Guild Wars 2 is getting its fifth enlargement on August 20, developer ArenaNet has introduced, one that can add a extremely requested characteristic to the long-running free-to-play MMORPG: participant housing.

Known as Janthir Wilds, the enlargement will see gamers purchase Homesteads, one thing AreaNet is already calling “probably the most player-friendly housing system” seen in an MMORPG but. Homesteads may be personalized and adorned as gamers see match, and mates and guildmates may be invited over so gamers can showcase their houses.

Homesteads will be the enlargement’s large promoting level, however there are different new additions as effectively, together with two new maps for gamers to discover, the addition of Warclaws to the sport’s mount roster and, for the primary time since launch, a brand new weapon kind within the two-handed spear. For the primary time since 2019, there can even be a brand new 10-man raid, although the raid and its more-difficult problem mode will not be accessible at launch and can are available in one of many enlargement’s three main updates post-launch. These updates will moreover introduce one other new map, extra rewards, and a brand new PvP mode.

The enlargement is offered for preorder now for $25. ArenaNet moreover introduced Guild Wars 2, and all of its earlier expansions and in addition to Janthir Wilds, shall be accessible on the Epic Video games Retailer later this summer time. Guild Wars 2, which initially launched in 2012, was added to Steam in August 2022.

ArenaNet’s MMORPG does not look like slowing down anytime quickly. Forward of the sport’s Steam launch, ArenaNet famous Guild Wars 2 participant counts had doubled in recent times. In 2023, ArenaNet changed the way it approached creating content material for Guild Wars 2, pivoting to smaller, however extra frequent expansions together with main quarterly updates as an alternative of bigger expansions that would take a number of years to be launched. The objective, ArenaNet mentioned, was to ship extra content material sustainably, and for “the following large launch” to solely ever be a “few months away.”

In an expansion retrospective forward of the Janthir Wilds announcement, Guild Wars 2 recreation director Josh Davis mentioned the group has made “important strides” in its objective to ship more-consistent recreation updates and assist for the MMORPG whereas additionally serving to its builders get pleasure from a greater work-life stability. There may be, nevertheless, nonetheless room for enchancment, he mentioned.