A secondary method of earning additional skill points

Unlocking New Skills with Skill Points

You could almost think of skill points as a form of currency, with the primary purpose of spending a number of points to unlock additional profession or racial skills to use in combat. There is also a secondary function which we’ll go over in more detail later in this guide. For now, however, let’s go over the process of spending skill points to unlock new healing, utility, and elite skills.

Earning Skill Points

Upon reaching level 5, you will begin earning 1 skill point each time you level, for a total of 75 points earned through natural character progression by the time you reach level 80. After reaching the level cap, you can continue accumulating additional skill points even though your character has reached the maximum level.

This works similar to the way you can continue to earn skill points after reaching level 20 in the original Guild Wars. In other words, even at the level cap, you can continue earning XP through normal gameplay. Filling the XP bar at this point will continue to grant you 1 skill point each time the bar is filled.

There is also a secondary method of earning additional skill points called Skill Challenges. Explorable PvE and WvW zones will each have a set number of these challenges marked on your map which can be seen by pressing the [M] key.

Bloodstone Shards can also be purchased for 200 skill points each, and are used in the creation of Legendary Weapons. As additional information on these weapons, or other items that can be purchased for skill points becomes available we’ll be sure to update this guide with the full details. In the meantime, also be on the lookout for our complete guide to the Mystic Forge!