Guild Wars

Did You Know?

• Guild Wars 3 was officially announced on 5 June 2026 at Summer Game Fest 2026 after being in development for a number of years.
• Guild Wars 3 is speculated to be utilising Unreal Engine 5, a first for the franchise.
• The Guild Wars series had sold 11.5 million copies by August 2015.

Guild Wars subseries (2005–2007)

The original Guild Wars series includes four titles: Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, and Eye of the North, all sharing one game world. Two core play styles exist: a cooperative role-playing mode unique to each campaign, and a competitive player-versus-player mode that works across all of them. The series launched three standalone campaigns, one major expansion, and several smaller expansions between April 2005 and April 2013. The fantasy world of Tyria is the setting, with each campaign covering separate regions at roughly the same time. Players create an avatar to follow a campaign’s cooperative story, acting as a hero who must defend Tyria from its enemies. They can team up with other players or non-player characters called henchmen and heroes to complete missions and quests. Player-versus-player combat is voluntary, team-based, and restricted to special areas. Unlike many MMORPGs, players can make characters at the maximum level with top equipment just for PvP. ArenaNet once ran official tournaments where top players and guilds could compete live at gaming conventions for prizes up to US$100,000. Avatars are three-dimensional, viewed mostly from a third-person perspective, with a first-person option. Characters can walk, run, chat, fight, pick up objects, and interact with special items. Players choose from up to ten professions and customize their avatar’s hairstyle, face, skin tone, height, and name, with options depending on the profession. As they advance, they unlock armor and weapons that change the avatar’s look. They can also decide whether to start in a player-versus-environment world or jump straight into competitive player-versus-player combat.

Guild Wars 2 (2012)

Guild Wars 2, the sequel to the original Guild Wars, was released on August 28, 2012. Its campaign centers on the awakening of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the resulting cataclysm in Tyria, which unites the game's major factions into a Pact. From 2012 to 2014 the game received temporary content releases known as Living World Season 1. From 2014 to 2015 updates shifted to a permanent content model integrated with character story progression, comprising Living World Season 2, which featured a plot to awaken Mordremoth and led to the first expansion pack. Heart of Thorns, the first expansion, was released on October 23, 2015, and follows the Pact forces against the Elder Dragon Mordremoth. It introduced a new Revenant profession, elite specializations for existing professions, gliding, and guild halls. Two years of content updates followed, encompassing Living World Season 3, which dealt with the aftermath of battling Mordremoth and initial forays against the remaining dragons, as well as the return of the god Balthazar seeking to kill the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik at any cost. This season also introduced raid content. Path of Fire, the second expansion, was released on September 22, 2017, and sees the Pact heroes pursue Balthazar and Kralkatorrik to Elona, the continent originally featured in Nightfall. This expansion introduced mounts. Content updates were divided into Season 4, dealing primarily with fighting Palawa Joko, and Season 5 of the Living World. End of Dragons, the third expansion, was released on February 28, 2022, and follows the Pact Heroes into Cantha as they finish pursuing the remaining Elder Dragons. It introduced new elite specializations for all professions, a new combat mount called the siege turtle, fishing, and skiffs. Secrets of the Obscure, the fourth expansion, was released on August 22, 2023. Janthir Wilds, the fifth expansion, was released on August 20, 2024. Visions of Eternity, the sixth and latest expansion, was released on October 28, 2025.