You'll learn how you can control your character and get comfortable moving around the globe during your 20-level first Guild Wars 2. As you embark on your adventures, use our guide to help you find your way!
 

Getting Started

This guide is also available on the
Guild Wars 2 website – [guildwars2.com]
 
.
 
 

Home World

 
 
When you log in for the first time, you will be asked to choose a home planet. You can choose any world you want. If your worlds are located on the same regional server (North America, or Europe), you can play with your friends on different homeworlds.
 
 
World vs. World is a game mode in which players compete against each other to determine their home world.
 
 

Create Your Character

 
 
The character-creation screen will help you set up your first character, choosing their race, profession, appearance, and other details.
 
 
You will also need to define their background and personality. These choices will help you choose the best story path for you, but there are no wrong choices.
 
 
Names are unique for each character. To make your name unique, add a prefix or last name to the name you are interested in if it is already taken.
 
 

Movement

 
 

 
 
Your keyboard and mouse allow you to control your character. Use the [W],[A],[S], and [D] keys to move in any direction. You can attack with your weapon or use your skills by pressing the numbered keys [1] through[9].
 
 
To rotate your camera view, hold down either the left or right mouse button and move your mouse.
 
 
The Control Options tab in the Options panel contains a list of keys and their functions. You can modify the default key bindings to fit your needs and your hardware.
 
 

Tutorial Instance

 
 

 
 
Your story begins with a big event. Check out the content guide at the top-right corner. It will tell you what to do. It will provide information about your next steps and point to the right direction.
 
 

 
 
To help you continue your story, green stars and circles will appear in the lower right-hand corner of your compass minimap. Follow your compass to locate them!
 
 
The tutorial instance is a great place to practice your movement and weapon skills. The enemies here are easy to defeat and you can defeat the final boss with the help of the story characters.
 
 

Combat

 
 
To see more information about an enemy, you can target them. This includes their portrait, health bar, and information about their special abilities.
 
 
To defeat enemies, you'll need to use your skills. The skills are displayed on a bar at bottom of screen. You can use them by pressing the keyboard keys (in the upper-left corner. The icon of a skill will show a countdown until it can be used again after you have used it.
 
 
To see the tooltip for more information, hover your mouse cursor over a skill that has been added to your bar. You will see how much damage it does, how many resources it takes, and whether any extra effects it has on enemies such as freezing or stunning them.
 
 

Avoiding Damage

 
 
It's possible to avoid many enemy attacks in Guild Wars 2 by staying out of reach. Stand back if you see an ogre lifting its club! Dodging is a good option if you are unable to get out of harm's way in time, or if an archer or mage has a long range attack planned with your name on it. Tap one of the movement keys twice to move in that direction. Dodging reduces your yellow endurance bar, which is above your health indicator.
 
 
It takes practice to dodge and avoid attacks. You'll be able to recognize their most powerful attacks and plan your dodges to avoid them as you fight other enemies.
 
 

Healing

 
 
Each profession has a way of healing damage. Your healing skill can be found in the sixth slot of the skill bar. You can heal yourself by pressing [6] on the keyboard if you take too much damage.
 
 
 

Into Tyria

After defeating the tutorial boss, your starting map will show you just outside the capital city of your race. Your compass will direct you to nearby activities.
 
 

Explore

 
 
Explore the vast world of Tyria. There are many places that hold secrets, surprises, or people to discover. You'll always earn experience points for your character, no matter what you do. Explore any direction you choose and see what you discover!
 
 

World Map

 
 
Feel overwhelmed? Feel overwhelmed? Press [M] to view your world map.
 
 
Explore the map to clear the fog. You can find new hearts and waypoints maps when you explore a new area.
 
 

RENOWN HEARTS

 
A nonplayer character (NPC) needs help. You can fill the bar at the upper-right of your screen with tasks that are located around the heart. Once you have filled the heart, you will find rewards in the chest above your compass. You can also visit the NPC to buy items with a special currency called Karma.
 
 

VISTAS

 
Interact with these icons to see incredible views of the area. Some icons may require some climbing and jumping to reach them.
 
 

POINTS OF INTEREST

 
These icons indicate landmarks, such as towns or natural phenomena. These icons are hotspots for events, unusual characters, and mysterious circumstances.
 
 

WAYPOINTS

 
Unlock a waypoint by getting close to it, and you can instantly travel there in the future by opening your world map and clicking on it. Teleporting to a place other than a city costs a small fee. The waypoint could be temporarily unavailable if there is an enemy attack near it.
 
 

HERO CHALLENGES

 
Hero Challenges require you to complete different tasks, from defeating a boss to channeling power in a dangerous area. To learn new skills, you can use the hero points that you have earned in the Training tab on your Hero panel after reaching level 11.
 
 

Events

 
 

 
 
Tyria's life is always in motion. Follow a character if you spot them doing something interesting. Help out if you see enemies attacking a camp defenseless. Most likely, you'll find an event. These events reward you with experience points and coins. Sometimes, success can also earn you items, access in a secret area, or a new event.
 
 
Your compass will show you the location of an event by using orange circles and markers.
 
 
Events are a great way for adventurers to help others. It's a great way to meet new people and play with other players!
 
 
 

Your Story

You can complete another chapter in your character's story every ten levels. You will be rewarded with equipment and other items for completing them. You'll make friends with important characters, and learn more about Guild Wars 2.
 
 

Leveling up

 
 
You can earn experience points for almost everything you do in Tyria. You can play in any area you like and continue earning EXP. You'll unlock new skills as you level up. Sometimes, you will also receive a selection of equipment or other gifts.
 
 

Equipment

 
 
Common vendors sell armor and weapons. However, you can find more powerful equipment by fighting enemies, unlocking Karma Merchants by completing Renown Hearts, and working on your own story.
 
 
Attribute boosts are available for equipment with a colored name. The power attribute can be used to increase your options when you are unsure which attributes to choose. Even if you only have a few skills, this attribute can help to strengthen your attacks.
 
 

Gear Progression

 
 
Basic Equipment (White)
 
 

 
 

• Defense: 9

 
 
Fine Equipment (blue)
 
 

 
 

• Defense: 15
• +3 Power
• +2 Ferocity
• Minimum Level: 5

 
 
Masterwork Equipment (Green)
 
 

 
 

• Defense: 51
• +12 Power
• +16 Healing Power
• Minimum Level: 45

 
 

Advanced Combat

 

How to equip new weapons

 
Each profession has the option to choose from a variety weapons. Your weapon skills are the first five skills on your bar. You can change them only when you equip a new weapon.
 
 
Right-click one of your weapons and select Equip from the menu. Open your Hero panel by pressing [H] to view all your weapons and equipment. To view all the items that you can add to the slot next to your character's portrait, select one of the slots and then choose the one that you wish to equip.
 
 
As you gain more skills, you'll be able to level up. Your weapon will determine most of your skills, so you can try different weapons to find the fighting style that suits you best.
 
 

Fight for Survival and Reviving Allies

 
 

 
 
The red circle at the center of your skill bar shows your character's health. Don't panic if your health is drained by an enemy. You will be in a reduced state and have one more chance to fight for your survival. These skills are not as powerful as combat skills, but may be sufficient to defeat a weak enemy or keep you alive until another player revives.
 
 
You can defeat an enemy while you are downed, and you will rally, gaining some strength and rejoining the fight. You'll have less time for saving yourself if you're defeated again after rallying.
 
 
If your health bar is full and you are in a downed condition, you will be defeated. You can either open your map with M to select a waypoint or wait for another player.
 
 
Anyone can revive players who have been defeated or downed. To let their allies know that they need help, a blue marker will be placed over the heads of downed players. If you are able to, try to revive them. They will be back in the fight within no time.
 
 
Your armor becomes less durable every time you are defeated. Friendly outposts and cities have repair merchants and anvils that provide free repairs whenever you need them.
 
 
 

Your Inventory

 
 
Press (I) to open your inventory. You will always have one bag, but you can buy more from vendors. You can make your own bags by learning the craft disciplines of leatherworking, tailoring, and armorsmithing.
 
 

• For extra coin, sell items with gray names to vendors
• You should check all equipment to determine if it increases your defense rating, power, and other attributes. If it does, equip it!
• You can buy a salvage kit from a vendor to take apart equipment that you don't need. You can either save the materials that you find to be used in crafting or sell them to other players at the Trading Post.

 
 
To access the Trading Post:
 
 

 
 

• Click the Black Lion icon in the top right corner of your screen or press [O]
• Select the icon for balanced scales from the sidebar.

 
Play for Free accounts allow players to buy and sell a small selection of items. You can deposit crafting materials directly to your bank by tapping on the gear icon at the upper-right corner in your inventory panel and selecting "Deposit All Material." You'll find them in the Material Storage when you next visit a bank.
 
 

Gathering

 
 

 
 
You can earn extra experience points by stocking your bank with useful materials. You can purchase sets of Copper Logging Axes and Copper Harvesting Sickles once you reach level 10. As you explore, equip them and look out for gathering nodes in your compass minimap. To gather, interact with a node you find.
 
 

 
 
Gathering actions use up a tool so you will need to replenish your tools when they run out. Higher-level materials require more advanced tools to gather them.
 
 

Community

 

Joining a Guild

 
 
Joining a guild is a great way to make friends and learn more about the game. In major cities such as Divinity's Reach, guild recruiters advertise in map chat.
 
 
Our community is available to help you if you feel lost or have any questions. Visit the
Official forums – [guildwars2.com]
 
Try searching for keywords that are related to your question. There is a good chance that someone has already asked the question and received an answer.
 
 

YOU ARE NOW READY FOR GUILD WARS 2

 
Good luck with your adventures in Tyria, and have fun!

 
 

 
 
This is all about Guild Wars 2 – Character Creation + Gameplay Basics; I hope you enjoy reading the Guide! If you feel like we should add more information or we forget/mistake, please let us know via commenting below, and thanks! See you soon!