ArenaNet's Full Roadmap: GW2, GW3 and Reforged
Studio Head Colin Johanson commits ArenaNet to Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars Reforged, and Guild Wars 3, plus Hall of Monuments 2.0 and a new WvW Borderlands map.
The Archive Vol. 14 · All Editions
Every Story.
Every Dispatch.
In-depth matchup breakdowns, meta shifts, guild spotlights, and tactical analysis — all in one place.
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Guild Wars 3 Revealed: ArenaNet Takes Us to Ancient Orr
ArenaNet revealed Guild Wars 3 at Summer Game Fest. Ancient Orr setting, movement-first combat, and a PlayStation 5 debut — beta signups are open now.
Eternity's Garden Is Everything the 'Dead Game' Crowd Got Wrong
The Only Way dropped May 12 with a new zone, five story chapters, two Legendary accessories, and a WvW Legendary that gives the mode a real crafting goal.
GW2 in 2026 Is the Best Time in Years to Bring Someone Back to Tyria
The New Hero Jump Start runs through April 7. Returning players get boosted XP, Magic Find, and Reward Track progress. Here's why now is the moment to return.
Fashion Templates: How ArenaNet Turned a Stumble Into Fashion Wars 2's Biggest Step Forward
The Fashion Templates launch in February was rough. Dye glitches, accidental overwrites, a community in revolt. Then ArenaNet surprised everyone and listened.
GW2 Raid Quickplay Is Here: What It Actually Means for You
ArenaNet unified Raids and Strike Missions on February 3 and added a Quickplay queue. What changed, what the community got right, and what still needs work.
GW2's WvW Boon Problem Has a Name Now: Here's Why That's Progress
The January 2026 balance patch didn't fix WvW's boon-ball problem. But the community finally has a clear diagnosis, and that's the first step toward a cure.
The Spear Rewrote the GW2 Build Meta. Here Is What a Year of Data Shows.
Land spears launched with Janthir Wilds in August 2024. A year later: nine professions, real build diversity, and surprises the community didn't see coming.
GW2 at 13: Horizontal Progression Has Never Made More Sense
Guild Wars 2 turns 13 this month. After a year of Janthir Wilds, a decade-plus of the same core promise is the reason the game keeps pulling people back.
Janthir Wilds at One Year: The Expansion That Turned the Tide
August 20 marks a year since Janthir Wilds launched and changed what players expect from Guild Wars 2. What the expansion achieved and set in motion.
One Year Ago, GW2 Announced Homesteads and Changed the Conversation
June 2024's Janthir Wilds reveal gave us housing, spears, and the return of raids. One year later, the promises have delivered -- and the industry noticed.
NCSoft's Rough Year Did Not Sink GW2. The Numbers Say So.
When NCSoft announced layoffs and restructuring in October 2024, the community held its breath. Seven months later, the data tells a different story.
Secrets of the Obscure Was Set Up to Fail -- and It Didn't
SotO took every bad launch condition and still delivered weapon unlocks, Obsidian armor, and the framework Janthir Wilds built on. A fair accounting.
WvW Without Server Walls: How the Community Found Its People Again
World Restructuring took the server names away but not the community. Eight months in, here is how WvW players rebuilt what they thought they'd lost.
2024 Was GW2's Most Important Year Since Heart of Thorns
From a polarizing quarterly cadence to the best expansion launch in years, 2024 put Guild Wars 2 back where nobody expected. Here is what actually happened.
Mount Balrior and the Return of Raids: GW2's Endgame Is Back in the Conversation
The Godspawn update dropped November 19 with a new 10-person raid. Mount Balrior is the first new raid content in years, and endgame players are talking.
Homestead One Month In: The Best and Weirdest Things Players Have Built
A month since Janthir Wilds launched, the Homestead community has not slowed down. What players built, what the system still needs, and why housing was right.
GW2 Turns 12: Inside the Week That Made 2024 Worth It
Janthir Wilds launched August 20, the 12th Anniversary ran through September 3, and the Seattle meetup capped the week. Guild Wars 2 rarely felt this alive.
We Played Every Spear: A Profession-by-Profession Beta Report
The Janthir Wilds spear beta ran June 27 to June 30. We played all nine professions and have opinions on which classes got the best deal.
WvW Grew Up: What the Alliance System Actually Fixes
On June 14, World vs. World World Restructuring went always-on. Server identity is gone, replaced by something messier but built for how the community plays.
Janthir Wilds Revealed: GW2 Just Announced Its Most Requested Features Ever
ArenaNet revealed Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds. Player housing, land spears for every profession, and a Warclaw overhaul. The loudest GW2 reveal in years.
The Build Freedom Trade-off: What GW2 Gains Without Elite Specs
With Janthir Wilds speculation heating up and no elite specializations in sight, what does Guild Wars 2 actually gain from build freedom?
GW2's Quarterly Bet Pays Off: What Realm of Dreams Actually Delivered
Secrets of the Obscure's second major update landed February 27. The Realm of Dreams answered whether ArenaNet's quarterly release model could hold up.
GW2 in 2023: The Year the Game Stopped Apologizing and Started Delivering
2023 was the most structurally significant year for Guild Wars 2 since free-to-play. What it meant, what it cost, and why the game enters 2024 stronger.
Rift Hunting: The Case For and Against GW2's New Endgame Loop
Rift hunting is SotO's primary endgame activity and it divides the community. An honest breakdown of both sides, and whether it is worth your time.
Wizard's Vault Fixed What GW2 Dailies Never Could
The old daily achievement system rewarded logging in. The Wizard's Vault rewards actually playing. Here is how it works and how to get the most out of it.
The Skyscale Debate: Why Easier Access Is Actually the Right Call
Veterans are frustrated that SotO made the Skyscale easier to get. Here is why the change is right for Guild Wars 2, and what ArenaNet got right.
Secrets of the Obscure Is Live: First Impressions from the Skywatch Archipelago
GW2's fourth expansion launched today. The new model, new maps, new weapons, new daily system. Here is what we think after the first day in Skywatch.
Weapon Mastery Is the Best Thing ArenaNet Has Done to Builds in Years
Weapon Mastery lets elite spec weapons run outside their spec and gives every profession a new weapon. Secrets of the Obscure's biggest build shakeup yet.
Gyala Delve Has Problems. Here's What They Reveal About GW2's Map Design.
The latest EoD map has real flaws. Instead of just listing complaints, let's use Gyala Delve to talk about what actually makes a GW2 map worth staying in.
GW2's Content Model Just Changed Forever: What the Studio Update Actually Means
ArenaNet posted a Studio Update on February 13 that quietly ends the Living World format as we know it. Here is what the new model means for you.
WvW World Restructuring: What the Alliance System Actually Changes
WvW World Restructuring is reshaping how we play. What the Alliance system does, what it gets right, and the questions the community is wrestling with.
Ten Years in Tyria: Guild Wars 2 Hits Steam with 16 Million Players
Guild Wars 2 turns ten years old today and launches on Steam. Two milestones that say something real about what the game has built over a decade.
GW2's Balance Preview System Is Live and It Changes Everything
The June 28 patch landed hard, the community responded louder, and ArenaNet listened. Preview patches let players review balance changes before they ship.
End of Dragons Elite Specs: Which Ones Actually Held Up After Three Months
Three months post-launch, the End of Dragons elite spec meta has settled. Where every spec landed, what's thriving, and what the community figured out.
Lion's Arch Burns Again: Living World Season 1 Is Finally Permanent
After nearly eight years as vaulted content newer players could never access, Living World Season 1 returns as a permanent, free addition to Guild Wars 2.
ArenaNet Just Confirmed GW2 Has a Future. Here is What They Said.
ArenaNet's March 2022 Studio Update confirmed a fourth expansion and revealed the player base has doubled, with plans for Living World Season 1 and Steam.
How to Actually Win Dragon's End (And Why It's Worth the Fight)
Dragon's End is GW2's most demanding open-world meta since Tequatl's original form. What the community has figured out in two weeks, and how to clear it.
Cantha Is Back: Everything End of Dragons Gets Right on Day One
Guild Wars 2's third expansion launches today and Cantha is stunning. Maps, elite specs, the Siege Turtle, skiffs, fishing, and what EoD gets right.
GW2 in 2021: The Year That Built the Bridge to Cantha
2021 was the year Guild Wars 2 ended one chapter and set up the next. The saga closed with rough edges, but December looked better than January promised.
World vs. World Is Worth Fighting For. Let's Talk About What It Needs.
World Restructuring has been promised for years. The ticket grind is real, population imbalance is real, and WvW still pulls players in every night.
Nine Years of Tyria and What the Anniversary Stumble Tells Us About Year Ten
The 9th anniversary didn't land the way veterans hoped. The 'Committed' title incident matters, because understanding the stumble is key to what comes next.
GW2 Is Letting You Break the New Specs Before Launch. That Is a Big Deal.
ArenaNet's elite spec beta starts this month. Not just marketing access, but a genuine feedback loop. Beta 1 details and why it matters for GW2's future.
We're Going Back to Cantha: Everything ArenaNet Just Revealed About End of Dragons
The End of Dragons First Look stream just ended. Siege Turtle, fishing, Skiffs, Jade Bots, and a Cantha that has been waiting 15 years for us to come home.
How "Complete the Cycle" Is Quietly Fixing GW2's Biggest Story Problem
ArenaNet's free Living World giveaway is not just generous, it is one of the smartest community moves the studio has made in years. Here is why it matters.
The Icebrood Saga Is Over. Here's What It Left Behind.
Judgment released today and the Elder Dragon cycle has ended. The finale has rough edges, but the Icebrood Saga as a whole earned more than it lost.
Dragon Response Missions Are a Good Idea That Hasn't Found Its Footing Yet
Dragon Response Missions aren't what the community hoped for, but they're not a dead end either. What the format gets right, wrong, and could become.
Guild Wars 2 in 2020: The Year Tyria Held Its Breath
2020 threw everything at Guild Wars 2: a pandemic, layoffs, a saga that stumbled, and one of the biggest announcements in the game's history.
ArenaNet Lays Off Staff Again — Here's What We Know and What We Don't
ArenaNet confirmed a second round of layoffs in October 2020, affecting 10 developers on unannounced projects. GW2 development is reportedly unaffected.
Cantha Is Coming: Guild Wars 2's End of Dragons Announcement Breakdown
ArenaNet confirmed GW2's third expansion at the 8th Anniversary stream, and it's set in Cantha. What the teaser hides, and why it's the biggest GW2 news.
GW2's Endgame Split: What Raids Leaving and Strikes Arriving Actually Means
Over a year since GW2's last raid wing, and Strike Missions are here to replace them. What we gained, what we lost, and whether ArenaNet made the right call.
Drizzlewood Coast Is the Best Map GW2 Has Made in Years
No Quarter just launched Drizzlewood Coast and it's doing something other Living World maps rarely manage: it feels like an expansion map. Here's why it works.
Why GW2 Is the Right Game for Right Now
The world is pausing. Guild Wars 2's no-sub model, horizontal progression, open-world design make it a great place to ride out lockdowns, new or returning.
Visions of the Past: GW2 Finally Opens the Door on Living World Season 1
Steel and Fire adds four replayable Living World Season 1 missions and the Eye of the North as a hub. Not everything we asked for, but a start that matters.
GW2's Icebrood Saga Is the Best Living World Has Ever Been
Shadow in the Ice just dropped and the Icebrood Saga is on a roll. Here's why this feels like a genuine turning point for Guild Wars 2 storytelling.
GW2 2019 Year in Review: The Year ArenaNet Refused to Fold
2019 was the hardest year Guild Wars 2 has had since launch. It was also the year the game proved exactly what it's made of.
GW2 Build Templates Are Here — And We Need to Talk About the Price
Build Templates finally launched after years of requests. The official system beats ArcDPS in real ways, but ArenaNet's pricing needs a hard look.
Mike O'Brien Is Leaving ArenaNet — Here's What He Built
ArenaNet co-founder Mike O'Brien announced his departure last week. Before we talk about what comes next, let's talk about what he actually made.
Icebrood Saga Revealed at PAX West: What We Got, What We Expected, and Why It's Still Worth Your Attention
ArenaNet's PAX West reveal wasn't the third expansion players expected. An honest breakdown of the Icebrood Saga announcement and why the reaction got messy.
Skyscale Unlock Guide: Everything You Need, Every Step Explained
The Skyscale unlock is the longest collection in GW2 history. Every stage, every currency requirement, and how to survive the time gates intact.
War Eternal Closes Season 4 — and Tyria Will Never Look the Same
Season 4 ends with its most cinematic episode yet. War Eternal delivers on the promises this season made from day one — and then some. Spoilers ahead.
GW2's Warclaw: Did ArenaNet Just Break WvW — or Finally Fix It?
The Warclaw launched today and WvW will never be the same. Whether that's good news depends entirely on how you play the game mode.
ArenaNet's Hard Reset: What the February Layoffs Actually Mean for GW2
ArenaNet just cut roughly 143 jobs. Here's what actually happened, why, and what it means for the players still logging in every night.
WildStar Is Gone. Every GW2 Player Should Sit With That for a Minute.
NCSoft is shutting down WildStar and closing Carbine Studios. It's not our game - but it should mean something to everyone who's ever loved one.
Mythwright Gambit: GW2 Raiding Finally Remembered What Fun Feels Like
Wing 6 is ten days old and the community is talking about Qadim. Our Mythwright Gambit breakdown: encounters, rewards, and why it's GW2's best raid wing.
'A Star to Guide Us' Made Me Feel Things I Didn't Expect From an MMO
Episode 4 of Season 4 is live, and the community is still in shock. Spoiler-heavy review of the most emotionally ambitious episode GW2 has ever told.
After the Firing: What ArenaNet's Decision Tells Us About Developer-Community Trust
ArenaNet fired two writers this week after a Twitter exchange with a community partner. Here's what happened and why the community is split.
Roller Beetle: The Mount That Made Tyria Feel Like a Playground Again
Episode 3 dropped yesterday and nobody's talking about the story. They're all trying to drift around that corner in the Domain of Kourna. Rightfully so.
GW2's Anti-Cheat Scanned Your PC Without Telling You - Here's What Actually Happened
ArenaNet's ban wave exposed a silent anti-cheat tool that scanned every process on your computer. Here's the timeline and what they collected.
GW2's Sandswept Isles Is the Fresh Start Season 4 Needed
Episode 2 'A Bug in the System' dropped yesterday and the Sandswept Isles is already proving that Season 4 has legs. Here's what you need to know.
Guild Wars 2 in 2017: The Year the Game Remembered What It Was Built For
From Balthazar's reveal in February to Daybreak's launch in November, 2017 was GW2's most consequential year since launch day. Here's how we got here.
GW2 Raids in 2017: Here's Your Actual Path Through the Door
The raid gatekeeping conversation runs hot every year. Here's the practical guide to GW2's best endgame content: Kill Proof and training guilds.
Path of Fire Review: How GW2's Mounts Redefined What an Expansion Can Feel Like
Path of Fire launched September 22. After a week in the Crystal Desert, one thing is clear: ArenaNet changed the genre's conversation about movement.
Path of Fire Is Real: Mounts, Elona, and a God to Fight
Guild Wars 2's second expansion was announced August 1: mounts are in, Elona is back, and Balthazar isn't done. Everything the community hoped for and more.
One Path Ends: Guild Wars 2 Just Told Its Best Story Yet
Living World Season 3 closes July 25 with 'One Path Ends' and Siren's Landing, capping six episodes with the most emotionally complete arc yet.
WvW's Skirmish System Is Live - Here's Everything That Just Changed
The June update hit World vs. World with Skirmish reward tracks, the Warbringer backpack, Mistforged armor, and WvW's first real structural progression.
GW2 Doesn't Have a Gear Treadmill - That's the Point
Every few months someone posts 'Is GW2 dying?' and the debate starts again. The answer is a 2012 ArenaNet design decision most MMOs haven't caught up to.
Balthazar in Tyria: What 'The Head of the Snake' Just Did to GW2's Story
Living World Season 3 Episode 4 dropped February 7 and ended with a reveal that recontextualizes everything Season 3 built. A god walked into the story.
Guild Wars 2 in 2016: The Year That Tested Us and Then Delivered
2016 was the hardest year Guild Wars 2 put its community through since launch, and the year the game found its direction. Here's how we got there.
GW2 'A Crack in the Ice': Aurene, Braham, and the Year's Most Honest Storytelling
Living World Season 3 Episode 3 lands November 21 with Bitterfrost Frontier, a baby Elder Dragon, and a Braham arc more honest than any GW2 story beat yet.
Denial Esports Win Back-to-Back: GW2 World Championship 2016 Full Recap
Denial Esports defended their title at the GW2 World Championship 2016, taking home $200,000 as the first team to win consecutive GW2 LAN titles.
Bloodstone Fen Is Here and the Drought Is Over: Living World Season 3 First Look
Living World Season 3 Episode 1 'Out of the Shadows' launched July 26. Bloodstone Fen is stunning, and the content drought that defined 2016 is over.
GW2 Spring 2016 Update: WvW Reward Tracks, a Free L80 Boost, and ArenaNet Listening
The Spring 2016 update landed April 19 with WvW Reward Tracks, a free Level-80 Boost for HoT owners, and Desert Borderlands work. Here's what changed.
Thank You, Colin: A Farewell to the Game Director Who Shaped Guild Wars 2
Studio Head Colin Johanson has left ArenaNet after 11 years. Here's what he built, why it mattered, and what his departure means for the game going forward.
GW2 Gliding Comes to Core Tyria: The Winter Update Delivers What Players Actually Wanted
The Winter 2016 update brought gliding to every original open-world map, a reworked Shatterer, and a squad UI overhaul. Here's why it matters.
2015 in Review: The Year Guild Wars 2 Fought for Its Future - And Won
Content drought, pricing controversy, free-to-play, expansion launch, and raids. Guild Wars 2 had its most turbulent year in 2015. Here's how it went.
Spirit Vale Is Live - And the Raid Debate Is More Interesting Than the Raids
Spirit Vale launched November 17. The first GW2 raids are real and hard, and they've sparked a conversation about what kind of game Guild Wars 2 wants to be.
Heart of Thorns Is Here - 48 Hours in the Maguuma Jungle
Heart of Thorns launched October 23. We went in. Here's what the first 48 hours looked like: the extraordinary, the rough, and the parts that need time.
Heart of Thorns Launches October 23 - BWE2 Was the Last Test Before the Real Thing
Beta Weekend 2 wrapped on September 6. The launch date is confirmed: October 23, 2015. Here's what the second beta told us and what questions remain.
Guild Wars 2 Is Free Now - Here's What That Actually Means
The base game went free-to-play on August 29. Beta Weekend 1 is behind us. Two enormous things happened this month, and both of them deserve an honest look.
Heart of Thorns: Every Confirmed Feature, Broken Down
Beta Weekend 1 is a month out. Here's the complete breakdown of every confirmed Heart of Thorns feature: what it is, what it does, and why it matters.
Heart of Thorns Has a Price Problem - And ArenaNet Just Proved the Community Can Fix It
The pre-purchase pricing for Heart of Thorns lit up the community. Here's what happened, why veterans pushed back, and what ArenaNet's response means.
Three Years in Tyria - What This Game Has Built (And Why We're Still Here)
Heart of Thorns is coming. Before it changes everything, let's take stock of what three years of Guild Wars 2 built, and why the quiet isn't empty.
Living World Season 2 Is Over - And It Built Something Worth Grieving
Point of No Return dropped yesterday and Season 2 is behind us. Here's what it gave us - and why the silence coming next isn't something to fear.
2014 in Review: The Year Guild Wars 2 Grew Up
Lion's Arch fell, Scarlet died, and the Wardrobe arrived. Season 2 fixed the Living World. We grade GW2's biggest year yet and what the jungle hides.
How GW2's September Update Quietly Fixed Everything
Global Guilds, Collections, and WvW changes nobody screamed about - all dropped September 9. Here's why the patch that fixed everything got ignored by everyone.
Mordremoth: What We Know Before Living World Season 2
Scarlet is dead. Lion's Arch is rubble. Something roared when the Breachmaker hit the ley lines. We dig into GW2 lore for what comes next in Season 2.
GW2's Great Reset: No More Transmutation Hell
GW2's April 2014 Feature Pack overhauls cosmetics, servers, and traits all at once. The Wardrobe, Megaserver, and new Trait system are live now.
The Fall of Lion's Arch: The Day Tyria Stood Still
Scarlet's Breachmaker tore Lion's Arch apart. We lost waypoints and banks and banks of memories. A first-hand account of watching our home city burn.
Tower of Nightmares: GW2's Living World Year in Review
The Tower of Nightmares fell last week. Kessex Hills still smolders. A look back at the Living World's first year and what Scarlet's plan means for 2014.
Tequatl Reborn: The End of Brainless World Bosses
ArenaNet rewrote Tequatl into a 15-minute coordinated boss fight with batteries, turrets, and failure states. The zerg era in Sparkfly Fen is over.
Kiel vs. Gnashblade: GW2's First Player Election
GW2 players elect Kiel or Gnashblade in Cutthroat Politics. The winner decides the next Fractal: Thaumanova Reactor or Abaddon. Vote before August 5.
Molten Facility: GW2's First Living World Dungeon
ArenaNet's first Living World dungeon proves temporary content can beat permanent, and raises hard questions about whether great design should expire.
Super Adventure Box: GW2's Best April Fools' Event
GW2's Super Adventure Box was an 8-bit platformer hidden inside an MMO for April Fools. Chiptune music, secret shops, and pixel weapon skins made it legendary.
Shadow of the Mad King: GW2's First Halloween Festival
Shadow of the Mad King, GW2's first Halloween event, has wrapped. Mad King Says hit Lion's Arch. What worked, what broke, and what's next for Wintersday.
WvW Status Report: The Free Transfer Crisis and the Rise of the "Blackgate Turtle"
Four weeks after launch, WvW is buckling under free transfers, population bandwagoning, and an Arrow Cart meta that is choking the fun out of Tier 1.
WvW Stress Test Report: Queues, Culling Changes, and the Charr Tax
ArenaNet ran its third stress test on August 2 and WvW felt it: two-hour queues, a controversial engine change, and an emerging racial visibility debate.
sPvP After BWE3: The Maps, The Meta, and the Downed State Fight
BWE3 is a week behind us and the competitive community has not stopped theorycrafting. We break down the Conquest meta, tournaments, and downed state debate.
Guild Wars 2 BWE3: The Hunger Royale and the Final Beta
Guild Wars 2's final beta weekend brought the Hunger Royale, new races, and wild bugs. Our BWE3 postmortem covers everything before the August 28 launch.
It Is Official: Guild Wars 2 Launches August 28
ArenaNet just confirmed the date. August 28. Here is what we know, what we are wondering, and what it means for the MMO landscape this fall.
WvW First Impressions from BWE2: Rough, Broken, and Absolutely Unmissable
WvW in BWE2 was broken, laggy, unfair, and the best thing we played all weekend. Here is what worked, what did not, and why we cannot stop thinking about it.
BWE2 Is Almost Here - And We Have Beta Keys to Give Away
The second Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Event runs June 8-10. We scored a handful of extra keys. Want one? Enter here.