21 years after release, Guild Wars 1 just got an 'Ironman' mode inspired by a venerable community-driven challenge

Guild Wars might look indistinct among the many MMOs that arrived in the wake of World of Warcraft's genre-defining heyday, but it has relatively little in common with WoW or even EverQuest, the Iron Age big dog in the massively multiplayer space. It's a unique blend of deckbuilding and ARPG-esque adventuring where you can team up with other players in town hubs across different campaigns—a setup so unique it's still drawing a crowd over two decades, a very different sequel, and a big modernization update later.

It's not an easy game. But, the question always goes, how can I make this harder on myself? An update arrived Jan. 28 with the answer: Melandru's Accord. "Inspired by the community-driven Ironman challenge," the new game mode will require that players earn all their skills and items without the relief of player trading or mercenaries (special NPC helpers that copy character builds and gear).

The full list of restrictions can be perused in the patch notes, but suffice it to say it's similar to the self-found modes you can try in World of Warcraft: Classic Hardcore and Old School RuneScape. If you're the kind of stiff who likes to smugly muse about how RPGs used to be more hardcore, this is all you.

The patch comes bearing other gifts as well: improved touch screen support for Steam Deck users, UI tweak, and faster progression when playing the original Prophecies campaign in Reforged mode. Skill costs are down, mission XP is up, and some quests will award more gold for your trouble.

It's another reason to play the original Guild Wars, which is worth considering whether you have fondness for old-school MMOs or not. There's still not much like it, especially given its absorbing setting and excellent multi-classing system that rewards tinkering and experimentation. And hey, if you decide to go in blind with Melandru's Accord ticked on, you can, as the patch notes declare, "be awesome."