In May, the new Guild Wars 2 episode “Eternal War” is set to be released. The patch will be significant for the MMORPG, not just because it is the first major update since the layoffs in February.
What’s included in the new episode? Each chapter of the Living World comes with a new story and a new area to explore. However, in a new teaser, ArenaNet has revealed the additional content of “Eternal War”.
A new feature is the new mount “Sky Scale”, which was already introduced by Eurogamer. Additionally, we can look forward to the new legendary greatsword Exordium and the new Mist Shard armor.
With this episode, the developers will not only conclude the Living World Season 4 but also the second generation of legendary weapons. Furthermore, they are already releasing the second armor set in the season.
When does Eternal War come out? The episode is set to be released in May according to the teaser. However, ArenaNet has not yet revealed an exact date.
However, we know from the past that patches typically release on a Tuesday. Usually, the date is announced a week in advance.
The new episode decides the future of the game
What happens in the story? The last episode “All or Nothing” left us with a very tragic ending. We lost our dragon Aurene in the fight against Kralkatorrik, and the Elder Dragon escaped us. Essentially, all hope seems lost now.
The last episode of the season must therefore hold some surprises for us to possibly defeat the Elder Dragon. If we do not confront Kralkatorrik, this episode could feel like a filler, which would be a wasted opportunity given the tension and the end of a season.
For the entire unfolding of the story, it is therefore important how ArenaNet wants to weave this narrative. And thus, the episode has a significant influence on the future of the game.
What’s next for Guild Wars 2? We already know that following this season of the Living World no expansion will follow. Instead, another season is planned.
Thus, ArenaNet must now prove that they can deliver proper stories and innovations without an addon. Otherwise, it will be difficult to keep long-term and active players engaged just with the episodes alone.
They have already taken a step by announcing regular bonus weeks. Nevertheless, the future episodes need to step up compared to the past.
The future of ArenaNet: This episode is also exciting because it carries symbolic weight for the future of ArenaNet. After the mass layoffs in February, the team had to reorganize.
Allegedly, these layoffs will not negatively impact the development of Guild Wars 2. Now it’s up to the developers to prove this. A successful new episode would be just what they need.
At least the roadmap for the future of Guild Wars 2 looks positive:
