If you’ve been in the MMORPG space for any extended amount of time, you’re likely aware that most large games feature libraries of third-party applications called addons. These provide players with a variety of helpful features, such as showing information on-screen or providing quality-of-life functions.

While its library isn’t quite as expansive as other heavy-hitters in the genre, Guild Wars 2 also has its fair share of addons. Let’s go over some of the most popular and useful and what they do.

10. ArcDPS Log Manager

Log Manager is a tool designed to work alongside another addon, ArcDPS, which we’ll get to later on this list. The Log Manager allows players to easily export, sort, and filter their saved logs, which can be incredibly useful for determining all sorts of fun and useful bits of information about your in-game performance.

How Log Manager improves gameplay:

• Can sort and filter your logs by almost any metric, allowing you to determine various statistics of your gameplay
• Allows batch uploading to another 3rd-party tool, dps.report
• Allows you to check your weekly clears

Link: https://gw2scratch.com/tools/manager

9. ReShade

ReShade is a program which “injects” post-processing into various games, allowing players to use custom shaders to create graphical enhancements that would be otherwise impossible for the game on its own. It’s compatible with Guild Wars 2, and various shader presets have been made for it over the years.

In the past, there has been some confusion as to whether or not using ReShade is against Terms of Service. To make a long story short: it technically is, but the developers have expressed in the past that players are allowed to use it on the forums. It currently seems incredibly unlikely that the developers will take any action against players who use it, but nobody will blame if you want to play it absolutely safe.

How ReShade improves gameplay:

• Allows for graphical enhancements beyond what the game is normally capable of
• Allows you to create and import custom shader presets for high customizability

Link: https://reshade.me/

8. Wingman Uploader

GW2 Wingman is one of the most comprehensive 3rd-party tools for Guild Wars 2, especially if you’re a frequenter of endgame content. Similar to Log Manager above, Wingman works with ArcDPS. 

Players can upload their in-game logs from Arc to Wingman, where it provides comprehensive information on each attempt. Wingman features tons of incredibly useful tools, such as reconstructing a fight as a live 2D diagram, showing you a network of every other player you;ve shared a log with, or providing benchmark leaderboards each patch for each spec on each boss.

The Wingman Uploader addon itself is a simple addon which will automatically upload all of your ArcDPS logs to the Wingman site, allowing you to save a lot of time and frustration trying to upload them manually.

How Wingman Uploader improves gameplay:

• Allows you to easily export logs to the Wingman site, where you can see comprehensive information on them
  • Analyze fights in diagram form
  • Compete for top logs

Link: https://gw2wingman.nevermindcreations.de/uploader

7. LaunchBuddy

LaunchBuddy is an addon which allows you to quickly log in to your alt accounts without having to spend extra time logging in to each one.

LaunchBuddy is useful for players with many accounts who like to farm with dailies, characters parked at chests, home instances, etc. Many top players use this program to earn lots of easy gold each day just by quickly logging in to all of their accounts.

How LaunchBuddy improves gameplay:

• Allows you to quickly and easily log in to alt accounts
• Can be used for daily farming

Link: https://github.com/TheCheatsrichter/Gw2_Launchbuddy

6. Radial Mount Menu (GW2Radial)

GW2Radial is an addon which adds a circular UI element that appears whenever you press the mount button. Normally, you only have one mount selected and have to go through a somewhat annoying menu to change which one you’ll summon whenever you press the button. With GW2Radial, you can quickly and easily choose which mount to use each time you press the button.

GW2Radial is highly customizable and supports custom menus. It also functions with other masteries, such as fishing and rift detection.

How GW2Radial improves gameplay:

• Allows you to more easily swap between mounts without needing separate keybinds
• Also functions with masteries and more

Link: https://github.com/Friendly0Fire/GW2Radial

5. Tactical Overlay (TacO)

Guild Wars 2 Tactical Overlay, better known as TacO, is a highly customizable addon. It provides players with some useful tools to overlay onto their screens, such as map event timers and range circles, but its primary purpose is for trail and marker packs.

TacO provides a variety of trails and markers which can help players to quickly farm certain resources, find collectibles for certain achievements, or simply optimize map completion. It comes with a built-in set of markers and trails, but players can also create their own custom marker packs and import those created by others. There are a variety of extensive and well-known packs, such as ReActif or Hero’s Pack.

How TacO improves gameplay:

• Provides helpful tools like range circle and map timers
• Provides markers and trails for farming, achievements, map comp, and more
  • Allows you to create custom packs or import others’

Link: http://www.gw2taco.com/

4. Addon Manager

Addon Manager is a handy addon that can assist players in managing their addons and plugins. It automates and handles installation, updates, and file management for you behind the scenes, removing much of the hassle.

There isn’t much else to be said on this one. It’s a simple tool for players who use a lot of addons or who aren’t confident in handling lots of files on their own.

How Addon Manager improves gameplay:

• Handles installation and updates for other addons

Link: https://github.com/gw2-addon-loader/GW2-Addon-Manager

3. ArcDPS Boon Table

For the third time on this list, Boon Table is an addon designed to work with another addon, ArcDPS. Though the previous two to mention it are designed to work alongside it by exporting logs, Boon Table instead replaces a part of ArcDPS with an improved UI.

In addition to its main function of serving as a DPS meter (we’ll get to it, I swear), ArcDPS also has some other functions, such as showing you boon uptime. The Boon Table addon replaces ArcDPS’s boon display with a cleaner and more readable UI, making it easier to track your uptime with certain boons.

If you frequently play support classes, Boon table can help you to seriously improve your performance, or just grant you more information on what’s going on in any given encounter.

How Boon Table improves gameplay:

• Provides a clean UI for ArcDPS’s boon tracker
  • Can help you know who’s lost boon uptime, and gauge your own average uptime

Link: https://github.com/knoxfighter/GW2-ArcDPS-Boon-Table/

2. ArcDPS

Now that we’re bringing it up for the fourth time, let’s actually talk about ArcDPS. Arc is an addon that allows you to track your own and other players’ DPS live while in-game. 

This can not only be a useful tracker for your own effectiveness, but can be useful to determine issues within your team comp and gauge whether or not your group is capable of taking on certain encounters with strict DPS requirements. It also has other functions, such as the boon table discussed earlier.

ArcDPS also allows you to record and export logs of your fights against notable encounters, such as raid, strike, and fractal bosses. These can be used to track your successes and failures and can be imported into various other 3rd-party tools.

How ArcDPS improves gameplay:

• Allows you to track your own and your squad’s DPS and other stats
• Allows you to record and export logs for later review
• Compatible with many other 3rd-party tools

Link: https://snowcrows.com/guides/getting-started/arc-dps

1. Blish HUD

Named after everyone's favorite golem, Blish is the most robust and comprehensive addon for Guild Wars 2 by far. It has a huge library of modules which each provide their own individual tools, stretching from event timers to path overlays to an in-game notepad to fun additions like loading screen hints and splash text for each map zone.

Blush is incredibly customizable, allowing you to easily toggle on and off any of its modules and to even submit your own for other players to use. Its menus also fit right in with the normal Guild Wars 2 UI. 

Several tools we’ve discussed already—such as TacO’s marker packs or the radial mount menu—work with Blish HUD as well, and some of the addons my collaborators suggested I include on this list—such as Inquest Chipset or Commander Markers—are actually just some of Blish’s individual modules. All that to say, it’s incredibly versatile and a definite must-have.

How Blish HUD improves gameplay:

• Provides a huge array of customizable modules for a wide variety of QoL and fun addons
  • Map, event, & boss timers
  • Pathing and markers
  • More
• Allows you to upload your own modules
• Connects to the GW2 API and ArcDPS

Link: https://blishhud.com/

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