Should you use your Level-80 Boost now?
Save it if this is your first character. The item itself says it is for advanced players. It is best used to start another profession once you understand the game. Always try the trial before making the boost permanent.
Start with your situation
- You are new to Guild Wars 2
- This is your first character
- You have not chosen a profession yet
- The game’s systems still feel unfamiliar
- You want to experience the personal story as you level
- You have already leveled a character to 80
- You are adding another profession
- You are returning and already understand the game
- You have tested the trial and are confident in your choice
- You want to catch up with friends who are already level 80
What is a Level-80 Boost?
This item comes with expansion purchases and is delivered in a shared inventory slot. For example, the HoT/PoF bundle includes one boost, while the HoT/PoF/EoD bundle includes two. Characters below level 80 begin a trial first. Confirming permanent consumption raises the character to level 80 and grants exotic Celestial gear.
Do not confuse it with a Heroic Booster. A Heroic Booster (150 gems) is a consumable that grants experience and gathering benefits for two hours.
What it does and does not do
| Feature | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Reach level 80 | ✓ Yes | Immediately reach level 80 |
| Unlock core skills and traits | ✓ Yes | Trains the core skills and traits covered by the 398 hero points earned through leveling |
| Unlock an elite specialization | ✗ No | Fully training one requires 250 additional hero points |
| Receive exotic gear | ✓ Yes | Celestial stats; soulbound; cannot be salvaged or sold |
| Unlock waypoints | △ Some | Adds three entry waypoints: Frostgorge Sound, Straits of Devastation, and Dry Top. Previously unlocked waypoints remain available. |
| Advance the personal story | ✗ No | Existing story progress is preserved. Play unfinished chapters yourself. |
| Train masteries automatically | ✗ No | A released expansion plus level 80 gives access to the system. Regional tracks, experience, and mastery points still need to be earned. |
| Receive normal level-up rewards | ✗ No | You do not receive the rewards for the levels you skip |
Included items
Permanently consuming the boost also grants these items:
What are Celestial stats? In PvE, they give balanced increases to Power, Precision, Toughness, Vitality, Ferocity, Condition Damage, Healing Power, Concentration, and Expertise. This can be useful starting gear for open-world builds that use several stats. For content with defined group roles, such as raids, prepare gear suited to your build. In WvW, Celestial does not grant Concentration or Expertise. The gear supplied by the boost is soulbound and cannot be salvaged or sold on the Trading Post.
What is a shared inventory slot? It is a special inventory slot accessible to every character on your account. The boost is delivered there, so you can use it on the character you choose. Shared slots appear in a separate row at the top of your inventory.
The trial: try it before you decide
Using the boost on a character below level 80 starts a trial without consuming the item. You can play as a level-80 character in the Silverwastes to get a feel for the profession. Decide whether to consume the boost before leaving the map.
You can also test your character’s profession at level 80 in the PvP lobby, the Heart of the Mists, before using a boost. Create another character to test another profession. Elite specializations require the corresponding expansions.
Why save it on your first character?
The item description explicitly says “For advanced players.” Leveling teaches more than simply repeating activities.
Levels 1–80 serve as an introduction to Guild Wars 2. You gradually learn weapon swapping, traits, events, exploration, and the personal story. Skipping that learning process can leave you at level 80 without a clear idea of what to do.
| What to learn and how rewards differ | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Personal Story | Introduces your character and the world. Unfinished story remains playable after boosting. |
| Learning your profession | Skills unlock gradually while leveling, giving you time to learn them. Boosting opens them together, which can be overwhelming. |
| Normal level-up rewards | Gold, gear, and consumables help you get started |
| Core map exploration and waypoints | Three waypoints are added. You still need to explore other undiscovered areas. |
| Starting masteries | A released expansion plus level 80 gives access to the system. Individual tracks, such as gliding, still need to be unlocked and trained. |
Your character after boosting
Knowing exactly what the boost changes helps you plan your next steps.
| Feature | State |
|---|---|
| Gear tier | Exotic Celestial gear: usable for open-world content and dungeons; prepare a suitable build for harder content |
| Core skills and traits | Fully trained: covers the core skills and traits funded by the 398 leveling hero points |
| Elite specializations | Not unlocked: fully training one costs 250 HP. Completing 25 expansion challenges worth 10 HP each is one way to earn them. |
| Waypoints | Three additional waypoints: explore the remaining areas yourself |
| Masteries | Train separately: a released expansion plus level 80 gives access to the system; each track has its own unlock and training requirements |
| Personal Story | Progress preserved: continue your unfinished story |
Elite specialization tip: Expansion hero challenges give 10 hero points each, while core challenges give one. Starting from zero, 25 ten-point challenges provide enough to fully train one elite specialization. Open H → Training, select the specialization, and spend your points through its training track. Hero points earned from challenges before boosting are preserved.