This week, our roving reporter hits The Domain of Anguish once again, gleaning helpful tips for those who venture into this dire zone. In addition, he hits some of the highlights of the current Wintersday Festival, and gives a verbal high five to notable citizens. Find it in this week's issue of The Scribe.

Our tournament coordinator has written up a thorough analysis of our competitive play system, and in an article today, he provides information on our exciting plans for the future. Find the article here.

The Guild Wars GvG ladder will be resetting for the final time on Jan 1, 2007 at 08:01 GMT (12:01 a.m. PST). As stated in the History of GvG article, this is the final reset for the ladder, which will now be maintained primarily for historical measurements. The ELO rating for free-play GvG games has been lowered to 5K (The ELO system is explained in Appendix B of Universal Tournament Rules). The ELO rating for automated tournaments, when they begin, will be higher.

Are you curious about which of the Core and Nightfall skills were used during the Guild Wars Winterfest Tournament? Would you like to know what the NPCs were up to? Check out the skill use charts here for all the details.

The cups of seasonal joy have truly overflowed in our offices with the arrival of many hundreds of entries in the first annual Wintersday Art Contest. Today, we are proud to announce the winners of the contest along with those who received honorable mention, as well. As you enjoy the Wintersday Festival, enjoy the art offered by these talented players. Thank you to all who entered, and congratulations to all the winners, from everyone here at ArenaNet!

To all Guild Wars players, we offer a special holiday greeting and a chance to celebrate the season with a special desktop decoration, too. Happy Wintersday, everyone!

Wintersday Festival

Wintersday approaches, can you all see the signs?
The grentchies and the snowmen will soon all align.
For a battle in the end is what we shall face;
To determine the wintery fate of the whole human race.

Dwayna and Grenth will vie for our favor;
Through threats and presents of a wintergreen flavor.
In the end one shall win, one shall surely prevail;
And the length of the winter is the final detail.

So stock up on snowballs and clear all your packs;
For gifts of all sorts will rain down on your backs.
And if you should see a small urchin or three;
Remember the spirit of the season � 'Tis better to give than receive.



The Wintersday Festival has arrived! Kamadan, Lion�s Arch, Droknar�s Forge, and Ascalon City are decorated for the occasion, and over the coming days, holiday activities will begin as special guests arrive to join the fun. Everything leads up to the big Winterday celebration on January 1, which will take place every three hours in Lion�s Arch and Kamadan (on the hour in Lion�s Arch and 15 minutes past the hour in Kamadan). Be sure to collect Candy Cane Shards for use in the big celebration! Read more here!

As you know, with the release of the Wintersday Update, a new feature has been added to Guild Wars. The Party Search Feature will make the formation of playing groups fast and easy. Whether a party is a blend of players, henchmen, and Heroes, or an all-player team, this feature will work to ready the group. You'll even travel seamlessly between districts to form a group in the blink of an eye! Read more about this new feature in today's article.

Upon review of the Winterfest 2006 Playoffs, the results of one of the Round 5 matches required alteration due to an inadvertent rules violation. This slightly changed the final standings of the event. Situations like this are not unexpected, and we use the knowledge we gain to refine the system for the future. Watch for an article this Friday explaining future improvements coming to Guild Wars competitive play. And be sure to check and see if you did even better with your predictions, too!

The second of two articles on Hero Battles and the synergy of skill interaction is available now. In addition to those provided in last week's article, you'll find three more build ideas detailed this week, involving Hexes, Conditions, and Defense. Find the new article here

More end-of-year accolades for Guild Wars have rolled in, as Gamespy selects Guild Wars Nightfall as the best MMORPG of the Year. Over on GameTrailer.com, they've selected Guild Wars Factions as one of their top five picks in the PC Holiday Buyers Guide.

You can read up on the winning builds and the victorious strategies of the Winterfest 2006 Finals in today's match report. As you know, Peace and Harmony emerged triumphant in the final match-up. Check out the match report to learn more about their skillful use of splits, spikes, and much more.

Some guilds are started with an eye to competitive play. Others are born from a desire to come together to do missions and quests. The founder of Scars Meadow, however, had a more unusual inspiration, and from that sprang a vibrant guild of more than 60 members. Head over to the new Guild of the Week article to meet a few of the guild members and to read some of their gameplay tips.

This week's State of the Game article takes a look at a key component of competitive play: the teamwork and strategy involved in proper positioning and movement for each member of the group. Find general tips, role-specific suggestions, and notes on special situations, as well. Check out the article here.