Announcement date: November 3, 2026. ArenaNet (with co-developer 2weeks) announced Guild Wars: Afterlife — a paid DLC for the original Guild Wars via Guild Wars Reforged — with a planned release of January 13, 2027, preorders open at $23.99 (20% off), and the Vestments of the Order costume as a preorder bonus.
What Was Announced: The Feature List
The announcement’s confirmed content, each with its deep-dive page:
Xotecha
A new region deep in the Mists — Xotecha Guide.
The Unformed
A dynamic dungeon whose map, encounters and boss change every run — Unformed Dungeon Guide.
Skill drafting
Starting loadouts, mid-run picks, cross-profession elites — Skill Drafting.
Enemies and story
Nightmares, Ancient Golems, Cult of Odran; the Order of the Moonless Night — Story.
Two reward tiers
Run rewards and permanent rewards — Rewards Guide.
Co-op confirmed
Friends or henchmen — Co-op Guide.
The Commercial Terms Announced
- Preorder: $23.99 USD/EUR, 20% off the $29.99 standard price (regional variation applies)
- Preorder bonus: the Vestments of the Order costume
- Requirement: Guild Wars Reforged (base game ownership) — details on the Reforged Requirement
- Store: Steam app 5149500, plus the official Guild Wars store
The Announcement Trailer
The trailer released the same day on the official Guild Wars YouTube channel — around 229K views by November 4 and briefly #20 on US YouTube Trending (third-party snapshots). Watch and analyze it on the Trailer.
Who Announced It
ArenaNet develops and publishes, with co-development by 2weeks — a notable pairing of the series’ original studio with a small partner for the original game’s first paid DLC in ~20 years (First DLC in 20 Years).
What the Announcement Did Not Include
Honesty ledger, unchanged as of November 5, 2026: named bosses, skill pools or numbers, drop rates, room names, party-size caps, crossplay/matchmaking details, and any DLC version number. All are to be verified at launch — the News tracks any new official drops.
Announcement FAQ
When was Guild Wars Afterlife announced?
November 3, 2026, by ArenaNet — trailer, Steam page, price and preorder access all went live together.
What did the announcement confirm?
Region Xotecha, the Unformed dungeon, skill drafting, three enemy factions, two reward tiers, co-op, the January 13, 2027 date and preorder terms.
Who is developing Afterlife?
ArenaNet develops and publishes, with co-development by 2weeks.
Where can I read the official announcement?
Via ArenaNet's official news page and the Steam store page — this wiki's summaries always link primary sources.