Today ArenaNet and NCSOFT announced Guild Wars 2 : Janthir Wilds, the fifth expansion for the award-winning and critically acclaimed MMORPG Guild Wars 2. Releasing on August 20, 2024, the expansion will introduce a suite of new features long-requested by fans beginning with Homesteads, the most player-friendly housing system in an MMORPG. With a brand new customization and decorating interface, heroes can create and adorn their very own housing space for their friends and guild mates. New weapons and mount skills welcome adventurers to the uncharted, primordial region of Janthir, be it by taking hold of a spear, a new character terrestrial weapon type, or by hopping into the saddle of the enhanced Warclaw mount, further enriching the subscription-free online world of one of the most enduring and beloved PC games of all time.
Janthir Wilds will go on sale for $24.99 and, like its predecessor Secrets of the Obscure™, have three planned major updates scheduled for release between August 2024 and the summer of 2025. Launch day will see two new maps set among the deltas and islands of Janthir's untamed wilderness, including the Lowland Shore, home to the Lowland Kodan, and the Janthir Syntri with its dangerous rocky shores, wandering titans, and mystic storms. To assist in exploring these new lands, players will learn to tame feral Warclaws; previously occupying a specialist role in the World-vs-World game mode, the Warclaws of the Lowland Kodan will allow players to hop in the saddle and explore Janthir, developing the steed's special abilities to add more movement and traversal opportunities to Guild Wars 2's widely-acclaimed roster of player mounts.
For the first time since launch, a new weapon type will be added for terrestrial combat. The two-handed spear will become available to all nine of the game's professions. Each profession will use their spear differently, be it ranged or melee, and provide a multitude of new skills to further enhance player skill customization and gameplay builds.
The three planned major future updates will launch at no additional charge and continue to add new experiences: an additional map, a new Raid, new rewards (including new earnable items in the Wizard's Vault), and a new PvP game mode will arrive in the following months and into 2025.
The expansion's all-new story begins in the wake of the events of Secrets of the Obscure. Together with the Astral Ward and a council of nations from across Tyria, players will journey to Janthir and make contact with the Lowland Kodan, the tribal, pastoral residents of this rugged region, learning about their culture, and discovering the secrets of a primordial magical threat wreaking havoc in the depths of the wild.
"From the beginning we wanted to bring together many of the items that have been on both our and the community's wishlist for years," said Josh Davis, Guild Wars 2 Game Director. "Janthir Wilds is proof of our commitment to continue to surprise and delight while improving the Guild Wars 2 gameplay experience in unexpected ways, and to support game modes for both the cooperative and competitive communities."
A wealth of new features, activities, and storylines open up new possibilities for gameplay:
- New maps: Two new explorable maps will be available on August 20, the bucolic Lowland Shore and the tempestuous Janthir Syntri, with a third to follow in future updates.
- Land spears: Once ruling solely in the underwater domain, spears are heading above the waves. Each of the game's nine professions will wield their spear in different ways, showcasing their talents through unique skills that provide enticing new gameplay possibilities. Anyone with a Guild Wars 2 account can partake in a beta to try out the new spear gameplay from June 27-30.
- New and improved Warclaw: Bursting from the World-vs-World game mode, the Warclaw will join player mount stables as a new option for exploring the mountains and river valleys of Janthir, using its unique double-jump ability to navigate tough terrain
- New Raid: For the first time since 2019, a new raid will play host to some of Janthir Wilds' toughest encounters, challenging 10-player groups with epic boss battles; both the raid and its more difficult Challenge Mode will be added in a follow-up release.
- Titans: The mysterious magical entities of Janthir channel the energy from the very land itself, a mystic and ineffable enigma in this unexplored region of Tyria…
- New Rewards: A new legendary spear and backpack item will be earnable by players in future content releases, along with a host of new armor and weapon sets.
