Screenshots from Guild Wars: Eye of the North are letting our eyes rove over what ArenaNet is describing as "the first true expansion" for the Guild Wars franchise.

Eye of the North was officially announced today. Due in Q3 2007, it requires any one of the three previous Guild Wars releases to play and ArenaNet says it will "benefit long-time players of the Guild Wars games, with all of the content targeting existing Guild Wars characters."

The expansion features 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes, 40 new armor sets and additional items, weapons and titles. It's set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies, ArenaNet has explained.

In addition to officially announcing Eye of the North, the developer has confirmed Guild Wars 2. Eye of the North provides "a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2."

A launch date for Guild Wars 2 isn't yet set, but as previously reported ArenaNet expects the sequel to go into beta in 2008. As with Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 will be subscription-free and "will draw from the game mechanics that made the original Guild Wars one of the most popular online games ever and will add a fully persistent world." While you're waiting for more Guild Wars than you can handle, be sure to click the Images tab for new screens of the expansion.

Hungry for more? Be sure to get yourself of copy of the May issue of PC Gamer when it hits stands on April 3. We won’t ruin the amazing surprise in store for fans, but expect juicy details soaked in Guild Wars goodness and an exclusive in-game mini-pet.

March 27, 2007