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 and 56 if you own the Factions or Nightfall Campaign and 90 if you own both the Factions and Nightfall Campaign or all three. 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 so-called "core" professions from Guild Wars Prophecies. These professions can be created on any continent your account is signed to:

[[Image:Warrior-icon.png]]Warrior

 * |Strength: Every rank gives an additional 1% armor penetration on attack skills and increases the effectiveness of Strength-based skills.
 * Swordsmanship: Increases damage and effectiveness of sword strikes and sword-based skills.
 * Axe Mastery: Increases damage and effectiveness of axe strikes and axe-based skills.
 * Hammer Mastery: Increases damage and effectiveness of hammer strikes and hammer-based skills.
 * Tactics: Increases duration and effectiveness of tactics based skills, which include many shouts and stances.

[[Image:Ranger-icon.png]]Ranger

 * |Expertise: For each rank of Expertise, the Energy cost of all of your attacks, Rituals, touch skills, and Rangers skills are decreased by 4%. Several skills, especially those related to Energy costs and skill recharge times, become more effective with higher Expertise.
 * Marksmanship: Increases the effectiveness of bow-related attacks and skills.
 * Wilderness Survival: Affects the power of all linked skills, such as preparations, traps and rituals.
 * Beast Mastery: Improves all skills linked to capturing and containing your pets, as well as a few non-pet-related boosts to help in combat. This attribute also increases the damage your pet does in combat when it makes a normal attack.

[[Image:Monk-icon.png]]Monk

 * |Divine Favor: Every rank heals the target ally for 3.2 Health (rounded down) each time a Monk spell is cast on that ally, as well as increasing the effectiveness of spells from this set.
 * Healing Prayers: Increases effectiveness of spells that focus on healing allies.
 * Protection Prayers: Increases effectiveness of spells that focus on preventing or redirecting damage.
 * Smiting Prayers: Increases damage and effectiveness of spells that focus on using holy damage to destroy enemies or enchanting allies offensively.

[[Image:Necromancer-icon.png]]Necromancer

 * |Soul Reaping: Each rank in Soul Reaping gives you 1 Energy every time a creature or player dies nearby. You gain half that amount for the death of a spirit nearby.
 * Blood Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Blood Magic related spells and skills, many which steal Health from the enemy or sacrifice your own Health to aid allies and harm foes.
 * Curses: Increases damage and effectiveness of Curses related spells and skills, many which hex the enemies, making them less effective in battle.
 * Death Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Death Magic related spells and skills, many which target corpses, such as raising minions or drawing Health and Energy from both corpses and minions. You can control up to two minions, plus half your rank in Death Magic, at any given time.

[[Image:Mesmer-icon.png]]Mesmer

 * |Fast Casting: Every rank increases the casting speed of spells and improves linked skills.
 * Inspiration Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Inspiration magic. Most of these spells are designed to support or enhance a character.
 * Domination Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Domination magic. The few direct-damage spells that exist, as well as other types of directed offensive magics, are a part of this set.
 * Illusion Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Illusion magic. This set is heavy on hexes and damage-over-time spells, and is mostly offensive in nature.

[[Image:Elementalist-icon.png]]Elementalist

 * |Energy Storage: Every rank increases Energy capacity by three, and also improves Energy Storage spells.
 * Fire Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Fire magic, which deals AoE damage and can cause the burning condition.
 * Water Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Water magic, which deals AoE damage and slows targets.
 * Air Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Air magic, which deals damage to single foes and can also blind and knockdown.
 * Earth Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Earth magic, which increases the caster's armor and deals AoE damage and knockdown

Specific professions since Guild Wars Factions
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. Afterwards, they can even do missions and quests from that continent:

[[Image:Assassin-icon.png]]Assassin

 * |Critical Strikes: For each rank of Critical Strikes you have, you gain an additional 1% chance to critical hit. When an attack is a 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.
 * Dagger Mastery: Increases damage and chance to inflict a critical hit using daggers. Also increases chance to double strike using normal attacks.
 * Deadly Arts: Increases damage and effectiveness of Deadly Arts based skills.
 * Shadow Arts: Increases damage and effectiveness of Shadow Arts based skills.

[[Image:Ritualist-icon.png]]Ritualist

 * |Spawning Power: Every rank gives an additional 4% Health to creatures created by you.
 * Channeling Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Channeling Magic based skills.
 * Communing: Increases damage and effectiveness of Communing based skills.
 * Restoration Magic: Increases damage and effectiveness of Restoration Magic based skills.

Specific professions since Guild Wars Nightfall
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. Afterwards, they can even do missions and quests from that continent:

[[Image:Paragon-icon.png]]Paragon

 * |Leadership: You gain 1 Energy for each ally affected by one of your Shouts or Chants (maximum 1 Energy for every 2 ranks).
 * Spear Mastery: Spear Mastery increases the damage you do with spears and your chance to inflict a critical hit when using a spear. Many skills, especially spear attack skills, become more effective with higher Spear Mastery.
 * Command: No inherent effect. Many Paragon skills, especially those that protect your allies or increase your tactical position on the battlefield, become more effective with higher Command.
 * Motivation: No inherent effect. Many Paragon skills, especially those related to Energy management or that inspire your allies, become more effective with higher Motivation.

[[Image:Dervish-icon.png]]Dervish

 * |Mysticism: Whenever an Enchantment ends, you gain 1 Health for each rank of Mysticism and 1 Energy for every 3 ranks of Mysticism.
 * Scythe Mastery: Scythe Mastery increases the damage you do with scythes and your chance to inflict a critical hit when using a scythe. Many skills, especially scythe attack skills, become more effective with higher Scythe Mastery.
 * Wind Prayers: No inherent effect. Many Dervish Spells, especially those dealing with movement or cold damage, become more effective with higher Wind Prayers.
 * Earth Prayers: No inherent effect. Many Dervish Spells, especially those dealing with defense or Earth damage, become more effective with higher Earth Prayers.

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 (or become Weh no Su) before they are allowed to change their secondary profession. PvP characters can change at any time.

Note: Any class skills you may have already acquired for your previous secondary profession will still be available to you should you choose to change back, including any Elite skills you have captured.

''Also, your Ranger pet will not be lost if you choose to not have Ranger as your secondary class anymore. It will still be available if you choose to change back.''

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 with the corresponding Prophecies quest (see above). Changing back to a secondary profession your character has already unlocked before is free.

Nightfall
You can change to any unlocked secondary in any town or outpost using the skills menu.