Guild Wars 2's next expansion will add its first new raid in five years, as well as 'the most player-friendly housing system in an MMORPG'

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(Image credit: ArenaNet)

Characters point spears at a distant Titan.

We’re just two weeks removed from the conclusion of Guild Wars 2’s fourth expansion, Secrets of the Obscure. But thanks to the MMO’s recent switch to an annual expansion cycle, that means we’re only a couple of months away from the launch of the fifth expansion.

It’s called Janthir Wilds, it’s arriving on August 20, and it’s bringing two oft-requested additions to the game.

The first major new feature is Homesteads, a housing system that will let players decorate their own, personal space. While there are few details currently, ArenaNet is calling it “the most player-friendly housing system in an MMORPG”. That’s a bold claim, but this is an MMO that prides itself on more casual, player-friendly design systems. Check back later this month when PC Gamer will bring you an exclusive first look at Homesteads.

The second big check off the community wishlist is a return to raiding. Guild Wars 2’s last raid, The Key of Ahdashim, released back in 2019, after which ArenaNet shifted to strike missions as the de facto end game for 10-player squads. Strike missions are more LFG friendly—each is a standalone, raid-like boss—but players have been wanting a return to the more intricate design of the game’s raid wings for some time.

(Image credit: ArenaNet)

Janthir Wilds

On the story front, Davis admitted that Obscure was trying to fit too much in—making the progression of the chapters, specifically the demon war of the quarterly updates, feel rushed and underdeveloped. In response, Janthir Wilds is set to tell a more grounded, focused story, hopefully avoiding some of the same pitfalls. Here, then, we’re off to the islands of Janthir, far north of Queensdale, and making contact with a Lowland Kodan.

In terms of map design, Davis admits that having a single map be the focus of all of an expansion’s updates is not ideal. Instead, Janthir Wilds will again release with two maps, but the first major update will instead include the raid. The third map will then be released in two halves in the second and final update. While this might seem like a minor shift, my hope is it will make a difference. The gold standard here is Icebrood Saga’s Drizzlewood Coast map—itself released in halves, and still one of the best (and most profitable) meta events in the game. In his post, Davis specifically calls out Bjora Marches and Drizzlewood Coast. Hopefully the design on Janthir Wilds’ third map is more akin to those than the more recent Gyala Delve.

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As for the other features announced for Janthir Wilds, an old weapon type is getting a brand new use. Spears—one of Guild Wars 2’s three underwater weapons—are being updated to work on land. Each profession will be able to wield the spear above water, each with their own set of skills. A beta scheduled for June 27 will let players try out the new weapon.

An old mount is also getting some new tricks. While you technically can ride a Warclaw outside of the World vs World game mode, there just isn’t any point. In Janthir Wilds, the Warclaw is getting a double-jump ability designed to help traverse the mountains and river valleys of the Janthir region. I’ll be interested to see how they make this a useful pick over the Skyscale, which can also traverse mountains (because it can fly).

(Image credit: ArenaNet)

Janthir Wilds

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the announcement, though, is the reveal that one of the quarterly updates is bringing a new PvP mode. Arguably, structured PvP players are even more starved of new updates than raiders. Given how PvE oriented Guild Wars 2’s playerbase appears to be, it’ll be interesting to see if ArenaNet can successfully persuade players to return to the competitive salt mines.

In terms of rewards, ArenaNet is promising the usual suite of new armour and weapon skins, as well as refresh to the Wizard’s Vault daily system. We’re also getting new legendaries—a new legendary spear and a new back item. So if you’ve yet to craft Kamohoali’i Kotaki or Ad Infinitum, maybe the new designs will be more to your fancy.

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