GUILD WARS 2 to Launch on Steam and Add Twitch Drops Next Week
My favorite MMORPG is Guild Wars 2. It’s a lot of fun, the community is incredibly helpful, and it’s not pay-to-win. A good long while ago, ArenaNet announced that the game would become available on Steam. Up until now, players have had to download the first-party client from the official site and go through that, but this got many players excited and raises the prospects of even more people joining the game. The Steam launch was then delayed, but it has a new launch date! You can look forward to Guild Wars 2 on Steam starting August 23 at 12 PM PDT! You can go ahead and wishlist is right now in fact. The base game is free-to-play, although you can purchase Guild Wars 2 Complete Collection for $98.97 which will include all 3 expansions and all 5 seasons of Living World! Talking about the addition to Steam, Kendall Boyd of NCSOFT West said:
Guild Wars 2 has delighted over 16 million players for a decade with its subscription-free business model, epic collaborative open-world boss encounters, and revolutionary mount system. By launching on Steam, a whole new audience of players who have never had the chance to adventure with us will be able to experience one of the greatest fantasy worlds in gaming. Everyone at NCSOFT and ArenaNet is excited to welcome them into our amazing community.
Now, there is something very important to note about the launch on Steam. Steam and NCSOFT first-party players will be able to play together on the same servers. Steam players don’t get unique servers or anything. However, you cannot bring your NCSOFT account to Steam. I’m not sure why or what kinds of limitations affect this, but it is something important to note. If you currently play and want to switch to Steam, you’ll have to create a new account.
The launch to Steam isn’t the only thing going on with Guild Wars 2 though. The game will be adding Twitch drop support also on August 23. You will be able to watch your favorite streamers playing Guild Wars 2 and earn “exclusive in-game character rewards including classic outfits, experience boosters, and even a unique Glowing Purple Mask cosmetic.” Maybe I’ll have to start watching Twitch streams. The first Twitch Drop campaign for Guild Wars 2 will run from August 23-28. Are you excited for any of these changes?
