Guild Wars Reforged Announced to Celebrate 20 Years of the MMORPG
- Guild Wars Reforged launches Dec. 3, free for existing players and $19.99 for new ones, bundling all three campaigns.
- Former Guild Wars devs at new studio 2weeks are partnering with ArenaNet to continue updates beyond release.
- Modern upgrades include controller support, improved UI, high-DPI and rendering enhancements, and rebuilt positional audio.
- Classic gameplay stays intact, with 10 professions and a still-active playerbase across both Guild Wars titles.
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Subscription-Free
ArenaNet has announced Guild Wars Reforged for PC, an overhaul and all-in-one update to the popular MMORPG that launched in 2005. It’ll be free for existing users, but otherwise costs $19.99 and will be, as the main game has always been, subscription-free.
Guild Wars Reforged bundles previous expansions Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall together and the good news for existing players is that even if they only bought one of these in the past, the others will automatically be unlocked once Reforged goes live on Dec. 3.
“These updates will take effect for all players,” ArenaNet said in an official news post on Nov. 17. “The new Reforged edition does not contain exclusive content or updates, but it simplifies the choice of what to purchase for new players.”
“And Guild Wars Reforged isn’t about a one-time update; we plan to keep collaborating with our partners at 2weeks to make further improvements to the game in the future!”
Former Devs Return to Tyria
The “2weeks” mentioned by ArenaNet is technically a new studio, but one founded in 2024 by former ArenaNet devs, including Brandon Dillon and Richard Foge. Dillon was a programmer for the original Guild Wars and its sequel.
“It’s a real treat to revisit the original Guild Wars,” Dillon said in a recent press release. “Beginning as a teenager, I’ve been involved with this franchise from the very start, collaborating with the original studio founders to create the world of Tyria. Partnering with ArenaNet to update and improve the player experience means the game can continue to be a beloved beacon for fans of multiplayer online RPGs for years to come.”
ArenaNet had to lay off staff in 2019 due to parent company NCSOFT making cutbacks; although 2weeks includes members with ties to ArenaNet, they all left the company a few years before the lay-offs. Many went on to work for Oculus, with others spending time with Undead Labs and Double Fine before joining 2weeks.
Guild Wars For All
Guild Wars Reforged is an update to the original Guild Wars, which was released in 2005 and, as with its sequel from 2012, has never required a subscription to play – instead, players can spend real money on in-game items like cosmetics, although this isn’t necessary to progress in either game.
The main story of the first game follows an attack on the fantasy kingdom of Tyria by monsters called Charr. Players can select from typical RPG classes such as Warrior, Monk and Ranger, with the add-ons (included with Reforged) bringing the total number of classes up to 10, that include unusual ones like Ritualist and Dervish.
Unlike a lot of MMOs that have faded away or otherwise been shut down, both Guild Wars games continue to maintain a healthy playerbase – the sequel has 21 million players, whereas the first game is estimated to have around 25,000 (both games can be played via Steam and ArenaNet’s proprietary launcher).
However, while the sequel is closer to what gamers expect from an MMORPG, the first Guild Wars mainly keeps PvP content contained to certain areas, with most other players only really active in hub locations, such as towns. This does mean that the game is better suited to solo play, although the general consensus from existing players is that it’s a lot more fun with a small team of people with highly specialised roles.
Old Game, New Look
ArenaNet wants Guild Wars Reforged to be welcoming to new players as much as giving older or returning players something more than just combined content. As such, players will find support for XInput controllers (such as the Xbox Wireless Controller), a new quest tracking and direction system, and an on-screen control guide.
The overall look of Guild Wars is getting an upgrade, too, with an enhanced UI including accessibility options such as larger text options. ArenaNet is introducing support for high DPI displays, alongside adding ambient occlusion, HD bloom, and antialiasing rendering enhancements.
Finally, Guild Wars is getting a completely rebuilt audio system with environmental effects (no hardware support needed), which allows for positional audio support to make the world more immersive.
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