Guild Wars 2 Introduces The Down State
Guild Wars 2
Taking possible inspiration from many of the popular first person shooters on the market, ArenaNet will be introducing the “down state” feature in Guild Wars 2, changing the players conception of death within an MMO. Your character will continue fighting after he or she dies.
ArenaNet has been making many claims that Guild Wars 2 will stray as far away as possible from what is normally expected of a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game. It is clear that the features to be included in this game, such as the Guild Wars 2 activities and mini-games, are implemented in order to attract a larger audience. The new features that ArenaNet announces keeps proving to the fan-base that this game will truly offer a new experience to be had.
Eric Flannum, the lead developer of the game, stated that they want Guild Wars 2 to be a game about taking chances, risks and experiencing exciting gameplay, not about avoiding death. He goes on to say that they look into other genres to see if they can implement features into the MMO genre. So, to take a cue from games like Modern Warfare or Borderlands, they allow the player to continue fighting after their death. When you die, you will enter what is called the “down state”, and in that state, you have four skills that you can use to make your last stand of sorts. Three of these skills are determined by your class while one skill is available to every class.
Usually, in an MMO, when you die, you either wait to be resurrected or respawn in the nearest safe haven. This has been
Guild Wars 2 Down State
the standard for MMO’s for years now, and not many fans have been complaining. So the fact that ArenaNet stepped passed that, and looked to revamp and innovate gameplay mechanics that were already accepted by the masses is an admirable thing. In GW 2, if you manage to defeat your enemy while you are in a down state before your consciousness meter runs out, you will be able to hop back into action. If you do die, though, you will have to wait for a player to revive you or travel to a previous way-point and revive there for a fee.
More news from ArenaNet, news that is sure to disappoint many, is that Guild Wars 2 no longer has a dedicated healer class. Every character class has the ability to revive a downed player and each character is in charge of his or her own healing. Isiah Cartwright, one of the game’s designers, states that the best healing you will receive in game will be from your own healing skill. There are also no main tanks or damage dealers. These roles usually implemented into other MMOs have been left out of Guild Wars 2. Each character will be able to take on different roles.
Guild Wars 2 Boss
The reason being for this was because it cuts a major problem out of the MMO genre. Many times, you will need to make sure your party has a good healing class and a good tanking class in order to begin questing or leveling up. This requires time to find people who fit those roles and may lead to people not playing the game for not being able to find a party. It also prevents the party from wiping when a healer or tank dies. In many games, when your tank goes down, the monster instantly becomes aggressive towards you and the whole party is in jeopardy. If the healer goes down, the tank has no one to heal him and he will end up going down, along with the rest of the party afterward.
Flannum states that he does not want the game to value one profession over another. Everyone should play a key role in the party that they are in. Instead of grouping with someone solely for their class or the skills they possess, they want players to group with someone for the social aspect. Not only that, but the ability for a class to take on multiple roles allows for truly cinematic and epic gameplay. However, it does raise questions as well. Is this a feature that will only be implemented in Player vs NPC or will it be incorporated in Player vs Player as well? If you are fighting another player, you both will eventually enter your down state, and what if it so happens that you are both in your down state? It could potentially lead to some epic or awkward gameplay moments. We will see how it unravels, though, and I for one am exciting for this game.
This sounds like news that will potentially disappoint many fans while bringing many new comers into the fan-base. Regardless, ArenaNet is staying true to their word and making Guild Wars 2 truly something exclusive in the MMO genre.
Ready more about healing and death in Guild Wars 2 at the official website.
