ArenaNet Reveals Guild Wars Reforged, a New Refresh of the Classic MMORPG

With the 20th day of Guild Wars this year, developer ArenaNet has prepared a important ocular and gameplay refresh of the 2005 MMORPG, which launched December 3.

In an exclusive uncover with IGN, we got a archetypal look astatine Guild Wars Reforged, and learned from ArenaNet crippled manager Stephen Clarke-Wilson, on with Brandon Dillon, CEO and co-founder of caller workplace 2weeks, what's successful store for the caller and improved Guild Wars.

Co-developed by ArenaNet and 2weeks, which is made up of erstwhile ArenaNet creatives, Guild Wars Reforged is simply a modernized variation of the archetypal MMORPG and its expansions. The Reforged variation features an HD overhaul that enhances the in-game visuals, performance, and idiosyncratic interface, on with due controller enactment and afloat Steam Deck optimization. Furthermore, the terms constituent volition beryllium lowered to $20 for the implicit bundle for newcomers, but volition beryllium a escaped update for existent owners of the game.

Speaking with IGN, Stephen Clarke-Wilson, crippled manager of the archetypal Guild Wars, spoke astir the enduring popularity of the subscription-free MMORPG and wherefore the developers wanted to springiness the archetypal crippled a refresh.

"Reforged means we've toughened it up!" said the Guild Wars crippled director. "There's a definite charm to the game, and too being an MMO and letting you play with friends, you tin play solo, you tin person henchmen, and you tin play with anyone, anyplace successful the satellite astatine immoderate time. We've had 100% uptime [of caller players] for the past implicit six years now, adjacent with the changes we've made, it's truthful casual to get into. It was a bully clip to springiness it a refresh."

Here's a speedy rundown of the cardinal features coming with Guild Wars Reforged:

• A escaped update for each existing Guild Wars players — including escaped upgrades to expansions — and with a caller $20 terms constituent for caller players.
• HD ocular update with improved resolution, on with enhanced ambient occlusion and bloom effects.
• Official controller enactment via X-Input.
• Accessibility options for improved readability and gameplay, including an optional nonsubjective usher to assistance with satellite navigation.
• Steam Deck verified.

The archetypal Guild Wars run was released successful 2005, and it was 1 of galore MMORPGs released successful the aftermath of World of Warcraft's breakout popularity. ArenaNet's online crippled recovered its ain occurrence and a loyal pursuing owed to its being an MMORPG that allowed for a much free-form attack to exploration and didn't necessitate a subscription fee, which made the obstruction to introduction importantly easier for players stepping into a caller crippled world.

The Reforged variation features a sweeping acceptable of ocular improvements and gameplay tweaks. However, the developers stated that gameplay changes are mostly insignificant tweaks, allowing existing players to seamlessly leap into the updated version, adjusting ocular and UI improvements arsenic they spot fit.

According to the developers, the Reforged variation of Guild Wars began improvement successful aboriginal 2025, with 2weeks moving successful tandem with ArenaNet. 2weeks CEO and co-founder Brandon Dillon stated that the speedy turnaround for Guild Wars Reforged was owed to the developers having acquisition moving connected some Guild Wars 1 and 2, arsenic good arsenic extended entree to method archives.

"It's been large returning to [Guild Wars], and honestly, ArenaNet had a truly beardown engineering civilization close from the beginning, and they've done an impeccable occupation maintaining the codification basal for the archetypal game," Dillon said. "Like erstwhile we showed backmost up, it was successful overmuch amended information than erstwhile I had near it 15 years ago, and it was truly bully returning to each of those systems and getting to enactment successful it again."

Last April, the archetypal Guild Wars hosted an day lawsuit that brought successful a assortment of seasoned players and newcomers to the game, highlighting the sustained popularity of the original. However, according to the developers during our interview, it besides revealed areas for improvement, specified arsenic a clang bug that affected players moving the crippled connected 4K monitors. The Reforged variation volition tally the crippled decently connected 4K displays.

One of the larger motivators for the Reforged variation of Guild Wars was to physique upon enactment for the crippled connected Steam Deck. The existent mentation had compromises to get it running. However, with the Reforged edition, the MMORPG volition beryllium Steam Deck verified and volition besides enactment afloat controller functionality.

"It's not a remaster, but we've truly focused connected modernizing the acquisition and reacting to the large influx of caller and returning players astir the anniversary, and uncovering each the limitations the crippled had with modern PCs," Dillon explained. "For instance, the UI was truly tiny connected ace precocious solution displays, due to the fact that we didn't person thing bigger than 1024 by 768 successful 2003. This was each astir ensuring that Reforged worked seamlessly with the modern strategy portion maintaining the halfway aesthetic and quality of the archetypal game. The biggest chunk of enactment truly was gathering the close idiosyncratic acquisition connected Steam Deck and supporting controllers, which was a heavy and absorbing problem, but truly rewarding to enactment on."

Guild Wars Reforged is not a remaster, but is simply a important upgrade. Image credit: ArenaNet.

Guild Wars Reforged arrives astatine a clip erstwhile gamers person been showing involvement successful revisiting classical online games. For the developers, revisiting the archetypal Guild Wars for a sweeping update allowed the squad to rediscover a renewed appreciation for the crippled and their acquisition moving connected it.

"Guild Wars was a precise nostalgic crippled to play, but it was besides a precise nostalgic crippled to travel backmost to, due to the fact that arsenic we're digging into these systems and updating things and re-experiencing the content," said Dillon.

"I was remembering each the astonishing developers connected the project, the programmers that I worked with who built these chill features that we were adapting, and the artists and designers who conscionable built this fantastic contented and these beauteous worlds. It's an amazingly handcrafted and immense experience; it's benignant of conceptually overwhelming to prosecute with. But it's successful progressive improvement for years and years and years, and it's a peculiar happening that resonated with the community, and it's been rewarding connected aggregate levels, to revisit each this trade of work."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].