Guild Wars 2 - PvP Tips: Ranked solo queue by Kesrah

Hi, I'm Kes, a long-standing player of gw2, playing since the early closed betas and pvp'd throughout my time in this game and since season 3 started I've seen a plethora of threads complaining about balance, matchmaking, teams. You name it. I just wanted to give my two cents of advice on what you might be able to do as a player to try and influence these bad games, or even win them.

First things first, attitude. People don't respond to rage well, and although it's incredibly tempting to cuss out that one guy who keeps going far and dying, or that other guy whos camping close like it's got a black Friday sale going on, rage never ends well. Try suggesting in /t "Hey, <x>, would you be able to back mid up? Close is safe." of course, it's all situational.

Secondly;** rotations**. over-committing to a point is a thing I often see in my games and in general. Judge the fights accordingly, can my teammate successfully kill the enemy? Does he need a +1? If he needs a +1, go assist, and if one of your teammates comes also, break off and rotate somewhere else. One guy doesn't need 3 people to kill him, and if he does, you're better off rotating to another point anyway. The same for losing fights, ask yourself, are we going to lose this fight? If the answer is imminent yes, and you can break off, do it. Break off and rotate to the point that is free because most of the time there will be the enemy team at the fight you just lost. If you can't decap said node, move back to your capped node and wait for your team so you may regroup and go back in strong. Trickling is a game loser more often than not.

I think another point would be map awareness, which is a skill that develops over time but goes hand in hand with rotating. Take a note of which classes are where, and who is fighting who. This will give your a rough idea of where you are needed for your current professions role. Is there a thief that was spotted on the map moving in the direction of your close point? Odds are he's going for a decap, move to intercept. The enemy elementalist and druid are at the far node, fighting two of your teammates? This isnt a fight you'll win, but more often than not it means the contested node is going to be increadibly weak for them, ask your team to break off and go there instead. Call out in /t if you need help, or ping on the map.

Cleaving/Stomping and ressing. Make sure you cleave downed bodies if your profession allows it! That one person could make the difference between winning the fight and losing the fight. Poison, daze, stun, do whatever you need to do in order to keep that body down. Ressing your teammates; know when to accept it's a lost cause, too many times have I managed to secure a double or triple kill due to the enemy over committing to the res, if there is poison/revenant cleave/condi pressure/stuns rolling over that body, unless you have a sufficient amount of teammates ressing that one person, it's probably a lost cause.

Any other tips /r/guildwars2 might have for new-er and even more experienced PvPers is welcome in the comments. Thank you for reading and I hope this helps at least some people.

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Guild Wars 2 - Beginner Raid Guide by Brodernot2

This is an update to my previous raid guide found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/4gunlx/guide_how_to_start_raiding_as_a_beginner/

Preface

Not long after the release of raids, I set up a raid mentoring guild with many other raid mentors. Through working with many new raiders (and recently from this sub) I've decided to rewrite my guide. This guide contains some major changes to my old guide based on community feedback, feedback from other raid mentors, and experience mentoring new mentees (specifically those who found me through reddit). Do note that whereas my old guide was targeted to friends and guildies, this one is moreso targeted at subscribers to this subreddit. I learned a lot working with you guys and discovered that you are a LOT different from the people I normally play with.

Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to provide an efficient way for players new to raids (beginners*) to begin raiding and develop the skills necessary to succeed while preventing the formation of bad habits that will hurt players in the long-term.
*Note: Raids are the end-game of PvE, and, as a result, are also the most challenging content (even with easier bosses like sloth and VG). Raid beginners are not the same as "normal" beginners. They should already have a thorough understanding of the game and all professions--not just the professions they wish to play. In order to simplify the guide, beginner will refer to raid beginners.

Prerequisites

Being the most difficult end-game content, beginners should acquire certain equipment and skills before attempting raids. Everything suggested here is only a guideline, but it is what we believe are the minimum requirements for a beginner to efficiently and effectively learn raids without developing bad habits.

• Exotic or higher armor
• Exotic or higher back piece
• Ascended weapons
• Ascended trinkets
• Best available food and consumables
• Complete elite specialization*
• Solid understanding of the game and each profession
• Willingness to take personal responsibility for your growth

*Even though not all elite specialization skills are always required, completing your elite specialization is a good way to demonstrate competence in your chosen profession and allows more flexibility.

Suggested Classes

Through working with countless beginners, other dedicated mentors and I have created a tier list for which professions are best to learn raids with. We strongly recommend beginning with classes higher up on the tier list. The list is based primarily on success of previous mentees. Other factors we consider are:

• complexity of rotation (too complicated and too simple are bad)
• ease of survival (too easy or too hard are bad)
• ease of obtaining proper gear (easier is better)
• usefulness across raids (useful across many bosses is good).

The list is as follows:

1. Warrior, Revenant
2. Elementalist
3. Druid, Necromancer
4. Guardian, Thief, Mesmer
5. Engineer

Finding a Group

Once you have completed the prerequisites and chosen a class, it's time to find a group. For the purposes outlined in this guide, we strongly recommend finding either a dedicated raid teaching guild or a dedicated raid team comprising 3-5 experienced raid mentors and 5-7 beginners. So many beginners are recommended as having too many experienced players may lead to getting carried which will prevent you from learning many skills critical to raids. Teaching raid guilds can be found on the official forums or in the guild recruitment subreddit. The LFG system should NOT be used to find a group for a beginner unless it is advertised as a practice or teaching run*.
/* Note: The authors run their own dedicated teaching guild. To receive an invite, send a PM with your in-game name and server (EU or NA) to the author.
/**Note: Groups formed using the LFG system are not conducive to learning encounters as they are often unwilling to teach, are likely to fail, or will carry the beginner.

Suggested Bosses

As with classes, we have developed a tier list to rank bosses for beginners. The tier list is primarily based on previous beginner success in learning raid mechanics and beginner satisfaction, but other factors are taken into account including:

• Raid mastery requirement
• Ease of access
• Potential to getting carried
• Difficulty of encounter
• Number and variety of mechanics
• Similarity to other bosses
• Tightness of DPS check

The list is as follows:

1. VG, Sloth
2. Gorseval
3. Sabetha, Mathias
4. Bandit Trio

Note VG and sloth are strongly preferred over other bosses for beginners.

Learning Raids

Once you have chosen a class, found a team, and chosen a boss, it's time to start learning the encounter. We have found that using a 3-stage method keeps our beginners engaged, results in efficient training runs, and gives our beginners the time required to fully develop and master all required mechanics. The method breaks down into 3 stages. The first stage involves reading a guide about the boss--the guide should be detailed enough that it covers all major mechanics and all of the boss's attacks. Dulfy guides are a good source. In the second stage, we have trainees watch video guides in order to see the mechanics they read about in action. YouTube is a great source for these. Finally, in the third stage, the beginner tackles the boss with other beginners under the guidance of several more experienced players. Beginners should be asking more experienced players for feedback and if needed, the more experienced players should proactively correct mistakes from beginners.

Future Direction

Upon clearing your first boss, your options open up. As a follow up, we recommend you begin working on another boss further down the tier list. In addition, you should feel free to join LFG groups (assuming you meet their requirements) for the defeated boss in order to further hone your skills. However these topics are beyond the scope of this guide.
Remember, just because you've cleared a boss once does not mean you are suddenly an expert. The encounters are all very forgiving and so constant practice and refinement and critical to smooth, hassle-free runs in the future. Further, a lot of skills are transferable from boss to boss, meaning that by getting better at a boss like sloth will make you better at all other bosses.
Special thanks to those who helped write this guide and the members of [Nox].
Thanks for reading and have fun! Leave a comment if you have any questions, I'll stick around and answer them for a bit.

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Guild Wars 2 - [Video Guide]Heat Room Solo on 6/9 classes by 1up

Hey,
since I still see a lot of people having problems with the heat room in the Thaumanova Reactor Fractal, I tought I will record some videos the way I do it.

Unfortunately, I was only able to do it with 6 classes. I could't find a way to do it on Ranger, Guardian and Revenant. However, I think, that it would be possible to solo it on Dragonhunter aswell, if your race is Norn. Mine isn't though, so I could't try that out.

Here are the clips of all the other 6 classes:

You can find details about skills in the video descriptions.

Class	Hyperlink
Mesmer	link
Berserker	link
Reaper	link
Daredevil	link
Tempest	link
Engineer	link
Druid	link
Herald	link
Dragonhunter	link
Playlist	link

Edit: Thanks to /u/PoorYarga for delivering a Druid, /u/Randommuser for delivering a Herald guide and /u/joaobigger for the Dragonhunter one.

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Guild Wars 2 - Scrapper PvP Tips: For and Against by SpectralDagger

1) The Electro-whirl reflect starts about halfway through the one second cast time. That means you can use it against Precision Strike from Revenants if you respond quickly enough. It's also strong versus Bristlebacks, Dragon Hunter's True Shots, and Longbow Druids.

2) Rocket Charge is a very versatile skill. It's good for mobility, damage, and utility. Keep in mind that there are breaks between the evade frames after you land. If you use it in a Lightning field (like Thunderclap or Final Salvo) you chain daze them. Using it in a water field will heal you significantly. You can get a full three leaps in your Cleansing Burst or one in your Regenerating Mist. At the start of a fight, you want to use it in your Super Elixir to stack Light Aura for Retaliation damage.

3) Shock Shield deals a lot of damage on top of being a block, so try to use it at melee range.

4) Thunderclap is a ranged AoE stun. It's very useful for stopping rezzes, and is uniquely suited to countering a Druid's Search and Rescue.

5) With your relatively high crit chance, Bunker Down drops a lot of Med Kits. Make sure to pick them all up.

6) Automated Medical Response will reset your heal for your first Elixir S proc, but it can be risky to use it immediately out of the invuln in case they are setting up an interrupt. It's generally better to evade or cast Electro-whirl before you drop your Healing Turret unless you get behind LoS with the Elixir S.

7) You can stow cancel Acid Bomb by weapon swapping just after you cast it. This reduces the after cast, but should only be done against enemies you want to stay at melee range to. On top of that it's a blast finisher and can be used for higher mobility.

8) The Tranquilizer Dart applies weakness, so if you're closing in on a power-based opponent, be sure to auto attack in Elixir Gun to mitigate significant damage.

9) Defense Field is instant cast, so it should be used after the projectiles are already in the air. That way they can't stow cancel upon seeing the relatively large animation. The effect also persists about half a second after the animation disappears. Bear this in mind when chaining it into Electro-whirl so you aren't wasting reflect uptime.

10) People can generally tell where you are after a Stealth Gyro by following the gyro. You can confuse them by using jumping puzzles that the gyro can't follow along. It means you'll miss the next stealth pulse, but the gyro will lead them the other way as it tries to manually walk around.

Based on this meta Scrapper build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vdAQFASnUUBFpideBubBEqilJjS8ZKgAg+vr7+Oc7SmwC-TJBFAB/XGIp9HI4CAAwDAAA

Tips against Scrapper
1) Many Scrappers nowadays are running Final Salvo. The gyros exploding does significant damage, but the fields (the ones that look like Static Fields) do not. Feel free to stand in them. The only thing you need to look out for is the Scrapper using Rocket Charge through them, as it will daze you with
each strike. Do note that the field generated by Thunderclap is still a threat.

2) The same oil slick from Slick Shoes can't knock you down twice. If a Scrapper hits you with Slick Shoes, stunbreak, then exit the shoes through the slick that hit you. It can be hard to identify at first which hit you, but having an educated guess is important in avoiding burst.

3) Learn the animation of Acid Bomb. It deals massive damage, but it doesn't have the same AoE circle animation as most damaging attacks. It's a black poison cloud.

4) Stow cancel any projectile skills if they use Electro-whirl or Defense Field.

5) Rocket Charge is not a continuous evade. The Scrapper will take damage during the pauses between the leaps. If you time it right, you can land hard hitting skills like True Shot, or even just knock them out of the skill.

6) Shock Shield hurts like crazy. Don't ignore it just because it's a block as well.

7) Stealth classes can dodge the Detection Pulse to stay in stealth.

8) The Stealth Gyro will generally show you were the Scrapper is going in stealth. However, be careful near ledges. The gyro will walk the long way around if they do a jump, so just be aware of your surroundings and what could cause the gyro AI to do what it's doing.

9) Most Scrappers run both Automated Medical Response and Self-Regulating Defenses. That means that their passive Elixir S will proc before they can cast their reset heal. Time an interrupt just as they come out of Elixir S to stop their heal.

10) Be sure to kill Bulwark Gyro quickly, while watching out for the Final Salvo. It reduces physical damage by 50% until it dies.

Note: Scrapper builds do vary somewhat in regards to the Amulet (Marauder vs Paladin), Scrapper Grandmaster trait (Adaptive Armor vs Final Salvo), 3rd utility skill (Bulwark Gyro vs Elixir B), and the elite (Sneak Gyro vs Elixir X). Make sure you know what you're facing, as it affects the match ups greatly. For example, Elixir B is stronger versus conditions, but Bulwark Gyro give strong match ups versus Dragonhunters and Heralds.

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Guild Wars 2 - How to farm Amalgamated Gemstones by Alesonante

Introduction: I'm a casual. I've always been a casual, since I like playing videogames in my free time and not as a second job. Very rarely I spend money in the gemstore because my money is too valuable to throw at a game I'm already enjoying, although sometimes I will pay if I think they added something cool (hello, shared inventory slots), even if I deem it could be improved.

How to progress farming Amalgamated Gemstones: As you know, Amalgamated Gemstones are created by forging 3 T6 orbs/crests + 3 T6 orbs/crests + 3 T6 orbs/crests + Crystalline Dust. Now, if you're a casual like me and log in just to play 30 minutes without worrying about timers, I can help you out.

• Gathering: The best way to get orbs is gathering every T6 node (orichalcum and ancient wood) in your sight. You can either follow a route or just mine/chop whatever you find in the HoT maps and Orr. This is boring if you repeat it again and again, but just try to make it a habit to get the resources in the HoT maps. I see all the time people rushing from place to place without basically getting free in-game gold.
• Jumping Puzzles: That's right, I said it. Some of the chests from Jumping Puzzles award T6 orbs and rare crests, so if you enjoy them, you can do a different one every day. I don't follow this route though because it's too time-consuming for me for little reward (and RNG).
• Strongboxes: The best method and the one I follow every day. I don't feel it's monotonous because it's basically exploring and I enjoy that. Some of them are a bit of a Jumping Puzzle, but I usually ignore those (too time-consuming or some of them are just inaccessible because of contested waypoints). These strongboxes and chests award T6 orbs, rare crests, map currency (1-3 or 26!), some greens/rares/exotics and some special items (reclaimed weapons which sell for 8g each more or less, black diamonds and freshwater pearls which sell for 5g each). Honestly, I don't know why people don't go for these. They're "easy" to access, they don't require timers and they are quite rewarding (always with an RNG component, this is Anet after all). Fun fact, I looted a DAWN from a VB strongbox today (it's pretty uncommon I'd say, since I get 1 exotic from like 200 chests, but it can happen, so yay!)
• Mystic Forge: Here's a secret most of you don't know. If you put 4 t5 crystals or medallions (correct, the green ones you get aaaaall the time from chests/strongboxes and from rewards), there's a high chance of getting a t6 orb/crest. The probability is around 20%, I'd say, according to my forge data (I haven't abused the market because I play for myself) of around 2000 forges. It's boring because we don't have repeatable forges (YET. Please Anet...) but it's a constant progress. Every time you see you have crystals or medallions in your inventory, forge them! The same way you forge rare sigils in the chance of getting a superior sigil. It's funny because it's WAY more profitable to do this with crystals/medallions, since every outcome is positive for you! (since you're going to forge them anyway for the amalgamated gemstone). Yet people don't do it on a daily basis, maybe because they don't know it, or maybe because it's too boring doing it again and again.
• Jeweler Crystal Promotion: You know this method. You use your jeweler to upgrade t5 crystals to orbs via 5 incandescent dust. However, dust is not so easy to come by at the rate you'd need. Even then, use the dust you have! For people who spend a lot of time in the game, you can use the /wiki to learn where to farm dust (from a casual guild AC run, t5 bags from wvw...) As you can see, I use different methods because I enjoy doing different things every day, since I'm the filthiest casual.

Conclusion: Normally a daily "run", if you can call it that, consists of exploring the HoT maps with the character I feel like playing. I try to go for easy strongboxes and chests (there are guides about this in dulfy and in the wiki, just pick the ones that are easiest/fastest for you according to your gameplay/ability/time) and do some HPs if they are around or I feel like soloing (that's fun for me!) and then sell the reclaimed weapons I get, forge crystals/orbs into gemstones and little by little, without even noticing it and not caring about timers, I have enough materials AND map currency to create the gift of fortune. I understand this is not a fast method, but I drop my jaw everytime I read people in this subreddit say that you can't do anything without timers. I have enough materials for 2 HoT legendaries already just exploring! I hope you find this useful, have fun!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a post to make money. You can try to make money buying medallions from the TP (2silver each, some people have been noticing about the forging that is not stated in the wiki) since the rate of upgrading is around 20% (or more, but I can't claim a percentage) and it's VERY profitable to do so, but it is so boring to forge again and again that I don't think it's worth it to dedicate your time to do this. This is more helpful for people that have medallions and crystals in their inventories and don't know that they can turn them into something useful (WITHOUT THE EXPENSIVE INCANDESCENT DUST). Thus, I hope this helps anyone who is trying to progress in their HoT legendary journey. Now all there is to do is wait for more legendaries... Anet please ;D

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Guild Wars 2 - Ultimate Shatter Mesmer Guide by Helseth

was a subgoal, heres the highlight -- Watch live at http://www.twitch.tv/thelordhelseth

Guild Wars 2 - Top Ten PvP Tips (Basic) by UnityJebro

Guild Wars 2 Top Ten Tips Video. Basic tips to assist new and older players that are coming back into PvP in GW2, also maybe some points that you made not have thought of before!

Guild Wars 2 Guide - Chronomancer tutorial from a long time mesmer-only player. Includes Continuum Split/Shift tricks by L4in

Hey all,

I made a thread a few days ago called Chronomancer review as a long time Mesmer-only player. It was rather well received and made me realize that I should dive a little deeper into my build and the Chronomancer in general. So, I made this video to share my build and also to show case some of the tricks that Chronomancer can now preform. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it!

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Guild Wars 2 Video - 2015 Halloween Guide (Tricks, Treats & Activities) [Gaming with GS]

A detailed guide showing you what there is to do in this year’s Halloween festivities in Guild Wars 2, and the rewards that come with it. This video will be going over the activities you can participate in, events to complete, and rewards you can earn this year. Everything from new skins, black lion skins, tricks and treats from Trick or Treat bags, candy corn cob rewards, and much more! Leave a like and share with your friends to spread the tricks and treats.

For more gaming tutorial and general gaming videos, check out my channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTuO...

Follow and support the channel on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaming...
https://plus.google.com/b/11732740539...
https://twitter.com/GamingWithGS

Top 10 Tips for New Guild Wars 2 Players by Bog Otter

Buy the Guild Wars 2 expansion, Heart of Thorns, and help support my channel ► http://guildwars2.go2cloud.org/SHC

Make a new Guild Wars 2 account and play now for FREE ► http://guildwars2.go2cloud.org/SH1n

Top 10 Tips for New Guild Wars 2 players:

00:30 How to get bags for your inventory.
01:56 How to get gathering tools before level 9.
03:15 Where are the quests?!?!
05:34 No competition for loot, experience, or resources.
06:38 Using hotkeys to find things in the world.
07:39 Checking out karma/heart vendors.
09:04 Handy dandy deposit all materials.
10:38 Exploring the options menu.
13:30 Explaining the down state & death.
15:44 Sticking around after dynamic events.

Don't forget to check out Aurora Peachy's guide to choosing servers/worlds in Guild Wars 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QtXM...

If you enjoy this video, please subscribe to the channel, give me a thumbs up and share it with your friends!

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Contact and Follow Me:

Twitter ► http://www.twitter.com/richieprocopio
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Viewers can send me mail to the following address:

Richie Procopio
PO Box 7005
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Logo art designed by Jerome Jacinto: http://chichapie.deviantart.com/
Music composed by Sandra Schnieders: http://www.sandraschnieders.com
Channel Art designed by Billy Bacsko: http://old-ninja.tumblr.com/

This video is created with the support of ArenaNet.

Thanks for watching!

Guild Wars 2 - Clockwork Chaos Achievement Guide

Hey everyone, I see there is quite a bit of confusion regarding the Clockwork Chaos invasions and the associated achievements so I wrote up a quick guide for those who may find it helpful.

Note that the guide below is purely text based, for a version with pictures please use this one:http://dulfy.net/2013/08/20/gw2-clockwork-chaos-invasions-and-achievements-guide/

Clockwork Chaos Invasions

• Before you participate in any invasions, make sure you advance Vorpp to the Portal Invasion Closer stage. You will need to head to the Crown pavilion and go through the story instance Closing Ceremony where you get to meet Emissary Vorpp at the end.
• These invasions occur every hour on the hour (i.e. 3pm, 4pm, 5pm 6 pm etc). You have to keep an eye on the Clockwork Chaos window at the top right corner and head to the indicated map immediately.
• Overflows will only have the event if they are created within 10 minutes of the invasion starting. This means if you arrive an overflow that was created at for example 3:15, then there won't be an invasion on that overflow until the next hour.
• An invasion will typically lasts 45 minutes or less. It consists of 3 waves. You will get Aetherblade reinforcements usually after completing the first wave. If you beat the Aetherblades, the Molten Alliance will usually join in after (the order could be switched).
• At the end of 3 waves, Scarlet will spawn on a random location in the map and can be killed. She has very little health so you will need to race to her and defeat her before she dies to the zerg.

Open world achievements

• Closing Ceremony Attendee: Go to the Crown pavilion in Divinity’s Reach and complete the story instance.
• Swift Closer – Close 5 portals within 15 minutes. You will need to head to those crossed swords icons and complete 5 of their events within 15 minutes. This is fairly easy to get with a large zerg.
• Portal Closer - Close 5 of Scarlet’s portal invasions. There is a good chance you can complete this achievement and Swift Closer at the same time if you are quick enough.
• Watchwork Nightmare Wrecker – When closing the portals (crossed swords icon), a Champion Twisted Nightmare will sometimes spawn if your zerg is large enough. Defeating him will grant you the achievement.
• Bane of Invading Captains - When fighting off Aetherblade reinforcements (red fan icon), look for the champion Aetherblade Pirate Captain which can spawn if your zerg is large enough. Killing him will grant you the achievement.
• Molten Invader Menace - When fighting off Molten Alliance reinforcements (crossed mining picks icon), look for any Molten Alliance champions and defeat it.
• Indiscriminate Adversary - Killing three differently named champions should grant you this achievement.
• Friend of Fire and Frost – Stop a full portal invasion in Frostgorge Sound and Fireheart Rise. For full invasions you don’t need to go through all the waves and win, you just have to participate on a map that has an invasion, when the timer (45 minutes) ends you will get credit.
• Scarlet Scambler - Scarlet usually spawns and can be killed at end of the 3 waves of invasions. Scarlet doesn’t have a lot of HP so you will need to get to her ASAP before she is killed.
• Worldwide Invasion Responder - Participate in seven full invasions on 7 different maps. For full invasions you don’t need to go through all the waves and win, you just have to participate on a map that has an invasion, when the timer (45 minutes) ends you will get credit.
• Invasion Canceler - Participate in 13 full invasions on 13 different maps. For full invasions you don’t need to go through all the waves and win, you just have to participate on a map that has an invasion, when the timer (45 minutes) ends you will get credit.

Scarlet Playhouse Achievements

• You cannot complete these achievements until you unlock Scarlet's Playhouse by advancing Emissary Vorpp's achievements. This will take at least 5 hours or more to unlock as you will need to participate in 5 full scale invasions (although you don't have to win or do any of the events, just have to be there)
• Defender of the Crown – Achievement gained when you complete the playhouse
• Raced to the Rescue – Rescue Lord Faren within 3 minutes. You can skip pretty much all of the trash and head straight for Faren to save time.
• Playhouse Perfectionist – Do not die or get downed during a playthrough of Playhouse.
• Soft Lander (this achievement is obtained in Crown Pavilion which you unlock again after completing Scarlet's Playhouse, see this video guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V6dXQtXU0U)
  
  
  
  
  Guide by: dulfy

Champion Ooze Farm Loop - Farm for Slime-covered Strongboxes

Preface: I'll say this now, if you're looking for a mega profitable farm, this is not it. This is specifically for Karka Bows, Slime-covered Strongboxes and the contents of the Strongboxes.

I happen to love really ugly unique weapon skins. As of the August 6th patch, we got a fairly large amount of new champion skins. Two of these, Arthropoda and Crustacea are the Karka bows that everyone so loves hates. We know that they drop from Champion oozes, of which there are only 4 in game. I put together this loop to get 3 of the 4 of them.

Why oozes and not karka? Because everyone loves hates Southsun, and there are only 2 champion karka's there. You need a decently sized group to effectively farm them, or at least a small op team who is quite skilled. Oozes are so the only confirmed dropper of the Karka Bows, so I figured that these guys would be easier. There are only FOUR champion level oozes in the game, 3 outside of Orr on quick timers. With the current state of Cursed Shore, I've decided to ignore that one (it also has a long respawn).

Starting off, you will need:

• At least 3 people (less means they should be a bit better at their classes, 5 is ideal for any group)
• You will need Desider Atum Waypoint in Metrica Providence, Mournful or Whisperwill Waypoints in Bloodtide Coast, and Arundon Waypoint in Frostgorge sound. Don't worry, I am providing screenshots on where to go.
• Skills on your skill bar
• Some Armor
• Anything else that helps you kill stuff and run faster (there is running involved!)

Metrica Providence Ooze - Champion Giant Ooze

Link to image of Metrica Providence Ooze

This one is an event, on a 10(ish) minute timer. You can tell when it's close to starting if Dr. Bleent isn't yelling about his Ooze Booze. Soon after that, he will run over to an Ooze container and feed one of his Oozes some of the booze. It will either become FOUR veteran oozes, or ONE champion ooze. There is no noticable pattern. You'll have to complete the event for it to reset. Once you complete the event, move to the next ooze!

Bloodtide Coast Ooze - Giant Blood Ooze

Link to Bloodtide Coast Ooze

This one is also an event. It will either be a Champion Canyon Spider Queen or a Champion Blood Ooze. Obviously, you want to kill the Ooze. If the Spider is up, you'll need to kill her for the Giant Blood Ooze to spawn on the next reset (which is about 5-7 minutes). Once either the Ooze or the Spider Queen is did, move to the next ooze!

Frostgorge Sound Ooze - Giant Blue Ooze

Link to Frostgorge Sound Ooze

This one is in a secret cove. There is Grawl in the cave at the entrance. Run by them all. You will come up to a rock-ramp upwards that kind of double backs on itself. This has AoE Rock-falls that will knock you back and do damage. They are easily avoided though with a couple of well-placed dodges and stability. When you are through with that, continue up the hill through the cave. Destroy the makeshift door and keep running past the oozes. You'll see the Giant Blue Ooze around the bend. Kill it off and that'll be the completion of the loop. Head back to Metrica Providence and repeat. The timing is set that Metrica Providence should be up just around the time you're done.

These Oozes drop Slime Covered Strongboxes, which drop various things including the Karka Bows. Hopefully if a few of you are bored and want to try some new things, this might interest you.

Guide by: nightsfrost

Guild Wars 2 - Queen's Jubilee Patch Preview

Below is a summary in point format for rapid consumption. 

LIVING WORLD

Hot Air Balloons

• These hot air balloons will be in all zones except Orr and Southsun Cove. They are designed to be visible from far away but are also marked on the map.
• There will be quite a few events/achievements here involving escorting the dignitaries to the balloons and stopping the Aetherblade pirates from attacking the balloons.
• Up the tower are some chests player may find and also taking the balloon is a free ride to DR.

Ignite the Beacons

• This is a mini activity in DR outside the main attraction. You will find various NPCs marked as torchbearers that you can talk to start this activity.
• You will need to lit all the beacons from Point A to Point B before the flame on your torch runs out. This isn't very straightforward and you may need to use some shortcuts and a bit of urban parkour.
• You get a permanent torch as a reward which may come handy in various jumping puzzles etc.

Crown Pavilion

• Giant arena separated into two layers. Bottom layer is separated into six segments with each segment containing enemies from humanity's past: Ogres, centaurs, bandits, pirates, destroyers, and flame legions (in case you need to go on a Charr killing spree).
• Each segment is designed for 20-30 players at the same time and you will find many veterans and sometimes a group event (champion) boss.
• There will usually be two group event bosses up at a time, while they are alive they will apply specific debuffs to the entire zone (i.e. pirate boss will throw rain cannonballs on you from time to time, bandit boss will spawn bombs around corners that you can step on, destroyer boss can make your endurance regen slower)
• All of the group event bosses have powerful AoEs that are designed to demolish large zergs that clump up.
• Doing the group events will reward you with Watchwork Sprockets, a new currency for the patch, and Queen's Gauntlet tickets.

Queen's Gauntlet

• This is a 1vs1 PvE arena activity taking place on the upper layer of Crown Pavilion. There will be six glass domes suspended below a circular track high above the air.
• Only 1 player can be inside the dome at a time and you will need a Queen's Gauntlet ticket to participate. Some sort of lineups may be expected.
• There are three tiers of NPCs (4 NPCs per tier) that you can fight in 1vs1 matches. Each have special abilities and the 4th NPC of each tier is usually an end-boss that is slightly more challenging. If you beat the endboss of Tier 3 (only 8% of the testers at Arenanet have done so after several weeks), you will get a minipet modeled after the endboss.
• There are time limits in each of these matches and if you fail to kill these NPCs within the time limit the floor will open up and you will dropped to your death below so expect to see bodies falling from the sky from time to time.
• Some examples of boss fights: Quaggan boss that grows in size and damage output the more you hit him, a boss that summon tornado that increase in density with time and causes knockdown, boss with a one shot mechanic that can be only avoided by standing in a black pool that also tick for damage
• All of the bosses are supposedly beatable with every profession but you may need to change your traits/weapons etc. Some require burst dmg, others require good mobility/cc breaker etc

Gambits

• If you want to increase the challenge and earn extra rewards/achievements, you can use the gambit system, which also costs Queen's Gauntlet tickets.
• Gambits are debuffs placed on you that will last for the entire duration of the fight. They range from debuffs that prevent you from dodging, debuffs that make you take increased dmg or deal reduced damage, debuffs that cause knockdown/cripple
• There is an achievement for putting on 5 gambits on yourself while defeating the third tier boss, which some have deemed it "impossible"

Achievements and Rewards

• There are two separate achievement tracks for Queen's Jubilee and Queen's Gauntlet
• Queen's Jubilee achievements involves escorting emissaries, doing events in Crown Pavilion, Beacon of Kryta torch runs, etc. There isn't enough achievements to complete the meta (requires 16 achievements) so you will need to do some Jubilee dallies (details not shown). You get a mini watchknight for the meta reward.
• Queen's Gauntlet achievements involves beating various tier bosses, beating some bosses in a specific manner (i.e. letting quaggan boss get to 10 stacks of his buff before killing him), and using various gambits. Rewards are given for defeating first tier and third thier endbosses in addition to the meta.
• The Watchwork Sprockets you earn can be used to purchase recipes for new runes/sigils, and the new Sovereign weapon set.

OTHER FEATURES

Account Wallet

• Accessed via the Hero menu or from bottom of your inventory. This thing stores karma, coins, gems, laruels, glory, badges of honor, fractal relics, guild commendations, and various dungeon tokens.
• There is no stack limit so go crazy with it. You will need to login with each character once to get their stuff sent to the account wallet.

Permanent Finishers

• Also accessed via the Hero panel, you can find event specific finishers here (i.e. snowman, gift from wintersday) as well as the usual rabbit deer, dragon rank finishers. You can pick any finisher you have unlocked and activate it.
• Temporary finishers will still be rewarded and their usage will replace the permanent finishers for the duration.
• You can expect to buy some new finishers in the gemstore.

PvP Solo Queue

• They are calling PvP Tournaments Arenas now and solo queue is available and separate from team queue. It also have its own leaderboard.

Royal Terrace

• New microtransaction they are testing out. Special VIP area right next to the Crown Pavilion designed for rich folks who can afford to buy temporary passes to this area. Area has alot of convenience features such as crafting stations, mystic forge etc. Basically a place for all the rich players to hang out.

Mini-game rotation

• Talk to the game master in LA to play the minigame that is on rotation for that day.

Source: http://www.reddit.com

Guild Wars 2 - Video Guide: How to Win Aspect Arena

Guide for the Aspect Arena

Guild Wars 2 - Aspect Arena Guide Tips

Some tips for anyone that is just getting started:

• General tip: don't fight needlessly, focus on snatching crystals or harassing the enemy.

Sun - Best Aspect IMO Focus on the outside crystals, you will have more chances to skill shot unstable nova

• Sun Beam: Obviously try to get close to maximize, combine with skill 2 and 3 to be more effective.
• Sun Burst: Blinds, Causes Lightning's Eletromagnetic Pulse to miss
• Bastion: This skill grants you stability! Use it if you get caught in a lightning electrical storm to walk away freely. Also useful to plop down in mid to harass enemy from capping the crystal.
• Unstable Nova: This is your bnb killer, turn off autoattack and learn to skill shot blackhole over bridges and open chasms for easy kills.
• Speed of light: Makes you nearly unkillable, hold down skill 5 to go ~2x the distance. In the middle you can use it to phase through the mystic auras to chase down someone capping. Utilize if you feel like you won't be able to win the fight to get some space and let your 4 recharge for an easy skill shot kill. Esp good to utilize when collecting the outside crystals to blaze past opposition, don't be afraid to jump and let it rip high up, there's NO fall damage!
• Sun Beam heals teammates it passes through. Use it to damage enemies harassing your crystal carrier and at the same time healing him, making it harder to kill him.

Wind

• Wind Slash: Slows, useful to harass people attempting to cap.
• Tornado Strike: Can be utilized to knock people of ledges, however sun performs this much easier.
• Like the wind: Breaks stun and lets you continue moving at regular speed if you are trying to cap. Will also break you out of the blackhole skillshot or to move freely through Electromagnetic Storm
• Wind Sphere: Any tips for this skill? I didn't follow how to net the extra dmg consistently
• Assisted Leap: Useful on outside crystals (esp high one) to quickly get to.
• Use Like the Wind + Assisted Leap to jump up to the middle capture node whilst carrying a crystal.

Lightning

• Outside of utilizing Electromagnetic Storm / Shield to ensure your electromagnetic pulse hits I don't have much else to say about this aspect. I've seen lightning tether used to hop to higher areas.

Guide by: BZeeB

Guild Wars 2 - Cutthroat Politics Campaign Guide

Spoiler-Free Guide

• When you log in to Guild Wars 2, you’ll receive a mail from both Captain Evon Gnashblade and Captain Ellen Kiel detailing the current situation. Each Captain is trying to accrue influence with the Zephyr Sanctum and will offer you a Support Token to get started on helping their cause. Click the “Show Me” button at the bottom of the mail to find out where to take your Support Token.
• Go to the Zephyr Sanctum in the Labyrinthine Cliffs and enter the story instance “Audience with the Master” to view a scene between Evon Gnashblade, Ellen Kiel and the Sanctum’s leader, the Master of Peace. Here, you will learn more about the fight for the trade agreement  and your role in deciding the winner!
• To get to the Labyrinthine Cliffs, head to Lion’s Arch and look for the Labyrinthine Cliffs Transport Facilitator in Sanctum Harbor. He is marked on the map with a gold star sailboat icon and is in the same spot that was used to ship players over to Southsun Cove before the asura portal was finished.

How Can I Support My Candidate?

Showing Support

• Support baskets for Gnashblade and Kiel have been set up near the Zephyrites’ water supply on the Zephyr Sanctum in the Labyrinthine Cliffs.
• Each time you cast a Support Token,you will be awarded with a Representation Button. Use this button to show support for your candidate while playing content to advance certain achievements.

A few tips:

• Support Tokens can be acquired from slain mobs; in dungeons; by participing in Candidate Trials, Southsun Survival and Aspect Arena; and in World vs. World. They can also be purchased from the vendor Shady Quill.
• The Zephyrites will stop accepting Support Tokens on August 5 at 11AM PST in order to start counting them up. Be sure to turn in your Tokens before then!

Candidate Trials

• Enter into the Candidate Trials, a repeatable instance for solo or group play, to test your mettle and support your candidate! The Lionguard has brought down an Aetherblade airship, and it’s up to you to secure the crash site so that your candidate can capitalize on the situation. There are four levels of difficulty – see how long you can hold out!
• You can choose which Candidate to support by entering the Candidate Trials marked with Gnashblade’s or Kiel’s image. Each entrance will be in the Labyrinthine Cliffs, near the Captain they are tied to.
• This event can be challenging, particularly at higher tiers.  If you begin to struggle, consider tweaking your play style and gear to adjust to the situation.

A few tips:

• Various weapons have been provided to help players defend the treasure piles in the crash site.
• Keep an eye out for Aetherblades who are only focused on the gold.
• Dutiful protection of the treasure may be rewarded with Aetherized Weapons taken from the pirates! Keep in mind that the higher your tier, the better your chances for Aetherized rewards!
• When attempting Tier IV, consider bringing a highly skilled, coordinated party that works well together in order to deal with all the pirates throw at you!
• In order to complete Gnashbalde: Direct Support, you must complete both Tier I and II in Gnashblade’s Candidate Trials. To complete Kiel: Direct Support, you must complete both Tier I and II in Kiel’s Candidate Trials.

Aspect Arena

• This new PvP team match is being hosted by Captain Ellen Kiel and can be entered by talking with her in the Labyrinthine Cliffs. You will be able to choose between the Sun, Wind, and Lightning Zephyrite fighting styles . Collect as many crystals for your team as you can within the time limit to secure victory.

A few tips:

• Once in the Labyrinthine Cliffs, Captain Ellen Kiel will be marked on the map with an activity flag marker.
• In the Arena, look for the aspect icons as hints on where to use a certain Aspect’s fifth skill for movement. Portals with a Sun emblem on the floor might be a prime location for a Light Dash…
• Frequenters of the Arena have the opportunity to find a Zephyr Rucksack in their rewards!

Southsun Survival

• This new PvP survival free-for-all activity is being run by the charismatic Evon Gnashblade and can be joined by talking to Captain Gnashblade in the Labyrinthine Cliffs. Up to 20 players will be dropped into Southsun Cove with only a bow with which to survive. Scavenge for supplies and kill other Survivors to become the last one standing and secure your victory.

A few tips:

• Hunger is a constant threat in the wilderness of the cove; search for rations to keep up your strength.
• After an initial grace period, Survivors who die will shift over to the mists. Mist walkers should look for blue motes to help them exact revenge on other Survivors. Note that only one Mist Walker can collect a mote, so later in the game those Revenge Motes will be hotly contested!
• The creatures of Southsun Cove slowly move in from the beaches, be sure to check the status of a camp before you enter or you may find a deadly serving of karka.
• Dedicated Survivalists have a chance to find a Desert Rose back item in their spoils.

Southsun Survival After Elimination: A breakdown of Mist Walkers and Revenge Motes

• Imagine you’ve just stopped to scavenge for goods and a fellow Survivor hits you with a long distance Head Shot. The initial two minute grace period is over and now you’re out of the running for final Survivor. What do you do? Fear not –  you may be down, but you are far from out!
• Eliminated players return to play as Mist Walkers! Mist Walkers are wisps of spirits returned to haunt the remaining Survivors.
• Mist walker skills run off of Revenge Motes – ethereal blue motes that randomly appear in the wilderness and can be created by:
  • Survivors scavenging passiflora and miscellaneous goods
  • Survivors successfully attacking or trapping other Survivors
• Stalk surviving players to collect the Revenge Motes they create as they scavenge for supplies and fight other survivors. The motes will allow you to use various skills against Survivors to hasten their demise.

Things to do in the open world

Supporting a Candidate for Achievements

• Many of the achievements require you to support your candidate while performing things like events and dailies in the open world.

A few tips:

• Be sure to cast your Support Tokens in the Support baskets in Zephyr Sanctum to earn Representation Buttons. These will allow you to show your support while participating in open world content!

Persisting Bazaar of the Four Winds Content

• Labyrinthine Cliffs
  • The Bazaar of the Four Winds is still taking place in the beautiful Labyrinthine Cliffs
• Lessons from the Sky
  • The Zephyrite Sky Crystals are still around, so adventurers can  hunt for any crystals they have not found.
• Sanctum Sprint
  • The races continue!  Enjoy the magical Zephyrite movements  in this high speed competition.
• Belcher’s Bluff
  • Make sure you don’t miss your chance to face Poyaqui, the Grandmaster of Om, before he moves to Lion’s Arch!
• Trade opportunities
  • The Zephyrites are still accepting land based supplies in return for their Zephyr Supply boxes. The Zephyrite kid is hoping to load up on Tyrian sweets before the Sanctum departs!
• Kite Baskets
  • These baskets, filled with Zephyrite goods, are still landing across Tyria for explorers to find!
• Stolen Kite Baskets
  • Those hoarding skritt are still guarding their pilfered baskets closely; can you find them in some of Tyria’s most challenging jumping puzzles.