Elonian Desert

Lore & Background

The Elonian Desert is located on the continent of Elona. In the Guild Wars Nightfall campaign, the player character joins the Order of the Sunspears here. The desert is the central location for the conflict against Warmarshal Varesh, who seeks to bring about the Nightfall. The player's journey involves fighting through a civil war and dealing with the ignorant princes of Vabbi. The desert is also home to demon allies of Varesh that the player must fight. The player is assisted by hero allies throughout their quest to prevent the coming of Nightfall.

In Their Own Story

The player character is recruited as a junior officer in Elona's independent guardia... The story of the Elonian Desert in Guild Wars Nightfall follows the player as they join the Order of the Sunspears. They uncover the desire of Warmarshal Varesh to return a long forgotten god to the world through an event called Nightfall. The players, assisted by their hero allies, fight through civil war, ignorant Vabbi princes and Varesh's demon allies as they attempt to prevent the coming of Nightfall.

Reader's Guide

The Elonian Desert is the primary setting for the Guild Wars Nightfall campaign. Players exploring this region will encounter the Order of the Sunspears and fight against Warmarshal Varesh's forces. The desert features a PvE-focused storyline, a departure from previous campaigns. Players can create characters from the six core professions from Prophecies or the Nightfall-specific professions: the Dervish, a holy warrior who wields a scythe and uses enchantments, and the Paragon, a battle commander who wields a spear and uses shouts and chants. New customizable NPC allies called Heroes are available, allowing players to select their skills, armor upgrades, and weapons. The maximum level for all characters is twenty, with leveling speed being a middle ground between the faster Factions and slower Prophecies campaigns. New PvE-only skills are introduced, such as the 'Sunspear Rebirth Signet' and 'Lightbringer's Gaze', which increase in power as the player gains ranks in the Sunspear and Lightbringer title tracks. Some missions require the player to undertake them alone, without Heroes, henchmen, or other players, and feature mini-games, such as a mission where the player acts as a lawyer in a court case.

Did You Know?

• Guild Wars Nightfall was released worldwide on October 27, 2006, having been in development alongside Guild Wars Factions since November 2005.
• The Dervish profession has higher base HP than any other profession in the game.
• A new PvP arena called Hero Battles was introduced in Nightfall, where a player chooses three of their heroes to fight another player and their three heroes, but it was later removed from the game.
• A rerelease of the original game titled Guild Wars Reforged, which includes all content from Guild Wars Factions and Guild Wars Nightfall, was released on December 3, 2025.
• The game will be released on mobile platforms on June 24th, 2026.