Playing Guild Wars 2 on Steam Deck

Although it's possible to play Guild Wars 2 on Steam Deck by just installing it via Steam, the experience isn't really ideal.

For example, as the game doesn't support controllers natively, having to find a controller layout and setting up its keybindings can be quite a chore.

That's why I have developed the free and open source application GW2OnDeck, which makes setting up Guild Wars 2 on Steam Deck a breeze:

Download GW2OnDeck (latest)

Will only work properly on Steam Deck; Other versions; Source code

Watch the video guide Using GW2OnDeck, if you want to learn how to use GW2OnDeck.

GW2OnDeck currently offers the following features:

Configuring Guild Wars 2's Steam version to let you log in using either an ArenaNet- or a Steam-account
Installing the current version of nyankas' controller layout, updated for Janthir Wilds
Providing importable keybindings for nyankas' controller layout
Optimize graphics settings
Installing an icon set for Steam Input, so your radial menus look great:

Without GW2OnDeck

With GW2OnDeck
Updating everything of the above, if new features get added to the game or controller layout

I plan on updating GW2OnDeck when necessary, to allow for access to new Guild Wars 2-features.

I also plan on providing news and updates about Guild Wars 2 on Steam Deck on this website, if anything comes up.

Video Guides

Using GW2OnDeck

This guide shows step-by-step instructions on how to use GW2OnDeck to set up Guild Wars 2 on Steam Deck:

Using the Nyankas v2 controller layout

This guide demonstrates every key binding of the Nyankas v2 controller layout:

If you're not using GW2OnDeck to set up the Nyankas v2-Layout, the following inputs must be bound manually in game:

Input	Key	Input	Key
Toggle Action Camera	.	AoE Loot	C
Raptor Mount/Dismount	Page Up	Springer Mount/Dismount	Page Down
Skimmer Mount/Dismount	Home	Jackal Mount/Dismount	End
Griffon Mount/Dismount	Insert	Roller Beetle Mount/Dismount	Delete
Warclaw Mount/Dismount	1 (NUM)	Skyscale Mount/Dismount	0 (NUM)
Siege Turtle Mount/Dismount	Decimal (NUM)	Special Action	N
Activate Chair	4 (NUM)	Activate Musical Instrument	5 (NUM)
Activate Held Item	6 (NUM)	Activate Toy	7 (NUM)
Activate Tonic	8 (NUM)	Start Fishing	]
Summon Skiff	'	Set Jade Bot Waypoint	=
Scan for Rift	[	Skyscale Leap	;
Conjured Doorway	,

Frequently Asked Questions

Nothing found.

Please don't hesitate to contact me, if your question isn't answered here! :)

General questions

Is this an official ArenaNet or Valve product?

No.

GW2OnDeck is a Guild Wars 2 fan project, and I am in no way affiliated with Valve, ArenaNet or NCSoft.

Can I get banned for using GW2OnDeck?

Although I cannot give any guarantees, I'm very sure the answer is: No, you won't get banned for using GW2OnDeck.

The app just configures things you could also just set up manually. It's not even running while you're playing the game.

So there's really nothing in GW2OnDeck's code which could come into conflict with ArenaNets terms of use in any way, as far as I'm aware.

Are there any other risks in using GW2OnDeck?

Although I can't give any guarantees, the risks should be very limited.

If Valve or ArenaNet suddenly decide to change the configuration file formats GW2OnDeck touches, the app should simply stop working.

You could maybe get logged out of Steam and would have to log in again, but I don't think the app accesses any critical parts of either Steam or Guild Wars 2 that could cause worse things to happen.

Is the game fully playable on Steam Deck?

Yes, although some activities work better than others.

Here's an overview of how well various things work on Deck, based on my own personal experience:

Recommended	Playable	Not recommended
Leveling	Light WvW	Competetive WvW
Story Missions	Easier Jumping Puzzles	Harder Jumping Puzzles
Open World Content	Easier Racing Events	Harder Racing Events
Convergences	Strike Missions	Raids
Dungeons	Crafting	sPvP
Easier Fractals	Harder Fractals
Fashion Wars	Decorating
Activities

I have already set up Guild Wars 2 on my Steam Deck. Can I use GW2OnDeck anyway?

Yes!

GW2OnDeck might overwrite custom controller layouts, so back those up, just in case.

But it's definitely possible and and even intended to use GW2OnDeck on existing Guild Wars 2 installations.

My game looks way worse than yours! Why?

This is most likely caused by running GW2OnDeck before first starting the game once.

This causes the game to apply very low settings.

To fix this, either run GW2OnDeck again, or update your graphics settings manually.

I like your layout in general, but I'd like to make some modifications. Is that possible?

Yes!

You can modify my layout after installing it using Steam's builtin controller settings.

Just make sure to unset Install Nyankas' controller layout in GW2OnDeck's advanced settings, if you run it again later. Otherwise, your changes might get overwritten.

edit

I have found an error in GW2OnDeck. Where can I report it?

If you are comfortable with that, you can create an issue for the Gitlab-project here.

If not, you can contact me directly.

Can I use my own icons for the Steam Input menus?

Yes, though you need to be somewhat comfortable using SteamOS's Desktop.

If you are, just get your icons onto your Steam Deck and put them into the folder TouchMenuIcons within Guild Wars 2's main directory.

Then, they should be available in Steam's controller configurator.

I have installed Windows on my Steam Deck. Can I use GW2OnDeck?

Unfortunately, GW2OnDeck is currently only available for SteamOS (Linux), as I cannot test it on Windows.

If you are a developer and want to contribute a Windows version, I'm always open for merge requests. :)

I have another handheld PC. Can I use GW2OnDeck?

Unfortunately not.

GW2OnDeck only runs on SteamOS (Linux) and the controller layout really only works on Steam Deck.

If you are a developer, feel free to fork GW2OnDeck for use on other devices. :)

Asus ROG Ally Lenovo Legion Go GPD Ayaneo

Help! I have encountered an issue that's not listed here!

Sorry to hear that! Please contact me directly and I'll see what I can do!

Technical questions

What exactly does the application do? Could I also do that manually?

Everything the app does can be done manually, if you want to.

Be aware, that you need to have a basic understanding of Linux and Steam's architecture, though:

If you want to log in using an ArenaNet-account, set Guild Wars 2's launch option to
```
-provider Portal
```
Otherwise, unset it.
Download the needed assets from https://gitlab.com/nyankas/gw2ondeck-assets/-/releases
Importing the graphics settings:
From the assets, extract GFXSettings.Gw2-64.exe.xml to Guild Wars 2's AppData-folder:
```
/path/to/steamapps/compatdata/1284210/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/Guild Wars 2/GFXSettings.Gw2-64.exe.xml
```

Importing the keybinding presets:
From the assets, extract nyankas.xml to Guild Wars 2's InputBinds-folder:

/path/to/steamapps/compatdata/1284210/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Guild Wars 2/InputBinds/nyankas.xml

Setting up nyankas' controller layout:

Exit Steam
From the assets, extract controller_neptune.vdf to Guild Wars 2's InputBinds-folder:
```
/path/to/steamapps/common/Steam Controller Configs/[STEAM_ACCOUNT_ID]/config/1284210/controller_neptune.vdf
```

Edit

/path/to/steamapps/common/Steam Controller Configs/[STEAM_ACCOUNT_ID]/config/configset_controller_neptune.vdf

Set the value under controller_config → 1284210 to

"autosave"	"1"

Start Steam again

Importing the Steam Input icons:
From the assets, extract all images under img into a new folder called TouchMenuIcons within Guild Wars 2's main directory:
```
/path/to/steamapps/common/Guild Wars 2/TouchMenuIcons/*.png
```

What's GW2OnDeck's tech stack?

GW2OnDeck is written in Rust using Tauri. If you're interested, the source code is available here.

GW2OnDeck is also my first open source project, as well as my first serious Rust project, so please let me know if I made any obvious mistakes: skritt-brained-idiot@gw2ondeck.org.

Under which license is GW2OnDeck available?

GW2OnDeck's code is licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3.0 (GPLv3).

This excludes content from third parties (Valve and ArenaNet/NCSoft), which is distributed under their respective guidelines.

About

A Guild Wars 2 fan project for an improved user experience on Steam Deck

I'm not in any way affiliated with Valve, NCSOFT or ArenaNet.
If you want to contact me, please use one of these methods:

Guild Wars 2: Nyankas.7143
Email: info@gw2ondeck.org
Mastodon: @gw2ondeck@mstdn.social
Youtube: @gw2ondeck

This website and the GW2OnDeck application contain content owned by ArenaNet LLC. and/or NCSOFT Corporation. It is distributed in accordance to ArenaNet's Content Use Policy:

© ArenaNet LLC. All rights reserved. NCSOFT, ArenaNet, Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, GW2, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire, Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, and Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure and all associated logos, designs, and composite marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCSOFT Corporation.

The GW2OnDeck application wouldn't be possible without the following Rust libraries.
Their creators are great and deserve all the Festive Confetti Infusion drops:

tauri
tauri-plugin-shell
steamlocate
keyvalues-parser
open
serde
serde_json
reqwest
zip
sysinfo
chrono

This website wouldn't be as nice, if it wasn't for the following libraries. Their creators should totally get an Invisible Boot Box from their next TM:

video.js
dash.js