Accounts & Characters

How do I choose a name for my character?
Character names must include at least a first and last name with a space between, though more than two names may be chosen. The first letter of each name is automatically capitalized and the standard alphabet is used. Special characters, symbols and numbers are not allowed. It is important to note that character names must conform to the EULA and the Rules of Conduct as outlined on our Legal pages.

How long will my character name(s) be reserved?
Names that are associated with a retail game account will be permanently saved. Names that were reserved via a non-retail account such as a World Preview or Beta Weekend Event account expired on August 31, 2005. Character names that were not "claimed" through activation of a retail Guild Wars account by that date may be released for general use by Guild Wars players at any point in the future.

Are characters persistent?
Yes, your characters continue from mission to mission, acquiring levels, items, skills and abilities. In addition, every character is stored on ArenaNet's servers, so no matter whether you play single player adventures, cooperative missions, or head-to-head battles, your character will be stored in a secure environment allowing you to log online to play from anywhere in the world.

Can I customize my character's appearance?
Guild Wars allows for a wide array of character customization, including gender, skin tones, face, hair color, and height. In addition, you will be able to dye shields, armor and weapons, creating a large variety of item appearances. We will continue to expand the opportunities for character customization in the future.

How many character classes are there?
The first chapter of Guild Wars will feature six character professions: The Elementalist, Mesmer, Monk, Necromancer, Ranger, and Warrior. You can learn a little bit more about each of the Guild Wars professions here. When you create a character, you will select a primary profession, and you will be given an opportunity to acquire a secondary profession in the starting region of the game. This provides an amazing array of choices and gameplay experiences.

What playable races are there in Guild Wars?
In the first chapter you play characters from the human race. In subsequent chapters of Guild Wars, you may be able to play members of other races.

How many characters will I be able to have on my Guild Wars account?
The final number of characters per account is four. This may change in future chapters, although that has not yet been determined.

Several people in my family (or guild) intend to play Guild Wars. Do we each need to purchase a copy?
Like every other online game, anyone who wants to have a Guild Wars Game Account needs to have his/her own copy of the game. There is never a monthly fee to play Guild Wars, so you will have tremendous savings over most online games. Spawning multiple copies from a single purchase is disallowed and account sharing is a breach of the Rules of Conduct. http://www.guildwars.com/products/guildwars/features/