Yesterday, NC, ArenaNet, and bilibili announced Mistbound, the first collectible card game set in the world of Guild Wars. The game is licensed by ArenaNet, developed by NC, and published globally by bilibili, targeting PC and mobile platforms.
Colin Johanson, Studio Head at ArenaNet, said in a statement:
We felt it was time to give Guild Wars fans a new way to play together, inspired by the card game roots of the franchise, where they could compete in a competitive PvP arena in a CCG game space. Having all those experiences they love of the characters and creatures and the sounds of the world of Tyria brought to life in CCG.
Hwang Sunwoo, Producer of Mistbound at NC, stated:
One challenge with pursuing deep strategic combinations in card games is that the cards themselves can easily become overly complex. Rather than placing that complexity on individual cards, we wanted to express it through the battlefield. Our goal is to create a CCG that, over time, continues to offer more choices and gameplay possibilities, and one that players can enjoy for the long term.
Baek Hakjun, Game Designer of Mistbound (better known as “Kranich,” a former professional Hearthstone player and World Championship competitor), added:
At first, the game is approachable. Placing units on a battlefield and engaging in combat is intuitive, allowing new players to learn quickly. But as you continue playing, you begin focusing on the significance of every turn and every decision. Eventually, you discover the satisfaction of reading and controlling the entire board.
In Mistbound, players will step into the boots of a commander, becoming one with the battlefield as they select cards to deploy onto a dynamic 5 x 3 tactical grid and crucially reposition them turn-by-turn in response to enemy movements. This feature, dubbed ‘Dynamic Movement Gameplay,’ allows each card to move in multiple directions per turn, ensuring exciting, unpredictable moment-to-moment gameplay, according to the developers.
Mistbound's movement system introduces mechanics such as knockbacks, pulls, flanking opportunities, and shifting offense-defense positioning, adding strategic depth while remaining intuitive and easy to pick up. Commanders are no longer passive support characters standing in the backline; they actively join the fight as powerful playmakers capable of turning the tide of battle in dramatic ways.
Iconic Guild Wars characters will step onto the battlefield as commanders, each bringing unique abilities, traits, and tactical identity. The official website lists Marshal Trahearne, Countess Anise, and Knut Whitebear from Guild Wars 2, as well as Nika, a Hero from Guild Wars Factions. Of course, this is likely to be an incomplete list.
Furthermore, drawing direct inspiration from Guild Wars 2's nine professions, the system faithfully preserves the franchise's signature combat styles while opening up new strategic combinations. By freely pairing commanders and professions, Mistbound aims to unlock rich tactical diversity and reinforce the series' depth and class expression.
It's yet another example of ArenaNet and NC's plans to expand the Guild Wars franchise, following the unveiling of Guild Wars 3 at Summer Game Fest 2026 and the announcement that development on Guild Wars Reforged and Guild Wars 2 will continue as well.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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