Guild Wars Reforged adds permadeath-lite and an easier tutorial — here’s why it matters

Why this update actually matters for Guild Wars players

The December 18 patch for Guild Wars Reforged is small in scope but loud in intent: the team is experimenting with ways to make the 2005 classic feel new again. Two optional modes landed quietly – one that tempts streamers and thrill-seekers with a permadeath-flavored badge, and another that officially lowers the barrier to entry for newcomers and returning players. This matters because it signals a willingness to tinker with foundational systems rather than just ship visual upgrades.

• Key change 1: Dhuum’s Covenant (beta) gives a single-death badge and unique titles – it’s permadeath-lite, mostly cosmetic for now.
• Key change 2: Reforged Mode (alpha) softens Pre-Searing Ascalon with NPC henchmen, nerfed enemies, four-player parties and access to Piken Square pre-timeskip.
• Key change 3: Both modes are explicitly open to player feedback, so these are experiments, not finalized features.

Breaking down Dhuum’s Covenant: permadeath by another name

Dhuum’s Covenant is the attention-grabber because permadeath sells. Activate it at character creation and your adventurer wears a badge that disappears after a single death. While the patch notes lean into the drama – “make a deal with death” — the actual payoff so far is modest: titles on the Hero panel that reflect you earned them while the covenant was active. That’s cool for flexing in guild chat, but it isn’t true hardcore permadeath where your character and progress are permanently gone.

This caught my attention because the recent revival of hardcore modes in retro MMOs (look at World of Warcraft Classic’s Hardcore streams) showed how much spectacle a single tweak can create. A real permadeath mode could drive viewership and community moments. As it stands, Dhuum’s Covenant feels like a proof-of-concept: appealing, but small. The devs have asked for feedback and said the mode might change — which means the community could push for public markers, deeper risk/reward mechanics, or genuine permadeath if there’s appetite.

Reforged Mode: the gentle onboarding Guild Wars needed

Not everyone wants to make the game harder or stream a single life’s drama. Reforged Mode, currently tagged as alpha, is the practical change most returning players and new groups will appreciate. Enable it during creation and Pre-Searing Ascalon becomes friendlier: many enemies have lower health and armor, henchmen — powerful NPC companions — return with extra skills, and pre-timeskip maps open up a bit more, including access to Piken Square without triggering the irreversible timeskip.

Crucially, Reforged Mode supports four-player parties in that zone, which aligns better with modern expectations. The catch: party syncing matters. If you join up with someone not using Reforged Mode, you get pulled back into original difficulty for consistency. That’s a sensible design choice to prevent griefing, but it also means veterans have to be mindful when farming or teaching new players.

Why now — and what this signals about the Reforged roadmap

This is the first post-launch content tweak for Reforged, and it’s revealing. The release already bundled almost everything except Eye of the North, added modern visuals, and brought Steam Deck and controller support. These gameplay-mode experiments show the team isn’t treating Reforged as a one-time remaster — they’re iterating. Opening alpha and beta modes for feedback is good; it hands direction to the community. If the team leans into meaningful permadeath or expands Reforged Mode into a full “casual campaign” toggleset, Guild Wars could attract both hardcore streamers and newcomers simultaneously.

Practical note for shoppers: Guild Wars Reforged is on Steam for $19.99 / £17.99 and keeps its free-to-play legacy vibe — no subscription. The Reforged package includes every expansion except Eye of the North and is now easier to access on modern hardware. That price point combined with these quality-of-life experiments makes it even easier to convince friends to try it.

TL;DR — Is this update worth your time?

Yes, with caveats. Dhuum’s Covenant teases hardcore thrills but is cosmetic and limited for now; it’s a solid base for a proper permadeath mode if the community pushes. Reforged Mode genuinely improves onboarding with NPC henchmen, easier enemies, and four-player pre-Searing parties — a meaningful change for friend groups and returning players. Both modes being open for feedback is the real headline: this is iteration, not finishing, and it could make Reforged the flexible classic revival many of us hoped for.