Looking for a general introduction to the game

Hey guys,
Me and two friends are looking to start to play a new game together. We are ex-WoW players, all reaching the maximum level and raiding quite hard. We have been recommended GW as the next game to play.

I'll just throw out some of the questions we're wondering, and if you could answer some (any) of them it would be very much appreciated!

(before we start...I know I could probably find the answers to some of these in various FAQs and such, but I know you guys just LOVE helping newbies )


1. We aim to play together, always leveling / questing together. Is this is more possible in GW, due to the "instances" you get when you leave town? (what do you guys call these instances?)

2. As we are looking to play together, do we need a standard MMO trio - i.e. a tank, a healer and a DPS character? If we could choose, we would choose Necromancer, Elementalist, Monk...but will we need a warrior?

3. Can any other classes tank? How do these compare to Warrior? Is warrior even the main tanking class? Tell me about tanking

4. Are any classes particularly broken at the moment? I.e is ritualist too weak in PvP, or Monk to strong in PvE, etc. We'd be looking to both PvP and PvE, so please summarize imbalances in both of those for the main character. (I know "omfg imba nerf nerf nerf" threads are only too common in any game. I am just looking for the glaring imbalances which most people can agree on.)

5. What is the most popular / least popular class to play?

6. Are any classes more / less needed in end-game raids than others? I ask this because in WoW, two of us rolled over-poulated classes (warr + shammy) and so couldn't get into raids as easily.

7. How is the end game? Are there any large, 20/40 man raids? What do you typically do when you log in for an evening, at maximum level?


I may be adding more questions later as I think of them.
I'd really appreciate it if one of you guys could answer these, and hopefully me and my friends can start playing with some of you (Y).

Thanks guys,
Smiler.

I wouldn't say "next"--they're very different games, not a graduation from one to the other.

Sure okay.

Gives me something to do I guess?


You can do absolutely everything together. We just call them 'areas' or 'zones', as that's all they are.

Need? No. Would it make it easier? Probably. However, you could certainly make the three you mention, and grab henchmen/heroes (AI-controlled teammates) to fill in the remaining spots.

Warriors are the standard "tanks", yes, but tanking is not anywhere near as important in GW as it is in WoW. Other classes can tank with the proper combination of skills (Monks with a specific build, for example, can tank an almost infinite number of enemies--so long as those enemies don't have enchantment removal).

I'm not really going to touch this one, as far as PvP is concerned, as I've been out of that loop for far too long.

And no class is really broken in PvE. The standard "tank nuker monk" is the most desirable as far as your average PUG is concerned, but you can use anything and beat PvE.

Once again, for PvE, most? Warrior. Least? Mesmer, Ritualist, or Paragon.

Elementalists and Monks are always a good choice if you're concerned about getting into groups--people always tend to need those. Necros are up there, as well.

Keep in mind maximum level is only 20. This isn't WoW--you will hit this very early, especially if you're playing in Nightfall or Factions.

Max party size is generally 8. Two specific dungeons--Urgoz's Warren and The Deep--have a party size of 12, and that's as high as it goes.

What do I typically do? I have a couple friends, myself, that just go around and do whatever we feel like--farm a bit, go do Heroes' Ascent (a form of PvP), Vanquish a zone to work on the associated title--just stuff like that.

1. Depending on which game you start with whether all three of you can play together. The original Prophecies starts in pre-searing and the maximum party size is two. Most people do not stay in pre very long and for the rest of the game you could team up together. Nightfall has the added feature of heroes that belong to your characters and that you can customize and equip with the weapons and skills of your choice. So for a four person party you could usually bring your warrior hero as your tank. Both Factions and Nightfall can have parties of four as soon as you finish the introduction.

2. Those characters will get you through a lot of the game, keep in mind that each class has a secondary profession so you could bring in some skills to help fill in the gaps. I highly recommend a ranger to most parties but then my ranger is my favorite character and depending on the mission, is usually my first choice. Also keep in mind that with Prophecies you get the six core classes, with Factions you can add the Assassin and the Ritualist both if played well are awesome characters for both pve and pvp. With Nightfall you have the Dervish and the Paragon, I personally did not care much for my paragon and in fairness she is still a level 9 so can't be your best judge of them but the dervish if played well can kick butt, especially in pvp.

3. Tanking IMO is overrated and unless you have someone that will play smart and not go in and agro the entire map you are usually better off without them. I know...many will disagree with me and tanks do have their place, I have one too and get a lot of pleasure slicing and dicing sometimes. However, if your necro becomes a good minion master, the minions will be your meat shields so a tank won't be as necessary except in places where there are no exploitable bodies. That said, there are still some places where a tank is a great asset to the team.

4. All classes if played well are great assets. Different combinations of players make for strong teams.

5. Depends on where you are in the game. I can remember having a terrible time getting my ranger into groups in the desert, no one wanted more than one in a group...later in the game we were quite popular. Young assassins are probably the least wanted and weakest but later as people learn to play them well and make good builds they are quite deadly. My boyfriend plays his Rit very well and many times in RA, the other team will leave before the match starts when they see a Rit on the other side...

6. Depends on the mission, rangers rock in Hell's Precipice, a warrior is wanted in Imperial Sanctum, in Nightfall my ranger, warrior or my rit can hench Abaddon.

7. There are 10 classes of characters, all are different to play, each unlock their own skills and are played differently throughout the games. If you decide to start one of each it will be a long time before you finish all three games. Most people won't play through each character but even if you decide on say five different classes; that is a lot of playing time. Then there is always the options of pvp, alliance battles, the underworld or fow and the elite missions. With the new expansion of GW:EN coming out in a couple months I can't imagine you becoming bored with the game any time soon.

No one linked www.guildwiki.org yet? BLASPHEMY!

This is one thing that worries me. I am now about level 8 in the Prophecies, and I have played this game about 2 or 3 days. That is almost half way to lvl 20 and I have only taken the first steps in the gw-world. How about you others, how do you see the game, is there enough playing? Do I have to retire at 20 and start a new character like in 2 or 3 weeks? The map is somewhat large, but not gigantic. I missed some quests, but is that a problem? I mean I get better rewards from higher quests. But if the game is smaller, I should maybe explore every corner not to miss anything? Though that way I level up faster...

Don't worry, level 20 is where the fun starts. In all three games, (Prophecies more than others) getting to level 20 is a learning experience, and once you get to 20, you're ready for the really interesting and fun parts of the game.

This is probably one of the key parts of GW, the cap of lvl 20. Its really a good idea imo at least because it eliminates grinding levels and once you reach level 20, its all about strategy because you will be facing monsters and mobs that are above level 20. So rather than overpowering your enemies all the time because you are a lot higher in level, you must put together a decent build and team to make it through.

The game really begins at level 20. After you've hit that level cap, you can start planning builds for different areas and working out how you can maximise your efficiency in combat (as well as maximise the potential rewards). You will also keep gaining experience and earning skill points after level 20, so you can continue to diversify your character's skill repertoire and become a more adaptable and formidable opponent.

As you're playing in Prophecies, make sure you do every quest that offers skills as part of the reward. Most of the skills available in Prophecies come as quest rewards, and free is not a bad thing. Primary quests should also be done, as they lead you to mission locations where you can continue with the storyline. All the other quests can be done at your leisure. And later on, you will come across two quests that offer you extra attribute points to give your character a last powerup before moving into the hardest areas of the game (needless to say, you will want to do these).

I would also recommend exploring everywhere. You can earn titles for exploring the world map (and other titles for doing other things). Working to earn titles is a great thing to do if you ever find yourself at a loose end in-game.

1. Yes, except for the beginning (pre-searing) portion of Prophecies where the party size is only 2.

2. You can always take the Warrior henchman (or Koss if you have Nightfall heroes).

3. Warrior is the normal tank, but a Nightfall Dervish tanks well. Tanking is less important in PvE due to monster AI.

4. Bad question to ask. As ArenaNet periodically adjusts abused/exploited skills, the "you killed my X" threads abound. Most of us just adjust our play style and continue.

5. This is unanswerable. Everyone has their favorites, plus it depends on PvE or PvP; area/mission/PvP map; knowledge level of party leader.
The most difficult to play is a mesmer due to the depth of knowledge required about other professions skills. Of course, a healing monk is always welcome but their players get burned out quickly due to verbal abuse. PvP has completely different priorities and is dependent on the team build more than PvE.

6. GW doesn't have huge end-game raids. GW has elite missions (max party size 8-12). Some have conditional access requirements. There is no one profession that is popular for all of them.

7. I have 9 PvE characters and 2 PvP-only storage mules. When I log in, I have a variety of choices. I can work on titles with my main character (warrior), or work on quests/missions with others in PvE.
As my characters are spread around three campaigns, there is always something to do.
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Read the wiki info on the different professions and how they interact with each secondary profession. Also, check out the quest/mission list for the chapter you buy.
Try out different skills and skill combos. Do not bog down with one set of skills. Even if you have a preferred set, you should be aware of the ups/downs of all your available skills.
Learn your profession - if you are a skilled player your Friends list will grow and you will be popular.
Forget what you learned in WoW or other MMOs - no high levels, no uber weapons/armor, no persistant world, no spawn camping, no kill/loot stealing, no account log-in requirements. Massive amounts of gold only get you vanity items after you obtain max stat armor/weapons (fairly early in the game). This game is about skill, tactics and strategy instead of power.

And in closing, READ THE EULA, the most current version is on guildwars.com at http://www.guildwars.com/support/legal/ , because ArenaNet enforces it with temp and perm bans.

PM me ingame (Tyr Dominator) and i'll help you all get started, I've started recruiting a lot of new players again and its refreshing going back tot he beginnings

Hey I just wanted to offer some answers as not everyones will be the same.

1. Leveling and Questing together is 100% possible and faster if you're doing it in a group.

2. You won't need a Warrior but with Warriors having the highest base armor in the game, it's not often you see parties going on missions without a Warrior. You won't struggle, but you would be better off with a Warrior in your party at any given quest or mission. There is always a healthy amount of Warriors at most outposts though.

3. Other classes can tank. But due to a recent update, it's going to become more difficult for any class but Warriors to tank efficiently. Tanking isn't difficult. Well it certainly isn't a job as much as it was in WoW.

4. There aren't unbalanced classes really, just unpopular ones. The Mesmer is (at the moment) unpopular in PvE, as is the Paragon and Assassin. But in PvP these classes shine. A Mesmer can easily shut down any un prepared class as can an Assassin. The Paragon can provide good boosts of support and healing as well as spike damage. So to clarify... There are no unbalanced classes, only unpopular and popular classes.

5. In PvE i'd say Warriors are a very popular class and that Assassins are the class I tend to see the least of in PvE. In PvP however, i'd say that I see more Elementalists and Warriors than anything else and there aren't many unpopular classes, but Monks are needed more than anything.

6. Apart from Monks, almost any classes are viable for end game missions. The standard 8 man party is 2 Monks, 1 Warrior and anything else.

7. Other members have covered the party size part of that question. When I log on I tend to play both PvP and PvE. I carry on with missions on my Warrior and then when I get bored (not easily ) I either play Alliance Battles or Heroes Ascent. There's plenty of other things that you can do like the arenas and Guild vs Guild and a wealth of quests.

I think that someone who plays (or played) both GW and WoW could give you the best answers. I played WoW just for a short time but I can still give you some advice how to start GW and what is different in the two games for new players.

First let me tell you that GW is different than WoW and you will have to adapt GW is not the "next game" after WoW, but a "different game"

And so here they are... some big differences, the first that came in my mind and which you will come across soon after you will start playing GW:

• First you will not be asked to choose a Realm (WoW has Realms, GW does not),... ok we have territories, but thats not the same... your territory is determined by where you bought the game (America, Europe, Korea, Japan etc.), but you can always meet players from other territories in international districts if you want. (also with American and Euro versions of the game you can switch between American and Euro territory up to 5 times)
• You already know that your team gets its own "instance" of the area when you leave a town (in GW towns are separated from the areas by portals).
• Mechanics of the game are quite different, but the introduction quests explain that well enough, I recommend you go through them slowly and carefuly the first time.
  But just for an idea:
  • every player can carry 8 skills in his skillbar at a time and you can only change them in the town
  • compared to WoW buffs in GW (skill effects, enchantments, hexes) last shorter and recharge quicker, for example they last 10 seconds and recharge in 30 seconds.
  • normal hits do not interrupt you in GW, as they do in WoW
  • and lots more...
• No healing/mana/regen potions in GW (btw: mana is called Energy in GW)
• You can't choose the race of your character, in GW all player characters are humans
• Characters you make are dual-class, like Warrior/Ranger, Elementalist/Mesmer, Monk/Mesmer just to name a few.
  Here you need to know that GW does NOT have 'Professions' as WoW does... in GW the term 'profession' is used instead of the term 'class'. You choose your primary profession (primary class!) when you make your character and the secondary later in the story, but you can change you secondary at will in towns. You might not always need the secondary profession (class!) at all, but it often helps.
• As already mentioned no 'Professions' in GW as you know them from WoW

Yes, this is possible in GW. The "instances" can help, but they also have some disadvantages.
Pros:

• other teams can't kill your quest target, forcing you to wait for his respawn
• no camping at quest locations, etc. as this happens in WoW.

Cons:

• only members of your team can help you, so no passers-by that help you to kill a monster you already attacked and you get the credit for kill. You will have to rely only on your team members
• starting/joining a team can be done only in towns, once you leave the town no new players can join your team, which means that if you are attempting a hard quest and someone leaves you will have to go back to town and restart the entire quest (from the beginning).
• You can meet (and chat through local chat channel) with other players only in towns, you can always chat with your team/guild/alliance through other chat channels

No, its not needed, but I suggest that you start with something like that. Also for questing in normal areas the Warrior can be used as a tank + damage dealer instead of just a pure tank. With that in mind, you could really start with a Warrior, Elementalist and Monk trio, although the Monk is not recommended as a first character, but since you all have experience with WoW (and also other games I guess) you should learn quickly.

Many classes can tank in GW, you just need the right build (the right skills).
Some classes better at tanking: Warrior, Elementalist, Dervish and Monk. But Warrior (also Paragon) has the highest armor rating even without any boosts, where other classes (Ele, Monk, Derv) need to rely more on the skills to boost their armor.

Well... imo there is no class that is broken in GW. Of course there are some imbalances, but ANet balances skills on a regular basis. You should not worry about PvP imbalances when you make a PvE char because you will use a PvP-only character in PvP in most cases anyway.

I would not worry too much about PvP because you can make a new PvP char in 5 minutes and if you need a different profession, just delete and make a new one. PvP characters are all max level and max equipment.

In PvE it's different because you start at lvl 1, need to get better equipment and so on. So for PvE chars is good to have an idea what is popular in PvE and what is not. First let me say, that every profession can get in a team in normal PvE but for some professions it's harder and in high-end areas some professions are more needed than others. In general these are Monk, Elementalist, Necromancer and Warrior. These don't have problems finding a team.
Also a Ritualist can replace an Elementalist or a Monk in some areas.
Other classes are less popular in high-end areas, but are still used in other areas and for farming purposes (also war, ele, necro and monk are used for farming).

As already said, team cap is usually 8, two elite areas have the cap of 12. There are no "raids" in GW as you know them from WoW, but just elite areas and harder quests that can be reapeated over and over again. But don't think that in teams of 8 its not fun to play The skill of players and right builds are even more important in small teams and that is what GW is about.

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It was posted already but once again won't hurt...
Official Wiki: http://wiki.guildwars.com
GuildWiki: http://gw.gamewikis.org
and this forum (and similar ones) are the places you want to go if you need help or have questions.

Also there is a help feature in the game. By pressing F10 you can open a help dialog with links to the official wiki page. Links are divided in categories, like quests, your skills, recently visited locations etc. At the bottom of the dialog there is also a search field to search the wiki.

Sure, if you decide to start playing GW we can meet in game ^_^

And to end the post in style here is a question for OP
As you might already know there are 3 stand-alone GW games that can be also linked together if they are activated on the same account. In order of release: Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall. Did you guys already decide which one are you going to start with?

Wow guys, thank you all SO much for your explainations!
I apprecaite the length of time it must have taken to answer those questions, and it really does improve my expectations of the guild wars community as a whole, seeing replies with as much effort in as these .


Ha, they're exactly the four classes we're thinking of playing. That's awesome.

We will be getting prophecies first, because I have read it has the smoothest learning curve and the most content. Would you guys say this is a good idea?

I'm hoping to order the game over the next few days, I'll be sure to post our characters names for you guys, so I can pester you in-game :P.

Here opinions may differ...

I have started playing GW two years ago and at that time there was just GW (what is called Prophecies now). If you ask me now, I would still recommend starting with Prophecies first because on a new account with no money and no skills unlocked it is really an advantage getting many skills as quest rewards for free and that happens only in Prophecies... in Factions and Nightfall you get just few skill to start with and you have to buy others.
And as you already found out, yeah the learning curve is best in Prophecies, where you level-up slowly getting to know your character and skills better.
Also the story is best followed if you play the 3 chapters in order they were released but thats maybe just my impression.

Since you are a trio, you will have some problems in pre-searing in Prophecies (the start of Prophecies) where the team cap is 2. One of you will have to team up with another player or the one who will choose the Warrior could do it solo (except quests where you need 2 players)

Oh and one more thing I forgot to mention in my last post
GW has no Auction House which I really hope we will get in GW2

I'm looking forward to it ^_^

In this "pre-searing" area, where the max. party size is two...is this only in a certain game, and up until what level?
How long will we be restricted to playing with two people, before we can jump into a party of 4+ people?

Maximum party size in pre-searing is always 2. Although the majority of stuff in pre can be tackled solo, with the exception of 2 quests that need you to have a partner.

However, as soon as you head to post-searing, party size will be increased to 4 (so you won't be waiting long to see your maximum party size increase). When you reach the northern shiverpeaks, party size will be increased again to 6 (and stay at 6 for quite a long time); and when you reach the dragon's lair party size will be increased again to 8.

How long and until what level... well here you decide how long you want to spend in pre-searing, but completing primary quests can be done in a couple of hours reaching... let say level 5. Even if you want to complete every quests there, it should not take very long. You will probably leave pre-searing the first day you start playing the game, if you will like GW and play for more than a couple of hours.

Ok guys, so within a few hours I should be leaving pre-searing?

Next question: how does aggro / tanking work? Do mobs have aggro lists? Are warriors even able to properly tank?

Thanks!

i don't believe they have aggro lists....but they will generally go after the lowest armored team member.

Tanking is really a lost form in GW. Most areas don't require a tank....IMO a warrior should be about DPS and constant pressure on the enemy. Although if all party members stay out of the aggro area of the mobs and let the tank get aggro they will usually stay on the tank...but not always so becareful

If you find yourselves getting owned by a group of mobs then take a look at the tactics you are using and maybe try some different skills.... remember you can change your skill bar and attribute levels in any town or outpost...if playing with friends try to use skills that have synergy (spellcheck)

I personally wouldn't recommend leaving presearing on your first character until atleast level 5 and probably level 7. Try all the secondaries that you can before accepting one...and remember that later in the game you can change secondaries in any town or outpost. Once you leave presearing upgrade your armor in Ascalon and then upgrade it again when you get to Yaks bend....then Lions Arch....then i probably wouldn't do it again till the desert area..but thats up to you. Good Luck

You can the best way to do it is look @ your compass and keep the rest of your team outside the center light circle (aka the aggro bubble) if your team is outside your aggro bubble their outside the monster's aggro, then you team can come in to help once they are wacking on you.

This is not WoW. Warriors in GW are like DPS warriors. The only way u can "tank" is by clever positioning, ie blocking the path of the mob to ur clothies.

When i left GW for WoW i was very impress by the system where the tank holds aggro and the clothies & healers do their job from behind. I like the idea that things are in control if nobody screws up. GW to me is more running in and kill them before they kill u.

Oh and also to warn you that the community in-game are made up of mostly immature kids who play GW because they cannot afford to pay monthly instalments. Because of this you will likely be chatting to those in your guild or alliance and not talk or join PUGs. There is also a lot of scamming going around and botting is the norm. If you don't bot and u farm like every other Tom, Dick or Harry there is a possibility that you will be identified as a bot and get banned. End-game content consists of PvP or farming mobs over and over again for gold to buy "rare" weapons that are becoming increasing "unrare". There is no auction house so u r likely to troll this forum often or spend hours spamming "WTS" like the rest in trading hubs. You will also be constantly frustrated when skills and builds get nerfed even more so if u're a PvE-er. Not forgetting there is not professions or raiding so there is nothing much to do end-game wise except to farm, farm and more farm.

Of course WoW has its own set of problems but i won't get into that as i would be defering from the thread topic.