Guild Wars' First Expansion Pack Announced and Dated - 'Eye of the North'

If you're a fan of the MMORPG genre, then you must be a fan of Ncsoft's Guild Wars. If so, you should know that the developer, ArenaNet and the game's publisher, NCsoft Europe have revealed that Guild Wars: Eye of the North, the first expansion to the subscription-free MMORPG title, will be released on August 31. For the moment, the Europeans are the ones who'll get it.

The expansion will set you back some £24.99 / €34.99 and it's going to be available from retailers in the United Kingdom and across Europe, as well as through the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com and in the Guild Wars in-game store. As you may have imagined already, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will be subscription free too, providing new content accessible to players who own both the expansion and any one of the three previously released Guild Wars campaigns (Guild Wars, Factions, or Nightfall).

"Guild Wars has one of the most committed and loyal player bases I've ever seen, and Guild Wars: Eye of the North is our way of delivering prized content to veteran players and creating a link to the future of Guild Wars," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet.

Here's the game's plot and some other details for those who might want to start picking up on this superb MMORPG PC title:

Eye of the North follows up on events told in the original Guild Wars campaign, and is set in previously unexplored areas of the continent of Tyria. The expansion contains a host of new features that will appeal directly to veteran Guild Wars players, including 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all ten Guild Wars professions, ten new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and more items, weapons, and titles. Additionally, through the innovative Hall of Monuments, Guild Wars: Eye of the North creates a path for players to carry the legacy of their characters into the upcoming Guild Wars 2. The Hall of Monuments will allow players to preserve their accomplishments and titles from Guild Wars, Factions, and Nightfall, which can then be claimed in Guild Wars 2.

So, keep in mind that Guild Wars' first expansion pack, Eye of the North, will be available for purchase all across Europe on August 31; but until then, you can check out the game's official site and here's where you can download it when it's available.