How to Compare Characters#

Goal: View your character roster and compare details like gear, crafting levels, and builds across two or more characters.

Prerequisites#

GW2 MCP Server running and connected to your AI assistant – see Getting Started if you need setup help
A GW2 API key with account and characters scopes enabled

Steps#

1. List all your characters#

Ask your AI: “List my characters”

Your AI calls the get_characters tool without specifying a name. The response is a list of every character on your account – their names, just like the character selection screen in-game.

Take note of the character names you want to compare. Names are case-sensitive and must match exactly when you use them in later steps.

2. Inspect a specific character#

Pick a character from the list and ask for details.

Ask your AI: “Show me details for Zojja the Brave”

(Replace “Zojja the Brave” with your actual character name.)

Your AI calls get_characters with that character’s name. The response includes:

Basic info – race, profession, level, gender, creation date, total play time
Crafting disciplines – which crafting professions are trained and their current levels (for example, Weaponsmith 500, Tailor 400)
Equipment – the gear equipped in each slot, with item names
Build tabs – saved builds including specializations and skill selections

This is equivalent to opening the Hero panel for that character, but in a format your AI can analyze.

3. Inspect a second character#

Repeat the same question for another character.

Ask your AI: “Now show me details for Rytlock Firebrand”

Your AI calls get_characters again with the second name, giving you the same level of detail.

4. Ask for a comparison#

Now ask your AI to compare the two characters directly.

Ask your AI: “Compare the gear on Zojja the Brave and Rytlock Firebrand”

Your AI calls get_characters for both names (if it has not already cached the results from the earlier steps) and presents a side-by-side comparison. Depending on what you ask, the comparison might cover:

Equipment – armor stats, weapon types, rarity (exotic vs. ascended vs. legendary)
Crafting – which disciplines each character has and at what levels
Builds – specialization and skill differences
Level and play time – who has been played more

You can focus the comparison on whatever aspect matters to you:

Ask your AI: “Which of my characters has the highest crafting levels?”

Ask your AI: “Do any of my characters have ascended gear equipped?”

Verify it works#

Pick one of the characters from the comparison and log into that character in-game. Open the Hero panel (default keybind: H) and check that the profession, level, and equipped gear match what your AI reported. The equipment names and crafting levels should be consistent.

Troubleshooting#

Problem: Character name not found#

Symptom: Your AI reports that the character does not exist. Cause: The name does not match exactly. Character names are case-sensitive and include spaces. Solution: Run “List my characters” first, then copy the exact name from the results. Make sure you include any spaces and use the correct capitalization.

Problem: Authorization error#

Symptom: Your AI reports a permissions or authorization error when requesting character details. Cause: Your API key is missing the characters scope. Solution: Go to Guild Wars 2 API Key Management and create a new key with account and characters scopes enabled. Update your GW2_API_KEY and restart the server.

Problem: Equipment or builds appear incomplete#

Symptom: Some gear slots or build tabs show as empty. Cause: The character genuinely has empty equipment slots or unused build tabs. This is normal for characters that are not fully geared or have not unlocked additional build template slots. Solution: This is expected behavior, not an error. Only occupied slots and configured build tabs are returned.