Buying Heart of Thorns from Gemstore
They have confirmed both a boxed version and an online version on launch day. I don’t think they have said anything about the gem store but online purchase will be available without a doubt.
I don’t recall a specific (re. red) statement but every single indication is this will be a direct sale expansion that will not (and IMO, should not) be available from the Gem Store. The only concrete statement on the matter, IIRC, is on the FAQ;
Q: Is the expansion “buy to play”?
A: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is a paid expansion to Guild Wars 2, but once you buy it, there are no subscription fees. This means that you can continue playing and access future updates for Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns with no subscription fee.
My assumption is that anything available from the gemstore later would be like the upgrade to the “Deluxe” version that is curently there. Nothing but cosmetics. Actual playable content will be purchased with cash.
Arenanet would be stupid to initially include it in the gem store. Maybe after a few months as in 6-12 months they can include but not initially. It would completely messed up their box or digital sales.
This is an mmo forum, if someone isn’t whining chances are the game is dead.
I wish i know date of realse