For the most part Guild Wars 2 provides an intuitive experience that is easy to pick up and learn. The user interface is well laid out and many of the functions are self explanatory. However, there are many tips and tricks we’ve learned about through our time playing the game and by interacting with the community. Some of these tips are buried in the user manual, while others were discovered by members of the Guild Wars community. Here are some lesser known Guild Wars 2 tips to help you get the most out of your gaming experience.

Compact Trading Post Interface

By typing “I am Evon Gnashblade” (case sensitive) into the trading post search box, you can activate the compact formatted trading post interface. Some people like having more items on screen and others find it easier to read. The compact formatting does squish the item thumbnails, but the trade off is that many more items can fit onto the screen. To change it back to the default format you simple type the phrase into the search box again.

Map Keyboard Tips

Alt + Click creates a personal waypoint on your map

Shift + Click pings the map

Shift + Click + Drag allows you to draw on the map

Shift + Scroll-wheel switches between map layers

Chat Box Tips

/wiki opens the official Guild Wars 2 wiki in your browser. If you add an item to the end it will take you to the page for that item (e.g. /wiki crafting)

/lfg opens the looking for group tool

/(chat group) will change your chat to the specified group (e.g. /map, /say, /party)

Account Bank Access

You can access your bank account from within the guild bank interface. Simply go to the dropdown menu at the top of the page and select “account”.

You can also access your bank at any crafting station. Select your bank from the panel on the left side of the page.

General Tips

• You can fast travel to other starting areas even if you haven’t been there before.
• Ping your traits by ctrl + clicking them from the build menu.
• While completing renown hearts you can hold down “ctrl” to highlight relevant items and objectives.
• To see which Vistas, POIs, Hearts, or Hero Points you are missing, pull up the map for the area and hover your mouse over the list on the left. The missing items will be highlighted on your map.
• Some achievements have a “show me where” button that highlights the area on your map.
• You can access game options during loading screens by pressing F11.
• The mini-map can be relocated to the top right of the screen simply by dragging it.
• You can double click on waypoints to travel instantly without having to click “ok” on the confirmation box.
• With ranged weapons a red bar will appear under your skill bar if you are out of range. Your mouse cursor also changes color to indicate effective range.
• You can deposit all material in your inventory by clicking on the cog dropdown menu at the top right of your inventory window.
• You can mark a target by ctrl + clicking on an enemy or friendly player.
• While searching for resource nodes you can hold “ctrl” to highlight any in your field of view.
• Use the inventory’s search box to quickly filter for salvageable items by typing “salvage”.
• There is an unbound “lower weapon/exit combat” action that you can manually set to any key.
• You can create a Mystic Salvage Kit (250 use Master Salvage Kit) by forging a Fine Salvage Kit + Journeyman’s Salvage Kit + Master Salvage Kit + 3 Mystic Forge Stones.
• A “Dodge Jump” can be performed by simultaneously pressing jump+dodge.