Guild Wars 2 Third Expansion 2021

Cantha concept art

As I live and breathe, I do believe that I will see Shing Jea Monastery again…! Back in March 2020, ArenaNet confirmed that they’re working on a third expansion.

Then on August 25th, 2020 (Guild Wars 2’s 8th birthday), they released a trailer listing 2021 as the launch date. Not much else is known about the expansion at this point, but long-time fans will recognize some familiar territory. Nostalgia, be still. There are still many months to go.

Other news for November of this year involve a Steam release. Although this may be very cool news to people who love sharing on Steam, veteran players who launch from GW2 directly should be wary. There is no way to convert existing accounts, so if you have characters that you’re dearly attached to it’s best to stick with your current launch client.

Also, there are underwater mounts! Can’t speak from personal experience yet, but it looks like a good way to bypass those pesky nagas.

Extra Life – Play Games – Heal Kids

Extra Life

November 2nd is national Game Day! I never realized there was such a thing until a close friend of mine who has been playing Guild Wars 2 lately mentioned something about it. Apparently when you login to the game, there’s an event announcement for Extra Life 2019. This event highlights a new mission for ArenaNet — it’s about giving our kids a safe place to play, and helping kids that need medical care. Follow the link to read more about Team ArenaNet and their contribution to the Children’s Miracle Network.

It looks like joining Extra Life is mainly for gamers who stream — if that’s not you, there are still ways to help. You can simply donate to a fundraiser participant, or directly to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

And if you’d rather contribute through the Guild Wars 2 game itself, there are Black Lion Trading Post donation items available. Each purchase helps Team ArenaNet reach their fundraising goal.

Extra Life Donation Bundle:

  • Mini Guardian Angel Aurene
  • 5 x Extra Life Karma Boosters
  • 5 x Temporary Selfless Potions

Also, players will receive an achievement and title called “The Extra Life” for logging in between October 25th and November 4th. Read the official Guild Wars 2 News and Announcements page to see the details.

Guild Wars 2 – Living World Season 5 – The Icebrood Saga

Icebrood Saga

The newest installment of Guild Wars 2, the upcoming Season 5, is to be released on September 17, 2019. There’s very little I can say about this new season from a contextual standpoint, due to my recreational technology fast of the past few years. Instead I’m going to speak about this new chapter from the standpoint of a former gamer contemplating a return after a lengthy hiatus.

Last time I ventured into the lands of Tyria, it was 2015. Around that time the Heart of Thorns Living World Season 3 was new, and the Revenant profession had been unveiled. Considering how long ago that was, I don’t find it unusual that my memory of the events is a bit foggy. Seems like it was a Sylvari incident, with plants running amok, and storyline involving Caithe. Maybe there’s a concise storyline video somewhere that can help one accurately “catch up” on what’s transpired since that time.

Equally important to the storyline continuity is a general grasp of the gameplay mechanics. As I recall, wing gliders had recently been added to the game, adding an additional dimension to mobility. The mastery system had undergone a major revision, and an offhand weapon system had been introduced, offering player characters a new range of skills much like the secondary system of yore. In summary, the gradual learning curve of Guild Wars 2 has become significantly steeper since the games initial release in the late summer of 2012.

For someone who hasn’t been playing for the past few years, I’d say that the game almost has to be relearned. I’ve been weighing the decision for quite some time, comparing pros and cons, and wondering if it’s a pastime I should leave behind me for good. Was I simply taking a long break? Looks like I have about 1 week to decide.

GW2 WIki Anniversary

P.S. It seems fitting that I link to the most robust resource for the game, the official Guild Wars 2 Wiki!

Guild Wars 2 – Professions

A couple of weeks ago, ArenaNet announced the pre-purchase date of Guild Wars 2! There are a few different options, all viewable here. Although pre-sale doesn’t open until April 10th, it’s nice to finally know when. As an added bonus, those who pre-purchase will be able to participate in all future Weekend Beta Events…!

GW2 Professions

In light of that news, now seems like a good time to look over the different professions and decide what your starting character will be. There are 8 playable professions:

  1. Elementalist – “Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. I can deal with any of them.”
  2. Warrior – “Axe or Mace? Rifle or Greatsword? You know, they’re all good.”
  3. Ranger – “Good dog! Hold the enemy down while I shoot them! You get a biscuit!”
  4. Necromancer – “The great thing about minions is that they never last long enough to work up a horrid stench.”
  5. Guardian – “I’ll guard you. Let them come through ME first!”
  6. Thief – “I’m sorry, did this belong to you?”
  7. Engineer – “I’d explain it all to you, but a demonstration would be more useful.”
  8. Mesmer – “When I’m done with you, you won’t trust your own mind.”

If you’ve played the original Guild Wars, most of these professions look familiar. I’m really glad to see Mesmer on this list, and am excited to see what playing Guardian is like.

Guild Wars 2 – Changing the Face of MMOs

There’s much about the structure of a traditional MMO that’s inherently broken. It’s almost as though some developers are creating games without the player in mind, content to churn out tired games that are just more of the same.

As such, I can’t wait for the release of Guild Wars 2 — it’s going to be epic! Granted, I’m a big fan of the original Guild Wars so I might be slightly biased. But I know talent when I see it…! ArenaNet is a developer with their collective thumb firmly on the pulse of today’s gamer. I could talk of their innovation and vision, but I think you’ll get a better idea of what I mean by watching the demo Boss Fight video below.

So maybe you’ve heard that there’s not going to be a Healer profession. Characters will each have a self-heal, along with the ability to revive fallen party members. And you probably already know that the world will be persistent, with dynamic events. But did you know that skills, like weapons, are swappable at will? If you’re out exploring, you won’t need to go back to an outpost to make adjustments. Another little tidbit — your armor will have multiple dye-able areas, and several new color choices that are available at character creation.

edit: Originally I shared a basic guide discussing aspects of the game, which has been since taken down. Instead here’s a new player’s guide — hopefully its helpful (added 9/9/19).

Hall of Monuments Reward Calculator

Hall of Monuments
~Chidori~

For those of you who’ve been dutifully completing titles in anticipation of Guild Wars 2, great news…! ArenaNet has just released further detail on how the achievements from your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments will benefit your Guild Wars 2 account. Check out the Reward Calculator to see what rewards you’ve earned so far.

And if you haven’t been keeping up with your old account, now’s a good time to take care of unfinished business before beta rolls around.

Read more about the Reward Calculator on the official Guild Wars 2 site.

Guild Wars 2 – Elementalist

It looks like we’re getting closer to the release date of Guild Wars 2!

Guild Wars 2 Elementalist
Guild Wars 2 Elementalist

Why do I say that? Well, a few days ago, ArenaNet released their own blog. One of the articles talks in detail about what we can expect in terms of storyline, social aspects of the game, and combat mechanics. Read the original article here.

ArenaNet has also revealed details about the elementalist profession. They’ve even posted some cool short videos of different elementalist skills in action.

Here’s the clip for Meteor Shower.

Read more about the Guild Wars 2 elementalist on the official Guild Wars 2 site.

edit: To view the other professions, see the post “Guild Wars 2 – Professions” (added 3/30/12).

Can’t wait for open beta…!