Servers and account names
Server Selection & Account Name
Choose North America or Europe based on connection quality and the people you want to play with. Within the same region, different home worlds can play PvE together.
Choosing between North America and Europe
The international version covered by this guide offers NA (North America) and EU (Europe). The Chinese version is a separate service and cannot play together with international accounts.
North American region
Choose this if your friends or guild play on NA.
European region
Choose this if your friends or guild play on EU.
Choose the region where your friends or guild play. If you are starting alone, compare connection quality and the hours when groups are active. North America and Europe have separate player populations.
If latency is high or your connection is unstable, try a routing service briefly.
ExitLag and Mudfish change the route used by your game connection. Check ExitLag’s checkout for current prices and trial terms. Mudfish deducts credits based on traffic used, so the same payment can last different amounts of time.
Before committing to a long subscription, compare latency and connection drops with the service on and off, on the same map at similar times. Keep using it only if you see an improvement.
Players on NA and EU cannot enter the same instance. If you plan to play with friends, choose their region when you first sign up.
Different home worlds can play together
Choose the same region as your friends: NA or EU. Different home worlds do not prevent you from playing PvE together. If you are on the same map but cannot see each other, form a party, right-click a party member’s portrait, and choose the option to join their map. If that map instance is full, wait for a space.
When a party member is in another instance, right-click their portrait → Join to enter the same instance. Within the same region, your home-world choice does not prevent you from playing PvE together.
| Content | Effect of home-world choice |
|---|---|
| Open-world PvE | None: uses the megaserver system |
| Story, dungeons, and fractals | None |
| sPvP | None |
| WvW | Guild-based team assignment since 2024: your selected guild matters, not your home world |
WvW switched to guild-based team assignment in June 2024. You no longer need to choose a home world for its WvW community; your selected WvW guild is what matters for playing on the same team.
Your account uses a Name.1234 display name
A Guild Wars 2 account’s Display Name follows the format Name.four digits, for example motionsilse.5760.
- You choose the name when creating your account. The system adds four digits automatically.
- Other players normally see your character name in the game world. Your account display name is also used in friends lists, guilds, mail, and the official forums.
- To add a friend or send mail, you can enter the full
Name.1234display name.
You can change your display name for free once every 90 days in your ArenaNet account settings.
You can edit your display name yourself in your ArenaNet account settings. After a change, you must wait 90 days to change it again. You cannot change its four-digit suffix. Choose a name you are comfortable making public: it appears in friends lists, guilds, and the official forums.
Character name rules
Character names are separate from your account display name. Each character has its own name, which other players see in the game world.
Latin letters only
Korean, Japanese, and Chinese characters are not supported. Latin letters, including accented letters such as à, é, and ü, are allowed.
3–19 characters; each word starts with a capital
Names must have 3–19 characters, including spaces. The game capitalizes the start of each word. Spaces let you use names with multiple words.
No numbers or symbols
Numbers, symbols, and other special characters are not allowed.
Name changes cost 800 gems
Use a Name Change Contract from the Gem Store (800 gems) to rename a character. Your progress, equipment, and achievements are preserved.
Character names are unique across the game. If a name is already taken, choose another.
Playing with a friend of another race
Each race begins in a different area. If a friend chose another race, you will start on different maps. However, any race can travel to another race’s starting area.
Copy a waypoint chat code from the table below and paste it into in-game chat.
How to use a waypoint code:
1. Copy the code for your destination, such as [&BO8AAAA=].
2. Press Enter to open chat and paste it with Ctrl+V.
3. When the waypoint link appears in chat, click it.
4. The map opens at that waypoint.
5. Click the waypoint on the map to travel there.
Waypoints in each race’s starting area
| Race | Starting area | Waypoint | Copy this code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | Queensdale | Shaemoor Waypoint | [&BO8AAAA=] |
| Norn | Wayfarer Foothills | Horncall Waypoint | [&BHQBAAA=] |
| Charr | Plains of Ashford | Smokestead Waypoint | [&BIABAAA=] |
| Asura | Metrica Province | Soren Draa Waypoint | [&BEAAAAA=] |
| Sylvari | Caledon Forest | Astorea Waypoint | [&BDQBAAA=] |
Tip: Shift-click a waypoint on the in-game map to insert its chat code into chat. Send it to a friend so they can open the same waypoint.