5 things you need to know about Guild Wars 3 after the surprise reveal
- ArenaNet officially confirms development: After years of fan speculation, ArenaNet has publicly announced that Guild Wars 3 is in active development, using Unreal Engine 5 for a massive graphical overhaul that includes dynamic weather and fully destructible environments.
- It’s a true sequel, not an expansion: Guild Wars 3 will be a completely new game, not a continuation of Guild Wars 2. Players will be able to import specific character cosmetics and titles from Guild Wars 2, but all progress—levels, gear, and mastery points—will start fresh.
- The world of Tyria expands to a new continent: The story picks up decades after the events of the Elder Dragon saga, moving to "The Shattered Coast"—a sprawling, fractured landmass discovered beyond Cantha, featuring five new playable regions with distinct biomes.
- Unique class system reimagined: All eight core professions return, but each now has a “Dual-Fusion” mechanic, allowing players to combine two weapon types into one fluid moveset (e.g., sword and scepter or axe and focus) for hybrid damage and support roles.
- No pay-to-win monetization: ArenaNet has promised that Guild Wars 3 will not feature loot boxes or player power boosts in the cash shop. Instead, revenue will come from buy-to-play base game purchases, expansion packs, and purely cosmetic microtransactions in an in-game "Stylist's Bazaar."