Guild Wars 2

In the third in a series of articles showcasing some of the lesser enemy races, the Guild Wars 2 team details "Those Sneaky, Sneaky Skritt" in the latest dev blog on the Arena.Net site. Skritt are small rat-like critters that dwell beneath the world's surface. Check out the blog to get an idea of the Skritt's history, society, ecology, religion and more.

No one really knows how the skritt hive-like intelligence works. The most likely theory is that the skritt simply communicate so rapidly that, when together, they can vet their ideas and choose the best one within seconds, rather than going with whatever plan each individual first conceived. Certainly, the skritt have exceptionally sharp auditory skills. They can communicate with one another almost instantly if they are within earshot. If you meet one skritt alone, he might not appear particularly intelligent, but if you meet several, they can discuss their surroundings in amazingly swift, almost ultrasonic chirrups and chitters, and are able to process information and make more intelligent decisions. Therefore, the skritt seem less intelligent in small groups and more intelligent when they gather in larger ones. Because of this, the skritt in their scratches are the most intelligent—and More >

Arena.Net has revealed the next playable class for Guild Wars 2. The Commando's credo is "If it can bleed, I can kill it" and the class is a much more modern interpretation than most would have expected. In addition to some nice artwork showing off the Commando's unique look, the team has fleshed out some of the lore behind the class.

A master of the battlefield, this elite soldier is equally at home on the mean streets of Lion's Arch, in the steamy Maguuma Jungle, or on the Orrian front. The multi-role commando is a combat medic, an infiltrator, and a tank. By land, sea, or air, the commando is a technological force to be reckoned with. Come get some.

Commandos have several different special skill types:

Grenades—Sometimes you need to kill a whole lot of tangos—fast. Grenades enable the commando to perform area-of-effect attacks with a variety of devastating results. From flashbangs that blind enemies to shrapnel bombs that apply bleeding, the commando has a grenade for every occasion.

Read more here.

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Arena.Net is a company that loves fan-based conventions and this weekend's PAX East is one of their first stops during this year's convention season. Along with devs will come a playable demo where players can try out the newly announced Thief class and more. MMORPG.com Community Manager Mike Bitton has a few thoughts about what he's expecting to find out. Check it out and then leave a comment or two below.

I get the idea that the Thief, the sixth class to be revealed for Guild Wars 2, was meant to be a PAX East surprise, but the cat was let out of the bag during GDC and we’ve learned a good deal about the new class already. That’s OK, I’ve not had a chance to play the Thief yet so I am still looking forward to it, and for those of you heading to PAX East I’m sure last week’s slip-up has only gotten you more excited to head out to Boston this week. The Thief is the re-imagined Assassin class from the original Guild Wars, and so if you’re the stealthy stabbity stab type guy like I am you might want to keep your ears perked this weekend for More >

It's now official: The Norn are invading PAX East this year, coming in full force on twenty machines in a brand new demo for Guild Wars 2. MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy has a few thoughts on these denizens of the cold country. Check them out and then add a few of your own.

In a lot of ways the Norn remind me of Arnold’s portrayal of Conan the Barbarian/Cimmerian/Destroyer. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way either. As a people they’re absolutely resolute and tenacious. They’re stalwart, hearty, and fiercely determined to succeed. They’re also, and it should prove fun, the loudest and rowdiest of the pub patrons. They’re born hunters and combatants, and they hold a deep respect for many things, even as they kill them.

Read more of Bill Murphy's Guild Wars 2: The Norn Invade PAX.

Norn Week has officially begun! The Guild Wars 2 site has been updated with the first article featuring the Norn race. The first posting gives a bit of information about the Norn including their native habitat and compares the starting experience for Norn players as compared to those choosing humans.

As you’ll see this week when we take a closer look at the Wayfarer Foothills area, a norn player in Guild Wars 2 will have a completely different experience than a human player. “The norn starting experience is tonally very different from the human one,” Bobby Stein says. “The happenings in Wayfarer Foothills, while dangerous, are more about hunting and celebration rather than outright war.”

In addition to a plethora of wild game and powerful creatures, norn characters adventuring in the Shiverpeaks will encounter the jotun, a race of fallen giants; the dredge, former slaves who claim the lost homelands of the dwarves; and the Sons of Svanir, norn who revere the Ice Dragon. There’s no shortage of opportunities for norn to prove themselves.

Read more here.