Stupid, but needing ANSWER!

So through my web surfing and , pathetic attempt to think that NCSOFT would have a basic guide of why and what to by for GW and associated expansions.

INFO>Me and my twin are avid PVP'rs, who've kicked the crap out of WoW and DAoC and are looking for a non monthly fee game to level quickly, gear quickly, and pvp whenever we feel or with a guild we may join later.

QUESTION>WHAT DO I NEED to be pretty much "uber" i'm probably going Monk/Me as a Healing/Debuff spec or Mo/E and he will probably go along the lines of a Tank/Melee Dmg.

Do we need practically ALL of the expansions. Currently on NC soft shop, they offer discounts but the Org GW + New Expansion for 59.99, but i've read to use the New Expansion i need to get Factions or Nightfall.

1. Is this true?
2. Do i honestly need to just buy all Expansions?
3. Can i buy the 59.99 pack and be Fine on skills and Such?
4. Or should i just buy the Original and Factions and later get the new Expansion?
5. is it true that you only need to buy Factions or Nightfall and i'll be fine on content and skills?

Please as i honestly can't find web info to conclude this answer i would like to hear from current players/pro's

To play Eye of the north (expansion) you need a level 20 char and Prophecies or Factions or Nightfall. You need only one of those campaign.
But if you wanna play only pvp you can buy pvp edition or pvp pack that unlock all skills but you can't play with those skill in pve

Prophecies refers to the Org game correct?
How much is the pvp pack?

I don't mind buying Factions or Nightfall, i just don't understand why i would buy bolth, and how do i tell what skills are from which?

For pvp, you need all chapters.

You will not be uber - the game is balanced. You'll either learn to play well, or fail. PvP is either 4 or 8 person teams, so better brush up on team play. There are also no tanks in PvP, just melee.

For PvP, you make PvP characters - max level, make the gear you need for free. This means that items are non-factor for you, and everyone else.

There's also the matter of unlocks. To use stuff in PvP, you need to unlock skills and gear. This can be done through PvE or through PvP, or if you have the money, by buying unlock packs in store - those are separate from chapters.

Also, for proper PvP, you need all the chapters (Prophecies, Factions and Nightfall). Each of them has their own set of skills, and many builds use skills from each of them. Eye of the North is an Expansion, so you can only play it if you have one of the previous chapters.

I believe the Org pack you mention is Prophecies + Eye of the North, but i'm not sure on that.

I suppose you can get by on Factions and Nf skills. It's still a good idea to get Proph, though.

Can't they just buy the PvP packs now?
You don't even need to shell out for the whole chapters. Of course you miss the PvE side, but whatever, he didn't really show interest in it.

personally i would purchase all from the online store GWEN(the expansion) so i could get all 3 chapters for 50%...that gives you both the PVP and PVE versions of the games...and then purchase the unlock packs for Core, Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall...to put you on "equal" ground with others who have been playing for ages....note that this will allow you the use of the same skills etc...but not necessarily with the same "skill"

Yeah even if you have all of the skills in the game, it still depends on your ability to work as a team. I think it's balanced pretty well since you still only have your 8 skill slots. Personally I would purchase a pack and then see how I did before going further, but I guess it depends on how comfortable you feel with just jumping in.

Well adding my few cents..
The whole PVP is split in a few sections..
To be able to AB (Alliance Battle) you have to have Factions Campaign.
To do the whole RA (Random Arena), TA (Team Arena) or even go to HoH (Hall of Heros) it doesn't matter what game you would get.
As previous mentioned, to have better skills, you might be better of with getting all the campaigns.
As one other person mentioned.
You can just buy the PVP packages. That pretty much unlocks you all the skills, only downside to it is. You wont be able to PVE and farm and such.

So if it comes down to it. If you would change your mind in the long run. You probably be better off just to buy the 3 games with the 1 expansion and unlock the skills with balthazar points.
Good Luck

Hyronic mode On
Don't buy anything from anet store. Maybe in a pair of month will be avaible another promotion so if you don't spend your money in this period you won't get it
Hyronic mode Off

Ok. now for the BIG QUESTION!!!!!!!!!! XP

How much are the PvE/PvP unlock pack for "Prophecies" or (Original GW)

Don't get me wrong, When i said "uber" it was reference to "having all the necessary skills and items to be on the same level with current pro's.

My twin and I have plenty years of MMORPG exp for PvP and PvE, and from what i hear, i have to PvE. If i want to get some of the end game sets or individual gear pieces for my character, i have to either farm money or farm the pieces.

<< But as he said, i should just buy Factions, Nightfall, and This Expansion then get the UNLOCK for Prophecies? Can i get the Pve and PVP unlock? if not, seems i'll have to buy all the expansions gradually, probably buy factions or ASK for it for xmas.

There was some misinformation in here, so I deleted it. Alliance battles are 3 teams of 4 against 3 other teams of four. Not quite 12 v 12, but sort of.

The pve part of guild wars and the pvp unlock packs are not the same thing. That is, you can buy one or the other, or both if you want. I would recommend buying Prophecies and Factions at a local store, because you'll probably be able to find it on sale.

Not a PvPer, but perhaps this can help with the price question.

If you do not have any of the campaigns and would just like access to only the PvP area, buy online at www.plaync.com.

*PVP Access Kit - USD19.95
Description:
Gain instant access to the Player versus Player portion of Guild Wars with the new PvP Access Kit. This package contains everything you need to jump right into the competitive world of Guild Wars PvP! No other Guild Wars purchase necessary.

Create and play PvP-Only characters from any of ten Guild Wars professions across all three campaigns (Warning: Access to Rolepalying characters requires purchase of a Guild Wars campaign.)

The PvP Access Kit also includes 60 free unlocks (20 elite skills, 20 normal skills and 20 items) to help you power up your game instantly. Mix and match with Skill and Item Unlock Packs to further enhance your PvP characters.

After getting this, you should hopefully have access to the in-game store. Products include:

*PvP Item Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Unleash the full power of 319 item upgrades components (Runes, Insignias, Inscriptions, and more) for use in PvP. Always go to combat with the exact gear you want. [This will probably NOT include any special PvE specific armors.]

*Core Skill Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Take your game to the next level by unlocking 241 core skills spanning all Guild Wars games. You MUST own EITHER a full campaign (the original Guild Wars, Factions, or Nightfall) OR the PvP Access Kit before you can purchase this kit.

Details:
If you own any full Guild Wars campaign (the original Guild Wars, Factions, or Nightfall), you will receive:
-Immediate access to these unlocked skills for your Heroes and PvP characters.
-Ability to acquire these skills (except elite skills) for your Heroes and PvP characters through a Skill Trainer.
If you own only the Guild Wars PvP Access Kit, you will receive:
-Access to these unlocked skills for your PvP characters.

*Prophesies Skill Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Take your game to the next level by unlocking 214 skills introduced in the original Guild Wars campaign. You MUST own EITHER the original Guild Wars OR the PvP Access Kit before you can purchase this kit.

Details:
If you own the original Guild Wars, you will receive:
-Immediate access to these unlocked skills for your Heroes and PvP characters.
-Ability to acquire these skills (except elite skills) for your Heroes and PvP characters through a Skill Trainer.
If you own only the Guild Wars PvP Access Kit, you will receive:
-Access to these unlocked skills for your PvP characters.

*Factions Skill Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Take your game to the next level by unlocking 330 skills introduced in Guild Wars Factions. You MUST own EITHER Factions OR the PvP Access Kit before you can purchase this kit.

Details:
If you own Factions, you will receive:
-Immediate access to these unlocked skills for your Heroes and PvP characters.
-Ability to acquire these skills (except elite skills) for your Heroes and PvP characters through a Skill Trainer.
If you own only the Guild Wars PvP Access Kit, you will receive:
-Access to these unlocked skills for your PvP characters.

*Nightfall Skill Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Take your game to the next level by unlocking 350 skills introduced in Guild Wars Nightfall. You MUST own EITHER Nightfall OR the PvP Access Kit before you can purchase this kit.

Details:
If you own Nightfall, you will receive:
-Immediate access to these unlocked skills for your Heroes and PvP characters.
-Ability to acquire these skills (except elite skills) for your Heroes and PvP characters through a Skill Trainer.
If you own only the Guild Wars PvP Access Kit, you will receive:
-Access to these unlocked skills for your PvP characters.

*Eye of the North Skill Unlock Pack - USD9.95 (Sale:USD4.95 til Dec31)
Description:
Take your game to the next level by unlocking 100 skills introduced in Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion. You MUST own EITHER Eye of the North OR the PvP Access Kit before you can purchase this kit.

Details:
If you own Eye of the North, you will receive:
-Immediate access to these unlocked skills for your Heroes and PvP characters.
-Ability to acquire these skills (except elite skills) for your Heroes and PvP characters through a Skill Trainer.
If you own only the Guild Wars PvP Access Kit, you will receive:
-Access to these unlocked skills for your PvP characters.

If you are wondering what is the difference between core and all the other skills, some skills are available throughtout all campaigns (core), while some skills are campaign specific.

It's long, perhaps irrelevant, but hope this answers some questions. The descriptions are copied verbatim from the descriptions provided by GW in-game store. As I mentioned, not a PvPer, so hopefully someone else can help you if you have any further questions.

Well....I'll tell you now.

To get in a group, you need rank.
To get rank you need to find a group.

Then there is the route of....

To get in a group, you need a good guild.
To get in a good guild you have to get in a group to prove yourself.

Only for HA.

Only for GvG.

i believe others have answered everything well enough, i would just like to point out that if your going to be a Monk, your bar will be cramped enough with your healing and prot skills, there won't be room enougth or energy enough for debuffing enimies and keeping your team alive. leave it to the mesmers and necros for the enchantment strips and related things.