If Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is going to be a successful expansion, the most important thing it needs is momentum leading up to its launch. Guild Wars 2 has been one of the biggest MMOs out there since its release in 2012, and if this is truly the end of the Elder Dragon saga in Tyria, the game and its longtime player base deserves a strong conclusion.
Guild Wars 2 is in a pretty tough spot right now. Since the announcement of End of Dragons last year, ArenaNet has been very quiet regarding the game's third expansion and many players have left the game due to a lack of quality content. In a lot of ways, this expansion is the last real hope for Guild Wars 2 and fans have been desperately hoping that it revitalizes the MMO, which has been struggling for quite some time now. But earlier this week, ArenaNet revealed a road map running through the summer and detailing information regarding the expansion, finally injecting life into the community.
A lot of fans have been frustrated with ArenaNet's perceived lack of communication, but Guild Wars 2's newest roadmap is exactly what the game needs. Beginning next month, Guild Wars 2 will receive a balance patch and begin a journey reliving the events of the Living World on a weekly basis leading up to the release of End of Dragons. ArenaNet also detailed upcoming in-game events, the release of the long-awaited Legendary Armory, the confirmation of a new set of elite specializations and the announcement of a set date for a live stream detailing the End of Dragons expansion. The announcement paid immediate dividends and has instantaneously re-energized the game's community, but ArenaNet needs to keep pushing.
Guild Wars 2 Needs to Build Hype for Its End of Dragons Expansion
Guild Wars 2's Path of Fire expansion was initially successful because the game was riding a lot of momentum. The game was arguably in the best condition it had ever been in and players were incredibly optimistic about the future, promoting the game and bringing players back through word of mouth on sites like Reddit. Since then, most of that momentum has faded and the game has failed to recapture it ever since. If End of Dragons is going to be successful, it needs to find a way to bring players back and get them reinvested in the game again. Allowing players to re-experience the events of the Living World, like the Twisted Marionette boss fight, is a great way to do that. It also allows players to experience past events that they may have missed. It may not be a lot of content, but it's enough to give people a reason to want to play again.
This road map is a glimmer of hope for a player base that really needed it. Guild Wars 2 is approaching its ninth anniversary and many players have invested countless hours into a game they love, but it has seemingly deteriorated over the last couple years, which even resulted in layoffs at ArenaNet. The End of Dragons expansion promises to bring many things to the game that players have been looking for, and a summer filled with a consistent stream of content is the first step toward bringing players back to Guild Wars 2.
Source: Guild Wars 2