WvW Abilities: Guild Wars 2 Beginner Guide

WXP: earning ability points

World Experience in WvW

Defeating enemies, capturing objectives, and destroying siege grants World Experience, or WXP. Fill the bar to gain a world rank and one ability point.

Spend points on WvW abilities to unlock features such as autoloot, gliding, and stronger siege skills.

Separate from PvE masteries

Training PvE gliding does not unlock WvW gliding. You must train War Gliding Mastery separately.

WXP per rank

Ranks 1 to 5: each advance costs 1,000 WXP.
From rank 5 to 6 onward: each advance costs 5,000 WXP.

The requirement rises after reaching rank 5. Use the bonuses below and keep joining objective captures and defenses.

Activities that grant WXP

Activity	WXP
Capture Stonemist Castle	1,000
Capture a keep	800
Capture a tower	400
Capture a supply camp	200
Capture a sentry or shrine	100
Defeat a dolyak	50
Defeat an enemy player	0~60
Defeat a guard	20

These values follow the Wiki and can change with updates.

For a first session, follow a public commander and join the group's captures, defenses, and fights.

Shared rank, separate allocations

Rank and available points: shared by all characters on the account.
Point allocation: chosen separately for each character.

At account rank 100, every character has 100 points to allocate. One can specialize in siege while another focuses on roaming.

Train for the effect you need

Early on, stop at the rank that unlocks your target effect: rank 1 for warclaw and gliding, or Provisions Master rank 4 for autoloot.

Guard Killer starts with 4% extra damage to guards for one point, but costs 35 points to finish. Rank 4 extends its effect to lords and supervisors; rank 5 adds endurance recovery on kills. Check those benefits before spending more.

Spending priorities

Pick up useful early ranks across several abilities, then invest further in the ones you use most.

What should I train first?

Start with the route below. Skip any ability whose expansion you do not own, then choose later upgrades for the activities you enjoy.

Recommended starting route

Begin with movement and autoloot

Start with warclaw → gliding → autoloot . Skip any item whose expansion requirement you do not meet.

Order	Ability	Target rank	Points required	Why train it early?
1	Warclaw Mastery	Rank 1	1	Unlock the WvW mount for faster travel; requires Path of Fire
2	War Gliding Mastery	Rank 1	3	Glide in allied territory for travel and escape; requires Heart of Thorns
3	Provisions Master	Through rank 4	20	Rank 4 unlocks automatic looting of defeated enemies. Requires Heart of Thorns; also enable Autoloot: Quick Interact in settings.

Choose the next route for your playstyle

After the basics, choose the route that fits what you do most often.

Route A: improve the warclaw

Ability	Target rank	Points	Effect
Warclaw Mastery	Through rank 4	+14	Rank 2 detects enemies; rank 3 attacks gates; rank 4 adds Lance to dismount an enemy. Hitting with Lance dismounts you too.

Route B: Provisions Master rank 5

Ability	Target rank	Points	Effect
Provisions Master	Rank 5	+15	More Badges of Honor from loot

Train rank 6 if you need HoT runes, sigils, or recipes. Buying relics does not require this rank.

Heroics Notary: runes, sigils, and relics

Provisions Master rank 6 unlocks HoT runes, sigils, and recipes at the Heroics Notary. The current currency is Testimonies of Castoran Heroics; some items also cost gold or Badges of Honor. Relics have expansion and item-specific unlock requirements.

For relics, check the required achievement or previous acquisition. Expansion reward-track chests can also unlock their relics. Requirements differ by item.

Use an alt to save points on your main

When points are scarce, you can train Provisions Master rank 6 on one alt and buy the HoT runes and sigils you need there to share with your main. Your main can stop at rank 4 for autoloot and use the remaining points for warclaw, supply, or other abilities.

Permanent Portable Provisioner

At Provisions Master rank 1, a WvW outfitter sells the Permanent Portable Provisioner for one gold. Double-click it in WvW to access its shop. It is reusable and is not consumed.

Rank 1: siege blueprints, including Flame Ram, Arrow Cart, and Ballista.
Rank 2: adds tricks and traps.
Rank 3: adds food and utility consumables.

Tricks & Traps: WvW consumables

Provisions Master rank 2 unlocks these purchases from the portable vendor. Deploying them costs supply.

Supply Removal Trap: removes five supply from affected enemies; costs ten supply to deploy.
Target Painter Trap: marks up to 50 enemies and reveals stealthed targets when triggered; costs five supply.
Siege Disruptor: reduces the affected enemy siege weapon's outgoing damage by 66% and increases the damage it takes by 66% for 35 seconds. Disables golems for 20 seconds; costs ten supply.
Target Painter: marks up to 50 enemies in the area for 30 seconds; costs ten supply.
Mist Sentry Turret: shows nearby enemies on the team map for one hour. Costs ten supply, with one turret per player; it disappears when you leave the map. It does not newly detect enemies already in stealth.

Route C: supply abilities

Ability	Target rank	Points	Effect
Repair Master	Rank 3	7	Spend more supply per action when repairing walls and gates
Build Master	Rank 3	7	Spend more supply per action when building siege
Supply Master	Rank 4	10	A chance to recover some supply when you run out; works with repairs as well as siege construction

Route D: improve gliding

Ability	Target rank	Points	Effect
War Gliding Mastery	Later ranks	+57	Improve gliding speed, evasion, and endurance; particularly useful in the Borderlands

Height changes in the Borderlands make gliding useful for travel, escape, and surprise attacks. It tends to see less use on the flatter areas of EBG.

Route E: siege defense

Ability	Target rank	Points	Effect
Siege Bunker	Ranks 1–3	1~10	Reduce incoming siege damage to survive longer during sieges

Look at inexpensive first ranks

Build Master, Repair Master, and Siege Bunker start at one point. Siege masteries and gliding start at three, while Supply Capacity starts at five. After the basics, consider inexpensive first ranks in abilities you use.

Guard Killer, Defense Against Guards, and Mercenary's Bane: later priorities

Their one-point first ranks can be useful, but avoid spending heavily on them early. Prioritize the core abilities first, then return to these upgrades when more points are available.

Revisit your allocation around rank 400–500

Consider a reset as your playstyle develops

Around rank 400–500, you have enough points to reconsider your early choices. This is a useful time to consider fully training Supply Capacity: rank 5, 145 points. Carrying 15 supply instead of ten helps with building and repairs. It is expensive early on; later, you can decide whether it is worth the points for your playstyle and reset if needed.

All abilities by category

Training all 22 abilities costs 1,085 points. You can earn up to 10,000 points, but some tracks require expansions.

Movement and convenience: three tracks

Ability	Total points	Main effect
Warclaw Mastery	25	Warclaw use in WvW and additional skills; requires PoF
War Gliding Mastery	60	WvW gliding, speed, and evasion; requires HoT
Provisions Master	55	Autoloot at rank 4, extra Badges of Honor at rank 5, and HoT runes, sigils, and recipes at rank 6; requires HoT

Supply: four tracks

Ability	Total points	Main effect
Build Master	15	Spend more supply per building action, from two to ten
Repair Master	15	Spend more supply per repair action, from two to ten
Supply Master	15	Faster supply collection, movement bonuses, and a chance to recover supply
Supply Capacity	145	Carry five more supply, increasing the base limit from ten to 15; expensive to train

Combat passives: five tracks

Ability	Total points	Main effect
Guard Killer	35	Up to 20% more damage to guards; extends to lords and supervisors at rank 4, with endurance recovery on kills at rank 5
Defense Against Guards	35	Up to 20% less incoming damage from guards; extends to lords and supervisors at rank 4
Siege Bunker	35	Up to 10% less incoming siege damage
Siege Might	35	Up to 10% more damage with siege weapons
Mercenary's Bane	15	Up to 20% more damage to, and less damage from, mercenary NPCs

Siege masteries: ten tracks, 60 points each

Place a blueprint and contribute supply to build siege. Siege Masters and the Portable Provisioner sell blueprints for Badges of Honor. You can operate siege without training its mastery, but upgrades add range, damage, or special effects.

Each siege weapon has its own mastery track. All use the same costs per rank: 3, 7, 10, 15, and 25, totaling 60 points.

Siege weapon	Key unlocks and ranks
Arrow Cart	Rank 5: Toxic Unveiling Volley reveals stealth. Poison is on skill 3, Fire Barbed Arrows.
Ballista	Rank 1 unlocks the antiair skill
Burning Oil	Creates a fiery projectile-reflecting dome
Cannon	Rank 1: damage reduction and crowd-control immunity for the operator. Basic attacks no longer remove boons.
Catapult	Creates a dome that destroys projectiles
Flame Ram	Rank 4 launches enemies behind a gate; rank 5 grants Iron Hide to nearby allies
Mortar	Fires a barrage that pushes enemies back
Shield Generator	Protects allies from arrow-cart damage inside Force Dome; requires HoT
Siege Golem	Ejects you safely when the golem is destroyed
Trebuchet	Rank 4 creates a healing water field; rank 5 destroys supply when basic shots hit an enemy Supply Depot

Train siege masteries later

Prioritize these if you regularly operate siege yourself. Basic operation does not require a mastery. Begin with weapons you use often, such as Arrow Carts or Flame Rams.

Earning WXP faster

Bonuses with different effects can work together. Items granting the same effect extend its duration rather than doubling its bonus. Distinguish WXP from ordinary experience and reward-track progress.

Consumable boosters

Booster	WXP bonus	Duration	Source or note
Celebration Booster	+100%	One hour	Wizard's Vault weekly completion chest
Birthday Booster	+100%	One day	Character birthday gifts
Experience Booster	+50%	Two hours	Achievement chests and other rewards
Black Lion Booster	0%	30 minutes	Helps reward tracks, but does not increase WXP

Do not buy gem-store boosters to get started

Use boosters from achievements, the Wizard's Vault, and character birthdays before spending gems. Black Lion Booster helps reward-track progress but gives no WXP bonus.

Celebration and Birthday share an effect

Celebration Booster and Birthday Booster both grant Celebration Bonus. Using both extends the duration, up to seven days.

A lasting equipment bonus

Item	WXP bonus	Requirements	Where to buy
WxP Enrichment	+10% while equipped	An enrichment slot in an ascended or legendary amulet; purchase requires PoF	WvW Laurel Merchant: five laurels and 125 Badges of Honor

Choose WxP Enrichment when gaining ranks is your priority. An amulet has only one enrichment slot; choose WvW Reward Track Enrichment instead if track rewards are your goal.

Guild bonuses

Effect	WXP bonus	Requirement
Guild WXP Gain	+3%~+10%	Requires the guild's War Room upgrade; obtain it free from Nathan the Bartender in the guild hall tavern
Guild Objective Aura II	+10%	Inside an objective claimed by a guild that has unlocked the WXP aura

With Heart of Thorns, visit Nathan the Bartender in the guild hall tavern for free Guild WXP Gain. The guild must have unlocked the upgrade. Only one guild enhancement can be active, so switch to Guild WvW Reward Track Boost when track progress is your priority.

Situational bonuses

Effect	WXP bonus	Requirement
Outnumbered	+25%	Applied at a five-minute tick if your team is heavily outnumbered on that map; removed when changing maps
Nourishment	+10%	Use ascended food

Use food and utilities

Food and utilities improve combat stats. For additional WXP, look for the +10% WXP effect on ascended food. You do not need the most expensive consumables to start; choose ones that suit your role. Provisions Master rank 3 lets you buy food and utilities from the Portable Provisioner.

Event bonuses

When active during a WvW event, Call of War adds +100% WXP. Add 100 percentage points to your existing WXP bonus.

Example bonus combination

These effects can be active together:

Source	Extra WXP
Celebration/Birthday Booster	+100%
Experience Booster	+50%
WxP Enrichment in an amulet	+10%
Guild WXP Gain	+10%
Guild Objective Aura II near an objective	+10%
Ascended food	+10%
Outnumbered on the current map	+25%
Total	+215%

Meeting all these conditions yields 3.15 times base WXP. This example assumes the maximum guild bonus and both the objective aura and Outnumbered.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reset my points?

Buy an Ability Reset Guide from a World Ability Master at a WvW spawn for 25 Spirit Shards to reset that character's allocation immediately. Use an available free Sample Ability Reset Guide first. Free copies have a per-character limit.

Are points shared or per character?

Your rank and available point total are account-wide. How you spend them is separate for each character, so each can use a different allocation.

Are these PvE mastery points?

No. Even with PvE gliding unlocked, train War Gliding Mastery separately with World Ability Points to glide in WvW.

Do gliding and warclaw require expansions?

Yes. War Gliding Mastery requires Heart of Thorns, and Warclaw Mastery requires Path of Fire.

Can I eventually train everything?

Every ability together costs 1,085 points, and you can earn up to 10,000. With the required expansions, you can train all tracks and have 8,915 points left over.

What happens beyond rank 10,000?

You can continue filling the WXP bar and receiving rank-up rewards, including coins, Badges of Honor, and equipment. The displayed rank no longer increases.

WvW Abilities: What Should I Train First?