FAQ - New and Returning Players

[Zyera]

FAQ - New and Returning Players

More Links & Info Here: FAQ - New and Returning Players




FAQ - New and Returning Players

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/com ... g_players/

Edited Slightly.


New Players

Q: What is the end-game like in GW2?

A: It greatly depends on what you want to do. You have to be self-directed otherwise you will feel like there isn't much to do when that's not true. If you don't have the expansion, you can do dailies, finish map completion, do dungeon paths for unique dungeon skins, you can collect achievement points, you can work towards legendary weapons which are unique weapon skins with special effects. Fractals are also able to be done if you don't have the expansion, they're end-game content similar to the dungeons, you get cool rewards and you can work towards tier 4 fractal dailies which can give very nice daily rewards (better rewards if you have the expansion with the fractal attunement masteries). You can also PvP and/or WvW (world vs. world, and if you find a good commander you can have a lot of fun). It's mostly a progression-based end-game but instead of gear progression making players that have played for years stronger than players who have played for a shorter amount of time, it's progression in the sense of account progression and your achievements/skins.

With the expansion, there's even more things to do, more collections, more achievements, new armour and weapon stat prefixes and skins, masteries, you can craft your own legendary precursor, try out new class specializations etc. Fractal rewards are more lucrative, the new expansion maps are fun and have popularmeta-events which give nice rewards also. There are also raids, which is IMO the capstone end-game content, you can join a raid training guild that will give you more information and training on the raid bosses. Raids are 10-player team-based content that serves to test your personal skill and teamwork, however, you shouldn't be starting raids until you are an established player who has the relevant gear and a good understanding of game mechanics.

NOR's Raiding Forum: http://newoutriders.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=153


Q: What are the differences between F2P, the base game, and the HoT expansion? Where do I buy it?

A: This post gives a very detailed explanation, a long with purchasing information. If you already have the base game and you buy the expansion, you will get the expansion (and nothing else, although if you purchased the base game before HoT launched, you will have gotten the 'Royal Guard Outfit'. If you are F2P and buy the expansion, you will get the base game and the expansion.)

There is no NA/EU region lock on keys so you can buy HoT from an EU retailer if you want to capitalize on a sale when you are in NA and vice versa. Only the Chinese version of GW2 is region locked.


Q: Is trying out the game on F2P worth it?

A: You have nothing to lose, and it serves as a good trial as the restrictions don't really affect gameplay that much.

This is a good post from a new player's PoV that also details the experience they had with the F2P restrictions.


Q: At what point should I buy the expansion?

A: This post gives a detailed explanation. TLDR: If you are a new player and you like the game even a little bit, buy it as soon as you are able to. If you already have the base game, probably wait until you are level 80 or wait for a sale.


Q: Is this game viable for a casual player?

A: The game is absolutely great for casual players, you can stop and pick-up where you left whenever you want apart from some group activities. Getting viable gear is easy, gear does not become outdated over time, and most of the activities are pretty short if you have a good group. It is also viable and enjoyable for hardcore players as there are lots of things to do.


Q: Are the classes balanced?

A: They each have their own strengths and weaknesses in each game mode (PvE, hardcore PvE, PvP and WvW). They all see roughly an equal amount of play, and each have at least one viable build (you can totally change how a class plays depending on your build e.g the skills you use (based on weapons), the utility/elite skills you use (your right-side skill bar), your gear, and your traits. ArenaNet also have balance changes in their patches pretty regularly. For PvE such as world bosses, map completion etc. your class/build doesn't really matter, however some classes are more mobile than others e.g thief and you can help other players do jumping puzzles etc. with a mesmer, elementalists do lots of damage but are pretty squishy etc.

For hardcore PvE such as raids, basically every class has a role to play (except maybe Revenant right now, but they're still useful in some encounters). The meta also changed regularly, and even though classes such as Revenant (as of 12/30/2016) do not see that much play, this might change when the next balance patch hits. There is a soft trinity, where Chronomancers (mesmer specialization) are usually the tanks (boss targets player with the highest toughness) due to the fact that they can give lots of buffs to increase party DPS and have a few damage mitigating skills. Druids (ranger specialization) are usually the healers due to the fact that they can also give buffs that increase party DPS, tempests (elementalist specialization) can also have a healing build which is useful in some encounters, however they're mainly used for DPS. The other classes (i.e Tempest, Dragonhunter, Daredevil, Scrapper, Reaper, Berserker) mainly play a DPS role (although berserkers are important mainly for the might they dish out), however chronomancers and rangers/druids can also have DPS builds. Rangers/Engi's/Necros are usually condition DPS, however they can also be played as power DPS.

Basically any class can pretty much do anything (except maybe healing, but every class can heal themselves) depending on how you build, whether it's optimal is a different story.


Q: Which class should I pick?

A: It's really up to you. Most of the classes have builds that can change what the class does entirely and change how difficult/fun that class is to play, the viability of these different builds depends on which game mode you're playing, but basically every class has at least 1 viable build for every game mode. Eventually you will probably have all the classes anyway. All the classes are pretty much useful for end-game content (except maybe revenant right now). As we get more and more expansions, we will keep getting elite specializations that will change the way a class plays.

For a class rundown and 'best way to level', refer to this informative post


Q: Is homeworld/server choice important?

A: Only region is important (i.e EU or NA) - you can't play with people from different regions. Homeworld only matters for WvW, otherwise it's irrelevant due to megaservers (homeworld choice also has no effect on latency). For OCE players, the main WvW server is unofficially Sea of Sorrows in the NA server, for other players, pretty much just choose any populated server (although low populated servers can still have fun in WvW due to world linking). You will be able to see how populated a server is when the option of choosing one comes up.

NOR is on Sanctum of Rall (NA)


Q: How is the PvP in this game?

A: PvP is good and active. There are two types: structured PvP (sPvP) where you go into a smaller match-made zone to fight for point captures and/or objectives. The first team to reach a set point value wins. The second type is world vs. world (WvW), where 3 "servers" (this is really the only reason for server choice) are matched up and over the course of a week are competing over castles, keeps, supply camps, etc. It's more open-ended and has more of an open-world element to it. You can follow a commander (player that has their commander tag on) for a lot of fun, especially in populated servers where there are teamspeak servers dedicated to WvW. Both types of PvP are fun, and while world vs. world has historically been a little neglected, it's still fairly unique and the dev team is working on some revamps that should bring some people back to it.


Q: Is crafting useful?

A: Crafting is the most reliable way/easiest non-RNG way to get the highest-tier weapons/armor in the game but it's expensive to get max crafting levels. Each of your characters can have 2 crafting professions, they can have more if you buy a gem-store item, but this isn't really necessary. You can also cook food with cooking and utilities with various crafting professions i.e artificing which gives you temporary stat buffs, however you can also buy most food & utilities from the trading post. Crafting also has a role to play in legendary precursor crafting. Materials you gather/find are stored in an account-wide material storage (you can click the cog in your inventory and deposit all your materials there, and access them at a bank) so you can either sell them or use them to craft stuff, personally I like hoarding materials because you never know when you might want to use them.

Scribing is the newest crafting profession and is pretty different from the others, it's mostly for guild stuff like crafting guild decorations (which can be a lot of fun to play with) and WvW related things for your guild, but I wouldn't recommend this crafting profession unless you're rich and/or have a guild you want to make stuff for.


Q: How is the community in this game, is it active?

A: Alive, active, well, and friendly. The game encourages friendly interactions (eg. you can't kill steal, you can't steal gathering nodes, anyone can res you and they get exp for it, so why not res you? etc). You'll still run into the occasional elitist or jerk, but by and large it's a friendly one with people willing to help. If you're nice to people you're likely to get treated nicely in return, or at least not poorly. As with any other MMO, finding a good guild is helpful and can enhance your game experience but you aren't screwed if you decide to just make your own way.

It's also one of the most popular western MMOs so there are plenty of people playing, especially in high level zones.


Q: Is this game grind heavy?

A: Compared to all the other MMOs, not at all. Raiding (the capstone end-game content) requires at least full exotic armour which is easy to get, with ascended trinkets. Ascended armour is best in slot (BiS) and is relatively easy to obtain compared to other MMOs. T4 Fractals require ascended gear because you can slot agony infusions into them (agony is a mechanic exclusive to fractals). The gear grind is pretty minimal until you want to gear up other professions but that's pretty easy too. Other content isn't really grindy but it's entirely up to you if you want to do stuff, just pick and choose whatever you want to do.


Q: Is there role-playing in this game?

A: Roleplaying in GW2 is not huge but it definitely exists. NOR has a small group of RPers. Also, 'ook under "Fountain of Rurikton" in the LFG panel, there are sometimes people there who want to role-play.

NOR's RP Forum: http://newoutriders.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=140


Q: Heart quests are boring and killing my enjoyment of this game

A: Don't just focus on the hearts! Hearts are actually one of the least efficient ways to level. Events (the orange circles/stars/etc) are where the money is at, but almost EVERYTHING in this game gives exp e.g Dungeons, crafting, gathering, exploration, etc. Don't feel trapped doing hearts just because they're "quests".

Hearts are just there to guide you to places where events will likely spawn; you don't HAVE to do them unless you want to get 100% map completion. You will need that if you want a legendary weapon later in the game, but there's absolutely no need to grind it all out at once.

Feel free to go exploring in other starting areas and zones if you get bored of the one you're in now! You have one waypoint for ever starting area unlocked by default. The exp you earn will be scaled to your level, rather than the level of the zone you're in, so if you get bored of the scenery, branch out. If you're level 30, try out some story mode dungeons. Also go check out seasonal festivals such as Wintersday (December). And if that still isn't enough variety to keep you engaged, find a guild and people to play with!


Q: I'm scared of dungeons and fractals and feeling overwhelmed!

A: This story might help you. If you're feeling overwhelmed about builds and gear, metabattle is a good place to start, and qtfy is a good place for raid builds.

Also, feel free to speak to an officer about getting into events or random dungeons/fractals/etc. We're more than happy to help you!


Q: Any advice for a new player?

A: Take levelling slow, max level isn't everything. Basically, salvage any gear you aren't using, and sell the materials on the trading post (or deposit them into your material storage for later. Never sell to vendors unless they're minor runes/sigils or something else similarly worthless.) Other than that, just take your time and enjoy the world. You don't really need a guide for leveling.

[Zyera]

Returning Players

Q: Is GW2 Playable without the expansion?

A: HoT is not necessary unless you have a level 80 character already or you feel committed enough to buy the expansion early to play revenant/use a level 80 boost (but please don't,you'll learn so much from leveling a character properly). So basically yes it's playable, but you will miss out on a lot of the things and the enjoyment that comes with the expansion.


Q: Should I get the expansion?

A: Yes. If you don't buy it, you pretty much get very little content for the rest of eternity. What you have now, is what you will always have. No new zones. No new specialisations etc. The expansion gives you more options and allows you to continue your adventures in Tyria. It's well worth it IMO.


Q: Which version of the expansion should I buy? (Standard, Deluxe, Ultimate)

A: If you're not planning on buying gems the cheapest version is definitely the one to go with. If you're looking to invest in gems (to buy things in the gem-store), then the most expensive one is the one to go with.

The middle version comes with in-game fluff stuff, like a mini pet and a glider skin, not entirely useful (Unless you love the looks/pets/etc). So probably go with the cheapest or the most expensive, depending on your financial situation and your desire to get stuff from the gemstore. Keep in mind the gemstore includes nice QoL things like expanding your personal bank storage.


Q: Will I be viable in PvP, WvW etc. without the HoT expansion?

A: There are some builds that could hold their own e.g Condi engineer but generally speaking, you will be at a disadvantage without the expansion.


Q: Is the game worth coming back to?

A: End-game content is pretty good right now, the HoT expansion brought lots more to do and explore. Living World Season 3 is also currently active and progresses the story and gives even more maps to explore (although you will need to buy the episodes if you didn't log in to 'unlock' them when they were active).


Q: Should I boost myself up to level 80 or start from level 1 to regain my lost knowledge?

A: Start from level 1 and level your character normally. You should probably choose a different class to shake things up. If you boost your character you will be at level 80 and have absolutely no idea what to do or how to play your class, which will just frustrate you immensely.


Q: I used the booster and I'm confused about gear, everyone says soldier's stats is bad?

A: This post gives a good overview on gear stats and prefixes


Q: How do I get a glider?

A: You need the HoT expansion. You have to do the first two missions of HoT to get the glider. Once you do the second mission, you will unlock 'Masteries'. Train the first level of gliding mastery by filling the bar with exp earned in the HoT maps and areas, then spend a mastery point to unlock the first tier. After that, you will be able to use the glider (by jumping again in mid air or by holding your jump button).


Q: What is the current state of dungeons?

A: They're pretty rewarding and give more dungeon currency than they did before. They're easier now due to elite specializations. You can find a pug group pretty quickly/easily for most of the fast/useful ones e.g AC (Ascalonian Catacombs), CM (Caudecus' Manor) p1 (path 1), TA (Twilight Arbor), CoE (Crucible of Eternity), SE (Sorrow's Embrace) p3, HoTW (Honor of The Waves) p1 etc. You also get 5g and a chest of dungeoneering for every 8 unique paths, which is repeatable once you get the 8. Fractals, however, are very active now and they've kind of 'replaced' dungeons.


Q: Best way to make gold?

A: Auric basin multi-loot is a good way to make money. I also get a lot richer during seasonal events, so make sure to do those activities like Halloween and Wintersday when they're available. Other than that, fractal dailies, fractal 40 farm,general dailies, dungeons, HoT meta events and event farming are good for mats and drops.

Q: I don't know what to do in HoT and also I die a lot

A: Start with the HoT story! You'll get some mastery points and it'll bring you around the different maps.

Learn the map metas. These are the event cycles that are constantly happening on the HoT maps. Example: In Verdant Brink, there's a day/night cycle with different series of events for each.

Take time to learn new combat mechanics. In Core Tyria, you can get away most of the time with hack/slash/spam skills, but HoT maps have a more dynamic feel. You can use the enemies' body language to tell when they're doing certain attacks, and when to dodge.

If you don't already, get full Exotics (probably berserker, unless you wanna use a special build) This helps with survivability a lot.