Guild Wars 3 takes place in the Tyrian region of Orr. ArenaNet calls it a vast wilderness frontier imbued with the world's magic, more than a thousand years before the original Guild Wars takes place.
When It Takes Place
The original Guild Wars takes place around 1070 AE. Setting Guild Wars 3 more than a thousand years earlier places it far back in Tyria's history, before the events covered by either previous game.
What ArenaNet Has Said About This Era
ArenaNet published an in depth look at the setting on June 11, 2026. It sets the story before the First Guild War, as tensions between rival guilds grow and before the human gods depart. Orr is approaching a golden age: the gods task guilds with cultivating the land and protecting its people, while magic remains unavailable to most, given only to guilds selected by the high council and the gods.
The post names two story threads directly. ArenaNet says that “the former God of Death has been recently usurped” and that the Order of the Vael, the Vaelwardens' guild, is on the back foot. Established lore identifies Grenth as the god who took Dhuum's throne of death, placing the game near one of the series' earliest events.
The post also outlines the world: a version of Orr that is “more layered, more detailed, and more interconnected than anything we’ve done before,” with fewer loading screens than earlier Guild Wars games. Orr is just the beginning. ArenaNet writes “Orr is where we’re beginning this journey, not where it ends” and intends to explore more of Tyria during this era.
Source: ArenaNet: Stepping into Ancient Orr. Grenth and Dhuum background from the Guild Wars 2 wiki, used under CC-BY-NC-SA.
Orr in Established Lore
In the original Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, Orr had been one of three human kingdoms and the home of the holy city of Arah until the Cataclysm sank it beneath the sea in 1071 AE. More than a century later, the Elder Dragon Zhaitan brought it back above water and transformed its dead into the Risen, the corrupted foes fought by Guild Wars 2 players in the drowned ruins.
Guild Wars 3 takes place much earlier, while Orr is still a living land.
Lore background from the Guild Wars 2 wiki: Orr, used under CC-BY-NC-SA.
The Spirits of Orr
The reveal connects Orr to its spirits. Your Vaelwarden protects Orr's people and spirits, while your Seeker companion links you to those spirits and acts as a mount. Find more about your role on the Vaelwarden page, or find all confirmed information on what we know.