Tips

Hello,
I just placed an order for "Guild Wars" it should be here in a few days.
So there for I was wondering if anyone has any tips of suggestions for those just starting out in the game. Also I would like to here anything I can from those who play on dial up in regards to where to stay away from or any issues and things.

Thanks!

Well, this forum and the GuildWiki are the best places to delve for information.

Which campaign are you getting? Prophecies is the first chapter and has a very strong story line. The leveling curve is more slowly paced than other chapters, but that isn't a negative thing.

In fact, I find that each chapter has a unique "feel" when it comes to leveling a character.

Your biggest challenge playing on dial-up will be large updates and the initial amount of huge updates needed when you install Guild Wars.

If you have access from another PC that has a high speed connection, I recommend that you install Guild Wars from it first and get an updated GW.dat. The GW.dat file is the heart of the game program, but you can transfer it from PC to PC.

If you have a friend with a fast internet and a large external hard drive (3 gigs+) it would be pretty easy. My DAT is 2.84 gigs.

If not, expect some initial delays over your connection while the game is fully updated.

Streaming updates occur in the background while you play, but this may cause you issues over dial up.

To download everything and avoid streaming updates you can use this modified shortcut:

"C:\Program Files\Guild Wars\Gw.exe" -image

<only use this command when updates are needed, not every time you run Guild Wars>

But, this simply may be too much for your connection.

The good news is that once you are updated your connection should be able to run Guild Wars fairly well, it was actually optimized for dial-up early in development.

I guess it must be "Prophecies" . It only just say "Guild Wars" I ordered it for $35 shipped from gamestop.com here's a link to exactly what I ordered.
http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=645393

One more thing, anyone had any issues with it playing on a laptop?
I know mine meets the specs suggested on the box. However Everquest did to and some people had issues with that on laptops . I did until I updated a patch.

Just wondering.

Thanks!

The first download is very large. It might take a long time with a dial-up. If you have a friend with the game who can burn a copy of the dat file for you, it will help you out immensely. (The cd that comes in the game box is only part of the file, as the game is constantly changing.)

The dat file is all of the static information in the game, once you have that, all changing info (your characters, stats, titles, maps, items, etc.) is kept on the ArenaNet servers. This enables you to play from any computer once you have registered an account. Also means that you can play well with a dial-up as there are no constant downloads bogging you down.

People run Guild Wars on laptops with no particular issues, especially if minimum requirements are exceeded.

Since it's a laptop, the portability should allow you to "borrow" a high speed internet connection or "grab" a GW.DAT file from somebody fairly easily.

Thanks for the info all.
I'm really looking forward to the game. If I get half as addicted to it as I did Everquest I'll be happy lol. I loved that game, but dial up don't like it these days. But I hear Guild will do great. So we will see.

I'm a little nervous about the non leveling up stuff , as to what exactly you will do then. But we will see I guess.

Also , how important are the expantions?

My tip to you, avoid the monk skill mending at all costs, don't make a Warrior/Monk.

these should give you a good start

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...-10-id1195.php

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...lon-id1264.php

btw is there any way to start downloading any files before my game arrive's ?

Also, why not monk/warrior ?

Thanks!

A "Wammo" is a great choice for a new player. It's a core profession combination and a very comfortable play style for most players.

Effectively, it's like playing a classic Paladin: high armor and healing/buff capabilities.

Don't let the silliness of other people dissuade you from a Warrior/Monk.

In the end, play the way you want to play.

Popular combo's and builds are popular for a reason. No reason not to have a Warrior/Monk as a first character if you like melee. If you are more a caster type player, then consider Necromancer/anything.

Lots of players dont want Warrior/Monk because it's chosen by lots of noobs. You cans till make a W/Mo but don't ever bring mending, it doesn't really help once you get past the first part of the game. There are other secondary professions that are very useful with a warrior. Wiki has all that info. As for Monk/Warrior it's probably not the best choice, Monk/Elementalist is better imo.

I agree. But for truly new players, they shouldn't be held down or judged for the actions/quality of others.

People often forget that to a new player, the jaded judgments of older players are often useless because everything is truly new to them. Things (unless it's a player scam, lol) should be experienced, not avoided, so they can make a judgment of their own.

I envy new players, it's exciting to discover a game for the first time.

I have played many online games, I do recall dying a lot in Guild Wars when it came out. I had to get used to playing a game that "played" much differently than other games. Mob AI was different, skill choices even in the beginning "mattered" in some degree, deciding when to move onto another geographical area, etc.

Thanks for the tips.
Question about the client. Will I be able to use it as I don't have my CD key or anything yet ? because my game hasn't arrived yet.

You will need your key to play, but you can download it all before prompted for the key.

Same here about the new players. I still remember going through Prophecies for the first time (19 months ago now, wow where does the time go?). It was so exciting discovering a new world and all the little details about it. But now that I've gone through it, I can help out newer people. One thing I wanna say is feel free to make a W/Mo, most new people do and there isn't anything wrong with that. Just know that your healing skills will NOT make you invincible. It is nice to have some healing to allow the monks to focus on other people, just don't assume that "Wow, I can have constant healing all the time! I'm gonna go into that giant pack of monsters that are way higher than me and bring them to my group! I can handle it". It doesn't work like that.

Other general advice I would give is to be careful about spending money. People may offer to run you to the higher level areas, but I wouldn't recommend it until you've been through the game once and know what to expect. Also, you should only buy armor twice. Once when you leave the tutorial area, and one more time when you get much later in the game. If you find any black or white dye on the ground, sell it! They are the rarest and most valuble dyes in the game, and run for very good money, especially to a new player.

If you have questions or need help in the game, feel free to give me a whisper in game. My in-game name is Kartok the Swift.

Also, on having a dial-up connection. Playing Guild Wars on a dial-up connection isn't all that bad. The only difference is it will take longer to downlaod the updates, but once they are downloaded, the game plays just as well.

I have 1 last advice, go on guildwiki and check the scam pages it really helps avoiding scams in pre-searing especially the dye scams and also the ones you will find in Ascalon.

Exactly. Also always make sure, before you aggro that all your team members are ready.

I'm not sure that I totally agree with the running thing. Playing through the game is how you learn to play your profession. I know it can be tedius playing through on several different characters, but I also believe it is a necessary evil.

Agreed. Drocknar's Forge is the place for max armor.

Well, that's true but I think in the long run, it's much better to hold on to all dye so you have it for future use. It's better to have it for free, then to have to buy it. If you do need to sell it, check with the dye trader to see how much they are going for and then take a little off of that, unless the trader is out of that color, in which case you can sell it for what ever the trader sells it for.

Ditto, my ingame name is the same as my forum name here. I'd rather you ask me, then risk getting screwed over by some of these asshats we have in the game.

The first character I made was a fire ele. They can do significant damage, it's a great way to get to know the game and they are wanted almost as much as monks in pugs.

Above all remember that it's just a game and the purpose is to have fun.

Some tips:

1. Read the booklets that come with the game, there's some useful information there.
2. Try out different professions to see what they can do and to find ones that you like.
3. DO NOT SELL DYES before you go to the acadamy. They are worth much more than the 1 gold that the merchant will pay for them, and in many cases worth more than what players will pay for them.
4. Don't go to the acadamy before you've reached level 7 or 8.
5. Make the most of collectors. You can get decent weapons and Armor from them, saving you quite a bit of money

One more question. If I stop the download in the middle will it resume where it left off?

I believe it should, but I'm not entirely sure. My best guess would be that you'll start your download where you ended, but you'll still need to decompress all the files (which doesn't take very long) once all the downloading is done.