Playing PvP

Player-versus-player, or "PvP," is the core of the competition that puts the "competitive" in the CORPG. There are many varieties of PvP competition. You will sometimes find yourself on a randomly selected team, though more often you will choose your group before entering a PvP contest. Your objective might be as simple as eliminating the other team or it could be far more complex. PvP matches may also involve dangerous computer-controlled enemies on the map, so be watchful. Check out the PvP Primer series for a detailed account of the basics. For information about competitive play, including sponsored tournaments with prize support and news articles about the state of the game, visit this page.
The PvP Zone

PvP combat takes place in a region of the world dedicated solely to testing the mettle of heroes. Newly created pre-made PvP characters begin in this PvP zone.
Creating a PvP Character

You might join PvP combat with a fully developed level 20 roleplaying character. This will give you a wider variety of choices when it comes to skill selection and equipment, and experienced players tend to find such characters to perform strongly in PvP. If you want to get right to the fighting, you can create a new PvP character that starts at level 20 and comes with a smaller assortment of skills and equipment. Pre-built PvP characters can still be customized to a certain extent through weapon and armor choices, and will have access to all skills you've unlocked on your account for their professions.
PvP Combat

PvP battles consist of two or more teams of four to twelve players apiece all battling for supremacy. Team up with fellow guild members or other online players for PvP battles in Arenas, Guild Challenges, Tournament play, or Alliance Battles. Use Team chat and the mini-map to communicate strategy with your team, and be ready to adjust tactics on the fly!Arena Enter the Arena and compete in PvP gladiator-style battles for experience, or just for fun. Arena matches don't require you to form a party; the Arena creates teams automatically from available players. The Arena is a great place to find PvP action any time.
Guild Challenges Guild Challenges pit guild against guild in a variety of situations that will test your skills and team spirit. Winning Guild Challenges earns fame points for your guild, which increase your overall guild ranking and your guild's position on the Guild Ladder.
Tournament Play Tournament play lets your guild compete for worldwide Guild Wars supremacy.
Alliance Battles Talk to the Kurzick or Luxon NPC in your guild hall to travel to a contested alliance area. Once there, you may join or create a party for an alliance battle. Victories and losses in alliance battles will shape the border on the world map between the two factions.
Hero vs. Hero Battles For the ultimate one-on-one challenge, make a group with a custom team of Heroes and fight against other players from around the world and their customized groups of Heroes.

Tournament Play

Guild Wars features continuous tournament action wherein tens of thousands of teams compete for ranking and for the top position on the Guild Ladder. Assemble a team and engage in a series of battles that will challenge your skills and test your limits. The Guild Ladder on the Guild Wars website tracks each guild's wins and losses, and rates each guild accordingly. In the international Guild Wars tournament, countries compete for worldwide Guild Wars supremacy.
Tournaments: Common Factors

All tournament battles have the following in common:
Ghostly Hero: In each tournament battle, your team is aided by a Ghostly Hero; some battles require that you keep him alive in order to succeed. Your Ghostly Hero resurrects along with your team.
Morale Boost: The morale boost removes a percentage of any existing death penalties (DP) from all team members. If your team has a morale boost, each member receives a boost to maximum Health and Energy.
Tournaments: Variable Factors
Resurrection: Priests, when present, will resurrect dead team members every two minutes. If the priest is killed, dead team members stay dead unless a team member resurrects them. Some battles feature a permanent Resurrection Circle that cannot be destroyed, or a Resurrection Orb that will respawn if used. http://www.guildwars.com/gameplay/pvp/