Shortly after the announcement of the Janthir Wilds expansion for Guild Wars 2, there is additional information about the spear weapon type. Furthermore, ArenaNet has brought in experienced reinforcement for the new housing feature.
Update from June 28, 2024: The open beta for Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds has started, during which you can test the new spear weapon with all classes until July 1 at 7 AM.
Every valid account of Guild Wars 2, including free accounts, will automatically receive “Beta” marked character slots at the start of the beta event. Click on one of these slots to create a character from one of the nine classes of Guild Wars 2.
Then you can directly explore the open world or try out a game mode dedicated to group play. In the toolbar at the top left of your user interface, you will find options to join the world vs. world and structured player vs. player modes.
If you want to tackle the instanced group content of the Mist Fractals, you need to visit Fort Marriner in Lion’s Arch and enter the portal.
Who is supporting the developers of Guild Wars 2? Joel Eckert revealed on X that he finds it very exciting to work on the new housing system of the newly announced expansion Janthir Wilds. The senior game designer previously worked for Maxis on Sims 4 for many years. He is therefore familiar with games where players can express themselves in their own homes.
However, not much is known about the home of Guild Wars 2 so far. It is clear that the personal housing instance will be available for the entire account. You can look forward to a plot of land and a building that you can decorate and cultivate.
You will unlock the feature through a related mastery path, through which you can further develop your home. You should be able to invite friends and access unlockable resources. More information is expected in the coming weeks.
Everything you need to know about the spear weapon type
The developers have also revealed more information about the new spear weapon type. You will learn to handle it during training with the lowland kodan of Janthir at the beginning of the new story. Alternatively, you can unlock kodan spear training through PvP. In any case, you need the expansion to unlock the weapon type. Here are the other basics:
- Spears are two-handed weapons that you can use both on land and underwater. However, if you want to do that, you will need two spears, one for each slot.
- The spear skills differ on land depending on your class. Some archetypes use the spear as a projectile weapon at range, others as a melee weapon or as a magical focus.
- All spear skins from GW2 can be used on land.
- With the first update of Janthir Wilds, a legendary spear will land on the live servers.
- Classes that cannot use spears underwater now will also not be able to after the release of the expansion.
- From June 27 to June 30, there will be an open beta during which you can try out the spear with your classes.
What else do I need to know about the Janthir Wilds expansion? Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds will be released on August 20, 2024. The expansion is expected to cost 24.99 euros in the standard version and will receive three major content updates like its predecessor, Secrets of the Obscure, which will be released between August 2024 and summer 2025.
In addition to the standard version, there will also be a Deluxe Edition (around 50 euros) and an Ultimate Edition (around 75 euros) featuring exclusive items. You can find more information about the versions on the official overview page of Janthir Wilds (via ArenaNet).
Other features include the two zones Lowland Coast (the home of the lowland kodan) and Janthir Syntri, the tameable warclaw mount, and a fresh story campaign that ties into the events from Secrets of the Obscure. More about this: Guild Wars 2 Janthir Wilds – Everything Important to Release, Housing, Warclaw Mount, and Spear Weapon Type
