I’ve been accumulating news snippets about the as-yet-to-be-formally-scheduled release of Guild Wars 2 for an email newsletter I send out to my friends and acquaintances in the Guild Wars community. The big news this week was the release of the first segment of the Winds of Change content in Cantha.

I got a few comments from non-gaming folks that these posts can get too long to scroll past, so it’s now in the extended post below.

Part 1: Discussion of previous news

• If you listen to podcasts, you might want to subscribe to the Guildcast weekly podcast
• Reminder: the official Guild Wars 2 wiki is still growing, so it’s worth checking it out now and again for new information.
• Guildcast/Enjin Guild Site Contest. “As we mentioned on the last podcast, we’ve teamed up with the folks at Enjin to offer you the chance to win one of two guild website packages. These are their highest-tier guild site packages, including either 1 year of Ultimate or 1 year of Premium to two lucky winners. Feel like your guild site could use an overhaul? Keep readin’!”

Part 2: Guild Wars news

• Reminder: If you’d like to keep track of the upcoming Guild Wars Beyond material, keep this page bookmarked.
• Reminder: Guild Wars official support forum. Here is the FAQ page for the forums.
• Guild Wars haiku. “Rurik ran ahead / But Togo stayed far behind / Both still annoy me”
• Winds of Change storyline has been released. “Winds of Change is a brand new Guild Wars storyline that takes place in Cantha. As part of Guild Wars Beyond, Winds of Change helps bridge the story between Guild Wars and the upcoming Guild Wars 2 by involving players in key historical events. Winds of Change will take place in three phases throughout the rest of 2011. To get started, speak with Zei Ri, a white-clad Ministry of Purity member who is located in Kaineng Center in Cantha. “
• The official announcement. “Change is coming to Cantha, land of ancient traditions. The Ministry of Purity seeks to unite the Canthan people in defense of their homeland from the hideous Afflicted and other threats. But change can be difficult. Will this rising power usher in a new era of safety and peace or rip Cantha apart? “

Part 3: Guild Wars 2 news

• Flameseeker Chronicles: This might just work. “Socialization was a concern, and still is, to a point. A problem that I’ve run into in Guild Wars 1 is setting up a group run for something and then having too many people wanting to join. It’s really frustrating to have to change from your desired profession, ask someone else to change, or tell someone that there’s flat no room for him unless he wants to bring a Monk. With a typical group limit of eight (or 12 if you’re doing one of two elite areas) and some necessary class roles that can’t be left out, you bump into that party limit pretty fast. This was my biggest concern for the dungeons of Guild Wars 2. With a party limit of five, not only will I have to reject even more guildmates, but we’re going to have to be even stricter about what classes people can and cannot bring. The setup seemed like… well, pretty much the antithesis of everything I love about gaming. I’ve since changed my mind on this in a big way.”
• Guild Wars 2 More than a Theme Park. “There is another step in creating a great environment in not just an MMO, but in other games as well. This tiny little step is often overlooked and ignored, and it bothers me. I’m talking about the terrain. To give an example, let’s look at a grassy plain. In many games I have played this very large grassy area will unsurprisingly be almost completely flat. This happens often, several times within the same game, even though I am supposed to be in a completely different region. But, from what I am seeing in Guild Wars 2 is what I experienced in the first Guild Wars. There are multiple levels of elevation in this single area. It rolls up and down into rivers, ponds and rocky mountains. By simply not keeping the land flat they have created something that is far more believable than just a few subtle bumps here and there. They have needed to take it to the next level, now that characters can explore nearly anywhere without having to follow a path. A huge task but based on the videos we have all seen, they are doing a fine job of it.”
• Kill Ten Rats: Purview of the Engineer. “For example, an Ascalon ghost warrior is running at me. What to do? I could Net Shot him to immobilize him, switch to flamethrower to throw down a napalm wall near him and his ghost buddies, Air Blast him back through the flame wall, switch to a grenade satchel and throw down a Freeze Grenade right as he is standing in the flame wall, and then Overcharged Shot him to knockdown as he tries to heal. This is just one combo I thought up. Perhaps two are running at me, so I can’t effectively use Net Shot. Instead I could lay down a turret and overcharge it just as they get to me in the hopes the turret’s DPS and distance draws aggro, and go from there.”
• Guild Wars 2 Hands-on. “Here’s the thing, compared to Star Wars: The Old Republic (the last MMO I previewed), Guild Wars 2 is spectacular — it feels fresh, it feels alive and it feels diverse… three adjectives that I’d never use to describe BioWare’s upcoming MMO, at least from what I’ve seen so far. Why am I comparing two games that are not out for many months? Because the only other frames of reference I have are two months of World of Warcraft, one month of Aion and a trial run of EVE Online. Comparing two competitors that are yet to hit the shelves seems like the fairest thing to do.”
• An impressive fan-made video about Divinity’s Reach (original is in Spanish, this is the version with English sub-titles)