Since 2019, there has been no new raid in Guild Wars 2. With the new expansion Janthir Wilds, one of these contents is finally being released again, but it could be the last.
What kind of raid is this? Guild Wars 2 will receive a new update of the Janthir Wilds expansion, which started in the summer, on November 19, 2024. With this update, a new raid will be published for the first time in 5 years.
The new content for 10 players takes you to Mount Balrior and offers 3 major bosses and several minor bosses. In the battle, you will face Greer, the Plaguebringer, and Decima, the Stormsinger again. You already know them from the past, where you defeated them. This time they are supposed to be even stronger than before.
The final boss of the raid could also be the last raid boss ever, as the decision whether there will be more after that lies with you.
The new raid is part of the Janthir Wilds expansion; you can see more in the trailer:
Perhaps the last raid in Guild Wars 2
Why could this be the last raid? It took 5 years for Guild Wars 2 to receive a new raid. According to the developers, the reason for this is the work involved in creating such new content. Designing a raid is labor-intensive and only worthwhile if enough players actually play it.
On the game’s website (via guildwars2.com), it says: “Raids take a significant amount of development resources, but only a small group of players participates in the instanced content for 10 players.”
Therefore, the new raid is a test for the team. If enough players in Guild Wars 2 play the new raid, there will likely be more raids in the future. Otherwise, this attempt could be the last.
How will players be motivated to raid? To encourage more players to try the new raid, the developers are not offering any “bridge content,” as they call it on their website (via guildwars2.com). Players should be able to directly enter the raids and simply play the content they really want. They say: “Players who want an instanced, mechanics-heavy version for 10 players will get just that.”
The new raid will also be available as a convergence again. This means you can face the new challenge with up to 50 players. The developers have adjusted the difficulty. The bosses should now be trickier than what was previously expected from convergence bosses.
The new raid is part of the Janthir Wilds expansion, which will be released in four stages. The second stage will be launched on November 19, 2024. Higher difficulty levels and additional features will follow with the next stages in 2025. You can find all information about the new expansion here: Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds – All important information about release, housing, Warclaw mount, spear, versions, legendaries
