Profession

A profession is a set of attributes and skills that define your character's abilities. All player characters in the game have both a primary profession, which cannot be changed, and a secondary profession. A character has access to all skills of both chosen professions. A player's choice of professions does not limit the types of weapons and other items that character can equip (although that character may not have the attribute points to use a certain weapon or item at full capability). Furthermore a player's primary profession determines what armor they can wear and they can only use runes from their primary profession.

Any profession can serve as primary or secondary, which means there are a total of 30 possible core profession combinations, 56 if you own Factions or Nightfall and 90 if you own both Factions and Nightfall. Only primary professions have access to the primary attributes (marked by | below).

For a complete list of all the possible profession combinations, see Category:Profession combinations

Core professions
The following are the "core" professions from Guild Wars Prophecies. These professions can be created in all campaigns.

[[Image:Warrior-icon.png]]Warrior (W)

 * |Strength: Each rank gives you an additional 1% armor penetration on attack skills and increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Swordsmanship: Increases the damage and effectiveness of sword strikes and skills.
 * Axe Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of axe strikes and skills.
 * Hammer Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of hammer strikes and skills.
 * Tactics: Increases the duration and effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive and defensive shouts and stances.

[[Image:Ranger-icon.png]]Ranger (R)

 * |Expertise: For each rank of Expertise, the Energy cost of all of your attacks, Rituals, touch skills, and Rangers skills are decreased by 4%.
 * Marksmanship: Increases the damage and effectiveness of bow-related attacks and skills.
 * Wilderness Survival: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, such as preparations, traps, and rituals.
 * Beast Mastery: Increases the effectiveness of skills linked to capturing, containing, and controlling your pets, as well as increasing the damage your pet does in combat.

[[Image:Monk-icon.png]]Monk (Mo)

 * |Divine Favor: Each rank heals target ally for an additional 3.2 Health (rounded down) each time a Monk spell is cast on that ally, as well as increasing the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Healing Prayers: Increases the effectiveness of spells that focus on healing allies.
 * Protection Prayers: Increases the effectiveness of spells that focus on preventing, reducing, or redirecting damage.
 * Smiting Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of spells that focus on inflicting holy damage or enchanting allies offensively.

[[Image:Necromancer-icon.png]]Necromancer (N)

 * |Soul Reaping: Each rank in Soul Reaping gives you 1 Energy each time a nearby creature or player dies. You can only gain energy this way 3 times every 15 seconds. A death when at full energy does not count towards the cap.
 * Blood Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include sacrificing or stealing Health.
 * Curses: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include hexes that render enemies less effective in battle.
 * Death Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include exploitings corpses to create minions. You can only control up to two minions, plus half your rank in Death Magic, at any given time.

[[Image:Mesmer-icon.png]]Mesmer (Me)

 * |Fast Casting: Each rank decreases the casting time of spells and signets and also increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Inspiration Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include supportive skills that can enhance allies.
 * Domination Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive, direct-damage spells, as well as indirect-damage spells.
 * Illusion Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive hexes and damage-over-time spells.

[[Image:Elementalist-icon.png]]Elementalist (E)

 * |Energy Storage: Each rank increases your Energy capacity by 3 and increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Fire Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of fire skills, which deal AoE damage and can inflict the burning condition.
 * Water Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of water skills, which deal AoE damage and slows enemies.
 * Air Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of air skills, which deal damage to single targets, can blind, and knockdown.
 * Earth Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of earth skills, which deal AoE damage, can enhance the caster's armor, and knockdown

Guild Wars Factions professions
The following are the new professions added in Guild Wars Factions. They can be created only in Cantha, but they can get to any other continent (if you have the corresponding campaign) through a quest.

[[Image:Assassin-icon.png]]Assassin (A)

 * |Critical Strikes: For each rank of Critical Strikes, you gain an additional 1% chance to critical hit. You gain 1 Energy at 3 ranks and above, 2 Energy at 8 ranks and above, and 3 Energy at 13 ranks and above, for each critical hit.
 * Dagger Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of dagger strikes and skills, and increases your chance to double strike by 2% per rank of dagger mastery using normal attacks.
 * Deadly Arts: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Shadow Arts: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills.

[[Image:Ritualist-icon.png]]Ritualist (Rt)

 * |Spawning Power: Each rank gives an additional 4% Health to creatures created (or animated) by you. For each rank of spawning power, Weapon spells you cast last 2% longer.
 * Channeling Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive spirits and powerful lightning spells.
 * Communing: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include spawning and maintaining party-supportive spirits and weapon-enhancing spells.
 * Restoration Magic: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include spawning party-healing spirits and healing spells.

Guild Wars Nightfall professions
The following are the new professions added in Guild Wars Nightfall. They can be created only in Elona, but they can get to any other continent (if you have the corresponding campaign) through a quest.

[[Image:Paragon-icon.png]]Paragon (P)

 * |Leadership: For every 2 ranks in Leadership, you gain 1 Energy for each ally affected by your Shouts and Chants.
 * Spear Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of spear strikes and skills.
 * Command: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include tactical and protection shouts and chants.
 * Motivation: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include healing and Energy management shouts and chants.

[[Image:Dervish-icon.png]]Dervish (D)

 * |Mysticism: Whenever an Enchantment ends on you, you gain 1 Health for each rank of Mysticism and 1 Energy for every 3 ranks of Mysticism.
 * Scythe Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of scythe strikes and skills.
 * Wind Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include speed-increasing stances and cold damage spells.
 * Earth Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include defensive stances and earth damage spells.

Changing secondary professions
You can change your secondary profession as much as you want: there is no limit to number of changes. However, PvE characters must first claim Ascension in Prophecies, become Weh no Su in Factions or gain The Command Post in Nightfall before they are allowed to change their secondary profession. PvP characters can change at any time.

Any skills you have already acquired for your previous secondary profession will still be available to you should you choose to change back. Changing your secondary from Ranger will not cause you to lose your pet.

Core
Secondary profession changer in the Great Temple of Balthazar.

Prophecies
You may change your secondary profession in Heroes' Audience, Destiny's Gorge, or Seeker's Passage by talking to the ghosts. In order to switch to a given secondary, you must complete the corresponding quest:
 * The Elementalist's Path
 * The Mesmer's Path
 * The Monk's Path
 * The Necromancer's Path
 * The Ranger's Path
 * The Warrior's Path

See Category:Profession Changers (Prophecies).

Factions
You may change your secondary profession in Senji's Corner by talking to Senji. Changing to each new secondary profession for the first time costs, unless you have already unlocked it previously with the corresponding Prophecies quest (see above). Changing back to a secondary profession your character has already unlocked previously is free.

Nightfall
You can change to any unlocked secondary in any town or outpost using the skills menu. You can unlock the professions in The Command Post, with Zuwarah after completing the primary quest Building the Base: Prisoners of War. Changing to each new secondary profession for the first time costs. Changing back to a secondary profession your character has already unlocked previously is free.

Links

 * The Professions Official GW
 * The Professions Official Eu GW