Rubber-banding

Example of rubber-banding - damage is being dealt far away from the target

Rubber-banding or warping are colloquial terms referring to de-synchronization between the client program and the Guild Wars servers. It typically occurs when trying to control a character via keyboard movement through narrow pathways, usually filled with other players or obstructions. The client thinks the character is moving, while the server knows in reality it's stuck. The end result is that the character will eventually "sling-back" to the location where it got stuck, just as a rubber-band slings back to its resting state when released.

Signs indicating rubber-banding

• Damage dealt to or by enemies not in range, for example melee damage when the target or source is not in melee range, or an area of effect skill when outside of the specified area.
• Being "warped" backwards during movement.
• Projectiles have long flight times but move very slowly and over short distances.
• Other players suddenly disappear after seemingly moving alongside them, usually in larger maps.

Solutions

• Using the /stuck command offsets the character's location by a fraction and asks the server for the actual location to sync with the client's view.
• Moving with mouse-clicks instead of keyboard buttons.
• Using skills with activation times usually resets a character's location.
• Standing still for a few seconds.
• As they do not rubber-band, traveling with heroes or henchmen will show the character's accurate location on the server.
• Using a Shadow step