Guild Wars 2

This is a compilation of FAQ in the tech support forum. This is a work-in-progress. If you have additional questions with solutions post in this thread and I will incorporate them in the list.

Part 1: Asking Questions
—Part 1.1 Basic troubleshooting
—Part 1.2 Providing troubleshoot information

Part 2: Hardware Recommendations
—Part 2.1: Minimum System Requirements.
—Part 2.2: Determining what hardware to get.
—Part 2.3: Popular Hardware Components

Part 3: Game Installation/Patch
—Part 3.1 How big is Guild Wars 2?
—Part 3.2 How can I backup Guild Wars 2?
—Part 3.3 Download failed! Please check connection
—Part 3.4 Installer closes
—Part 3.5 Stuck at 0% KB/s
—Part 3.6 Shader Model 3.0 Hardware Msg
—Part 3.7 Download fails at second to last file
—Part 3.8 Fatal Error: Fatal disk-error
—Part 3.9 Bought gw2 digital copy. Can I resume download later?
—Part 3.10 GW2 launches, but I can’t load game.
—Part 3.11 Bought the GW2 DVD, but it still requires over 75k file to be downloaded?
—Part 3.12 gw2setup client download 10308 kb and stops, won’t install.
—Part 3.13 Client is downloading very slow.
—Part 3.14 Fatal error (3): Failed to commit memory from the OS (code 1455)
—Part 3.15 Disk-error (1450) on read

Part 4: FPS Performance
—Part 4.1 Why is my FPS low?
—Part 4.2 What is CPU/GPU Bottlenecking?
—Part 4.3 Bottleneck Misconception
—Part 4.4 GW2 is very CPU-Bound, so how do I fix it?
—Part 4.5 I upgrade to a better GPU but why is my FPS low?
—Part 4.6 I play other games fine then why is GW2 performance so bad?
—Part 4.7 FPS drop with contact list or UI window open?
—Part 4.8 Why is AMD performance bad with GW2 and not optimized like INTEL?
—Part 4.9 What kind of system would run GW2 with good FPS?
—Part 4.10 FPS drop with recent patch?
—Part 4.11 Performance is horrible, why are the developer not fixing this!!!??
—Part 4.12 Stutter and FPS drop when turning camera
—Part 4.13 Why do i get low FPS in WvWvW or Cities?

Part 5: Crashes
—Part 5.1 General Crash Troubleshooting
—Part 5.2 Out of Memory Crash
—Part 5.3 Computer/Laptop shuts down while playing
—Part 5.4 Crashing in FOTM
—Part 5.5 c0000005 crash
—Part 5.6 Assertion: A file was corrupted in the archive. “MainCli.cpp”

Part 6: Error Codes
—Part 6.1 Error code lists
—Part 6.2 Error code 7

Part 7: Others
—Part 7.1 Bright white artifact/textures glitch
—Part 7.2 No game audio
—Part 7.3 Black screen
—Part 7.4 Network Lag & high ping times
—Part 7.5 Missing Mouse Cursor
—Part 7.6 Wierd beeping sounds
—Part 7.7 Tile lines on floor
—Part 7.8 Odd foreign characters in-game texts
—Part 7.9 How do I check my ping/latency time? Is there an in-game command?

(Placeholder for future content)

Part 1: Before Asking Questions

Part 1.1 Basic troubleshooting

• Disable/Configure Antivirus/Firewall
• Disable UAC
• Run as Admin
• Delete Local.dat and/or gw2.tmp
• Clear GW2 from window’s temp directory
• Update Windows to lastest service pack and patch.
• Update/Repair DirectX
• Run windows in clean boot mode
• run -repair and/or -image command
• update graphic drivers directly from manufacturer website.
• Defrag hard drive if not using SSD
• Disable SPI on router and open ports 80, 433, 6112, 6000
• View Game advisor results or -diag command

Part 1.2 Providing troubleshoot information
Before asking questions please read the FAQ and try searching the forum.

When asking for help or questions provide the following:

• Detailed description of your problem. Provide error codes, screenshots and/or logs.
• Steps taken in attempt to troubleshoot the problem.
• Detailed system specifications or better yet the log generated from game advisor.

Part 2: Hardware Recommendations

Part 2.1: Minimum System Requirements.
Official Minimum System Requirements by Anet

• Don’t expect good gaming performance when looking at minimum system requirements. These are the bare min to run the game.
• The RAM requirement is not total system ram, but actually “FREE” available ram.
• CPU (Processor) or GPU (graphic) Model numbers can be misleading. Higher numbers does not always mean better. To get an idea of where your current model rank among over the min requirements look at these charts. CPU and GPU

Part 2.2: Determining what hardware to get.
There are no official recommended system requirements for GW2. So here is a rough guide line of what to expect.

>> CPU Chart <<
Get the best CPU on that chart you can afford. GW2 is very CPU-Bound, meaning performance is heavily reliant on CPU power. This chart applies to both desktop and laptop. (Laptop CPU will have “M” suffix in their model name. “QM” stand for quadcore mobile. )

Score of

• 750 :Minimum requirement (Enough just to do simple questing in PVE)
• 1250 :Decent (Enough to do some Instances/sPVP)
• 2000 :Excellent (Optimal to do everything, including large events/WvWvW)

>> GPU Chart <<
Get the best GPU on that chart you can afford. Don’t get too powerful of a GPU the extra performance will be lost due to CPU-bottleneck(see Part 4.2). A general rule of thumb is to get a GPU that is prices closely to the cost of the CPU you own. (Laptop GPU will have “M” suffix in their model name.)

Score of

• 350+ :Minimum, lowest graphic settings
• 1000+ : low/medium
• 1500+ : medium/high
• 2500+ : high
• 3500+ : Max setting

Part 2.3: Popular Hardware Components
CPU: Intel 2500K, 3570K, 3770K, | AMD 8320, 8120
GPU: GTX 560ti/660ti/670/680, Radeon 6970, 7870,7950,7970

Look at this >>thread<< to see what other people are using in their system & their FPS results. Go add/post your own results to the list.

Here is an example of a complete build that is able to handle everything GW2 throws at it and keep 30+ FPS at all times. Most important component is the CPU and then next is the GPU, everything else is whatever fits you.

Part 3: Game Installation/Patch

Part 3.1 How big is Guild Wars 2?

• Fully Installed ~15GB

Part 3.2 How can I backup Guild Wars 2?

• Just copy the entire Guild Wars 2 folder where you installed it to your backup source. The default installation path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Guild Wars 2
• GW2.dat is the important file. It contains all the game files compressed into a large 15GB file.
• It is a good idea to have a backup copy in case GW2 gets corrupted via a patch for HD failure.

Part 3.3 Download failed! Please check connection (see thread)

• Disable UAC
• Disable Antivirus/Malware tools
• Run as Admin
• Change default ISP DNS to google or opendns or namebench
• Open router ports
• Check firewall settings on router
• Disable router SPI feature.
• Winsock reset
• Run game advisor and look at the trace route.

Part 3.4 Installer closes (see thread)

• Make sure Windows is updated
• Make sure Video drivers updated
• Make sure your system meets the requirements (See Part 2)

Part 3.5 Stuck at 0% KB/s (see thread)

• Same steps at Part 3.3
• Check file/folder permissions
• Try -timeout command (See thread)
• Computers that don’t meet the system requirements can also see this behavior.

Part 3.6 Shader Model 3.0 Hardware Msg

• Your graphic card is out of date and not meeting system requirements. (See Part 2.1)

Part 3.7 Download fails at second to last file (see thread)

• Change default ISP DNS to google or opendns or namebench
• Try running GW2 in compatibly mode

Part 3.8 Fatal Error: Fatal disk-error

• do a chkdsk to see if your HD is corrupted or damaged.

Part 3.9 Bought gw2 digital copy. Can I resume download later?

• Yes. It will resume later if you exit the client and open again later. The % progress might not update immediately, but as long as your GW2.dat file is still growing in size then its still resuming.

Part 3.10 GW2 launches, but I can’t load game. (see thread)

• Delete local.dat file

Part 3.11 Bought the GW2 DVD, but it still requires over 75k file to be downloaded?

• The DVD is the copy from initial launch, since then there has been many patches/updates. 75K files to download is normal. A full game installation is about 225k files.

Part 3.12 gw2setup client download 10308 kb and stops, won’t install. (see thread)

• Update video drivers, windows OS & directx (see Part 1.1 for instruction)
• It won’t install if system is below minimum requirement or missing dependancies. Sometimes it gives no msg or warning and just exits.
• try steps in Part 3.3 above

Part 3.13 Client is downloading very slow.

• Make sure your internet bandwidth is working properly. Test it with sites like speedtest.net
• Your local ISP might be using a local cache of the files or routing to a congested CDN. Try using an alternative DNS.
• Change default ISP DNS to google or opendns
• Namebench is another way to determine the best DNS to use.

Part 3.14 Fatal error (3): Failed to commit memory from the OS (code 1455)

• Means there is not enough ram or pagefile setup to run GW2. Free up more ram, buy more ram, or increase pagefile size.

Part 3.15 Disk-error (1450) on read

• Free up hard drive space. (See thread)

Part 4: FPS Performance
This section will be a downsize summarization of this thread created previously regarding FPS performance.

Part 4.1 Why is my FPS low?

• Your system might not meet the minimum requirements. (See Part 2.1)
• Update your drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website. (Instructions here)
• Check your CPU/GPU for temperatures using tools like HwINFO, Process Explorer, MSI After Burner (formerly rivatuner) , GPU-Z, CPU-Z . Blow out dust and check fans if it is too hot (e.g over 70C)
• Make sure your GPU is using the correct PCI-E bus speed. Should be x16 for most.
• Check your CPU utilization and for background task/process stealing cycles.
• Disable Vertical Sync, if you can’t get consistent 60FPS+ or try windowed fullscreen mode.
• Check your ATI Catalyst/Nvidia Control panel settings (instruction)
• You have a CPU or GPU bottleneck (See Part 4.2 below)
• CPU with Hyperthread, check for core parking.
• Lower resolution/settings if your GPU is the bottleneck
• Lower “shadows” and “reflection” settings if your CPU is bottleneck, these two settings are the biggest CPU hoggers and will affect FPS greatly, or upgrade/overclock the CPU.

Part 4.2 What is CPU/GPU Bottlenecking?

• CPU bottleneck occurs when the CPU is too slow and unable to provide the GPU with adequate instructions. When this happens the GPU will have low %usage, while the CPU will be maxed out.
• There is a general misconception that the GPU or graphic card is what determines the FPS performance. What most people don’t realize is that the CPU is just as important. FPS = CPU + GPU.
• Often people would buy powerful GPU and pair it with a weak CPU and start to wonder why their FPS doesn’t change.
• Conversely the GPU can be the bottleneck when it can’t handle the data given by the CPU. You will see GPU usage at 99%-100%.

Part 4.3 Bottleneck Misconception

My CPU can’t be bottlenecked. It’s usage is not 100%

• This occurs in system with Multi-core CPU. GW2 main thread will operate on one core maxing it out, while the other core waits on it. GW2 effectively only use 2-3 cores to it’s potential on system with Quad core or higher. Because of this you will never see 100% usage.

But, none of my CPU cores are fully loaded

• What you are seeing in task manager is an average over time of the core’s usage. Threads work in short micro burst. So the core can be 100% loaded but appear to be less. Also, the OS will dynamically bounce thread work load around to different cores.
• To get a better measure, you need to look at the per-thread CPU usage using tools like ProcessExplorer
• GW2 actually uses about 50 threads, and uses every core. However, GW2 only has 3 threads that puts a large load on the CPU. One of those thread will be at a % just under 100/#core. (e.g 25% for quadcore) Most likely that thread is the main game loop coordinating everything.
• Example: Quad core system. Each core should handle 25% cpu usage. There will be a GW2 thread on a core which has usage of near 25%, this is your bottlenecking thread holding everything down. http://i.imgur.com/L0Pom.png
• Alternatively, you can test by disabling one of your CPU core. The result will be zero impact on FPS assuming you have 3+ cores, because GW2 only effectively have 3 threads actually using CPU load.

Part 4.4 GW2 is very CPU-Bound, so how do I fix it?

GW2 was built on a heavily modified GW1 engine and is not fully optimized as people would hoped it be. The game currently is very CPU-bound and rely heavily on single-thread performance. There are only two options to go about.

1. Wait for Anet to optimized their code to utilize multi-core more effeciently
2. Get a better CPU or overclock to conpensate.

Currently, WvWvW is the most demanding part of GW2. In heavy battles FPS for most people will tank considerably. ATM, people with overclocked Core i5 2nd gen to 4.4ghz+ will still get FPS that drops to 30. Even the best consumer cpu on the market overclocked isn’t able to get steady 60fps.

Part 4.5 I upgrade to a better GPU but why is my FPS low?

• Make sure your GPU was actually an upgrade. Higher numbers don’t always mean better performance. (See part 2.1-2.2)
• Clean your previous drivers out before installing the new one.
• Check driver game profiles
• Check if GPU card was seated correctly and at the right bus speed.
• Follow part 4.1 steps

Part 4.6 I play other games fine then why is GW2 performance so bad?

• Every game is made differently. Some games require a lot of calculations and rely on the CPU more. This is called CPU-bounded games & FPS will be dictated by the speed of the CPU. Other games will require fewer calculations and the GPU is the determining factor of FPS.
• Check for bottleneck (See Part 4.2-4.3)
• Check your driver game profiles

Part 4.7 FPS drop with contact list or UI window open?

• Gw2 appears to use Adobe Flash for UI. Some users have issues with fps drops, but not everyone. Try updating flash for Internet Explorer and/or your browser of choice. Also try disabling hardware acceleration for flash
• Try removing flash and shockewave.

Part 4.8 Why is AMD performance bad with GW2 and not optimized like INTEL?

• AMD CPU in general perform much worst than INTEL in terms of single-thread performance which GW2 relies on a lot. See CPU chart
• Some AMD CPU like bulldozer is not optimized with the OS like in Windows7, but is said to be fixed in Win8. (See this)

Part 4.9 What kind of system would run GW2 with good FPS?

• See Part 2.2-2.3

Part 4.10 FPS drop with recent patch?

1. Try deleting the Local.Dat file, it contains game settings and etc. It will recreate it self. On Windows7 it is located at C:\Users\Username\Documents\Guild Wars 2
2. Try -repair command line among other ones listed here. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments
3. Check for disk fragmentation or antivirus conflicts
4. Check to see if your GPU bus speed is correct. Use tools like GPU-Z to view.
5. Reboot your machine
6. Drivers might need updating.
7. GW2 patch it self might have bugs, await for fix.

Part 4.11 Performance is horrible, why are the developer not fixing this!!!??
They are aware of the issue and working on it. There was a Reddit AMA where the programmers addressed the issue.

1. Question 1: CPU Opti­miza­tion
2. Question 2: CPU Opti­miza­tion 2
3. Question 3: Are there any plans to improve the per­for­mance on AMD systems?
4. Question 4: Regard­ing DX11 support
5. Question 5: DirectX and OpenGL
6. Question 6: WvWvW Culling issues
7. in-depth view of the programming side of GW2

Part 4.12 Stutter and FPS drop when turning camera

• If you are using gtx 660ti/670/680 some users report this issue with the 306.97-310.90 and found rolling back to 306.23 solved the issue. (thread)
• Loading new map for the first time will cause camera stutter while the game is being processed. A quick spin around will resolve it.
• CPU might be overwhelmed by shadows and reflection graphic settings.
• PCI-E bus might not be running at x16

Part 4.13 Why do i get low FPS in WvWvW or Cities?

• WvWvW is the most demanding aspect of GW2 in terms of CPU power and similarly so for large cities like Lion’s Arch. Even the best CPU available on the market to consumer overclocked are still bottlenecked today. (See Part 4.2 above)
• Developers do recognize this, and want to change it. See Part 4.11 above to see their explanation and plans for optimization.
• For reference a i5-3570k overclocked to 4.4Ghz will still get 30-40fps during very large zerg/battles.
• GW2 performance is very single thread/core dependent (CPU Bound). Having more cores won’t help. (See Part 4.3 above)

Part 5: Crashes

Part 5.1 General Crash Troubleshooting

• BSOD is often caused by driver issues or system stability
• Update drivers or maybe even rolling back to previous version
• Update windows
• Stress test your system using Prime95, Memtest86, OCCT, Furmark and 3dmarks11 in continuous loops; try running all of them at once to put as much load.
• Check your CPU/GPU for temperatures using tools like HwINFO, Process Explorer, MSI After Burner (formerly rivatuner) , GPU-Z, CPU-Z . Blow out dust and check fans if it is too hot (e.g over 70C)
• 3rd party Application can also cause errors. Especially ones that use overlays.
• Run chkdsk on the hard drive

Part 5.2 Out of Memory Crash
Example log:

This crash is due to limitations of the Windows 32bit architecture’s . Virtually Window will give applications 2gb and reserve 2gb for it’s kernel. When GW2 starts going past 2gb limit by loading textures etc it will crash. Lowering graphic settings will prolong the time before a crash.

There are three options to fix this.

1. Wait for Anet to fix their code to work within the limits of 32bit
2. Upgrade to Windows 64bit
3. Try /3GB switch workaround method. This has it’s drawback, but for most users it should be fine.

Part 5.3 Computer/Laptop shuts down while playing

• This is a hardware issue. Could be due to either CPU/GPU/PowerSupply etc. Can be either Heat or stability issues. Many causes, but the auto shutdown is a safety mechanism to prevent damage.

Part 5.4 Crashing in FOTM (see thread)

• Enable AoE effect circle in graphic option. Disabling seems to causes crashes

Part 5.5 c0000005 crash
This crash is often due to driver issues, overlays interfering like mumble or afterburner and hardware problem with the GPU.

Try

• Updating drivers or maybe even rolling back to previous version.
• Disable overlays.
• Underclocking GPU
• Change graphic settings in Radeon Cataylst or Nvidia control panel.
• Update/repair directx in some cases helps.
• Try unplugging all USB peripherals devices like (Logitech USB headset) see thread

The filename in the “Module” often gives a clue where the crash is occurring.
Example:

Module: RTSSHooks.dll

• Nvidia driver 310.70, Updating to it will cause c0000005 RTSSHooks.dll crashes when MSI Afterburner v2.3.0 overlay is enabled prior to loading gw2 map.

• Work around is to disable overlay prior to entering gw2 (you can enable it back after loading in) or Enable “compatibility with modified Direct 3D runtime libraries” with the OSD server properties.

Part 5.6 Assertion: A file was corrupted in the archive. File: ..\..\..\Game\Main\MainCli.cpp
Run Memtest86+ and test your ram for errors. GW2 reads compressed information and must be uncompressed in ram. Other games might run fine without compression.
(see thread)

Part 6: Error Codes

Part 6.1 Error code lists

• http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Error_code

Part 6.2 Error code 7 (See Thread)

• Numerous source for the cause, see this thread.

Part 7: Others

Part 7.1 Bright white artifact/textures glitch

• Nvidia 310.70 has some issues, 306.97 would fix it. (see thread)

Part 7.2 No game audio (see thread)

• make sure windows volume for gw2 is not muted or low.

Part 7.3 Black screen

• Caused by many reasons
• Disable router SPI
• Overheating GPU can cause this
• Disable IGMP Proxying (see thread)
• If there is no option to disable SPI or all else fails, try DMZ. (Warning: this exposes you to the internet with no protection)
• Check internet connection
• Frame limiting might help
• Some ISP will cause this issue
• Adjust settings Nvidia/AMD-ATI
• Disable factory overclock and/or underclock the GPU
• Play in fullscreen windowed mode.
• Disable overlays like Fraps/MSI afterburner OSD. (see thread)
• View this long thread for on the issue.

Part 7.4 Network Lag & high ping times

• Use game advisor and look at trace route. See where the ping spikes
• Use pingplotter to analyze latency & packet drops to the server over time.
• Try gaming VPN like WTFast or Battleping. Free 20min trial to test.
• See this thread for more.

Part 7.5 Missing Mouse Cursor (see thread)

1. Click on the Windows start button.
2. Select ‘Control Panel’.
3. For Windows XP: Double-click on the Mouse icon.
4. For Windows 7 and Vista: Click on ‘Hardware and Sound’ then select ‘Mouse’.
5. Go to the ‘Pointer Options’ tab and look for the ‘Visibility’ section.
6. In the ‘Visibility’ section, un-check the box next to ‘Display pointer trails’.
7. Click on OK.

Part 7.6 Wierd beeping sounds(see thread)

• Adjust sound quality settings up or down as word around. Known but that dev have not fixed.

Part 7.7 Tile lines on floor (see thread)

• Known bug in driver for AMD 7xxx user.

Part 7.8 Odd foreign characters in-game texts (see thread)

• Re-sizing the game UI has this side effect.

Part 7.9 How do I check my ping/latency time? Is there an in-game command?

• Unfortuantely, there isn’t a in-game command to display ping time like most other MMO.
• To view your latency to GW2 you will need to use window’s “Resource Monitor”. Search for it in the start menu, or access it from the task manager performance tab.
• Look at TCP Connections in the network tab of Resources Monitor.
• GW2 will have multiple IP. chat/map/login/web etc.

Hey, thanks a lot for this list. It helped me solve my problem. I would like to add the following to the list so in the future if someone is facing a similar problem, they know.

After upgrading to Windows 10 Technical Preview x64, I copied over my old GW2 installation backup and then updated it to the latest. After this I was not able to play anymore as it crashed always with a black screen while loading.

I looked at the Crash.dmp and the error code was "c0000005 ". I tried closing all the applications (so no interference with overlay), it did not help. Finally, I started GW2 with Compatibility mode set to “Windows 8” and voila, it worked ! Later I removed the compatibility setting and it still works, donno how.