It's hard to believe it's already been a few months since Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™ launched. As we wind down 2024, we'd like to give the community an update about all things Guild Wars 2. Our fifth expansion added one of the most requested features to the game—homesteads—and it's been wonderful watching the creativity of players as they decorate their new homes. You also got to experience the beauty of Lowland Shores and survive the dangers of Janthir Syntri with your new allies, the lowland kodan. With the kodans' help, you were taught to wield spears and ride the warclaw like you never have before. But Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds has just begun, and in one week, you'll be able to join forces to tackle our first raid in five years, craft a new legendary spear, and continue your story with the lowland kodan.
Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds—"Godspawn"
"Godspawn," the first of three major updates to Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, is coming on November 19. Three new story chapters will continue your adventure against the threat of the titans. Will you and your allies be able to uncover a path to securing peace for the inhabitants of the Isles of Janthir?
In addition to new story chapters, there will also be a new raid and Convergence, the new legendary spear, Klobjarne, along with a new Wizard's Vault season, relics, weapon and armor rewards, a Mastery update, and new homestead decorations!
Stay tuned for previews of the new rewards and Wizard's Vault refresh in our launch day blog!
Raids Are Back!
In next week's update, we will be introducing our new 10-person raid, which will take you to Mount Balrior. It features three bosses and several smaller, varied encounters that will test your coordination and adaptability.
At the heart of Mount Balrior's narrative are Greer, the Blightbringer, and Decima, the Stormsinger, the two titans you battled in Janthir Syntri. After their defeat, they've retreated to Mount Balrior to recover and regroup. This time, they won't be alone. Their raid versions bring back the chaotic, relentless attacks of Greer and the structured, strategic mechanics of Decima, but cranked up to new levels of intensity. Expect familiar moves executed in ways that will keep your group on their toes, along with a few completely new surprises that Greer and Decima have in store.
Embark on the New Convergence in Lowland Shore
For a different flavor of group content, we are also launching a new Convergence in the "Godspawn" update! Like the Convergence in Guild Wars 2®: Secrets of the Obscure™, up to 50 players can participate in public squads every three hours, with private squads able to start any time. Expect a challenge comparable to the Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure Convergence bosses, with most groups completing it in 20-30 minutes.
In this journey, Stoic Alder, the Claw of the lowland kodan, narrates your adventure to young kodan cubs, adding unique story twists with every playthrough. Fans of Greer and Decima will find familiar attacks, but with adaptations that make this event a fresh experience. As our first multi-purpose map, Mount Balrior includes hidden passages and adaptive designs, setting the stage for future rotations of bosses and a challenge mode arriving later next year.
Stay tuned as we dive deeper into what's next for both raids and Convergences in an upcoming blog later this week!
World vs. World (WvW) Updates
Our team is focused on refining core systems in WvW while we continue planning for some of our larger, long-term goals. One major area of focus is incentivizing winning—or, in other words, creating shared goals that encourage teamwork. We've consistently heard two key pieces of feedback: players often have different preferences for defending versus not defending, and, more generally, many players feel there aren't enough incentives to win matchups. By aligning team goals around winning, we hope to address both these issues. It's a big task, but it's one we're dedicated to, and we're excited to start rolling out improvements.
We're also making some significant scoring adjustments for the first time in a while. This is an essential step in aligning player goals and encouraging teams to prioritize winning together. We've updated PPK (points per kill) values, the points for capturing objectives, and will soon launch adjusted VP (Victory Point) numbers tailored to different time zone coverage.
In the short term, we've been updating several key parts of WvW game elements. We've overhauled the siege system, improved the participation system to make earning repel credit more consistent, and introduced new attribute combinations exclusive to WvW (alongside tweaks to existing ones that don't impact PvE). We're also working to adjust certain tactics and strengthen objective lords to better serve as rally points for defenders. To make WvW more rewarding, we've added unique skins, infusions, new ways to spend WvW currencies, and better skirmish track rewards.
Accessibility for new players is a key goal, too. The warclaw is now immediately available in WvW, mastering it is faster, and new exotic gear with selectable attributes is readily obtainable.
World vs. World Restructuring and Competitive Updates
The World Restructuring team is currently focused on larger improvements to the team-creation algorithm, with special consideration given to improving the issue described in this forum post.
We're also enhancing the guild panel with a new UI element that displays which members have selected the guild as their WvW guild, making it easier for guilds to coordinate their World vs. World activities and avoid missing team-creation lockout deadlines.
Additionally, we're updating the character select screen, replacing World Selection with a Region Selection UI panel. This will allow seamless transfers between North American and European datacenters. With this change, intra-region transfers will no longer be necessary, which also eliminates the risk of spending gems on redundant world transfers. Regional transfers will now have a flat cost of 500 gems simplifying the process.
Also, for players who took part in our PvP Push beta event, we recently sent out a survey to gather feedback on the event, and we'll be reviewing the responses and then determining our next steps for the game mode. There will be more Push news in 2025 as we continue to work with the community on building the Push PvP mode.
Guild Wars 2 on the Epic Games Store!
Guild Wars 2 will be making its debut on the Epic Games Store later this month, and we're thrilled to welcome a new batch of players to the world of Tyria. Guild Wars 2 has been captivating players for the past 12 years, and we are excited to make Tyria even more accessible to players by partnering with Epic.
Keep a look out on our official platforms for a release date (and an epic new Guild Wars 2 trailer) soon!
Wrapping Up 2024
While the year may be coming to a close soon, there's still plenty of things coming up for Guild Wars 2. November and December will also include more events: a two-week New Hero Jump Start event, a "birthday" bash for Evon Gnashblade, and Wintersday coming up on December 10. Lunar New Year and a second skills and balance update will be coming along near the end of January 2025. Around then—or a little after—we'll be back to talk about the next few months of Guild Wars 2.
Here are some dates for our upcoming events to close out the year:
October 29–November 19: Extra Life In-Game Bonus
November 12–November 25: New Hero Jump Start Event
November 25–December 2: Evon Gnashblade's "Birthday" Celebration
December 10–January 2: Wintersday Event
And finally, as a reminder of what's still to come in Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds in 2025, we have this handy content chart:
Happy adventuring! We'll see you in the game.
—The Guild Wars 2 Team
Serve Sharp and Chic Style with the Dapper Suit Package
Dapper Suit Package
This week in the Gem Store, we have elegant attire that suits all who enjoy a handsome style. The Dapper Suit Package is a staple in sharp couture. This package is available for 1,200 gems and contains the Dapper Coat Skin, Dapper Pants Skin, and Dapper Wingtips Skin.
What's in Stock
Starting November 15 and continuing for the next few days, the following mount packs, adoption licenses, and select licenses will be 20% off:
Warclaw Frontline Mount Pack
Distant Lands Mount Adoption License
Distant Lands Mount Select License
Exotic Breeds Mount Adoption License
Exotic Breeds Mount Select License
Lost Era Mount Adoption License
Lost Era Mount Select License
Awakened Mounts Pack
Canthan Vulpine Jackal Mounts Pack
Canthan Tigris Griffon Mounts Pack
Choose your favorite mount skins and add them to your collection!
Returning This Week
Creative hearts rejoice! From today until November 19, Character Slot Expansions are available at an awesome 20% discount. Expand your alt collection with a shiny new character.
Available Now in the Gem Store!
Log into Guild Wars 2 and press 'O' to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!
Game Update Notes: November 5, 2024
Release Notes:
Note to users of third-party programs: The game may not launch or work properly after we release a new build if you use a third-party program, due to possible incompatibilities. ArenaNet cannot offer support if a third-party modification breaks, interferes with, or prevents you from playing Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2. Our policy regarding third-party programs can be found here.
General
Improved mouse-drag behavior when playing Guild Wars 2 on a remote machine connection, such as the Windows Remote Desktop application.
Homesteads
Fixed an issue that could prevent players from entering a party member's homestead by selecting "Join in Homestead" from the party menu.
Stabled mounts in the homestead and open world will now display a portrait when selected.
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented homestead collection boxes from gathering from all nodes when used in rapid succession.
Fixed an issue that caused the default size of each homestead decoration in the Meditative Garden Homestead Package to be incorrect. Each decoration's default size has increased. Players will need to remove and replace or resize their decorations if they have already placed them in their homestead.
Structured Player vs. Player
Fixed an issue that caused the Tournaments & Special Events panel to display incorrect live match scores.
World vs. World
General
Fixed an issue that could cause a crash in WvW maps when using armor with special effects, such as Nightfury or Winter's Presence, while standard models were enabled.
A Clear Vision of the Past Unfolds This Week in the Gem Store
Steamwork Skyscale Skin
This skyscale skin was designed by someone clearly influenced by Scarlet Briar’s clockwork designs, or at least someone who pillaged her workshop for spare parts! The ingenuity of Scarlet’s work has not been forgotten. The Steamwork Skyscale Skin is available now for 1,600 gems.
Black Lion Chest Update: Shadowed Eye
Inside each chest, you’re guaranteed to find a redeemable Black Lion Statuette, Mini Blue Cuckoo Hatchling, and two common items. You also have a chance to find something rarer in the fifth slot, including special items, glyphs, and skins from the Paladin’s Decree Weapon Collection and the Venombite Weapon Collection. Don’t forget you can redeem Black Lion Statuettes for past items from Black Lion Chests you may have missed!
Exclusive Item: Mystic Visionary Cape
Visions of other worlds cloud your mind. This mantle ushers you through timelines converging—witness the universe through the eyes of time. The Mystic Visionary Cape is a new, exclusive drop from Black Lion Chests.
Foefire Weapon Collection
The spirit of the Foefire rages within these weapons. Memories of blue flames guide your hand into the heat of battle. Each Foefire weapon skin can be obtained in exchange for 1 Black Lion Claim Ticket.
What’s in Stock
Starting November 8 and continuing for the next few days, select dye kits will be 20% off, including the Smooth Berry Dye Kit, Charr Dye Kit, Norn Dye Kit, Lion’s Arch Commemorative Dye Kit, Aurene Dye Kit, Jade Dye Kit, Lion's Arch Survivors Dye Kit, Kralkatorrik Dye Kit, Mordremoth Dye Kit, and Vibrant Dye Kit.
Returning This Week
If you're a fan of an organized account, this is for you! From today until November 12, Shared Inventory Slots are at an incredible 20% discount.
Available Now in the Gem Store!
Log into Guild Wars 2 and press 'O' to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!
The Journey of the Warclaw: From Concept to Game Changer
The warclaw mount has long been a favorite in the World vs. World (WvW) community, but with its recent revamp, this agile mount now roams the open world, thanks to the release of Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™. What started as a support-focused mount has evolved into a fast, versatile companion for exploring all of Tyria. Today, we'll give you an inside look at how the warclaw made its leap from WvW exclusivity to open-world adventure (with some help from some feline friends, no less).
A Shift in Design
When the warclaw mount was first developed, the goal was to create a utility-based mount that provided a tactical advantage in World vs. World. While it served its purpose well in that game mode, as player feedback came in, the team's vision began to evolve. Over time, as we refined our approach to mount design—especially with the success of the skyscale in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure™—we saw an opportunity to do something similar for the warclaw in Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds.
Looking at the warclaw, we noticed it was underutilized and had the potential for significant expansion and improvement. We started exploring how the warclaw could navigate the open world of Tyria; the idea was that it would no longer be confined to WvW battlefields, becoming a key tool for players in dynamic events and pivotal story moments in Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds.
Leaping into Player vs Environment (PvE)
Several factors were crucial in making the warclaw's transition into PvE a reality. The success of the skyscale and the lessons we learned from its implementation in Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure gave us valuable insight into how to repurpose existing mounts for new content. We took the base mechanics of the warclaw and, with feedback from multiple teams and the community, identified its growth opportunities and weaknesses. And of course, we can't overlook the influence that cats—our internet-favorite feline friends—had in shaping the warclaw's personality and movement. Who would turn down studying cats at work?
The main goal of revamping the warclaw mount was to make it feel like a living part of Tyria's world. We wanted to create a mount that had a lot of personality and was fun to move around the world on, while also helping players on their own journey. We leaned into capturing the essence of a cat's playful nature and incorporated feline behaviors into the mount's design. Watching how cats sneak, pounce, and explore places they shouldn't be in gave us the ability to make a mount that feels not only functional, but also full of personality.
As such, the warclaw was crafted to be the premier mount for Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, offering a versatile, all-around experience. Unlike other mounts, which often excel in specific areas, the warclaw was designed to be more of a generalist. It features a dash, but not one as powerful as the raptor's. It can go vertical, but not leap as high as the springer. It's fast, though not as quick as the roller beetle. And while it can navigate aerial spaces, it's not as adept as the skyscale. While the team didn't set out to make a jack-of-all-trades mount, that's exactly where the design landed, and the result is an incredibly fun and adaptable mount for a variety of situations.
Given that the warclaw's movement was inspired by the mischievous nature of cats, it also made sense to grant it no fall damage. Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds has a lot of verticality, and this feature makes the warclaw a great choice for navigating dangerous drops. Just don't go testing your poor warclaw's limits too much!
Overcoming Design Challenges: The Double-Jump Dilemma
Designing the warclaw came with its fair share of challenges, and one of the trickiest was perfecting its abilities—especially the fan-favorite double jump. There was a series of prototypes and iterations, each refining the mount's abilities to match both the team's vision and player feedback. Using the ability in various environments and increasing its speed and turn rate to test how it performed was crucial in getting the warclaw to feel just right in a PvE setting.
The real breakthrough, however, came when the team decided to embrace the playful, exploratory nature of cats. Their instinct to sneak into places they shouldn't be served as inspiration for the mount's double jump and fluid movements. Never underestimate the power of researching cats!
In the spirit of transparency, we have to admit that, while cats played a big part in the design process, so did a bug we encountered early on. This bug allowed players to leap higher each time they connected with the ground, causing each jump to get progressively higher. While it wasn't intended, it sparked the idea to explore different jumping concepts. After several iterations, the team settled on the double-jump mechanic because it was both practical and easier for players to control. Of all the versions tested, it was also the most fun, capturing the core goal of warclaw's design and bringing the pure joy of movement to the mount.
A New Standard for Mounts
In the end, the warclaw transformation is a testament to the power of player feedback and the collaborative spirit of the development team. The transformation from an underutilized mount to one of the community's most beloved companions has been very rewarding for the Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds team. Experiencing the joy of movement is what makes a mount truly special, and whether you're tearing across the WvW battlefield or leaping across Tyria's vast landscapes, the warclaw is there to make every journey a little more thrilling. Just don't forget to visit your feline friend in your homestead from time to time for scritches!
Help Change Kids' Health with Our 2024 Extra Life Bundle
Extra Life 2024 Donation Bundle
Join us this year in making the world a better place! Purchase the Extra Life 2024 Bundle and receive cool in-game goodies while donating to an amazing cause.
This incredible bundle contains five Extra Life Karma Boosters, five Temporary Selfless Potions, and the all-new Guardian Angel Pedestal Chair. Purchasing any of these items will also grant you the in-game title "The Extra Life" in blue text. The Extra Life 2024 Donation Bundle is available for 800 gems. The Extra Life Karma Boosters can be obtained separately for 75 gems each or 275 gems for 10 boosters, with all proceeds going to Extra Life.
To thank our generous donors, once we reach our stretch goal of $105,000 in direct donations on the Team ArenaNet Extra Life page, anyone who purchased any Extra Life item in the Gem Store will automatically receive two special selection boxes to choose fan-favorite rewards from past events. Select the Feisty Feline Tonic, Mini Mr. Sparkles, Celebration Hat, or ten Kegs of Liquid Karma.
Visit our Extra Life campaign page Team ArenaNet and help us reach our stretch goal of $105,000 in direct donations this year. And please check out our Extra Life blog for more information about our upcoming 24-hour livestream on November 1.
We sincerely thank our community for always joining us for this incredibly rewarding event.
What’s in Stock
Starting November 1 and continuing for the next few days, select unique chairs will be 20% off, including the Dark Wing Throne, Great Lodge Chair, Legionnaire's Chair, Qi Focusing Chair, Super Adventure Box Chair, Volcanic Throne, Street Noodles Chair, and Quiet Woods Chair. Long days of adventuring call for rest and relaxation; get your favorite chairs at an awesome discount!
Returning This Week
From today until November 5, Bank Tab Expansions, Armistice Bastion Pass, Lava Lounge Pass, Mistlock Sanctuary Passkey, Noble's Folly Pass, Royal Terrace Pass, Thousand Seas Pavilion Pass, and Captain's Airship Pass are available at a wonderful 20% discount. Easy access to everything you need!
Available Now in the Gem Store!
Log into Guild Wars 2 and press 'O' to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!
Designing World Bosses in Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds
Creating large-scale open world events in Guild Wars 2® is no easy task, and when the challenge involves bringing iconic titans back into the game for the first time since the original Guild Wars®, the stakes get even higher. Today, our designers Travis Battig, Peter Larkin, Matthew Burke, and Brian Gilmore share some behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of the new titans and another community-favorite world boss from Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds™. From technical breakthroughs to design philosophy, their journey is one of balancing ambition with careful, thoughtful iteration.
Finding Balance in Open World Event Design: Travis's Vision
When designing open world events, there's always the desire to do more, to make it harder, and to delight players with something bigger and more complex than what they've seen before. However, as it goes with every studio and project, we need to find ways to push ourselves while operating within our constraints. After a great deal of iteration on what the full experience would be, we decided it was best to allow the titans themselves to carry this world boss encounter—after all, this is their first appearance since the original Guild Wars.
We had decided early on to make Decima and Greer a world boss encounter instead of a meta-event. We also wanted to incorporate our reworked warclaw mount's mechanics into the design by having them be the solution to the titans' hardened armor. Early prototypes included porting over existing WvW door functionality onto a creature, armor gadgets we attached to a karka rig, and a dynamic race-gate placement. Ultimately, we arrived at the experience that's in the game: tripping the titan with your warclaw to make it break its own armor under its weight. When either titan is knocked over, their armor is shattered, revealing their inner core. As an homage to titans in Guild Wars, the resulting destruction generates titanspawn for players to defeat.
Breathing Life into Decima: Peter's Design Goals
The early concept art for Decima was inspiring, and the idea that she would use conduits in some way struck a chord. As a titan, she incorporates elements of her environment to form thick, rocky armor made of crystalline structures reminiscent of pyrite.
As the Stormsinger, her conduits allow her to manipulate the weather by generating and storing large amounts of arcane flux, a hybrid of air-attuned and raw arcane magic. Decima's rocky, hefty appearance isn't what you'd expect from a creature capable of generating and manipulating storms, wind, and lightning. This dichotomy was fun to work with and informed much of her design, especially her love of squashing things!
A key aspect of Decima's design is her massive beam attacks that fire from the conduit built into her left arm. However, matching visual effects to rectangular attacks of arbitrary length is tricky. Decima is so large that her beam attacks couldn't shoot directly from her arm, as they'd be too high up and off-center. To solve this, we used an invisible creature to act as an anchor for the beam attack, allowing the system to dynamically scale the beams to almost any length. This will become much more relevant in the upcoming raid!
Making Greer Distinct: Brian's Creative Process
With Greer, the titan of rot, our goal was to embody the theme of "decay without life" throughout the encounter. Greer's ideal world would be what you would find underneath a kicked over log—rot without regrowth. A key aspect of Greer is his ability to corrupt boons, a mechanic usually not found in open world content, which adds a new layer of complexity for players in the PvE setting. Having a world boss that uses a player's own strengths against them encourages different builds and strategies, such as utilizing abilities that can cleanse conditions.
With the titans, we also introduced mechanics to the open world that were more commonly seen in strikes and raids. For example, to avoid Greer's rot eruption, three players have to stack up in the same spot, or decaying thorns will burst up from the ground and impale them. Earlier versions of this attack would simply target the players who were furthest from Greer, and while that did keep ranged players on their toes, it left no room for counterplay. In the end, Eruption of Rot evolved from an attack that harassed ranged characters into one that needed to—and could be—countered by player action.
We also wanted to make sure Greer and Decima felt different to overcome while sharing some similarities. Both have hardened armor and generate titanspawn when it's broken, but while Decima is more of a dance of death, Greer is more of a stand-up brawl. We can't wait for players to experience how Greer's titan-splitting mechanic evolves in the new raid coming soon!
Rise of the Bog Queen: Burke's Design Journey
When we began research for Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, we stumbled upon bog bodies and used them as a point of inspiration. Bog bodies are basically mummies preserved in peat bogs, and we decided they would be reanimated due to the maggots infesting them.
The event chain started with the idea that you would be running around and squishing the maggots while riding on the warclaw. After several iterations, it evolved to requiring the players to dash through the maggots to stop them, which was more interactive. Once that system was ready, our attention shifted to designing the source of these maggots—enter the Bog Queen.
To bring the Bog Queen to life, we started with the Risen Priestess of Lyssa model, which hadn't been used much. Our Character Art Lead, Adam, did an amazing job updating and altering the design into the creepy visage you see in the game. We also upgraded her animations, which allowed her to hover as she commands her army of maggots and bog bodies.
From there, we wrote some voice lines for her summoning poem, like, "Squirm and infest; rot and decay. Find a new home, all soft and warm. It's time to join my jubilant swarm!" Then our narrative lead, Indigo, fleshed out an incredible backstory for her with the help of some other talented contributors. We won't spoil anything, but be sure to poke around Janthir Syntri if you want the full story.
We also played around with the idea of having the Bog Queen sing her voice lines during the maggot summoning but ended up deciding against that in the end. Patty Mattson, who also voiced Peitha, absolutely crushed it performing as the Bog Queen. We love giving her nine-feet-tall monsters to play!
Overall, the whole team really rallied around the Bog Queen, and we are delighted to see that she's become a favorite of the Guild Wars 2 community. She wouldn't be the success she is without everyone working together to make it happen. Shoutouts to our map artists, design leads, QA, and the music team—the "Queen of Murk" track is unbelievable!
Looking Ahead
Whether you're facing off against the corruption of Greer, battling Decima's lightning strikes, or dashing through maggots in Janthir Wilds, these encounters are designed to engage players in fresh, exciting ways. Each of these bosses represents the culmination of months of collaboration and creativity, and we were thrilled to watch the community's reaction to them when the expansion launched. We're equally excited for players to experience our upcoming raid and Convergences bosses in our first major update to Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds in November. We'll see you then!
Add Tranquility to Your Homestead with the Meditative Garden Homestead Package
Let your mind relax to one hour of melodic music, calming sounds, and tranquil visuals inspired by our Meditative Garden Homestead Package.
Meditative Garden Homestead Package
Adventuring is exhausting! Every new conflict can take its toll on your spirit—but with this package, you can begin building your peaceful garden. Care for the little piece of heaven that keeps your mind tranquil and your heart at peace.
This package is available for 800 gems and contains the following items:
Meditative Bamboo Fountain
Meditative Bamboo Fence
Meditative Long Bamboo Fence
Meditative Lucky Rock
Meditative Favored Rock
Meditative Sand Circle
Meditative Sand Lines
Meditative Stone Lantern
Meditative Windswept Tree
You'll receive one of each homestead decoration and permanently unlock the recipe to craft more inside your homestead!
Spirit Silk Appearance Pack
Manifest your elegance with this lovely attire. The Alluring Silk Outfit is a captivating ensemble with its low neckline and classic silky beauty. Make sure to pair your new garment with a flowing scarf graced by air magic. You will embody ethereal charm.
The Spirit Silk Appearance Pack is available for 1,800 gems and contains the Alluring Silk Outfit, the Flowing Silk Backpack and Glider Combo, a Mystical Beast Weapon Choice, and a Total Makeover Kit. The outfit and the backpack and glider combo can be obtained separately for 700 gems each.
What's in Stock
Starting October 25 and continuing for the next few days, select unique weapon skins will be 20% off, including the Gilded Stratus Longbow Skin, the Devil-Rending Dagger Skin, the Synergetics Energized Shield Skin, the Queensdale Academy Wand Set, and many more. Fight new and old foes with some of the coolest weapons in Tyria!
Returning This Week
From today until October 29, Material Storage Expanders, Recharging Teleport to Friend, Black Lion Garden Plot Deeds, and select Black Lion Contract Boards are available at a sweet 20% discount. Be sure to get what you need!
Available Now in the Gem Store!
Log into Guild Wars 2 and press 'O' to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!
Team ArenaNet for Extra Life 2024
Since 2017, ArenaNet has proudly partnered with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals through the annual Extra Life gaming marathon, and we're thrilled to keep the tradition going strong! On Friday, November 1, starting at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) we'll be kicking off 24 hours of gaming and fundraising, rallying our amazing community to help support this incredible cause. Join us for a memorable event that makes a real difference!
What is Extra Life?
Extra Life unites gamers from across the globe to stream for 24 hours, all in the name of raising money for Children's Miracle Network hospitals. These 170 nonprofit children's hospitals throughout the US and Canada help critically ill and injured children by covering healthcare costs, purchasing essential medical equipment, and funding vital research. Thanks to events like Extra Life, they're able to provide 38 million patient visits to 12 million children annually.
Over the years, Team ArenaNet—with the help of you, the community—has raised more than ONE MILLION dollars in donations for this cause, and on November 1, we'll be aiming to push that total even higher.
Donation Mission: Champions of the Children
Log in to Guild Wars 2® between October 29 and November 19 to receive the title "The Extra Life" if you didn't unlock it in previous years.
A special enhancement effect will also be available in game:
+5% magic find
+5% experience from all sources
+3% WvW reward track progress
+3% PvP reward track progress
The effect will gain another stack for every $10,000 USD in direct donations to Team ArenaNet. To activate new stacks of the enhancement effect and view hourly donation total updates, just visit the city of Lion's Arch after you log in to Guild Wars 2.
The 2024 Extra Life Donation Bundle will be available in the gem store from October 29 until November 19. The bundle contains five Extra Life Karma Boosters, five Temporary Selfless Potions, and the all-new Guardian Angel Pedestal Chair. Players can also purchase additional Extra Life Karma Boosters separately. Purchasing any of these items will also grant you the in-game title "The Extra Life" in blue text. We'll donate all proceeds from purchases of these items to Extra Life.
As always, when we reach $25,000 in direct donations to Team ArenaNet, ArenaNet will match that amount, instantly doubling our impact to $50,000!
For this year's Extra Life event, we're also setting a stretch goal of $105,000 in
For this year's Extra Life event, we're also setting a stretch goal of $105,000 in direct donations to Team ArenaNet to make an even bigger impact. To thank our generous donors, once we hit this goal, those who contributed will receive two special selection boxes which feature fan-favorite rewards from past events. Select the Feisty Feline tonic, Mini Mr. Sparkles, Celebration Hat, or ten Kegs of Liquid Karma.
Spicing Things Up for Extra Life 2024!
This year, we kicked off our Extra Life fundraising efforts with a spicy twist! For those who don't know, ArenaNet's studio head, Colin Johanson, is a huge fan of tacos and hot sauce. Inspired by this, one of our staff took it upon himself to organize the ultimate prank…for charity! At our Guild Wars 2 studio summit in September, team members who donated to our Extra Life campaign received a bottle of hot sauce. Then, during our Janthir Wilds launch party, over 200 bottles were presented to Colin one by one! We raised over $1,100, giving our Extra Life 2024 goal a nice head start—and Colin now has an impressive hot sauce collection!
How to Join Team ArenaNet
to Team ArenaNet to make an even bigger impact. To thank our generous donors, once we hit this goal, those who contributed will receive two special selection boxes which feature fan-favorite rewards from past events. Select the Feisty Feline tonic, Mini Mr. Sparkles, Celebration Hat, or ten Kegs of Liquid Karma.
Spicing Things Up for Extra Life 2024!
This year, we kicked off our Extra Life fundraising efforts with a spicy twist! For those who don't know, ArenaNet's studio head, Colin Johanson, is a huge fan of tacos and hot sauce. Inspired by this, one of our staff took it upon himself to organize the ultimate prank…for charity! At our Guild Wars 2 studio summit in September, team members who donated to our Extra Life campaign received a bottle of hot sauce. Then, during our Janthir Wilds launch party, over 200 bottles were presented to Colin one by one! We raised over $1,100, giving our Extra Life 2024 goal a nice head start—and Colin now has an impressive hot sauce collection!
How to Join Team ArenaNet
Want to get involved? It's easy to join Team ArenaNet! Visit our team page and select
Want to get involved? It's easy to join Team ArenaNet! Visit our team page and select Join Our Team[TAG-40].
Prefer to create your own team? No problem! You can still be part of the .
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Game Update Notes: October 15, 2024
10/15/2024—Shadow of the Mad King Release Notes
Release Notes:
Halloween
Once again, the gates of the Mad Realm have opened, and Kryta's most infamous monarch, Mad King Thorn, has returned to hold court in Lion's Arch! Loyal vassals of the king are strongly encouraged to enjoy the festivities: meet the denizens of the Mad Realm in events across Kryta; tour the Mad Realm itself in the Mad King's Labyrinth and the fearsome Clock Tower; compete with your fellow mortals in Lunatic Inquisition, Reaper's Rumble, and the Mad King's Raceway; attend to the king's whims in his notorious pastime of Mad King Says; or match wits and blades against royalty in Ascent to Madness. The Lion's Arch Captain's Council wishes to remind the populace that they are not affiliated with the Krytan monarchy and cannot guarantee the safety of any citizens who choose to dabble in dangerous realms, mad or otherwise.
The (Annual) Halloween Rituals meta-achievement has been updated with a fashionable new reward, the Clawing Shadow Plate! Earn this spooky new armor piece by completing a variety of Halloween activities and show your allegiance to the Mad King's court with pride. Last year's meta reward, the Clawing Shadow Greaves, can now be purchased from Halloween vendors if you missed it.
A new Candy Core weapon set is now available! You'll receive your choice of a weapon by progressing the (Annual) Halloween Rituals meta-achievement or the (Weekly) Halloween Festivities achievement.
The Grim Machine weapon set is now available from the weekly Halloween vendors.
Three new weapons are now available in the Courtly Weapon Chest, which is rarely found in trick-or-treat bags. They can also be purchased from Sparking Stone in Lion's Arch.
An unsettling new Mini Pummel Spider has been added to Halloween vendors.
Deft Lahar is visiting Lion's Arch for the festival and is offering a variety of handiwork recipes for homestead versions of your favorite Halloween decorations.
New Halloween-themed decorations have been added:
Haunted Bell, suitable for trick-or-treating in your guild hall or homestead
Antique Bell, for a less spooky announcement of visitors to the guild hall or homestead
Gargoyle
Flame-Bearing Gargoyle
Warclaw Rental Post
The Wizard's Vault has been updated with special objectives for participating in Halloween activities.
The Halloween vendor in Hooligan's Route now stocks a much larger variety of Halloween items for customers who find themselves with excess candy corn after the doors to the Mad Realm close for the year, including the recipes for homestead decorations.
The (Annual) Raceway Regular achievement now receives additional progress for laps completed within the gold-medal time for their race.
Checkpoints in the Mad King's Raceway have had their visual size increased to more consistently match their collision area.
Many small bugs have been polished to ensure a more fun festival than ever for all visitors to the Mad Realm.
The gates to the Mad Realm will be open for three weeks, from October 15 until November 5. Have a happy Halloween!
