I recently got back into Guild Wars 2 (GW2) after a long hiatus into other games. I put over 2500 hours into the vanilla game pre-Heart of Thorns expansion. However, I haven't experienced leveling a new character until this week as I already had maximum level characters of each class. Here is what I can share with you based on that experience.
How to Level in Guild Wars 2
Leveling up is a major part of the game in Guild Wars 2. As a new player, your goal shouldn’t generally be to get to level 80 (the maximum base level) as fast as possible but rather to enjoy and learn the game1. There are several ways to gain experience and level up your character:
Map Completion: Exploring the world and discovering new areas is the primary way to level early on. Completing hero challenges and hearts or uncovering vistas or waypoints will grant experience equal to a percentage of your level1.
Events: While exploring, orange “Dynamic Events” may be encountered. Completing these rewards a large amount of experience based on your level1.
Dungeons: Dungeons are unlocked at level 30 and grant experience equal to 75% of the experience between your current level and the next1.
Monster Kills: Killing any enemy grants experience based on the creature’s level and how long it has been alive1.
Crafting: Training any crafting profession grants experience for each successful craft, granting far more experience if the player is under level 15 or has a currently active Booster1. I typically level crafting when the adventure guide asks me to. There's some easy to follow crafting leveling guides available online and you can get ~20 character levels by just refining raw materials alone.
PvP and WvW: The PvP and World vs. World modes offer tons of rewards for all players, including Tomes of Knowledge which grant one full level regardless of how much XP is needed2.
Story: Following the main story will provide you with good XP and good rewards. While I am burned out on the main story myself after doing it 10 times, it is still worth grinding out for the rewards.
Adventure Guide: Ensure as you're doing the above items to prioritize the adventure guide. This gives you huge XP simply for playing the game. Press H (or go to achievements however you do) and look at Character Adventure Guide. One of my friends leveled to 80 simply by solely following this.
Remember, leveling in Guild Wars 2 involves more than just mindless grinding and spamming side quests. Instead of staying in one place and slaying as many enemies as possible, the game entices players to explore interesting locations and join big events that only the combined force of the community can complete2. I've been able to level a character to 80 within a day (~6 hours) without putting much effort into it, so take your time, enjoy the game, and happy leveling!
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