Greetings, Tyrians!
The final chapter of Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™ arrives on June 3 with "Absolution," a climactic update that plunges deep into the haunted heart of mursaat history. Journey into the ruins of Bava Nisos and uncover the truth behind the rift that still threatens Tyria.
Alongside this epic conclusion, "Absolution" also brings a new fractal, a legendary backpiece, homestead upgrades, a suite of quality-of-life changes, relics, goodies in the Wizard's Vault, and the debut of challenge mode for Convergence: Mount Balrior, along with a Twitch Drops event to celebrate the release. Let's take a look at what's coming next for Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds—"Absolution"
When Mabon fell to the Kryptis, an ancient ward cast over the city of Bava Nisos evaporated. All its secrets were free to fester—all its ghosts danced back to life.
At the start of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, the commander was sent on a mission of diplomacy to befriend the lowland kodan of the Janthir region. But just as we settled into the calming rituals of the delta lifestyle, a darker threat emerged from the shadows. Titans had somehow been released into Tyria once again, and the commander, with the aid of allies old and new, navigated the perilous reaches of Janthir to defeat these otherworldly creatures. Victory was just within reach, too, before Ura revealed with her dying breath that the door that she and her kin used to breach our realm remained wide open.
In the second update for Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, "Repentance," we chased the echo of an old acquaintance through the ruins of his people's demise as we searched for this open Mists gate. Now, in the finale of Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds, we will reach the core of the titan crisis once and for all.
Bava Nisos
Each of the three survey teams that you helped comb through Mistburned Barrens completed their research and have come to the same conclusion: something vile awaits us within the depths of Bava Nisos. When a path into the city proper is finally revealed at the start of "Absolution," our final descent begins.
Once a monument to mursaat victory, Bava Nisos was built into the side of a great mountain—its sprawling halls and twisting passages branch in every direction. However, the once-opulent city is now crumbling with decay. When the Door of Komalie was opened and titans spilled out into Tyria, Bava Nisos was sieged by a bloody battle that took down one of Tyria's most powerful societies. Most of the living mursaat and attacking titans were slaughtered. But despite their defeat and the city's abandonment, menacing magic still lingers inside of Bava Nisos. Left alone for almost three hundred years, this magic has mutated and warped with time.
As the grand finale of the Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds experience, Bava Nisos contains a climactic map-wide meta-event. You'll be working alongside factions supporting the Tyrian Alliance—such as Councillor Ludo from Rata Sum and a spirited guest from Divinity's Reach's most elusive social club—to fight your way to the Mists gate at the city's heart. The meta contains three main lanes that players can participate in, where you'll face various obstacles and threats as you navigate the surreal landscape.
What could possibly await you inside?
New Challenges Await
The battle for Mount Balrior is about to get even more intense. In "Absolution," we're adding the third and final Convergences boss encounter as Ura, the titan imperatrix known as the Steamshrieker, at last makes her appearance. This godspawn commands the scalding steam and choking geysers of the mountain, making her unending wrath truly something to be feared. If you've fought Ura before, this encounter introduces some new mechanics to make this a fresh twist on the Mount Balrior experience!
And for those seeking an even greater test of skill, we're also introducing challenge mode for Mount Balrior Convergences, offering greater difficulty, sharper coordination checks, and even more rewarding spoils for those who triumph.
Our newest fractal dungeon, Kinfall, also arrives on June 3. Step into the roles of a small band of lowland kodan as they defend their homeland during the Icebrood invasion of northern Tyria…and as they hear the whispers of the legendary dragon Jormag. In response to player feedback, with Kinfall we've intentionally stepped back from the raid-like complexity of more recent fractals in favor of a streamlined and repeatable experience reminiscent of some of our earlier fractals. The challenge mode for Kinfall will release three weeks later, in our June 24 game update.
Home Improvement
In "Absolution," we're doubling the homestead decoration cap to 2,000, giving builders and dreamers the space they've been craving. Players can train the new Grandmaster Handiworker Crafting tier to increase the decoration limit by 500, and Deft Lahar will sell decoration limit increases to raise the cap by an additional 500. This release also introduces new decorations and adds two new resource nodes to Deft Lahar's inventory.
But we're not stopping at structural upgrades; we're elevating the vibes as well. On June 3, the Black Lion Trading Company will debut a brand-new customization option that lets you change the appearance of your homestead's sky. First up is a dazzling aurora borealis display that turns Hearth's Glow into a northern dreamscape. Later this year, you'll also be able to personalize the entrance to your homestead with skins for your conjured doorway.
Look forward to even more updates to homesteads in our next expansion later this year. Homesteads are beginning to rival fashion wars for the most expressive corner of Tyria!
Quality of Life
We've got a hefty round of quality-of-life updates coming your way in "Absolution." From the Wizard's Portal Tome to hold your collection of portal scrolls to the endlessly efficient Wizard's Gobbler, this update is full of small changes that make a big difference (and free up some much-needed inventory space)! We'll dive into all the details in a dedicated blog later this week. Stay tuned!
Summer Schedule
While "Absolution" marks the end of the Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds story arc, there's still plenty to look forward to in the months ahead while you await this summer's news of our next expansion.
Here's a look at what's coming up on the horizon:
June
- June 3—Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds—"Absolution"
- June 17–July 8—Dragon Bash
- June 24—Skills and Balance Update, Kinfall Fractal Challenge Mode
July
- July (TBA)—Expansion Announcement
- July 15–July 29—Return to Secrets of the Obscure Event
- July 22–July 29—WvW Rush Bonus Event
August
- August 5–August 12—PvP Push Beta Event 3
- August 5–August 26—Festival of the Four Winds
Stay tuned to our channels throughout this week and next as we share a deeper look at what's coming with "Absolution." As always, thank you for being part of this journey with us.
—The Guild Wars 2 Team