Guild Wars 2

I just picked up this game and had an hour to play last night so I logged on made a character and got stuck at the name screen! I realize all names are unique across the game and I am pretty late to the party but all the names I tried where taken. I guess I am not a unique snowflake when it comes to names. Names are fairly important to me so I dot want to just slap together some silly words or be “Guy With Sword” tuning around.

What did you do when you saw your name was already in use? I also cannot some up with a rad surname that flows.

EDIT: I ended up not playing last night as I ony had an hour and failed to come up with a name.

Well, did you try changing the spelling a bit or adding a surname? If, for example, you wanted to use the name Varsch (random name) and it was taken, how about Varsche or Vaerch or Varsch Backstabber? Surely every variation wasn’t taken.

When that happens to me, I usually just keep trying with different names that I like… I will not, and have not, settled with names that I’m not fond of. Keep trying with name variations, combinations, etc. and it will work eventually. You may have to be a little more open to different names (don’t remain attached to only one) and you will find some. You can also look up name generators online.

If you have a specific class in mind, you can gear it towards that.

ex: Mesmer ? “Target Dummy”

If you really want to keep your character identity, you can add accents to specific letters (á, é, í, ó, ú, ü, etc).

Just note that capitalized characters will not be allowed to pass off as other characters mid-name

ex: cannot fake Illusion with 2 capitalized i’s in the middle

Changing the spelling a bit or adding a surname. Really at this point your best bet is to just come up with a two word name that you like, it doesn’t even have to feel like a surname, for example: Wall Flower. Titles work as well, for example you could name a thief Lanara The Illusive. Or for an Ele, Lanara Flameheart. Anyway, hope that helps get the creative juices flowing. Best of luck.

This hasn’t happened to me yet. True, I was in Betas and Headstart access, but I’ve never run into this problem in any mmo with a name reign on it.

I almost always throw a small, little accent word between two name words. zu, tal, tek, bal, etc… 2 or 3 letter words with no more than one vowel. its trope’d high fantasy naming at its most common, but it will get you playing the game.

I add a last name or a title.

Either choosing a last name or changing how you wanted to spell the name.
And if you are an asura there are lots of possibilities to easily change their names.
E.g. you wanted the name: Razor
You could end up with: Razzor, Razzzor, Razarr, Razz, Rezor, etc.

There are also some name generators out there you could try for more inspiration.
For example here: http://www.porfl.de/guildwars-namegenerator,en.html

I just created a silvari mesmer alt the other day, and had no problem with finding a single name.

I used an elven name generator, and the first name it came up with I liked and was not used.

Yeah try a name generator. Even if you don’t like the exact names it gives you, it can give you ideas for creating a new name.

I normally tweak the spelling a bit. Whether this works or not does depend on the name you’re using, I doubt anyone would ever know that I named my asura Xexxi because Xixxi was taken, (if I didn’t keep posting it on the forum) but if you call your character Daark Kniight it’s like hanging a sign around their neck saying “my name was taken”.

Alternatively adding a surname or title can work.

Or picking a name in a language that’s less likely to be used. I like using welsh, latin and quenyan but pretty much anything which can be Romanised without looking like a mess will work.

The only time it’s happened to me in recent memory I was able to add one letter while still preserving the name’s nuances. So “Altdrag Splitstack” became “Altdragg Splitstack.” The double g almost feels more Nornly, even.

I did make sure to leap into the early access the moment it opened and create my then five characters with planned names without even picking race and profession, just skipping to end and jamming in the name so I could later delete at my leisure and make them properly. That mattered most for my one-word characters, my Sylvari and Asura.

I’ve either been lucky or creative. I’ve never had issues getting a character name I liked in any MMO. I think the toughest one was naming my Worgen Rogue in WoW as from a long list of British first names I wanted almost all were taken, but I still ended up with a fine one. It’s a matter of getting more of a flavor of name in your mind than feeling locked into just one variant. Then you get something that fits the genre of the game and of the specific race/culture, and usually you’re the only one named that so people get to know you as you.

Most of my characters got the name that I wanted for them, but only because I spammed login the moment the game launched. I had back-up names in case some were taken, and that worked for the few that I couldn’t use their main name for.
Even so, it’s not too difficult coming up with an original name that isn’t taken yet. In a worst case scenario adding some sort of title or second name helps.

I don’t think i’ve ever had this issue but If i’m going for a particular sound I’ll use a name site for said ethnicity . So if im going for a Scandinavian sound i might do something like Karl Jorgerssen or Aså Haggberg

I make alternative versions.

• My usual username is Olba, but I think it was taken
• Olbaze is something I’ve used elsewhere and that’s what I use on my Warrior.
• My 2nd character is called Baeol, which is just taking “Olba”, making an anagram and adding in a letter (a la Kingdom Hearts 2)
• My 3rd character is called Olba Zemini, but he’s an Asura so it’s just a pun on him being “mini”
• My 4th character is called Olbazero, where I obviously filled in the suffix -ze to make a full word

All of my characters have surnames. I know players who keep the same surname for all their toons and just pick unique first names. Ie – Doug Soulreaper, Atlas Soulreaper, Eensie Soulreaper, etc.

With the ability to have multiple words, your options are near endless. Madhatter could be Mad Hatter which could be Mad At Her

One thing I liked about a couple other games was their random name generator (there’s that pesky RNG acronym again).
When I had a first name that I really wanted, I could just sit and click “randomize” to get a last name that I was comfortable and then stuck with that.
I have some character names that have stuck with me for years due to that. You get used to one, and then it becomes part of your character resources

I used a random name generator to inspire my names. I do have two characters with the same surname, “Darklady” I have one with name + “the Brave” and then another random name + surname. The final one was based off a book I read…the main character in the book is my first name, and the title of the book the last name Caitrin Heartsblood, if you’re curious. ;-)

I had made several toons with the last slot before I settled on Caitrin, and I have never once had a name that was taken. I’m almost skeptical that something else wasn’t the issue with your game than the name. It seems so unlikely that you could try THAT long with no success unless the names you picked are very short or very very common (popular characters/games/etc)?

At any rate, the suggestions above are about your best bet. Either try a variation, or you’re going to have to come up with something else. Random Name Generators are very useful; as someone said, you don’t necessarily have to go with what they pick, but it gives inspiration.

Good luck!!

i wanted Pokey for my warrior but settled on Golem