Have a question about Guild Wars 2? This is the place to get them answered. We've got the most common questions and answers listed below and we're always open to new questions. If you have a question you'd like answered come to our community forums and ask it or send an email off to [email protected] and we may even include them in this FAQ!

General Questions

• What exactly is Guild Wars 2?

  This is the hardest and easiest question to answer in this FAQ. Guild Wars 2 is an upcoming MMOG developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft. It’s the direct sequel to Guild Wars an MMOG that launched in 2006 and has been successful since day one. The game is free to play forever after the initial purchase and features a persistent world that players can roam around, do quests, level up and become more powerful, and all of your other standard MMOG options.

• What separates Guild Wars 2 from the original Guild Wars?

  The main difference between the two games is that GW2 will offer a persistent world while the original GW only had instanced content. This means that you’ll be able to join large groups of players as you roam around the world instead of only being able to venture with your party. GW2 will also feature enhanced graphics, an upgraded combat system, and many more features that put it as a complete and separate game instead of just an expansion or upgrade on the original.

• What is the monthly subscription fee? Is the game free? What will the upfront costs be?

  The game will be free to play monthly after you purchase the game initially. That means here will be no subscription fee at all and you’ll be able to play for free as long as you’d like. Currently, there has been no announced pricing on the purchasing the game.

• Will microtransactions be in GW2?

  Nothing definite has been published about this yet, but we can assume that there will be a microtransactions system similar to the one in the original GW.

• When will the game release?

  “When it’s ready,” according to ArenaNet. Most believe the game will launch Q1 or Q2 of 2011.

• What are the system requirements?

  GW2 should run on lower end systems, but no minimum requirements have been announced yet.

Combat and Gameplay

• What are the main differences between combat in Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2?

  Combat in GW2 will be inside of a persistent world full instead of purely instanced content like in the original Guild Wars. The skill bar will be drastically different. Instead of just having 8 skills of your choosing you will now have 10 skills, five of them will be derived from your weapon sets and the other 5 will be of your choosing (1 elite, 1 support, and 3 other skills). Each profession will also feature a unique mechanic that further enhances their options in combat.

• How many skills will be available?

  ArenaNet is aiming to making fewer but more fun skills rather than a large number of skills; however the total number of skills is currently unavailable. Weapon skills though, are linked to the type of weapon equipped for each profession. For example, if a dagger has 3 core skills for a given profession, it will only ever grant access to those 3 core skills.

   

• I heard there is a sidekick system similar to City of Heroes, is this true?

  Details have yet to be released, but a sidekick system has been confirmed for Guild Wars 2.

   

• What is the level cap and how will progression work?

  There will be 80 levels and the time between each level should take about the same from the first level to the last level, meaning that you won’t blaze through the first 10 and take forever on the last. Details on the total length to reach the level cap have yet to be released.

   

• What endgame content will be available at launch?

  Nothing much has been said about endgame content, but PvP will be a huge focus in Guild Wars 2 so it can be assumed that there will be a lot of PvP content available. Players will also have the option to go back and play through any lower level content, and the game will automatically scale your level down to the appropriate range for the content. This allows you to go back and experience dynamic events you may have missed, and further extends your gameplay options once you’ve reached the level cap.

   

• Will premade characters return for PvP?

  No, however, all characters will be at equal power levels when it comes to PvP areas. So you will not have to level up and work extremely hard to make the perfect PvP character.

   

• I heard that there will be no dedicated healing profession. Is this true?

  Yes, however, some professions will be able to take on  something similar to a dedicated healing role depending on which utility skills and traits they choose for their build.

Features

• What are dynamic events?

  Dynamic events are events in the world that will change depending on how players complete them. For instance, if you save a village that’s being attacked by bandits, then that village could open up and offer further event content, as well as special vendors.. If you let it burn to the ground then you’ll have an entire new series of dynamic event content focused on retaking the village. For more details click here.

• What is your “personal story?”

  The personal story is the story of your character that is created by you as you play the game. Everyone’s personal story can be drastically different than one another depending on what quests they complete, who they help, and their choices at the start of the game. Click here for more details.

• Will there be housing in Guild Wars 2?

  Yes, housing will be available in GW2. The location of your home instance will depend on the capital city of your race.

Professions and Races

• What races will be available at launch?

  The Charr, Norn, Asura, Humans, and Sylvari are confirmed races for Guild Wars 2. See our race portal for more details.

• What professions have been announced yet?

  Right now the Necromancer, Ranger, Warrior, and Elementalist have been announced. See our profession portal for more details.

• Will there be a secondary profession system?

  No, you will only have your primary profession in Guild Wars 2. However, through various means such as weapon swaps and the traits system, players will still have a high amount of flexibility in terms of creating a build for their characters to a similar degree as the secondary profession system in Guild Wars 1.