Controls and Combat Settings: Guild Wars 2 Beginner Guide

Language

💬

Open the gear menu at the top of the chat panel to set font size, timestamps, channel tags, and speech bubbles. Choose a font size that is comfortable to read on your display.

User Interface

Setting	Recommendation	What it does
AoE Loot On Interact	✓ ON	Press F once to collect nearby loot.
Autoloot: Autopickup	✓ ON	Sends loot directly to your inventory without opening a loot window.
Autoloot: Quick Interact	ON after training the mastery	Automatically collects loot after you train the Advanced Logistics mastery.
Show All Enemy Names	✓ ON	Always shows enemy names, helping you identify elites and champions.
Show All NPC Names	✓ ON	Shows NPC names, making relevant NPCs easier to find.
Show All Usable Object Names	✓ ON	Shows the names of objects you can interact with.
Show Target Health Percent	✓ ON	Shows the target’s health percentage, useful for phase changes and skills that benefit from low-health targets.
Thick Party Health Bars Always Show Party Health Bars Always Show Squad Health Bars	✓ ON	Keeps party and squad health bars visible, with thicker party bars. Recommended for group play.
Dynamic HUD → Presets	Always Show	Keeps the full HUD visible so you can see all available information while learning.

Camera

👁️

Raise Field of View to maximum. It is the last slider in the Camera section, and its default is below maximum. A wider field of view helps you see your surroundings. Move the slider to the right.

Setting	Recommendation	What it does
Field of View	Maximum	Widens the visible area. This guide recommends increasing it to see more of your surroundings.
Rotation Speed	Adjust to taste	Controls camera rotation speed. Set a speed that feels comfortable; a very fast camera can cause motion discomfort.
Enable Camera Shake	☐ OFF	Certain skills and events shake the camera, which can cause motion discomfort.
Disable Player Camera Shake	✓ ON	Disables camera shake caused by players and their minions. This is separate from Enable Camera Shake.
Use Free Camera	✓ ON	Prevents the camera from automatically turning to follow your movement direction.
Enable Camera Teleportation	☐ OFF	Makes the camera teleport instantly when you use a teleport skill. Compare both behaviors and choose the one you prefer.

Combat/Movement

Ground Targeting: an early setting to change

Controls how skills aimed at the ground activate. This guide recommends Fast with Range Indicator: hold to see the area, then release to cast.

❌ Default: not recommended here

Normal

Press the skill key to show its area, aim, then left-click or press the skill key again to cast.

✓ Recommended

Fast with Range Indicator

Hold the skill key to see its range and area. Aim, then release the key to cast.

For experienced users

Instant

Casts immediately at the cursor when you press the key. Fast, but easier to misplace.

Setting	Recommendation	What it does
Double-Tap to Evade	☐ Turn OFF	Double-tapping a movement key dodges in that direction. Accidental dodges can cause falls in jumping puzzles.
Double-Click to Attack/Interact	✓ ON recommended	Double-click a target to attack or interact.
Right-Click to Attack/Interact	✓ ON recommended	Right-click a target to attack or interact.
Lock Ground Target at Maximum Skill Range	✓ ON	Keeps the ground-target marker at maximum skill range when the cursor goes beyond it.
Allow Skill Retargeting	✓ ON	Lets a skill update to a newly selected target while it is being used.

Groups

🚫

Set Hide Ally Visual Effects to “Hide None.” Other values can hide encounter indicators along with allied skill effects, including green circles players need to stand in. Use Hide None to keep these indicators visible in raids and fractals.

Sound

Setting	Recommendation	What it does
Mute when GW2 is in the background	✓ ON	Mutes Guild Wars 2 when it is minimized or not the active window. Useful while doing other tasks.
Disable Player Chatter	✓ ON	Mutes incidental character chatter, such as lines spoken when receiving boons. Enable it if repeated lines are distracting or you want to hear combat sounds more clearly.
Disable Player Item Chatter	✓ ON	Mutes chatter from special items worn or used by you and other players, such as talking backpacks or tools.
Other Players' Unique Item Sounds	Mute Projectiles Only / Off	Suppresses other players’ unique item sounds, such as legendary weapon projectiles. Choose Mute Projectiles Only or Off if those sounds are distracting.

Action Camera

Locks the cursor to a central reticle, letting you turn the camera without holding right-click. Its toggle is unassigned by default, so it is easy to miss.

How to enable it

1

Press F11, then open the Control Options tab.

2

Scroll to the Camera section and find Toggle Action Camera .

3

Double-click the binding and press your preferred key. Choose something easy to reach, such as a mouse side button.

4

In the same Camera section, assign Look Behind to an accessible key, such as Left Alt , to look behind you while retreating.

🎯

Reticle shape and color (added May 2024): open General Options → User Interface → Action Camera Reticle Settings to customize them.

Keybinds to set up as a beginner

ℹ️

The suggested alternatives below are examples. A good layout depends on your hands, mouse, and profession. Use keys you can reach and react with comfortably. Change one binding at a time while finding a layout that works for you.

⚠️

A useful habit for MMO beginners: turn with the mouse.
If A and D are assigned to Turn, check your keybinds. Mouse turning makes quick direction changes easier. Assign A and D to Strafe Left and Strafe Right. If they already strafe, keep them as they are. Practice turning the camera while holding right-click.

Action	Default	Suggested alternative	Reason and usage
Strafe Left / RightMovement: move sideways	A, D	A D	Check that A/D strafe. If you want Q/E for combat skills, remove any conflicting turn bindings.
DodgeMovement	V	Mouse thumb button	Disable double-tap dodging and use a dedicated dodge key. Choose V or a mouse thumb button that you can press reliably while moving.
Heal Skill (6)Skills	6	Q or E	If 6 is hard to reach while moving, put your heal close to WASD so you can react quickly.
Utility Skills (7, 8, 9)Skills	7, 8, 9	E R T	If 7–9 are hard to reach in combat, try nearby keys such as E, R, and T.
Elite Skill (0)Skills	0	Z, C, or G	Keep your elite skill within easy reach. Z, C, and G are possible left-hand bindings.
Profession Skills (F1~F7)Skills	F1 ~ F7	Shift+1~5 Alt+1~5 Z X C V B	If function keys are hard to reach, try Shift+number, Alt+number, or a custom set such as Z/X/C/V/B for profession skills.
Stow / Draw WeaponMiscellaneous	Unassigned	Caps Lock	Stowing your weapon can cancel a skill you started by mistake. Assign an accessible key such as Caps Lock, and check for conflicts.
About FaceMovement	Unassigned	Choose a comfortable key	Instantly turns your character 180 degrees. Useful for reversing a backward movement skill, such as the elementalist’s staff fire skill 4, Burning Retreat. Bind it if your profession uses this technique.
Build / Equip TemplatesTemplates	Unassigned	Shift+F1–F6 (build) Ctrl+F1–F6 (equipment)	Assign shortcuts to switch builds or equipment quickly while out of combat.
Individual MountsMounts	Unassigned	Bind individual mounts	Individual bindings let you select frequently used mounts directly, such as a griffon while falling or a raptor before entering combat, instead of relying only on X.
Call Target / Take TargetTargeting	Ctrl+T / T	Choose a comfortable key	Call a target for your group or take a called target. Accessible keys make coordinated attacks easier.
Set Personal Target / Take Personal TargetTargeting	Unassigned	Assign a key	Stores and recalls your own personal target, separate from the squad’s called target. Useful for tracking your target in raids and fractals. It is unassigned by default.
Look BehindCamera	Unassigned	Choose a comfortable key	Looks behind you while held. Useful for checking pursuers while running away.
AutorunMovement	R / Num Lock	Choose a comfortable key	Moves forward without holding a movement key. Useful for long trips or looking at the map while traveling.
Toggle Action CameraCamera	Unassigned	Choose a comfortable key	Toggles Action Camera, which lets you turn without holding a mouse button and use weapon skill 1 with left-click. See the section above.

💾

After changing keybinds, use Export Input Bindings to save them to a file. Import that file when reinstalling or playing on another PC.

Controls and combat settings