This section includes all ArenaNet-sponsored tournament events held before the introduction of the Monthly Automated Tournaments (mAT). From the Guild Wars World Championship to the Winterfest Tournament, each event featured a qualifying season with a reset of the guild ladder. Guilds were required to finish near the top of the ladder—typically within the top 16—by the end of the season to qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs followed a single-elimination format, with matches played as best-of-three battles.
The Celestial Tournament was a special GvG tournament. 277 guilds entered with more than 2,500 players registered for the tournament, making this the largest Guild Wars tournament up to date. Following the Swiss play, on March 31st and April 1st 2007, the top 16 guilds competed in a single elimination tournament. The European guild, Team Everfrost [eF], was victorious against Esoteric Warriors [EW].
The Winterfest 2006 Season was the last tournament where the top ranked guilds at the end of the season's ladder were qualified for the playoffs and was the second tournament to run a swiss tournament system. Single elimination took place on Sunday, December 17th, 2006. The European guild, Peace And Harmony [PnH], won the finals against The Celebrities [Cel].
The Autumn 2006 Season was the first tournament to run a swiss tournament system. The top 16 ranked teams were to qualify for the season-ending playoffs. At the end of the Swiss tournament the top 4 guilds moved on to a single-elimination tournament, which took place on October 22nd 2006. The American guild, Team Quitter [QQ] won the tournament against Idiot Savants [iQ].
The Guild Wars Factions Championship (GWFC) was the second tournament event sponsored by ArenaNet. Guilds from all territories participate by playing GvG-Battles followed by special seasonal play-off events and the Factions Championship Finals. The GWFC was divided into three qualifying seasons, plus one special season to determine the last participant. The Factions Championship Finals took place from August 24th to August 27th during the Games Convention 2006 in Leipzig, Germany. After frantic battles, War Machine [WM] was crowned champion by defeating Idiot Savants [iQ].
The Guild Wars World Championship (GWWC) was the first tournament event sponsored by ArenaNet for the title of World Champion. Guilds from all territories participated by playing GvG-Battles followed by special territorial play-off events and the World Championship Finals. The finals took place from February 17th to February 19th, 2006 at the Taipei Game Show, in Taipei, Taiwan. The Korean guild, The Last Pride [EvIL], was crowned world champion by defeating the Korean Regional Champion, War Machine [WM].