<s>
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Factions	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fantasy	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
the	O
second	O
stand-alone	O
campaign	O
in	O
the	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
series	O
developed	O
by	O
ArenaNet	O
,	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
NCSOFT	O
corporation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
serves	O
as	O
both	O
a	O
standalone	O
game	O
and	O
first	O
expansion	O
pack	O
to	O
the	O
base	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Prophecies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Factions	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
PvE	O
campaign	O
,	O
two	O
new	O
professions	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
six	O
,	O
new	O
skills	O
and	O
armor	O
for	O
existing	O
professions	O
,	O
new	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
for	O
both	O
PvE	O
and	O
PvP	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
modifications	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
criticism	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
Prophecies	B-Application
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
PvP	O
content	O
from	O
Prophecies	B-Application
is	O
available	O
to	O
Factions-only	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Factions	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
mechanisms	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
as	O
all	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
share	O
a	O
common	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
all	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
campaigns	O
,	O
Factions	O
contains	O
the	O
core	O
character	O
classes	O
introduced	O
in	O
Prophecies	B-Application
;	O
it	O
also	O
adds	O
two	O
new	O
classes	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Cooperative	O
missions	O
in	O
Factions	O
are	O
different	O
from	O
their	O
equivalent	O
in	O
Prophecies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Prophecies	B-Application
players	O
complete	O
a	O
main	O
mission	O
and	O
an	O
optional	O
bonus	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cooperative	O
missions	O
are	O
easy	O
to	O
avoid	O
in	O
Prophecies	B-Application
as	O
most	O
areas	O
are	O
accessible	O
without	O
completing	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
that	O
the	O
time	O
taken	O
to	O
unlock	O
skills	O
through	O
PvE	O
play	O
is	O
reduced	O
from	O
Prophecies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Luxon	O
-	O
respecting	O
strength	O
above	O
all	O
else	O
,	O
the	O
Jade	B-Language
Sea	O
dwelling	O
Luxon	O
are	O
often	O
compared	O
to	O
pirates	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
somewhat	O
religion-less	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Jade	B-Language
Quarry	O
is	O
a	O
point	O
capture	O
mission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
common	O
goal	O
for	O
both	O
factions	O
is	O
to	O
capture	O
the	O
jade	B-Language
quarries	O
so	O
that	O
jade	B-Language
can	O
be	O
dug	O
from	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
jade	B-Language
shipment	O
that	O
successfully	O
made	O
its	O
way	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
Faction	O
's	O
base	O
is	O
worth	O
one	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
several	O
Watchtowers	O
to	O
be	O
captured	O
,	O
giving	O
strategic	O
advantage	O
to	O
the	O
owner	O
when	O
attacking	O
the	O
jade	B-Language
shipments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Dragon	O
's	O
Throat	O
requires	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
kill	O
as	O
many	O
enemies	O
as	O
possible	O
over	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
and	O
Amatz	O
Basin	O
(	O
named	O
by	O
ArenaNet	O
after	O
the	O
player	O
community	O
of	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
contributed	O
to	O
the	O
official	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
strategy	O
guide	O
)	O
requires	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
save	O
as	O
many	O
NPC	O
refugees	O
as	O
possible	O
in	O
a	O
set	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Factions	O
story	O
is	O
only	O
loosely	O
connected	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
Prophecies	B-Application
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Prophecies	B-Application
,	O
Factions	O
begins	O
with	O
a	O
tutorial	O
section	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
Shing	O
Jea	O
Island	O
,	O
with	O
easy	O
quests	O
and	O
non-threatening	O
monsters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Factions	O
tutorial	O
areas	O
are	O
not	O
separated	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
like	O
in	O
Prophecies	B-Application
,	O
but	O
are	O
instead	O
accessible	O
at	O
all	O
times	O
like	O
any	O
other	O
outpost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
tutorial	O
,	O
Canthan	O
characters	O
are	O
introduced	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
characters	O
of	O
the	O
Factions	O
story	O
,	O
the	O
ritualist	O
Master	B-Application
Togo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shiro	O
's	O
death	O
wail	O
triggered	O
a	O
calamitous	O
event	O
,	O
the	O
Jade	B-Language
Wind	O
,	O
that	O
swept	O
across	O
the	O
continent	O
of	O
Cantha	O
,	O
turning	O
the	O
sea	O
into	O
solid	O
jade	B-Language
and	O
the	O
Echovald	O
Forest	O
in	O
southern	O
Cantha	O
to	O
stone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
advice	O
of	O
the	O
envoys	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
then	O
choose	O
a	O
side	O
;	O
going	O
with	O
Mhenlo	O
to	O
convince	O
the	O
Kurzicks	O
that	O
Shiro	O
returning	O
is	O
more	O
important	O
than	O
their	O
ongoing	O
war	O
with	O
the	O
Luxons	O
,	O
or	O
with	O
Master	B-Application
Togo	I-Application
to	O
convince	O
the	O
Luxons	O
to	O
stop	O
fighting	O
the	O
Kurzicks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
causes	O
a	O
momentary	O
fork	O
in	O
the	O
story	O
;	O
the	O
earlier	O
Prophecies	B-Application
campaign	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
linearity	O
,	O
so	O
both	O
Factions	O
and	O
the	O
subsequent	O
Nightfall	B-Application
campaigns	O
have	O
included	O
non-linear	O
elements	O
in	O
the	O
plot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	O
as	O
Shiro	O
is	O
about	O
to	O
slay	O
the	O
Emperor	O
,	O
Master	B-Application
Togo	I-Application
throws	O
himself	O
in	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
saving	O
the	O
Emperor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
final	O
battle	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
assault	O
the	O
now-mortal	O
Shiro	O
Tagachi	O
and	O
kill	O
him	O
for	O
a	O
second	O
time	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
his	O
mortal	O
form	O
is	O
sealed	O
in	O
jade	B-Language
and	O
his	O
spirit	O
is	O
captured	O
by	O
the	O
other	O
envoys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
final	O
mission	O
in	O
the	O
earlier	O
Prophecies	B-Application
campaign	O
,	O
this	O
final	O
mission	O
consists	O
solely	O
of	O
the	O
battle	O
against	O
Shiro	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
modify	O
their	O
tactics	O
,	O
skills	O
and	O
team	O
setup	O
before	O
a	O
climactic	O
final	O
battle	O
;	O
this	O
innovation	O
was	O
also	O
used	O
against	O
the	O
end	O
bosses	O
of	O
the	O
subsequent	O
Nightfall	B-Application
and	O
Eye	O
of	O
the	O
North	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Factions	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
well	O
received	O
critically	O
as	O
the	O
earlier	O
Prophecies	B-Application
campaign	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
did	O
score	O
well	O
overall	O
receiving	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
85.45	O
%	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
and	O
84/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
were	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
Kurzick	O
and	O
Luxon	O
factions	O
that	O
players	O
could	O
ally	O
with	O
and	O
claim	O
territory	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
map	O
for	O
their	O
alliance	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
weak	O
storyline	O
(	O
compared	O
to	O
Prophecies	B-Application
)	O
,	O
poorer	O
voice-acting	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
accelerated	O
character	O
level	O
curve	O
that	O
let	O
characters	O
reach	O
the	O
maximum	O
level	O
before	O
leaving	O
the	O
tutorial	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
continuing	O
problem	O
of	O
the	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
user	O
interface	O
lacking	O
advanced	O
team-forming	O
and	O
trading	O
functions	O
was	O
also	O
criticized	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
subsequent	O
Nightfall	B-Application
release	O
partially	O
addressed	O
these	O
criticisms	O
by	O
adding	O
a	O
unified	O
party-search	O
utility	O
with	O
limited	O
trading	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Factions	O
helped	O
boost	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
units	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
franchise	O
to	O
over	O
two	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
figure	O
also	O
does	O
not	O
indicate	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
"	O
active	O
"	O
accounts	O
;	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
accounts	O
never	O
expire	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
account	O
activity	O
statistics	O
are	O
never	O
publicly	O
revealed	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
ArenaNet	O
does	O
collect	O
them	O
(	O
players	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
access	O
playtime	O
statistics	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
/age	O
"	O
command	O
in-game	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
edition	O
includes	O
the	O
standard	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Factions	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
Guild	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Campaign	O
(	O
Prophecies	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
