So your character has finally achieved level 80, congratulations. You may be wondering what to do now that you’re all leveled up. Do I explore every map? Or finish my personal story? While that’s a good place to start, there are in fact many different goals to work towards and activities to complete, even though your quest for level 80 is over. Here are a few suggestions to get you started on your journey after level 80.

Gearing Up

One of the first things you should do is upgrade your equipment. Level 80 Exotic Armor will serve you well in just about any activity you choose. The only better armor in the game is Ascended Armor, which requires a large investment in time and money to acquire. Exotic Armor can be obtained is various ways. The most direct methods are direct purchase through the trading post, and crafting the armor yourself (armorsmith, leatherworker, tailor). From there you can improve your armor even more by applying Superior Runes.

Similar to armor, upgrading to Exotic Weapons will provide a significant boost to your stats. Exotic weapons can be obtained similarly through the trading post and by crafting (weaponsmith, artificer, huntsman). Just as runes can be applied to armor, Superior Sigils can be applied to weapons to improve their stats or add other effects.

You should also consider upgrading your back piece, amulet, and other accessories for an additional stat boost.

Another important aspect of your gear are your inventory bags. It is worth investing in 18 or even 20 slot bags if you can afford it. Having access to large amounts of storage will come in handy when you’re out completing higher level content that provides a high volume of loot.

Dungeons

There are 8 dungeons to explore in Guild Wars 2 each with a unique story. Each dungeon provides an opportunity to partner up with other users in PvE and take on  challenging bosses and puzzles. After dungeon path is complete you will be rewarded with gold, a loot chest, and a currency specific to each dungeon (e.g. Knowledge Crystals can be used for Inquest Gear in the Crucible of Eternity). The currency you obtain within each dungeon can be spent at the dungeon vendor located at Fort Marriner in Lion’s Arch. Dungeons are a great way to get lots of loot that you can sell on the trading post.  Below is a list of Dungeons and their locations:

The Ruined City of Arah – The Narthex (Cursed Shore)

Fractals of the Mists

Fractals are similar to dungeons in the sense that they provide a challenge to you and a group of fellow party members. You must select your level of difficulty before going into battle (1 being the easiest and 50 being the most difficult). Higher difficulty levels and increased personal reward levels are unlocked as you progress. The main difference between fractals and dungeons is that fractals are more of set of mini-dungeons where each fractal contains its own story and environment. There is also a rare chance to receive ascended gear through the completion of fractals. You can enter the Fractals of the Mist at Fort Marriner in Lions Arch.

Map Completion

Map completion can be a fun way to spend some downtime in the game if you want to take a break from the challenges of Dungeons and Fractals. For each area you complete you randomly receive a reward of  2 pieces of equipment, either a transmutation change or a black lion key, and 40 random crafting materials or 20 ingredients that can be found in the level you completed. The rewards scale to the difficulty of the level that you complete. Once you 100% the entire world map you will receive 2 gifts of exploration which you can use when crafting legendary weapons, a star next to your name which others in the game will see, and the title “Been There, Done That” which will be visible under your name when you select the title from your achievements menu. Map completion is a great way to accumulate a lot of materials that you can either sell on the trading post or use for crafting.

Jumping Puzzles

Jumping puzzles are one of my favorite things to do in the game. Each jumping puzzle provides a difficult yet rewarding challenge and at the end of each puzzle you will receive a chest of loot, and 10 achievement points. You can find a list of each jumping puzzle in your achievements tab and if you click on each one it will give you a rough idea of where the entrance can be found. As a warning, some can be difficult to find so do not be discouraged if you can’t find one immediately.

Silverwastes

The Silverwastes is an area in the Magumma Wastes located in the Northwest Corner of your world map that can be accessed through the Brisban Wildlands. In the Silverwastes you complete a series of events with other users to get loot and keys which can be used to unlock unique chests only found in the Silverwastes. These events revolve around defending the three color coded forts spread across the map. Once enough events have been completed, the final event will spawn which requires the attention of all users in the area. The completion of this event will reward you with access to the nightmare chests which contain rare loot and it will also reward you with a unique title. There are also hidden bandit chests located throughout the Silverwastes which are revealed by using a special shovel. Once revealed, you can use a bandit key to unlock the chest and access the loot they contain. Some players stock up on keys and shovels purely to farm these chests, as they offer a favorable time/gold ratio. Items and rewards are purchased with bandit crests, which are a unique currency to the Silverwastes.

Player Versus Player (PvP)

PvP can be accessed by clicking on the PvP icon (crossed swords) located at the top left of the screen, three icons to the right of the trading post icon. Once the PvP tab is open you can then enter the Heart of the Mists. There are three modes to PvP: practice, unranked, and ranked mode. We personally recommend trying the practice mode out first before jumping into unranked mode so that you can get a feel for your build that you are using. If you want a starting point on what kind of build to use, MetaBattle is a great source for builds. Once a PvP match begins there are five roles that you can have on a team: Close Defender(Necro, Ranger), Far Assaulter(Engineer, Warrior), Fighter(Elementalist, Warrior), Supporter (Guardian), and Roamer (Theif, Mesmer). Just be aware of the general role that you should play given the profession you are playing as. Make sure to check your map often, even while fighting. This tip will help you know when to pull out of a fight or stay. Teamwork is key to winning in this game mode.

World Versus World (WvW)

Similar to PvP, World Versus World is a game mode where players from three different servers battle it out in the Mists. There are five large maps that players can play on and there can be hundreds of players on a map at any given time. To access WvW you can either enter one of the Asura gates located in Lion’s Arch, or press B, and then at the top select which WvW map you would like to enter. The object of each WvW event ranges from taking over structures to battling over resources. By completing a WvW event you will be rewarded with exp and possibly a bag of loot, or chest.