Guild Wars 2 is gearing up for the launch of its third expansion pack, End of Dragons, at the start of the New Year. The newest preview of the expansion pack's contents was of Shing Jea Island, a new area players can explore in the eastern-themed continent of Cantha - and one that players of the prequel's Factions expansion might remember.

Shing Jea Island first appeared in Guild Wars: Factions back in 2006, where it acted as the starting zone for new characters starting in the expansion. Fifteen years later, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is taking gamers back to Cantha, and players can finally see what has transpired on the other side of the world in the 250 years that have passed in Tyria between the first and second games.

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As has happened in other places across Tyria, Shing Jea Island has changed, but not so much to be unrecognizable to fans of the first game. Memorable locations, like Zen Daijun and the Monastery, make their returns, along with several other landmarks and areas both old and new. As one can expect from Guild Wars 2, the environments are gorgeous and bright in spite of the aging game's aging graphics, and the soundtrack is tranquil and harmonic.

Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons has revealed plenty of content lately. In addition to the highly-anticipated return to beloved Cantha, players will have access to new features, including fishing, a new two-person turtle mount, and nine new elite specializations - one for each of the Guild Wars 2 professions. The final three specializations will be revealed in the coming weeks in anticipation of the third event on October 26th, and more features and locations to be found in the expansion pack will come soon.

Ever since the release of its first two expansions and its Living World content, all of which had revisited beloved locations from the original game, longtime fans of the Guild Wars 2 have hoped for a return to Cantha. Shing Jea Island is the first zone Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons has given an in-depth look at, which is a fitting choice given that many players began their journeys there. Soon, players will get to discover how other familiar locations have faired over the centuries.

With so many other MMORPGs in the spotlight, it is no surprise many gamers may have forgotten that Guild Wars 2 was still around, especially in light of controversies surrounding MMO titan World of Warcraft, or the recent meteoric rise of Final Fantasy 14. However, Guild Wars 2 is still alive and well, with over 500,000 active players each day –nearly the same as Amazon's New World. With an expansion around the corner, that number is bound to rise even higher.

Guild Wars 2 is available now on PC, with End of Dragons releasing in February 2022.

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Source: Guild Wars 2