ArenaNet and NCSOFT have a surprise expansion called Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure coming soon to the MMORPG.

　　Secrets of the Obscure, the fourth major expansion made for Guild Wars 2 after Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire, and End of Dragons, is now available for pre-order at $24.99. The following bonus items will be included with every pre-purchase:

　　Eagle Eye Weapon ChestArcane Spellweaver’s HatSpecial Demon Hunter character TitleShared inventory slotLevel 80 character boostThere's also a Deluxe Edition priced at $49.99, which also includes the following extra items:

　　Astral Ward Feathered Raptor mount skinMagic Juggle emoteAdditional character slotIdentity Repair KitLastly, the Ultimate Edition is priced at $79.99 and comes with all the above plus 4,000 Gems.

　　Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure aims to finally pull the veil on the mysterious Wizard's Tower that floats high on the surface of Tyria. Adventurers will begin their new adventure on the Skywatch Archipelago, one of two new maps available at launch (the other is called Amnytas). This bunch of floating islands is under attack from the Kryptis, a demonic race of malevolent beings that entered Tyria through instabilities in the Mists and is now threatening the fragile peace of the world in the wake of the defeat of the Elder Dragons. ArenaNet promises an epic struggle into the Demon Realm, where the fate of the world rests in the hands of the player and their secretive new allies.

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　　The Wizard's Tower itself will be the central hub of the expansion. That's where players will meet the Astral Ward, a group that aims to protect Tyria. Players will accept monster hunts and bounty contracts from the Astral Ward, ranking up and earning new rewards and abilities.

　　Linked to the Astral Ward is the so-called Heart of the Obscure, a mystical stone capable of opening special doors and reward chests, creating support items like leyline and updraft generators, and opening and sealing rifts.

　　Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure also adds two 10-player instanced Strike Missions (the Cosmic Observatory and the Temple of Febe), the new Relic equipment slot (used for a wide variety of rune set bonuses previously found on different rune types), Weaponmaster Training (allowing each class to equip the weapons previously reserved for their elite specialization), the Wizard's Vault (a reward system that grants a currency called Astral Acclaim upon completion of achievements; Astral Acclaim can be traded back for skins, gold, armor, legendary crafting materials, and more), two new Flight Masteries (in-combat mounting and updraft use, applied to both the Skyscale and the Griffon mounts), and even more rewards including a set of legendary armor earnable through open world PvE activities.

　　Post-launch, Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will receive additional content and features such as a third map, a new Fractal of Mists encounter, challenge modes for the Strike Missions, and other rewards.

　　Fans can get an early taste of the Weaponmaster Training feature by taking part in a special beta event scheduled to take place from June 29th to July 2nd. ArenaNet has prepared a dedicated beta character slot to allow players to experiment with the many new build opportunities available with Weaponmaster Training.

　　ArenaNet also announced discounts of up to 50% coming to Guild Wars 2 bundles from June 29th, whether you purchase from Steam or the official website. As a reminder, the Seattle-based studio is reportedly working on a third-person action fantasy title for consoles, though they haven't shared any official details yet.