The Collector's Edition comes with a 25cm statue of a Charr warrior (one of the game's five playable races), a picture frame and five art prints, art book, soundtrack CD and a five handy items within the game -- though it will set players back by $150 (€150/£130).

Shallower pockets will appreciate the Standard Edition at $50 (€55/£50) while the Digital Deluxe download straddles the gap at $70 (€75/£65).

Those who pre-order guarantee themselves an invitation to all weekend beta testing events as well as three days of early access prior to the retail launch.

Despite the name, Guild Wars gained a reputation as a relatively friendly game run by a generous and committed development team.

Guild Wars 2 is the cause of excitement among many MMO communities, not only because it scraps standard subscription charges in favor of optional in-game purchases, but also due to ArenaNet's promise to produce a game that's innovative in terms of graphics, gameplay, and social content.

"We do not want to build the same MMO that everybody else is building" says game designer Ree Soesbee. "In Guild Wars 2 it's your world, it's your story. You affect things around you in a very permanent way."

It'll be going up against subscription MMOs like World of Warcraft, Rift and Star Wars: The Old Republic, as well as those that are free from the off (with extra content purchasable) including Lord of the Rings: Online, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures and Dragon Nest.