Guild Wars 2 Classes and Races

ArenaNet’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game Guild Wars 2 launched back in 2012. It was seen as a contender to the MMO throne that has long been occupied by World of Warcraft. And, with its beautiful visuals, engaging story, and fluid combat, there’s certainly a lot to appreciate. Over the years, the game has grown and developed, and it still has an active player base of around 1.5 million. So, there’s still plenty of reason to jump in and start playing. Before you create a new character, it’s worth knowing about the Guild Wars 2 classes and races. That’s exactly what we’re focusing on in this post. 

 

Guild Wars 2 Classes and Races – Why Do They Matter? 

If you’re familiar with role-playing games, you’ll know that your character is at the heart of everything you do. The aim is that you embody your character, making choices for them about their actions and how they make progress. 

 

So, from a purely aesthetic point of view, your class and race determines how your character looks, how they animate, and how they fit into the world. This alone is enough reason to give some thought to what kind of character you want to make. 

 

There is a more substantial reason, however. Your race and class determine the stats you start with. Some races have abilities that others don’t, while some classes are better at some things than others. This directly impacts how your gaming experience pans out. 

 

When it comes to Guild Wars 2 classes and races, there are other elements to consider. The main one is that your Personal Story, the main crux of the game, will vary greatly depending on the choices you make when creating your character. 

 

Guild Wars 2 Races 

Let’s start by looking at the available races in the game. There are five playable ones in Guild Wars 2, and it’s the first choice you’ll make when creating a character. 

 

As well as determining what your character will look like, it also affects where you start in the game, your racial skills, and the lore in your background. Here’s a quick summary of each of the races: 

• Humans. A fairly self-explanatory race. However, humans in Guild Wars 2 are stripped of their former glory and their homeland. Even the gods have abandoned them. Yet they’re still brave and strong as a race. 
• Norn. These folk are like larger humans. They huge size makes them mighty hunters, yet they were driven from their homeland by an Ice Dragon. Despite this, their spirit is still indomitable. 
• Asura. These tiny folk are famed for their intellect and ingenuity. The Asura are a magical folk who use their knowledge, crafting and intelligence to gain an advantage. 
• Charr. The Charr are feline-like creatures that were born out of a merciless war. This fighting spirit remains strong, and victory is of tantamount importance to them. 
• Sylvari. A plant-like race that is awakened, not born. Their thirst for knowledge sees them travel the world seeking adventure. As a newer race, they’re somewhat mysterious. 

As well as choosing a race for your character, you’ll also need to choose a gender. However, only male and female options are available. This choice doesn’t affect gameplay, and is purely aesthetic. 

 

Guild Wars 2 Classes

After you’ve chosen and race and gender, the next step of creating your Guild Wars 2 character is to choose a class. In fact, the game refers to classes as professions, but they’re very much the same thing. 

Classes in Guild Wars 2 are separated into three different categories, with three sub-categories in each: 

 

Scholars 

These professions rely on their intelligence and magic abilities. They can only wear light armor, making them vulnerable in close-quarters. The three professions are:

• Mesmer. This class relies on magic to create mystery. Their goal is to confuse, control, or surprise their enemies. 
• Elementalist. The power that this class draws is used for destruction. They conjure the elements to create chaos against their enemies. 
• Necromancer. A class that is master of the dark arts. They reanimate the dead to fight alongside them, drawing life force to heal themselves and their comrades. 

Adventurers

Adventurers use a different set of skills entirely, often combining elements of physical and mental skills to perfect their arts. The can wear medium armor: 

• Thief. The stealthiest of all the professions, they use secrecy and shadows to surprise their enemies. Proficient in one-on-one combat as well as traps, they’re a formidable foe. 
• Engineer. Mechanical skill is at the heart of this profession. They can use an array of creations to aid them and their comrades in battle. 
• Ranger. These are master hunters who use their bow to slay foes from a distance. They have loyal pets who fight alongside them. 

Soldiers 

The hardiest of the classes are soldiers, who rely on strength to fight and protect. They can use heavy armor: 

• Warrior. As the name suggests, they are masters of fighting. Warriors are fast, strong, and versatile in battle. They can inspire confidence in allies and strike fear in enemies. 
• Guardian. Their armor and magic makes them some of the toughest characters in the game. They can also use an array of weapons to turn defense into attack. 
• Revenant. This class relies on channeling energy to provide power in battle. They can deal huge amounts of damage, making them feared on the battlefield.