Unlock

From Guild Wars Wiki

In the game, the term unlock means to make available for all PvP characters on a game account to use. Skills, upgrade components, runes, and heroes can be unlocked. This gives PvP characters a greater flexibility, as they have access to anything any character on the account has unlocked.

Anything can be unlocked by using Balthazar faction at a Priest of Balthazar. It is also possible to unlock anything through PvE play by:

• Learning skills through skill quests, skill trainers or using a Signet of Capture.
• Identifying upgrade components and runes on drops.
• Obtaining a hero.

Unlocking does not benefit PvE characters who must learn their skills, and obtain all items and heroes individually, regardless of what has been unlocked (there are a couple of exceptions to this, see below).

Bug.

If you have unlocked an item, sometimes identifying (i.e. "unlocking") a weaker version of this item will replace the old unlock, making the stronger version unavailable.

[edit] Benefits of Skill Unlocks for PvE Characters

While unlocks chiefly benefit PvP characters, there are some benefits of unlocking skills for PvE characters:

• Unlocked skills are available from all skill trainers of the appropriate campaign, allowing you to buy the skill earlier than if relying on each skill trainers default set.
• Heroes can use all unlocked skills.
• PvE characters can learn any unlocked skill by using a Skill Tome.