Guild Wars 2's paid PvP tournaments replaced with gratis tournaments, Planet Earth a bit nicer

Today's Guild Wars 2 patch represents a tsunami's worth of sea adjust. Ticket expenditures for paid PvP tournaments, till now the proudly subscription-free MMO's only incentive for in-game payment, will be removed absolutely by the end of the day.

Entry to paid tournaments has been topic to a gem expense since their introduction to the Guild Wars 2 gold game in the Autumn. Gems could be acquired by ranking up, in free tournament reward chests, or by paying in RL cash.

To hear ArenaNet tell it, the main reason for introducing an entry cost to paid tournaments was to ensure a dedicated space for the ultra-competitive. Picture the ticket gem expense as an equivalent to Steam Greenlight's $100 fee - an automated alternative to curation which caters to those serious adequate to pay and leaves free tournaments the preserve of casual PvPers.

However, ArenaNet have since developed an automated ratings and matchmaking process, capable of pairing the po-faced professionals with their like. As such, the ticket cost barrier-to-entry is no longer necessary. Instead, free tournaments will now be divided into one-round & three-round matches, with a separate matchmaking rating for each.

Unused tournament tickets will be exchangeable for Guild Wars 2 Gold, Silver or Copper tournament reward chests by means of a brand new ticket merchant NPC. You will find him next to the tournament master in the Heart of the Mists. Top Qualifying Points earners - now removed as a tournament reward - will shortly be paid off with a "useful in-game prize", to be detailed at a later date.

In addition, ArenaNet are revising rewards for one-round gratis tournaments. Winning teams will now be awarded a brand new match win chest, while the losers will get nothing.

Guild Wars 2: effectively free again (beyond the retail expense, natch). Those of you who PvP - how do you feel about all this?

Extra resources:


http://janegregson.mywapblog.com/bug-of-guild-bounty-missions-in-guild-wa.xhtml

http://www.braggingit.com/index.php?do=/blog/130636/bug-of-guild-bounty-missions-in-guild-wars-2/

http://dismarks.com/GeneralDisney/Bug_of_Guild_Bounty_Missions_in_Guild_Wars_2

http://www.4sale.com.mt/ads/bug-of-guild-bounty-missions-in-guild-wars-2-2/

http://www.articlepattern.com/article.php?id=95714