- It’s called Path of Fire! It launches on September 22nd, and everyone, even non-players, is invited to a preview weekend
thisnext weekend. (Just roll a F2P base account now.) Yes, you’ll get to play with a mount during that preview. - You’ll be able to buy this expansion standalone, even if you don’t have HOT. It’ll run $29.99 by itself or $49.99 as a bundle with HOT. You can prepurchase already on the official site, and yep, there are lots of goodies included if you buy the upgraded $59.99 and $79.99 packages. A level 80 upgrade is included with all boxes, but if you want an extra character slot, you’ll need the higher packages. (Current consensus among commenters is that the price is fair and the upgrades are worth it.)
- Lore-wise, the expansion picks up right where season 3 just ended, with no gap in the plot and a heavy focus on Balthazar as the villain. “Seamless” is the word they used.
- The location of the expansion is the Crystal Desert and parts of Elona (Vabbi, and so forth) from Guild Wars 1 Nightfall. It’ll be nostalgia, but still accessible for newcomers.
- However, the biomes aren’t just deserts — we saw snowscapes and underwater zones as well. The five zones are among the biggest ANet has ever built. A new guild hall is coming too.
- Mounts have been confirmed, including raptors and bunnies. But don’t panic: Mounts aren’t just about travel but about the “joy of movement.” They’re companions intended for puzzles and whatnot, not really to make travel faster. Breathe a sigh of relief there.
All classes are getting new elite specs as part of the mastery system:
- Firebrand (Guardian): New weapon is axes, themed around conjuring fire and tomes, giving up instant support for casted/focus support.
- Scourge (Necromancer): New weapon is offhand torch, themed around protecting souls to fight Palawa Joko; they’ll give up death shroud to protect allies and gain more battlefield control and movement options.
- Deadeye (Thief): New weapon is rifles, significantly improved range. This one seemed the least fleshed out detail-wise of all the new specs.
- Mirage (Mesmer): New weapon is axes, themed around camo, dodge mechanics, and manipulating the desert to provide power to their phantasms.
- Spellbreaker (Warrior): New weapon is daggers, themed around fighting magic users, “cutting magic off their foes” by retaliation and boon-stripping.
- Weaver (Elementalist): New weapon is swords, themed around imbuing those souls and wielding multiple attunements at once for a combo, hybrid magic skill.
- Soulbeast (Ranger): New weapon is daggers, themed around morphing into their pets and more close-range fighting. Yes, there will be new pets!
- Renegade (Revenant): New weapon is shortbow, themed around summoning stuff through portals, including a charr warband.
- Holosmith (Engineer): New weapon is sword, themed around clean energy, bending light, holographic weapony, building up heat and then exploding. Wheee!
And here’s the new trailer:
And some of the new screenshots and concept art:
Bellevue, WA – August 1, 2017: ArenaNet™, publisher and developer of the acclaimed Guild Wars franchise, today announced Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire™, the second expansion to Guild Wars 2, which will launch September 22, 2017.
Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire will see players return to the iconic Crystal Desert from the original Guild Wars, and to the northern reaches of Elona, the land of Guild Wars: Nightfall, 250 years on. For veterans of the series or those venturing into the world of Guild Wars 2 for the first time, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire delivers a vast new region of magic-drenched desert plains, ancient temples and ruins, and beautiful oases.
Balthazar, the human god of war and fire, threatens the Crystal Desert and adjoining kingdom of Elona with his Forged legions. Players saw through the course of Living World Season 3 that Balthazar is determined to hunt Elder Dragons – and now he and his armies have invaded the desert to do just that. Now, Tyria’s fate hangs by a thread as players race to the desert to hunt down the rogue god before he can do any more damage to the delicate balance of magic.
“This new expansion is all about content,” said Mike O’Brien, ArenaNet president and co-founder. “An epic story, five immense new open-world zones, mounts that allow you to move through Tyria in all-new ways, and nine new elite specializations.”
Mounts
Mounts arrive in Guild Wars 2! Far more than a simple speed boost, mounts are a whole new way to explore the world of Tyria. Players will unlock and train new companions using the max-level Mastery character progression system, and explore Tyria freely.
● Powerful new way to explore the world.
● New ways to solve puzzles, approach problems, and move through Tyria.
● Changes the way players view the world – new ideas for interaction and discovery!
Elite Specializations
Players continue to evolve and customize their level-80 characters with new elite specializations for each profession. A variety of new playstyles, weapon choices, and traits to choose from result in more options than ever to play.
Free Preview Weekend
An open-world preview weekend will run August 11-13, available to anyone with a Guild Wars 2 account in good standing. Players will be able to experience part of the opening story of Path of Fire, and explore the Crystal Oasis map astride the raptor mount.
Pre-Purchase Available Now
Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire is available for pre-purchase as a standalone expansion (starting at $29.99) or as part of a bundle with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (starting at $49.99) at buy.guildwars2.com.
Pre-Purchase Bonuses
● The Spearmarshal’s Gift – A special gift from an anonymous friend in Elona. Players will use this to choose one weapon skin from the Sunspear Weapon Set.
● “Elonia Envoy” title – Whether a new arrival to Elona or coming home, build bridges by displaying this symbol of respect and friendship.
● Miniature Balthazar – This exclusive miniature replica of the god of War and Fire is on the warpath.
Max-Level Boost – Everyone who purchases Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire will receive a Max-Level Boost to instantly raise one character’s level to 80 and provide gear and gold to help them begin their journey.
