Many RPG and Non-RPG fans appreciate some good ol’competitiveness and Guild Wars delivers with full force in this regard. Often seen as the focal point (not exactly true as the PvE is just as polished) of the game, it is an immense adrenaline rush to play and it actually requires human intelligence instead of the ability to click with your mouse at the speed of light. The better players are not those whom necessarily have the best equipment, the “best” skills nor uncanny reflexes but rather those who have an interesting mind which can creatively create potent strategies for defeating and neutralizing certain character types. Those whom can easily work as part of a team (as one) usually are considered the better players as the game relies more on team based qualities than individual effectiveness.

For those who prefer fighting it out in smaller numbers, they can play in the Arena, which allows two versus two match ups, and are probably more useful at demonstrating individual skills. Although, often seen as being less exciting as it is lacking the sort of organized chaos, which is ever present within larger battles.

The tournament system is great for guilds, as it allows them to show off exactly how great they are through concrete achievements, not to mention being a blast of fun. The system is rather simple, but very effective. Teams begin at the bottom of the ladder and every time they beat a group they move up and face other teams which have themselves beat their opponents (game types vary from 8vs8 to 8vs8vs8vs8vs8vs8, only the winner moving on). The goal is to reach the top and become the champion of the guild wars ladder and in doing so spreading the word of the existence and establishment of a guild. But don’t expect them to stay at the top for too long as other groups/guilds will constantly be challenging for the top spot, as the top spot is more than just being the number one group. The emblem of the guild is spread throughout the world of guild wars (flags for example) and offer other rewards. The system is set up so that the better teams face other quality groups rather than pitching them against so-called ‘newbie groups’, nevertheless; if a ‘newbie group’ does reach far enough they will end up fighting other guilds which have a more decorated battle background.

In PvP, players will find themselves playing in mostly scenario driven maps, where is a goal must be accomplished in order to be declared the winner (in many maps, killing off the team does not necessarily mean a victory as they can be resurrected). In certain instances, an area must be held for a period of time and in others a Guild Lord or a Priest must be killed, and may be followed by the extermination of the opposing team in order to win.
Defeating all members of the opposing team will not do much if an enemy Priest is still alive as he will resurrect everyone fallen member within a short a period of time. In these instances, the priest should be the primary target. Many teams decide to forgo the opposing group completely and direct all their attention upon the priest (referred to as a Priest rush). Once the priest has been defeated, eliminating the opposing team will bring upon a victory as they will not be resurrected. Don’t forget, the priority should not only be of defeating the opposing priest but also of protecting your own from enemy attacks. Although the priest can often stand his own for a bit as he has ‘heal area’ which he uses when he suffers damage, the only draw back to this is that he heals nearby characters, including foes and hence makes it a bit tougher to defeat characters within the priests healing range. At times, the goal will be of defeating the opposing team’s Guild Lord (NPC), he is typically protected by a few clerics which have powerful healing skills at their disposal. In this case, attacking the clerics beforehand will make the defeat of the Guild Lord much easier as he will not be constantly healed by his allies. That said, numerous characters concentrating their firepower upon the Guild Lord will generally suffice, but it is not as wise of a path as it will become a battle of attrition which can easily be won by the Guild Lord as long as he is being fully healed (clerics and human characters), all players would have to work in cohesion and use their powerful skills at roughly the same time.