Guild Wars Reforged, a free 20th anniversary revamp of the original Guild Wars, arrives this December

Guild Wars Reforged, a big update to 2005 MMORPG Guild Wars that’s designed to make it a lot more convenient to play on modern hardware, is set to hit Steam on December 3rd. Steam Deck verification, modern controller support, and an interface revamp are among the tweaks developers ArenaNet and 2weeks have made, with the possibility of further “improvements” down the road being teased.

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“We believe that even with all the advancements and innovations of the last two decades, Guild Wars has a lot to offer: an enchanted world of limitless adventure, a deep and flexible skill-based combat system, PvE and PvP challenges of all types, and more,” ArenaNet wrote in Reforged’s Steam announcement. “Guild Wars Reforged begins with a series of updates to Guild Wars that will be completely free to existing players and make it easier than ever for new players to experience it all firsthand.”

Reforged, which’ll be free to folks who already own the original Guild Wars, lumps Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall together into one package at the new price of $19.99 / whatever the your currency equivalent turns out to be. The aforementioned Steam Deck verification, an interface with larger text options, plus support for controller and high DPI displays come in that revamped box. There’s a new quest tracking system and on-screen guide to the controls.

It’s also had a bit of a visual facelift with “dynamic sky bloom effects, new ambient occlusion, and lighting updates” designed to take advantage of modern graphics cards, while some revamped textures and positional audio support round things out. Well, for now at least. “Guild Wars Reforged isn’t about a one-time update”, ArenaNet wrote, adding that they see this as a “renewing our commitment to the game” with help from 2weeks, a small studio some former ArenaNet staff formed last year.

“Beginning as a teenager, I’ve been involved with this franchise from the very start, collaborating with the original studio founders to create the world of Tyria,” said 2weeks co-founder Brandon Dillon, who spent 11 years at ArenaNet and has since worked on the likes of Grim Fandango Remastered at Double Fine. “Partnering with ArenaNet to update and improve the player experience means the game can continue to be a beloved beacon for fans of multiplayer online RPGs for years to come.”

It’s nice to see Guild Wars getting some TLC all these years on, especially since sequel Guild Wars 2’s in our top MMOs list. Plus, it’s an excuse to go back and read some retro Guild Wars writings from the founderfolk if you fancy.