Like any good MMO, Guild Wars 2 is really bad at explaining things. So here we’ve collated 30 useful tips every player should know. It’s stuff we always see people asking about in the chat window, and that people keep asking us. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too.
Easy travel
In each of the game’s capital cities – Rata Sum, The Black Citadel, Divinity’s Reach, Hoelbrak, and The Grove – you’ll find a purple portal that leads to a ‘hub’ called Lion’s Arch where you’ll find more portals leading to each race’s capital.
Organise your inventory
If your inventory is cluttered up with collectables – for example, the Rytlock Brimstone pet that comes with the deluxe edition of the game, or crafting materials – click the cog icon at the top right of your inventory and select ‘deposit all collectables’. They’ll then be sent safely to your bank.
Gathering XP
If you see a gather point, like a tree or some crops, always take the time to harvest them. Not only can you sell the materials or use them for crafting, but it earns you XP. In ‘farm’ areas with a lot of harvest points, you can earn a tidy amount of experience for little to no effort.
AOE auto-cast
You don’t have to aim AOE (area of effect) spells manually. Just tap the ability’s bound button twice, and it’ll cast wherever your mouse pointer is.
Change your colours
You can change the colour of your character’s clothes/armour at any time. Press H to bring up the hero screen, then click on the colour dropper icon above your gear. You start with a basic set of dyes, but more can be found as random drops – some of which are rare. You can also buy dyes from the gem store, find them in PVP reward chests, or purchase through the trading post.
Map completion rewards
Before you leave an area, make sure you’ve completed all hearts and skill challenges, and found every vista, waypoint, and point of interest. Filling the completion bar 100% earns you a chest full of quality, level specific loot, and coins to use at the mystic forge in Lion’s Arch.
Linking items
If you want to link to an item in the chat window – perhaps to trade, or just to show off – hold shift and click on it. It’ll appear as a link that people can hover over to see the full stats of your item.
Switch weapon loadouts
When you reach level 7 you’ll be able to switch between two weapon loadouts during combat. For example, giving a ranger a sword so he can flip between ranged and melee combat instantly. Your secondary weapon set can be found immediately below your main one on the hero screen. Press the tilde key to change between them.
Revive your allies (and strangers)
If the area around you is safe, always take the time to revive fallen players. Not only is it a nice thing to do generally, but it gives you as much XP as killing a common enemy. The more players who hit revive near someone, the faster their health bar will regenerate.
See who’s following you
On the contacts screen (press Y), there’s a tab called ‘followers’. Here you’ll see a list of players that have added you to their contacts list. You can add people to your own list, and see their status, without them having to approve. With the followers tab you can check if you missed any friends, or if you’ve picked up a creepy stalker.
Vista jumping puzzles
Most vistas are hidden or put in hard to reach places. If you can’t find your way up to one, wait for another player to come by and watch them. They might figure it out first, allowing you to trace their route for yourself. If no one’s around, ask in the local chat window. Guild Wars 2 players are mostly a helpful and welcoming bunch.
Chain attacks
Most melee weapons have ‘chain attacks’. When you hover over the basic attack on your quickbar, you’ll see three ‘stages’. If you use the ability three times in a row, you’ll create a combo and deal extra damage/conditions. This can be interrupted by some enemy attacks.
Trait training
When you reach level 11, you can buy your first (adept) training book for 10 silver. Look for the green book icon on your map for the trainer specific to your profession. They can usually be found in cities. When you use the book, you can access your traits through the hero menu.
Dynamic events
Orange quests are dynamic events. The more you take part, the better your reward. Whenever one flashes up on the map, it’s always worth getting involved. The progress bar, unlike regular quests, is collaborative. All players doing the quest add to it by completing objectives. Often these will contain the same objectives as heart quests, allowing you to kill two birds with one stone.
Unlocking weapon abilities
Whenever you switch to a new weapon for the first time, it’ll only have one basic ability. To unlock the rest, kill mobs. It doesn’t take long to fully reveal all of a weapon’s powers, which means you can switch weapons at your leisure without having to worry about wasting time dedicating yourself to one specific type.
