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Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 Movement Basics: Dodge and Combat Tips

Learn WASD and mouse movement, when to dodge or reposition, how downed states work, and how CC breaks boss bars in GW2.

The MMO Codex editorial deskEditorial desk
4 min read

Movement controls

steps

  1. Move with WASD for the standard Guild Wars 2 movement setup.
  2. Rebind movement keys if the default layout does not fit your keyboard or controller setup.
  3. Hold left mouse button + right mouse button together to move your character with the mouse.
  4. Hold right click while using WASD when you want tighter control over both movement and camera direction.

Action camera

Use action camera when the standard camera feels wrong

Enable action camera if you want camera and movement gameplay to feel different from the standard Guild Wars 2 controls. Some Steam Deck users may prefer this mode.

Stay on the standard camera if right-click camera control with WASD already gives you the movement control you want.

Dodge rolling and repositioning

Downed and defeated states

Revive or waypoint?

Revive a downed player when their downed HP bar has not run out and the revive is safe enough to complete.

Use a waypoint after full defeat when you fully die during a meta event or world boss. Defeated players can still be revived, but it takes longer, and returning from a waypoint is usually faster.

Avoid risky boss-fight revives when the revive would take too long or stop you from damaging the boss at a bad time. If everyone respawns quickly, the boss fight becomes easier.

Combo fields and combo finishers

Combo fields and combo finishers interact when you use a finisher inside a field. That interaction creates special effects.

A simple example is placing a fire combo field, then shooting arrows through it. The arrows light on fire and deal more damage.

Combos can also work between multiple players, so one player can place the field while another uses the finisher inside it.

Boons, conditions, and combat roles

Group of players fighting a large stone enemy with visible combat indicators and boons.

Players engage in combat against a massive stone creature with numerous boons and conditions visible on both sides.

Screenshot: Athis

Screenshot: Athis

Healer builds heal allies. Use them when your group needs dedicated healing, such as in raids or large open-world meta events.

Tanks exist because many raid bosses focus on tanks, but most tanks in Guild Wars 2 are other builds that also meet the parameters needed to tank.

DPS builds focus on damage. Most players are straight DPS, with two main damage approaches: condition DPS, which applies conditions, and power DPS, which deals direct damage.

Boon support builds provide temporary buffs to other players. These supports often combine boon uptime with another job, such as DPS boon support or healing boon support.

Term What it does
Boons Temporary buffs
Swiftness Increases movement speed
Quickness Makes your character attack and use skills faster
Alacrity Makes abilities recharge faster
Conditions Damage-over-time effects applied to enemies

Keeping quickness and alacrity at 100% uptime is one of the main parts of Guild Wars 2 combat.

Stacking and grouping enemies

steps

  1. Stack with the group during boss fights unless a specific mechanic requires you to move away.
  2. Stay close enough to receive boons from boon support players.
  3. Stay close enough to receive healing from healer builds.
  4. Group smaller enemies together when possible.
  5. Cleave grouped enemies down at the same time instead of spreading damage across separated targets.

Crowd control and break bars

steps

  1. Learn which skills on your profession provide crowd control, such as knockdowns or effects that manipulate enemy positioning.
  2. Use crowd control to help group smaller enemies so the party can cleave them down.
  3. Watch bigger bosses for a defiance bar, also called a break bar, under the health bar.
  4. When the break bar appears, use crowd control to deplete it.
  5. After the bar breaks, use the short opening to focus damage on the boss.

FAQ

What does crowd control do to a boss break bar?

Crowd control depletes the boss break bar when it appears. Breaking it interrupts the boss and creates a brief damage window.

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