This past weekend, we were given a glimpse into the story and gameplay of Guild Wars Nightfall during its world preview event. This third installment of the Guild Wars franchise takes us to Elona, where an evil god has been awakened and threatens to cover the land in darkness. Your character is part of an army called the Sunspears, who work to preserve order across the lands.

As to be expected, the new areas being introduced are gorgeous as they are vast and wide. Players can spend hours exploring Elona and its many dangers. Inspired by what looks to be Egyptian culture, icons, and clothing, the cities and outposts have a look that is completely unique to this installment. The landscape is a mix of sand and fauna, as though the desert were fighting against the more fertile areas by the water. It's not as blasted out as the Prophecies campaign, nor as lush and green as some Factions areas, but rests comfortably somewhere in between. Monsters early on in the game appear to be a mixture of mutated plants, giant scorpions, and oversized insects.

The gameplay features which make Nightfall unique include a hero system, where the player can choose to play alongside a custom hero. The player will be responsible for helping that hero gain levels along with providing it with armor and weapons. Best of all, controls are being added to the game so that you can direct your NPC henchmen and heroes to specific areas and set the behavior patterns for your heroes. Players will have the opportunity to have up to three heroes on their team, and will even be able to bring them in customized PvP matches. Additionally, interface improvements will be made, combining the skills and attributes window into one, which will allow players to customize their characters in one place.

Nightfall not only brings two new PvP arenas, but also two additional hero classes: The Dervish and Paragon. The Dervish is a holy warrior that carries a scythe as a primary weapon and specializes in melee attacks that can sometimes strike multiple foes. However, what truly makes the Dervish powerful is its enchantments, which can all stack on top of each other. Enchantments usually include the ability to add certain damage types to attacks, but they also work to help regenerate health and energy. Many Dervish enchantments do area damage upon casting, then either work passively or enter a rest state, and end with another effect such as healing or dealing out additional area damage. A couple of skills players acquire early on randomly end enchantments before their timers run out, giving players the opportunity to strategically decide when to activate a post-effect. While playing, I found that having a Dervish primary with Warrior secondary attributes made for a nearly unstoppable killing machine.

The Paragon is the ultimate team player. By using a series of chants, the Paragon increases the moral of all those within earshot. Effects have a wide range, including additional damage effects, protection from damage, and knocking foes down. With the Paragon, the player gets stronger when there are more people on the team. One of its first healing powers has its potency in direct relation to how many teammates are within chant range. Teammates is a loose term that includes pets, NPC allies, and other computer controlled players. I found that having the Paragon primary skill set went very well with the Necromancer's abilities, since the player would then have the ability to raise an undead army then dramatically improve them. But just because the Paragon is a great team player doesn't mean it has to be relegated to the role of a sideline player. Its spear skills are just as formidable as any archer.

Nightfall is looking to be yet another great addition to the Guild Wars franchise, offering strong role-playing and PvP gameplay. It's definitely a title to keep an eye on during the coming weeks.