Whats going on??

I started playing Guild Wars over 2.5 years ago. I am a casual player who likes to play on the weekends and with some friends occassionally. I am finding the game more and more frustrating to play and more and more difficult.

It appears to me that all of us people who don't want to join a large guild or be involved in the politics of the game are being isolated out.

I feel like you have to subscribe to a subscription of GW weekly just to have a clue to whats going on with the game anymore. and, what is going on with the prices of items in the game?? Where the heck are you suppose to get 40-100+k for a weapon in the game, and lets not talk about armor......

Does anyone out there feel the same way I do about this?? I feel like average person like myself who has been playing GW since the beginning is being pushed aside for the pre-teen addicts who spend their allowances on buying 3rd party gold for the game..........keeping this stupid cycle going

If you feel this way as well, or offer some suggestions please reply.....and all you NOOBS....post some where else...we deal enough with your crap in the game, not here.

I'll break it down into pieces :P

Guilds: While some guilds are all for "OMG GET 10K FACTIONZ A DAY OR ELSE," you should eventually be able to find some guilds with more casual and laid back gamers, just ask around or look through the recruiting guilds in GW Wiki.

Having a clue: Read game updates. GuildWiki and GW Wiki both have them. You can also check the game forums like this one.

Absurdly Priced Weapons and Armor: These aren't required; they're for bragging rights. It's the stats that affect gameplay, not the skins. Also, after a while of not spending gold on anything, you're bound to build it up. It's obvious that people who play the game several hours a day/farm will gain it more quickly than someone who only plays an hour a week.

People who know how to play: Not every successful player in the game needs to buy gold or spend an absurd amount of time on the game. If you know what you're doing, then it doesn't take that long to get through a mission or quest. Pre-teens aren't the only ones who play. There are several 60+ players too. GW held some sort of event for the older players a while ago.

Welcome to GW Guru forums.

It's nice that you've found an excellent resource for information about the game. Look it over and I'm sure you'll find lots of information on how to gain wealth in-game, what's going on with the game, and tips and tricks on how get your characters through the game. Another, even better, resource is guildwiki.com (Pae linked it) - tons and tons of info there.

As for the high-priced weapons, you don't need 'em. The only reason they're worth that much is because of what they look like. And the only benefit of that is stroking one's ego. As for the haves and have nots, it's natural that people who play more will have more wealth. BUT, there are all kinds of ways to boost your income in the little amount of time you play.

You may have a point when it comes to the the little guys getting pushed aside because of lack of connections. The cure for that is - make connections! The people that look down on you for being a casual, sometimes on weekends player aren't worth hanging around with anyway. The only place I see this is in the "PUGs suck" snobbery that many people have. And I'm glad they're the people that I don't have to party up with when I go out with a PUG!