Summer is coming to an end, and this fall and winter are all about preparing for Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons™! In April, we gave you a look ahead at all our live release plans for the summer months. Here’s a guide to everything coming between now and February 2022, when Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons launches.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Elite Specialization Beta Events
Our first elite specialization beta event just wrapped up this weekend, and we’re reading through all your feedback and first impressions of the virtuoso, harbinger, and willbender. The second and third beta events will each feature another set of new elite specializations to try out. All Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons elite specializations will be playable in the fourth beta event, along with the new siege turtle mount.
Elite Specializations Beta 2: 21 September
- Preview Livestream: 17 September
Elite Specializations Beta 3: 26 October
- Preview Livestream: 22 October
Elite Specializations Beta 4: 30 November—All Elite Specializations and Siege Turtle Mount
Return to Living World Season 4 and The Icebrood Saga!
Return to Living World™ continues today with the first episode of Season 4, “Daybreak.” Log in every week through 28 September to unlock a free Living World Season 4 episode and catch up on the story and rewards. Free episodes of The Icebrood Saga will be in the spotlight weekly from 19 October through 30 November.
Complete new achievements for each Living World episode to progress the Seasons of the Dragons meta achievement and prepare for Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons with fantastic rewards!
- Complete 4 Meta-Achievements—Ascended Weapon Choice
- Complete 10 Meta-Achievements—Fragment of Prismatic Light
- Complete 16 Meta-Achievements—32-Slot Inventory Bag
- Complete 24 Meta-Achievements—Legendary Amulet and “Returning Champion” Title
The Fragment of Prismatic Light can be redeemed in Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons for a third-generation legendary precursor weapon. We’ll give you more details about third-generation legendaries in the coming months.
World vs. World Restructuring
Last month we confirmed that the WvW World Restructuring feature (a.k.a. Alliances) is in active development. Today we’re back to announce that we’re targeting 24 September for the first week-long beta test of the system.
We have a lot of work to do before then. On 31 August we’ll be rolling out some substantial updates to our server infrastructure—specifically, the servers that make World vs. World possible. This new server code is going to run silently in the background for a few weeks, allowing us to stress test the system with live player data. Ideally, you shouldn’t notice anything different in your WvW gameplay during this time.
We know you’re eager for the gritty details about world restructuring. We’ll be posting a dedicated blog on the feature well in advance of the first beta event, which will include an up-to-date overview of the system and our plans for the betas.
DirectX 11 and More
Starting on 21 September we’ll be running a beta test for the DirectX 11 upgrade we discussed in July’s studio update blog post. Keep an eye out for more information on the upgrade and what changes you can expect to see in the coming weeks.
Festivals and Bonus Events
Festival of the Four Winds arrives next week! Chill out in Labyrinthine Cliffs or slake your thirst for combat in the Crown Pavilion from 31 August to 21 September.
Bonus events will continue between our annual holiday festivities.
- World vs. World Bonus Event: 21 September–1 October
- World vs. World Bonus Event: 1 October–8 October
- Shadow of the Mad King: 5 October–9 November
- PvP League Season 29: 12 October–19 October
- World vs. World Bonus Event: 5 November–12 November
- World vs. World Bonus Event: 10 December–17 December
- Wintersday: 14 December–4 January
- Lunar New Year: 25 January (2022)
We’ve also heard Tyria’s stylists buzzing with excitement about some fresh new trends. It won’t be long until you’re on your way to Cantha in Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, so look for opportunities to put your best face forward this winter!
