Capture the Relic

Capture the Relic is the Guild Wars version of the capture the flag type of PvP game. It is featured in the Global Tournament. Each team, on their own side of the map, has a Ghostly Hero (who will not move or follow players), a relic, and resurrection shrine. The goal of the game is to pick up the enemy's relic and take it back to your own Ghostly Hero to score points while preventing the enemy from doing the same. Players and Ghostly Heroes respawn every two minutes. Capture the relic maps have a ten minute time limit. The last team to capture a relic will have a star next to their score.

Winning
There are four ways to win a capture the relic map:
 * Capture three more relics than the enemy has
 * Have more captures than the enemy when time runs out
 * Have the star when time runs out and the score is tied
 * The other team resigns or drops from the game

In the case of a 0-0 score when time expires, the match is a draw and both teams return to the Heroes' Ascent staging area.

Relics
Any player may pick up the opposing team's relic. A player carrying a relic moves slower than normal. The relic may be dropped at any time and a player that is killed while carrying a relic will drop the relic on the spot. A team cannot carry their own relic, but if they pick up their own relic while it is not at its original location, it will be returned to that location and a message stating their team has saved their relic will be displayed.

Strategy
The most common defensive strategies involve body blocking, snareing, and knocking down relic carries (or potential relic carriers). Most snares will reduce a relic carrier's speed to a crawl making body blocking very easy and very effective. It is often possible to completely surround a snared carrier, perhaps using the map's terrain, to completely prevent him from moving. Teams may sometimes body block the paths that lead to their relics to prevent all enemy players from approaching. Body blocking is best countered by being aware of the situation. Relic carriers should try to avoid crowded spots or terrain that could help block. Since you can pass closer to teammates than enemies, teammates may attempt to create holes in enemy body blocks for a carrier to pass through.

On the other hand, the most common offensive strategies simply involve the opposite of the above. Movement speed buffs to speed things up and hex and condition removal to remove hex snares and cripple. Spell Breaker and Windborne Speed are often used on relic carriers to help them. Teams with large amounts of AoE damage are well suited to counter body blocks simply by killing the enemy or making them scatter.

Killing the enemy Ghostly Hero (and therefore protecting your own) can be very important. Since you must take the enemy's relic to your Ghostly Hero to score, if your Ghostly is dead, you must wait for the next two minute resurrect for him to respawn. It is common for teams to try to kill the enemy Ghostly Hero just after two minute marks for this reason. A team with a dead Ghostly Hero in the last two minutes of the match will be unable to score for the remainder of the match.

Maps

 * Unholy Temples
 * Sacred Temples