Learn how to farm karma in GW2, including which world bosses grant the most karma, best strategies for earning karma, and more.
What Is Karma Good For?
Some of the best ways to spend karma in GW2 are:
- Buy Map Bonus Rewards and use them for expensive crafting materials.
- Buy items from karma merchants, like exotic Berserker’s armor from the vendor in Cursed Shore.
- Turn karma into gold: Buy leather or cloth Crab Grabbin’ Gloves from this heart merchant, throw them into the Mystic Forge, then salvage the result.
Earn Karma From Tequatl
The world boss Tequatl is probably the single best way to farm karma in GW2, from a cost/benefit standpoint. For less than 15 minutes of work, you will earn approximately 15,000 karma, in the form of consumables found in the Dragon Chest rewards.
The best time to do Teq is the first run after reset. Arrive on the map at least 15 minutes before the event starts, to make sure you get a good map.
Earn Karma From Events
Any event earns you karma. If you want to farm karma, this is a great time to load up with karma buffs (see below) and head out for:
- Map completion, as Renown Hearts drop karma. Do any events you run across, while you’re at it.
- A HoT or PoF meta train.
- Map-wide meta events like those in The Silverwastes, Dry Top, Dragon’s Stand, Tangled Depths, Verdant Brink, and Auric Basin.
- Fractals
- Raids – if you’re into that kind of thing, Raid boss chests drop 10,000 karma each.
- Most Wintersday events grant a lot of karma. In particular, you will want to be sure to give presents to all the orphans in Divinity’s Reach every day. Read our article on farming orphan presents to learn more.
NOTE: The amount of karma you get from a raid boss chest is affected by your buffs. Be sure to take as many karma buffs as you can (see below).
Edge of the Mists Karma Trains
Edge of the Mists used to be the prime place to farm karma. Because you earn karma from doing events, each of the three map factions would rotate around the map, capturing points in turn.
This is called a “K-train,” and it’s not quite as common now as it once was. However, K-trains are still around, even though it may take you a while to find one.
Karma Buffs
Karma buffs stack, so it’s worth using as many of them as possible if you want to farm karma.
Tavern Buff: If you belong to a guild with a developed guild hall, and you have one or more of the expansion packs, be sure to get the karma buff from the tavern proprietor.
Banners: Always interact with guild banners when you find them out in the world. You can also buy a Spirit Banner for 25 Spirit Shards. The Spirit Banner gives a boost to karma gains, magic find, and gold from kills.
Food and Utility Consumables: Many Wintersday items grant karma. For utility buff, use Peppermint Oil, Tin of Fruitcake, or Tuning Icicle. For food buffs, take Peppermint Omnomberry Bar, Tropical Peppermint Cake, or Scoop of Mintberry Swirl Ice Cream.
These buffs grant 10% karma gain. You can have one utility buff and one food buff active at a time.
In theory, you can boost your karma gain to a maximum of +140% with all the possible buffs. Load ’em up!
