Mad King’s Raceway Guide

Tired of getting knocked off your GW2 mount by jack ‘o lanterns? Baffled by all the different courses? Not sure whether you want to do a Time Trial or an actual race? I was, too! Learn the answers to all these questions and more.

Raceway Overview

To get to the Mad King’s Raceway, talk to a Lunatic Boatmaster. You can find this NPC in various places throughout Tyria. The Mad King’s Raceway is a separate Halloween map which is all mount races, all the time.

You can either participate in a race, or practice with a Time Trial.
Each race has a specific mount that is most ideal for the course.
If you don’t have a mount, you can rent one from one of the NPCs at the center of the map.
The glowing blue orbs will instantly reset your mount’s endurance.
Completing races counts towards the annual Raceway Regular achievement.

Which Mount for Which Race

Each race has a mount which is ideal for the course. You can get a hint about this from the title of the race itself. However, if the race is already in progress when you join it, you won’t be able to see the title of the race. You’ll just have to guess.

Lil Eddie’s Bunny Bounce: Springer
The Pumpkin Paradise: Jackal. Teleport past the exploding jack-o-lanterns to avoid being knocked off your mount.
Roll Into Madness: Roller Beetle

Time Trial versus Race

A Time Trial has two benefits over a regular race:

It lets you practice the course without the pressure of playing against other players.
You don’t have to wait for a Time Trial to start. They are always running.

On the down side, you don’t get as many rewards for a Time Trial as you do for a race. You do not earn any XP or Karma for a Time Trial, as you do with a race. However, you can earn Trick-or-Treat Bags for first-time and daily rewards for each Time Trial.

The first time you finish one of the Time Trials in the Mad King’s Raceway and earn either Bronze, Silver, or Gold, you get a chest.