User:Alesain/basics

Attributes

Attributes are characteristics which improve a character's effectiveness in combat. Each profession has access to ten attributes, with nine being common across all professions and one being profession-specific.

Primary attributes increase automatically when a level is gained. All attributes can be increased by investing in traits, through wearing equipment and in PvE, through the use of consumables.

Primary attributes

All professions have four common primary attributes, two offensive and two defensive. Attributes grow with level, starting with 24 in each at level 1. Each level up through level 9 grants 4 points to each attribute; levels 10–19 grant 6 points each; 20–29, 8 points; ... 70–79, 18 points; 80, 20 points. The total by level 80 is 916 in each attribute for all professions.

In addition, primary attributes can be increased by spending points in a relevant trait line or from equipment.

•  Power — every point increases attack by one point.
•  Precision — increases critical hit chance.
•  Toughness — every point increases armor by one point.
•  Vitality — every point increases maximum health by ten points.

Secondary attributes

There are five secondary attributes common to all professions; three are offensive and two are defensive. In contrast to the primary attributes, secondary attributes do not automatically increase as characters gain levels. They can be increased by spending points in the relevant trait line or with equipment bonuses.

•  Boon Duration — Improves the duration of all boons applied by the character.
•  Condition Damage — Improves the damage done by conditions like burning, poison, confusion, and bleeding.
•  Condition Duration — Improves the duration of all conditions inflicted by the character.
•  Critical Damage — Improves the damage multiplier on critical strikes.
•  Healing Power — Improves all outgoing heals that your character does, including self heals.

Profession attributes

There are eight profession specific attributes, which can be used only by characters of the corresponding profession. Similar to secondary attributes, profession attributes do not automatically improve as characters gain levels. They can be increased by spending trait points in a corresponding trait line.

•  Virtue Recharge Rate — Reduces the recharge on all virtues; linked to Virtues.
•  Burst Damage — Improves the damage of warrior burst attacks; linked to Discipline.
•  Tool Belt Recharge Rate — Reduces the recharge on all tool belt skills; linked to Tools.
•  Pet Attribute Bonus — Improves pet attributes; linked to Beastmastery.
•  Steal Recharge Rate — Reduces the recharge of the steal ability; linked to Trickery.
•  Attunement Recharge Rate — Reduces the recharge of the four elemental attunements; linked to Arcana.
•  Shredding Recharge Rate — Reduces the recharge on all shatter skills; linked to Illusions.
•  Life Force Pool — Increases the size of the necromancer’s life force pool; linked to Soul Reaping.

Traits

Traits provide continuous passive combat benefits to characters by adding additional effects to skills and other combat abilities. Each profession has access to 15 minor and 60 major traits across five different trait lines.

• Minor traits are represented by small hexagons; minor traits are automatically granted and cannot be changed.
• Major traits are represented by larger hexagons; major traits must be selected from a list when a major trait slot is unlocked.

Traits are unlocked and slots become available based on the number of points allocated to a trait line. The following table shows the layout of traits:

Trait tier	Adept		Master		Grandmaster
Trait type	Minor	Major	Minor	Major	Minor	Major
Unlocks at	5	10	15	20	25	30

Based on the above table when 25 points are allocated, all 3 minor traits are unlocked as are the Adept and Master major slots and traits.

There is only one minor trait at each of the 3 tiers. Adept level major traits can be used in any of the 3 major slots (if available), master level majors can use the master or grandmaster slot, and grandmaster level major traits can occupy only that slot.

Regarding major traits, there are usually 6 per line for adept level, 4 for master and 2 for grandmaster.

Trait lines by profession

Each profession has five unique trait lines and one unique attribute.

* denotes a profession-specific attribute

Soldiers

Guardian (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Zeal	Power	Condition Duration
Radiance	Precision	Condition Damage
Valor	Toughness	Critical Damage
Honor	Vitality	Healing Power
Virtues	Virtue Recharge Rate*	Boon Duration

Warrior (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Strength	Power	Condition Duration
Arms	Precision	Condition Damage
Defense	Toughness	Healing Power
Tactics	Vitality	Boon Duration
Discipline	Burst Damage*	Critical Damage

Adventurers

Engineer (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Explosives	Power	Condition Duration
Firearms	Precision	Condition Damage
Inventions	Toughness	Healing Power
Alchemy	Vitality	Boon Duration
Tools	Tool Belt Recharge Rate*	Critical Damage

Ranger (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Marksmanship	Power	Condition Duration
Skirmishing	Precision	Critical Damage
Wild. Survival	Toughness	Condition Damage
Nature Magic	Vitality	Boon Duration
Beastmastery	Pet Attribute Bonus*	Healing Power

Thief (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Deadly Arts	Power	Condition Duration
Critical Strikes	Precision	Critical Damage
Shadow Arts	Toughness	Healing Power
Acrobatics	Vitality	Boon Duration
Trickery	Steal Recharge Rate*	Condition Damage

Scholars

Elementalist (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Fire Magic	Power	Condition Duration
Air Magic	Precision	Critical Damage
Earth Magic	Toughness	Condition Damage
Water Magic	Vitality	Healing Power
Arcana	Attunement Recharge Rate*	Boon Duration

Mesmer (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Domination	Power	Condition Duration
Dueling	Precision	Critical Damage
Chaos	Toughness	Boon Duration
Inspiration	Vitality	Healing Power
Illusions	Shredding Recharge Rate*	Condition Damage

Necromancer (trait list)
Line	Primary attribute	Secondary attribute
Spite	Power	Condition Duration
Curses	Precision	Condition Damage
Death Magic	Toughness	Boon Duration
Blood Magic	Vitality	Healing Power
Soul Reaping	Life Force Pool*	Critical Damage

Skills

A skill is an ability which is activated by the player to perform an action. It is through skills that a character is able to do damage, protect themselves and their allies, and perform actions with objects in the environment. Skill selection is one of the most significant ways a player can customize how their character plays.

Skills are picked through a choice of weapon and unlocking and selecting slot skills into the skill bar. Skills are automatically improved as the player gains levels, and manually by increasing attributes and selecting traits. Types of skills available to a character are determined primarily by its profession with a few racial skills and a very few global special skills.

Learning new skills

Initially, characters in the Player versus Environment and World versus World settings are limited in terms of available skills. Additional skills are acquired depending on their position in the skill bar: weapon skills (occupying slots 1-5) are unlocked through kills made with the respective weapon, while slot skills (slots 6-10) are purchased with skill points.

Weapon skills

Only the first skill on a weapon is available when a new weapon class is equipped. The remaining weapon skills are unlocked sequentially by using it to kill mobs. As kills are made, the locked, greyed-out skills gradually fill with color from left to right. Once an icon is fully colored, the skill is unlocked and will be available for use with any weapon of the same class. A summary of all weapon skills and unlock progress can be brought up in the Hero panel.

Slot skills

Healing, utility, and elite skills — collectively, slot skills — are available for selection by the player to complement a character's weapon skills. These skills use slots 6 – 10 on the skill bar: slot 6 for healing skills, slot 10 for elite skills, and the others for utility skills. New characters only have slot 6 unlocked; the remaining slots unlock in sequence as the character reaches levels 5, 10, 20, and 30.

Slot skills must be purchased with skill points gained from leveling up (starting at level 5) or via completion of skill challenges scattered throughout the game in PvE and WvW environments. The skill costs are outlined in the tables below. For utility skills, 5 skills in a tier must be purchased to unlock the next higher tier; for elite skills, 2 skills from the first tier must be purchased to unlock the second tier.

Skill types

Skills with similar behaviors are grouped into types.

Soldiers

Guardian (List of guardian skills)

• Consecrations — apply an area effect that aids allies or punishes enemies.
• Meditations — support skills which can break out of stun or teleport the user.
• Spirit weapons — summon a temporary spirit weapon to fight; dismissable for a special ability.
• Symbols — apply an area effect locally which hinders enemies and aids allies.
• Tomes — locks the user in place and grants powerful special skills.
• Wards — areas across the ground that prevent enemies from crossing them.

Warrior (List of warrior skills)

• Banners — banners that buff allies and can be picked up, moved and replanted
• Physical — involves controlling foes and (forced) movement.
• Stances — short-term defensive or offensive enhancements.

Adventurers

Engineer (List of engineer skills)

• Device kits — replaces weapon skills to provide skills of a special nature and purpose.
• Elixirs — induce random effects to support yourself, your team or to harass your enemies.
• Gadgets — utilize mechanical gadgetry like rocket boots and battering rams.
• Turret skills — deploy stationary devices to help defend and control an area.
• Weapon kits — replaces weapon skills to provide more specialized weapons.

Ranger (List of ranger skills)

• Pet skills — pet-specific skills.
• Pet utility skills — utility skills that affect your pet.
• Spirits — nature spirits which influence the battlefield around their location.
• Survival skills — use survival-themed skills to gain control.

Thief (List of thief skills)

• Dual wield skills — the third weapon skill for thieves is determined by both the main-hand and off-hand weapon.
• Deceptions — skills that allow for hasty maneuvers.
• Stealth — replace the first weapon skill while stealthed.
• Tricks — deceptive tricks to gain control over enemies.
• Venoms — apply a poisonous creatures' venom to your weapon to inflict conditions with attacks.

Scholars

Elementalist (List of elementalist skills)

• Arcanes — skills using non-elemental magical energy to boost damage.
• Auras — skills using elemental magic to support or defend the caster.
• Cantrips — magical tricks, sorcery, and charms which activate on an instant.
• Conjures — summon potent environmental weapons for yourself and another for an ally.
• Glyphs — grants an effect or supportive nature based on current attunement.

Mesmer (List of mesmer skills)

• Clones — temporary allies with caster's name and appearance to mislead the enemy.
• Glamours — ethereal fields that have special, manipulative effects.
• Manipulations — skills used to mislead opponents.
• Mantras — chargeable skills with an instant cast when triggered.
• Phantasms — temporary phantom versions of the caster which attack enemies with different abilities.

Necromancer (List of necromancer skills)

• Corruptions — self-inflicted suffering in form of conditions grants powerful effects.
• Marks — ground-targeted spells which can be triggered manually.
• Minions — undead allies that attack foes and can be consumed by their master.
• Spectrals — spells using an otherworldly spectral energy.
• Wells — a persistent spell that affects the surrounding area.

Others

Multiple professions

• Area skills — skills which affect the area around a targeted foe or plot of ground.
• Chains — three skills that share a single skill slot, which are executed in sequence on a single target.
• Channeled skills — activated, then continuously cast for a set time.
• Charge skill — held down to power them up for more impressive attacks.
• Sequence skills — after using a skill, it is replaced by another.
• Shouts — affect a large area and give bonuses to allies or debuff enemies.
• Signets — provide a passive benefit, but can also be activated for a greater effect.
• Toggle skills — turned on or off for long-lasting effects.
• Transforms — allows the user to temporarily become something else, gaining a variety of new abilities.
• Traps — effects placed on the ground and triggered by enemies walking over them.

Boons

Boons are positive effects with limited duration, the counterpart to the negative conditions. The duration of boons can be stacked, but their effectiveness does not stack, except for might. For example, if a 10 second regeneration buff was placed on an ally with 5 seconds of regeneration still remaining, that ally would not gain extra regeneration but the buff would have 15 seconds remaining. Boons replace the enchantments from the original Guild Wars, and are designed to simplify the buff system. Boon duration is accurately added and will not be rounded.

List of boons

Icon	Name	Description
	Aegis	Block the next attack.
	Fury	20% critical chance increase. Stacks in duration.
	Might	X damage per attack increase. Stacks intensity.
	Protection	33% damage reduction. Stacks in duration.
	Regeneration	Regenerates X health per second. Stacks in duration.
	Retaliation	Does X damage to an opponent each time they hit you. Stacks in duration.
	Stability	Cannot be knocked down, pushed back, launched, stunned, dazed, floated, sunk, or feared.
	Swiftness	33% movement speed increase. Stacks in duration.
	Vigor	Faster endurance regeneration. Stacks in duration.

Conditions

A condition is a negative effect that can be inflicted against enemies through the use of skills and affecting traits. Conditions are characterized by their effect and duration. When a condition is reapplied (to a foe who already has it), some conditions will stack increasing in effect, some conditions will increase in duration, and a couple will have no change. When a condition is removed using a skill, the entire stack of that condition is removed. Condition duration is accurately added and will not be rounded.

List of conditions

Icon	Name	Description
	Bleeding	Inflicts X damage per second. Stacks in intensity.
	Blind	Causes the target's next hit to miss instead.
	Burning	Inflicts X damage per second. Stacks in duration.
	Chilled	Reduces movement speed and skill recharge by 66%. Stacks in duration.
	Confusion	Inflicts X damage each time a foe uses skill. Stacks in intensity.
	Crippled	Reduces movement speed by 50%. Stacks in duration.
	Fear	Causes the target to run directly away from the caster.
	Immobilized	Immobilizes and prevents dodge. Stacks in duration.
	Poison	Inflicts X damage per second. Reduces outgoing heals by 33%. Stacks in duration.
	Vulnerability	Increases damage the target takes by 1%. Stacks in intensity.
	Weakness	Causes 50% of attacks to be glancing and reduces endurance regeneration by 50%. Stacks in duration.

Combos

Combos, also called cross-profession combos or skill combinations, happen when skills interact with each other to create an additional effect. A skill must be a combo field or a combo finisher to be combined, which is an effect which is included in the skill description. For a combo to occur a combo field skill is used creating an area effect and then one or more combo finishers can interact with the field to create a combo. The largest number of combos are available through two characters of different professions working together but combos can also be created with two of the same profession or a single character.

The combo field, or initiator, is a skill that creates an area effect of a particular type. The type is a recognizable element or characteristic which determines the effect they cause on a finisher; for example, a Flamewall will allow some eligible finishers to inflict burning. Fields are either a circular field or a linear "wall". For circular fields, all finishers will combo if they activate while the character is inside the field. For linear combo fields, leap and projectile finishers will combo so long as they pass through the combo field on the way to their destination.

The combo finisher is a skill which causes movement through or within the initiator's field such as creating a projectile or spinning or jumping the player. An eligible initiator augments the finisher by adding damage or creating other effects. For example, using Cyclone Axe near a Flamewall throws fire projectiles in different directions. Finishers can only interact with one initiator at a time.

Whenever a combo is created, a notification will show on the player's screen, indicating the effect that was generated by the combo.

Combo effects

Field	Blast Finisher	Leap Finisher	Projectile Finisher	Whirl Finisher
Dark	Area Blindness	Blindness	Lifesteal	Leeching Bolts
Ethereal	Area Chaos Armor	Chaos Armor	Confusion	Confusing Bolts
Fire	Area Might (x3)	Fire Armor	Burning	Burning Bolts
Ice	Area Frost Armor	Frost Armor	Chilled	Chilling Bolts
Light	Area Retaliation	Retaliation	Remove Condition	Cleansing Bolts
Lightning	Area Swiftness	Dazing Strike	Vulnerability	Brutal Bolts
Poison	Area Weakness	Weakness	Poison	Poison Bolts
Smoke	Area Stealth	Stealth	Blindness	Blinding Bolts
Water	Area Healing	Healing	Regeneration	Healing Bolts