What’s the difference between playing for free and playing on an account with a registered serial code?
See the chart below for a full comparison of free accounts, core accounts, and accounts with expansions.
| Free Account | Core Guild Wars 2 Account | Heart of Thorns Account | Path of Fire Account | End of Dragons Account | Secrets of the Obscure Account | Janthir Wilds Account | Visions of Eternity Account | |
| More Info | Free Account Features | Guild Wars 2 | Heart of Thorns | Path of Fire | End of Dragons | Secrets of the Obscure | Janthir Wilds | Visions of Eternity |
| Content Access |
Core Game
Living World Season 1 & 2 |
Core Game
Living World Season 1 & 2 |
Core Game
Heart of Thorns (Standalone) Living World Season 1 - 3
Heart of Thorns & Path of Fire |
Core Game
Heart of Thorns Path of Fire Living World Season 1 - 4 |
Core Game
Living World Season 1 - 4 Living World (5) Icebrood Saga |
Core Game
Secrets of the Obscure |
Core Game
Janthir Wilds |
Core Game
Visions of Eternity |
| Character Slots (Total) | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 ** | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Bag Slots (Per Character) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Playable Professions | Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Revenant Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Revenant Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Revenant Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Revenant Thief Warrior |
Elementalist Engineer Guardian Mesmer Necromancer Ranger Revenant Thief Warrior |
| Profession Masteries | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, but Secrets of the Obscure does provide access to Weaponmaster Training | Yes | Yes |
| Accessible Regions | Central Tyria | Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
Central Tyria |
| Central Tyria (Core) Maps & Content |
Starter maps only until character reaches level 10 Lion’s Arch unlocked for each character at level 35 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guild Hall Access | Full Access to HoT Guild Halls | Full Access to HoT Guild Halls | Full Access to HoT Guild Halls | Full Access to HoT and PoF Guild Halls | Full Access to EoD Guild Halls | |||
| Guild Bank Access | No | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) | Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to withdraw.) |
| Guild Enhancements Access | No | No | No Restrictions | No Restrictions | No Restrictions | |||
| In-Game Mail |
Can only send to mutual friends Can’t send gold or items |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
Yes (Accounts created after August 28, 2015 require app authentication to send gold and items.) |
| Whisper chat | Except for mutual friends, can only whisper in the same map, one new person every 30 seconds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Map chat | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Squad chat | Unlocked for each character at level 30 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PvP Chat |
Team Chat always available Chat in PvP Lobby unlocked when the account reaches PvP rank 20 Emotes, Map and Say chat unavailable during matches |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PvP | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. | Can only access Custom and Unranked Arenas until PvP Rank 20. |
| WvW | Unlocked account-wide when one character reaches level 60 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Looking For Group | Unlocked for each character at level 30 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Raids | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Daily Login Bonus | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gem Store | Items unusable by free accounts (such as glider skin) are unavailable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Currency Exchange *** | Gems to gold exchange available, gold to gems exchange unavailable. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Post | Can buy and sell items from a selected list. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| World Transfers | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forum Posting Access | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
** Depends on the version of Path of Fire, the total base character slots can be raised to 6.
*** Newly created accounts must wait 72 hours before gems-to-gold transactions can be completed on the currency exchange.
How do I upgrade my account?
To upgrade your free account to a Core, Heart of Thorns, or Path of Fire account, you will need a serial code purchased from buy.guildwars2.com or one of our official retail partners. Once you have a code, you can redeem it in-game or on your account management page:
- In-Game: Open the Black Lion Trading Company panel (the default hotkey is [O]), then click "Redeem Code" and then "Redeem Item Code". Enter your code and click "Redeem" to upgrade your account. (Visual Steps to Redeem a Code In-Game)
- Account Management Page: Login with your account credentials. On the 'Overview' page, click "Redeem a Code" and enter your key. Click "Submit" to complete the process and upgrade your account. (Visual Steps to Redeem a Code using Account Management)
I upgraded my account, but the game is still acting as though I’m on a free account!
After you upgrade a free account, you’ll need to exit the game and re-log to see your permissions change.
Note that there’s also a longer delay (up to five days) before mail attachments, the Black Lion Trading Company, and guild banks are unlocked. You should see a message in-game displaying the time remaining before you have full access to these features.