As 2013 is drawing to a close, with it comes the arrival of our final release for the year: Wintersday! What goodies might you find under the tree with the final release of the year, you might ask? What is coming in early 2014, you may wonder?

An epic event that will rock Tyria to its very core awaits you in 2014.

Back in July I discussed some of the major features and areas we were focusing on for 2013. Most of this list has already been completed, and our December 10 release includes a few more items to cross off our wish list before we head to the holidays:

The culmination of the Tower of Nightmares story arc in Kessex Hills.

The return of one of our favorite holidays, Wintersday, just in time to celebrate the end of the Tower of Nightmares battle!

Our first step towards revamping the PvP reward system by adding gold and the ability to gain levels through PvP (for more details on these changes, see John Corpening’s blog post on PvP rewards).

New healing skills for every profession.

The addition of the final pieces of Ascended gear: Ascended armor.

The opportunity for Leatherworkers, Armorsmiths, and Tailors to raise their skill level to 500.

A few things on our list of projects for 2013 will be extended into 2014 as we continue to revise, test, and polish to ensure we put out features we think are the best for the game in the long run.

So what do we have to look forward to in the new year, and what is the next release to countdown towards after Wintersday?

After December 10, there will be just four releases left in the current major world story arc, which we like to think of as season one of the Living World. There are some major unanswered questions that remain: What is Scarlet trying to do? What is the motivation behind her actions? What are the “do not touch” devices? What will Scarlet do with the knowledge she has gained from her various collaborations? The answers to all of these questions, and one epic finale that will rock Tyria to its very core, await you in 2014.

Our first release in the new year will be on January 21 as we begin our countdown to the end of this story arc. We’ll use the longer break to spend extra time to ensure that our final four releases are as polished and exciting as possible.

Due to the size and scope of the final four story releases in season one, the next round of major features will be bundled together into a large “feature only” release that will come after the first season of the Living World 2014 has finished. Once the story has completed, we’ll go into much greater detail on what’s to follow, but for now we want to focus on making sure our last four episodes shine.

On behalf of everyone here at ArenaNet, thank you all for an amazing 2013. Without your collaboration, feedback, dedication, and love for the world of Tyria, Guild Wars 2 simply wouldn’t be the success that it is today —nor could we reach the lofty goals we’ve set for the future.

Until January 21, we’ll see you at the Wintersday festivities!