Those who enjoy a good fantasy MMORPG will be pleased to know that the highly popular Guild Wars 2 is finally making its debut on Steam next week. The longstanding online adventure game will be headed to Steam on August 23, which will be the first time the game has been available on a different platform than ArenaNet’s own launcher.
In a new update on the game’s website, ArenaNet has explained that the game’s launch on Steam will coincide with Guild Wars 2‘s 10th-anniversary celebrations, as they’re excited to be “introducing the world of Tyria to an entirely new group of players who are also looking for something different.” The base game itself will be free-to-play and players will have the opportunity to upgrade to the game’s paid expansions from day one. These are the Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire and End of Dragons expansions.
However, ArenaNet has also opted to offer players a “Complete Collection” bundle in order to give players access to the base game, expansions and its Living World Seasons 2 through 5, with Living World Season 1 being free for all. These Living World experiences are episodic segments that connect each expansion through new maps and story content. Arguably, bagging the game’s Complete Collection will get players everything in one fell swoop, but it’s not cheap. The bundle is currently around $100/£87 on Steam, so it may be worth trying out the free base game content if you’re new to the franchise before jumping in and making a purchase. Having said that, one could consider that $100 for 10 years worth of content roughly works out at $10 a year, so it all depends on your perspective at the end of the day.
Guild Wars 2 is a massively popular entry into the fantasy MMORPG genre, having racked up over 16 million players since its launch back in August 2012. Set in the open-world fantasy land of Tyria, players can enjoy a world built around discovery and exploration. They’ll also get to experience the game’s solid character customisation as they journey through a wealth of quests and missions either on their own or in online multiplayer with friends.
In order to get the best out of the game’s launch on Steam, ArenaNet has also been making some enhancements to the overall game experience, including the pace of levelling, improved keybinds, tweaked the game’s default options and added new achievements, to name a few things. Newcomers to the game are encouraged to try out the base game for free on Steam, now that there’s no need to install a separate launcher.
Guild Wars 2 launches on Steam for PC on August 23. It’ll remain available to play through ArenaNet’s first-party launcher as well, meaning players on both services will be able to play together, provided they’re on the same servers, of course.
