nightfall

me and my freind want to buy guild wars but should we buy the first one or get the third one and if we do will we be missing out on anything

There are a few things that link back to the previous two, lore-wise, but start with Nightfall and just work backwards because right now, Tyria is a bit on the "Ghost town" side, what with everyone giving the new campaign the love.

No doubt many will return to Tyria and Cantha is still busy.

The general consensus seems to be that Prophecies is the most newbie friendly but, due to the recent release of Nightfall, you'll have a slightly difficult time finding a group. (Unless one of you plays a monk.) Nightfall has the most people playing it, and I've heard the learning curve isn't too bad, so it should be a good choice as well.

I'm playing through Prophecies right now, and I'm finding it to be great fun. It generally isn't THAT difficult to find groups unless you're playing late at night in the American districts. I also want to follow the story in the order it was released.

There is really no much connection story wise. You can purchase which ever you prefer. My choice will be Factions first since is easier than Prophecies and Nightfall.

Prophecies is the original campaign and some players like to follow the order.