Guild Wars veterans need not wait much longer to finally head back to the Crystal Desert and the kingdom of Elona. On September 22nd, ArenaNet will release "Path of Fire," the second expansion to the popular MMO Guild Wars 2. Path of Fire has players tracking down and trying to stop the rogue god Balthazar as he makes his way through the Crystal Desert to deal with the remaining Elder Dragons. But along the way, two other opposing forces threaten to halt their progress including the undying ruler of Elona, Palawa Joko, and his undead hordes, along with the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik's branded minions. The race is on to stop Balthazar, as the delicate balance of magic is in jeopardy.

You can pre-order Path of Fire from the Guild Wars 2 Online Store here, and as always, it comes in three editions, each with more goodies than the last.

• Path of Fire


• Max Level Boost

• Path of Fire


• Max Level Boost


• Additional Character Slot


• Identity Repair Kit


• Spearmarshal's Presence - Sunspear Outfit


• Lily of the Elon Permanent Pass

• All of the above


• 4000 Gems

Path of Fire promises to bring a plethora of new content to the game. For the first time since the original Guild Wars and Guild Wars: Nightfall players will be able to traverse the lands of the Crystal Desert and the northern regions of Elona. The new areas will encompass five huge maps that ArenaNet promises are the biggest and most expansive maps they have ever created. In fact, they are so big that Guild Wars 2 will finally allow players to use mounts for the first time. Unlike traditional MMO mounts, which are mainly used for traversing quickly across the terrain, these mounts allow for unique exploration of the new zones through the utilization of the mastery system. Some mounts jump gaps, others leap high into the air, but all will be used for the sake of exploration.

Also being added are nine new elite Specializations for each class that will be sure to shake up the way you play. Specializations, which were added in Heart of Thorns, allow each class to use new abilities and new weapons, but the catch is unlike usual traits each class can only have one specialization active at a time. Finding what works best for your class is always one of the best parts of Guild Wars 2, and it's being expanded upon again. You can check out each of the new specialization trailers below for each class.

A free preview weekend of the expansion will be available to all players with a Guild Wars 2 account in good standing from August 11th-13th, so definitely check it out. Check back with RPGFan as more information comes out!

• Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire Screenshots