see if this turns into a enterprise or one other flash within the pan that has us transferring off to one thing else nearly as quickly as we arrived.
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