For months, Guild Wars 2 has advertised a February release for its third expansion pack, End of Dragons, but had not nailed down a specific date. Now February is here, and Guild Wars 2 has finally put out a release date for the expansion, complete with a brand-new gameplay trailer to boot.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons will take players to the mysterious continent of Cantha, first visited in Guild Wars: Factions. Much has changed in the last 250 years since the defeat of Shiro Tagachi, and starting February 28th, players will have the chance to explore the jadepunk empire and unveil the mysteries of the Elder Dragons.
The trailer foreshadows the conflicts and challenges that await players in End of Dragons. The gates of Cantha open to reveal a high-tech magitech revolution fueled by mystic dragon jade. Commanders will venture into the unknown to discover the secrets of the Elder Dragons and Cantha and face down Mai Trin and the Aetherblade pirates, whose return threatens the stability of all of Tyria. End of Dragons adds nine new elite specializations, new mastery tracks for Fishing and personal Jade Bots, a new Siege Turtle mount and Skiff vehicle, and new strike missions and world events, meaning players will have plenty to do.
In a recent digital tour The Best War Games participated in, Guild Wars 2 showed off some of these upcoming challenges, including a new Aetherblade Hideout strike mission and the Fort Aspenwood area event, located in the new Echovald Wilds region in End of Dragons. With the expansion having an official release at the end of the month, players can look forward to a few weeks of feature previews, including a tour of the new Kaineng City zone, the Jade Tech Mastery Track, and a preview of the music of End of Dragons, leading up to the launch celebration.
Ever since Guild Wars 2 launched in 2012, players have been asking Arenanet when they could go back to the famously-popular continent. For many, it is surreal to think that in a few weeks, they will be able to step foot in the storied land for the first time since Guild Wars Factions came out in 2006.
Many Guild Wars fans were shocked Arenanet delayed the announcement of End of Dragon’s release until seemingly the last minute. Some wondered if End of Dragons was going to be delayed, especially given the huge number of games coming out in this month. Nonetheless, it seems Guild Wars 2 was able to stick to its word with a February release for the expansion pack–though just barely.
Guild Wars 2 is available now on PC. End of Dragons releases in February 28th.