I see quite frequently on the forums, players who complain that earning gold is too difficult, or new players who aren’t sure what the best methods are. So, I figured I’d make a thread with some simple tips and tricks for making money in Guild Wars 2. If anybody has ideas to add, feel free.
1. Always keep a pick, axe, and sickle on hand. Never pass up a chance to harvest materials—ever! I’m not saying spend hours farming, oh no. But as you go your way in PvE or WvW, harvest every material you happen to pass by. Save these up, in addition to the materials you get off of monsters, and sell them out on the trading post every two months or so.
2. When you get gold weapons or exotics which you don’t want to use, sell them on the trading post. NEVER sell them to a merchant. Merchants will only give you a couple silver. The trading post can get you many times more money. Players are willing to pay a lot for gold and exotic items.
3. When you get salvageable items like jagged metal scraps, leather straps, and so-on, either salvage them or sell them on the trading post. Again, NEVER sell them to a merchant. You won’t get your money’s worth.
4. While we’re on the subject of the trading post, keep this in mind. When you sell, the option of “Sell to the highest buyer” is automatic. Don’t use this. You want to select the second option, “List at the price of the lowest seller”. You see, the lowest seller is selling at a higher price than the highest buyer wants to pay. If you give in to the highest buyer, you’re selling your item for cheap. By listing your items instead, you force the players to BUY FROM YOU at a higher price. Since demand is high, it usually only takes a few seconds to a few hours for someone to buy the item you listed.
5. On the other hand, when you want to buy something from the trading post, don’t just type in the item name and buy the first one you see. Instead, place an order for it at a lower price. This makes you one of the “highest buyers”. Luckily for you, there are plenty of people who don’t care to list their items. They’ll just insta-sell to you, the highest buyer. Therefore, you just got your item cheap. Yay.
6. Participate in your guild’s missions, rushes, and bounties. A successful one awards you with 50 silver, in addition to gold items which you can either use, or sell on the trading post for yet more money.
7. In PvE, do the events which pop up. The silver rewards for them do add up.
8. Consider dungeon runs. A dungeon completed in explorer mode offers substantial rewards.
9. Do your dailies and monthlies!
10. Work on your titles. For every 500 title points, you will be awarded with money and prizes.
11. Take advantage of the Living Story updates from day one! Living Stories often add temporary currencies for special items. An example would be the watchwork sprockets from Queen’s Jubilee. During the first few days of the Living Story, people are rushing madly to get these temporary currencies so they can get their item before time runs out. You should save yours up, and sell them on the trading post. Keep in mind though, demand goes down every passing day, so sell fast!
12. Be kind and helpful to everybody. On rare occasions, strangers have sent me small gifts of food or silver for helping them, or just talking with them during events or farming. You can’t expect this sort of thing to happen, but being nice can pay off in more ways than one.
13. Ask about your guild’s policy for the guild bank. Some guilds allow players to take out small amounts of money or items. Use this to your advantage, but for pity’s sake, Do Not Abuse It.
14. Do NOT buy gems lightly. Seriously, nothing is a bigger gold sink. Don’t fall for the cute hats and minipets—it’s a fad you’ll get sick of. After a few weeks, you won’t even remember to take your minipet out, and you’ll realize your animal hat looks terrible. If the gem store comes out with an armor or weapon you absolutely love, and intend to use for years to come, then go ahead. But be wise—the gem store is intent on reducing you to poverty!
