Guild Wars 2

Greetings all,

I am looking at having to delete my character that I started just after Release in order to change professions. I only ever play one character (other than some alts to pick up the achievements from the other stories) and I want to keep my name. I actually asked ArenaNet support if I could get a profession change item in the Gem Store, but they apparently had not thought of such a thing.

So, having explained that I have a couple of questions:

1. Once I delete my level 80 character, how long before I can re-claim my name on my new one?

2. I was never much of a power-leveler and did most of my leveling back just after release, so how long am I looking at getting my new profession back up to level 80 in order to participate in the Living Story episodes? Do any of you have any good ideas for getting up in levels? I know about crafting and such and have stored many materials to use on my new profession.

3. Has anyone else had to re-start and do you have any advice or information for me?

Many thanks in advance.

You can reuse the name inmediatly, but I would suggest do not deleting it, and just having some kind of surname added to your name character (for example, if you first char is called ABCD, make the new one ABCD II or somehting)

If you delete it, you will lose that char for anniversary purposes, is the char time that counts, not the account time

If you want to play a different character with the (exact) same name, this is still possible without deleting the character. Only slightly more expensive.

- Buy a Name Change Contracts from the Gemstore.
- Use the first Name Change Contract to change your main character’s name to something else. (For example, change “ABCD” to “ABCD the Elder”)
- Create a new character, and give it the name you prefer. It will remain reserved for your account for 24 hours.

Once you delete the character the name is reserved for 24 hours.

Also before you delete them check, double check and triple check that you’ve unequipped everything they have. Anything account bound should go into your bank so it can be re-used. Anything soulbound should be salvaged or sold.

Even if it’s something you don’t want to keep and isn’t worth salvaging (or selling) unequip it anyway to make it easier to spot things you’ve forgotten.

Once you think you’ve got it all do a final check. Mouse over every single slot on the equipment panel and every single slot in their inventory to make sure you’ve taken everything. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve deleted temporary characters who I never allow to hold anything truly important and then kicked myself because they had something I wanted to keep.

(Fortunately any account unlocks like skins and dyes and ‘intangible’ items like gold and tokens in your wallet are saved automatically even if you delete all your characters.)

Jornophelanthas.1475:

If you want to play a different character with the (exact) same name, this is still possible without deleting the character. Only slightly more expensive.

- Buy a Name Change Contracts from the Gemstore.
- Use the first Name Change Contract to change your main character’s name to something else. (For example, change “ABCD” to “ABCD the Elder”)
- Create a new character, and give it the name you prefer. It will remain reserved for your account for 24 hours.

Solid advice, thumbs up.

Don’t delete this character if there is any chance you may come back and play it again. Leveling was a lot easier before the April 14 patch. Now all traits are locked and leveling will take a lot longer and not be as much fun. If any of your “mule” alts is the right profession do several name changes so you don’t have to slog through the new leveling process. If none of your mules are the right profession and you don’t have an empty character slot delete one of those lower level characters and do the name changes.

Why would you delete a LVL 80 if you have open character slots and are planning an entirely new profession?

If it’s JUST the name, buy a name change contract, use it on the existing LVL 80 and then create the new character with the old 80s name. You end up with what you want for the new character AND retain the LVL 80 as a backup or mule.

The only time I can see needing to delete higher level character is if you want a different RACE of the same profession and don’t want multiple toons of the same profession.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone.

I have looked into the name change contract and I might reconsider it. I originally had dismissed the idea as my current profession is really only good in PvE and I was looking for a profession I could play well in all modes and aspects of the game. I usually only play one character, and having one that I could play well in all modes of the game would make the level 80 redundant.

I really don’t have any mules. I have one other character I was running through the Norn story to get the achievement and will create a Sylvari to do the same thing. Other than that I really only ever have the one character that I play. The reason for my choosing to start over is to create a profession that I can play well in PvP and PvE.

Really great advice and responses though and I will think about what everyone has posted.

Thanks.

Alts that are not being used actively can sit at a jumping puzzle treasure chest and each day open the chest. Higher level characters get higher level loot in general (not sure about treasure chests). If they do and you plan to park your unused character at a treasure chest then a level 80 would be best.

Michaeas Magister.1589:

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone.

The reason for my choosing to start over is to create a profession that I can play well in PvP and PvE.

You may want to look at just making one of each class. When they do a balance pass things can shift around. What if the new class gets a nerf in one area? Are you going to delete it again and pick the new class that currently at top?

simplesimon.2084:

Michaeas Magister.1589:

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone.

The reason for my choosing to start over is to create a profession that I can play well in PvP and PvE.

You may want to look at just making one of each class. When they do a balance pass things can shift around. What if the new class gets a nerf in one area? Are you going to delete it again and pick the new class that currently at top?

Great advice. I’m not a competitive player, so I like to tell people to play what they enjoy, but even as a competitive player, you never know when things are going to shift.

Michaeas Magister.1589:

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone.

<snip>

Really great advice and responses though and I will think about what everyone has posted.

Thanks.

Perfect response, OP. You’ve thanked everyone for their time, complimented their contributions, and graciously reminded us all that, in the end, it’s up to you to decide what will make the game the most fun for you.

Good luck and may your drops always be above-average in quality.

simplesimon.2084:

Michaeas Magister.1589:

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone.

The reason for my choosing to start over is to create a profession that I can play well in PvP and PvE.

You may want to look at just making one of each class. When they do a balance pass things can shift around. What if the new class gets a nerf in one area? Are you going to delete it again and pick the new class that currently at top?

Thanks for the response. I actually had thought of this, but as I don’t have a lot of time to play at the moment, I really just wanted one profession that I could learn very well and excel with in PvE and PvP. The whole “buff/nerf” effects of balance passes are not really the issue, it is more along the lines of the philosophy that ArenaNet has for the Guardian. While it can play in PvP, it really can only do so effectively as a bunker. And as was demonstrated in the Tournament of Legends 2, there are now professions (Elementalist, Necromancer, Engineer, Warrior, Ranger) who can bunker as effectively as a Guardian and still be able to kill people.

I think the light finally clicked for me when I read this post https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/guardian/How-to-be-a-nuisance/first#post4357218 which had a clip where Jonathan Sharp outlined their views on just what the Guardian is supposed to be in PvP. I was hoping this balance pass would help a bit with the role of the Guardian in PvP, but we still really only have two choices. We can build as a bunker where we cannot kill anyone but can be of great help to others, or we can build for burst and hope that the opposing player does not know how to dodge or kite.

Redenaz.8631:

Great advice. I’m not a competitive player, so I like to tell people to play what they enjoy, but even as a competitive player, you never know when things are going to shift.

Yes, I do believe it does come down to this advice here. While I do enjoy my Guardian in PvE, I just do not enjoy the support only or “burst with some luck” choices I currently have for the profession in PvP. Hence why I was asking about starting over. I may still just look at the name change option in case ArenaNet changes their mind about the way they want the Guardian to play, but after two years of basically the same options I am not very hopeful.

Thanks again for all the great input.