Guild Wars 2 Pre-order (PC) $48 + Free shipping

Quote from kencka : IMO Diablo 3 is not exactly terrible but it surely does not live up to my expectations. I guess years of hype can do that to a game. I'm just going to get all 5 classes to level 60 and finish Hell mode and wait for GW2 to release

Yes that is what WE get for demanding Diablo 3 to release earlier...should of let Blizzard finish the game and release it with PvP not before and release later...I think it would allow them to polish the game, since it is pretty much playing a beta right now IMO.

Also, 3 days head start won't matter much anyway...saving money works better in the long run than 3 day head start and it might just be 2 days if day 1 gets a flood of login request and crash the servers like D3 maybe.

Quote from SuperJew : Even though you can't use your gear in structured PvP, everywhere else including the world wars you can use gear. So I'd say still pretty important.

Is there a lot of grinding involved?

Are there alternatives to grinding, such as being a good trader? I don't like linear grind to win games.

Quote from hjohn06 : I just registered my promotional key and the option to cancel is still on amazon. I'm debating if I should cancel my amazon order or not. Maybe they will run a promotion reducing the price like when BF3 came out. You get the 3 day headstart and a bonus item, but amazon isn't offering free release day delivery. So unless the promotional key is going to allow us to play until we get the game in the mail, we won't be able to play for a few days after release.

You can download the game client online if you have a GW2 account. So I did the amazon pre-order and immediately got a code to set-up my GW2 account. I can still cancel my pre-order on amazon, but I'm assuming my GW2 account will also get canceled if I do so.

Quote from landon87 : I want the collector's edition. fry's seem to have them cheapest for $149.99

I hate giving my money to Gamestop but it was the only vendor that was offering pre-purchases of the CE at the time.

Quote from Ezio : Is there a lot of grinding involved? Are there alternatives to grinding, such as being a good trader? I don't like linear grind to win games.

They really put an emphasis on avoiding mindless grinding when developing the game.

Things like dynamic events (quests happen around you), linear leveling (each level just takes a little longer to get through than the last), content scaling (you can go anywhere, things just get harder/easier depending on you), sidekicking (temp boosts you to the same level as a friend), are just some of the things they added to kill that repetitive linear grind feeling.

Also, you can level up in world PVP mode, so conceivably you could avoid doing any quests at all and still get to max level if you wanted.

Quote from SuperJew : They really put an emphasis on avoiding mindless grinding when developing the game. Things like dynamic events (quests happen around you), linear leveling (each level just takes a little longer to get through than the last), content scaling (you can go anywhere, things just get harder/easier depending on you), sidekicking (temp boosts you to the same level as a friend), are just some of the things they added to kill that repetitive linear grind feeling. Also, you can level up in world PVP mode, so conceivably you could avoid doing any quests at all and still get to max level if you wanted.

don't forget crafting too, I remember reading that one could fully max a character just by crafting all the disciplines up to 400 each.

Quote from Ezio : Is there a lot of grinding involved? Are there alternatives to grinding, such as being a good trader? I don't like linear grind to win games.

I'd suggest having a read through their design manifesto:

http://www.arena.net/blog/guild-w...-manifesto

My favorite part is that they're dumping the traditional quest system and dedicated healer class (all classes have some ability to heal and rez, though some are better at it than others). No more "GLF healer."

As far as gear goes, yes, it certainly matters, but high-stats gear is relatively easy to obtain. Most 'prestige' items are just sweet-looking re-skins of other items. There's less of a random drop aspect, too. Like if you complete a high-end dungeon, you might be rewarded with a token that can be used at a special NPC to obtain the item you actually want, rather than just praying that the item you want happens to drop with your name on it.

When does this code expire? Also, I sort of want release date delivery due to the fact that your names from Guild Wars 1 must be claimed on launch day,

Quote from Ezio : Is there a lot of grinding involved? Are there alternatives to grinding, such as being a good trader? I don't like linear grind to win games.

The gear you grind for only has cosmetic benefits. The gear with the best stats, without the cosmetic prestige, should be easily attainable just around level 80.

Quote from schen415 : You can download the game client online if you have a GW2 account. So I did the amazon pre-order and immediately got a code to set-up my GW2 account. I can still cancel my pre-order on amazon, but I'm assuming my GW2 account will also get canceled if I do so.

Actually I just realized you don't need to preorder to download guild wars2. https://account.guildwars2.com/download The page accepts guild war account logins. I created an account when I registered my key, but apparently the ncsoft master account also created me an account for guild wars trial. Logging in with either account both shows me guild wars 2 download. There is also no login at the start of guildwars 2. So it seems as long as you get the download client, you can start installing guild wars 2.

I believe you don't lose the abiilty to cancel unless amazon ships out the game. The final beta weekend is July 20-22, so there be plenty of time for you cancel after that unless you are wanting to try the 3 day head start.

Got it -- keeping eyes open for a better deal though! Thanks OP.

Is this game ever coming out?

Quote from Mike360 : Is this game ever coming out?

Just ordered... as long as I have it be that weekend ... I am good!

Thanks!

Quote from Mike360 : Is this game ever coming out?

August 28th is the release date.