UPDATED: Next GW2 Expansion, End Of Dragons, Announced For 2021; Game Comes To Steam In September

Today is the eighth anniversary of Guild Wars 2's early access launch, on Aug. 25, 2012, and ArenaNet did a livestream today to commemorate the event, with a surprise announcement or two mixed in with the nostalgia. Notably, Guild Wars 2 will be coming to Steam in November. There will be only one set of servers, so Steam players will be able to participate in the same adventures as their comrades using the GW2 launcher, but existing accounts will not be accessible via Steam, and vice versa.

A new Fractal is also coming to the game on Sept. 15, the first in over a year. It’s called Sunqua Peak, which sounds similar to a location found in Cantha from the original Guild Wars ...

... which led into the big news: the formal announcement of the next GW2 expansion, which was teased a few months ago. It's called End of Dragons, and it will be coming in 2021, which totally and completely shuts down one of my predictions for this year.

And now, a special anniversary surprise...a sneak peek at the third #GuildWars2 expansion, "End of Dragons." #GW2EoD #CanthaConfirmed https://t.co/44qIhklCK0 pic.twitter.com/v1wntHjYbJ

— Guild Wars 2 (@GuildWars2) August 25, 2020

Also, it was announced (or maybe leaked) a few weeks ago that Guild Wars 2's aquatic mounts, skimmers, would soon be able to take their riders underwater, and today's patch update has made that into a reality. You can start the collection to unlock the mastery required for this by visiting any major city and finding Sibaha, described as a "talented but arrogant skimmer trainer" who apparently is able to teach an old skimmer new tricks.

There are also a number of new promotions in the Black Lion Shop, with several old skins returning to the game for purchase, and discounts on other items. You can also pick up the 8th Anniversary Supply Drop Requisition for 2,400 Gems, which grants you various items every week for the next four weeks. Or, if you just prefer free stuff, make sure to log in to receive your characters' birthday gifts, assuming they were created when the game first went live.

Complete patch details can be found on the GW2 site.