How to Earn Gold: Guild Wars 2 Beginner Guide

Starting with little gold is normal

While leveling, sell gathered materials and equipment you no longer need. Even low-level materials can sell on the Trading Post, so check their prices. The Wizard's Vault, fractals, and meta events provide more options after level 80.

An exotic set can cost less than you expect

Exotic armor and weapon costs depend on the stats and where you obtain them. Include runes, sigils, and relics in the total. Start with cheaper upgrades that fit your build when necessary. For help choosing your first set, see the First Exotic Set guide.

Avoid spending heavily on leveling equipment

Before level 80, use level-up and story rewards first. If an old weapon is slowing your kills, buy a cheap replacement at your current level. At level 80, assemble exotic gear that suits your build, then obtain ascended pieces as needed for content such as fractals.

Three ways to start

While leveling, try world bosses and gathering. If you have a level-80 character, start with the Wizard's Vault.

1

Complete Wizard's Vault daily and weekly objectives

The Wizard's Vault becomes available when your account has a level-80 character. Complete daily and weekly objectives and claim their Astral Acclaim. Exchange it for gold in the Vault shop. The chest for completing six weekly objectives also contains 10 laurels.
Exchange your Astral Acclaim for Bag of Coins (1 Gold): 8 AA each, up to 100 per season, or Mystic Coins: up to 60 per season at 9 AA each. Sell coins on the Trading Post if you need gold now, or save them for legendary crafting. Their price changes, so check current prices and fees before selling.

2

World bosses: open and sort your rewards

World boss chests contain equipment and materials. Sell valuable exotics (orange) on the Trading Post. Salvage rares (yellow) of level 68 or higher with a Master's kit for a chance at ectoplasm. Use Basic or an owned Copper-Fed kit for lower rarities, or a Runecrafter's for greens if you have one. Dragonstorm requires Path of Fire. Its once-per-account daily completion reward includes 2 gold. Enter through Brek Harrowflight in the Eye of the North during the public instance window.

3

Gather along your route

Gather ore, wood, and plants as you travel, then sell materials you do not need. Earnings depend on market prices and how much you gather. Parking another character near a node you visit regularly can save travel time.

More options at level 80

Level 80 opens more earning methods. Try these beginner-accessible options and find ones you enjoy.

Daily fractals

A useful daily routine

Fractals range from T1 (scales 1–25) to T4 (76–100). With exotic gear and no AR, start at T1 scales 1–19. Higher tiers offer better daily rewards, but require AR and encounter knowledge. Use LFG to find a daily group. Quickplay automatically forms a group for a scale-1 introductory mode; it is separate from finding a T4 daily group.

Dragonfall meta

Starting meta farming

LW S4 Episode 6: War Eternal and Path of Fire are required. Complete events for Mistborn Keys, open coffers, and sell materials. If buying Trophy Shipments with Volatile Magic, subtract their gold cost and material sale fees when calculating profit. [DFC] provides Dragonfall runs and farming guides.

⚠️ A skyscale helps you follow a squad across elevated terrain.For your first runs, join a group that welcomes beginners and learn the route from its commander.

Living World Season 4 meta trains

Meta farming

Run metas in Season 4 maps you own, such as Istan, Jahai Bluffs, and Thunderhead Peaks. Routes vary by group. Istan's daily chest limits are 12 in the Great Hall and 30 in Palawadan per account.

Silverwastes RIBA

Low entry requirements

The Silverwastes requires no expansion. Rotate between forts, complete events, and open chests. Find a RIBA squad in LFG and follow its commander. Sell or salvage your rewards for gold; opening the buried chests requires Bandit Skeleton Keys.

Use farming communities

[fast] Farming Community (fast.farming-community.eu): Farming guides, meta timers, and gold-per-hour calculations.
[DFC] Dragonfall Farming Community (dfc.dragonfall.eu): A Dragonfall community offering daily public runs.

Check a guide's access requirements, travel options, and reward calculations. Actual returns from materials depend on sale prices and fees.

What to sell: sorting your inventory

Sorting loot carefully helps you keep more of its value. Use the steps below.

Sell gray junk to NPC vendors

Use Sell Junk to clear gray items. For other items, compare the Trading Post price after fees, the NPC price, and salvage value. The Trading Post charges sellers 5% when listing and 10% when sold, with a minimum of 1 copper for each fee.

Unidentified gear: sell as is, or identify before salvaging

For quick gold, sell unidentified gear directly on the Trading Post. If you want to salvage it for materials, identify first → check rarity → choose how to handle it. Identification can produce a higher rarity, so avoid salvaging gear while it is still unidentified.

Choose a salvage kit for the item's rarity and level. Check the sale price and installed rune or sigil value before salvaging an expensive exotic.

Item rarity	Salvage kit
White, blue, and green equipment	Basic or Copper-Fed; use Runecrafter's for greens if you own it
Level-68-or-higher rares and low-value exotics	Master's or Silver-Fed

Salvage level-68-or-higher rares and exotics for ectoplasm

Master's and Silver-Fed kits have a chance to yield ectoplasm from level-68-or-higher rares and exotics. Copper-Fed can also yield ectoplasm; higher-tier kits are recommended for their better yield.

Find spare materials with gw2efficiency

Connect an API key to gw2efficiency.com to see estimated values for your inventory and material storage. Materials you already own may account for more value than you expect.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Selling to an NPC without checking prices: Compare Trading Post and salvage values before selling valuable materials or equipment.
2. Salvaging unidentified gear directly: Sell it unopened, or identify it and use the right kit for its rarity.
3. Using low-tier kits for ectoplasm rares: Use Master's or Silver-Fed for rares of level 68 or higher.
4. Spending heavily on leveling gear: Use reward equipment first and replace weak weapons cheaply.
5. Farming without knowing the cost of your goal: Check current prices for exotic equipment that fits your build, then aim for that amount.

Check how a farming guide calculates profit

When a video or farming site says “this method earns lots of gold”, check these conditions too.

Buy orders versus sell orders: Instant sales fill the highest current buy orders first. A higher sell listing must wait for a buyer and may remain unsold. Calculate crafting profit using the prices at which you will actually buy materials and sell the result.
Sale fees: Pay 5% when listing and 10% when sold. Profit is generally 85% of the sale price minus material costs. For cheap items, the minimum 1-copper charge for each fee makes the percentage higher.
Canceling and relisting: Canceling a sell order does not refund its 5% listing fee. Each new listing charges another 5%.
Unlocks and travel requirements: Check required expansions, episodes, masteries, mounts, and squad pace. Also check whether gold per hour includes travel, waiting, and sorting materials.
Gold versus material value: Many rewards are equipment or materials. Distinguish an estimate that includes stored materials from actual gold received after sales.

Start with the Wizard's Vault and one or two familiar activities. Before trying crafting or Trading Post flipping, calculate materials, fees, and sales volume. Test a small amount and confirm that it sells before increasing your investment.

Options to try later

Once you are comfortable with the basics, these activities can add more income.

Content	Main rewards	Requirements
T4 daily fractals	Daily chests, Fractal Encryptions, equipment, and materials	AR for the selected scale, a suitable build, and encounter knowledge; scale 100 uses 150 AR as the target
Drizzlewood Coast meta	Equipment, crafting materials, and reward tracks	Path of Fire plus IBS No Quarter or Jormag Rising
Convergences	Dedicated crafting materials such as rift essences	The expansion for that convergence, such as SotO, JW, or VoE
HoT meta trains	Materials such as Amalgamated Gemstones	Heart of Thorns
Raid encounters	Completion gold, chests, and equipment currencies	Required expansions and encounter preparation

Profit changes with patches and Trading Post prices. Check fast.farming-community.eu for current estimates.