The fourth expansion for Guild Wars 2 launches on August 22, 2023.
Lots of interesting stuff in there:
Experience all-new flexibility in combat customization thanks to several potent system updates. Relics augment your build with special additional effects, combined with a streamlined and revamped rune system. Unlock access to weapons that were previously exclusive to elite specializations for each profession. In future releases, each profession will gain the ability to use even more weapons to introduce entirely new fighting options.
I’m leery of the new relics system; I hope that’s not just a “here, have some grind to slow you down” kind of system. Could be fun and interesting, like Masteries, or it could be clunky and terrible, like Research Notes.
Seems like they’re removing the 6-rune bonus and putting that in relics. You can take whatever stats you need in runes and then have whatever strong passive you want without fucking over your stats.