Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is the latest expansion headed to the MMORPG and releases on February 28, 2022. Not only will this new story take players back to the beloved land of Cantha after two centuries of in-game time, but it will also add the first multiplayer mount in the siege turtle, new elite specializations, personal skiffs, fishing, and so much more.
To get you ready for the return trip to Cantha, we’ve highlighted five of the best new features coming to Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons below. Additionally, we’ll also reveal a sweepstakes that will give fans the chance to name an in-game NPC and take a trip to ArenaNet to meet some of the team behind the game.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons’ Story Takes Players Back to the Beloved Land of Cantha
In 2006, Guild Wars: Factions introduced players to the nation of Cantha, a verdant island region south of the Unending Ocean in Tyria. Since then, Cantha has been closed off and isolated from the rest of the world due to the jade wind, a devastating force that turned much of the nation and its surrounding area into solid jade.
200 in-game years later, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons brings players back to the land that is now powered by dragonjade. The expansion’s new story picks up following the player vanquishing the six primordial elder dragons and helping raise Aurene – the elder dragon of light – and players will be thrust into a conflict between rival Canthan factions.
During Cantha’s two centuries of isolation, the region has become “a vast landscape of verdant coastal paradises, twisted forests, mountain temples, and at its core, the vast, neon-lit streets of New Kaineng City, the jade tech-infused metropolis that’s home to the Xunlai Jade Corporations and the Canthan Government.”
Cantha Features Four New Regions Waiting to Be Explored
Cantha was a fan-favorite area in Guild Wars: Factions, and Guild Wars 2 is bringing it back with four expansive and unique regions that are just waiting to be explored.
Shing Jea Island is a “harbor of tranquility and peace” that is southwest of mainland Cantha. Its crystal clear waters are a perfect place for players to try out Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons’ new skiffs to travel around. It is also a place in-universe where many heroic journeys have found their beginnings.
New Kaineng City was built after a devastating tidal wave destroyed Old Kaineng. This new city was built south of the original, and it will look much different than players may have remembered from Guild Wars. While Old Kaineng was made up of “rickety wood buildings” and “clean temples in the palace,” New Kaineng City has embraced the latest technology and is filled with neon-lights. For those hoping for a bit of the past, a corner of the city does contain the ruins of the Old Kaineng.
The Echovald Wilds is another region that will be familiar to Guild Wars players, as major structures like House zu Heltzer, Temple of the Dredge, and Fort Aspenwood are still standing. However, a massive, dense forest of petrified trees and stone structures have weaved their ways into them thanks to Tengu and the people of Kurzick and Luxon descent. This region is known as Cantha’s wildest region, and the jade tech junkyard that sits in the middle of the Echovald Wilds is always calling the dangerous gangs of the Jade Brotherhood and the Speakers towards it.
Lastly, the Jade Sea is home to a large mining operation that works to extract the jade that powers the Canthan empire. This map contains parts of the Jade Quarry map from Guild Wars alongside the Harvest Temple and Unwaking Waters.
Nine New Elite Specializations Add Even More Variety to Gameplay
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons features nine new elite specializations that add even more variety to gameplay and gives adventurers new ways to play. The nine elite specializations, and their official descriptions, are as follows;
- Virtuoso – The virtuoso sharpens the power of their mind into deadly psionic blades. Unlike traditional mesmer illusions, they wield these directly as magic projectiles.
- Harbinger – A harbinger makes no clean kills, wielding a pistol to devastate their enemies with noxious, corrosive bullets. These skilled alchemists have developed elixirs to inflict Blight on themselves, converting their own pain into power.
- Willbender – A willbender’s bladework is unmatched and wielding a sword in their offhand gives them extra opportunities for ruthless cuts.
- Vindicator – Vindicators channel the legendary alliance between two mortal foes to devastate their enemies and protect their allies.
- Bladesworn – Advances in Canthan technology have yielded a fusion of firearm and longsword: the gunsaber. Only the bladesworn can handle such a volatile weapon.
- Catalyst – Catalysts have revitalized ancient techniques for channeling elemental forces—with a few modern improvements, like their jade tech spheres.
- Specter – Specters are masters of shadow magic, using their scepters to wield dark forces in debilitating enemies.
- Untamed – Ancient forces of nature dwell within Echovald, and the untamed channel these primal energies through their bond with their pets.
- Mechanist – No one makes friends like a mechanist! They call the shots on the battlefield alongside their helpful jade tech battle mechs.
The Siege Turtle – Guild Wars 2’s First Multiplayer Mount – Leads the New Mounts Available in End of Dragons
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons introduces new mounts for players to earn, including the siege turtle – Guild Wars 2’s first multiplayer mount. The siege turtle is a 2-player mount that has a focus more on combat than movement. It uses jade tech to power its main turret and its powerful jets of energy that can lift it into the air.
These jump jets can help the siege turtle navigate tough terrain, and it will slide into turns when it gets to a high enough speed. Considering it is a turtle, players will also be able to take it underwater, but it will sink right to the bottom of the sea floor.
While the driver will mainly control the siege turtle’s movement, the passenger will be in charge of manning its siege cannons, which have an ammo system that builds up over time and through use.
Players can then raise their siege turtle from an “adorable hatchling to a canon-carrying mount,” making the relationship with the player even that much more meaningful.
Skiffs, Fishing, and Jade Bots Are New Features That Make the Game Feel New
Skiffs, fishing, and jade bots are all some of the new additions that are set to make Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons one of the most substantial and fresh expansions the MMO has seen yet.
Cantha is filled and surrounded by water, and Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is giving players a new way to navigate these waterways in skiffs. These personal watercraft vehicles will allow players to ferry themselves and up to four other players around the island of Cantha.
While the player who summoned the skiff will be the one to drive it, the other passengers will be able to keep the skipper’s boost meter full by emoting. Skiffs can also be anchored by the driver if they wish to take advantage of one of End of Dragons other new features – fishing.
Fishing will be unlocked in the early hours of End of Dragon and will give players and their friends a new activity to enjoy when out at sea. Fishing comes with three new gathering tools – rods, lures, and bait – and it also has a new mastery line that will let players improve their skills. It also pays to fish with friends, as more fishers in your party increase your team’s overall fishing prowess.
An adorable addition to the game are the jade bots, which are part of a new mastery line powered by Canthan jade tech. These bots are utility devices that “provide a variety of noncombat functions, including zip lines, glider boosts, a rescue protocol, personal waypoints, skiff boosts, a scavenger protocol, junk conversion, and treasure hunting.” These bots are a product of Xunlai Jade and they are brand new tech that has no ties to the original Guild Wars.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Editions and the Guild Wars 2 Dragon Legacy Sweepstakes
These are only a few of the many new additions that will arrive alongside Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons on February 28, 2022. If that’s enough to sell you on embarking on this new journey in Cantha, it’s important to know that there are three different ways to purchase the game.
Pre-order the Standard Edition for $29.99 USD to receive pre-purchase bonuses like the: Flame Serpent Weapon Chest, Shing Jea Mosaic Cape, and Prodigy of Shing Jea Title. The Deluxe Edition, which costs $54.99, contains everything in the Standard Edition plus the Canthan Raptor Skin and the Shing Jea Dragon Boat Skiff Skin. The $79.99 Ultimate Edition will give players everything previously mentioned plus 4,000 Gems.
All players who pre-purchase any of Guild Wars: End of Dragons editions through the official Guild Wars 2 store before 11:59pm PT on February 27 and have opted in to receive email newsletters as of the drawing date (on or around March 4, 2022) will automatically be entered in the Guild Wars 2 Dragon Legacy Sweepstakes.
There will be three winners chosen in this sweepstakes, and they will each have the chance to win Aurene’s Prize Pack (ARV USD $5,455.99), Kralkatorrik’s Prize Pack (ARV USD $2,139.95), or Glint’s Prize Pack (ARV USD $1,831.97). As for what each pack contains, the prizes are as follows;
Aurene’s Prize Pack
- The opportunity to collaborate with the Guild Wars 2 development team in creating a name for a commemorative non-player character.
- Trip for winner and one (1) guest to ArenaNet in Bellevue, WA to meet with some members of the Guild Wars 2 team. See Official Rules for further details. Includes travel as described in the Official Rules.
- Aurene Elder Dragon Premium Collectable Statue
- HyperX Cloud II Branded Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Headset
- For Fans By Fans, Funko Pop! and Dark Horse Guild Wars 2 Goods
Kralkatorrik’s Prize Pack
- An online gaming session of approximately 2–3 hours playing Guild Wars 2 with at least 3 members of the Guild Wars 2 development team for the winner and one guest. Time to get your Carry (or Conquer) the Creator achievement!
- HP OMEN 16 Gaming Laptop
- HyperX Alloy Origins Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro-Gaming Mouse, HyperX Cloud Revolver Gaming Headset, and OMEN Transceptor 15 Rolltop Backpack
- Aurene Elder Dragon Premium Collector Statue
- For Fans By Fans, Funko Pop! and Dark Horse Guild Wars 2 Goods
Glint’s Prize Pack
- A Guild Wars 2 portrait of the winner’s character done by an ArenaNet artist, printed on canvas approximately 20H” x 20W” (final dimensions dependent on character used) and signed by members of the development team.
- A year’s supply of Butterfinger™ candy bars (that’s four hundred and thirty-two full-size bars in a single shipment—nearly enough to feed Skrittsburgh).
- DXRacer Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Edition Gaming Chair
- HyperX Alloy Origins Keyboard, HyperX Pulsefire Raid Mouse, and HyperX Cloud II Branded Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons Headset
- For Fans By Fans, Funko Pop! and Dark Horse Guild Wars 2 goods
If you happened to purchase the expansion from another retailer or would like to enter without pre-purchasing, you can send an e-mail during the entry period to legacysweeps@arena.net with the subject line “Sweepstakes Entry,” your legal name, city, and country of residence in the body of the e-mail. The entries must be submitted by the e-mail that is associated with your ArenaNet account.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons releases on February 28, 2022, and this breakdown of five new features coming with the expansion are only the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store for fans when they head back to Cantha after two centuries of waiting.