Sixth anniversary bringing big changes to Guild Wars

The sixth anniversary of Guild Wars is here, and ArenaNet is celebrating in a big way with an update today. This sixth anniversary brings new content, some surprising new birthday tonics, and some big changes to PvP. That last item on the list comes courtesy of the Lunatic Court members and their efforts to free Mad King Thorn last Halloween. "While these events have long passed, the aftereffect of this plot has caused instability to seep into the land causing fluctuations. This Flux will come and go monthly and cause alterations to PvP that will encourage players to alter their playing style in order to take advantage of the current Flux."

The update coming later today offers fans plenty of other changes and upgrades as well. Players will have new challenges in the form of hard mode quests, a new look to the game with optional high-resolution town textures, and an overhauled friends list. If you're mutual friends with another player, you'll be able to see what map he or she is currently in. Finally, ArenaNet is celebrating six years with six weeks of sales -- starting today, a different item will be on sale in the NCsoft store every week. The sales will be updated every Thursday at noon PDT.

Massively has joined in the party too! We'll be bringing you even more news on the celebration events, an exclusive interview with two members of the Live Team, a chance to win some Guild Wars prizes, and maybe even a few more surprises! You'll want to keep a very close eye on the site, our Twitter feed, our Facebook page, and our forums so you don't miss anything!