Wired's writer has shared an early hands-on preview of Guild Wars 3, ArenaNet's sequel to its long-running MMORPG series, offering fresh detail on gameplay following the game's announcement earlier this summer. The most notable new information concerns combat and movement mechanics shown in alpha footage, including fluid gliding-to-wall-running transitions and a momentum-based system that lets players ram into enemies, knock them off ledges, or combine class abilities for coordinated attacks. This matters because ArenaNet is attempting network-latency-sensitive mechanics rarely used in MMOs, while also keeping the older Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 titles running rather than retiring them.

Guild Wars 3 runs on Unreal Engine 5, has been four years in development, and is set before the events of its predecessors, so no prior series knowledge is needed. A beta is targeted for late 2027, and the game will be the franchise's first console release, coming to PlayStation 5 alongside PC. Newly detailed class mechanics include Warriors slamming the ground from height for area damage or launching allies into the air via angled shields, and Rangers creating ice vortices that Warriors can ride upward before crashing down for bonus damage; some of these are enabled by new "contextual skills" that only appear in specific situational windows, such as mid-air states.