New Professions Announced - Assassin and Ritualist

The first new profession for Guild Wars, available in the forthcoming Chapter 2, has finally been revealed: the Assassin! The information was first released in the Girls of Gaming feature from Play Magazine, with concept art and some new lore.

"Introducing Nika, your world-exclusive first look at Guild Wars' next major character profession: the Assassin. With Guild Wars surging past one million registered users in later '05, NCsoft and ArenaNet have a certified smash online hit. Set to debut in the game's massive 2006 expansion, the Assassin profession will add thrilling stealth and combat techniques to Guild Wars' dynamic online gameplay. Nika will represent the assassin in the games popular ongoing storyline and we have another exclusive for Guild Wars fans: the first official guild wars lore for Nika the Assassin, plucked from the pages of the next chapter."

http://www.knights-templar.com/images/assassin1.jpg
http://www.knights-templar.com/images/assassin2.jpg

Gaile Gray, ArenaNet Community Relations Manager, confirmed that the Assassin is one of the new professions in this thread (http://www.guild-hall.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32220) over at the TGH Forums:

"Yep, that's our girl. Play Magazine is a great publication. We love the coverage that they've given Guild Wars. They loved the game so much, early on, that they expanded and extended one of their previews over two issues.

We were happy to have them premiere the concept art (which I happen to think is absolutely lovely) and the lore and other info present in this issue. I don't have a copy in my mitts yet, but I'm eager to see it."

[LenyaWhitemane]

Oh great holy sweet mother of GOD!
that concept art is gorgeous!

[Moo Moo]

Hmmm, they better make a decent top armor for her, cause otherwise I dont have any reason to collect 15k armor !!! :lol:

[sat one]

hahah
wonder what type of skills shell have, and how they will impliment them...

glad to see something new tho

[Gaile Gray]

Oh great holy sweet mother of GOD!
that concept art is gorgeous!

Just about exactly what I said. :D :D

Oh, and the skill set is pretty darn neat. We should be providing a bit of information about that pretty soon.

Oh, and the skill set is pretty darn neat. We should be providing a bit of information about that pretty soon.
Oooo, I can't wait!! :D

[STINGER]

Oh, and the skill set is pretty darn neat. We should be providing a bit of information about that pretty soon.
Oooo, I can't wait!! :D

Like you havent already seen them!!! :roll: :lol: :shock:

Maybe so, but it will be nice to be able to discuss new skills with the public! 8)

[Guild of the Lords]

It will be nice to discuss new skills period! I wonder how alike the Assasin will be to the Warrior class. I'm sure they will make it to where they are very different.

I'm sure they will make it to where they are very different.
I agree! 8)

[Ernie of KT]

would be kinda nice to have a couple a extra character slots. She looks great, a little like Gaile's ranger, lol.

[Big TAOW]

I can see it now r3++ T n A grp must flash errrr emote...yeh emote

....K now seriously wish they woulda turned the page and scanned i woulda loved to get a peak at the skill sets and attributes.... but thnx for the post kudos

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/magcover.jpg

[Sir Ention]

wow......1,000 ways to kill....cool pic ty wanderer.

[JoriathTheUnholy]

Thats pretty sweet. I wonder if she will control similar to the rouge class in other games.

[Sir Ention]

Thats pretty sweet. I wonder if she will control similar to the rouge class in other games.probably, although small, there is a difference. But I doubt they will make a profession that this one could easily take over.

Here's a couple new screenshots from the latest preview on the upcoming Guild Wars: Factions over at GameSpy (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-campaign-2/680914p1.html).
The stand-alone Guild Wars: Factions is the second campaign in ArenaNet's massively multiplayer online RPG. The Factions campaign, which can be played either connected with the regular Guild Wars or as its own separate game, includes new regions (with an entire new continent), professions, skills, missions, and monsters, along with expanded options for both Cooperative and Player-versus-Player (PvP) play, and enhanced features for guilds.

This is a female Ritualist and a male Assassin:
http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/680/680914/guild-wars-factions-20060111072149037.jpg

This is a male Ritaulist:
http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/680/680914/guild-wars-factions-20060111072145928.jpg

One of the two new Guild Halls?
http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/680/680914/guild-wars-factions-20060111072150443.jpg

The GameSpy preview (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-campaign-2/680914p1.html) has a brief interview with Jeff Strain and is definately worth checking out! Here's an excerpt from the article about the new storyline in the second chapter of Guild Wars:

Guild Wars: Factions will take place on the same world as Tyria, the location of the first game, but on the continent of Cantha, a mysterious land far to the south. Cantha is a land forever divided between three nations -- two of which, (the titular factions) -- have sworn eternal enmity toward one another. The first nation, also called Cantha, is a cosmopolitan land of merchants and traders led by a hereditary emperor. 200 years ago, the Emperor of Cantha was slain by his bodyguard, Shiro Tagatchi. When Shiro was brought to justice, his death wail was so powerful that it petrified the forest and turned the sea to jade. Now Shiro's ghost has returned and is stirring up trouble.

The main conflict of Factions is the result of the hatred between the other two nations on the continent. The Kurzicks are an ultra-conservative and highly religious culture whose socially frozen society worships the status quo. In fact, the world of the Kurzicks is a mirror of the petrified forest in which they carve their beautiful homes. The Luxons, on the other hand, are a wild nation of seafaring nomads who have traded in their ships for magical walking machines that traverse the jade ocean. As a group, the Luxons are a walking advertisement for the Darwinian social order -- only the strong survive. The only thing on which the Luxons and Kurzicks agree is that their war will continue until one or the other is exterminated.

Here's a few more new screenshots from a recent preview at IGN (http://pc.ign.com/articles/680/680586p1.html):

A male Assassin:
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/681/681120/guild-wars-factions-20060112055851797.jpg

Another one of the new Guild Halls?
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/681/681120/guild-wars-factions-20060112055855297.jpg

A new Dragon:
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/681/681120/guild-wars-factions-20060112055857266.jpg

[STINGER]

Hope some of this can refire a few peoples interest!

[Dirty]

what about those of us that never lost interest :)

[Ray Of Light]

So the lady in purple is a ritualist - I thought she was a strange looking assassin :oops: .

Hmm : three questions for anyone to hypothesize over...
Q1. What are those ritualists wearing on their heads ? They cannot see !
Q2. From the visible skin on her chin it looks like the female ritualist is wearing a body-stocking suit under her armour, but is the guy wearing a full-body equivalent or just scar/tattoo armour ?
Q3. Is the male ritualist standing in a spectacular town so big that he can use it as a backdrop too or does their ' primitive ' theme allow ritualists to fight unarmed ?

Should find the answers on the 20th. :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Ray Of Light]

P.S. I so hope that the right-most guy fighting that dragon is wearing a suit of lovely new yokai themed necromancer armour :D .

[Sir Ention]

wow....the new pics are nice! especially the new themes....

[LenyaWhitemane]

Very Asian :wink: 8)

[Sir Ention]

Very Asian :wink: 8)exactly....the picture of the new halls/dragon/portrait of the Asian nobleman definitely have something to say about that. I am very much looking forward to the new release. Although I have been told it's untrue, I have some friends who tell me it is due out sometime around:

Guild Wars Chapter 2 (PC) Platform: Windows XP
Ncsoft
Video Game - March 31, 2006
PC & Video Games: See all 4 results
Our Price: £26.99 Coming soon--advance order now!


but theres also....

ArenaNet has yet to release that so its probably not the right time. so I'm not sure, sometime from march-april.....I think. :(

[Ray Of Light]

I am sure that we shall all be looking forward to it even more after this weekend :D .

I suspect that the March 31st release date you found was becuase very early forecasts by Anet had Factions ( well chapter two back then ) as 1st quarter 2006 - March 31st being the last day of that quarter.

Now that Factions is much closer it will definitely be 2nd quarter, so April at the earliest. Just so long as it is available where-ever I am ( UK or NZ ) by May 23rd ( my birthday :D ).

[Naraya]

I wonder if they will implement quests that, upon completion, grant you the ability to swap the new professions at will as you can with the existing six. My elementalist has almost all the skills unlocked for the mesmer, necromancer, and monk professions, as well as a few for the warrior & ranger professions. I'd love to be able to do the same thing with the ritualist & assassin...

I'm sure you'll be able to switch your secondary to the new professions (once you do a few quests similar to how it is now) as long as you purchase Chapter 2 and add it to your existing Chapter 1 account.

[Sir Ention]

I wonder if they will implement quests that, upon completion, grant you the ability to swap the new professions at will as you can with the existing six. My elementalist has almost all the skills unlocked for the mesmer, necromancer, and monk professions, as well as a few for the warrior & ranger professions. I'd love to be able to do the same thing with the ritualist & assassin...could be....I'm just wondering what its gonna be like seeing a whole bunch of ritualists/assassins walking around.... :( and how they are going to fit it all in! what skills the quests will give...what the class letters will be.....what the armor materials will be, and so on! phew.....anet has ALOT to do....

[LenyaWhitemane]

as for class letters

since its usually only 1 or 2 letter,
i'd say:

Ritualist = Ri (since R is taken by Ranger)
Assassin = A or As(s)
:twisted: :roll:

[Moo Moo]

Yes, logical thinking does not go well with that one, young lenya padawan

[Stretch]

Pfft logic is for SISSIES!!!

They should be ass and rit just to make them different AND entertaining

[babyakuma]

The Screenshots Looks Splendid.
(looking at my wallet to see if i can afford a better graphics card hehehe)
Makes me think back the reasons why i bought guild wars :D
Thumbs up! Cant wait to try out the new thingy's.

[Taugrim]

i can't get over how cool the ritualist looks

i'm looking forward to another melee class...

[Ray Of Light]

I am curious if the preview weekend armour was 15k - because if that Ritualist armour was 1.5k, how phenomenal must 15k look ? :shock:
Assuming Factions even has 1.5k and 15k armour, which seems very likely.

[Sir Ention]

I would think it would have 15k....but it must look amazing, all the other 15k armors do....so why wouldnt these? but I would really like to see some screenies....

[Grim Daddy]

At the moment, all I can give you is the description and screens of the armor types that were released for the beta:

http://www.guildwiki.org/wiki/Armor_Types