Play the Expanded Weapon Proficiency Beta Today

Play the Expanded Weapon Proficiency Beta Today

Greetings, Tyrians!

For the past few weeks, we’ve been teasing information about our expanded weapon proficiency feature, which will be arriving early next year for everyone who owns Guild Wars 2™ : Secrets of the Obscure™. Each of our nine professions will have access to at least one new weapon and a smattering of new skills, which you can preview today!

The Expanded Weapon Proficiency beta event begins today and runs until 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) on December 3. Please keep in mind that since this is a beta test, there will be placeholder UI, art, and audio for some of the weapon skills.

Today we have also introduced a host of balance updates for all of the professions, which you can read all about in our update notes.

How Can I Participate?

Every Guild Wars 2 account in good standing, including Play-for-Free accounts, will automatically get character slots marked “Beta” when the beta event begins. Clicking on one of these slots will allow you to create a character using any of the nine Guild Wars 2 professions.

From there, explore the open world or try a game mode dedicated to group play. You’ll find options to join World vs. World and structured Player vs. Player in the bar located at the top-left corner of your UI. To tackle the Fractals of the Mists instanced group content, visit Fort Marriner in Lion’s Arch and enter the portal.

Please note that the beta characters will disappear on December 3 at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) at the end of the event, and any gameplay progress earned while playing on them—including rewards and currency—will not be saved.

We’ve created a thread in each profession’s subforum for feedback from this beta. After you’ve had a chance to play, we’d like to hear what you think—what you enjoyed, what you think could be improved, and what you liked or disliked about the beta. Please visit the threads for elementalist, engineer, guardian, mesmer, necromancer, ranger, thief, revenant, and warrior to share your feedback.

Which New Weapons Can Each Profession Use?

Here is a handy list of the new weapons you can try out in the beta event. These will be fully released when the second major update for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure goes live early next year. Click the links below if you missed any of our recent expanded weapon proficiency preview blogs:

Guardian: Pistol (main and off hand)
Revenant: Scepter (main hand)
Warrior: Staff
Engineer: Short bow
Ranger: Mace (main and off hand)
Thief: Axe (main hand)
Elementalist: Pistol (main hand)
Mesmer: Rifle
Necromancer: Sword (main and off hand)

Until next time: be safe, have fun, and game on!

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Travel in Comfort with the Adorable Plush Vulpine Jackal Skin

Travel in Comfort with the Adorable Plush Vulpine Jackal Skin

Plush Vulpine Jackal Skin

This soft fox will steal your heart with its plush adorableness. It’s the perfect companion to adventure with through the snowy winter months!

Black Lion Hero Point Scroll

In need of hero points? Get as many as you desire! The Black Lion Hero Point Scroll will unlock a random hero challenge from an expansion you already own. Scrolls can be bought individually or in packs of 5 and 25.

Black Lion Chest Update: Abyss Juncture Chest

Inside each chest, you’re guaranteed to find a redeemable Black Lion Statuette, a Black Lion Material Bag: Secrets of the Obscure, and two common items. You also have a chance to find something rarer in the fifth slot, including special items, glyphs, and weapon skins from the Paladin’s Decree Weapon Collection and the Abyss Stalker Weapon Collection.

Exclusive Item: Clockwork Scythe Staff Skin

Engines of futuristic synergy roar with alchemical precision. Stop the clock of life with a swift cut.

Black Lion Patron Pack

Give your account a cosmetic boost with the new Black Lion Patron Pack! This once-per-account upgrade includes everything you need to adventure in style:

2,400 Gems
5 Heroic Boosters
10 Black Lion Chest Keys
1 Guaranteed Dye Unlock
10 Transmutation Charges
New “Black Lion Patron” Title

Purchase the Black Lion Patron Pack here, and your items and gems will be granted in the game.

What’s in Stock

We’re refreshing our seasonal selection of permanent finishers and lounge passes with a 20% discount starting this Friday. The incredible discounted items include the Permanent Choya Finisher, Permanent Llama Finisher, Permanent Sandshark Finisher, Noble’s Folly Pass, and Armistice Bastion Pass!

Returning This Week

Character Slot Expansions are 20% off until December 11. It’s always a great time to create a new alt! Let your creavitity guide you.

Available Now in the Gem Store!

Log into Guild Wars 2 and press ‘O’ to access the Black Lion Trading Company for these great offers and more!

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Guild Wars 2 Black Friday Sales and New Hero Jump Start Event Start Today

Guild Wars 2 Black Friday Sales and New Hero Jump Start Event Start Today

Greetings, gamers. We’re excited to announce our Black Friday sales for this year, including some of our deepest Guild Wars 2® expansion discounts ever! It’s not Friday yet, but our sales begin today, and you’ll have until next Tuesday, November 28 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) to take advantage of these discounts.

We’ll also be offering deep discounts on many popular in-game items starting on Black Friday itself—November 24 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8). Check out our Gem Store blog or the Gem Store in the game for more information on these discounts, but as a teaser: Black Lion Chest Keys will be a whopping 40% off!

Guild Wars 2 Expansion Sales

The following discounted items are available now on the official Guild Wars 2 website, with similar deals on Steam!

Guild Wars 2—The Elder Dragon Saga Complete Collection

Experience the entire dragon cycle saga from beginning to end with Guild Wars 2—The Complete Collection. This bundle contains an entire decade’s worth of content! Included are Guild Wars 2 Living World® Seasons 2–5 and the first three expansions: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns®, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire®, and Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons®.

You’ll also get two Level-80 Boosts, allowing you instantly level up two characters and jump straight into our latest content, with two Shared Inventory Slots to easily share items with every character on your account.

This collection is available now at a 50% discount until November 28. For players only interested in the expansions, the Standard and Deluxe editions of the Elder Dragon Saga Collection are discounted by 60%.

Expansions 1 and 2—Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire

Unlock mounts, gliding, and more with the first two expansions for Guild Wars 2. This package grants you access to a new profession, the revenant, as well as eighteen elite specializations to change the way you play. Experience the joy of movement with the best mounts in MMOs.

This expansion bundle is available now at a 75% discount!

Expansion 3: Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons

The future of Cantha is now. The dragon cycle that has sustained and blighted Tyria for ages is collapsing. Mortal hearts and choices will define this moment in history—and echo in the future forever. Unlock new elite specializations, Masteries, and more, including access to fishing and skiffs.

The Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons expansion is available now at a 50% discount!

New Hero Jump Start Bonus Event

To celebrate our sales, today we’re also launching the New Hero Jump Start bonus event! From November 21 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) until the same time on December 5, all players will enjoy the following bonuses:

+50% Experience (All Sources)
+30% Magic Find
+30% PvP Reward Track Progress
+30% WvW Reward Track Progress

In addition, every player who completes five events in any starting zone can claim a Dreambound weapon from the Mist Stranger! These weapons level up with you, but are only available once per account, so choose wisely!

Third-Party Retailers

Our expansion sales are also available from the following third-party retailers:

Americas:

Amazon: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire Standard, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Standard, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Deluxe, Guild Wars 2: Elder Dragon Saga Complete Collection
Steam
Hype Games (Argentina)
Hype Games (Colombia)
Hype Games (Peru)
Hype Games (Mexico)
Hype Games (Chile)
Hype Games (Brazil)
Nuuvem: Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, Guild Wars 2: Elder Dragon Saga Complete Collection

Europe:

CDgalaxis (Hungary)
Gameliebe (Germany)
Gamecardsdirect (EUROPE)
Gamecardsdirect (France)
Gamecardsdirect (Netherlands)
Key4you (Czech)

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Brew Potions on the Go with the Alchemic Power Skiff Skin

Brew Potions on the Go with the Alchemic Power Skiff Skin

Alchemic Power Skiff Skin

Float along the rivers and lakes of Tyria in your own mobile potion-brewing lab with the Alchemic Power Skiff Skin! Take your cauldron on the go so your tinctures and tonics can be concocted with the freshest ingredients.

What’s in Stock

We’re refreshing our seasonal selection of mount and skiff skins with a 20% discount starting this Friday. Save on many of your favorites, including the Grand Lion Griffon Skin, Shimmerwing Skyscale Skin, Shell Surfer Skimmer Skin, Mordrem Alpha Jackal Skin, Crescent Canoe Skiff Skin, Jade Tech Skiff Skin, and many more.

Returning This Week

Want the convenience of having items available to all of the characters on your account? Shared Inventory Slots are 20% off until December 4. They are also part of our Black Friday sale and will be 30% off on November 26 and 27!

Evon Gnashblade’s Birthday Sales

In addition to our first three expansions having the deepest discounts ever, we have a selection of in-game sales happening this weekend!

Enjoy 30% off all outfits, armor sets, individual armor and weapon skins, gliders, backpacks, and glider combos from Friday, November 24 until Monday, November 27.

Black Lion Chest Keys will be available for 40% off on Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25. There’s no better time to stock up!

On Sunday, November 26 and Monday, November 27, the following items will be 30% off:

Equipment Template Expansions
Build Storage Expansions
Bag Slot Expansions
Black Lion Instant Level 80 Tickets
Storage Expanders
All Living World Episodes and Seasons
Bank Tab Expansions
Shared Inventory Slots

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Sword-Wielding Necromancers Are Gluttons for Punishment

Sword-Wielding Necromancers Are Gluttons for Punishment

Greetings, gamers! My name is Taylor Brooks, and I am a designer on the Skills and Balance Team here at ArenaNet. I hope you are all hungry for another look at a new weapon, because today I’ll be giving you a taste of necromancer swords!

Expanded weapon proficiencies are coming in 2024 during the second major update for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure™, bringing a new weapon and skills for each profession. Don’t forget that you’ll be able to try out all these new skills, along with the new weapons for other professions, during our Expanded Weapon Proficiency beta event, starting on November 28 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8).

Insatiable Appetites

Necromancer sword skills focus on dealing powerful strike damage in an area while consuming enemies’ vital energy to sustain the wielder. The main-hand sword skill 3, Path of Gluttony, will allow the necromancer to leap to their enemy, healing themselves for each enemy struck. Hungering Maelstrom, off-hand sword skill 4, will damage and steal health from enemies in a targeted area.

With so much healing, a necromancer might find themselves with a surplus of health! Luckily, their swords always hunger. Each sword skill has a secondary ability that can be activated by sacrificing health to sate your swords. Path of Gluttony can be reactivated to cast Gorge. You leap again, repeating the effects of the first leap while also corrupting boons on enemies struck. Hungering Maelstrom’s reactivation is Gormandize. Gormandize will damage and chill enemies struck by Hungering Maelstrom.

Necromancer swords will allow you to sustain yourself through fights while also increasing your offensive capabilities at the price of your own health. Will the risk be worth the reward, or will you find yourself eaten alive?

As mentioned above, you’ll be able to try out all of the upcoming new weapon and profession combos during the Expanded Weapon Proficiency beta event starting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) on November 28 and ending at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8) on December 3. Please note that since this is a beta test, there will be placeholder UI, art, and audio assets for some of the weapon skills. Be sure to tune in to the Expanded Weapon Proficiency preview livestream on November 27 at noon Pacific Time (UTC-8) to get a more in-depth look at all the new weapons.

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Armed with Dual Pistols, Guardians Rain Down Bullets of Justice!

Armed with Dual Pistols, Guardians Rain Down Bullets of Justice!

Hello, Tyrians! My name is Chun-Hong Fung, and I’m a game designer on the Systems Team here at ArenaNet. The expanded weapon proficiencies are coming in 2024 during the second major update for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure™. Today, we’ll be taking a look at yet another new set of weapons that will be first playable during the Expanded Weapon Proficiency beta event, starting on November 28 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (UTC-8).

It’s the guardian’s turn to step into the limelight, wielding not one, but two pistols as their new weapons to combat the growing threat of the hostile Kryptis. The pistols are a pair of ranged weapons that specialize in dealing condition damage, allowing the guardian to inflict bleeding and burning on their enemies from a distance with ease.

First let’s look at the cornerstone of any weapon, the autoattack. The pistol’s basic attack, Through the Heart, fires a single, fast projectile that damages and inflicts bleeding on those struck. Notably, this projectile pierces through enemies, allowing it to hit up to five targets. Many of the other skills on this weapon set act in a similar way, allowing users to attack multiple enemies with the correct positioning.

Now, let’s check out one of the more vital skills on the main-hand pistol, Symbol of Ignition. Positioned in the third slot, this skill plants a symbol on the ground below you that damages enemies. Striking an enemy within the symbol or firing a projectile through it causes the symbol to also inflict burning when it pulses. In addition, firing projectiles through the symbol causes them to ignite, allowing them to inflict extra burning on the targets they hit in addition to their original effects.

As an example of how you might possibly use Symbol of Ignition, let’s look at another skill on the off-hand pistol, Hail of Justice. As you may have surmised from the name, this skill fires a volley of piercing projectiles at your targeted foe, each one inflicting bleeding and cripple on up to five enemies. Combining Hall of Justice and Symbol of Ignition allows you to apply a plethora of damaging conditions to your enemy in a short period of time!

There are some other surprises in store for you, and I’m particularly excited about the fifth and final skill…but you’ll have to join us for the Expanded Weapon Preview livestream on November 27 at 12 p.m. Pacific Time to find out what it does!

Finally, as mentioned above, you’ll be able to try out all the upcoming new weapon and profession combos during the Expanded Weapon Proficiency beta event starting at 9 a.m. Pacific Time on November 28 and ending at 10 p.m. Pacific Time on December 3. Please note that since this is a beta event, there will be placeholder UI, art, and audio for some of the weapon skills.

Until next time!

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