Guild Wars 2 has been around for a while, but the beauty of MOBA games is that they stay alive for a long time, giving competition to the newer releases. The developers can occasionally add content that makes the game seem new and players rush to enjoy that content.
When it comes to Guild Wars 2, most players are already in the Endgame or have left the game to come back and dominate in the Endgame once more. Even if you are new to the Endgame content in Guild Wars 2, you might be having trouble catching up with the experts. If you are one of those people, then we have here a fantastic Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide to help you out.
Just as the name suggests, the Endgame refers to the content of Guild Wars 2 that is after you gain Maximum Level and have mostly ended the original content of the game. This content is made just to keep the players attached without being bored.
The real focus here of Endgame content is replayability and also progression. There is nothing in this world that doesn’t have an end, the same goes for the developers who are making a game. Gamers who get used to the game quickly will always finish the content faster than the developers can make it.
So developers of Guild Wars 2 came up with Dynamic Level Adjustment for the personal story and open-world content. This means that the higher you are, the more enemies will adjust accordingly to your level.
If you reach the Endgame and have maximum level and equipment to one-shot enemies in a lower level area, you won’t still be able to do it because of their adjustment to your level. That is what replayability means in Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide.
The one thing that causes major issues in the Endgame of Guild Wars 2 is its Gear. We sometimes refer to it as Gear Treadmill, which GW2 doesn’t have. It refers to the addition of new Gear that makes the other gear obsolete which was previously used.
So, you need to actually get better in the game instead of actually having better gear. That is something you need to be aware of.
To further help you understand the Endgame and get to deal with it in a better way, we categorized it into 5 parts, which are;
Progression
Combat
Exploration and Story
Cosmetic
Community and Achievements
In the Endgame the players are mostly looking for some type of Progression and it is actually the main thing in Guild Wars 2. When you start the game, your main goal is to progress further and further, till you reach a point where there is nothing exciting to do. You have mastered Guild Wars 2!
But the real joy in Guild Wars 2 is to keep doing stuff, which also carried to Endgame in Guild Wars 2. You can either have the Progression on the whole account or towards a certain character. This means there are two types of Progression in Endgame;
Character Based Progression
Account Based Progression
Just like we mentioned in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide, the Endgame actually represents you reaching the maximum level and your journey afterward.
Luckily being an Endgame character who reached the maximum level, you are just getting started with the game. There are various specializations, builds, and various considerations in the area of Character Progression.
In each profession, there are various lines of traits that can help you reach various possibilities in the world. In each Guild Wars 2 Expansion like End of Dragons, Path of Fire, and Heart of Thorns, you will find Elite Specialization in each Profession.
Some of the examples can be;
Thieves becoming Deadeyes (sniping with precision)
Elementalists to Weavers (dual elements)
Engineers as Mechanists summoning Jade Mech CJ-1
Etc.
For the Elite Specialization, you will have to get around 250 Hero Points, and then you will be able to unlock it. For each of the Hero Challenges you do in the Guild Wars 2 Expansions, you will be granted around 10 Hero Points.
When you reach 80 levels on a single Character, you need to go for a gear set that fully covers your character based on the attribute combinations you want to do. Then you need to equip the Sigils and Runes that go with that Endgame character.
If you are a Guild Wars 2 Endgame beginner, just taking steps into the real deal, you can go for Exotic Gear because it doesn’t cost that much, while it will also be easy to get using the Trading Post.
Once you get a hang of Endgame in Guild Wars 2, you can jump to Ascended Gear, which you can get through some crafting skills. That is why pros always favor crafting instead of running away from it.
The Last one is the Legendary Gear which you can get after completely controlling the Endgame. This doesn’t go beyond Ascended gear in terms of power but it has that QoL on top. You can do upgrade swaps and pick the attribute you actually need for your Endgame Character.
So that was everything about gear in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide, but what about the Build? For the most part, when you combine your Gear Attributes and combine with traits, skills, utility, and weapons, you make a Build.
Character Build is the direct measure of how effective your character actually is. If you are a new player getting used to Endgame, we suggest that you look for some Guides on Builds before you actually go for the process and jump straight into Endgame.
In the Endgame, you will find that the professions might have different builds but all of them have a different purpose. Some might want power, while some might want healing through their Gear to make a Build based on their concept.
In the Character Progression of Guild Wars 2 Endgame, you will find other things to consider as well like;
Inventory - You can maximize it using bags of large size or you can also go a bit further and get yourself a Bag Slot Expansion for 400 Gems. The max is 32 slots from the Biggest Bags. Bags are also based on the character and bound to it. If you increase the slot for one, the others won’t take advantage.
Crafting - Just like we mentioned before in your Endgame Guide to Guild Wars 2, crafting is a discipline you can’t run away from. If you need to make good gear and have food that actually does stuff in Endgame, you need to do crafting.
Next up in the Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide to Progression is the Account Based Progression. In this Progression, you actually affect your whole Account rather than just your Character.
There are various features, progressions, unlocks, and things that will be available to all the Characters linked to your account, rather than only one character you are playing with.
There aren’t many things here in Account Based Progression but the Mastery System is the thing that benefits from it the most. With Masteries you will get benefits of mounts, gliding, and so on, towards all of your characters on the same account.
Masteries are similar to the leveling system in Guild Wars 2 and the only difference here is that you get passive effects, abilities, and new content access instead of levels for your character.
Shared Inventory Slots - These are the slots of Inventory that get shared with every Character in the account. You can put items for access like lounge passes, invitations, salvagers (copper fed salvage o Matic alike), converters (Herta and princess alike), contracts (bank contracts alike), and other gizmos (white mantle portal device or prototype position rewinder like) into this account.
Bonuses - There are Account Bonuses like Gold Find and Magic Find.
Commander Tag - This lets the player broadcast their own location. It helps you to lead groups of massive organized members. Also helps in raiding.
Top Gear - You can put your Ascended and Legendary Gear here which can be accessed by every character attached to the account.
Unlocks and Convenience Items- There are various items like the Bank Tab Expansion that you can get from the Gem Store or Gathering Tools, Salvage Kits, and Permanent Contracts that you can share with other Characters.
Quick Leveling - Tomes of Knowledge can help you level up fast the characters which are new in the same account.
Currencies - There are currencies that you can store in the Account Wallet which is further used for the progression of other characters.
When it comes to Combat in Guild Wars 2 Endgame, things start to get quite wild. For the most part, you might be aware that there are three types of Combat Modes in Guild Wars 2 known as;
PvE Game Mode (Player vs Environment)
sPvP or PvP Game Mode (Structured Player vs Player)
WvW Game Mode (World vs World)
In your Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide to Combat Content, we will be diving deep into these three Game Modes below.
It isn’t a secret that in the PvE game mode you have to fight with NPCs powered by AI (artificial intelligence) and also the environment. In this Game Mode, you are mostly going after the story and bosses in the world of Guild Wars 2. Besides this, it has the following content.
Meta Events are a type of battle but on a much larger scale. In this battle, many Guild Wars 2 players will work together for a common goal. A common example of this Open World Meta Event can be Heart of Thorns.
There is a timer going on for these Events, which you can check out in the Event Timer section. Their entry barrier is non-existent, while your first step is Meta Events when going for the PvE Endgame Content.
Fractals specifically called the Fractals of Mist are on top of Dungeons when it comes to PvE Content for 5 Players. In the Guild Wars 2 Endgame, Fractals are some of the shortest and most rewarding things you can go for. Not to forget, they are also repeatable.
In Fractals of the Mist, you will come by difficulty levels that are around 4. This instability puts a twist on the game content. Having various difficulties mean that the starters of PvE content can easily take a dip into the tier 1 Fractals and as they get good with it, they can take tier 4 in the end.
In order to get towards the harder Fractals you need to have the Agony Infusions and protect yourself from the Agony. Higher Fractals are also much more rewarding that the easier Fractals, while you can do the Agony Infusions in your Gear to protect yourself.
If you are looking for the Fractal your own self can start, you can go for the Personal Fractal Levels. You can also let someone else open the Fractal levels for you if you are looking for an easy way out.
Finally, in order to access the Fractals of the Mists you need to first access the Lion’s Arch and from there you can open the Fractals of the Mists. You can find Lion’s Arch near the Mistlock Sanctuary and also the Fort Marriner Waypoint.
A notch up, in Raids you have PvE instances that are based on 10-player squads. They focus mainly on challenging mechanics and combat. But, to actually get them, you will need to have the expansions.
In each Raid, you will have different phases and each phase has its own mechanic. These phases will check the damage output, positioning, and coordination of your whole squad.
Coming to the PvE Endgame Content, Raids are the only things that are placed on the most challenging stuff you can do, as they require specific skills. For all the Raids your main location is none other than the Aerodrome of Lion’s Arch
While you might find players talking about the progression system and high barrier entry causing trouble to them, the reality is that there are some communities who are looking to team up with you in this Game Mode.
The best thing to actually do is Raid while remaining in a Training Community or even a Guild, rather than going for an LFG. As we already mentioned in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide, you will need specific skills here. You also need Masteries from some of the players in the squad to do well in Raids.
Finally, in the PvE Endgame Content of Guild Wars 2, we have here Strike Missions. These are also based on 10 Player Squad, having two modes;
Public Mode
Private Mode
The Icebrood Saga Strikes will need Path of Fire expansion, but they are quite easy to do. It is introductory and scales lower on the difficulty level. To access it, you will have to go towards the Eye of North.
The End of Dragon Strikes will need the End of Dragon expansion from you, but they are on the more challenging side of things. Encounter introduction is given alongside the story of End of Dragon.
Afterward, you can do Strike Missions that are based on 10 players and have a higher difficulty level. Furthermore, there is another Hard More (Challenge Mode) to these Strikes that will increase the rewards but also take the difficulty up a notch.
Some might call it Player vs Player while some might refer to it as Structured Player vs Player. Both are the same things in Guild Wars 2. This is the fun part of Guild Wars 2 where human-driven players face each other.
The simple rule here is that there is a team of 5 players who come together to defeat their enemies and the team that reaches 500 points first wins. The technique here is to simply balance your defense and offense because it is actually not about killing.
It is about Objective Points here and the team with more kills but fewer Objective Points will lose, irrespective of kills.
At the end of a match, there are Points given to players called the Reward Track Points. Furthermore, you can use these points to get other rewards such as loot boxes (having armor and weapons), minis and even crafting materials.
When you reach level 2, you can actually play PvP Game Mode in Guild Wars 2. The reason is that all the players entering PvP Mode will have level 80 and the gear also goes to the maximum potential.
There is free gear for PvP which you can see in the Hero Panel and furthermore; the PvP Game Mode is divided into two other game modes.
Conquest - defend and capture nodes
Stronghold - defend your own base and assault the enemy base.
Finally, we have here World vs World in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide to Combat Content. The name of this Game Mode defines what it actually represents. Here you will be included in a larger-scale PvP that revolves around the siege of the castle.
The little twist here is that players are grouped together based on the World they are from and another thing is that you have to face two other groups that are from their own Worlds. The area of battle is the same and to make the castle stronger, World has to make nodes.
PvP Game Mode is the fastest Game Mode out there and World vs World in contrast is quite slow, but has that depth from PvP, featuring larger fights and more elements.
Seeing all the things you actually need in the Endgame, you might be worried about Gold and Items. Don’t worry, you can Buy Cheap GW2 Gold from trusty GW2Sale.com. While we also have amazing deals on our GW2 Items as well. So, stop wasting your time on these things and focus more on what actually matters.
The third part is Exploration and Story Content related to Endgame of Guild Wars 2. When it comes to these two parts, Guild Wars 2 truly shines because of the large maps and rich story. As we already discussed in our Guide, there are three expansions in Guild Wars 2 known as;
End of Dragons
Path of Fire
Heart of Thorns
Yes, there is Living World which is a kind of DLC for the time being. The Last One that we mentioned is actually content that adds spice to the whole game. It has short seasons that you can call mini-expansions.
This is the third expansion in Guild Wars 2, bringing to your four maps, one mount, jade bots, fishing, skiffs, and the concept of Elite Specializations that we already discussed in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide.
The cycle of the Elder Dragon Magic started in Tyria and its ending in Cantha. That is the whole story of End of Dragons.
Path of Fire was the Second Expansion of Guild Wars 2 that brought to you Five maps, some Elite Specializations, and mounts. The story here is that the God of Fire and War - A Human known popularly as Balthazar went against Tyrians and tries to destroy Crystal Desert, as well as Elona - Northern Part.
This was the First Expansion that brought your 4 new maps. Its main focus was on challenges and open-world exploration along with some Elite Specializations, gliding, and meta events.
The main theme here is that Pact was taking the fight to the Dragon of Jungle. In contrast to that, the commander joins the new and the old allies to survive Heart of Maguuma.
Living World has around 4 Seasons and Icebrood Saga is the redesign of Living World.
The first thing that came out for Living World was Season 1. Here the Tyrians grouped to fight someone they hated together. The enemies were also doing the same, grouping together to wreak chaos. There is someone who is behind all of this.
Season 1 of Living World is further carried on in Season 2 of Living World. There were two new maps from developers here as well. Elder Dragon is waking up and the minions are attacking Tyria. Group up with the friends you made in your journey and protect the legacy of Glit. To slowly find the Origin of Sylvari, you experience the past here.
Season 3 further expanded Living World, bringing around 6 new maps, along with Masteries. Magic Runs in the whole of Tyria, while you slowly discover the Legacy of Glit. The Volatile Magic powers Crises that can End the 3 Worlds.
It is made on the base of Season 3 of Living World, bringing to you new 6 maps, 3 mounts, and Masteries for the mount. Elona is terrorized by both Lich Palawa Joko and Kralkatorrik Dragon. Further, the Legacy of Glit has a new Magic Balance in Tyria.
It was an attempt to redesign the actual Living World and give it a new look overall. It wasn’t as popular in between but was doing alright. The resources were pulled from this Saga to the Third Expansion. Icebrood Saga then had a single Episode which was divided into 4 chapters in a total of five months.
The Story here is that Far Shiverpeaks had a war going on and in the domain of Elder Dragon, there was some kind of mistrust going on. It broke the Alliance made in Living World and all fell to the higher power.
At the time of the most recent episode, players can get Living World Episodes free by simply logging in. If that time is gone, which surely is, you can only Buy it now from the Gem Store using your Gems. If you bought the Guild Wars 2 complete package, you can get it with that package.
When you start Guild Wars 2, you start with Personal Story which is the main Journey. Your main job here is to become a hero, make your own name in the world of Guild Wars and make the Tyrian races come together to fight Zhaitan, as well as Elder Dragon.
You might have heard of Fashion Wars and that exactly is Endgame Cosmetics. In the Cosmetics section, Guild Wars 2 Developers made various weapons, armor, and skins specifically for them.
There are Dyes that you can collect and can help you change the color of your Armor and to change the appearance of your Equipment you will find Transmutation Charges in the Wardrobe. So, the Cosmetics section can actually cover every part that gamers like.
While you are out there trying to increase your Level, you will find Skins from enemies as loot. While you can get some Cultural Weapons and Cultural Armor with your Gold. There are Dungeon Weapons and Dungeon Armor made to show that you are the gamers doing dungeoneering.
There are also some NPC, Pirates, and Lionguard Armors as well including the famous Orders of Tyria Armor. Finally, the good old heritage Armor will give you flashbacks of the original Guild Wars.
The Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide to Cosmetics will be incomplete without mentioning Gemstore because it is a part of the whole Cosmetic system to help the game. Using them, you can get Glider Skins and Mount Skins.
Outfits are also available that can change the appearance of a Character. If you don’t actually want to change Armor to get a different look, you can go for Outfits.
It might sound funny but there are also different Chairs in Guild Wars 2 that can change the way you actually sit. Fascinating, isn’t it? Coming to the Trading side, there is a Company that goes by the name of Black Lion Trading that makes new Sets that you can trade with each other.
Both the Legendary and Ascended Gear that are already covered in our Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide has their own look, letting people know that you are a serious Endgame player with the Top 2 Gears.
Titles - These are given to you after doing some achievement. Just as always some of them are exclusive like after destroying the Raid Bosses with hard difficulty.
Finishers - They are actions that allow you to Stomp the bodies or Finish enemies with style in both WvW and PvP Game Mode.
Miniatures - These are small cosmetic Creatures that can actually go around with you in-game just like pets. Each of them comes with a rarity and exclusive ones are hard to get.
Novelties - Your player can become a creature using some type of Tonics. Other things are Costume Brawl Engagement, Chair Sitting Style, and playing Musical Instruments.
Finally, we are at the final Heading of your Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide. Achievements in Guild Wars 2 Endgame represent Achievement Points that others can see. Using the Achievement Points you get various skins and there are some Achievements that you can complete and earn rewards.
Guild Wars 2 isn’t just like any MMO, but rather one of the Best out there of all time. Your Group, Team, Guild, or sometimes called Community is the main aspect here that includes Chatting, Mentoring, Role Playing, and also helping others complete. It also includes joining a Guild and being a complete part of it, like it's your own house.
If you are actually starting out in Guild Wars 2 Endgame, you need to start making friends and learn how to play together as a team. Guilds are made for that specifically because it helps you bond with other players, socialize and do Guild Missions together to make your Guild stronger.
Finally, the Guild Halls are another thing that you can hold meetings in or you can simply decorate, showcasing your achievements.
Well, that is all for your Guild Wars 2 Endgame Guide. Some even argue that the real Guild Wars 2 journey starts after you reach the Maximum Level because there is so much to explore here and players get confused. So, we tried to Compile this Guide and put together every detail we can to help you out get the most out of Guild Wars 2 Endgame. Don’t forget to Buy GW2 Gold and GW2 Items when you need them!