Guild Wars 2

I have put a lot of thought into this when I find my self in combat of running around…. When I watch people on YouTube it seems they use way different controls. So I need advise from a guild wars 2 expert. I move and fight using w,a,s,d to move and mouse to hit attunements and skills, but my friend says he uses mouse to move and keyboard to attack 1,2,3,4 ect. And I see people on YouTube moving the camera ALL the time. That being said….. I am taking any advise on movement, combat system, and combat and movement controls…..

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

As for skills, I have most mapped to buttons on my mouse which means I maintain more control over fine movements as my fingers aren’t off s, a and d as much. I have remapped other commands to be on keys easily accessed by my thumb or little finger, again this means my left hand rarely leaves its place on the keyboard.

I can’t imagine clicking a skill on screen to activate it, especially if its an aoe that you then need to aim and click again. Before playing GW2 my gaming experience was largely console based and I had no idea how to mouse turn, remap keys, kite, etc. Some of them were steeper learning curves than others but it all feels very natural to me now.

I hope you find some tips and tricks that help you feel more in control.

Some of the (arguable) advantage may come from these players’ use of a mmo mouse like the Logitech G600 or Razer Naga. The G600 (I use it) has 12 buttons at the thumb, which I set for skills 6-0, F1-F4, and call/select target. I also use the third far mouse button for dodge since your idle ring finger rests on it. Keep in mind I could already comfortably reach #1-6 and F1-F4, but I got the mouse to reduce strain and well… be lazy :P

Anywho, lots of people here have posted rather elaborate changes to the keybinds in the past, so I’ll wait for them to chime in. Usually keybind setups (at least to me) that others provide will need to be tweaked a bit to fit your style. In the meantime, you may want to simply experiment on your own by rebinding keys near your hand used to move that are currently idle.

I use right mouse button to turn and left mouse target/click on NPCs. I use tab to cycle targets but I try not to use it in some areas where there passive mobs/inanimate objects that can be targeted as this makes it too easy in a fight with several mobs to accidentally tag a trash mob. I use W for forward movement/dodge forward, S for walk backwards/dodge back by double clicking it, a and d to strafe double click for right left dodge. Space bar for jump.

I have two buttons in the middle of the left/right mouse buttons that I bind for skills. I have two buttons by my thumb. I use the furthest for weapon swap so it isn’t as likely I accidentally click it. The closest one I bind usually to the #2 skill because I use it more and that skill in many professions/weapon sets usually has a shorter cool down and for me is typical the skill I use more often than skill 1.

I bind other important skills to V,B,Q,E,R so they are close to the keys I use to move/dodge. I generally use the R key for my heal so it is less likely for me to press accidentals and burn a heal when I don’t need it. I keep skills with longer cool downs that I use less on 1-9, function keys.

Generally I have to remap some keys depending on the profession. This gets me in trouble at times if I forget to do so, but I generally figure it out fast. However I think the best plan is to play around with your keybinds to see what works best for you.

I agree with others that some of the players making these videos are probably using advance gaming mice that have many more buttons that a typical mouse.

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

With default key-binds you can double tap ‘s’. This works for all directional dodges.

Killing Joke.4371:

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

With default key-binds you can double tap ‘s’. This works for all directional dodges.

Yip, just remember to turn it off when doing a jumping puzzle

My controls depend a lot bout what character I’m playing. I’m also using a logitech G510 and a razor naga. So for all skills and for walking/control key’s I have atleast 3 options. I have learned myself to master them all and I acutally switch between the,. This not only elevates my control skills up, but it also gives me some very good anti-rsi solutions.

I think most people who have been playing for any length of time have come up with a custom keyboard/mouse bind set-up and I doubt any two are identical. But broadly speaking most of those players are probably using the right mouse button to move the camera and the keyboard (or mouse buttons) to activate skills rather than clicking on them. Probably using the keyboard to move as well, although holding down both mouse buttons works too (you run in the direction the camera is pointing and turn it with the mouse). It would probably take some time to get used to that if you’re currently used to doing it the other way around but it’s worth giving it a try.

I also recommend remembering that you can re-bind almost every command to any key on your keyboard and depending on your mouse to the mouse buttons too. It will take some trial and error to find a set-up you like but it’s well worth doing.

The way I do it is to try and look out for things I find awkward or unintuitive. There’s some controls I never even think about, I’m barely aware of pushing a button at all, I just think what I want to do and do it. Those are the good ones. Then there’s ones where I find myself constantly struggling to remember which key it is, or always hitting the wrong one. When that happens I stop and ask myself – what do I expect? Where do I think that control should be? Why is it so awkward and what would make it easier?

Sometimes it’s obvious. I use w, q and e to move in jump puzzles and because I’m left-handed trying to hit those keys and the space bar is really awkward, so I looked at where my hand was sitting and which keys were in reach and moved jump to \. Other times it’s less obvious and more of a “eureka!” moment. Like when I was at work and happened to look at my number pad and suddenly realised if I moved my skill keys there it would be much easier to find them all.

Killing Joke.4371:

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

With default key-binds you can double tap ‘s’. This works for all directional dodges.

Hehe, I know how I dodge backwards (I use s+v), but I wanted to know how Lexy does, seeing how he/she is using s to move forward and turning around to run the other way is way too slow, mouse or no mouse.

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Hehe, I know how I dodge backwards (I use s+v), but I wanted to know how Lexy does, seeing how he/she is using s to move forward and turning around to run the other way is way too slow, mouse or no mouse.

I am currently out of country and as such can’t login though I believe there is a keybind found under movement controls called ‘About face’ or some such that you can bind to what suits you. It should spin you around.

edit I should add some class/weapon combinations have skills that allow you to fire whilst about-facing your target and some classes can be built for more endurance/dodge therefor able to simply dodge out of range more often instead of turning around. It’s a double edged sword – Turn around and you mostly can’t attack, walk backwards is slower yet you can deal damage.

I spent a long time refining my layout:
left mouse button + move cursor = look in any direction (moves screen, but doesn’t change where I’m facing)
right mouse button + move cursor = aim in any direction (moves screen, and changes which direction I’m facing)
mouse side button 1 = first weapon skill (the one you use the most)
mouse side button 2 = dodge
D = move forward
S and F = strafe left and right
QWER = weapon skills 2-4
T = swap weapons
A = elite
G = heal
ZXC = utility skills
Shift = interact/pickup
Tab = target nearest mob
Space = jump
1234 = profession skills (mesmer = shatters)

it’s focused around having as much as possible within 1 key distance from both hands
no move back – just turn sideways and strafe! it’s faster.
that music minigame during wintersday was impossible, but I just reset everything to 1-0, then switch back afterwards.

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Hehe, I know how I dodge backwards (I use s+v), but I wanted to know how Lexy does, seeing how he/she is using s to move forward and turning around to run the other way is way too slow, mouse or no mouse.

When you stand still and hit the dodge key, the default direction is away from your target, and if no target is selected it’s backwards. That’s probably it if I had to guess.

being a lefty I like to have my mouse on the left side of the KB so using the letter keys is uncomfortable. I have placed my movement keys to the number pad and is much more manageable. You can customize your keys in the options area.

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

I double tap the directional keys (wasd)

I use WASD as well, main difference is I set A and D for Strafe. I Always have my finger on the RMB virtually all the time so I can adjust camera angles constantly. Keys 1-5 are for my weap skills, Utility skills are a different set of keys though,

Q – Skill 7
E – Elite
Z- Skill 8
X – Heal
C – Skill 9

It’s a bit unorthodox but thats what works for me! Hope this helps

I use wasd to move, q and e to turn, although i neer turn like that in combat.
I use 12345 for weapon skills and f1 f2 f3 f4 for profession mechanics.
Z C and a mouse button on the side for utilities, another mouse button for healing.
X for dodge…
I have the option that enables free camera movement (so it doesnt reset) urned on, i usually turn the camera with the left mouse button, i change moving direction by just pressing ritht mouse once.
And thats about it i guess.

Lexy.3912:

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

I double tap the directional keys (wasd)

But further up you said you were using ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. Are you using “w” for backwards, then?

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

Lexy.3912:

Personally I hold down my right mouse button and use ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. As holding down the right mouse button basically controls the camera, most of the time I am using my mouse to determine the path of my character by moving the camera. My character is always running in a straight line and I turn the world around them to point them where they need to go.

Out of interest,

how do you move (and dodge) backwards?

I double tap the directional keys (wasd)

But further up you said you were using ‘a’ and ‘d’ as strafe controls for direction and ‘s’ for forward motion. Are you using “w” for backwards, then?

Whoops, sorry that’s me not bothering to proof read what I write!

I use ‘w’ for forward motion, ‘s’ for back and double tap whichever wasd key I need to dodge in a given direction. ‘x’ is turn about face, but to be honest I mouse turn most of the time as it is fast. Sorry for the confusion, I will pay more attention next time

Haha, no worries. Now it makes more sense. I was seriously confused.

I learned to turn off double tap when I started doing jumping puzzles – I’m now more comfortable with the ‘v’ key.