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Learn the game

Getting Started Guides

Embark on a new journey. The guides in this section are aimed at players who are new to the game and have an interest in gearing their first character or have been playing for a while and want to make their way to endgame content such as Raids and Strikes.
Defiance and Crowd Control
Defiance Bars are a Crowd Crontrol (CC) mechanic, commonly present on enemies in both Open World, and instanced content such as Raids, Strikes, Dungeons and Fractals. Knowing how to engage with them allows one to stun Defiant enemies reliably.
Getting Started
Attributes and Gear
This is an in-depth guide to approaching Attributes and Gear in PvE Endgame Instanced Content. Guild Wars 2 is a large game, with complex mechanics and interactions throughout. This guide is intended to help with gearing custom builds on any Class or Character, and to help you understand the details of existing endgame builds made by the Guild Wars 2 community, and create your own variations and custom builds so you can better adapt to the needs of your Squad!
Getting Started
Joining Squads
Joining your first squad can be a pretty daunting task. This guide will hopefully take away some of that pressure by guiding you step-by-step through the normal process. You will learn the lingo and typical requirements.
Getting Started
Golem Setup
So you've levelled a character or two to level 80, found an interest in engaging in group content, and geared a class up accordingly. But...how do you practice? Welcome to the Special Forces Training Arena.
Getting Started
Reading Logs
Learning how to read the logs provided by Arcdps is a valuable skill in mastering your prowess in Guild Wars 2.
Getting Started
Instanced Content Suggested Settings
A collection of baseline in-game settings to avoid overwhelming players and aid accessibility for instanced content.
Getting Started
ArcDPS
How to install ArcDPS, the best (and only) Damage Meter in Guild Wars 2, to track all kinds of combat info in real time, save logs, and more.
Getting Started
First Steps
Welcome to our series on getting your first character ready to start clearing instance content.
Foundations
Armour & Weapons
# Decide on your build *The last two stages of this first section can be completed in the background whilst working through the rest of the guide but since they will influence the gear you want to acquire they are listed first.* Once you have reached level 80 on your chosen profession, select what build you want to start working towards. Almost all builds require the use of an Elite Specialization so your next step is to start training the Elite Specialization required for the build you have selected.
Foundations
Understanding Squad Roles
This is an in-depth guide to approaching Squad Roles and Role Compression.
Foundations
Free to Play Gearing
Gearing characters can be difficult and complicated, especially for Free to Play accounts. We're here to help!
Foundations
Introduction to Squads
Leading a squad to success requires communication, knowledge of game mechanics, and skilful decision making. Learn how to use the commander's toolkit to help your groups to achieve their goals.
Commanding
Categories