With the announcement of The Midnight King, the final update for the Secrets of the Obscure expansion, Guild Wars 2 is looking ahead with a new studio update and roadmap. There are updates on WvW, PvP changes, a date for the next skills and balance update, and more as we head towards the announcement of the next expansion.
The World vs. World Restructuring process has been going for a while, and a new milestone is on the way. On June 14th, WvW will be reset and the system will move to an always-on beta status. Moving to this stage is something that will enable the team to get consistent data and allow for faster changes as they continue to polish up the systems. There will be an extended final relinking period through June 14th, and there are mitigations to help the queues. Expect more changes in July.
Also in June, the next skill and balance update is coming on the 25th, with a preview for feedback next week. The month also brings quality of life changes and improvements for PVP rewards in advance of the next ranked season that will begin July 2nd. ANet will diversify available build options by adding two attribute amulets and new runes, and by making ascended armor and weapons more available in PvP. The latter by increasing the number of marks you can earn each season and decreasing the cost in shards of glory that you need to get these gear items. They're also going to streamline PVP tournaments in July to have fewer events, greater competition, and the return of the Tournament of Legends event twice a year.
As for what’s next after The Midnight King, we can expect a devblog looking back at Secrets of the Obscure in a few weeks. That blog will also feature some lessons the team is taking into the next expansion. That is a tease, only expanded by the next tease - “shortly after that, you’ll get your first look at what that next expansion has to offer”. So, with the updated expansion cadence and promise of more frequent content, we can likely expect an announcement in the summer.
