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.