Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the fourth expansion for its MMORPG Guild Wars 2, will host a variety of new gameplay features and epic adventures set high above the surface of Tyria, delving into the ancient mysteries around the floating Wizard’s Tower that have intrigued players for over two decades, and further enriching the subscription-free online world of one of the most enduring and beloved PC games of all time. 

The all-new story puts players into the shoes of both erstwhile defender and explorer of the unknown as they race to defend the world from a heretofore unseen threat. The adventure will begin with a climb through the Skywatch Archipelago, the first of two new maps being added to the game on release day. Hanging high in the sky above Tyria, these floating islands are under attack from the Kryptis, a demonic race of malevolent beings streaming through instabilities in the Mists and threatening the fragile peace of the world in the wake of the defeat of the elder dragons. What follows is an epic struggle into the Demon Realm, where the fate of the world rests in the hands of the player and their secretive new allies.

The climactic final release for Secrets of the Obscure, titled “The Midnight King, launches on May 21, free for all expansion owners.

This conclusionary chapter of Guild Wars 2’s 2023 expansion features a challenging array of new gameplay additions, including the thrilling finale between the Astral Ward and the extra-planar Kryptis. An epic new open world meta event awaits players in the Inner Nayos map, taking them to the very gates of the Citadel of Zakiros. To help augment heroes’ kits, the legendary armor introduced in February’s “Realm of Dreams” update can be upgraded to a visually stunning second tier, and new relics will increase character build possibilities. 

In addition to the closing chapter of the expansion, this release also features The Lonely Tower, a new Fractal of the Mist in Guild Wars 2’s unique five-player instance encounter game mode.  A new final boss stands ready in Convergences, SotO’s epic 50-player PvE engagement, and a much more difficult challenge mode for all Convergences bosses has been added to give players the ability to demonstrate their skill against the best the Kryptis have to muster. A refresh of the rewards from the Wizard’s Vault arrives alongside a new UI update that allows players to customize the color and shape of their targeting reticle while using Action Camera, and other goodies earnable in-game round out the prizes up for grabs.

A wealth of new features, activities, and storylines open up new possibilities for gameplay:

• New maps: Two new explorable maps will be available on August 22, the Skywatch Archipelago and Amnytas, with a third to follow in a future update.
• New hub area: The enigmatic Wizard’s Tower will serve as the jumping-off point for players to explore Secrets of the Obscure, and be the central location that ties the player to the main characters and events of the expansion
• Astral Ward: As the Kryptis invade Tyria, players will be able to join a band of treasure hunters and adventurers known as the Astral Ward to help protect the world, undertaking monster hunts and bounty contracts throughout the game to rank up and earn new rewards and abilities.
• The Heart of the Obscure: this important tool will serve as the player’s master key to explore the new expansion; as they make progress in upgrading this mystical stone, they’ll earn the ability to open special doors and reward chests, create support items like leyline and updraft generators, and open and seal the rifts for the Astral Ward.
• Advanced Flight Masteries: Acquiring the fan favorite Skyscale mount will be easier in Secrets of the Obscure, but for those players who train their Skyscale in both the new track from this expansion and the previously released Path of Fire will earn additional functionality for their skyscale. Two of the Secrets of the Obscure skyscale masteries - in-combat mounting and updraft use - will also apply to the griffon mount.
• New Strike Missions: Two new challenging 10-player instanced encounters arrive with Secrets of the Obscure: the Cosmic Observatory, and the Temple of Febe. Their Challenge Modes are planned to become available in later releases.
• Wizard’s Vault: The Wizard's Vault awards Astral Acclaim for completing daily, weekly, and seasonal achievements across the game. Players can trade Astral Acclaim for unique items like armor pieces, weapon and mount skins, gold, legendary crafting materials, and more. 
• Relics: unlocked at level 60, this new equipment slot will now be the home of the wide variety of rune set bonuses previously found on different rune types, allowing for more customization of special effects and more freedom to choose the stat bonuses players want to use on their characters.
• Weaponmaster Training: each of the game’s nine professions will now gain the ability to equip the weapons previously reserved for their elite specialization, unlocking new gameplay and build options for players.
• New Rewards: A deluge of new earnable rewards await players, including the game’s first set of legendary armor earned through open world PvE activities. 

Guild Wars 2: Secrets Of The Obscure is availalbe for PC at $24.99.