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, which may be changed only after completing certain quests and/or missions for player characters. 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 may wear and limits them to runes and insignias of that profession. Similar considerations apply to the heroes, the major differences being that a hero's secondary profession is available immediately and can be changed into any other profession using the Profession combobox in the Skills and Attributes panel.

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 their profession-specific 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)

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Strength: Each rank gives an additional 1% armor penetration when using 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 effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive and defensive shouts and stances.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Expertise: Each rank decreases the Energy cost of all attacks, rituals, touch skills, and Ranger skills by 4%, and increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Marksmanship: Increases the damage and effectiveness of bow-related attacks and skills.
 * Wilderness Survival: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include preparations, traps, and rituals.
 * Beast Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include taming and controlling pets, and increases the damage the pet deals in combat.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]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 and increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Healing Prayers: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include spells that focus on healing allies.
 * Protection Prayers: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include spells that focus on preventing, reducing, or redirecting damage.
 * Smiting Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include spells that focus on inflicting holy damage and/or enchanting allies offensively.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Soul Reaping: Each rank grants a 1 Energy each time a nearby creature dies and increases the effectiveness of linked skills. It is only possible to 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 exploiting corpses and controlling minions.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Fast Casting: Each rank decreases the casting time of spells and signets and 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)

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Energy Storage: Each rank increases the Energy capacity by 3 and increases the effectiveness of linked skills.
 * Fire Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of fire skills, which usually deal AoE damage and can inflict the burning condition.
 * Water Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of water skills, which deal damage with multiple AoE spells, which usually slow enemies. There are also a few defensive spells.
 * Air Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of air skills, which deal armor penetrating damage or provide a movement speed boost, and can cause blind, weakness or knockdown.
 * Earth Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of earth skills, which deal damage and can enhance the caster's armor or cause knockdown. Earth Magic also includes the majority of Ward spells.

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

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Critical Strikes: Each rank gives 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 the chances of double striking by 2% per rank using normal attacks.
 * Deadly Arts: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include offensive and crippling hexes.
 * Shadow Arts: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include survival and self-enhancing skills.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Spawning Power: Each rank gives an additional 4% Health to creatures animated/created and weapon spells cast last 4% longer per rank.
 * 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 may travel to any other continent (if you have the corresponding campaign) through a quest.

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

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Leadership: Every 2 ranks gives 1 Energy for each ally affected by shouts and chants used by the player.
 * Spear Mastery: Increases the damage and effectiveness of spear strikes and skills.
 * Command: Increases the effectiveness of linked skills, which include tactical and protective 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)

 * [[Image:QuestIconThumb.png]]Mysticism: Each rank grants 1 Health and every 3 ranks grants 1 Energy whenever an enchantment ends on the player.
 * 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 indefinitely - there are no limits to how often you may change. However, PvE characters must first achieve Ascension in Prophecies, become Weh no Su in Factions, or complete Hunted! (quest) in Nightfall before they are allowed to change their secondary profession. PvP characters can change at any time.

Once a character has unlocked a new secondary for that character, he/she may change at any time through the Skills menu from the drop-down menu at the top. Any skills already acquired for a previous secondary profession will still be available when one decides to change back. Changing a secondary from Ranger will not result in the loss of the pet.

Core
Secondary profession changer in the Great Temple of Balthazar.

Prophecies
Players may change their secondary profession in Heroes' Audience by talking to Cembrien or Zratha Kor, Destiny's Gorge by talking to Agastos the Brave or Eulenias, or Seeker's Passage by talking to Nausuan or Telius. In order to switch to a certain 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
Players may change their secondary profession in Senji's Corner by talking to Senji. Initially changing to each new secondary profession costs. Changing back to a secondary profession that has been already unlocked is free.

Nightfall
Players may change to any unlocked secondary in any town or outpost using the Skills menu. The secondaries may be unlocked by talking to Zuwarah in the Command Post, behind the Sunspear Sanctuary in Kourna. This can only be done after completing the primary quest Building the Base: Prisoners of War. Initially changing to each new secondary profession costs. Changing back to a secondary profession a character has already unlocked is free.

PvP Access Kit

 * Players who purchased a PvP Access Kit have access to all professions, and can change their secondary profession whenever they want. Though they are limited to PvP characters and limited to the Battle Isles.

Links

 * The Professions Official GW
 * The Professions Official Eu GW
 * Skill Quests