Guild Wars 2

Although this product has been released, it remains under active development - information may change frequently and could be outdated or irrelevant.

Guild Wars 2

Developers
	ArenaNet
macOS (OS X)	TransGaming Inc.
Publishers
	NCSOFT
Release dates
Windows	August 28, 2012
macOS (OS X) (Cider)	August 28, 2012
Taxonomy
Monetization	Expansion pack, Free-to-play
Microtransactions	Boost, Cosmetic, Currency, Free-to-grind, Infinite spend, Loot box, Unlock
Modes	Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	MMORPG
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Guild Wars

Guild Wars
Guild Wars	2005
Guild Wars 2	2012

Warnings

This game requires a constant internet connection for all game modes.

General information

Guild Wars 2 Wiki - official wiki for Guild Wars 2 - accessible in-game using the /wiki command.

Guild Wars 2 Forums - the official Guild Wars 2 forums, hosted by ArenaNet (multiple languages available).

r/GuildWars2 Subreddit

Guild Wars 2 setion on MMOChampions (formerly Guild Wars 2 Guru) - a large community and active forum.

Guild Wars 2 Support

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Official website		The core game is free to play but free accounts have some limitations.
Official website		Heart of Thorns + Path of Fire, End of Dragons, Secrets of the Obscure
Amazon.com		Guild Wars 2 core game with full account (this version is included in the expansions).
Amazon.com		Heart of Thorns.
Steam		Running the launcher outside Steam defaults to logging into a non-Steam account.
(unavailable)		Heart of Thorns. Path of Fire also available.
Humble Store (unavailable)		Heart of Thorns. Heart of Thorns Deluxe Edition also available.

All versions require an ArenaNet Account and a constant internet connection for all game modes.

For other stores Guild Wars 2 Retailers.

Mac versions were discontinued on February 18, 2021.

Monetization

Type	Notes
Expansion pack	Game is primarily supported through expansion packs and microtransactions.
Free-to-play	Originally requiring a game purchase, the game went free-to-play on August 29, 2015. The free-to-play version allows for full access to the core game with some restrictions to prevent disruptive actions.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Heart of Thorns	Purchase includes unrestricted access to the core game and the Heart of Thorns expansion pack.
Path of Fire	Purchase includes unrestricted access to the core game and the Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire expansion packs.
End of Dragons	Purchase includes unrestricted access to the core game and the End of Dragons expansion pack.
Secrets of the Obscure	Purchase includes unrestricted access to the core game and the Secrets of the Obscure expansion pack.
Living World	Series of missions, maps and equipment which can only be purchased with in-game currency from within the in-game journal. Further information on the official wiki page.

Each purchase or expansion gives different levels of access to the game, including content, character slots, professions, etc, see the comparison table to compare Free, Core, Heart of Thorns, Path of Fire and End of Dragons account levels.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
Boost	Experience Boosters and Item Boosters give a 50% bonus for a limited time, a limited amount can be earned as in-game reward. Black Lion Instant Level 80 Ticket takes the character to max level.
Cosmetic	Outfits, Skins for armors, weapons, gliders and mounts, miniature-pets, toys.
Currency	Gem currency is a real money purchase, and is used to unlock microtransactions or converted to gold (in-game currency). Information and exchange rates are posted on the official wiki page.
Free-to-grind	Gold (in-game currency) can be grinded and exchanged for Gem. Level boosters can be earned in-game.
Infinite spend	Gem can be purchased with real money over and over again without a practical limit.
Loot box	Mount Adoption License drops a random mount skin, but you cannot drop duplicates and the single skin can be bought directly. Black Lion Chest Key used to open Black Lion Chest that contains random skins and other items.
Unlock	Various account upgrades, for example Bank Tab Expansion, Character Slot Expansion.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\Guild Wars 2\GFXSettings.Gw2.exe.xml
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1284210/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor			AMD owners have to use Flawless Widescreen.
Ultra-widescreen			Vert- in char select, crops models.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		In the resolution menu.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		'Best Texture Filtering' toggles 16x AF; other settings can be forced in the graphics card control panel.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		FXAA, SMAA and SSAA available. TrSSAA, and MSAA can be utilized through the anti-aliasing compatibility bits 0x00401044 (L.A. Noire) with Antialiasing fix set to OFF under Nvidia Inspector for Nvidia graphics card.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Has Vsync and Frame Limiter options.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		No frame rate or refresh rate cap.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Ray tracing (RT)

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  General settings (1/3)

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  General settings (2/3)

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  General settings (3/3)

Input

Keybindings settings menu

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		As of November 29, 2022, custom mappings can be exported to a file and loaded on a different installation.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		Multiple camera sensitivity settings available.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Controller types

Audio

Audio settings menu

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Master, music, environment, effects, dialog, UI, player instrument.
Surround sound		Supports 5.1 output
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Configured via sound settings.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
LAN play
Online play

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	80, 443, 6112, 6600

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			See Helix Mod: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns.
TriDef 3D

Issues fixed

Error codes

Error codes starting with 7, 42, or 58 pertain to an inability to log in.

Troubleshooting steps for these errors and others can be found on this support page.

Crashing on startup

RivaTuner Statistic Server causes crashes with d3d9.dll on launching the game. The error message does not mention anything other than the game crashed, but if you check event viewer it will notify the user of the error.

Add a profile for Gw2.exe and configure RivaTuner to Stealth Mode for it[citation needed]

Reducing texture shimmering on Nvidia graphics cards

Use the anti-aliasing flag 0x084012C0 with Antialiasing fix set to On.

Using anti-aliasing flag 0x084012C0[citation needed]

Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector. Under Profiles select Guild Wars 2. Under Antialiasing compatibility insert the flag 0x084012C0. Under Antialiasing fix select On. Under Antialiasing - Behavior Flags select None. Under Antialiasing - Mode select Override any application setting. Under Antialiasing - Setting select 2x Multisampling. Under Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling select 2x Sparse Grid Supersampling. Click Apply changes. Notes Higher anti-aliasing can be used, but both anti-aliasing setting and anti-aliasing transparency supersampling must match the number of samples that are being used.

White in-game artifacts

Can occur with AMD graphics cards when trying to override application AA/AF settings.

Change Catalyst Control Center settings[citation needed]
Open Catalyst Control Center and enter 3D Application Settings. Set anti-aliasing and anisotopic filtering to use appliation settings.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11	DirectX 9 support was completely deprecated as of an update from February 6, 2023, which gradually rolled out to all players by April 18, 2023.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			Support being discontinued from February 18, 2021.

Command line arguments

Parameter	Description
-autologin	If client is set to remember account information, the game will login on launch.
-bmp	Overrides the game's default format for screenshots to use lossless .bmp files instead of .jpg files.
-diag	Creates a detailed logfile at game start at %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Guild Wars 2\NetworkDiag.log.
-fps <number>	Renders the game at <number> frames per second.
-image	Forces the game to download all known updates.
-mapLoadInfo	Displays loading percentages and the amount of time that has passed while loading.
-mce	Start the client with Windows Media Center compatibility, switching the game to full screen and restarting Media Center (if available) after the client is closed. Likely deprecated after Microsoft's retirement of the Media Center application.
-noui	Disables the user interface, producing the same effect as when one pushes Ctrl+Shift+H in-game to toggle it.
-nosound	Disables the audio system completely.
-perf	Displays performance indicators such as; Triangles, memory usage, frames per second and transfer rate in bytes per second are displayed in multi-colored text in the middle of the right side of the Guild Wars 2 window.
-repair	Starts the client and checks game files for errors and repairs them if needed.
-useOldFov	Changes the FoV back to how it was originally.
-windowed	Forces Guild Wars 2 to run in windowed mode.
-clientport <port>	Forces the game to run through a specific port, useful when your ISP is throttling certain ports and causing lag. Port 80 is recommended when using this switch.

Enabling HBAO+ for Nvidia graphics cards

Use the Ambient Occlusion flag 0x0000002E with Quality or High Quality.

Using Ambient Occlusion flag 0x0000002E[citation needed]
Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector. Under Profiles select Guild Wars 2. Under Ambient Occlusion compatibility insert the flag 0x0000002E. Under Ambient Occlusion usage select Enabled. Under Ambient Occlusion setting select your quality of preference, but in order to use HBAO+ you must use Quality or High Quality. Click Apply changes. Notes Introduces Ambient Occlusion "bleeding".

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	7	10
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3 3.4 GHz AMD Athalon x4 3.8 GHz
System memory (RAM)	8 GB	24 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	70 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 AMD Radeon HD 7970 DirectX 11.0 compatible

A 64 bit operating system is strongly recommended for quality of experience.