Guild Wars 2 Diary #15 : 3D Christmas

It’s Christmas time in Guild Wars 2 and there are a ton of events to explore and Christmassy people to meet. Before getting to that though, I thought we’d give a Christmas gift of our own: a look at the 3D capabilities of Guild Wars 2. This is a feature that’s been criminally under-covered since launch, and it’s a feature that adds an awful lot to the Guild Wars 2 experience. How do you get it? Is there a way to play in 3D if you have an AMD card? Is it even worth it? And because we really are generous, we have two videos this week: one showing off the power of 3D and our regular feature in 2D. Don’t we spoil you, huh?

Guild Wars 2 Diary - Gameplay Review #15

Setting Up Your 3D Display

Guild Wars 2 comes with an nVidia 3D option by default and, I imagine, if you have a compatible card and monitor, you’ll be able to just click that option and play without any trouble. It’s a little harder for AMD folks, but given that your 3D monitor probably came with something like Tridef, there’s no reason to be left out of the 3D party. If you have nVidia, go ahead and select the options in the menu. Remember: 3D will cause your framerate to drop, so if you’re already hitting low FPS, be sure to drop some settings if you want an optimal experience.

If you have an AMD card, I’m going to presume you have Tridef. It seems to come as standard with a great many 3D monitors and is the big one mentioned on the AMD website. There are other 3D solutions – all of which I imagine work in a similar way to Tridef – so these instructions can be modified slightly for whatever it is you’re using.

First of all, you’re going to want to grab a Guild Wars 2 profile from the Tridef forums. I suggest this one; it works well and requires no tweaking for a casual player. Be sure that your program is fully updated (earlier versions of the Tridef software will result in lighting problems which have since been patched). As of writing, almost every version of the software has been updated in the last two or three months; most have been updated in the last week. Once you’ve updated, add Guild Wars 2 to Tridef, either by dragging the short cut or using the “add” button within the program. When you downloaded the profile, you should have double clicked it to add it to your list of profiles. When it asks you to choose your game, pick that it isn’t listed and on the next screen, choose your new Guild Wars 2 profile.

So long as you run the game from Tridef, everything after the launcher will be in glorious 3D.

Fighting Centaurs in 3D

Guild Wars 2 probably wasn’t built and designed around the people using 3D, but it certainly feels like it was. The depth is pretty damn amazing, especially as you come over a hill or are exploring a forest. I decided, while testing out the 3D capabilities of Guild Wars 2, to visit the only place I’ve yet to go in Queensdale. If you’ve been following the game with me, there’s a good chance you’ve completed 95% of Queensdale as well, and it’s probably time to push that percentage. The last area is probably to the east of the Swamp and it contains a skill point, a renown heart quest, a vista and a couple of events.

It was one of the events that caught my attention whilst exploring: free seven farmers. It caught my attention not only because it was an event I hadn’t done yet, but also because of the fact a great big Christmas present had been placed nearby. The centaurs in this area are levels 12 and 13, but don’t get too cocky: your level will artificially drop when you enter the area. Fight your way past them (you still should be able to take three or four on at a time) and knock the doors off the cages. Completing the event will mean an easy 700 experience points, but it’s also a nice area to see in 3D.

Going further south will get you what is probably your last Queensdale renown heart quest. Destroy every centaur your come across, and the bar will be full in no time.

This is a great area to test out the 3D version of the game. There are trees, enemies and hills, distant villages and characters vying for your attention. If you have a 3D capable monitor, you’ll want to check out our 3D video (to follow shortly).

Wintersday

Although the peoples of Guild Wars 2 don’t celebrate Christmas (why would they?), they have a similar holiday called Wintersday. Tixx, a toymaker, has been travelling all over the world, touching down in each major city and offering up events and fun to adventurers of all ages. On top of this, the cities are decorated and covered in snow, with presents and candy canes everywhere. I have to hand it to the folks at ArenaNet here: they know how to do a seasonal event. It’s a pretty amazing site, more so when you take into account the snowball fights happening on every corner.

Ah, the snowball fights. You’re either going to absolutely love them or you’re going to hate them. Huge patches of Lion’s Arch – and it’s not the only place – is fully dedicated to mass snow battles involving both players and NPCs. You have to pick up a snow ball, hit the number 1, aim and shoot with the mouse button. When you hit your target, they fall to the ground. If you’re walking in the middle of a snow fight, prepare yourself for a barrage of snowball fire in your direction.

There are also some other special events: Tixx’s Infiniarium and Toypocalypse. The first is a story-based mission that has you clearing out Oil Elementals. It’s difficult, even with your character shifted up to level 80, so take friends. The Toypocalypse has you and a group of others defeating wave after wave of broken toys. It can be quite difficult, again, but the location looks pretty and the little toy villages are guaranteed to put you into the Christmas spirit.

Remember: these events are only available for a limited time and I strongly suggest you take a look sooner rather than later. Unlike the last major event, the FPS isn’t going to grind to single digits, but Lion’s Arch is currently very busy and you’re probably looking at sub-20. It’s playable, but not as smooth as when you’re in the wilderness. If you’re on a lower end computer, I suggest you lower your settings and resolution before trying to take on any of these events.

Final Words

ArenaNet really have done a great job of bringing Christmas time – or Wintersday – to Guild Wars 2, and I have to say I’m about three steps away from chestnuts, eggnog and wassailing. It’s also a time for gifts, and if you’ve got a brand new 3Dtv that needs testing, be sure to boot up Guild Wars 2 and see why it deserves far more conversation than it’s currently getting.

I guess there’s no better way of ending this week’s diary than by wishing all of our readers a very Merry Christmas. Next week’s diary will be the last of 2012, so be sure to pop in and see everything we enjoyed in 2012 and everything we’re looking forward to in 2013.

Merry Christmas, folks.

Previously On Guild Wars 2 Diary

• Episode 14
• Episode 13