New to Guild Wars...

Trying to figure out which profession to chose as my first profession. I am very used to MMOs and other similar games to guild wars so I am not looking for the 'easiest' class to play effecitvely.

I am looking for a versetile class that can 'solo' relatively well but that is also useful in groups. Something that can farm decently but most esspecially will be able to get elite skills and go through missions and quests fairly easily.

I have prophecies, factions, and nightfall. So far I dislike the look of necromancer but it seems like it could be effective at what I want as a minion master. I don't feel like doing a monk either... though I admit I like thier looks... if I could find a good offensive build that would suit my needs I would play either. I like the look of assassin but seems like it wouldn't be very pve friendly. Mesmer... the same, dosn't look like it could do what I wish it could do as a main profession. Dervish seems damn interesting but... since it is recent as of nightfall I worry a bit about using it in prophecies and factions due to limited item drops and skills.

I am at a loss which class to do. I want something interesting. That can be valuable to a group but also does well on its own. I like a charecter that -looks- interesting as well as that is interesting to play. I do intend to play with a few other friends (who don't know what they will play yet) but I also know I will have to solo a bit to.

So any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Also, I am curious if I would be sacraficing anything by starting in nightfall or factions vs prophecies. Can I go back and do prophecies early missions (post-seering)?

hrm and hrm...

yes you can travel between any land and do the begining missions with a character no matter where it is created...(not including stuff in presearing) as far a class to pick...

sounds to me like you want either a ranger..or an elemental...but again its hard to say...since each person is unique in thier desires...you might want to take a closer look at the monk...they are always wanted...they can solo (55monk) and do well in pvp and pve...mesmers...rock...but are hard to play and most people don't understand them therefor they are left out of a lot of grouops...devs and warriors are mainly mele damage dealers....alot of peeps call em tanks...but tanking is sort of a "lost art" in pve any more...rangers are very versatile...u can go with a R/W and use high energy warrior hammer skills for that mele touch or go with a R/x for a ranged attack...i would definetly suggest starting with prophecies if you haven't ever played since it has a slow learning curve and offers skills as rewards...u can always pick up hero's after you reach Lions Arch...and they would be able to use any skills u have unlocked...

good luck...

You sould like you want an elementalist. good damage in a group, and the best solo builds. but i would start in prophecies on your first character, and eles have no good prophecies builds. I think a prophecies ranger would be a good choice.

start your first character in prophecies for sure. the introduction area is a few hundred times better than nightfall and factions.


also you mentioned necromancers as minion masters. do not make a necro planning on him being a minion master. a good minion master is a very hard build to play and only a lvl 20 character should try it. blood and curses are for new necros.

This answer may be a bit biased but, here goes. If you want a challenge, I would choose the mesmer. Now I know a lot of people out there think that the mesmer is the least useful class out there. The reason behind this, imo, is that they don't actually see any "flashy" attacks or spells flying out or anything like that. The mesmer is mainly a support class, but can do fine soloing all by themselves. Dopefish has a wonderful post about soloing with a mesmer. I myself went through prophecies with each of the main builds and had the easiest time with my mesmer. But again, if you have all 3 campaigns, you'll have more than one character slot. So I'd suggest starting off with one mesmer, one ele, and if you want it to be real easy, a warrior.

Warriors are the most fun to play. They have the prettiest armor :P

If you haven't already then check out guildwiki at http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Main_Page for guides on playing the different professions. (The new Guild Wars Wiki has started but has no in-depth articles yet. You can bookmark it http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page for future reference.

As with three campaigns you have eight character slots available, your first choice is not meant to be your last. (Also you can purchase additional slots through the On-Line Store link at the character selection screen.) So for your first character, I would try what appeals the most without worrying about future uses. Whatever you select, it will take a while before you have the equipment and skills to solo farm.

As to playing solo, that's why the game has henchmen (and heroes with NF). If you want an additional fighter on your side from day one, then choose Ranger as your secondary. That will give you a pet to help you fight.

Edited for typo

It sounds like you own all 3 games. Do you have the manuals that came with the games? If so, take a few minutes and read the profession descriptions for each class in those manuals. Then pick out 3 or 4 that appeal to you. Create those 3 or 4 characters and play each one up to at least level 10.

By that time you should have a decent feel for how the character uses their skills and their attacking style. By that time you'll also probably be gravitating towards one particular style and will have found your calling.

Do you prefer PvE or PvP style play? If you want a character that can join groups easily then definitely go for a Monk. They always seem to be in short supply and good monks are always welcome. Mesmers and Paragons are generally shunned in PvE, but that doesn't mean they aren't good professions. I had a Mesmer on my RA team a few nights ago who was absolutely awesome. This mesmer was consistently killing another player within a few seconds after the matches started.

Warrior - Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Great to play if you have anger management issues.

Ranger - Environmentally friendly plus you get a pet.

Elementalist - The spell casters in GW. Weak armor but high damage builds.

Necromancer - Won't win any modelling contests, but they can raise their own armies totally mess up the enemies with hexes and curses.

Mesmers - Shunned in PUGs, but a great support character if played well.

Monks - Everyone needs a good healer

Assassins - Need to be quick on your feet, er fingers, to play the assassin well. Get in quick, kill quick and get back out quick.

Ritualists - Never played one. Can't help you here much.

Paragons - Good support character. Mainly used to buff up your teammates attacks.

Dervish - Nice damage output and can be hard to kill if played correctly. Never made one of these either though.


Edit: Oh yeah, I almost forgot. One of the fun things you can do in GW is earn various titles for your characters. Judging by your screenname selection, may I suggest the Drunkard title. You can get free beer during many special events.

Yeah, have read through all the class descriptions. But as often in online games... things change and the class descriptions can be way off how things are used.

I am looking for a class that can really be a skill collector, exploration, not so much a farmer but if I go most places I want to be able to handle the things in my way pretty handily. So far... (in no particular order)

Mesmers: I like their look and the thoughts behind them but it just seems more useful as a secondary profession.

Necros: Dislike the look but it seems versetile in pvp and pretty interesting.

Rangers: Kinda iffy on their looks. Not much for pets... but a Ra/Me or Ra/El seems interesting. And the armors look spiffyish.

Elementalist: I love shiny sparkly spells with impressive effects. But not sure if its exactly what I am looking for.

Dervish: Seems a complex class. I like the fact that they can transform. I also like the look. Seems very unfriendly in PUG environments though. A de/me would be interesting. Also the animations are nice.

Also another Q. How far do I need to get in factions or nightfall to take my char to the beginning of prophecies to play with my friends? I know Lion's Arch is the point in prophecies (I played GW a long time ago... so clueless on anything other than prophecies or after lion's arch). I just like the looks of the nightfall and factions charecters more.

A Canthan or Elonian can go to prophecies, but like you said you will go to Lion's Arch. The non-natives will not be able to get the beginner quests in the Ascalon areas. If you want to play with your friends in the beginner areas, you'll need to create a prophecies character.

Honestly, I'd suggest that you create characters in all 3 campaigns anyways since you'll probably want to play thru all 3 storylines at least once.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier, but one of the fun things you can do in Guild Wars is earn various titles for your characters. By your screenname selection, may I suggest that you go for the Drunkard title. You can get free beer during special events in the game.

Assassin is totally your style!

That Drunkard title is going to be come I go for as soon as I am able. I know I can create numerous charecters but I tend to like having one that I focus on and put my all into. Such as getting as many titles as possible, etc. Thats one reason why versatility and appearance is so important to me.

And... regarding what you said. If I started a charecter in nightfall. Could I bring him over to lion's arch and then cross the mountains east... and do even the first missions in prophecies? (post-searing of course)

LOL, I feel the same way towards characters. I have 5 main chars that I play, but The Scarlet Raven is the one that I'm trying to get "everything" for. I only suggest making 3-4 chars so that you can try out all the professions. You really don't know yet which one you'll enjoy best until you try them.

Yes, you can do the early missions in prophecies. You cannot do the early quests however and the non-natives kinda feel like they are joining the story halfway thru the book. I prefer to experience each campaign first with a native and then later bring over the foreigners into the campaigns.

id say out of the chars ive made my fire ele is my favorite. i can kill entire groups with one or two spells. in pvp, they are hard to kill as an earth ele. as for sins, id say they are, not the best class to play. ive only seen a few that can be as good as a tank. they are VERY easy to kill because of low armor and not much damage. (unless they are built right and played right, they can be very hard to kill in that instance. but ive only seen that in pvp) but i think an ele is a good starter char, lots of magic, they dont have to be up front, and they can be the last to die.


tanks can be fun to play too, they have high armor, strong hits, and have lots of weapons you can use. id say swords seem to be the best, ive tried all the weapons, they all have strengths, but the sword seems to be more usefull.

id say a tank or ele would be a good start. but thats just me.

The options you have starting with all 3 campaigns is enormous.

It will take you a little bit in any of the campaigns to be able to take your character to another campaign. I believe nightfall may take the shortest time. Depending on how long you stay in presear and if you do all the quests on the way prophicies will probably take the longest.

Leveling up characters happens the fastest in factions. You also have the most options early in factions.

As for class, I love playing a Warrior. The other day I was in alliance group that way over aggro'd (had too many enemy attacking basicly) and everyone but me died quickly. I was running a good solo build and one by one killed every enemy and then resurected all my teamates.

Saying that there are good solo builds for a most classes. With Ritualist, mesmer and paragon probably being the least likely to solo. Elementalists are also better in a party than trying to run solo. Although I believe you are talking running hero hench parties and not truly soloing.

good luck with whatever you choose!

When it comes to choosing a profession for your first ever character, I would say that a Warrior or Elementalist could be good to begin your GW experience with. These classes are both very easy to pick up and start to learn the game with.

For a bigger challenge, maybe you could try a Monk or Necromancer. These professions need a little more concentration. Keeping a party in good health and raising/maintaining a minion army can be a little difficult to begin with, although it gets much easier with practice and you'll never be short on people wanting you in their party. Every party wants healers, and in many cases a Necromancer can turn a difficult mission into a ridiculously easy mission.

For a real challenge, and probably the best crash course in game mechanics, go for a Mesmer. Most of what Mesmers do is indirect and conditional depending on how the enemy acts and reacts, and playing as a Mesmer you'll find yourself studying each of the other professions to see how they work and how you will be countering/manipulating them. Mesmers also get (in my opinion) the most stylish armor choices in the game, looking absolutely stunning as they spread pure chaos in combat. Plus the Mesmer can also cast ANY spell at a faster rate, as their primary attribute doesn't just apply to their own skills - so you can combine a Mesmer primary with another spellcasting profession to become an arcane berserker (maybe that's an easy way out sometimes, but it's still a lot of fun).

And one more thing to mention before I finish off this post - if you ever need some more insight into any aspects of the game, or if you'd like some company as you explore the vast lands of Tyria, don't hesitate to ask. We're all here to help

yes you can....once you get to the quest that takes you to Lion's Arch you will need to get a run or fight your way back to ascalon....and do the first mission...(post searing)

It depends more on what you want to be. In every game I love to be the caster, the person dealing a lot of damage actually into the game. I didnt like being an elementalist in this game, maybe because he was my first char and I really didnt know what I was doing. Then I made a warrior and loved it, loved all their skills and everything about them. So ya, you have a lot of slots, make one of each, if you dont like it, cut em.

I solo best with a Warrior & and Minion Master (although the MM is a pain to build the army with).

Rangers are good for playing by yourself & in groups. They are also very versatile.

Mesmer is honestly the most interesting profession for me. But... it dosn't seem like fast casting is that useful or essential. Esspecially compared to soul reaping or the extra energy elementalists get.

I would love to play a mesmer but the difficulty finding PUGs and the much harder time soloing really worries me.

Ease of play dosn't worry me to much. I love complicated classes that you need to pay attention to do best at. Loved playing Enchanter and Bard in EQ and well... theres not really any complicated classes in WoW like that.