August 1st - Nightfall Preorder package announced

[Leese Blacks]

http://www.gwonline.net/wiki/index.php/Prerelease_Bonus_Pack_for_Guild_Wars_Nightfall


August 1, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) — ArenaNet® and NCsoft® today announced a brand new retail package which will soon give Guild Wars® players their first look inside the exciting upcoming release, Guild Wars NightfallTM. The announcement comes on the heels of the Guild Wars Nightfall PVP Preview Event where players were able to create characters using the new Nightfall professions.

The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is expected to hit store shelves on September 15 and will feature:

* Guild Wars "Play Now" key for a 10-hour/14-day trial* of Guild Wars PropheciesTM and Guild Wars FactionsTM.
* Guild Wars Nightfall Bonus Key, providing one additional character slot for a Guild Wars Nightfall account, as well as two exclusive items for the new professions—a Firey Sunspear of Shelter for the Paragon and an Icy Soulbreaker of Enchanting for the Dervish
* Mini strategy guide, concept art, screenshots, in-game renders of characters and items, preview trailer, wallpapers, lore, quick reference card, music, and more!

Guild Wars Nightfall takes place on the continent of Elona, Land of the Golden Sun. It is a nation comprised of three great provinces; The island province of Istan is the home of a vibrant people who live among the monuments of an ancient empire. The military province of Kourna, under the command of its great leader, Warmarshal Varesh, hugs the shores of the mighty river Elon. And in the rugged lands to the north, the Princes of Vabbi rule from their opulent citadels. Elona is a land of wealth and power, protected by its champions, the Order of the Sunspears. In Guild Wars Nightfall, Elona has fallen under the shadow of an evil, outcast god. Against the encroaching desolation of an infernal realm, the people of Elona will need more than a hero to save them, they will need a hero to lead them. . .for nightfall is at hand.

Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. Guild Wars Nightfall continues the tradition of inviting players to immerse themselves in an epic storyline centered in a vibrant fantasy setting, build personalized characters, and find adventure in missions and quests. This a Guild Wars game unlike any players have seen before.

[Chaz Rea]

(Edit by Aiiane - Removed duplicate of above quote)

Guild Wars Nightfall Bonus Key, providing one additional character slot for a Guild Wars Nightfall account - Does this mean we get an extra slot for preordering? I really hope so :D

[Spoil of War]

Hard to say. I initially thought that it would give you one of your Nightfall slots early so you could play the preorder headstart with it. Then I saw it mentions no headstart.

Without it, there's not really a great deal of point preordering. Unless you get an extra slot out of it. In which case sign me up!

From the wording. It sounds possible that the slot may have some kind of restriction on it. Like it can ONLY be used to create a Nightfall character.

[Xandlyn]

Okay, now I am getting excited! That means GW:N will be out soon enough. :grin:

[Serendipity]

September 15 ? OMG that's so soon.

One additionnal slot ? Woot.

[Rebirther]

pre-order is already avaliable at GAME (UK) (both online and instores)

Collectors Edition:
http://www.game.co.uk/ViewProduct.aspx?cat=10&mid=328854

Standard Edition:
http://www.game.co.uk/ViewProduct.aspx?cat=10&mid=328831

[Empraim Wainwright]

that's just awesome! :)

[Zxanadu]

This is just spectulation on my part

i wonder if they won't give you an extra slot for just buying it off the shelf when you combine it w/ your existing account?
So it will read as such:
--Buy GW:N and keep it seperate and get 4 character slots
--Pre-order GW:N and add it to your existing account and get one extra character slot.
--Buy GW:N off the shelf and combine it w/ your existing account and get ZERO extra character slots.

I can't figure out the math for that one. Maybe Gaile will give us some extra insight into how it will work.

[AskMyselfWhy]

I am 100% PUMPED about Nightfall. It's gonna deliver so much more than Factions did. But that's just from my standpoint, so it's non-canon. Yeah. :] *is happy*

[TeeBeeNZ]

After the whole Factions deal I want to see a lot of info on NightFall before I choose to shell out for a preorder let alone the game.

I need to see slot details, content size, how we get skills and such (because if its the same as factions thats a deal breaker).

[COLDshiver]

So sweet! I'm going to get it tonight

[Scutilla]

One slot? As in a retail, permanant, full account slot? Right after thousands of people bought their character slots a mere week ago?

Lucy... you got some 'splaining to do... (Even if it's a genius move from a marketing perspective.)

Looks great otherwise, though. Finally, an official plot synopsis. And it looks like people's estimates of an end-of-October release might be right.


So sweet! I'm going to get it tonight
Um... they said it'd be available September 15th, so unless you have a time machine...

[TDV]

The way I hope it's going to be:

-> Buy GW:N, don't merge and get 4 char slots
-> Pre-order GW:N, get 1 extra char slot, but when you merge you only get 1 more char slot (that's 2 total char slots for GW:N :wink: )
-> Buy GW:N from store/online/etc, merge and get 2 char slots, but no cool weapons, concept art etc)

I think it's the best way... :grin:

[FrogEatFrom]

This is just spectulation on my part

i wonder if they won't give you an extra slot for just buying it off the shelf when you combine it w/ your existing account?
So it will read as such:
--Buy GW:N and keep it seperate and get 4 character slots
--Pre-order GW:N and add it to your existing account and get one extra character slot.
--Buy GW:N off the shelf and combine it w/ your existing account and get ZERO extra character slots.

I can't figure out the math for that one. Maybe Gaile will give us some extra insight into how it will work.

Gaile's already confirmed that we will get two extra slots for merging with an existing account, just like Factions. That leaves two options:

Either:
Pre-Order GW:N and get an extra slot above and beyond the two you get from merging, which would rock
or
Pre-Order GW:N and be able to use one of the two new slots you get before release. For GW:F, we were able to use both.

I wouldn't get either too excited or too disappointed before we get some clarification, which I'm sure will come in time. :smiley:

[shadow the hero]

Eh thats 1 months and a few days :P Lovely! how the hell shall i manage to get 100k with my luck >.>

[shadow the hero]

http://www.guildwars.com/gallery/screenshots/nightfall/ Lovely 5 new Pictures ^^, and i Think you can see the Pre-order Weapons

[Zingeri]

A guess: Since they are offering a slot in the preorder, we won't get any new slots in Nightfall. Which is dissappointing.

But hey, ArenaNet deserves to make more money. :smiley:

[Aerolor]

Those Screenshots are awesome!! The weapons probably ARE the preorder ones, and they look great. Kudos to Shadow the Hero for posting!

[SylverDragon]

I'm not sure this is a pre-order pack,


ArenaNet Announces Prerelease Bonus Pack for Guild Wars Nightfall

Fans to get first taste of next Guild Wars game in new retail package that will include exclusive character items, an additional character slot, screenshots and more

August 1, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) — ArenaNet® and NCsoft® today announced a brand new retail package which will soon give Guild Wars® players their first look inside the exciting upcoming release, Guild Wars NightfallTM. The announcement comes on the heels of the Guild Wars Nightfall PVP Preview Event where players were able to create characters using the new Nightfall professions.

No mention of pre-order, and it clearly calls this a retail pack.

Maybe this is just what it says, a bonus pack that we can buy before the full release, or maybe the wording is just messed up.

[TDV]

A guess: Since they are offering a slot in the preorder, we won't get any new slots in Nightfall. Which is dissappointing.

But hey, ArenaNet deserves to make more money. :smiley:

Gaile said in one of her "visits" in the game that we WILL get more FREE slots with GW:N.
Now either Gaile was just lieing or ppl should stop speculating about everything...

[rexkenley]

I already ordered by pre-order 2 weeks ago, hehehe

If the actual package does not come with at least 2 extra char slots like factions for merged accounts, that would be soooooooo wrrooooonnnnng!

It would be like Kakashi (Anet) giving Naruto (us players) the Sennen Goroshi

For non Naruto fans, this is Sennen Goroshi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taijutsu_(Naruto)#Sennen_Goroshi_.28One_Thousand_Y ears_of_Death.29

[Erasculio]

A guess: Since they are offering a slot in the preorder, we won't get any new slots in Nightfall. Which is dissappointing.

Gaile has already said that will be the same thing than Factions: not merge and get 4 slots, merge and get 2 slots.

Besides, think about it from the point of view of those who bought Factions: if it gave two extra slots, why wouldn't every new chapter also give you two slots?

To me, it seems that the pre order will give you a third slot - while I would rather have more Storage, apparently people would murder Arena Net if they had that feature.

(Oh, and I bet those screenshots are of the Pre Order weapons. That spear looks great :cloud9: )

Erasculio

[Rex Banner]

If the extra slot is permanent it would also be a way to purchase a slot without a credit card and without using the online store.

[boxterduke]

The thing is that this is a "pre release bonus" package and not a pre order.

So it might be that the money spent on it not redeemable when getting the full game.

And I do not think this package has the head start so there might be another one that is actually "a pre order".

So far it looks like Anet is making us pay for an extra slot+the character specific weapons.

Smart marketing, I do not care anyway since I love GW so I'm in :p

[GodHead]

Will they screw up supply of these? Or will people who pre-order the game actually get these this time?

[HerrWolf]

By the sounds of things this is nothing to do with the actual game. Its just an extra pack that gives you a few CD keys (one for an extra char slot) and lots of extra bonus features. This means that people can get a taste for the game and then it comes out and they have to pay for that as well..

[BastDawn]

http://www.gwonline.net/wiki/index.php/Prerelease_Bonus_Pack_for_Guild_Wars_Nightfall


August 1, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) — ArenaNet® and NCsoft® today announced a brand new retail package...

The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is expected to hit store shelves on September 15 and will feature: [etc.]


This is not a pre-order. This "bonus pack" is just in-game store items that you can purchase on the retail shelf, with the restriction that it will be useless unless you also get Nightfall. Ugh, this is okay for those who want to pay for this kind of content, I guess, but I'm skipping it.

[Devilish Evangelist]

Look at the story: three areas only.
I just think it's going to be a small map again.
I hope I'm wrong.

[BobTheTank]

Well, EB games said there'd be 55 explorable areas, but they're not Arenanet so you can't really trust them, but I doubt there'd be three explorable areas. If that were so, I would burn my copy of nightfall.

[Scibrmonky]

Yeah, I think 3 areas means 3 regions, which is still small unless these regions are huge. Imagine buying Prophecies and getting only Ascalon, the Northern Shiverpeaks, and Kryta. Though, if EB is correct about 55 explorable areas, that would be about 17 areas per region, which would be rather large regions. Unless of course they are all half the size of the explorable areas in Prophecies, in which case we're right back to a small game.
We'll just have to wait and see.
I'm with someone higher up, I'm waiting for a lot more information before preordering. If Nightfall is Factions:Part 2, then I'm out.

[FrogEatFrom]

The only thing they specifically state is that there are three nations. Both Prophecies and Factions had three nations also, but more than three areas.

Prophecies had Ascalon, Kryta, and the sunken nation of Orr. In terms of areas, besides Ascalon and Kryta, there were also Pre-Searing, the Shiverpeaks, the Maguuma Jungle, and the Ring of Fire.

Factions had the Asianesque Canthans (in Keining City), the Kurzicks, and the Luxons. Besides the respective homelands, there was only Shing Jea Island in Factions, hence it being dissapointing in terms of variety of areas, in addition to their smaller number

So now Nightfall has the nations of Istan, Kourna, and Vabbi. It remains to be seen whether there will be additional areas beyond the nations, and how much landscape variety there is within each nation. Hopefully it will be better than even Prophecies. :sunny: (Hey, someone's gotta be an optimist!)

[Triamn]

So is the preorder kit available currently, or not?

[Icy Spicy]

(Edit by Aiiane - merged in post)

--------

whats interesting is that they said only additional character slot... while this doesnt make me anrgy at all, im sure alot of you will be pretty pissed off

[Xandlyn]

Don't know why I would be mad about it. Free extra slot for a pre-release then probably 2 more when the game is actually released. Not too bad in my mind.

BTW this was already posted earlier today and was moved to the New's Forums
http://forums.gwonline.net/showthread.php?t=414043

[Cerulean Niteshadow]

There are 2 threads on this already.

Search is a good feature.

[Chorus]

They said the prerelease bonus pack would come with one character slot.

They didn't actually say that Nightfall itself wouldn't also come with two. At this point in time, it could be interpreted either way.

I'm assuming that this preorder package is for the standard edition, though. I'm more curious to see if/when Collector's Edition preorders will be available (especially in the UK). I hope the mention of only one pack doesn't mean there won't be a CE.

[Raiala]

It is not a pre-order, it is just a bonus thing that gives you additional character slot, the special weapons, and the art stuff. I think, I'm not sure.

[Psymun]

Read it again. A bonus character slot. You get one EXTRA with your Nightfall key if you also have a preorder key, meaning 3 instead of 2. It's been confirmed by a dev on another forum, so I'm sure if it's not on Devtrack already it will be soon.

[dwynnejr]

how much does a prerelease generally cost?

[Art]

Ranged last time, considerably, from $20 - $1 dependant on where you got them.

Probably similar for this one, only 1 extra slot already costs $10 so I'd imagine from there to $30

Only guessing though

-Art

[Fyre Brand]

One slot? As in a retail, permanant, full account slot? Right after thousands of people bought their character slots a mere week ago?

Lucy... you got some 'splaining to do... (Even if it's a genius move from a marketing perspective.)Yeah it looks like everyone who supported the store idea and purchased an extra slot just go screwed. I like the vague pre-release bonus pack statement too. For a while after I first read that press release I was certain it referred to pre-order. Now after seeing a few posts and having the wording contrasted and compared I see it's likely to be yet another money gouge.

I hope the pre-order bonus will be just as nice (ie: includes an extra slot). It really wouldn't surprise me if they skipped "pre-order" for this instore pay extra package. I really hope I'm just being too cynical and totally wrong about this.

[Icy Spicy]

the news forum is just tooooo hard to notice lol... my bad

[SerenitySilverstar]

Yeah it looks like everyone who supported the store idea and purchased an extra slot just go screwed.

Actually, this is a good way to cater to people who don't have a credit card/can't buy a slot online. There are still people who prefer to, or can only, buy things from a real world shop.

GW is not just the forum community.

This is a nice idea :) Can't wait to pick mine up.

[Icy Spicy]

this "bonus" package is nothing more than a preorder with a slot... anet maybe trying to selling us what should've been free... interesting... because i highly doubt it will be free, since slots are 9.99ea

[Psymun]

how much does a prerelease generally cost?

If you get it from a store that knows what they are doing, it costs nothing. You put down something like $10, pre order the game, and take home your pre release box. Then when the game comes out, you bring back your receipt and pick up the game at a $10 discount, effectively making it cost you nothing.

If someone offers to sell it but doesn't take the price of the pre release off the price of the final box, I'd shop around and look for somewhere that does.

[Saelfaer]

i might be totally wrong on this so nobody take my words for granted
but the way i see this msg is that this prerelease bonus pack thingy is just some fancy bonus thingy to keep you busy

nothing binding to a real package of gw nightfall you might buy later that year when it comes out. so the way i think is
if you want then buy a bonus thingy and after that you can go buy the big nightfall when it comes out but you wil lhave some bonus stuff.

what i mean here is that its not the actuall pre order box thingy like with factions. its just something extra you buy.

while with factions this preorder box was embedded in the price, so if you had paid 20 bucks for the preorder thing and factions costed 50 bucks you would pay 30 bucks for factions when you went to get it with the voucher from that preorder box.

while here you will pay i dunno about 20 bucks for some bonus stuf, AND 50 bucks when you want the real game afterwards.


just my thoughts on this. completely not sure you should believe me on this one, but its what i think of it.

[Saelfaer]

i might be totally wrong on this so nobody take my words for granted
but the way i see this msg is that this prerelease bonus pack thingy is just some fancy bonus thingy to keep you busy

nothing binding to a real package of gw nightfall you might buy later that year when it comes out. so the way i think is
if you want then buy a bonus thingy and after that you can go buy the big nightfall when it comes out but you wil lhave some bonus stuff.

what i mean here is that its not the actuall pre order box thingy like with factions. its just something extra you buy.

while with factions this preorder box was embedded in the price, so if you had paid 20 bucks for the preorder thing and factions costed 50 bucks you would pay 30 bucks for factions when you went to get it with the voucher from that preorder box.

while here you will pay i dunno about 20 bucks for some bonus stuf, AND 50 bucks when you want the real game afterwards.


just my thoughts on this. completely not sure you should believe me on this one, but its what i think of it.

[Zahra]

Actually, if you look at the french GW site, the word they used for that package would translated as pre-order, not as pre-release. So, either they made a mistake while translating, or it is a pre-order box but for some obscure reason (and lots of whining from last time), they changed the name from pre-order to pre-release.

Your take on it?

[Longasc]

Sorry guys, in which currency are you talking?

US Dollars? You paid 10-20 US Dollars for the Preorder Box???

This cannot be true. They sold for 5 EUR in Europe, that is app. 6.38 US Dollars.

[Xandlyn]

Sorry guys, in which currency are you talking?

US Dollars? You paid 10-20 US Dollars for the Preorder Box???

This cannot be true. They sold for 5 EUR in Europe, that is app. 6.38 US Dollars.
The the stores around me (California) had the pre-order boxes for $10. But then when the game was released if you brought in the receipt from the pre-order you got from them they would take that $10 off the price of the game. So really the pre-order was free.

I have never seen a pre-order for more then $10...but I have only checked the stores in my area...:cutie:

[SylverDragon]

I'm assuming that this preorder package is for the standard edition, though. I'm more curious to see if/when Collector's Edition preorders will be available (especially in the UK). I hope the mention of only one pack doesn't mean there won't be a CE.
There was only one Factions pre-order pack for both editions - you got it whether you ordered the standard or collectors.

Game (http://www.game.co.uk)have had standard and collectors editions listed for pre-order for over a month - no details with them, I just think they are planning ahead.

[ricocheting]

first off, this specifically "Prerelease Bonus Pack" and doesn't say ANYTHING about "preorder." I see most people assuming it means a preoder package, but far as I can tell, this has nothing to do with preorder. it sounds like this is a "lets sell them a bonus something to tide them till release" type of thing.

i highly doupt if you buy this, it will later count off your 'normal' purchase price of Nightfall like a standard preorder would. could be wrong, but thats how i see it (and pretty sure i'm right).

[edit:] right here: "... a brand new retail package which will ..." doesn't that mean they'll be selling it for "full" price, and it's not a preorder?

[ckenni]

the info doesn't mention anything about a 24-hr pre-access to Nightfall like we previously had on Factions, does this mean that the only thing that we'd get from this package are the weapons and the 1 char slot?

[Zaxares]

OK, we need an explanation from Gaile. Is this a wholly separate retail product? Or is it the pre-order bonus pack similar to what we had for Factions?

[beldeti]

Guild Wars Nightfall Bonus Key, providing one additional character slot for a Guild Wars Nightfall account...

This interested me because I don't have a credit card to buy extra slots, so I can choose to buy this instead. However, I highlighted a portion above.

I plan to merge Nightfall with my Prophecies account. (haven't bought Factions yet, I plan to jump to Nightfall directly)

1) Does this mean if I buy this bonus pack, I can use the Nightfall Bonus Key to have an Nightfall-only additional slot while Nightfall is not officially out? So, my slots will then be 4 GW:P + 1 GW:N = 5?

2) Would there be an "expiry" date for the key, as I may not be able to purchase Nightfall the moment it comes out? (like Factions, which arrived in our country a month later)

Thanks for your views / discussions! Threads like these (and the whole site) have been very informative, and I always refer the site to GW-playing friends.

[Erasculio]

From another Forum:





It's a bonus for preordering - it is, afterall, a list of the contents of the preorder box, not Nightfall.
This is correct. The slot from the pre-release pack is a bonus slot. it is separate from the slots you get when you purchase Nightfall

So we'll get 1 more slot with the pre release pack, and, if you merge accounts, 2 more with Nightfall.

Erasculio

[lavenbb]

first off, this specifically "Prerelease Bonus Pack" and doesn't say ANYTHING about "preorder." I see most people assuming it means a preoder package, but far as I can tell, this has nothing to do with preorder. it sounds like this is a "lets sell them a bonus something to tide them till release" type of thing.

i highly doupt if you buy this, it will later count off your 'normal' purchase price of Nightfall like a standard preorder would. could be wrong, but thats how i see it (and pretty sure i'm right).

[edit:] right here: "... a brand new retail package which will ..." doesn't that mean they'll be selling it for "full" price, and it's not a preorder?

Well, remember preorder got a whole bunch of retailers confused and messed up?

They got to fix that somehow. The wording doesn't mean much, there's no point speculating about that now.

[ShadowReapr]

I reckon it's exactly the same as the Factions box, with less confusion. I especially like the free trial thing - great idea, especially since I know it was Factions which made me want Prophecies.

I humongously like the fact that it's a global release - I was pissed to find out that, when I picked up my preorder box from Game, the Factions Preview Event had already occured (more specifically, they had only gone on sale in Europe shops after the Preview Event.

[Stupidname]

Everyone go get a prerelease box - the game store should give them to you for cheap, and make sure to tell them you don't want the game. That way, you get a free slot and they make enough games.

[Zaxares]

So does that mean that the Pre-Release Pack is still, effectively, a pre-order bonus whose value counts towards the final price we pay for Nightfall?

[Erasculio]

So does that mean that the Pre-Release Pack is still, effectively, a pre-order bonus whose value counts towards the final price we pay for Nightfall?
I don't think that's what Alex Weekes said...Notice how he very specifically said "pre-release pack". While I believe it's just a Pre Order with another name, I think we better wait for someone from Arena Net to say that with all letters. The only certainty I got from his post is that we will still get all our Nightfall slots with the game itself (as opposed to the pre-release slot being one of the two we were told we will get with Nightfall).

Erasculio

[Смерть]

Everyone go get a prerelease box - the game store should give them to you for cheap, and make sure to tell them you don't want the game. That way, you get a free slot and they make enough games.

Thats clever.

Edit: If you are buying the pre-order for 10$ though, it is still the same price. But if you are getting it under that price (from certain stores), your getting a good deal.

[Fyre Brand]

I don't think that's what Alex Weekes said...Notice how he very specifically said "pre-release pack". While I believe it's just a Pre Order with another name, I think we better wait for someone from Arena Net to say that with all letters. The only certainty I got from his post is that we will still get all our Nightfall slots with the game itself (as opposed to the pre-release slot being one of the two we were told we will get with Nightfall).

ErasculioAck! I didn't notice there were two threads about this. I really hope an official word comes out soon because I would like to pre-order but I would also like to know exactly what I'm buying. The wording pre-release pack and what we are used to, pre-order is a little confusing and I'm normally not confusaled about this stuff.

[Pei Wei]

:smiley: As found/seen in another thread - "Nightfall release date" in Community Discussion Forum

In regard to both the date AND the slot question:
http://forums.gwonline.net/showpost.php?p=4289191&postcount=30

[Fyre Brand]

I read that and understand the slots thing, but I'm still not sure if the pre-release pack is the same as pre-ordering nightfall or if it is a completely seperate item (that is basically a character slot + 2 unique weapons).

[Pei Wei]

I read that and understand the slots thing, but I'm still not sure if the pre-release pack is the same as pre-ordering nightfall or if it is a completely seperate item (that is basically a character slot + 2 unique weapons).

Hmm, yeah, I asked about that myself. Wondering if "prerelease" and "preorder" are synonymous or not (which I've a hunch is the case). Guess we'll wait and see what comes of it (though I'd suspect it'll come about via the offical site).

[Insane Master]

Imma be buyin the preorder when it comes out. Always shoppin at my trusty BestBuy.

But wait does 10 hours mean each day or total?
14 days=336 hours. and we only get 10 to play? wha?

[Zhailei]

You get 14 days or 10 hours, whichever expires first. It's meant as a trial, so I supose ANet feels that 10 hours is enough playtime to see if Guild Wars interests you and, if so, to go out and buy it.

[cinders]

Looks like a stand alone item. If it gives a character slot, and only runs US$10 I'll buy it happily. I've got pre-order items for both games now, and find them useful. Then, I got an Ithas bow, so it was pretty useful.

Hate the skin on the spiritbinder, but you have to play the game a bit before you can get one with better stats and a better skin.

[katya]

Thats clever. Edit: If you are buying the pre-order for 10$ though, it is still the same price. But if you are getting it under that price (from certain stores), your getting a good deal.

Which is why I suspect this is not a pre-order, but a pre-release package. Call it a teaser, a purchaseable demo or something of similar order. I don't believe this will count towards the Nightfall final purchase price.

But, that is pure pure speculation. Nobody should take that as anything else until they hear the official word from ArenaNet.

[Devilish Evangelist]

If you get it from a store that knows what they are doing, it costs nothing. You put down something like $10, pre order the game, and take home your pre release box. Then when the game comes out, you bring back your receipt and pick up the game at a $10 discount, effectively making it cost you nothing.

If someone offers to sell it but doesn't take the price of the pre release off the price of the final box, I'd shop around and look for somewhere that does.

Are you sure the pre-release retail version means exactly what you say?
I think it's nothing more than a US$10 package with a char. slot, two weapons. No real content.
I think we still need to buy the "released version", the real key with content that cost US$49.9, to play the game.

That's my plain guess. What do you think?
:shocked:

[ShadowReapr]

Geesh, you lot need to be a bit more optimistic about this thing! You're like a bunch of emos at a Greenday concert!

To me, it was always obvious that it would be 3 total Nightfall slots. I still think 'pre-release' is synonymous with pre-order, except so many people had issues with Factions' preorder they aren't making a confirmation of the 1:1 ratio (quantity issues).

As for a Preview Event, I reckon it'll still happen. This preview pack seems to be much earlier than Factions', so I reckon it isn't set in stone yet.

Cheer up, y'bunch of Kurzicks.

[Saelfaer]

Please do also keep in mind that if you buy this package you Will need to buy nightfall too, not exactly in the same store you can buy it anywhere
but they say that the character slot key goes for any Nightfall account
so if you dont have nightfall on your account you will not be able to use that character slot key.

[Saelfaer]

the bonus key you get is nightfall only, you can only use it on an account with nightfall on it. so the person who asked if he could use it on his prophecies account i guess not. unless you go out and buy nightfall and merge that too with that account first.

expiry date on the key, no idea need word from Anet on that

prerelease pack is in my eyes still no preorder pack. so i seriously do not believe the prices of the prerelease pack will count when you buy nightfall later this year.

[Zamyle]

They didn't actually say that Nightfall itself wouldn't also come with two. At this point in time, it could be interpreted either way.


Actually, Anet hasn't put it on the site, but Gaile has said specifically that there will be two slots. She been very careful to not say things that can get her in trouble with the community. So its a safe bet we can expect two slots plus one from the bonus pack.

She has stated as such in the 7/24/06 gaile chat log.

[Zamyle]

Funny thing about this is the bonus pack is free to them, its the retailer that sets the price. At least thats how the factions one worked. So if I pay $10 for the pack and thats taken off the full version I consider that a free slot + weapons.

[Icy Spicy]

well, they cant just give you the preorder, if you have no plans to order it...

[therealynot]

Many players on different forums asked if "pre release retail pack" is just a new way to say "pre order".
A.net has been dodging the questions every single time. I don't know if it is a good sign... or how to interpret this..I have my finger crossed...

But if this pre release is in fact a paying add-on, then Anet would really be miss leading his costumers with a scamish press release.
The French press release states "pre order" not "pre release" btw...

I don't want to imaging A.net trying to miss lead customer using a press release that looks like a pre order taste like a preoder but is a paying add-on...

Costumers deserve a honest awnser, if A.net offer a slot with a "pre order" I'm sure that you they will make the day of most of us...

[Pei Wei]

Many players on different forums asked if "pre release retail pack" is just a new way to say "pre order".
A.net has been dodging the questions every single time. I don't know if it is a good sign... or how to interpret this..I have my finger crossed...

But if this pre release is in fact a paying add-on, then Anet would really be miss leading his costumers with a scamish press release.
The French press release states "pre order" not "pre release" btw...

I don't want to imaging A.net trying to miss lead customer using a press release that looks like a pre order taste like a preoder but is a paying add-on...

Costumers deserve a honest awnser, if A.net offer a slot with a "pre order" I'm sure that you they will make the day of most of us...

Hrm. After reviewing the press release as seen on Guild Wars official site: I'd hazard to say it's a "pre-order/release" that features an additional character slot (and the two items mentioned for the new professions). I believe one of the larger wants, with regard to the Factions Pre-Order, was that many wanted additional slots at that time to try out the professions in the explorable areas during preview. Many were dismayed, initially, before (if i recall it proper), slots were made available from what seemed and felt like a very concentrated effort on Anet's team to make the preview enjoyable for as many as possible.

I don't view it as an "add-on" at all, but as it is stated on the official site until Anet otherwise amends/updates it. :wink:

[therealynot]

..
Yep me to, I trully want to beleive it's a preorder and not a bonus..
Then again gaile said earlier "If you purchase the Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack ..."

[Pardoz]

Many players on different forums asked if "pre release retail pack" is just a new way to say "pre order".
A.net has been dodging the questions every single time. I don't know if it is a good sign... or how to interpret this..

How about sensibly? Radical thought, I know, but worth a shot if we want to keep the lines of communication open.

If Gaile (or Alex, or anybody else at ANet) says "I'm not sure I think this works like any other preorder box", and the box turns out to be a separate-sale addon, then wham! A month and a half from now when the box hits retail we get a mass of posts about how those Evil [censored] [censored] [censored] money-grubbing liars at ANet are ****** people's dogs, running over their trucks, and stealing their wives, because after all ANet representatives swore on a stack of that it was a freebie like the Factions preorder box.

If they say "I have to double-check, but I think it's a separate item, which will probably run about 10 bucks, same as a character slot by itself" we get pretty much the same posts, only now instead of in a month and a half, and with less emphasis on the lying and more on how they're picking our pockets by providing us with things we've requested.

If they say nothing, then reasonable people should probably assume that they don't know, are checking, and will get back to us when they have a definite set-in-stone answer. Those of us who have had real jobs, and dealt with real corporate management, realize getting straight definitive answers from the higher-ups is often like trying to nail Jello to a wall, and will cut them some slack until they report back.

Keep in mind that whoever posts with the final details is going to see the flamethrowers come out anyway, since people will screech like stuck pigs if they have to pay for the box; the same people will also screech like stuck pigs if they [i]don't have to pay for the box, since ANet will have "ripped us off" because the free Factions preorder box didn't come with a free slot.

So given that they're going to be taking fire anyway, why risk taking more by posting possibly-incorrect information?

[Fyre Brand]

How about sensibly? Radical thought, I know, but worth a shot if we want to keep the lines of communication open.

If Gaile (or Alex, or anybody else at ANet) says "I'm not sure I think this works like any other preorder box", and the box turns out to be a separate-sale addon, then wham! A month and a half from now when the box hits retail we get a mass of posts about how those Evil [censored] [censored] [censored] money-grubbing liars at ANet are ****** people's dogs, running over their trucks, and stealing their wives, because after all ANet representatives swore on a stack of that it was a freebie like the Factions preorder box.

If they say "I have to double-check, but I think it's a separate item, which will probably run about 10 bucks, same as a character slot by itself" we get pretty much the same posts, only now instead of in a month and a half, and with less emphasis on the lying and more on how they're picking our pockets by providing us with things we've requested.

If they say nothing, then reasonable people should probably assume that they don't know, are checking, and will get back to us when they have a definite set-in-stone answer. Those of us who have had real jobs, and dealt with real corporate management, realize getting straight definitive answers from the higher-ups is often like trying to nail Jello to a wall, and will cut them some slack until they report back.

Keep in mind that whoever posts with the final details is going to see the flamethrowers come out anyway, since people will screech like stuck pigs if they have to pay for the box; the same people will also screech like stuck pigs if they [I]don't have to pay for the box, since ANet will have "ripped us off" because the free Factions preorder box didn't come with a free slot.

So given that they're going to be taking fire anyway, why risk taking more by posting possibly-incorrect information?Well if they are announcing the release pack to the public then they should have no real doubt by now how it's going to be implemented. You don't develop something pack and announce it's release without already knowing how it's going to function. So they would give out information for clarity's sake.

The issues of whether you like how it's implemented or not are valid but are for their own thread I suppose. I think it's perfectly valid for the community to request clarification about something that is vague. I would really like to know so I can start budgeting my finances early. I don't think that's an unreasonable request.

[Pardoz]

I think it's perfectly valid for the community to request clarification about something that is vague. I would really like to know so I can start budgeting my finances early. I don't think that's an unreasonable request.

Oh, I agree completely - asking for clarification is perfectly legitimate. We just shouldn't threaten to hold our breath until we turn blue if we don't get an immediate answer.

Personally I'm less concerned about the cost aspect (if any) and more concerned that enough of the boxes (and the eventual CE) get produced that people who want one can get one this time, without some of the hassles that surrounded the Factions preorder/CE box, but I'm willing to extend the benefit of the doubt on that, too.

[therealynot]

Put it this way. [B]If[B] A.net want to sell a box with a slot and some item , by all means they are entitle to do so. nothing wrong with that ! W can chose to buy it or not. But it should be stated in a non missleading way, selling something by missleading the customer is call scam overhere.

I am not holding my breath ,I'm just asking for anything but a simple valid clarification.

[Adaera]

Here is what's posted on EBGames.com for pre-order:

http://www.killanet.net/uploads/EBGamesScreenie.jpg

We went to the nearest EB Games store where we live in BC (Canada) and they don't even have Nightfall listed...at all...not in Coming Soon, nowhere. The clerk helpfully told us that we could "keep checking back though." YAY so now we get to play the "call EB Games every day asking if they have Nightfall listed yet and tick off the store staff for calling every day" game ^.^

[Zaxares]

http://www.killanet.net/uploads/EBGamesScreenie.jpg

The above suggests that the pre-release pack is the same as a pre-order bonus, which is welcome news, but again, I'd caution against believing it wholeheartedly until we get confirmation from ANet.

[BastDawn]

http://www.killanet.net/uploads/EBGamesScreenie.jpg

The above suggests that the pre-release pack is the same as a pre-order bonus, which is welcome news, but again, I'd caution against believing it wholeheartedly until we get confirmation from ANet.

Nope. It's a "buy this, get this other thing free" deal -- kind of like how I got a free City of Villains game for buying Factions. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a "bouns offer", it would specifically be listed as the pre-order. Still, it's nice to see that some people will be getting the bonus pack free, even if it's not through the "buy now, cash back later" method that real pre-orders use. Better make sure you buy through that retailer to get the deal -- when I got CoV free, it was because Fry's had a promotion; I couldn't have gotten it free from Best Buy.

[Zaxares]

Hrmmm... Good point. Guess I'd better get down to my local EB store soon and ask them what's in the plans.

[Valerria]

Firey Sunspear of Shelter for the Paragon and an Icy Soulbreaker of Enchanting

I thought the dervish wants his enchants to end sooner rather than later. Aside from having cool skins would it hurt to make the bonus items competitive?

[Zahra]

OK, I asked Gaile, and Pre-Release is NOT pre-order.

Pre-order = cool itmes that count as a deposit on future release of game.

Pre-release = cool items that may or may not count as a deposit (depending on the stores) towards the game.

See Gaile Log if there is one when it will be posted :)

[Avoc]

This confuses me..... There will be 2 different pre... things?
I wont be able to decide what to take before I get to know whats in the pre-order then.

[SylverDragon]

This confuses me..... There will be 2 different pre... things?
I wont be able to decide what to take before I get to know whats in the pre-order then.
From what I'm reading from Gaile here (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=log1tv4.jpg), I believe there will be no pre-order pack for Nightfall, just the pre-release pack. They're letting stores deciede whether to count the cost of this pack as a deposit for the full game.

There's still over a month until this pack is due to be in stores, so we should have some more clarification before we can buy it, and by then I expect more stores will have details of what they're offering.

[Avoc]

Thanks Sylver... my purchase is probably going to depend on what the two different things have to offer.

[Zahra]

From what I'm reading from Gaile here (http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=log1tv4.jpg), I believe there will be no pre-order pack for Nightfall, just the pre-release pack. They're letting stores deciede whether to count the cost of this pack as a deposit for the full game.

There's still over a month until this pack is due to be in stores, so we should have some more clarification before we can buy it, and by then I expect more stores will have details of what they're offering.


Sorry for not being clear in my previous post!

Yes, Pre-Order was what we HAD for Factions.

Pre-release is what we WILL have for Nightfall. And there will be NO pre-order for NF.

Anyway, that what I understood from Gaile.

[Sable Phoenix]

EBGames doesn't have that deal any more. Now you have to pay $54.95 for both. Two days seems like an awfully small window for that.

I must say this whole "pre-release pack" is a disappointment. Pretty shoddy way to run the whole thing.

[Ivan Drago]

What makes me wonder:

There seems to be no 24h headstart included as with Prophecies or Factions - at least it is not mentioned.

Quote Gaile:

All that I have been told, and have read internally, indicates that there is no "early admission" for Nightfall via the PBP. There are many other things offered, particularly the character slot, but I wanted to be sure that it's clear that the list does not include Early Access.

If I get more information about this, I'll let you know.

[Caia Bellona]

Was looking on Gamestop.com and they are selling the CE or SE with "starter kit" (pre-sale etc) for price of game $69.99 for CE plus $4.99 for "starter kit". When I went into the store to reserve my copies they had no idea what the "starter kit" was and didn't have a code to sell it. I then called Gamestop.com customer support and was told that if you order on line you have to pay the 4.99 for the "starter kit" ie pre-sale but if you reserve your copy of Nightfall through a store you will get the "sarter kit" ie pre-sale for free on Sept. 15th.

So now I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Order on line and pay extra plus shipping or order in store and hope they are right and I get my copies that way.

Anyone have any insight into this?