Hello and thank you for showing your interest in reading my post!
I’ve been playing GW2 since its early release and GW before that. After all my years of experience, trials & errors, and discoveries – I’ve come to a revelation/understanding towards the importance of mechanics over build setups in high level competitive gaming for ones such as GW2; where having an acute standard and respect for key control gives an advantage to the player over his/her opponent in numerous ways:
1 – Timing (is the difference between succeeding and failing)
2 – Conditioned Instincts (practiced training) to KNOW HOW TO act, respond, or react in any given situation before making split second decisions (the epitome of perfect timing) and having the proper build/key memorization to act on these decisions before your opponent has a chance to understand what to do & without having to place any focus on either your skills [rotations and cooldowns (CD’s)] or key bindings.
3 – Placing total eye focus and coordination around your specific target in calculation to your own distance from allies/other enemies.
4 – Having an overall sense of ally – enemy movement in the area while staying locked on your target and being able to quickly defend or be defended by allies from opponents.
5 – Knowing when to change targets and being able to click them a.s.a.p to prevent any time wasted that can cause an advantageous situation to turn into a disadvantaged situation.
With that all being said and done, I’ve decided that I would like to share the key bindings I’ve discovered to give myself the advantage I need in high level PvP/WvW matches. This is in no way to be considered Meta or a replica to how top tier PvP pro league players key bind. This is my own personally developed methodology and mechanics setup that I would like to share with players – new, veteran, or aspiring pro league players alike – in the hopes that some of or this whole key bindings setup will help improve players’ ability to outmatch their opponents in GW2 1v1’s and team fights.
First off I would like to note that this setup will be nearly impossible to operate without an adequate gaming mouse – preferably one with 12 buttons. I recommend the Logitech G600 which allows you to create multiple button mappings for different games you might also play and also provides a 3rd mouse click which works well with this setup. Any 12 button gaming mouse will do though.
Stage 1 / MOVEMENT
Forward – W
Backward – X (will explain further along; works well as a substitute for S)
Strafe Left – A
Strafe Right – D
Dodge – (will explain further along)
Autorun – Shift + W (can stop by pressing W again)
Walk – V (optional)
About Face – S (about face is necessary as an advanced movement, which makes it a key bind to prioritize before moving backwards)
Stage 2 / SKILLS (This is where having a 12 button gaming mouse is optimal)
I will explain these key bindings in a layout fashion starting with the left side being the column furthest from your wrist
First Column lll Second Column lll Third Column lll Fourth Column
(Free Space) lll (Heal/(F)5 = Shift + F3) lll (Weapon 5) lll (Weapon 4)
(Free Space) lll (F2/(F)4 =Shift+F2 ) lll (Dodge) lll (Weapon 3)
(Free Space) lll (F1/(F)3 = Shift + F1) lll (Weapon 1) lll (Weapon 2)
1. The idea is that Dodge is a vital key bind to your survivability and ability to avoid high damage spikes/crowd control hits which makes it a central key to have instant access to while you weapon skills/heal are intentionally mapped around your dodge – giving you immediate control over your defensive to offensive and offensive to defensive setup.
2. Profession Skill 1 = F1
Profession Skill 2 = F2
Profession Skill (F)3 = Shift + F1
Profession Skill (F)4 = Shift + F2
Profession Skill (F)5 = Shift + F3
Heal = F3
3. Swap Weapons = (`) <= the key next to the 1 key (with a Logitech G600, this would be bound to your 3rd mouse click next to the right click
Stow/Draw Weapons = Shift + (`)
The Stow/Draw Weapons is a highly advanced key bind in which it will allow you to interrupt you own skills that have cast times (and potentially long cooldowns such as your elites) preventing you from wasting skills that opponents might end up blocking or dodging, causing them to waste endurance instead while assuming you’ve casted your skill. This will also give you the advantage of deception over your opponent, making them think you’ve wasted a skill but in actuality you’ve simply forced them to make unnecessary movements; giving you time to reposition yourself for better placement or higher ground and saving your skill for a more secure hit/interrupt.
Stage 3 / TARGETING
Call Target – Mouse 3 (scroll click)
Take Target – T
Nearest Enemy – C (Closet)
Next Enemy – Left Alt
Stage 4 / USER INTERFACE
This is my personal setup outside of key bindings for combat
Black Lion… – B
Contacts -N
Guild – G
Hero – H
Inventory – I
Party – P
PvP Panel – J
PvP Build – K
Score -L
Information – O
Map – M
Enemy Names – Left Ctrl
Ranger Pet Combat – Z
Note that the shift key will be used in almost all situations during combat so it is vital that you get used to when and how to combine the shift key with other keys to ensure your using the right commands
I HOPE THIS SETUP HELPS TO GIVE YOU OR ANYONE WHO USES IT THE ADVANTAGE NEEDED IN TOP TEIR LEVEL PVP/WVW TO OVERCOME AND CRUSH YOUR OPPONENTS WITH SUPERIOR KEY CONTROL AND MECHANICS. THANK YOU FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PVP GUILD/ESL TEAM COME JOIN US IN DOGMATIC PRO SAVAGES (DPS) AND BUILD YOUR REPUTATION AS WE TAKE OVER THE GW2 ESL PRO LEAGUE SCENE.
(edited by IMAZUMI.3128)