gww>MrModius at 22:48, 31 January 2026

2026-01-31T22:48:24Z

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[[Image:Current character selection screen (March 2011).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Current CSS]]
The [[character selection screen]] (CSS), also known as [[Feedback:Developer updates/20110303|character select screen]], is the screen you are presented with after you log in from the [[login screen]].

Here you can select a [[character]] to play and enter the game, or select an empty slot to create a new character (which will take you directly into the game using them).

Your character slots are displayed in a ring fashion around the bottom of the screen. If there are more slots available than will fit on the screen at once, the ring can be rotated by holding the mouse over the arrows. The sort order of the characters can be changed with a selector in the upper left corner of the screen.

You can also access the [[Guild Wars Online Store|online store]], manage your [[account]] [[access key]]s, and delete characters from this screen.

You can select which character selection screen you want to use via the [[Options]] menu.
==Prophecies==
[[Image:Prophecies character selection screen.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Original Prophecies CSS]]
The Prophecies CSS did not allow for camera movement, and all characters you had were shown at once. Rather than thumbnails, you selected characters by clicking on them directly, which caused them to move forward. There was no online store at this time.

The Prophecies CSS was replaced with the Factions character selection screen on the release of [[Guild Wars Factions]], but became available again in the [[Feedback:Game updates/20251218|December 18th, 2025]] game update via a dropdown selection in the [[options]] panel.
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==Factions==
[[Image:Factions character selection screen.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Factions-Era CSS]]
The Factions CSS added camera movement, and a new layout for characters. Characters were selected by clicking their thumbnails, and the selected character would appear in the center of the screen. Many UI elements, such as account key management, were changed to appear in a window instead of full screen.

About halfway through this screen's existence, the online store was added and its button placed in the upper right corner of the screen (example [[:File:Factions character selection screen plus store.jpg|here]]).

The Factions CSS was replaced with the Nightfall character selection screen on the release of [[Guild Wars Nightfall]], but became available again in the [[Feedback:Game updates/20251218|December 18th, 2025]] game update via a dropdown selection in the [[options]] panel.
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==Nightfall==
[[Image:Nightfall character selection screen.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Nightfall-Era CSS]]
The Nightfall CSS was essentially the same as its predecessor, but with new borders, UI, background, and music to fit the Nightfall theme.

On July 17th, 2007, the sky used in this CSS was modified slightly: The left side was darkened somewhat. Some people claimed to hear a new gust of wind and the sound of wolves in the background. This may have been a foreshadowing to the Eye of the North CSS.

The Nightfall CSS was replaced with the Eye of the North character selection screen on the release of [[Guild Wars Eye of the North]], but became available again in the [[Feedback:Game updates/20251218|December 18th, 2025]] game update via a dropdown selection in the [[options]] panel.
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==Eye of the North==
[[Image:EotN character selection screen.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Eye of the North CSS]]
On July 20th, 2007, the CSS was changed to feature a view of the [[Far Shiverpeaks]] with a [[Norn]] settlement in the background. The music and theme elements were updated to fit [[Eye of the North]].
* One of the mountains in the background closely resembles [[w:Half Dome|Half Dome]] in [[w:Yosemite National Park|Yosemite National Park]]
* The music played on the CSS is the same as the music played when you flee the [[Destroyers]] in their first appearance in [[the Beginning of the End]] quest.

On February 15, 2024, the music was updated to loop through all 4 title themes and various pieces of ambient music.

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==Notes==
* The ability to select from any of the past character selection screens was added in the [[Feedback:Game updates/20251218|December 18, 2025 patch]] as part of [[Guild Wars Reforged]].
* If you check "Hide UI", the login screen UI will disappear after an idle timeout, and then reappear when you move your mouse. This option will also remain set between visits to the login screen.
* The "[[Player versus Player|PvP]]/[[Player versus Environment|RP]]" sort order will sort [[PvP-only character]]s before [[roleplaying character]]s, and will also sort both sections alphabetically.
* The "Change Password" and "Change Mailing Address" options via the "Edit Account" button are unavailable. See [[Guild Wars Wiki:FAQ#How do I change my password?|here]] for instructions on another method to change your password.
{{anomaly|The [[Game updates/20090423|April 23rd, 2009 update]] caused characters to initially appear incorrectly on the character selection screen due to changes in how character appearance data is stored. Logging in with a specific character at any time after the update will cause that character to display correctly on the character selection screen afterward. This was also noted in a [[ArenaNet:Login screen announcements/Archive#Reset Your Character Display|login screen announcement]].}}
{{bug| Characters wearing a [[costume]] will sometimes be displayed without one, even when "Always Show" is turned on.}}
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Character selection screen - Revision history

gww>MrModius at 22:48, 31 January 2026