Despite the fact that today is the highly anticipated launch of Destiny 2: The Final Shape, ArenaNet has come out of the woodwork to announce the next expansion for their MMO, Guild Wars 2. Titled “Janthir Wilds”, this expansion will take players into the fabled Isles of Janthir, a place the Astral Wards have guarded to the point that it was common belief that the Isles were a myth.
Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds has been announced with an accompanying August 20, 2024 release date. It will be the second expansion for Guild Wars 2 since ArenaNet made the shift to smaller, yearly expansions rather than the massive expansions (like Heart of Thorns or End of Dragons) that took considerably longer to develop while also removing the Living World model (think post-launch seasonal content that isn’t removed).
Here are the key additions and details that have been announced:
- Two New Maps – Players will have two new maps to explore throughout the story Janthir Wilds.
- Homesteads – Not content with just the home instances the game already had, Homesteads are a new take on player housing, with an account-wide home instance. Whether you ignore or develop your Homestead is entirely up to you, but there is a Mastery skill tied to it.
- Spears – Previously exclusive to underwater combat, Spears are making their way to dry land and into the hands of every class and every Elite Specialisation. Spears can be used interchangeably between on-foot and underwater combat, though you will need to equip your spear in both slots for that to work.
- Raids and Encounters – more challenges and encounters are being added, including the game’s eighth raid.
- The Warclaw – This mount was previously exclusive to World vs. World (WvW) but will now be made available for all players through the story of Janthir Wilds. There will be brand new PvE skills for the Warclaw, and the team is looking at revisiting the Warclaw’s WvW skills to bring it more in line with all the other mounts.
- A New PVP Game Mode Is In The Works – While ArenaNet has been pretty about what exactly this new PVP game mode is, the studio has stated that a new map and mechanics have already been prototyped and the game mode will be in beta testing with the community later this year.
- Guild Wars 2 Is Coming To The Epic Games Store – No release date given, just a window of “this summer” (winter for us in the Southern Hemisphere).
