Great campaign story, new and exciting classes, a new way to command AI companions, and more action makes this a classic
Basically, in Guild Wars Nightfall, there is a darkness brewing in the desert realms of Elona. Your new characters for this campaign become a part of the Sunspears, a band of soldiers who strive to protect Elona. However, adventurers originating from the Prophecies realm of Tyria, and the Factions realm of Cantha are not left out in the sands, as they can travel to Elona and aid in the coming conflict. While I won't delve into the full details of it to minimize the risk of spoiling such a rich and exciting campaign story, I will say that it does have its twists and turns.
Although you won't see Elonian Assassins and Ritualists in Nightfall, there are two new classes to try out, and both, based on recent gameplay, are very useful in both PvE & PvP. The first of these new classes is the Paragon. These particular Sunspear soldiers specialize in throwing spears and using battle shouts and chants to aid allies. The other new class for Nightfall is the Dervish. These hooded warriors wield two-handed scythes (by default), and can hit up to three foes in one scythe attack simultaneously. They can also use AoE attacks and, if they have the skills, transform temporarily into an avatar of one of the five deities of Guild Wars. Both classes looked very promising in PvP & PvE during the Nightfall preview events prior to release, and have delivered.
Many players have been discouraged some by the lack of "discipline" in AI-controlled henchmen. Nightfall's answer: bring in controllable heroes and a new command system. Heroes are a cross between player-controlled characters and henchmen. Unlike henchmen, these heroes can be customized in their "builds" and equipment to fit the needs of the individual player. Players can use up to 3 heroes, and certain heroes are necessary to do some of the various quests and missions. But how do you manage heroes and henchmen? With the new command system, you can direct them to a certain spot to plan out battle strategies. Sometimes, you'll want to keep all of them at a killzone while you lure and peel off enemy groups. Other times, you'll want to put heroes at certain spots to plan out other attack strategies.
The PvP aspect pretty much remains the same, although there are some new arenas to battle in, and some new guild halls for guild leaders and officers to look at. So far, it's been a tug-of-war between European (Australia & New Zealand probably included) and North/South American guilds and teams in Heroes' Ascent, although there are some Korean teams that have brought favor to Korea, but barely noticeable at this time. While there hasn't been much noticeable improvement in the graphics department, you will find that the mouths move in the Nightfall cinematics, a big improvement from previous campaigns. The audio is great too, as Jeremy Soule & Co. brings a North African/Arabic theme of music to Nightfall.
Technically, there are a few glitches in the game at this time, and at times, can be very frustrating. Sometimes, the people you escort block your path, and either you or your heroes and henchmen can't move too. Some areas are very laggy too, although it is far from unexpected since most major cities and outposts, so far, have a large number of players on.
In all, Guild Wars Nightfall will bring back some old players who loved Prophecies but hated Factions, as well as some new players. With its new theme, new features, and a couple of new classes to put into the heat of battle, this game can be classified as a classic for its kind of online RPG. While the world of Guild Wars is still dwarfed by the grinder titan that is World of WarCraft, with its free online play, Nightfall will draw in its share of over 2 million players...and growing.
-- FIND THIS PLAYER IN-GAME (Listed at time of review) --
* Elonians *
The Saharan Maiden ( Paragon/Ranger )
Sayyida Nehvna ( Ranger/Monk )
* Tyrians *
The Emerald Maiden ( Ranger/Monk )
Morrighan Blackrose ( Necromancer/Monk )
Scarlette Sylvanas ( Mesmer/Monk )
* Canthans *
Chrysthanthemum Lin ( Ritualist/Monk )
Shinzuma Takara ( Warrior/Monk )
Kimura Hisante ( Elementalist/Mesmer )