Customize

To customize something in Guild Wars means to attune an item to a specific character. This makes the item only usable by that specific character or his/her heroes.

Effect of customization
There are four kinds of customizations in the game:
 * Weapon customization: When a weapon is customized for a character, it deals 20% more base damage. The drawback is that no other character (even for the same account, or a new character with the same name) will be able to use it. This reduces its value to other players, since only the weapons upgrades have a substantial trade value.
 * Customization is a good idea for martial weapons, since the primary damage tends to be through the weapon rather than indirectly through skills.
 * Armor customization: Any armor crafted in the game will be customized specifically for the character that purchased it. This is by design and there is no way to avoid it.
 * Inherent customization: Observed on storybooks and certain other quest-related items that are given to players; these items are customized upon receipt.
 * Monument customization: Weapons placed for display in the Hall of Monuments will automatically be customized (this includes shields and off-hands).

How to customize weapons
Weapons that have not yet been customized can be taken to a weaponsmith in a town or outpost for customization. In the merchant window that appears there will be a tab called Customize. Click on it and choose the weapon in your inventory that you wish to customize, then click on the Customize button at the bottom of the screen. Your currently equipped weapon will also be displayed as one of the options. Weapon customization always costs 10.

Any weapon you create on a PvP-only character will be automatically customized giving the 20% more damage bonus.

Other players' customized items
As mentioned above, a player cannot use an item customized for a character other than the one he/she is playing with. Customized items can be sold to merchants (for prices far below what it cost to craft them). They can also be salvaged for materials, weapon upgrades, or runes, perhaps the only value one will get from a customized weapon.

Note that if you have an item customized for character A, put the item in storage, delete character A and make new character B with the exact same name, the new character B still cannot use the customized item.

Trading customized items
It is possible to trade customized items with other players. If you accept a trade window offer which includes customized items, a warning message will be displayed.