Guild Wars: Eye Of The North Expansion Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)This expansion pack requires that players have at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns and at least one character at level 20. If you want to play Eye of the North (EotN), you must already have Guild Wars: Prophecies, Guild Wars: Factions, and/or Guild Wars: Nightfall installed or purchase at least one of them now.

PREVIOUS CAMPAIGNS
(1) Guild Wars: PROPHECIES has a good story line and is also the most natural "prequel" for the story in Eye of the North. However, leveling to level 20 in Prophecies is comparatively slow and reaching the city of Lion's Arch (where you can access the new region in EotN) will take you many hours of concentrated (though enjoyable) play.
(2) Guild Wars: FACTIONS is the quickest of the campaigns in which to level up to level 20. It also has the best story of the three campaigns, although some players did not like Factions as well as the other two campaigns. I enjoyed the campaign's Asian theme and locations, although I found the missions in Factions to be much more challenging than in Prophecies.
(3) Guild Wars: NIGHTFALL introduces Heroes (customizable non-player characters), which are very helpful as you level your character, but has the weakest storyline of the three campaigns (it is still a good story, however). I also found the leveling to be a bit slower in Nightfall than in Factions.

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT EYE OF THE NORTH
Everything that I appreciate about Guild Wars is in EotN:
(1) It has an intriguing story, punctuated by entertaining and often amusing cut scenes (mini-movies). The story is also divided into three main "arcs", allowing players to go this way or that in the story line, as they so choose.
(2) It has additional Heroes (you get a monk, elementalist [mage], and mesmer almost from the get-go, and more Heroes come soon after via questing).
(3) Once again, Guild Wars is packed with extraordinary landscapes, monsters, and battle effects. I spend a lot of time just snapping gorgeous landscape "photos" (Print Screen) to use on my desktop.
(4) Numerous multi-level dungeons have been included. The dungeons are challenging and often fun (but sometimes extremely difficult if not downright impossible [see below]).
(5) The option to play in groups of "real" players or alone (with henchmen/heroes) or in any combination of real players and henches you want. I LOVE the fact that the Guild Wars campaigns accommodate so many playing styles. As for me, I like to play on my own or with a friend most of the time but I do group up with others occasionally. Grouping is also a great option for normally solo players that are having particular difficulty with some mission or quest.
(6) The story arcs involving the new races--Norn, Charr, and Asura--are entertaining and the associated missions are challenging, occasionally humorous, and creative.

WHAT's NOT GOOD ABOUT EYE OF THE NORTH
(1) Guild/Alliance interface--It would be helpful to be able to "see" not only who is online but where and what they are, for both your guild and alliance, but you cannot.
(2) Polymock/Dwarven Boxing/Norn Fighting--The new "minigames" introduced in EotN are not very fun in my opinion but, since they are optional, this is not a big problem.
(3) Hall of Monuments--The Hall of Monuments is a place where you can display past campaign achievements. As other reviewers have noted, the Hall is a letdown but, like the minigames, is incidental to the story.
(4) Dungeon Difficulty -- A number of the dungeons and associated quests are irritatingly long and/or difficult (at least with henches and heroes). I wish Guild Wars offered a more reasonable range of dungeon difficulty settings to choose from. Online sites such as guildwiki do provide helpful information and tips for defeating these dungeons and bosses. (With the right heroes and skill sets, many of the dungeons and end bosses can indeed be soloed with henchmen and heroes, but several of the dungeons [see Comments for dungeon list] are, in my opinion, too long, too difficult, and/or NOT WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT with hero/hench teams. In ratcheting up the difficulty to such an extent, ArenaNet has inexplicably opted to post, in effect, a "Keep Out!" sign for a substantial portion of this expansion for many of its more casual/solo players.)

Overall, however, I am still pleased with and greatly enjoying EotN. It is a welcome addition to an already great game series, this time designed as an Expansion Pack tailored for veteran level 20 players. For new players, Guild Wars is a great game and it's easy to get started. One can jump in via any of the previous campaigns listed above and have a great time with it.

[*This review was updated 10 October 2007]

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Product Description:
Guild Wars Eye of the North is the first expansion pack to the Guild Wars product line thatplays with ALL 3 Guild Wars games (Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall). Play in cooperative group combat as your existing character stands side by side with new recruit allies to delve deep into the perilous dungeons of Tyria. Win or lose, your game play will set the stage for Guild Wars 2.

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