All guides and reading paths
Twenty-one guides in one table, plus three reading routes: new to Guild Wars, returning after years, and deciding whether to pre-purchase.
Every page on this site in one table, with the question each one answers. Afterlife is not out yet, so the material splits three ways: what ArenaNet published about the DLC, what Reforged already does, and the buying decision in between.
Read the page that matches your situation rather than starting at the top.
All pages
| Page | What it answers | Read it when |
|---|---|---|
| What is Guild Wars Afterlife | What the product actually is, and how it relates to Reforged | You have never heard of it |
| Release date and platforms | January 13, 2027, four storefronts, nine languages | You want the date and storefronts |
| Price and pre-purchase | $23.99 versus $29.99, and the real total | About to buy |
| Vestments of the Order | The pre-purchase costume and how to claim it | The costume is missing |
| Reforged primer | What the base game is, and why you need it | No Reforged yet |
| Xotecha and the Mists | The island, the dream-jungle, the setting | You care about the story |
| Order of the Moonless Night | The faction and its duty | You want the plot premise |
| The Unformed dungeon | How a run is assembled | You want the mode explained |
| Skill-drafting combat | The rule it breaks | The mechanics |
| The ten professions | Roster and secondary rules | New to Guild Wars |
| Nightmares and Ancient Golems | The two enemy families | You want the bestiary |
| The Cult of Odran | The antagonist faction | You want the villain |
| Rewards and progression | Run rewards versus permanent rewards | You want the reward loop |
| Friends, henchmen and runs | Grouping, henchmen and drafting with other people | You play solo |
| Afterlife vs Reforged | The two products side by side | You own neither |
| Is it worth it | The buying decision | On the fence |
| How to prepare for launch | Five things to do before January 13 | Already bought it |
| Reforged update timeline | Thirteen dated 2026 updates | You want the patch record |
| Steam Deck and mobile | Deck, mobile and controllers | You play handheld or on a phone |
| System requirements | The official specs | You want to know if it runs |
| FAQ | Twelve short answers | You have one specific question |
The table follows the order questions usually arrive: what it is, what it costs, how it plays. On a phone, the menu carries the seven most-used pages and the rest live here.
Three reading routes
If you have never played Guild Wars. Start with the Reforged primer to understand what you would be buying, then the ten professions to see what a character is, then is it worth it for the buying decision. Skip everything about drafting until you own the base game — it will not mean anything yet.
If you played the campaigns years ago. Start with skill-drafting combat, because it is the part that changes what you know, then the Unformed dungeon for the structure, then rewards and progression for what carries back out. The Cult of Odran and Order of the Moonless Night pages cover the story premise if you want it before launch.
Only here to decide on the pre-purchase. Read price and pre-purchase, then Afterlife vs Reforged, then is it worth it. Ten minutes, no lore. The short version: $23.99 now, $29.99 later, base game required, and the value depends on whether you will run a repeatable dungeon.
How to read the dates
Everything here is dated 2026-11-05, because that is when the store pages and the announcement were checked. Prices change, patch notes accumulate and a pre-purchase window closes on January 13, 2027 — so a page about price is only as good as its date.
The pages that will age fastest are price and pre-purchase, release date and platforms and Reforged update timeline. The pages that will age slowest are the ten professions and Xotecha and the Mists, because the base game's rules and the island's fiction do not move.
When the DLC unlocks, the pages that describe runs will need to be rewritten from play rather than from announcements. Until then, the announcement is the record, and it is quoted rather than paraphrased wherever a number matters.
Not sure which route fits? The honest test is whether you have a Guild Wars character you still like. If you do, start with the mode pages. If you do not, start with Reforged and come back in January.
Checked 2026-11-05 against the pages listed above, each of which cites its own sources.
Next in the dossier
- Is Guild Wars Afterlife worth it? — The buying decision, with the arithmetic.
- How to prepare for launch — Five things to do before January 13, 2027.
- Reforged update timeline — The 2026 patch record, with dates and specifics.