[Resolved] Unable to Connect to GW2 [Solution: deleting cache]

Starting with today's patch, I'm unable to connect to GW2. The game ran fine earlier. I'm 90% sure it's a combination of Windows 10 security plus GW2's particular form of handshaking, but I'm unable to figure out what to do. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

It happens that this is the first update since I got a new GPU (a Gigabyte 1060 GTX). I also recently (cleanly) reinstalled Windows 10, but that was before the 7 November update (and the minor updates since), all of which went fine.

Now, I get the initial GW2 splash screen with the 'downloading 0kb' message, which never changes; 0 progress.

• Running the -diag showed no connection errors.
• I deleted the .TMP file then renamed the .DAT to .OLD; no luck.
• I deleted the profiles from Windows Defender profiles, allowing windows to recreate them; no change. The firewall allows GW2-64.exe to connect via all ports, so presumably that's not the issue.
• I was able to update the game on my laptop and I grabbed its updated EXE file and copied it over. That doesn't seem to have made any difference. (Although in the past, it's solved similar issues.)
• The resource monitor reports GW2 is attempting to connect to 34.203.129.106, an Amazon Web Services address, presumably in use by ANet. That fails a ping with a timeout (which I imagine is deliberate).

The kicker is: if I launch from a thumb drive, I get the "unable to open archive file" message, which suggests things are mostly in working order, but that somehow the game is failing to do a proper handshake with the authorization server. I also didn't have any trouble getting today's

I'm filing a support ticket; I'm hoping that someone with more Windows knowledge than I can suggest some alternatives.

Thanks in advance.

Added: spoiler alert — This issue was finally resolved by deleting the GW2 Cache

• Making sure that any GW2 instances are closed...
• Windows Key + R
• Type in %appdata
• Delete the folder named "Guild Wars 2"
• Done

Please leave the post up on the off-chance that someone else might encounter the same issue and find it helpful.

have you tried bypassing the launcher with the -email emailhere -password passwordhere -nopatchui tags, just to see if it's the launcher or the game that's the issue?

Thanks for responding.Yes, that's how I normally connect. The client doesn't move from splash screen to "initialization" mode, it just hangs regardless of what I've done.

I've deleted .tmp files, the bin folders, used a known-good folder from my laptop (via USB drive), turned off the firewall, run as an admin, and downloaded the setup executable, all with the same result: nothing.

I'm convinced that there's some windows setting at work, probably some sort of AAC or file access, because the file location, the source, and the settings don't matter. What will run on my laptop (and ran yesterday on my desktop) won't run from the desktop today.

I wish it was that simple :(

When the launcher fails to connect or download, it's a problem involving the patch server.

First try simply clearing your DNS cache using cmd.exe:ipconfig /flushdns

Alternatively, you can try manually selecting a server. Use cmd.exe to lookup a IP:nslookup assetcdn.101.arenanetworks.com 8.8.8.8

... and use it:Gw2.exe -assetsrv 54.85.60.171

@Healix.5819 said:When the launcher fails to connect or download, it's a problem involving the patch server.

Thanks for the idea. I tried both and neither seems to work.I don't think it's the launcher failing to connect, I think it's Windows blocking the exe(s) somehow because the app never reaches the initialization stage.

Normally, when we run the exe (cmd line or otherwise), we get the splash screen, which then shows initializing in the lower left corner. When there's an issue connecting or finding the authorization servers, that step times out (usually resulting in the unhelpful, "can't connect; check your internet" error message). In my situation, it doesn't seem to even get that far.

Of course, I could be I'm probably wrong, because the resource monitor shows that gw2-64.exe is trying to reach the -assertsrv on port 80 and the amazon AWS server on port 6112. So something is working.

added: double checked my network, which is currently set to dynamically get IP addresses

Update: at Support's suggestion, I tried launching the exe using the cmd line -windowed with no change in behavior.

Also I've checked various forum & GW2 sub-Reddit threads, without finding a similar case (connection issues seem to progress to the 'initialization' stage and time out, rather than never initializing in the first place).

Fixed!

I deleted the entire %appdata%\Guild Wars 2 cache and relaunched, using the IP-specific -assetsrv. That did the trick.(Kormir Balthazar Abaddon Taimi knows why I didn't think of that earlier... or why that should have worked in the first place; I'm just happy it did.)

Thanks @Healix.5819 & @"nottsgman.8206" for your suggestions. They helped enormously because (a) it gave me something to do rather than pull my hair out and (b) eventually led me to thinking of all "the obvious" things that people do to fix arbitrary game errors. Always better to have something to try :)

I'm having exactly the same problem as you, and none of the solutions pointed out here worked for me either.The game was working fine last night, and the problem started this morning. No game update, no windows update, can't imagine why this is happening.

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:Fixed!

I deleted the entire %appdata%\Guild Wars 2 cache and relaunched, using the IP-specific -assetsrv. That did the trick.(Kormir Balthazar Abaddon Taimi knows why I didn't think of that earlier... or why that should have worked in the first place; I'm just happy it did.)

Thanks @Healix.5819 & @"nottsgman.8206" for your suggestions. They helped enormously because (a) it gave me something to do rather than pull my hair out and (b) eventually led me to thinking of all "the obvious" things that people do to fix arbitrary game errors. Always better to have something to try :)

so glad to hear it's all fixed for you! :)

@ChapZ.3120 said:I'm having exactly the same problem as you, and none of the solutions pointed out here worked for me either.The game was working fine last night, and the problem started this morning. No game update, no windows update, can't imagine why this is happening.

I posted directions on how to delete the GW2 cache at the bottom of my initial post. Try that next.Support got back to me within six hours of my contacting them, so before you keep trying other suggestions, start a ticket with them. Worst case, you'll email them back and tell them you resolved it without their help (as I did); best case, they have a brilliant idea that saves the day.

Just an update...Despite the fact that my problem was exactly the same as yours, the cause was not the same.After try a bunch of solutions without success, I tried to open a ticket, and had problems with the anet support site.That one gave me a hint that my problem maybe was nothing related with the game or my system.Tried to ping a server at Texas and had no response. The problem was my ISP international route.I had internet, all my other online games were working, but all the others have local servers available, so I didn't notice that I had no connection out of local reach.I have to remember to check that next time.Thank you all for the help!

Glad to hear you resolved your issue (and extra points for figuring it out on your own).

For those following along from home, @ChapZ.3120 implies something really important about connection issues:Identical symptoms — especially launching the game — have multiple, unrelated root causes. It's worth trying all the ideas.