Vanguard Trial Report

Author: GwenOkami

We want to take a moment to say thanks you to everyone who came out, participated in, watched, cheered, and supported The Vanguard Trials. Events like these simply wouldn’t be possible without an incredible community behind them, and we are so grateful for every person who helped make this event such a success.

A very special thank-you goes out to ArenaNet for sponsoring the event and helping us celebrate the incredible updates coming to Guild Wars with Reforged. We also want to recognize the amazing community members who donated in-game prizes:
BGW Community, Billie Eilis, and TheAussieBen — thank you!

Your generosity helped make the event even more special.

The Vanguard Trials was an event hosted by ArenaNet Partners:
MightyTeapot, Snebzor, ItsSmiiles, and GwenOkami,
with the support and sponsorship of ArenaNet.

The concept was simple:
Create a brand-new character, assemble a team, and race to complete the new story dungeon, Forsaken Tunnels, as quickly as possible.

But there was a catch:
Once your team was formed, you were in it together. No leaving the group to go off and do your own thing. No splitting up to take shortcuts. Every team had to figure out how to build and coordinate their party to overcome the dungeon as efficiently as possible.

And that’s where things got really interesting.
Every team approached the challenge differently. Different builds. Different strategies. Different team compositions. Different ways of tackling the dungeon.

The result was a fantastic showcase of the creativity, knowledge, and adaptability of the Guild Wars community.

If you missed the event, you absolutely owe it to yourself to check out the VOD on the official Guild Wars Twitch channel or search for The Vanguard Trials on YouTube.
Many of the participating teams have also uploaded their runs, giving you a chance to see just how differently each team approached the challenge.

Let’s be honest…
Who wouldn’t want a chance to win an exclusive ArenaNet blanket?

But the prizes were only part of the fun.
For many teams, the real prize was the opportunity to put their strategies to the test on the main stage and show the community what they could do.

And boy, did they deliver.
From incredible successes to hilarious mistakes, unexpected moments, clutch plays, and some truly creative strategies, we watched teams throw everything they had at the Forsaken Tunnels.

Some teams blazed through the dungeon.

Some discovered strategies that nobody else had considered.

And some… well, let’s just say things didn’t always go according to plan.
And that's exactly what made it so much fun to watch.

Whether you finished 1st or 16th, every team gave it their all. The amount of effort, preparation, and enthusiasm that went into every run was incredible, and it showed.

Every team brought something unique to the Trials, and we couldn't have asked for a better group of competitors.

For the official results and completion times, check out the results below:

So… what does the future hold for events like the Vanguard Trials?

Honestly?

The world is our oyster.

The response from the community was incredible, and one thing became very clear:
This is the kind of content you want to see.

You showed up. You competed. You watched. You cheered each other on. You shared strategies, laughed at the chaos, and helped make the Vanguard Trials something truly special.

And that support doesn't go unnoticed.

The Vanguard Trials may be over, but we're certainly not done.

Keep your eyes open.

More events are coming, more challenges are waiting, and there are plenty of opportunities ahead for the Guild Wars community to come together, compete, and have an absolute blast.

Thank you again to ArenaNet, our fellow ArenaNet Partners, our amazing competitors, our generous prize donors, and every single person who tuned in or supported the event.

Most importantly, thank you, Tyrians, for showing us just how incredible this community can be.

We'll see you at the next trial. 💙

Until then… keep exploring, keep experimenting, and keep pushing the limits.

The Vanguard is only getting started.