Guild Wars 2 ‘Shadow of the Mad King’ gets a spooky trailer

All Hallows' Eve is just a little over a week ahead, but Guild Wars 2 is starting the Halloween festivities a little early. With a new update, called "Shadow of the Mad King", Tyria will be transformed with spooky decorations and all kinds of tricks and treats. But don't expect candy when you go trick or treating in Tyria.

There's rumors that on Halloween the spirit of Mad King Thorn, the old Krytan king who was slain 500 years ago, can return to the mortal realm for just one day. It's been 250 years since the last alleged sighting, but with strange energies rising of late, I think something more is going on.

The Shadow of the Mad King update will run from October 22 until November 1 and will take place over the course of four acts.

• Act 1: Begins October 22
• Act 2: October 26
• Act 3: October 28
• Act 4: October 31

We don't know exactly what will happen during each act, but I bet in the final act, on Halloween, we will see the rise of Mad King Thorn. In addition the Black Lion Chest will receive an upgrade for Halloween. Between October 23 and November 5 each Black Lion Chest you open has a chance to give you one of six exclusive Halloween-themed weapon skins.

There will also be paid tournaments available for competitive, five-person teams. These require tickets to enter and give better prizes than normal tournaments. Qualifier points will be allotted to participating teams that will allow them to compete in larger tournaments in the future. Tournament tickets can be earned by winning normal tournaments or purchased from the Gem Store.