Guild Wars: Eye of the North will mark the first true expansion for the Guild Wars series, and its last one too. Since the game's initial launch in 2004, developer ArenaNet released Factions and Nightfall, both add-on campaigns with unique classes and skills that work independently as their own games. Eye of the North will be a true expansion that requires players to own at least one of the three Guild Wars games. It continues the story of the first game, now called Prophecies, and will take place primarily in the land of Tyria.

Longtime players will finally discover what happened to Ascelon after the end of Prophecies. In doing so, they venture into new lands Norn and Asura to embark on high-level quests. Norn has a big, hearty, Viking-like race that likes everything big and epic sized -- especially their battles. Conversely, the diminutive Asura might not have the brawn, but they make up for it with their ability to build powerful magical constructs, and they need heroes to help them deal with a threat driving them out from their underground homes. Additionally, an old well-known enemy to the Guild Wars world, the Charr, will return, and players will be able to travel to their homeland.

The story involves a number of earthquakes that have been rocking the land, opening previously undiscovered entryways underground. Beneath the Earth lie monsters and other hazards that heroes must use their might to put an end to. To aid them, the expansion includes 150 new skills across all ten professions, of which 50 will be dedicated specifically to adventure Player-vs-Environment (PvE) game play. Players will also enjoy 40 new armor sets and will fight alongside 10 new heroes.

As stated earlier, Eye of the North represents the last add-on to Guild Wars before Guild Wars 2 releases sometime next year. The reasoning behind the expansion was to provide long-time players some new, dedicated content while putting closure to questions fans have had since Prophecies. Some aspects from the expansion will relate directly to the story of Guild Wars 2, certain armor, weapons and unique Eye of the North-only items. A Hall of Monuments will come with the expansion, where players will be able to immortalize their characters and the spectacular feats they accomplish. These monuments will tie into Guild Wars 2, with the current plan involving newly created GW2 characters "inheriting" abilities from these historic figures.

The original Guild Wars games will continue to remain active, even after Guild Wars 2 launches. Eye of the North will bridge the transition from the old to the new, rewarding long-time players with fresh content and an end to the story.

Related Links

Guild Wars: Eye of the North Game Guide

Guild Wars Website

ArenaNet

NCsoft