Guild Wars Afterlife

Guild Wars Afterlife is the first new DLC for the original Guild Wars in almost twenty years, and it does not hand you another continent to walk across. ArenaNet is sending existing characters to the isle of Xotecha, deep in the Mists, where the Order of the Moonless Night keeps watch over a jungle made of shared dreams. The dungeon inside it, the Unformed, rebuilds itself every run. Pre-purchase is open at $23.99 and the launch date is January 13, 2027, on PC, Steam, the Apple App Store and Google Play. You need Guild Wars Reforged to play it.

That combination — a 2005 MMO, a roguelite-shaped dungeon and a skill bar you draft on the fly — makes most questions about it practical rather than lore: what it costs after launch, what happens to your gear inside the Unformed, whose skills you can draft, and whether henchmen are enough.

Before you buy: seven facts that decide it

Four things that change how you play

The skill bar is drafted, not built. Each run starts with a loadout choice, then offers new abilities as you go. The offer pool is not limited to your primary and secondary professions, which breaks the rule Guild Wars builds have lived by since 2005.

Your progression and inventory do not come with you. The store page states that character progression and inventory evaporate in the Unformed Mists.

The dungeon is assembled per run. Maps, encounters and bosses are drawn fresh, so a route you learn on Monday is not a route on Tuesday.

Rewards come in two tracks. Some loot changes later runs inside Xotecha; some is permanent and usable outside it.

Direct answers

Do I need Guild Wars Reforged? Yes. The Steam page lists Afterlife as downloadable content and states that it requires the base game. Reforged is $19.99 and includes Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall.

What does it cost in total? $23.99 for Afterlife before January 13, 2027, or $29.99 afterwards, plus $19.99 for Reforged if you do not own it yet.

Can I play it on a phone? Afterlife ships on the Apple App Store and Google Play alongside PC and Steam. Reforged is already on Google Play, where its listing shows 100K+ downloads.

Is any of it playable today? The pre-purchase bonus is: the Vestments of the Order costume is delivered when you buy. The DLC itself unlocks on January 13, 2027.

Where to start reading

Nothing bought yet? Read price and pre-purchase, then is it worth it. If you already own Reforged and want to know what changes, go to skill-drafting combat and the Unformed dungeon. If you are here for the story, start with Xotecha and the Mists and then the Order of the Moonless Night.

Every number here is checked against ArenaNet's announcement and Steam listings on 2026-11-05.