I am so used to the action camera

Since I started playing the game I have been using mainly the action camera and once I remove it I feel like I am playing a different game. However, every PVP/WVW/PVE video I watch, everyone is playing with their regular camera. And I am trying to learn how to play it also because the playstyle (especially in duels and PVP) is completely different, but I can't :(It just doesn't feel natural to me.Plus some things are really limited when you play with an action camera.Can you guys give me an advice what to do?

Find a build that lets you use action camera (without complicated AoEs that need to be placed behind your back etc). Action camera can work for some builds, especially in melee.You can also switch between normal and action camera on the fly for optimal experience.

You're gimping yourself if you use action camera in pvp/wvw. The game wasn't designed with action camera in mind.

In PvE you can do whatever, play with your screen upside down, let your cat play, nobody cares.

You can get good with action camera all the same. It does have some weaknesses, like the mentioned placing of AoE's behind you etc., but it also comes with strengths like increased reaction times and better control over your character.Learning to adjust camera zoom levels on the fly can offset some of those restriction though, like placing an AoE at least on your feet while kiting/running away and such.

If I can reach high Plat 2 casually playing sPvP with an off meta spec and build, exclusively using Action Camera, I think it's fine.Same goes for WvW, and in PvE it shouldn't hinder you at all.

Most people just never bothered to master playing with action cam, and are missing out on what I believe to be a drastically more fun an engaging gameplay experience, don't let that discourage you. If it's more fun to you to play with action cam, you can do that just fine.

I've been using it pretty much exclusively since 3(?) years, or whenever it came out, and don't experience any glaring issues with it, at least not anymore.Playing without it on the other hand, feels absolutely outdated, disconnected and clunky. So I personally could never go back, even if it were to disadvantage me a little bit in some cases.

Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

Never tried it, now I want to try it. Most games I play use it.

@Caedmon.6798 said:Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

With action camera? You can just right click to target whatever you are looking at.Although maybe I misunderstood the issue.

@coso.9173 said:Never tried it, now I want to try it. Most games I play use it.

I would recommend binding the toggle for it onto your mouse, or some other easy to reach button, so you can swap it off to more easily navigate the HuD, without it toggling on again every time you close a window for a moment. I remember not having that in the beginning, and it nearly turning me off using it.Otherwise, for gameplay, it's a lot more fun imo.

@Asum.4960 said:

@Caedmon.6798 said:Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

Yeah with action cam on.It just make me fumble alot with targeting since im used to target/retarget fast with people being in my back,and infront aswell using mouse click in combination with targeting keys like next/previous/closest.

@Asum.4960 said:

@Caedmon.6798 said:Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

There is no cursor in action camera, so you have to change targets with tab if the right target hasn't chosen right away. You can't interrupt fast enough (if you are facing 2+), you can't target very well spells in a vertical direction and you can't cast a spell behind your back.

@"bOTEB.1573" said:

@Asum.4960 said:

@Caedmon.6798 said:Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

This exactly. Also de targeting someone with left mb is faster than using escp with action cam imo since your finger needs to reach to escp while using left mb your left hand can stay on movement keys/skill use aswell.

E.g,2 ppl infront of you,a mesmer/ranger and some minion master in your back running through you,with targeting keys only you're having to switch through illusions/clones/pet/minions before it gets on the target you want trying to interrupt something he just casted while your main focus was on someone else,proper targeting in these situations is vital and thats why i rather still run with action cam off because the times it can fail to pick the right target straight away can mess things up.

Depends a lot on what you use it with as well, and I probably gravitated towards specs where it's not much of an issue over the years.

I'm doing fine with look + right click and Tab for adjustments for targeting. For de targeting I usually just position the camera quickly at the ground in front of my feet and right click, and quickly zoom in and out again if needed for a clear click.

"Look behind" can be used to cast AoE's behind you, although I personally don't use that.You can also just move the camera behind you and keep walking towards it at the same speed, by cycling through the movement keys to keep walking forward (with "S" eventually moving you forward once facing the camera), which is what I usually prefer. Unlike without action camera, you are not transitioning into a slow backpaddle when turned around, which allows you to cast freely while looking behind you, while walking in the opposite direction at full speed.

It may sound a bit clunky, but after years of playing with it, it comes to me quite naturally and doesn't really hinder me in any way.

@Caedmon.6798 said:E.g,2 ppl infront of you,a mesmer/ranger and some minion master in your back running through you,with targeting keys only you're having to switch through illusions/clones/pet/minions before it gets on the target you want trying to interrupt something he just casted while your main focus was on someone else,proper targeting in these situations is vital and thats why i rather still run with action cam off because the times it can fail to pick the right target straight away can mess things up.

I can tell you that Mesmers are the bane of my existence, although I'm not sure how much action cam contributes to that.Once you have good control over your camera with action cam, including things like adjusting zoom levels on the fly by pure muscle memory and adjusting movement keys to walk in any direction you want to while looking somewhere else, it's at least for me fairly easy to pick targets quickly with the reticle.

@"bOTEB.1573" said:Since I started playing the game I have been using mainly the action camera and once I remove it I feel like I am playing a different game. However, every PVP/WVW/PVE video I watch, everyone is playing with their regular camera. And I am trying to learn how to play it also because the playstyle (especially in duels and PVP) is completely different, but I can't :(It just doesn't feel natural to me.Plus some things are really limited when you play with an action camera.Can you guys give me an advice what to do?

Hi there!

You'd be suprised to know there are actually more players use action camera than you'd imagine, just a slight search for posts on various issues they'd like the devs to improve it on the forum (which for years none have been answered >,<)

I used ICM since i came to the game and now with action camera over the past 4 years. :) I do make gw2 vids, fractals raids and wvw is my main game mode atm,

Sorry if i sound like a bit self promote but always happy to help a fellow action camera player out! Here's my channel https://www.youtube.com/c/nannerstv

Oh and just in case for the confusion, my F5 is bind to left click, F6 is right click, F7 is mouse wheel down and F8 is mouse wheel up.

Let's just hope in time, devs will pay some attention to improve this feature cos I'm sure many are waiting for.

I can use both, but actioncam gives me the most freedom.

There's no "normal movement is better than that actioncam" imo, you just have to adapt and learn new ways of doing the same thing.

Like buying a new car with automatic, while being use to manual gearing.

I can use both, but actioncam gives me the most freedom.

There's no "normal movement is better than that actioncam" imo, you just have to adapt and learn new ways of doing the same thing.

Like buying a new car with automatic, while being use to manual gearing.

@"bOTEB.1573" said:

@Asum.4960 said:

@Caedmon.6798 said:Biggest issue for me was in outmanned fights and target,re target and switch target where tabbing through usually doesnt right away select the right target you want.In any other way it feels amazing fast to use,especially in duels it feels just so much faster.

The little dot (circle+dot when target in range) is the cursor, right clicking targets, you can still use tab+etc with action camera.You also can cast spells behind you, as well as instantly teleport in the opposite direction with certain abilities without having to turn your camera/cursor; there's a key bind to have the camera look behind your character.

I use action camera exclusively, even for wvw and ranked pvp (reached mid plat with a low amount of games). Action cam has some issues with some weapons, but they aren't used in WvW/PvP anyways.

I'm making the switch from action camera to free camera as well and there is defiantly a learning curve. I've been practicing on PvE content I'm familiar with to try and get use to using it. Both have their advantages but I do think free camera has an edge in PvP

@Zexanima.7851 said:I'm making the switch from action camera to free camera as well and there is defiantly a learning curve. I've been practicing on PvE content I'm familiar with to try and get use to using it. Both have their advantages but I do think free camera has an edge in PvP

It definitely does, I think that's hard to debate.But for me personally, free camera is such a drastic downgrade in gameplay experience, to a point where it wouldn't be fun for me to play, as action cam is the thing that makes combat for me in GW2.

If you don't mind it either way, there is probably no reason not to use Free Camera.But you can make it work with Action Cam, and once you get that down, I don't see how anyone could ever switch back.

But to each their own.