Return to Tyria with GUILD WARS REFORGED
Guild Wars fans are eating well lately. With the fantastic launch of Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity having just happened (and being a promising start), it’s time to reminisce and reflect. That’s why ArenaNet has announced Guild Wars Reforged. This is a new package of the original Guild Wars game and also signals some improvement updates.
First, the nitty gritty. Guild Wars Reforged will launch on Steam and PC through the standalone client for $19.99 on December 3. This package includes the three original Guild Wars campaigns: Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall. If you already play (or played) Guild Wars, this will serve as a free update.
It’s also good to note that Guild Wars Reforged comes from a partnership with 2weeks, which is a small team that was formed in 2024 of former ArenaNet staff who have more than 14 years of combined experience working on the original Guild Wars game.
Two additional points of clarification. First, just like with Guild Wars 2, the Steam and standalone versions of Reforged will require different accounts.
Accounts from both platforms will be able to play with each other, but you will not be able to use your standalone client login credentials to play on Steam. Second, the Eye of the North expansion will still be a separate purchase and not included in the Guild Wars Reforged bundle.
So, what can fans and newcomers look forward to? Guild Wars Reforged will be Steam Deck verified and feature support for modern controllers with XInput! This is huge for accessibility! Of course, along with these inclusions we are also informed that the UI has been redesigned and has larger text options as well as support for high DPI displays.
In addition, there are some visual and audio improvements coming. Visually, modern GPUs will get to work some kind of muscle with the new dynamic sky bloom effects, ambient occlusion, and lighting updates. We’re also told that “[o]ther visual touch-ups refine textures” and rendering improvements including new options for antialiasing. Meanwhile, players will also enjoy a more immersive world with new 3D positional audio support.
This is all very exciting. I recently redownloaded Guild Wars and I think on December 3 I’ll have to log in and play around with Guild Wars Reforged. On a final note, ArenaNet did say that this is not going to be a one and done situation. They are looking to continue their collaboration with 2weeks “to make further improvements to the game in the future!” I cannot wait to learn what else is in the works. This must be a sign to go and finish filling up my Hall of Monuments.
