Guild Wars 2 wiki:Skill formatting

This article documents the formatting practices and processes with regards to the documentation of skills. They are documented through the use of the skill infobox template.

Skill parameters

Skill names

Skill names are documented as seen in-game, keeping the original capitalization. Therefore, the correct form is "Ray of Judgment", as opposed to "Ray of judgment" or "Ray Of Judgment". Redirects to different capitalizations are usually avoided, so keep in mind the proper form when linking to a skill.

When the same name is shared by multiple skills, the proper formatting is definied by the source of those skills:

• If a skill name is shared by a profession and by an environmental weapon, such as for example the elementalist skill "Burning Retreat" and the Lava Axe skill "Burning Retreat", we adopt the format:
  • Profession skill: "original skill name". In the example above, Burning Retreat
  • Environmental weapon skill: "original skill name ('name of the environmental weapon' skill)". In the example above, Burning Retreat (Lava Axe skill)
• If a skill name is shared between a skill and a trait, such as the elementalist skill "Cleansing Wave" and the elementalist trait "Cleansing Wave":
  • Skill: "original skill name". In the example above, Cleansing Wave.
  • Trait: "original skill name ('profession' trait)". In the example above, Cleansing Wave (elementalist trait).
• If a skill name is shared by two professions, such as the thief skill "Smoke Bomb" and the engineer skill "Smoke Bomb", we use the format:
  • "Original skill name ('profession' skill)". In the example above, Smoke Bomb (engineer skill) and Smoke Bomb (thief skill).

The goal is to keep profession skill names as simple as possible, for easier documentation and so readers may find those skills more easily.

Skill descriptions

Skill descriptions are copied verbatim as seen in-game, with two modifications:

• The skill type is removed from the description. Skill descriptions in-game usually begin with the skill type. In the wiki, we remove this information since it is already stated in the skill infobox.
• Capitalization is modified so only proper nouns are capitalized. Skill descriptions in-game usually capitalize condition and boon names, as well as other effect names.

Therefore, the description of "Hold the Line!" seen in the game is:

• Shout. Grant Protection and Regeneration to allies.

The description seen in the wiki is:

• Grant protection and regeneration to allies.

Spelling mistakes are copied as seen in game and followed by the [sic] template.

Skill recharge

All skills are assigned a skill recharge time, in seconds (as seen in the game) Skills with no recharge are given a 0 second recharge time.

Skill effects

Skill effects are documented using the {{Skill infobox/effects}} template, calling the template once for each effect. See the template documentation for details on using it for standard effects, as well as how to document non-standard effects.

• Skill effects do not have to be documented verbatim, but should be close enough to convey the information accurately. For example, the default template output for boons, conditions, and control effects does not include the effect's description, since this is documented on the effect page and doesn't need to be repeated on skill pages.
• Whenever possible, use a standard effect template. For non-standard effects, use the base effect that gives the same icon and provide the effect name with the alt parameter.
  • Effect names like this are usually title-cased in the game, but should be converted to lower-case.
• Effects should reflect the default state of the skill, i.e. they should not be modified by any traits (e.g. Deployable Turrets which adds a "Range" effect to all turret skills, or Eagle Eye which increases the range on longbow skills). Damage and healing effects scale with the character's level and stats, thus these variables need to be standardized for consistency between skills. The (current) baseline criteria are:
  • Level 80
  • All trait points refunded
  • No buffs that give stat bonuses
  • No equipped armor or accessories
  • For weapon skills only, equip a max-strength weapon with no upgrades