Guild Wars 2 is ArenaNet's buy to play MMO, live since August 2012 and available on Steam since 23 August 2022. There is no subscription, the level cap has been 80 since launch, and stat gear stops at ascended, so long term progression runs through masteries, elite specializations and map completion instead of a gear treadmill. Six expansions have shipped, most recently Visions of Eternity on 28 October 2025, which handed every one of the nine professions a new elite specialization.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Queensdale | Weapon skills and elite specializations basics | Revenant | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Lion's Arch | Boons, conditions and combo fields mastery | Revenant | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Verdant Brink | Dodge rolls and endurance + gear | Guardian or Revenant | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Crystal Oasis | Build optimization | Guardian | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Seitung Province | Min-max | Guardian or Necromancer | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Queensdale)
The human starter zone outside Divinity's Reach, and still the busiest low level map on most servers. Its event chains and renown hearts are the standard first hour of the game for new accounts.
Level/Difficulty: 1 to 15 Key Rewards: Early gear, the first vistas and points of interest, map completion progress toward a Gift of Exploration
What to Do in Queensdale
- Learn Weapon skills and elite specializations. Your first five skills come from the weapon in hand, so a staff Elementalist and a dagger Elementalist play like separate characters. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Revenant as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Buy a full set of exotic gear from the trading post the moment you hit 80 rather than saving for ascended. Exotic sits about five percent below ascended in stats, costs a fraction as much, and covers every open world map, story instance and strike mission you will touch in your first hundred hours.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Staff or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Weapon skills and elite specializations fundamentals
- Revenant selected and functional
- Queensdale main content cleared
- Ready for Lion's Arch
Phase 2: Early Game (Lion's Arch)
The central hub city, rebuilt after the Living World season one attack. Every asura gate, the trading post, bank access, guild services and most world boss meetups run through it.
Level/Difficulty: Any level Key Rewards: Trading post and bank access, asura gates to every capital, crafting stations in one place
What to Do in Lion's Arch
- Work on Boons, conditions and combo fields. Might, Fury, Quickness, Alacrity, Protection and Aegis on one side, Bleeding, Burning, Torment and Confusion on the other, drive nearly all group damage and defence. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Staff if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Ascended armour and weapons exist mainly for one reason: agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists above tier one. If you never plan to run fractals, ascended is a convenience upgrade rather than a requirement, and legendary gear is a quality of life purchase that swaps stats freely rather than a power increase.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Verdant Brink.
- Consider whether Guardian might suit your playstyle better than Revenant.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Boons, conditions and combo fields integrated into gameplay
- Staff acquired
- Lion's Arch fully cleared
- Ready for Verdant Brink
Phase 3: Mid Game (Verdant Brink)
The first Heart of Thorns map, and the one that teaches gliding and vertical map design. It runs a day and night cycle where the map shifts from ground objectives to night bosses.
Level/Difficulty: 80 Key Rewards: Gliding mastery, Heart of Thorns map currency, access to the deeper jungle maps
What to Do in Verdant Brink
- Master Dodge rolls and endurance. Every character has two dodges of endurance and there is no trinity style healer holding you upright. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Greatsword. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Get to Path of Fire and unlock the Raptor early even if you intend to play the core story. Ground speed changes how the entire game feels, and every later mount, including the Skyscale, is gated behind having started that chain.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Dynamic events and level scaling for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Dodge rolls and endurance mastered
- Greatsword acquired or in progress
- Verdant Brink fully cleared
- Ready for Crystal Oasis
Phase 4: Late Game (Crystal Oasis)
The opening Path of Fire map and where the Raptor mount is handed over almost immediately. Its wide open desert exists specifically to make you want the rest of the mount roster.
Level/Difficulty: 80 Key Rewards: Raptor mount, Trade Contracts, the entry point to the Path of Fire story
What to Do in Crystal Oasis
- Finalize your build. You should be running Guardian or Revenant with optimized gear.
- Greatsword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Level scaling means a level 80 in a starter zone fights near level 15, so helping a friend is genuinely playing the game rather than carrying them. It also means map completion in low zones is worth doing at 80 for the Gift of Exploration a legendary weapon needs.
- Masteries, mounts and gliding optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Seitung Province.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Greatsword upgraded to max
- Crystal Oasis fully cleared
- Ready for Seitung Province
Phase 5: Endgame (Seitung Province)
The first End of Dragons map, set in Cantha after roughly two decades away from the setting. It introduces fishing and the skiff, and its meta event runs on a fixed timer.
Level/Difficulty: 80 Key Rewards: Fishing and skiff masteries, Canthan crafting materials, the road into New Kaineng City
What to Do in Seitung Province
- Seitung Province tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Learn your profession's dodge timings before you learn your rotation. Guild Wars 2 has no dedicated healer holding a health bar up for you, and the difference between a clean strike mission and a wipe is almost always avoided damage rather than damage dealt.
- The endgame loop: run Seitung Province, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Necromancer for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Masteries, mounts and gliding mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Seitung Province fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Grinding for ascended gear before finishing the core story, when exotic covers every open world encounter in the game
- Skipping the Raptor and the mount chain because the core story does not require it, then spending a hundred hours on foot
- Treating a profession as one build, when each elite specialization changes the profession mechanic and effectively creates a new class
- Ignoring dodge and trying to out heal telegraphed attacks in strikes and raids, which no amount of healing power fixes
- Following a build guide written before Weaponmaster Training in 2023 and assuming the weapon restrictions it lists still apply
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Buy a full set of exotic gear from the trading post the moment you hit 80 rather than saving for ascended. Exotic sits about five percent below ascended in stats, costs a fraction as much, and covers every open world map, story instance and strike mission you will touch in your first hundred hours.
- Ascended armour and weapons exist mainly for one reason: agony resistance for Fractals of the Mists above tier one. If you never plan to run fractals, ascended is a convenience upgrade rather than a requirement, and legendary gear is a quality of life purchase that swaps stats freely rather than a power increase.
- Get to Path of Fire and unlock the Raptor early even if you intend to play the core story. Ground speed changes how the entire game feels, and every later mount, including the Skyscale, is gated behind having started that chain.
- Level scaling means a level 80 in a starter zone fights near level 15, so helping a friend is genuinely playing the game rather than carrying them. It also means map completion in low zones is worth doing at 80 for the Gift of Exploration a legendary weapon needs.
- Learn your profession's dodge timings before you learn your rotation. Guild Wars 2 has no dedicated healer holding a health bar up for you, and the difference between a clean strike mission and a wipe is almost always avoided damage rather than damage dealt.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Guild Wars 2 Guides
- Guild Wars 2 Guild Wars 2 Overview
- Guild Wars 2 Best Builds
- Guild Wars 2 Tier List
- Guild Wars 2 Beginner's Guide
- Guild Wars 2 Tips & Tricks
- Guild Wars 2 Weapons Guide
- Guild Wars 2 Combat Guide
- Guild Wars 2 Boss Guide
- Guild Wars 2 Maps & Locations
- Guild Wars 2 Crafting Guide
- Guild Wars 2 Classes & Characters
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