A beginner’s guide to leveling in Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2, as far as MMORPG games go, is pretty free reign for players. The majority of the game is dedicated to exploration, crafting, and story updates presented regularly. Unfortunately, this more relaxed approach to the game can often lead newcomers and genre veterans who are first exploring this world astray and cause general confusion about the best ways to level. There are, in fact, several different ways for players to push up their levels, and the method chosen is purely based on personal preference. This guide will indicate our favorite ways that players can go about boosting their character’s levels.

Higher levels mean that players will be able to access higher-level areas, access the top tier of equipment, and participate in end-game activities such as Raids. Another great reason to make sure your character hits level 80 is that you’ll be able to play through the expansions of the game and head to new and magnificent locations that otherwise would be inaccessible for a low-level character.

Story completion for fast leveling

Your character’s personal story is level locked, but completing it will grant your character a ton of experience when you can access the next chapter. Completing the story is also the best way to learn about the lore of Tyria and get to experience the well-crafted world of Guild Wars 2.

Map completion and Boss Trains for leveling

There’s a lot to see and do on the maps in Guild Wars 2. Players are rewarded and encouraged to explore, and finding new locations, Vistas, and Waypoints will grant you experience each time. The maps also come with Renown Hearts and dynamic events that pop up as you explore. Completing these will give you both loot and experience and is a great way to level up between Story chapters.

Maps all have their bosses and events. The most rewarding of these is World Bosses, which run on a timer and can be completed multiple times. Players can find Boss Trains in the LFG tool and follow the leader as they take you around the maps to each of these World Bosses. Note that you will need to have various Waypoints unlocked or multiple Teleport to Friend uses.

Crafting for leveling

Crafting grants a ton of experience when you get into it. However, this is the most expensive of the options, as crafting will often require you to purchase items from the vendors that you’ll not be able to gather yourself. Of course, crafting is also the primary way to get your Legendaries if you’re not willing to spend a ton of gold on the Trading Post.

PvP and WvW for leveling

The realms of PvP and WvW are daunting, to say the least, especially to newcomers to the game. However, it is an excellent way of earning Tomes of Knowledge which are essentially level-up books. In addition, PvP and WvW temporarily grant your character level 80, meaning you’ll be on more or less equal footing with the others. However, you’ll want to find a Commander in the WvW maps, as solo-roaming is not generally advisable.

XP boosters and festivals for leveling

You’ll receive a lot of boosters during your initial leveling. Using them and foods to help your character generate more experience from killing enemies and completing Hearts will be a great asset.

Festivals are also a great way to level up fast. The Halloween festival adds the Mad King’s Labyrinth, which always has a commander running the paths. Following the group and attacking everything in sight will grant you a ton of experience, food, and items.