Guild Wars: Factions

Guild Wars Factions is the second campaign in the Guild Wars series. Do not assume that this is an expansion. It is actually a stand alone game that can be tied to your Guild Wars account, so that when you play Factions you have the option to start a new character or bring over a character from another campaign. Factions has a very different setting than Prophecies. While the setting is still diverse it has taken on a Chinese feel which is represented in many aspects of the game. While Guild Wars Factions has the same game play as Prophecies, it offers new professions, skills, quests, and a new map.


If you choose to create a new character you will have two new choices in professions. The assassin, aka sin, is a new ninja-like melee character that uses dagger attacks to deal large amounts of damage in a short period of time. The second addition is the ritualist, aka rit, which seems to be a mix between a monk and a necromancer. The rit channels spirits and conjures ghosts in order to deal damage to enemies and heal allies. Of course the old professions are still available if the player prefers to stick with an old favorite. Or, as I said earlier, you can bring a character over from another campaign.



If you do decide to create a new character you will find yourself in Shing Jea Monastery. The Monastery is not only the tutorial area of the campaign, but is also where festivals, such as the Dragon Festival in early July, is held. As part of the tutorial players will have the opportunity to try all professions before deciding on a secondary profession. Trying the professions before selecting a secondary also gives the player the opportunity to unlock new skills to their account if they have not yet done so.



As the player continues through the story line they will make their way to Kaineng City where they will meet up with foreign players, characters from other campaigns. Kaineng City is a large region that consists of outposts, missions, and explorable areas. It is in this region that players learn of a terrible disease that has spread throughout the city and it is up to the player to find and destroy the evil that is the cause.


After leaving Kaineng City the player will soon learn of two factions of people, the Luxons and the Kurzicks. Even though the storyline forks at this point, it is still possible to play both sides. It is also now possible to receive Luxon and Kurzick faction as rewards. This faction can be used to purchase special items such as passage scrolls, skills, and rare crafting materials. In Guild Wars: Factions, guilds now have the chance to side with either the Kurzicks or the Luxons and team up with other guilds in order to create an alliance. Faction can be donated to your guild and thereby increase the total alliance faction. Alliances with the highest faction have control of different outposts and alliance battles force the border between the Kurzicks and the Luxons to shift within the region.


The features that Guild Wars: Factions adds makes it a great companion to the other Guild Wars campaigns. Factions is not as massive as Prophecies, but the map is still fairly extensive. While I personally did not like the Kaineng City region, multi-levels made it hard for me to follow the map, I did enjoy the other areas. I thought the concept of The Jade Sea, home of the Luxons, was both beautiful and particularly interesting. As I previously said, Guild Wars: Factions can be played as a stand alone game, but I highly recommend purchasing it as part of the Guild Wars Trilogy pack. It will not only save you money in the long run, but you will also have access to the skills, professions, and other benefits the other campaigns have to offer.