Guild Wars 2 is a massive game. It’s exciting, vibrant, and filled with content—but as a new player, it can definitely feel overwhelming at times. Even though the game is generally easy to pick up, there are quite a few tricks, hidden systems, and helpful habits that aren’t immediately obvious when you first start out. That’s what this guide is for: a collection of tips I wish I had known sooner, designed to make your first journey through Tyria smoother, smarter, and way more fun.

1. Take Your Time While Leveling The first instinct for many MMO players is to rush to max level to get to “the real game.” But Guild Wars 2 flips that concept. Leveling is your tutorial, your chance to experiment, explore, and decide if the game is even your style. Everything gives XP—hearts, events, exploration, story, even just running around discovering the map. Don’t skip this part. You’ll hit 80 before you know it—and once you’re there, you’ll likely stay there forever.

If you want more direction while leveling, look into the Adventure Guide achievements in your hero panel. They offer XP and introduce you to the breadth of content in the game.

2. Don’t Stress About Your Build (Yet) Hero points might feel intimidating. What if you pick the wrong thing? Don’t worry—just by reaching level 80, you’ll earn enough hero points to unlock your core profession’s full set of skills and traits. Pick what seems fun for now—you can always change your build out of combat. If you already own expansions, don’t bother unlocking elite specs right away. Expansion maps offer 10-point hero challenges, making them much faster to complete later.

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3. Learn Inventory Management Early A cluttered inventory can be a nightmare, but the game gives you tools to stay ahead of it. Use the Deposit All Materials button to send crafting mats to storage. Use the Sell Junk button when talking to merchants to quickly clear out vendor trash. Items you want to sell for better profit? Right-click them and choose Sell on Trading Post for quick access.

Backspace is a real blessing. Buy bigger bags from the Trading Post or earn them through Living World Season 1. And once you hit level 80, grab the Advanced Logistics Mastery in the Pact Commander line to unlock auto-loot. No more pressing F over and over.

4. Use the Event Timer and the Wiki Open-world bosses and meta events are some of Guild Wars 2’s most spectacular content, but they follow timers. To know what’s happening when, check the event timer page on the official Wiki. It shows when each boss or meta is active and where.

Speaking of the Wiki—it’s one of the best in gaming. Type /wiki [topic] in chat and it’ll open the page in-game. It’s a goldmine of info for builds, drop rates, lore, gear, and more.

5. Right-Click to Instantly Open Loot Chests You know those floating chests that show up above your minimap after world bosses and events? You don’t have to click each one. Right-click them to auto-open instantly. It’s a minor thing, but after your 20th chest, you’ll be thankful.

6. Choose Gear Stats Wisely at Max Level Once you hit 80, stop equipping gear purely based on level. Start paying attention to stat combinations. A power DPS build won’t benefit much from healing stats, after all. Exotic gear is the go-to starting point—it’s good enough for nearly everything. Look for matching gear with the right stats for your playstyle, and don’t forget about trinkets—they account for almost half your stats, yet many new players overlook them entirely.

Got ascended gear with the wrong stats? Don’t trash it. You can stat-swap ascended gear relatively easily. (Search the Wiki for the Mystic Forge method.)

7. Use the Wizard’s Vault Once you reach level 80, the Wizard’s Vault unlocks. Think of it like a player-friendly battle pass. Complete daily, weekly, and special objectives to earn Astral Acclaim (affectionately known as Wizard Coins). These can be exchanged for ascended gear, crafting materials, tomes, and even gold.

You can also customize your objectives—click the gear icon and choose your preferred game modes (PvE, PvP, WvW). This helps avoid frustrating objectives tied to modes you don’t play.

8. Completing Maps? Use This Trick to Find Missing Points If you’re into map completion (and those juicy rewards), it can be frustrating to be stuck at 99% with no clue what you’re missing. Here’s a fix: zoom in on the map, then mouse over an objective type (hearts, vistas, waypoints, etc.) in the top-left corner. Any undiscovered ones will flash on the map. Lifesaver.

9. You Can Skip to Expansions If You Want The core story is slow-paced, and you don’t have to complete it. You’re allowed to jump into any expansion or Living World season you’ve unlocked. Want to unlock mounts early? Skip to Path of Fire. Want to start elite specs? Jump to Heart of Thorns. Your journey, your pace.

10. Understand Living World Content Living World is seasonal DLC-style story content released between expansions. It includes new zones, currencies, gear, and storylines. Season 1 is free, but the rest must be purchased. You can play them in any order you want, though you may prefer to play in release order for story continuity.

11. Join a Guild (or Three) Guild Wars 2 is incredibly social, and guilds aren’t just for hardcore raiders. There are PvE guilds, WvW guilds, casual chill guilds, musical guilds—you name it. You can join up to six guilds at once, so find a few and vibe with them.

12. Use the LFG Tool—It’s More Useful Than It Looks The Looking for Group tool is slightly hidden but incredibly useful. Use it to find parties for world bosses, meta events, dungeons, fractals, and strike missions. Don’t be scared off by abbreviations—look for listings marked “Everyone Welcome” or “Easy.”

13. Try Action Camera Mode Want to make the game feel more like a third-person action RPG? Try Action Cameramode. It replaces your mouse cursor with a crosshair and lets you aim abilities directly. It’s not for everyone, but many players swear by it. You can enable it in keybindings by assigning a toggle key.

Final Tip: Ask for Help—This Community Is Awesome Guild Wars 2 has one of the most helpful and welcoming communities out there. Whether you’re stuck on a story boss, confused by crafting, or curious about builds, just ask. Use map chat, Discord, or Reddit. People will go out of their way to help you.

Your adventure doesn’t need to be perfect—just engaging. With a little knowledge and the right mindset, Guild Wars 2 becomes one of the most relaxing and rewarding MMOs you can play. So breathe easy, get curious, and welcome to Tyria.

Happy adventuring!