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HISTORY · GW1 · GW2 · GW3

The History of Guild Wars

From Ascalon to the Orrian Golden Age — the complete story of the Guild Wars universe.

What is the Guild Wars timeline? Guild Wars began in 2005 with Prophecies, continued with GW2 in 2012 spanning six expansions to 2025, and returns with Guild Wars 3 — announced June 2026, beta Fall 2027. In lore, GW3 is set 1,000+ years before GW1 in ancient Orr's Golden Age, before the Elder Dragons awoke.

Guild Wars 1 — The Original (2005–2007)

Prophecies · Factions · Nightfall · Eye of the North

The award-winning online roleplaying game that launched the franchise. Guild Wars pioneered buy-to-play and no-subscription in a genre dominated by monthly fees, and delivered four interconnected campaigns across Tyria, Cantha and Elona.

APR 2005
Guild Wars: Prophecies
The original campaign, set in the continent of Tyria. Players begin in the kingdom of Ascalon, defending King Adelbern and Prince Rurik against the relentless Charr invasion. The Searing devastates Ascalon, forcing a desperate retreat through the Shiverpeak Mountains, through Kryta's jungle kingdom, and across the Crystal Desert — the graveyard of a forgotten human exodus. The journey ends at the ruins of Arah in Orr, where the players confront a deadly evil threatening all of Tyria.
APR 2006
Guild Wars Factions (28 Apr 2006)
The first standalone campaign, set in the Asian-inspired continent of Cantha. Players arrive on Shing Jea Island as students of Master Togo, the Emperor's half-brother. Two rival houses — the seafaring Luxons and the forest-dwelling Kurzicks — have been locked in endless war. The players must navigate their conflict, uncover the return of the legendary assassin Shiro Tagachi, and save the Emperor himself from a fate worse than death.
OCT 2006
Guild Wars Nightfall (27 Oct 2006)
The second standalone campaign, set in the North-African-inspired continent of Elona. Beginning on the sun-soaked isle of Istan among the Sunspears — Elona's peacekeeping order — players face Warmarshal Varesh of Kourna, whose ambitions serve a darker master. The Desolation, a wasteland of Abaddon's making, separates Elona from the Realm of Torment beyond. Players confront a forgotten god imprisoned since the dawn of the world.
AUG 2007
Eye of the North (31 Aug 2007)
The expansion pack bridging Guild Wars 1 and 2, set six years after Prophecies. Players return to Tyria's Far Shiverpeaks and Charr Homelands, explore the Tarnished Coast and descend beneath the world itself to face the Great Destroyer — herald of the Elder Dragons. First appearances of the Asura, the Norn, and the Sylvari precursor the Druids. Every Hall of Monuments achievement here carries forward to Guild Wars 2.
2009–2011
Guild Wars Beyond
A series of free online content arcs that continued the world's story between GW1 and GW2. War in Kryta (2010) saw the White Mantle overthrown; Hearts of the North (2010) followed Keiran Thackeray and Gwen; Winds of Change (2011) showed the upheaval in Cantha following the defeat of Shiro Tagachi. These arcs set the political stage for the 250-year gap before Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 1 remains playable as Guild Wars Reforged on Steam. Guild Wars 1 hub

Guild Wars 2 — The Sequel (2012–2025)

Elder Dragon Age · six expansions

Set 250 years after the original, Guild Wars 2 returned to a transformed Tyria shaped by the awakening of the Elder Dragons. Buy-to-play with no subscription, it introduced dynamic events, personal story, and a living world that continued to evolve through six major expansions and continuous seasonal updates.

AUG 2012
Guild Wars 2 (28 Aug 2012)
The base game launched the Commander — the player character — into a Tyria reshaped by the Elder Dragon Zhaitan's rise. The sunken kingdom of Orr was raised from the deep, and the five playable races (Human, Charr, Norn, Asura, Sylvari) united against a threat unprecedented in living memory. A nine-profession class system, underwater combat and a Dynamic Event engine replaced traditional quest hubs.
OCT 2015
Heart of Thorns (23 Oct 2015)
The first expansion took the Commander into the Heart of Maguuma — the ancient jungle homeland of the Elder Dragon Mordremoth. The Pact fleet was destroyed; a rescue mission became a war for the soul of the Sylvari. Heart of Thorns introduced Masteries, the Revenant profession, gliding, and the raid system.
SEP 2017
Path of Fire (22 Sep 2017)
The second expansion returned to Elona, the continent first seen in Nightfall, now locked under the rule of the god Balthazar — stripped of his divinity and bent on slaying the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik to consume its power. The desert-spanning story introduced mounts (Raptor, Springer, Skimmer, Jackal, Griffon) and elite specialisations.
FEB 2022
End of Dragons (28 Feb 2022)
The third expansion returned to Cantha — sealed off since the Ministry of Purity's xenophobic purges in 1127 AE. Players discovered Soo-Won, the Elder Dragon of water and the deep sea, and confronted the Dragon Cycle itself: the mechanism by which the Elder Dragons regulate magic across Tyria. The Jade Sea and the Echovald Wilds from Factions were reimagined for a new age of jade-fuelled technology.
AUG 2023
Secrets of the Obscure (22 Aug 2023)
The fourth expansion moved the Commander beyond Tyria itself, following the Wizard's Court — a secretive order of wizards tasked with defending the world from demonic threats from the Mists. The story entered Nayos, the realm of dreams, and introduced Rift Hunting, a new weapon system, and the Weaponmaster Training Mastery allowing any profession to wield any elite spec weapon.
AUG 2024
Janthir Wilds (20 Aug 2024)
The fifth expansion took the Commander to the Janthir lowlands — an ancient, largely unexplored region north of Kryta — where the Kodan, an ursine people who sailed south from the arctic on their Sanctuaries, have made landfall. The Wizard's Tower storyline continued. Janthir Wilds introduced spear mastery for all professions on land, new elite specialisations, and the Homestead system.
2025
Visions of Eternity (2025)
The sixth expansion for Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet confirmed Visions of Eternity in 2025, introducing a new wave of elite specialisations for all nine core professions. Full story and mechanical details to be announced.
Guild Wars 2 is free to play (base game) and remains active with a thriving playerbase. Guild Wars 2 hub

Guild Wars 3 — The Return (announced Jun 2026)

Ancient Orr · Orrian Golden Age · Beta Fall 2027

Guild Wars 3 was announced at Summer Game Fest on 5 June 2026. It is an action-adventure MMORPG from ArenaNet, coming to PC (including Steam) and PlayStation 5 as a buy-to-play title with no subscription. The beta opens Fall 2027.

Announced5 JUN 2026Summer Game Fest 2026
BetaFALL 2027PC & PlayStation 5
Business modelBUY-TO-PLAYNo subscription · no pay-to-win
SettingAncient Orr1,000+ years before GW Reforged
EraOrrian Golden AgeElder Dragons slumber; magic blooms freely
Launch species4Humans, Asura, Kodan + one mystery species
SETTING
The Orrian Golden Age
More than a thousand years before the events of Guild Wars Reforged, the Elder Dragons sleep at their deepest and magic blooms freely across the world. The human gods — drawn by the richness of Orr — first set foot on Tyria at the Artesian Waters in Orr. The land teems with the Vael: a wondrous ecosystem of magical spirits bound to the wilds.
GUILD
The Vaelwardens
The oldest guild in Orr — protectors of the Vael spirits and the magical wilds. Based in the Tughra Basin, the Vaelwardens are renowned for artificing and for their mastery of Signets: small gems containing fixed magic. They are sanctioned by the Six Gods, in particular Dwayna and Melandru. At the start of Guild Wars 3 they teeter on the brink of ruin. Players take up the Vaelwardens' banner.
RIVALS
The Mavenwrights
The Vaelwardens' rivals: industrialists who seek to exploit the magical wilds rather than protect them. Where the Vaelwardens preserve the bond between Orr's people and the Vael, the Mavenwrights represent those who would harvest and commodify magic's living expressions for power and profit.
SPECIES
Four Playable Species at Launch
ArenaNet confirmed four playable species at launch (5 Aug 2026): Humans, Asura, Kodan, and one as-yet-unannounced mystery species. Additional species may follow post-launch. The presence of the Kodan connects directly to GW2 lore: during ancient times, a kodan tribe fled south from the arctic to Janthir and Orr — precisely the setting of Guild Wars 3.
~20,000 BE
Earliest recorded dragonrise
The Elder Dragons' earliest known period of wakefulness, as recorded in GW2 lore. Magic surges and retreats with each dragon cycle. At the time of Guild Wars 3's Orrian Golden Age, the Elder Dragons are deep in their slumber between cycles.
10,000–1,000 BE
Elder races, ancient alliances, Orrian flourishing
The age of the elder races — Mursaat, Forgotten, Seers and others — and their alliances and wars with one another and the Elder Dragons. The Kodan, guardian bear-people of the arctic, built their great Sanctuaries; one tribe fled south to Janthir and Orr, laying the roots of their presence in GW3's setting. The Six Gods first arrived from the Mists, drawn to Orr's richness, setting foot at the Artesian Waters.
~1,000 BE
GW3 era — the Orrian Golden Age
The setting of Guild Wars 3. Orr is at its most magnificent: the Vaelwardens protect the Vael, the Six Gods walk among mortals, and magic is abundant. The seeds of conflict — the Mavenwrights' ambitions, the Vaelwardens' decline — are being planted. This era will end, centuries later, with the Sinking of Orr and the kingdom's descent beneath the waves.
2005 CE
Guild Wars 1 (GW Reforged) — present day of the franchise
By the time of Guild Wars 1, Orr lies sunken beneath the sea, destroyed 1,000 years prior. The Elder Dragon Zhaitan has not yet awakened. All that remains of the Vaelwardens and the Orrian Golden Age are ruins under the waves — until Zhaitan's rise in GW2 raises the dead continent once more.
Guild Wars 3 is in active development. All information sourced from official ArenaNet announcements. Guild Wars 3 hub

Complete Franchise Timeline

2005 → Fall 2027
2005 GW1 Prophecies
Apr 2006 Factions
Oct 2006 Nightfall
2007 Eye of the North
2012 Guild Wars 2
2015 Heart of Thorns
2017 Path of Fire
2022 End of Dragons
2023 Secrets of the Obscure
2024 Janthir Wilds
2025 Visions of Eternity
Jun 2026 GW3 Announced
Fall 2027 GW3 Beta
GW1 (gold) · GW2 (teal) · GW3 (gold). All dates are official release or announcement dates.