Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire

“

As the balance of magic comes undone, lead your allies in the hunt for the rogue god Balthazar, whose scorched-earth campaign threatens the very existence of Tyria.

— Official site

Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire is the second expansion pack for Guild Wars 2. It was released on September 22, 2017, at approximately 2017-09-22 09:00 America/Los_Angeles16:00 UTC.

Purchasing

The expansion is available through the official website and the in-game Black Lion Trading Company panel.

• External source — creating a new account or upgrading an existing account requires the redemption of the serial code
• In-game panel — upgrading an existing account will automatically be applied to the account used to purchase the upgrade

Editions available

• Standard Edition ($29.99 / €29,99 / £25.99)

Editions unavailable

• Deluxe Edition ($54.99 / €54,99 / £47.99)
• Ultimate Edition ($79.99 / €79,99 / £69.99)

Items	Standard	Deluxe	Ultimate
Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire (expansion)	1	1	1
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (expansion)	1	1	1
Access to associated Living World content	1	1	1
Level-80 Boost (+Shared Inventory Slot)	1	1	1
Additional Character Slot	0	1	1
Identity Repair Kit	0	1	1
Spearmarshal's Presence	0	1	1
Lily of the Elon Permanent Pass	0	1	1
4000 Gems ($50 / €50 / £42.50 value)	0	0	1

• As of August 30, 2019, all accounts that own or buy Path of Fire will receive the previous expansion, Heart of Thorns, for free.
• As of July 27, 2021, with the End of Dragons expansion and the collection available for pre-purchase, the deluxe and ultimate editions of Path of Fire are unavailable from the official online store.

Upgrading to Deluxe Edition

Players who have bought the Standard version of the expansion can choose to upgrade to the Deluxe edition via the Black Lion Trading Company for 2,400 . You cannot upgrade to Ultimate from either Standard or Deluxe.

Features

Plot

Primary article: Path of Fire story

Humanity has worshipped the six gods for centuries, even as their prayers went unanswered. Now the god of fire and war, Balthazar, has made an unexpected return, only to reveal himself as a ruthless manipulator with little regard for mortal life.

Tyria's heroes thwarted the first stage of his catastrophic plan to destroy the Elder Dragons—but now he's raised a zealous army to cut a path of terror and destruction across the south. You must halt their march before Balthazar sets the foundations of the world ablaze.

Crystal Desert

• New region, with five larger-than-ever open world maps: Crystal Oasis, Desert Highlands, Elon Riverlands, The Desolation, and Domain of Vabbi.
• New personal storyline, which takes place after Living World Season 3

Mounts

• Six new mounts as part of the mastery system. They are available for use across all of Tyria, not just within the Crystal Desert (including guild halls, but not instances anterior to PoF).
  • The Raptor — A hardy saurian, capable of leaping horizontally across long distances.
  • The Springer — A large jerboa-like creature, capable of jumping vertically to great heights.
  • The Skimmer — A floating manta ray-like creature, capable of hovering above water and environmental hazards.
  • The Jackal — An elemental canine, capable of blinking across short distances and of making precision jumps.
  • The Griffon — A cat-bodied bird, capable of gliding across the sky with great speed.
  • The Warclaw — A suit of enchanted armor in the shape of a large cat, found within World versus World.

Elite specializations

• Nine new elite specializations, one for every profession.
  • Guardian: Firebrand (axe, tomes replacing virtues, mantras)
  • Revenant: Renegade (short bow, citadel orders, Kalla Scorchrazor and her legendary renegades)
  • Warrior: Spellbreaker (dagger, full counter, meditations)
  • Engineer: Holosmith (sword, photon forge replacing the elite tool belt skill, exceed skills)
  • Ranger: Soulbeast (dagger mainhand, become one with your pet through beastmode, stances)
  • Thief: Deadeye (rifle, deadeye's mark replacing steal, cantrips)
  • Elementalist: Weaver (sword, attune to two elements simultaneously, stances)
  • Mesmer: Mirage (axe, replaces dodge with a mirage cloak that allows you to ambush foes, deceptions)
  • Necromancer: Scourge (torch, shades replacing death shroud, punishments)

Raids

• Three new raids, each with new equipment, achievements and additional rewards:
  • Hall of Chains
  • Mythwright Gambit
  • Key of Ahdashim

Equipment

• New armor sets — Bounty Hunter's armor, Elonian armor, Funerary armor, Spearmarshal's armor, Warbeast armor, Armor of Dhuum
• New weapon sets — Path of Fire weapons
• New legendary trinket — Coalescence
• New attribute combinations — Harrier's, Grieving, Marshal's

Other features

• New Guild hall — Windswept Haven
  • New decorations
• New Adventures — Refugee Supply Run, Crystal Oasis Griffon Expert, Crystal Oasis Griffon Master, Cavalier Express Parcel Run, Highlands Griffon Expert, Highlands Griffon Master, Skimshallow Cove Supply Run, Riverlands Griffon Expert, Riverlands Griffon Master, Shadows Intel, Desolation Griffon Expert, Desolation Griffon Master, Garden Wine and Cheese Run, Vehjin Noble Necessities Run, Necropolis Embalming Supply Run, Vehtendi School Supply Run, Vabbian Griffon Expert, Vabbian Griffon Master
• New masteries — Path of Fire mastery tracks
• Bounties — Tasks related to defeating various enemies, usually suitable for groups.
• New juvenile pets — Cheetah, Fanged Iboga, Jacaranda, Rock Gazelle, Sand Lion

Living World Season 4

Note: Living World Season episodes are not bundled with the expansion and have to be either purchased from the Gem Store or claimed during free access periods.

• With the corresponding episodes unlocked, six more maps are available: Domain of Istan, Sandswept Isles, Domain of Kourna, Jahai Bluffs, Thunderhead Peaks, and Dragonfall.
• New mounts:
  • The Roller Beetle — A giant beetle that curls into a ball to race downhill and smash through walls. It wears a floating magitech saddle fashioned from asuran technology. Unlocked via Long Live the Lich.
  • The Skyscale — A Mists-born dragon adept at scaling cliffs and traversing through the air. Requires every episode of Season 4, partial completion of the first five episodes, and total completion of War Eternal.
• New armor sets — Elegy armor, Requiem armor, Mist Shard armor, Blossoming Mist Shard armor, Corsair armor
• New weapon sets — Living World Season 4 weapons
• New legendary trinket — Vision
• New attribute combinations — Plaguedoctor's
• New masteries — Roller Beetle, Skyscale, Crystal Champion

The Icebrood Saga

Note: Living World Season episodes are not bundled with the expansion and have to be either purchased from the Gem Store or claimed during free access periods.

• With the corresponding episodes unlocked, a new hub and three more maps are available: Eye of the North, Grothmar Valley, Bjora Marches, Drizzlewood Coast.
• New armor sets — Raven Ceremonial armor, Stone Summit armor, Runic armor, Bear Ceremonial armor
• New weapon sets — The Icebrood Saga weapons
• New masteries — Icebrood Saga mastery tracks
• Strike Missions — 1-10 player squad-based PvE instances, serving as a bridge between open world and raids in their difficulty.
• Dragon Response Missions — 1-5 player PvE instances with story from the Icebrood Saga and optional challenge modes.

Gallery

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Trivia

• Two preview weekends were available to all players—the first from Friday, August 11 through Sunday, August 13, and the second on Friday, August 18 through to Sunday, August 20.
• Two stress tests were available for all players—one on August 31, and the second on September 7—for only about 2 hours each.
• Pre-purchasing became available on August 1, 2017. Accounts that pre-purchased received:
  • Miniature Rogue Balthazar
  • The Spearmarshal's Gift - allows the player to select an Elonian weapon skin of their choice
  • Exclusive title: "Elonian Envoy"

External links

• Official Website
• Release Announcement
• Pre-purchase options and information
• Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire – Announcement Trailer
• Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire – Launch Trailer

Developer Diaries

• 2017-08-15: Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire – Developer Diary – Elite Specializations
• 2017-08-27: Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire – Developer Diary – Mounts
• 2017-09-05: Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire – Developer Diary – Story

Interviews

• 2017-09-05: Interviews: Exclusive Developer Diary and Interview on Returning to Elona (mmorpg.com)
• 2017-09-05: Guild Wars 2 Talk Path of Fire Narrative (magazine.gaiscioch.com)
• 2017-10-26: Maclaine Diemer Brings Musical Magic to the Path of Fire Soundtrack (magazine.gaiscioch.com)

References

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Guild Wars 2

Games	Guild Wars 2
Expansions	Heart of Thorns Path of Fire End of Dragons
Living World	Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 The Icebrood Saga
Other	Merchandise Promotions