How game artist Chelsea Mills shapes the legendary props of Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2 is a strange beast. On the one hand, it’s a painterly MMO that feels like concept art come to life. On the other hand, it’s a fashion sandbox where players obsess over gliders, capes, and shinier-than-thou legendary weapons. Holding those two worlds together? Artists like Chelsea Mills, Advanced Prop Artist, although, as she points out in our interview, it doesn't cover the full breadth of her responsibilities.

"'Prop' can mean a variety of things… in addition to environmental set dressing and architecture, props are also character fashion-based items like back items, gliders, chairs, and weapons," says Chelsea. "I branch out even further beyond the “prop artist” title, and enjoy doing things such as player armor, creature models, and creature animation."

It’s a Swiss Army skillset that lets Chelsea leave her mark on the game's sprawling world of Tyria in ways most players don’t even realise, until they zoom in on the stitching of a leather strap or spot the logo on a humble apple crate. It’s here, inside the hidden art of Guild Wars 2, that her craft really comes alive.

Filling fashion gaps in Tyria

As an artist of an MMORPG game, Chelsea wants players to be able to create the ideal look for their character. “Are there good options for a player who wants to be a holy knight? A sinister magic user? Are certain colors represented enough for this weapon type? Are there options if you want something that feels grounded and realistic?"

From there, she digs into her bottomless inspiration folders. And sometimes, those references spark a technical gamble. Take Xiuquatl, the legendary scepter with a snake-like creature that follows you around. Sounds straightforward. Except followers weren’t an option in the system.

“It’s all faked! In reality, it's just a model dangling from a very, very, very long skeleton that has physics applied to it," Chelsea explains. "It’s a very unusual setup that ended up working perfectly to add a feature to this weapon that would have been otherwise impossible!"

Stylised or realistic? It’s the age-old game art debate. For Guild Wars 2, the answer is: both, but make it feel like a human actually crafted it.

"Our aim is to make a game that looks like it has been created by people, not technology… This idea also extends into the world of Tyria as well. Any crafted object you come across in the world of Tyria should look like it has been handcrafted with the tools and magic available to its citizens."

It’s why even simple props come loaded with lore. In one cutscene, players would have seen Asura characters vanish abruptly if Chelsea hadn't come up with a creative workaround to solve the issue. She built a wooden apple crate stamped 'North Krytan Orchards', implying a whole trade history across continents. All that, just to give players smooth exit during a cutscene, and another reminder of why Guild Wars 2 remains an artistically unique game.

From Maya to magic

Tool debates can get heated (Maya vs Blender, anyone?), but Chelsea is practical. Maya is her preferred starting point, partly pipeline, partly muscle memory. "It’s the modeling software I first learned and never stopped using," says Chelsea. It’s a tool that still ranks among the best 3D modelling software choices for game artists today.

ZBrush is her go-to for organic sculpts, Substance Painter does the heavy lifting on textures, Photoshop still earns its keep, and RizomUV swoops in when Maya throws a UV tantrum. Each package plays its part in what reads like the best digital art software ecosystem for production work.

Workflows flex depending on the asset. "A straightforward asset like a sword, that’s pretty simple and has relatively few unknowns so I’ll just start modeling (based either off a concept I’ve been given or a sketch I’ve done myself)," says Chelsea. "But if it’s a set of wings for a backpack and glider, I may start by blocking out a few ideas as a 3D model before even getting to the concept art stage. I may need to feel out where my technical limits are – can I fold the geometry this way? Will the proportions look good both folded and unfolded? How long can they be without clipping into the ground? How does that affect the design of the wings? I may even go as far as doing the full set of animations before actually getting started on the real version of the design."

A glider shaped like a demon serpent – the legendary Orrax Manifested – needed a little more work and imagination to get right. It required many mockups, animation tests, and more iterations. "I had to animate the player and then make Orrax’s undulation line up with what the player was doing! It really broke my brain trying to figure that one out."

Legendaries, limits, and happy accidents

Chelsea makes the impossible possible. The shapeshifting greatsword Exordium, which morphs into entirely different weapons mid-attack, is a prime example. "I even had a huge spreadsheet to plan out how all the attacks would need to be set up for the many, many shape variations across all the different professions!" With 10 professions available for players to play as in Guild Wars 2, that is no small feat.

Constraints, in her view, are fewer walls and more springboards. A cape that had to be split into strips to work properly? "That compromise created a very good side effect: as gravity pulled the cape down onto Charr tails, it would push 2 pieces to either side of the tail instead of draping the entire thing across the top."

She describes this as a "Happy accident."

It’s this mindset that makes even the tiniest prop a playground. "I see it as a personal challenge to one-up myself and try to do things better than I’ve done before, no matter what type of asset it is. I get excited to make even the most mundane props!"

Advice for the next generation

If you’re an aspiring 3D artist dreaming of your first big gig, Chelsea has one golden rule: don’t get precious. "I encourage all artists to do your best to not get too attached to your work… Distancing yourself is not only important for when things go wrong and you are unable to realize your original idea, but also when getting feedback about your work."

She also cautions against blindly following all feedback, "Take the time to evaluate, ask questions about the feedback, and try to understand where it’s coming from. Understanding why the feedback was given is just as important as being open to following that feedback. Each time you’re given feedback, it’s a new potential tool to add to your toolbox."

It’s an attitude that makes sense for someone who spends her days making apple crates as carefully as world-breaking legendaries. Every prop tells a story, every texture has a purpose, and every limitation is an excuse to try something new. And in Tyria, that’s the real magic.

Visit the Guild Wars 2 site for more info and details on the latest expansion, Visions of Eternity.