View source for Tips for Settings

{{#seo:
|title=GW2 Tips for Settings - MetaBattle
|description=Tips for game settings in Guild Wars 2 to make your gameplay more fluent.
}}{{Guide
| title = Tips for Settings
| description = An overview of both essential and optional settings for PvE, PvP and WvW.
| mode = PvE,PvP,WvW
| section = Misc
| icon = Settings.webp
| featured = PvP, Index, WvW, PvE, Fractal
}}
==Basics==
''Essential settings''
===General Options===
====User Interface====
* Cursor Contrast: this is optional but we wanted to bring some attention to its existence. <span style="color:orange">Low</span> and <span style="color:orange">High</span> contrasts make it easier to see your cursor on the screen in case you were having trouble keeping track of it before. Gamechanger for some people, distracting for others. The default option is <span style="color:orange">Off</span>, experiment with these 3 and see what works for you.
* Show All Enemy Names: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Show Skill Recharge: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Thick Party Health Bars + Always Show Party Health Bars: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - makes it so much easier to see how your teammates are doing, which is especially useful when playing support
* Show Simple Condition Floater: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - less visual clutter


====Camera====
* Rotation Speed: <span style="color:orange">'''Maximum'''</span> - anything below max is just a handicap, and the default speed is really bad
* Field of View: <span style="color:orange">'''Maximum'''</span> - adjust your camera the way you please, but there's no reason to artifically deny yourself the option to zoom out in combat when necessary
* Disable Player Camera Shake: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Use Free Camera: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>


====Combat and Movement====
* Ground Targeting: <span style="color:orange">'''Fast with range indicator'''</span> - best of both worlds. You get to position the skill as long as you're holding the button, and cast it the moment you release it. If you don't need extra aiming and want the skill to go off as soon as possible just let go immediately. Efficient and easy to use.
* Double-Tap to Evade: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span> - accidentally wasting dodges should be avoided, bind dodge to a key instead
* Disable Area of Effect Rings: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Autotargeting: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span> - this setting is notoriously bad when it comes to certain mobility skills, for instance if you'd like to disengage from a fight with {{Skill|Rush}} autotargeting could change your direction and take you right to the threat you wanted to run away from
* Promote Skill Target: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Melee Attack Assist: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span> - clunky and counter productive
* Lock Ground Target At Maximum Range: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - let's say you want to use {{Skill|Infiltrator's Arrow}} for mobility. With this option you can just fling that skill away and always get maximum value (maximum distance) without having to worry about where to click
* Snap Ground Target To Current Target: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span> - this one would only make it harder to get value out of your skills
* Allow Skill Retargeting: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - arguably somewhat unimportant most of the time, we still felt the need to highlight this one (this is mainly for PvP). There are certain skills like Chronomancer's {{Skill|Deja Vu}} where this option is rather important - if the target dodges or goes invulnerable at the end of Deja Vu, the phantasm won't be summoned. Usually you should be able to just stow your weapon and cancel the skill (more about that below), but that does not apply here. Cancelling Deja Vu sends the skill on max CD and interrupts the blocking, which is basically worse than not reacting at all. However, if you have '''skill retargeting enabled''' it's possible to select another target for this skill in the middle of the channeling and summon the phantasm on the new target. Another example would be mind games with {{Skill|Prime Light Beam}}, a skill which roots you in place and turns you towards the target - cast the skill facing target A, potentially even baiting out a dodge, then swap to target B (your real target) at the last moment, catching them off-guard.


====Competitive====
* Standard Enemy Models: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - you don't want to handicap yourself vs players who are playing Asura
* Disable PvP Teammate Health bars: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* WvW Simple Nameplates: <span style="color:orange">'''Enemies only'''</span>
* Disable WvW Territory Overlay: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>


===Control Options (Keybinds)===
====Movement====
* <span style="color:orange">'''About face'''</span> - quite useful for many professions with mobility skills that require rapid 180 turns in order to move "forward" such as Mesmer's {{Skill|Phase Retreat}}, Ranger's {{Skill|Hornet Sting}}, or Deadeye's {{Skill|Death's Retreat}}. Beyond that it has other niche uses in PvP like fake-jumping off a cliff to bait enemies into going down by pressing about face in the air right after jumping off.


====Skills====
* Clicking your skills is awfully inefficient and not something that you should ever do. Setting up and getting used to easily accessible keybinds is the key to success! 
* We recommend that you set up new binds for skills 7-10, the Special action key, and if your fingers are shorter, even 6 and F1-5. Bind these skills to easier to reach places like the <span style="color:green">'''E key'''</span> or <span style="color:green">'''Mouse 5'''</span>.


====Targeting====
* <span style="color:orange">'''Call Target'''</span> and <span style="color:orange">'''Take Target'''</span> are bound by default and they should be fine where they are, we'd just like to reiterate that these are quite useful features in any gamemode.


====Miscellaneous====
* <span style="color:orange">'''Stow/draw weapon'''</span> - a key feature when it comes to PvP. There's no option to bind "cancel cast", so this is the next best thing. There are many reasons for weapon stowing:
# To save CDs in case the skill wouldn't land because you've either been blinded or the target broke line of sight/moved out of range/is dodging/went invulnerable/etc.
# To cancel aftercasts on certain skills
# To bait dodges in PvP by casting skills with obvious and lengthy animations such as {{Skill|Chaotic Release}} or {{Skill|"Chilled to the Bone!"}} without intending to finish the channel


==Everything else==
''Less important or advanced settings that weren't covered in the Basic section''
===General Options===
====User Interface====
* In-game clock: <span style="color:orange">'''Local time'''</span> - many important things are on a timer, having this in your screen can keep you on schedule
* Content Guide: <span style="color:orange">'''Default'''</span> - helps you track objectives, default is fine but this one is entirely subjective
* Ignore Previously Completed Objectives: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - this prevents the content guide from directing you towards hearts and hero challenges that have already been completed
* AoE loot on interact: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Autoloot - Autopickup: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Autoloot - Quick Interact: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Show All Enemy Names: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Show All NPC Names: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Show All Player Names: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Show All Usable Object Names: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Always Show My Name: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - this doesn't matter, entirely up to your own preferences
* Disable Closing Windows with ESC: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Show Target Health Percent: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Disable Inventory Compact Option: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - if you're accidentally clicking ''Deposit materials'' at the top right if your inventory screen and want to put an end to it then check this, otherwise it doesn't matter
* Automatically Expand LFG Preview: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Hide Optional Announcements: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Thick Squad Health Bars: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Always Show Squad Health Bars: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Enable Playtime Reminders: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - the game will send you hourly notifications to take a break, nice bit of GW1 nostalgia but not very useful


====Dynamic HUD====
* Menu Bar: <span style="color:orange">'''Show only out of combat'''</span> - sometimes when you use a ranged skill such as a teleport and your cursor hovers over the menu at the top left when you cast the skill, it'll go on full CD and do nothing. This is a very rare thing and a niche use for this function, but by disabling the menu bar (Mail, Trading post, etc.) while in combat you can prevent this from ever happening.
* Leave everything else on default settings, they are fine as is.


====Camera====
* Horizontal Position: <span style="color:orange">'''Middle'''</span>
* Vertical Position Near: <span style="color:orange">'''Minimum (all the way to the left)'''</span>
* Vertical Position Far: <span style="color:orange">'''Middle'''</span>
* Collision Sensitivity: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - experiment and see what works for you
* Zoom Sensitivity: <span style="color:orange">'''Maximum (all the way to the right)'''</span>
* Invert Camera Y-Axis: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Enable Camera Teleportation: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span> - easily makes you dizzy
* Use either mouse button to change direction: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>
* Enable First-Person Camera: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - lets you zoom all the way in in case you'd like to take screenshots and such
* Adjust Camera to Character Height: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>


====Combat and Movement====
* Double-Click to Attack/Interact: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - never going to be used so it doesn't matter
* Right-Click to Attack/Interact: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - if you're within range of both a downed ally and a downed enemy the game offers either the stomp or the rez option (based on who's closer), but if you're not offered the right choice then you'll have to manually select the target you want to interact with - this option saves you a button press as you won't have to do anything after selecting the right target
* Stop Auto-Attacking on Target Change: <span style="color:red">'''Unchecked'''</span>


====Competitive====
* Team Colors: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span>
* Standard Friendly Models: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - nowhere near as important as standard enemy models, yet if you're aiming for maximum visual clarity or just hate obnoxious auras/legendary effects then definitely check this


====Streaming====
* Content Streaming: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - depends on how good your connection is


====Groups====
* Show All Commander Tags: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> in WvW,  <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> elsewhere, checking this makes it easier to group up or track allied movements, but has no real use in places like the PvP lobby
* Simple Party UI: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> if you want the party window to take up less space in WvW/PvE, but it's not mandatory 
* Clear All Squad Markers: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - this is for seasoned squad commanders


====Mounts====
* Disable Conditional Mount Movement Ability Input: <span style="color:#0f0">'''Checked''' ✔</span> - prevents mounts from automatically using their movement ability, allowing for the use of regular jumps
* Mount: Enable Camera Roll: <span style="color:white">'''Optional'''</span> - can cause motion sickness


===Control Options (Keybinds)===
====Targeting====
* Nearest Enemy: bound
* Stow Weapon: bound


====Squad====
* New players can just skip this section, but anyone who wants to get into squad commanding should bind the markers.