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GW2 packet loss: What is it and how to fix it?
5 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
GW2, short for Guild Wars 2, is a popular MMORPG published by NCSoft and ArenaNet. It gathered a lot of traction in the past few years and still has it going on pretty good, considering it’s been released eight years ago.
The environment of thegameis vividly colored, vibrant, and encourages you to explore it. Compared to other MMORPGs, the combat system also feels like a breath of fresh air.
Also, GW2 has an interesting life state system. You can be either alive, downed, or defeated. If your character’s health points drop below zero, it doesn’t immediately die but enters the downed mode.
You get a special set of skills (downed) that you can use to fight for your life. If you succeed, you’ll regain your life. So much blabbing about GW2’s life state system for a packet loss-based article, but guess who got excited?
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What is packet loss in GW2?
In GW2,packet lossbehaves the same as for any other similar onlinegame. It happens whenever the packets that you send/receive never make it to their destination. It sounds worse than it actually is since packet loss usually fixes itself.
As a byproduct of network congestion, packet loss is more often than not no more than a nuisance. It triggers other issues such as high ping,jitter, rubberbanding, trouble interacting with your inventory, and even disconnections.
If you can take some time off, that’s the best way to tackle packet loss, especially if it’s occasional and doesn’t last for long. However, if you start to notice a pattern, that’s when things get complicated.
How to check packet loss in GW2?
Note that even if you close the results, the Diagnostics tool creates a NetworkDiag.log file and saves it automatically to your PC. It’s in the same place where you can find your GW2 screenshots.
The test results should look something like the screenshot above. Note that you’ll have hops along with their ping value and packet loss percentage. If there’s any packet loss, the Diagnostics will reveal it.
Normally, you can check for packet loss with Windows’ built-in pathping tool. However, GW2 made it all easy for you by embedding the diagnostics tool within the game files.
Important note: GW2 must be running in order for the test to run successfully.
GW2 packet loss fix
1. Use a VPN
Private Internet Access is a great VPN service brought to you by Kape Technologies. It can easily bypass any packet loss situation you encounter, but there’s a catch.
Using a VPN will only work if the packet loss is caused by your ISP. Whether from improperly routing the network or limiting yourbandwidth, if it’s ISP-related,VPNs can improve packet lossin this situation.
Private Internet Access
On the other hand, even if it’s not 100% able to fix your packet loss issue, having a VPN is useful in so many other ways. For instance, it cancircumvent geoblocking, boost your online privacy, and secure your connection.
2. Troubleshoot your connection manually
GW2 packet loss can be easily detected and fixed
To sum it up, if you’re having issues with packet loss in GW2, you can easily perform a check by using thegame‘s diagnostic tool. This tool performs a traceroute and shows you ping and packet loss for each hop in the connection.
Packet loss is usually triggered bynetwork congestion, which can be bypassed by merely waiting it out. However, if the underlying cause is not congestion, you might want to perform some manualtroubleshootingor turn to atrustworthy VPN.
Keep in mind that using a VPN won’t work all the time. In fact, in order for this fix to work, the packet loss situation must be caused by your ISP, whether by improperly routing the network or throttling yourbandwidth.
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More about the topics:gaming,packet loss,RPG games,VPN
Vlad Constantinescu
Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.
He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.
In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.
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