A beginners guide to Guild Wars 2

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome, I'm Josh 'Strife' Hayes and in this video i'm going to explain all you'll need to know to begin playing the MMORPG 'Guild Wars 2'.
Patreon: / joshstrifehayes
Twitch: / joshstrifehayes
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / joshstrifehayes
Timecodes:
Intro: 00:00
Core game + Expansions: 00:33
Megaservers, worlds, shards: 01:50
Creating a Character: 04:30
Camera controls: 06:05
Ingame Interface: 08:02
Action Bar: 11:04
Ingame interface cont: 15:23
XP and level scaling: 16:06
Map Exploration: 17:08
Event chains: 22:42
Jumping Puzzles: 24:28
Inventory: 25:15
Banking: 29:00
Gathering and Crafting: 29:33
Hero Menu: 30:40
Personal Story: 43:58
Dungeons and Fractals: 44:48
World bosses: 47:06
PvP: 48:01
Outro: 49:39
If you want to game with me, join us nightly over on twitch at:
twitch.tv/joshstrifehayes

[@mauriciofieni3495]

This is the best beginners guide I’ve seen for this game. Absolutely amazing! Thanks!

[@monkiem6480]

yes indeed I am a player since start but this guide does not give any spoilers or tip but just the basic /bow /claps for Josh Strife Hayes

[@tannercarlson7419]

Agreed

[@neofamily23]

I agree this is the best

[@Dlab.designs]

@@tannercarlson7419 you have

[@msandropystreams5555]

Can't really word this any better. Love it and glad you like this game!

[@PurePessimism]

“If you’re on the Chinese megaserver, you can’t leave.” 😂😂

[@Dadsezso]

The Chinese version of Hotel California.

[@eliassaad8198]

@@Dadsezso They can check out any time they like, but they can NEVER LEEAAVE! * insert epic 3 minute guitar solo*

[@32KZ]

imagine that said in the "number 15, burger king foot lettuce" voice XD

[@lophee]

@The Offset Collective youre even stupider than you look

[@jmonie02]

@The Offset Collective I doubt its evil. 1billion people in existence.

[@robertgustave143]

I am so impressed by the quality of this video. Perfect narration. Easy to understand and very informative. Definitely earned a sub.

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Thanks Robert :)

[@Larities0]

I would rather listen to this guy describe paint drying, in real time, than watch paint dry... Did I mention I’ve worked as a paint contractor for many years... my dude is a top tier public speaker.

[@MrTimmy3333]

@@JoshStrifeHayes Cheers for this guide, caught you on allcraft was very enjoyable.

[@aphonicgamer]

Great video. I'll have to share it with a few people. Found an error. You mention that applying dye to armor costs transmutation charges. Dying armor has always been free. :)

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Ahh damn, I'll update it on any future uploads, thank you for the feedback, genuinely appriciated.

[@Thalanox]

When transmutation charges were first introduced, I thought applying dyes would cost charges. I was really glad to learn that dyeing was still free.

[@ok_listen]

I play since 3 years and i learn this only now thanks to you. Great xD

[@MrJueKa]

I`m nearly 65 now (2023) and Guild Wars 2 is the only game I've been playing consistently and with great pleasure since 2014. My daughter, who was 14 at the time, introduced me to this game. Since then we both play very often and like to play together as a very good team in this game or together with our international in-game friends ... thanks to Discord ... and while gaming we talk about all the topics that interest us and we trust each other so nothing with the preconception that pc gaming makes you lonely LOL I played this game for a long time on a simple office pc without an extra graphics card, because I've only had a powerful gaming pc since 2021, which started a completely new gaming experience for me that I don't want to miss anymore.

[@harlowisla]

Wholesome

[@MrJueKa]

@@harlowisla ty ... nice weekend and best wishes ‼😊🍀

[@c-tothefourth4879]

Based child

[@MrJueKa]

@@c-tothefourth4879 oh yeah... and dad's pride

[@eshock753]

Decided to download this game today. Thanks for the guide!

[@e5969]

How

[@gildenkanaldieletztelegion3248]

A little mistake in there: Changing dyes doesn´t cost transmutation charges, only changing skins cost them.

[@magenpie_4009]

Hi Josh - Just returned to GW2 after an 8 year break, and this guide is invaluable, thank you so much. I appreciate you aren't playing the game atm but if you are ever tempted to make the other guides - like the crafting one - please do consider it. The game is so bewilderingly but marvellously huge now, it would be great to have as much info as poss and your guides are so well made. Again, many thanks!

[@jacobbenton1147]

In a Game as big and complex as GW2 a Guide like this is almost vital for a new player to become properly interested and ready to play the game. Thanks so much.

[@marcus747]

One of the best structured, well spoken and clearly explained beginners guides I have watched for any game. Exceptional work.

[@epsilon9845]

Me: plays game for 2 years Also me: *WATCHES VIDEO*

[@Syneios]

Same, Except that I watched it to ensure it was a quality guide to share to other newcomers.

[@goldendragonrider5237]

^ same reason I am here. :) It’s important to me that we have good material to educate people about the game, as it will keep our game alive.

[@jacobg7966]

I think I started in 2012 lol...

[@Redstripe921]

haha same !

[@skillplay1532]

@@goldendragonrider5237 Wow i am a newcomer and i must say that so far great comunity. I am realy excitated to play with some other players. (sorry for my english it is now my first language)

[@goldendragonrider5237]

I went through it and may have missed it, but I didn’t hear anything about Break Bars and Crowd Control, so I’ll just add something below for those interested. :) Some enemies (primarily bosses), have a blue/orange/grey bar beneath their health bar. That’s the break bar. The colour of the bar displays the status of the bar. - While it’s coloured blue, use Crowd Control (CC) skills on the enemy to damage this bar. These are your skills that inflict movement-impairing effects on enemies (such as stun, knock-down, daze, chill, cripple, etc.) when the blue bar runs out (ie the break bar is broken), the enemy will become, for 5 seconds, stunned and all players deal increased damage to it. - While it’s orange, the bar will fill up, so that it can be broken again. Refrain from using your CC skills at this stage. - While grey (with a metallic style), the bar is “locked” this means that you cannot Damage the break bar at this time. Enemies using this mechanic, usually have a special attack that will unlock their bar, giving all players the opportunity to quickly unload their CC skills to interrupt the attack and stun the enemy. A group taking advantage of the break bar will have a much smoother time vs’ing a boss than a group that doesn’t. Some enemies with break bars are also immune to normal damage until the bar is broken, so knowing how to break it is important. Most class/weapon combinations do not have CC effects on their 'Skill 1'.

[@powerchimp]

Thanks for the information!

[@ilja7544]

Incredible help thanks

[@SkeevyNix]

Thank you!! I just started playing & had no idea about this, really helpful info!!

[@ltstanovich]

Arguably the most important mechanic in mid- to lategame, even for experienced players. Nice elaboration!

[@AC-co4cp]

Thank you for this! I just started playing a few days ago and was wondering about those special attacks. I'm so used to bosses only having a health and a mana/end bar.

[@TheSkywriter3]

One of the best narrated KZbin guides for games I've ever seen. I thought this was some sort of Siri robot or professional voice over, at first. Well done. You should narrate some audio books. Or my life. Yeah, could you just narrate my life, please?

[@YeaNo.]

Was literally ablut to give up because i was confused but i wanted to like it so badly. So glad i came here. Thank you Josh!

[@veathnpaarul9709]

Just getting back into the game after 8 years and I really appreciate your effort! Thanks for the guide, well done.

[@terryhien6709]

Please release more videos about this game. Your content in this video was so good, had a lot of useful details, which made find this game more interesting than before

[@NightwindArcher]

Best guide video I've ever seen for a game EVER! So well enunciated, so well explained! Great job. Would really love to see that crafting video

[@FatGooseArts]

I just finished the entire video. I played a lot about 6 years ago but this was an incredible refresher. I cannot stress enough how well put together this entire video was. Thank you so much!

[@watenallace663]

I'm pissed I didn't start playing this game sooner

[@pulse7490]

@Augur i'm about to download the game, is it good from what you've seen so far?

[@skullzia1782]

@@pulse7490 now playing for 1 week, really fun combat, alot of exploration. My favorite thing to do is explore, the game even rewards you for this, finding hidden jumping quest and getting amazing rewards from it is so satisfying. Tried my first dungeon yesterday, really fun and challanging.

[@dylanrivera2617]

shut uup and get on

[@RyleeStrange]

i'm on my second day of playing. Its great

[@Raught19]

I agree, playing 3 months now, and man is this game the God of MMOs.

[@leewilson4199]

I don’t even play guild wars I watched this by accident, now I have just purchased the expansion before ever logging on lol. I hope I like it. Great guide.

[@meadandmilk]

I downloaded the free version today.. How are you getting on with it thus far?

[@acrofanatic]

A year in...do you still play it?

[@ChunkyKongGaming]

That fact that these gw2 new player videos, even in 2019, get thousands of views, shows that the game is still capable of seeing an influx of beginners. Too bad the world feels empty of players at my low level. Everyone seems to be off doing endgame stuff.

[@ghostorii646]

I just started and theres tons of peeps in the started zones now :)

[@ReyemNeirda]

Endgame content is 90% of the game now.

[@leanture3685]

@@ReyemNeirda I AGREE I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE LEVELING FROM STARTING ZONE ALL THROUGHOUT OUT. ITS ONE OF THE ONLY MMOS WHERE THERES A LOT OF POPULATION ALL THE TIME EVERYWHERE. LOVE IT.

[@toot1231]

they should have put the game on steam like they planned

[@LordSathar]

Idk what you are on about, low level maps are always full of people.

[@johnjackys4148]

INCREDIBLE GUIDE !! REALLY HELPFUL !! Keep the work up !!!

[@RomainDelmaire]

Undoubtedly the best beginner guide for this game I've seen yet! Thanks on behalf of all the new players who might come across that guide.

[@IgnitedIce81]

That's actually the first time I'm watching a tutorial before playing a game, looks very helpful, thanks

[@maxmeijers1178]

I've been playing for 8 years and I'm still watching this.

[@jazstringfellow5973]

Dude, this is amazing, thank you so much! Incredibly in-depth, I feel like noting is left out - this video will definitely be the reason I start playing, so much more enjoyable; thanks again!

[@toniwincent6653]

Started playing again after a 7 year break. This video helped me alot. Thanks!

[@johnnyseattle7385]

I've been looking to get back into this but was intimidated by the sheer amount of things I've missed over the years. Therefore, this is the best video ever for the time being. :)

[@JustBarbarianThings]

Other new player guides let you get into the game but this one actually gives you enough information to feel confident as you venture outside of the starting zone as well. Thank you so much!

[@KingOfEden12]

One of the best gaming channel on youtube ! The amount of detail and the level of quality you have in your videos is very much appreciated ! I'm not really the biggest MMO fan but subscribed !

[@bathorybill9423]

I'm diving back in and wanted to refresh my memory, and this is a great video, I actually learned a few things I didn't know before. Great job dude.

[@RvLver]

I cannot even begin to realize the tremendous amount of work you put into the creation of this guide. Very well done, and thank you for your time and dedication. We need more guides like yours for games

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Thank you, it's really nice to get some positive feedback once in a while :D

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

I've played a bit of GW1 and been playing GW2 on and off since release, so I did not need this guide. However, I did watch it and wanted to tell you that it is well done. :D

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Thank you very much :D

[@oberynshadowmoon4717]

This! An amazingly comprehensive guide for any starting players it really covered all you need to know in detail. Great job mate!!! :)

[@latency666]

Great guide! Started playing GW2 with 2 friends of mine yesterday, Really needed this kind of guide :D Thank you for doing this :D

[@MIJones-hm5gz]

Very nice guide. Thank you for making this. As a new player it was very useful for me to watch it. As for the world of Guild Wars 2 I can just say I love it.

[@dmcdo4859]

Great video, I appreciate the time you took to make and share this. Thank you!

[@zoologic1190]

Greetings from Greece. This is the greatest guide I have ever seen, for any game. I'm downloading game right now and just watched your guide as I was waiting. I'm looking forward to start playing. Good job mate! I'll be looking on roofs to see you hunting rare objectives :D

[@arkanaloth2617]

this is easily the most accurately concise GW2 beginner guide I've ever seen. I've been playing since early access and I've never seen any so well done.

[@CasualGamer8888]

Dude through the course of my gaming days i Saw lots, and i mean LOTS of game tutorials, guides and walkthroughs, i got to be honest! Great guide! Well structured, Simple and complete explanation direct to the subject! Thank u so much and congrats! Very well done my friend! Imma leave a like and subscribe, u deserve it!

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Thanks very much dude, much appriciated ^^

[@ruinex7718]

This is the best guide I've seen for a video game so far, well done!

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Thank you very much :)

[@ronniekoomba922]

SUPER GUIDE!! First time I've EVER sat through this long of a youtube video!! I needed this as to me being brand new to guild wars as a whole and the overwhelming feeling it brings to the table! Thank you

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

More than welcome, i hope you enjoy yhe game :)

[@Fair_Lady_Frey]

This is an amazing guide, so comprehensive and helpful. Literally the best guide, no others help at all in comparison to this. Thank you, very much for this

[@jessicawilliams7350]

I'm a new player and this guide was so so helpful for me. Thank you. I hope you make more! I subscribed as well.

[@Zezahn]

Great guide! I’d SO MUCH like to watch the other “promised” guides sooner or later... ;-) GW2 is thriving atm and I’m sure you’d have lots of viewer! Keep up the good work and thanks for helping out.

[@Jen-lm1oi]

You explain everything so well. This is the best beginner's guide!!! You answered all my questions and you speak slow and clear. Thank you so much!!!

[@alaa_safadi]

you've explained literally everything, this is the best indepth guide I've seen for a game

[@Someonesch]

GOod guide my dude, started playing today for the first time ever and this guide helped me alot

[@JukaFPS]

Welcome fellow noob! :)

[@KilatSilat]

Great guide thank you so much. I can imagine it took hours to organize and put together!

[@Coolsome2]

I've been playing a guild wars a long time but I've just come back to guild wars 2 after 3 years and this was refreshing. Thank yoiu for the good info and the easy to understand guide. Cant wait to creep your channel for more good content. Glad I found your channel, keep it up bro. !!!

[@WeR2VEVO]

Terrific video, Josh! Just downloaded and started playing yesterday, and I'm having a blast exploring around and doing heart quests. Keep the stellar content up!

[@JohnRSrlie]

Awesome guide Mister, this is why we love KZbin, respect...and thank you so much, alot of work was put into this video, simply a Greate Tutorial for beginners, and maybe for some more intermediate players too I guess. Cheers

[@danielemarzoli6531]

I wanted to pass fro wow to gw2, thank you so much man, this was so helpful dense and interesting

[@Xinara7]

Fantastic new player guide! I have subscribed and I look forward to checking out your other guides. Additionally, you have a wonderful voice with excellent diction. I have played the game for a couple years, then wandered off for a year and a half, now I am back and your vid caught my eye. Thank you.

[@chalkoutline3239]

As always, amazing video. Thank you for all the time you have taken for the guides you have done over the years. This makes mmo number 2 that you have helped me personally a great deal.

[@tristananvilcaster]

I love this game! Great guide even though I know all of this already. Highly would recommend any new players try Engineer, it's a very unique class with many different play styles! Tons of turrets, kits including grenades/flamethrower, and guns mostly focusing on condition damage. Definitely a ton of fun!

[@benvinew6465]

As a f2p player, there are things restricted to you: 1) You have less inventory space 2) There are certain character classes you can't play as

[@virtuousheathen981]

No mounts

[@bjorntjockpals]

2 char slots

[@AndBigJuicy]

This video was great watching. Bought the game yesterday, leveled up to 10 and put this video on another screen while playing on.. learned a lot of stuff while playing. GREAT

[@Kronnification]

Ive been playing this game for nearly 8 years, never have I seen a better, more straight forward guide.. cudos my dude. this was excellent

[@thelastpayphone8463]

I know that this is an older game, but I've really been wanting to try out mmos since high school, and everyone says this is the best one to start on. Im very thankful that this guide is so well detailed! Def got my like.

[@stormrunnercore]

Amazing guide, I've decided to give this game a try. I've been disappointed and frustrated with other mmo's but this one seems promising.

[@sirmustardofhousemayonnais9907]

It's trash

[@NeekoGood]

So how was your GW2 run?

[@ELWicker]

Wow. Thank you so much. I just started playing last night and found your video while hunting for more information on the game. It's really detailed and I appreciate that!

[@bhowejr00]

You're very good at making these guides. I can't tell you how many times I've seen guides trying to explain games to true beginners but they use end game examples, skill trees, equipment and mechanics. I don't blame them, they are just so used to the game that they lose the perspective of a brand new player that knows nothing. You have managed to capture that noob POV and made it relatable. Thanks.

[@Omega900]

Throwing WoW aside and this guide is what I need for my new MMO. Great job!

[@hendre7513]

Gw2 is amazing I'm new too

[@Benjamin_Counter]

@@hendre7513 do you guys have a guild yet? i just started yesterday and none of my real life friends enjoy mmos

[@hendre7513]

@@Benjamin_Counter yea I'm in a few.

[@d1ssolv3r]

I should have played this game years ago. Leagues ahead of almost every MMO available today. The gameplay is relatively simple, but you'll get lost in it for hours. The game is absolutely beautiful and cozy and feels alive, so many random things happen

[@eodrin]

This was a great video, super concise and extremely helpful. This was a great refresher coming back to the game after joining back in 2014.

[@originalnutta4796]

Jus started playing this today after watching this guide really helped to understand the basics been watching all your channels for awhile now keep up the good work

[@fitzroy_spark3879]

For new players, I highly recomend checking out the Hero Menu linked above by Josh. A lot of new players I meet don't know about the Specialisations or their existence and left them empty. So for a Warrior (as an example) you can add duel axe wielding increase fereocity or Hammer stuns etc, but it needs to be selected. This is coming from personal experience, I did the same thing and was running around without using these amazing skills until a Guild member mentioned it to me.

[@ivanterrible2689]

Me: Ah finally a beginners guide to GW2 Josh: I suggest you bring a cup of tea because its gonna be long video Also me: SPITS TEA

[@FatGooseArts]

God, this was an amazing guide! Thank you so much for putting all of this together!

[@jefferybutler2489]

I've played this game since the beginning of the first game and decided to watch this video after taking a break from the game. I actually learned a few things from your video. Good job.

[@Muskers92]

Great video! I sent this video to my fiancee so we'll be ready when playing together. 😁

[@madfighter77]

this was very insightful, thank you. " hands you virtual reward of awesomest beginner guide" it's a statue of a guy with headphones talking in a large mic spilling his drink all over himself.

[@MatthewCEBamber]

I know your a huge fan of GW2 and I've been meaning to try it on your recommendation for years. Now is the time. Level 20 so far and love it. This guide is a huge help. Thank you

[@aziaramirez3932]

Thank you for this guide. I just started playing and it's my first computer game ever. I am definitely a noob with controls and playing but this has helped so much

[@sneakychopstick]

5:33 RIP Warrior Banners being usable as weapon bundles

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

I loved slapping enemies with flags :(

[@tomyzoidxd]

technically :)

[@matvarela]

They should freakin pay you for making this "guild wars 2 training course" lol

[@johndoe5801]

You Sir earned a SUB the best narration on a video game ive ever came across and I've played many games in my 46 years!

[@nicolaevoicu8919]

Kind reminder for you Josh to continue this series since i just started playing gw2 because you said its good, so now i think it would be your duty to teach me more since you got me into this and I am loving it. Also cant wait to see a boxing livestream of you figthing the king of England, looking forward to it!!

[@Cliped]

don't be that guy play the game for yourself then watch this video so you will have a better understanding of whats going on. I attempted to watch this last week without knowing anything about the game and didn't make it pass the 3 min mark, after playing the game for over 4hrs I had a clear understanding of what was going on

[@Taygeta]

A common mistake I see new players make is confusing the function of the map guide as more than just a suggestion. The player can do and go anywhere they want in game, so a common misguided complaint new players have is that they hate how linear the game was and hate being forced to be doing hearts because they did not know that the content guide is not mandatory and can be ignored completely. I always recommend new players to ignore the hearts and do meta events.

[@vietnamneko611]

me, a begginer: *suprised pikachu*

[@morqai]

the most awesome and thorough beginner guide i have ever watched, really looking forward to your crafting guides... 8)

[@kimberlyparker1709]

Fantastic video! Very helpful! Very much appreciate you making such a comprehensive and easy to follow guide!

[@dizzyduxx2338]

Great Guide! Thanks a lot. Must have been a huge investment for you. Just know it is appreciated :)

[@ICE-nr1ti]

like 300% sure most people say 'Map Instance' and not Shard

[@elasolezito]

Can i send my ex to another Shard ?

[@sacredmagic0380]

In my opinion, I say Shard as a Map Instance is different. Map Instances are used for things like Personal Story or the characters Home Instance.

[@sparky-5005]

I just started yesterday on the free version and I played for 4 hours and it felt like 30 minutes I love this game I came from playing Destiny 2 for a year and a half D2 isn’t too similar but it’s the first mmo esk game I’ve played and I was blown away at how much I love this game I want to really sink my teeth into it thank you for this guide it really helps us newcomers out a lot

[@U_1984]

Me: plays Guild Wars back in 2005 Me: starts playing Guild Wars 2 in 2019 Me: watches this videos

[@Combersome]

yep me too, I think that I still have the original CD on GW1

[@U_1984]

@@Combersome me 2 LOL or I still have the original CD.

[@tur13l]

Well that is stupid, I have to recall a character so I can recover my account... I have no idea what I named my characters, I remember I played a Nord warrior and a human wizard/mage. GG I guess.

[@TheLuckySmith]

You're my savior! I thought I was going to have to make a beginner tips video myself. Yours is the only good one on the web. Now I can invite noobs to my guild again!!!

[@jaboyak]

I just downloaded it and I'm excited to log in for the first time! Thank you so much for this video!

[@Richwarf]

Soo... where are the future videos :)

[@antontamer5221]

Never seen a better guide! It took me a while to finish it, but it's absolutely worth it. ❤️

[@melissamoss9677]

This is so helpful! Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this video!

[@chrishill5086]

Great job! I am a returning player but never made it very far when the game released in 2012. Thank you for your effort in putting this guide together! It answered a lot of questions and opened my eyes to a lot I didn't even know about. Bravo!

[@bradshank9674]

Decided to finally try this game out after years and you’re right the community is super helpful

[@taaseen1941]

thanks for the vid. At first glance this looks really complex but you managed to break it down to a point where I could easily understand stuff. I'm gonna try the game out now.

[@meraketh]

Best thing about Beginner's Guides is that after playing the game for SEVEN years I still find new information on basic stuff like an action camera mode. Good job Josh!!!

[@lyingXduck]

I started this week after not playing an MMORPG for years. Thank you for this helpful guide! And I agree with others, your voice and way of talking is very pleasant to listen to :)

[@JoshStrifeHayes]

Glad i could help :)

[@wildlyAJ]

I downloaded guild wars 2 last year but never really got much into it, and this helped so much for me in understanding how it's mainly played! It also cleared up so many misunderstandings I had about the game cuz I thought you can only play it's full version after an expansion was brought! Thank you for the really detailed explanation on the core aspects of the game so that even a mmorpg game noob like me that understand~

[@Myk3Ech0e5]

Absolutely loved the video, looking forward to the other parts, especially crafting. Vid is 2 years old, so fingers crossed it's still in the works :)