Guild Wars 2 has presented a roadmap for summer in a new blog post and also shared first info about upcoming updates and the fourth expansion. Many indications suggest that the expansion will come in 2023.
What does the roadmap say? Guild Wars 2 has introduced the upcoming updates until July:
- On May 2, a balance patch is coming, which will make over 100 changes to the classes.
- On May 23, the next big patch is coming. It is named “In the Depths” and aims to conclude the story around the last expansion End of Dragons. The patch takes place in the new area Gyala Sink and will include a meta-event with a big finale. With the update, new coop adventures will also be introduced for the Siege Turtle and the Jade Bots – both in the new area and in the other zones of the expansion.
- On June 6, the annual event Dragon Mayhem returns, along with a new filter that allows you to hide visual effects from allies. Additionally, there will be new rewards for WvW players.
- On June 27, a new fractal (5-player instance) is coming along with a new balance patch that is expected to be even larger than the one in May.
- Additionally, a challenge mode for the new fractal is planned for an upcoming update.
In the long term, a “core game reward system” is also set to be revised, and the remnants of DirectX9 will be removed from the code. Following that, updates for graphics and performance are expected.
What is the new expansion all about? At the beginning of the year, the developers announced that there will be expansions more frequently in the future, but they will be somewhat smaller. For expansion number 4, first details and concept art have now been released.
Developers are already working on updates after the expansion
What do we know about the upcoming expansion? The expansion is supposed to be smaller than the previous three. It includes a new storyline, two new maps, two strike missions, new mastery types, and new gameplay and combat features.
There are now also new details regarding the latter. The blog post states:
As elite specializations are currently designed and implemented, we increasingly feel that there is less and less “design space” for new and differentiated roles for each class with each new expansion. In other words: the majority of playstyles for which we would like support for individual classes already exist within the already available specialization options, or at least they should exist.
As part of our next expansion, we plan to enhance the combat options for each class by expanding their arsenal with new tools and removing restrictions so that an unprecedented number of customization options are possible depending on playstyle. Meanwhile, the combat feel of Guild Wars 2 will remain true to its roots. A lot of work awaits theorycrafters.
Specifically, this means that the next expansion will definitely not bring new elite specializations, but another innovation for the classes. On Reddit, fans speculate about new weapons for the classes or new skills per weapon when a specific elite specialization is equipped. Alternatively, the weapons that have been previously tied to elite specializations may simply become generally accessible to the class – which some consider to be “too small” of a change.
Furthermore, the blog post states that ArenaNet has internally changed its structures so that work on updates after the fourth expansion has already begun.
While the developers worked on the completion of End of Dragons until the last minute, which made us wait nearly a year for new story content, the first update for the fourth expansion is expected to arrive within the first 3 months.
This is also due to ArenaNet hiring more employees than in 2022. Furthermore, more new developers are expected to join the team this year. Generally, 2022 was a very successful year: Guild Wars 2 celebrates its best year since 2015 – “Active players have doubled in recent years”.
In expansion 4, players will also face completely new villains. As the story of the Elder Dragons concluded with End of Dragons, there is now room for something completely new. In line with this, a first concept art has been shared:
Is the GW2 expansion coming in 2023?
When will the new expansion be released? According to the developers, the story of End of Dragons should be completely concluded in May. Since a major update is planned every quarter and these are supposed to belong to an expansion, the next expansion could follow already in Q3 (July to September). However, a launch patch could also be possible, followed by an expansion in Q4.
The developers have not officially confirmed the new expansion for 2023. However, the current statements suggest that it will still come this year.
What do you think of the roadmap 2023? Are you excited by the new information? And are you already looking forward to the next expansion?
2022 was all about old content for Guild Wars 2. You can now also return to the old version of the capital Lion’s Arch through a special achievement:
