ArenaNet just announced it was changing the minimum system requirements for Guild Wars 2. With these changes, Guild Wars 2 hopes to improve its graphical fidelity over time.Pretty soon, Guild Wars 2 will end its support of DirectX 9 and will instead only be compatible with DirectX 11. This change will begin on February 6, and it will gradually roll out over the subsequent eight weeks. By April 18, everyone will be migrated to the DirectX 11 client, and players will no longer be able to launch the game with DirectX 9. Since DirectX 11 came out in 2009, most GPUs should be able to support it. Players whose systems cannot run DirectX 11 will either need to replace their GPU with one that can or use a cloud gaming service to continue playing Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet confirmed NVIDIA GeForce NOW would be a compatible platform for such players.
If players are unsure if their GPUs are able to run DirectX 11, ArenaNet gave Guild Wars 2 players an easy way to check the compatibility of their hardware by following these simple steps:
- Enter “dxdiag” into the taskbar search box.
- Select dxdiag from the results.
- Click on the “Display 1” tab in the diagnostic tool when it pops up.
- Under the “Drivers” section on the right, read the numbers in the “Feature Levels.”
- If this list contains the number “11_0” or higher, the computer’s GPU is DirectX 11-compatible.
This graphical update will allow ArenaNet to improve Guild Wars 2 gradually over time. Though it is a beautiful game, Guild Wars 2 just recently passed its 10-year anniversary. The graphics of Guild Wars 2 are far from cutting edge, but ending support for DirectX 9 will allow it to use more modern rendering features. This will give Guild Wars 2 better graphics and smoother performance, all while negatively affecting as few players as possible.
Fans of ArenaNet’s MMO should have plenty to look forward to in 2023. Guild Wars 2 recently released the final chapter of the revamped Living World Season 1–the free evergreen version of the formerly-limited world events originally released in 2013. With Living World Season 1 now immortalized, Guild Wars 2 is looking to the future. Players can expect a new Living World season to be announced soon, giving them a chance to dive back into the story after End of Dragons. With Guild Wars 2 already working on its fourth expansion, the free-to-play MMORPG is showing no signs of slowing down in spite of its age.
Guild Wars 2 is available for PC.