Mist slides over Lion’s Arch at twilight. Watchfires flicker along a cliff path as skiffs return to harbor, and somewhere out on the open water a ley-fueled pylon hums like a heartbeat. Visions of Eternity bends the rhythm of Tyria toward the unknown island of Castora, and the city feels it. Guild Wars 2, developed and published by ArenaNet under NC, enters a major season of change with this expansion. Expansion page
Expansion at a glance
Visions of Eternity launches on October 28, 2025 with two new open world regions and a year of story chapters across three major updates. It brings nine new elite specializations, skimmer mastery upgrades that reshape traversal, a fresh homestead map for owners of Janthir Wilds and Visions of Eternity, and a slate of group content updates including new raid encounters next year, a new Convergence, and a new fractal with challenge mode. Daily play shifts through new map metas, Wizard’s Vault seasonal rewards, expanded relic options, and a unified approach to raids and strikes in 2026. Open world sees richer pathing and events around Castora, instanced PvE gains new targets and rewards, and competitive modes keep earning through the global reward track while balance pivots around the new elite specializations.
| Feature | Category | Short summary | Who it benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| New regions | Open world | Two launch maps on Castora with year-long updates | Explorers, meta runners |
| Elite specializations | Combat | Nine new trait lines and mechanics, one per profession | Buildcrafters, PvE, PvP |
| Skimmer mastery | Traversal | New abilities and enhanced movement and combat utility | Map roamers, bounty hunters |
| Group content | Endgame | Raid encounters, new Convergence, fractal with CM | Static groups, LFG squads |
| Legendaries and relics | Progression | Six new legendary items and more relic choices | Long-term chasers, theorycrafters |
| Homestead updates | Housing | New map and layouts if you own both expansions | Decorators, guild social |
Story so far
Tyria has weathered world-shaping threats and lived through uneasy truces. Allies formed a broader Tyrian Alliance to stabilize the continent after recent crises. Against that backdrop, whispers grew about an Inquest project beyond normal charts, a reach for a place many treated as rumor. Power and curiosity pull at the same thread. By the last chapter before Visions of Eternity, factions were wary but engaged, and the stage was set for a chase that would leave familiar shores behind.
Visions of Eternity story
The expansion opens on the pursuit of Castora, a remote island saturated with strange energies and shifting seas. The Inquest is not alone in the hunt, and the clock runs faster than it looks. Themes focus on discovery, responsibility, and how distant experiments ripple back through every port and valley. Returning faces anchor the tone. For a solo player dropping in now, the stakes feel immediate. The story gives clear entry points and moves you through the new regions without demanding encyclopedic lore knowledge.
New content and activities
Visions of Eternity adds two explorable regions at launch, with two more maps arriving across the year. Expect event chains that crest into map metas, stronghold footholds to defend, and skimmer-forward routes that reward traversal mastery. New instanced content arrives in phases: two raid encounters next year with challenge modes and a legendary mode, a new Convergence, and a new fractal with challenge mode. Entry flows through the story start or the in-game LFG panel. Reward categories include ascended gear, legendary components, relic options, weapon and armor skins, homestead decorations, and Wizard’s Vault currency. Seasonal updates expand the activity mix and refresh target farms, keeping squads rotating through new goals.
Masteries and systems
Skimmer mastery sits at the center of travel on and around Castora. New and updated mechanics add scouting, burst speed, vertical play, and supportive pressure during open world fights. Players with prior skimmer training gain additional boosts, and base quality of life improves across the board. A unified structure for raids and strikes is planned for 2026, aimed at clearer access and streamlined rewards. Fashion templates join build and gear templates, letting you save looks and swap them as fast as you swap roles. Relics grow the pool of build-defining effects without locking you to narrow paths.
Progression, rewards, and seasonal track
Wizard’s Vault continues to set a clean path for weekly and seasonal earning. Achievements and activity cards highlight a first week in the new maps, while long arcs point at legendary items, relic collections, and new cosmetic sets. The six legendary items added across the expansion include three weapons, a ring, an accessory, and the long-requested aquabreather. Homestead layouts let decorators plan, save, and revisit designs. Account-wide currencies and unlocks keep progress feeling shared across characters, so alts can jump straight to action.
PvE updates
Open world pacing pushes you through river routes, cliff passes, and ley-charged coves, with clearer tells for event escalation and finale breaks. Instanced PvE gets a modern cadence: raids and strikes align next year under one structure, a Convergence returns with new twists, and a new fractal with challenge mode lands in the final expansion update next year. Weekly loops gain more defined targets, and rewards map cleanly to effort so you always know why a run matters. Challenge modes sharpen execution for static groups while LFG routes remain readable for pick-up squads.
PvP and WvW updates
Structured PvP leans into the shake-up from nine elite specializations. New trait lines, mechanics, and skill sets reframe tempo, sustain, and burst. Wizard’s Vault keeps rewarding competitive play alongside PvE. In WvW, the new build tools and profession options ripple through roles, siege timing, and comp choices. Expect commanders to reassess frontline and backline responsibilities as players test how the new kits cover gaps and amplify pushes.
Economy, crafting, and trading
New recipes arrive with the expansion, aligned to relics, legendaries, and map-specific drops. Gathering and refining patterns follow familiar Guild Wars 2 logic: targeted nodes and event chains feed the benches, and the market responds to weekly demand for raid, fractal, and Convergence inputs. Legendary pursuits remain the anchor for long-term planning, while cosmetic sets and homestead decorations keep a steady pull on trading behavior across the season.
Combat balance and builds
Nine elite specializations bring fresh trait lines and profession mechanics, alongside new healing, utility, and elite skills. Across game modes, playstyles that handle movement, control, and team enablement gain new tools. Supports lean into proactive buffs and cleanses instead of only stabilizing after spikes. DPS options split between sustained uptime and tight burst windows, and some kits offer flexible off-support. As squads iterate, group comps in instanced PvE should shift toward builds that capitalize on clean telegraphs and coordinated boon windows. In PvP, expect tempo to quicken where new gap closers or denial tools land.
Quality of life and UI
Fashion templates let you lock in the looks you love and swap them fast. Loadouts, LFG, and squad tools continue to streamline group formation. On the traversal front, skimmer upgrades bring practical time savers like improved mounting flow and midair dismount options. Storage, wardrobe, and template shortcuts reduce menu time. The net effect is more minutes spent playing and fewer lost to juggling panes.
Developer commentary
ArenaNet frames Visions of Eternity as a full year of adventure that opens with two maps at launch, follows with a systems-focused first quarterly update, then grows into larger maps and a deeper story in the second and third updates. The team also outlined a plan to unify raids and strikes next year to make endgame group content easier to find and more consistent to reward. Developer blog
Release timing and rollout
Guild Wars 2: Visions of Eternity launches on October 28, 2025, with the release planned around 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. A community beta in August let players try all nine elite specializations ahead of launch. The expansion’s year-long rollout includes three major updates, with the first focused on core systems and long-requested features, and later updates adding a larger map and expanded story beats. For your first week, finish the story prologue to unlock map waypoints, train skimmer masteries early, then set a Wizard’s Vault plan that hits both daily quick wins and one weekly prize.
For returning and new players
Returning after a break Start in Lion’s Arch, bind core combat keys, and hop into the story to unlock the Castora maps. Train skimmer upgrades, join the first meta, and skim the coastline for events and materials. Cap the night with a fractal or a Convergence run to shake off rust and bank rewards.
New to Tyria Finish the new player guide beats, then use the beta tryouts and templates to find a profession that clicks. Follow the story markers, do nearby events, and join squads via LFG when a meta icon pops on your map. It is a fast, friendly on ramp, and the expansion’s structure keeps the path clear.
Known issues and support
At launch and through the season, ArenaNet posts important notices and fixes on official channels. If you encounter account, performance, or progression issues, use the in-game report tools and visit the official support site for updates and workarounds. Keep your client updated and watch the news feed for hotfix notes.
Confirmed vs not announced
| Confirmed | Not announced yet |
|---|---|
| Release date October 28, 2025 | Any changes to WvW objectives or siege flow |
| Two launch regions, two more across the year | Specific sPvP map updates or new ranked rewards |
| Nine elite specializations, one per profession | Exact balance numbers and profession patch timelines |
| Skimmer mastery upgrades and base QoL | Detailed drop rates and acquisition totals |
| Two raid encounters with CMs and a legendary mode next year | New guild hall or additional mounts beyond skimmer focus |
| New Convergence and a new fractal with CM next year | Cross-mode progression changes beyond those listed |
| Six new legendary items including an aquabreather | Additional story characters beyond those already named |
| New homestead map and decoration layouts for owners of both expansions | Any future bonus maps beyond the planned two |
| Fashion templates available to all players | Exact fashion template feature list beyond the confirmed scope |
| Wizard’s Vault seasonal rewards and new relics | Additional relic sets or rune changes beyond those stated |
Closing thoughts
Visions of Eternity changes the beat of Tyria. New maps set a fresh course, skimmers cut new lines through wind and water, and squads sharpen tools for raids, fractals, and public instanced set pieces. It feels like a year built for momentum. If you love clean combat, steady rewards, and a world that moves with you, this is the moment to sail for Castora.
