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Guild Wars 2’s Festival of the Four Winds returns August 11 with new rewards
ArenaNet announced that the Guild Wars 2 Festival of the Four Winds event will return on August 11, featuring new rewards and activities. This marks the ninth iteration of the traditional summer festival, which includes returning to the Labyrinthine Cliffs and testing players in the Crown Pavilion.
Guild Wars 3 confirms Humans, Asura, and Kodan, plus a mystery species, will be playable at launch
ArenaNet has confirmed that Guild Wars 3 will feature Humans, Asura, and Kodan as playable species at launch, with a fourth mystery species also planned. The developer is building the game with the intention of adding more playable species in the future, establishing shared technical foundations to support this expansion.
The Stream Team: Everything is lava in Guild Wars 2’s Thunderhead Peaks
Massively OP's MJ Guthrie will be streaming Guild Wars 2 live, focusing on the Dragonsblood Forge in Thunderhead Peaks, which is powered by lava. The stream will showcase preparations for using the forge to craft dragonsblood weapons for the fight against Kralkatorrik. The event is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026.
Guild Wars 2 recaps WvW beta 2’s ‘healthier spread’ for scoring, plans beta 3 for August 11
ArenaNet provided an update on Guild Wars 2's World vs World (WvW) beta testing, noting that the second beta achieved a 'healthier spread' of scoring points from objective capture and player combat. The studio plans a third beta for August 11th to September 4th, focusing on further adjustments to point values, removing certain scaling multipliers, and reintroducing placement-based rewards.
MMO Week in Review: I want to believe
This week's MMO news roundup covers updates and announcements for numerous titles including Stars Reach, EverQuest Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV. Key stories include Stars Reach's official early access date, Elder Scrolls Online's post-layoff roadmap, and Guild Wars 3 revealing its composers. The article also touches on game development, business practices, and player sentiment across various MMORPGs.
Star Wars, Metal Gear, and Halo composer Kazuma Jinnouchi confirmed as lead composer for Guild Wars 3
ArenaNet has announced Kazuma Jinnouchi, known for his work on Star Wars, Metal Gear, and Halo, as the lead composer for Guild Wars 3. A video detailing the creation of the game's main theme, featuring Jinnouchi and other composers like Asuka Ito and Maclaine Diemer, was also released.
Massively Overthinking: Are there any MMORPGs or MMO features that are good kinda by accident?
This article discusses MMORPGs and their features that became popular or fun by accident, often in ways unintended by developers. Examples include "alting" and the architect system in City of Heroes, content trains in Guild Wars 2, and the unintended consequences of Grand Theft Auto Online's content creator. World of Warcraft and Fortnite are also cited for features that evolved beyond their original design intent.
Guild Wars Reforged has added new loot and minis to Underworld and Fissure of Woe
ArenaNet has released a new patch for Guild Wars Reforged, adding new miniature collectibles and unique items as rare rewards to the Underworld and Fissure of Woe endgame content areas. The update also includes fixes for disconnect issues and AI improvements for hero skills.
‘It’s like your mom reading you an old story’: Guild Wars 3 reveals composers and main music theme
ArenaNet has revealed the composers for Guild Wars 3, with BAFTA Games Awards nominee Kazuma Jinnouchi serving as lead composer. He will be joined by Asuka Ito and longtime Guild Wars 2 composer Maclaine Diemer. A new video showcases the game's main theme, emphasizing a warm and comforting musical style.
Someone made a Lego Jimothy Racoon set with over 180k likes, so I think we've peaked
A fan-made Lego set of Jimothy the Racoon has gained significant online attention, amassing over 180,000 likes on Instagram. This original build, created using spare Lego parts, accurately captures the racoon's distinctive appearance and has sparked discussions about fan creativity within the Lego community.
An ArenaNet developer's spouse first discovered Jimothy the raccoon, so it's only right that Guild Wars 2 adds…
ArenaNet is adding a virtual version of the viral raccoon, Jimothy, to Guild Wars 2 starting August 11th. The decision was partly inspired by the fact that the spouse of an ArenaNet developer was the one who initially discovered and popularized Jimothy online. Players will be able to unlock a Jimothy mini-pet within the game.
Guild Wars 2’s extended fam is basically responsible for making Jimothy a thing, so we’re getting minipets
ArenaNet is adding the internet-famous raccoon, Jimothy, as a minipet in Guild Wars 2 on August 11th. The developer acknowledged the meme's origin, which stemmed from a video filmed by the spouse of an ArenaNet developer. Jimothy will also appear in World of Warcraft, AdventureQuest 3D, and RuneScape.
MMO Week in Review: FFXIV in Berlin, Black Desert in SoCal, and Jimothy saturation
This week's MMO news covers Final Fantasy XIV's Fan Festival in Berlin, Black Desert's Heidel Ball, and the early access launch of SEED. Updates were also provided for Dungeons & Dragons Online, Aion 2, and The Guild reunion movie. Several games saw controversy including World of Warcraft staff cheating, Elder Scrolls Online capacity issues, and Microsoft layoffs.
Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, and AQ3D confirm that Jimothy pets are incoming
Several MMORPGs are introducing in-game pets based on the viral raccoon "Jimothy." World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 have confirmed their versions are coming soon, with Guild Wars 2 setting a release date of August 11th. AdventureQuest 3D has already released its Jimothy pet and a related hat.
A new Guild Wars 3 blog post spills the beans on the game's narrative focus, and perhaps even how magic will work in the upcoming MMORPG
ArenaNet has released a blog post detailing narrative elements and potential magic systems for the upcoming MMORPG Guild Wars 3. The post, "The Vaelwardens of the Orrian Golden Age," places the game during a period of slumber for the Elder Dragons, allowing magic to flow freely and leading to the founding of the Vaelwardens. Player theories suggest a system involving signets and spiritual aids for magic, potentially similar to Guild Wars 2's mastery system.
The Guild Wars 3 story pitch sees players holding the line against greedy industrialists who exploit the magical wilds
ArenaNet has revealed story details for the upcoming MMORPG Guild Wars 3, with Aaron Linde outlining the narrative pitch. Players will take on the role of Vaelwardens, guardians of magic in a world where industrialists, like the Mavenwrights, seek to exploit magical resources. The story focuses on the Vaelwardens' struggle to protect the fading magic and its spirits against encroaching greed and societal change.
Guild Wars Reforged fixes Steam login on mobile and begins testing new consumables
ArenaNet has released a patch for Guild Wars Reforged that enables Steam login functionality for mobile devices, a feature previously unavailable. The update also introduces two new beta consumables designed to help players locate enemies and reveal map areas, with feedback being sought for their performance. Additional fixes address various bugs and issues, including inventory display problems.
Guild Wars 2 delivers its delayed balance patch along with a new promo video
ArenaNet released a delayed balance patch for Guild Wars 2 on a Wednesday due to a hardware failure impacting their network. The patch addresses game balance, particularly for PvP, and also reintroduces cats and other pets associated with the 2025 Extra Life charity drive. A new promotional video highlighting all game classes has also been released.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Lessons Guild Wars 3 must not fail to learn from its predecessors
This opinion piece discusses key lessons ArenaNet should learn from Guild Wars 1 and Guild Wars 2 for the development of Guild Wars 3. It highlights the importance of a consistent content release cadence, the pitfalls of the Living World experiment, the need for flexible race and class design, and the significance of player mobility options and respecting the existing player base. The author expresses cautious optimism that ArenaNet has learned from past mistakes.
Guild Wars 2’s planned balance patch was delayed slightly over a hardware failure at ArenaNet
ArenaNet has delayed a planned balance patch for Guild Wars 2 due to a hardware failure in their office network that disrupted build and deployment pipelines. While the hardware issues have been resolved, the company is still working to recover affected systems and aims to release the update later today. This marks a rare delay for the game's typically smooth update process.