Guild Wars 2 arrival on Steam next week means you can finally just buy the whole thing upfront

pcgamer.com:

Guild Wars 2 is coming to Steam. We've known this for a while—originally ArenaNet had planned to launch on Steam back in late-2020, before putting the release on hold. Now, though, the Steam release date has been revealed. It's out next week on August 23, meaning it coincides with the MMO's tenth anniversary celebrations.

In addition to the base game, which is free and has no subscription cost, ArenaNet is also introducing a Complete Collection bundle through Steam for $100/£87. Unlike previous Guild Wars 2 bundles—such as the expansion collection available on the game's website right now—this actually unlocks everything, including the five Living World seasons that bridge each expansion story with new maps and features.

I've seen plenty of players complaining on the subreddit and forums about the additional, hidden cost of the Living World story episodes—currently only available through in-game microtransactions. Frequently the maps they add are some of the most replayable, with Season 4's Dragonfall and Icebrood Saga's Drizzlewood Coast being two of the best farming spots in the game thanks to their lengthy meta event chains. They're also required for two of the best mounts—the roller beetle and Skyscale—and offer the easiest access to ascended trinkets, which offer the best stats. For regular players, they're basically essential purchases, so it's good to see an easier, more upfront method of purchase. Sure, it's $100, but that's 10 years of stuff—all of it still relevant thanks to the game's horizontal progression system.

ArenaNet has clearly spent the last few months making preparations for the Steam release, through a bunch of tests and changes that improve the new player experience. The biggest of these is a tweak