ArenaNet announces Guild Wars Afterlife, the first premium update to the MMORPG in nearly 20 years
ArenaNet and 2weeks have announced Guild Wars Afterlife, a new DLC coming to the original Guild Wars, set to release on January 13, 2027 for PC and mobile devices. It is the first premium update to the MMORPG nearly 20 years after Eye of the North in 2007.
Afterlife brings a 'dynamic' ever-changing dungeon that uses a skill-drafting system across multiple runs. Rewards earned by players can be used both within the new dungeon and across the rest of the game. Afterlife will be priced at $29.99, with a pre-order discount to $23.99.
The announcement comes less than a year after the release of Guild Wars Reforged remaster in December 2025, also developed in partnership with 2weeks. A brand new MMORPG, Guild Wars 3, was announced during this year's Summer Game Fest stage show.
An announcement trailer, description, and screenshot set for Guild Wars Afterlife can be found below, via ArenaNet. The official website is here.
The widely beloved and critically acclaimed MMORPG Guild Wars, played for over 1 billion hours by over nine million players, is receiving its first new premium DLC in nearly two decades as ArenaNet and co-dev partner studio 2weeks bring all new content to the game with Guild Wars Afterlife.
Launching January 13, 2027 on PC, Steam, iOS, and Android, Afterlife takes players through the Mists of Tyria to the land of Xotecha, where the Order of Moonless Night seeks assistance in combating the rising tide of Nightmares and mysterious Cult of Odran that threaten the new, ever-changing dungeon, the Unformed.
This new content will challenge original Guild Wars players in new ways: conquer an ever-changing dungeon where no two trips are ever the same. Players will select a starting loadout and then face a unique sequence of maps, enemies, and bosses. To make it through this gauntlet, players will engage in a skill-drafting system that lets them choose new abilities after each successful encounter to take them further into the Unformed. The skills offered during these moments are not limited to their character’s primary or secondary professions, which will allow for wider, more open-ended character build-craft options than ever, including having multiple elite skills from different professions.
As runs are completed, players will unlock rewards that impact future dungeon runs as well as permanent rewards they can enjoy outside of Xotecha across the rest of the game. As players make further progress, the overarching story of Afterlife will reveal itself, shining light on what exactly is happening in these numinous frontiers.
Key Features
- Skill-Drafting Combat: Build a custom skill bar unique to each run utilizing abilities from any profession for boundless replayability.
- New Dynamic Dungeon: Explore jungles, cenotes, and floating ruins in an ever-changing dungeon format.
- All-New Story: Uncover the history of Xotecha deep within the Mists where memories and dreams bleed into reality.
- Unlock New Rewards: Play with your existing characters and collect rewards that impact future dungeon runs and permanent rewards you can enjoy outside of Xotecha.
- New Allies and New Foes: Encounter Ancient Golems, battle powerful Nightmares, and uncover the secrets of the Cult of Odran.
- Play with Friends: Embark on dungeon runs with your friends or with henchmen.
Players can pre-purchase today at a discounted price of $23.99 (actual discounted price may vary by platform/location). Pre-purchase will grant the ancestral-themed Vestments of the Order costume as a bonus. Guild Wars Afterlife will return to its standard price of $29.99 at launch.
For more information about Guild Wars Reforged, please visit the official web site.
