New Player probably beating a dead horse

Hi guys, I've just joined GW because I got tired of WoW's crappy PvP (success is 85% gear in WoW) and I just have a few questions.

1) Is PvP in GW balanced at all?

2) I only want to play Prophecies for now because I want to test the waters. Would playing only Prophecies totally gimp me in PvP?

3) Where could I get the other GW games for cheap, because the linked website from the game launcher is too expensive considering the age of Nightfall and Factions?

4) Would any class reasonably be able to find groups in PvE?

Thanks a lot and so far I'm enjoying GW.

1) can't answer that one, I'll leave it to the hardcore PvP'ers.

2) The others will be one step ahead of you since most PvP'ers have all campains. So that they'll have more skills.

3) Look around the web, there are some websites that are to expensive for hell to take care of and those godly cheap ones.

4) All classes have their role i PvE parties. Those who's got the hardest time getting into groups IMO (note that IMO) is para, since most people think paras are useless pieces of crap (not true).
Ritualists, unless your running a resto build.
Assassin, they die alot if not played correctly.
Mesmers, same as with eth para, people think it's a useless piece of crap. Mesmers IMO is one of the, if not, best class if played correctly.


Edit: The only one you will be able to use of those I mentioned above will be; Mesmer, since you only have Prophecies.
Ritualist and Assassin is Factions and Paragon is NF.

If you buy prophecies only, make a warrior - the standard PvP bar for a warrior can be constructed with Prophecies-only skills.

PvP is fairly imbalanced in different formats. With enough skill, good players can beat anything, but there's no gear-problems. Imbalance comes from skill, but the imbalance isn't absolutely atrocious these days. It's almost permissible.

Warriors and Elementalists are the most PUG friendly; monks are as well, but they're not the most newbie-friendly class.[/LEFT]

1) Is PvP in GW balanced at all?
for the most part, they're still working it out and we're waiting for a big update that's rumored
2) I only want to play Prophecies for now because I want to test the waters. Would playing only Prophecies totally gimp me in PvP?
some builds are well playable if you have factions only
the cripshot ranger is an example of that
3) Where could I get the other GW games for cheap, because the linked website from the game launcher is too expensive considering the age of Nightfall and Factions?
i can't answer that cuz i have no idea where you live and dont know anything about stores there
but walk into the gamestore nearest you and compare prices

4) Would any class reasonably be able to find groups in PvE?

most classes are well playable, to me the only one who would be rough to find a group is a mesmer cuz they're great in pvp but for pve i don't use them alot
there are lots of people that use mesmers in pve but mesmer is a bit hard to learn

for starting proffession you're best of with an ele or ranger

1) Yes, people just bitch about imbalance because they don't invest their time in countering a build, which is what makes PVP so competitive.
2) Not really, Proph has great skills in it, and you will be able to run some builds, but of course not all of them since you're missing out on a bunch from the other 2 cmpaigns.
3) Just gotta look. Target has EoTN on sale for 10 bucks, which imo is a great deal.
4) Monk, Ele, Necro, possibly Warrior. Ranger and Mes is a little harder, mes especially. People just don't understand their power :/

You're kidding right?

they all have their uses
and if played correctly you can deal quite alot of damage
i saw rangers keeping a mesmer interupted from casting migraine on our monk and so on
it's all about playing it correctly

if you're going to compare WoW pvp and GW pvp you'll find that GW is extremely balanced in that regard. max level and gear are fairly easy to come by in GW. Will playing only prophecies gimp you? not entirely but most likely. As with most games sequels and added content usually introduce more powerful skills that are more efficient at doing their jobs than original skills. the same happens in GW. Factions and Nightfall introduce some rather powerful skills for all classes, but they are not entirely required for pvp.

pve is a touchy subject. you'd think that each class would have its place in pve, but most of the time if you don't play a monk, necro, elementalist, or tank type character (warrior or derv) you'll have a hard time finding a group. not to mention the general lack of pugs in most places with the addition of heros. This all depends on the people you happen to run into of course, but for the most part it is true.

Yes Nightstalker.
I know that.

BUT

I reacted on that he said that Monks, Eles, Rangers, Necros and Warriors have problems getting into groups. That is so not true...

oh wait
LOLWUT
a monk NOT getting in a group? O_O
if it's a shitmonk i understand but the regular HB monk just snaps and has 5 party invites

Thanks for the answers. Like I stated, I used to play WoW, but the PvP in that game is bad due to victory being almost entirely based on one's gear (those that played WoW would agree with me) and the PvE isn't really fun in WoW because certain builds/classes are black sheeps who can't find a group.

I like the approach Guild Wars took in that a person can learn a bunch of skills but can only access 8 at a time. I'll probably get Nightfall and Factions after I learn how to play GW more. I've read several reviews that said that EotN was crap, so I'll probably skip EotN. I just have to find retailers that sell the game cheap, because $50 is unreasonable considering that Nightfall and Factions are both about 2 years old.

well here the choice is quite limited and the 8 skills and setup of team is crucial for victory

Personally, when I recently bought another account for a retail store, I purchased a dual Nightfall/Prophecies pack. That's the best value in my opinion.

And yeah, EotN is fun if you enjoyed grinding in WoW.

Check the "New Thread" button at the top of each section....

newegg.com has been selling Factions and Nightfall for $19.99 each

And actually, that one person DIDN'T say those professions have a hard time getting groups, they actually said if you don't play one of those professions you'll have a hard time getting into groups.

Your answers

1) yes -.-

2) yes- you can use the oldschool builds, but alot of pvp guilds/players expect you to stay up to date with the meta... this means owning all of the chapters. You just wouldn't be able to play the roles that many groups require.

3) Probably best off looking at Gamestop / other games stores when there is a sale on.

4) Monk... everyone loves monks, though these days you'll end up running ursan more often than not because nobody plays PvE properly anymore.



if you're interested in ranger for PvP read this

http://www.teamquitter.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3797

1. It's balanced enough at the low end. The game will probably be totally dead long before you reach the skill level where the balance problems become an issue for you.

2. Yes, totally gimped.

3. Try the bargain bin at your local brink-and-mortar store.

4. No, several classes are pretty weak for PvE. Mesmers, Ritualists, and Assassins are traditionally considered weak, and therefore have trouble getting groups. (Though I should note that both Mesmers and Assassins have a couple of top-end PvE builds available to them, despite their reputations as weaklings.)

Well right off the bat i can tell you that it won't be like that. Although action is the same, other things differ especially since its easy to get to lvl 20 and max armor/weaps/skill set

Im not hardcore, but yes i would say it is. I play AB and 1v1 with my guildies and I can tell you its pretty balanced. Unless you are not level 20, or have not completed the attribute quests, you probably won't be disadvantaged sans skill set. Unless you run a terrible skill set, im sure you will have a lot of fun, even if you end up losing. Its based more on the SKILL you play rather then HOW LONG you play and how much MONEY, though nice skins do cost quite a pretty penny.

Personally I would say yes. The path you take will be slow and i don't really think many people are playing the missions so it will be hard for you to advance. Prophecies is great for PvE and is extremely fun in that matter. Its the highlight of GW.You also won't have the full advantage of having all the skills and in the case of some classes you will be at a huge disadvantage.

Ive seen GW prophecies for $10. And Ive also seen Factions and NF for $20-$25. Also, you can get GW:EN, which is not a great expansion overall, but if you really like the series, you might want to buy it just to have a sense of relief.

E/A and A/Me for Underworld cough cough. With the introduction of Ursan Blessing (a GW:EN skill) there is very little discrimination on who to pick, but certain professions play the ursan skill better then others. Really I would suggest make a few characters and play them out in presearing. If you don't have fun delete them or if you have fun with a few, make multiple chars (this isn't WoW, you can make several chars and not have to spend a month getting to max lvl).

Overall I would say try out the PvE first. yes I know you said PvP, but PvE in Prophecies is why the entire series survived. After that, if you liked it, you can go to PvP. There are MANY MANY different types of PvP and all require a different set of skills. You should invest some time looking into the types of PvP and their popularity, styles of play...ect. I would advise you also join a guild, because those are the most fun to do PvP in and they can lend you a hand in leveling up so you can start PvP and get you the weaps. Make sure there are enough people to sufficiently help you and that they aren't hardcore (trust me, most annoying people you can meet)

Good Luck, Have fun and hope you pick GW, if not then try something on the consoles those are always fun if you don't want to have to have invested a lot of time into a game...

The Wal-Mart around me has been having a sale with 25% off any electronics so I don't know about you but could go there. However I don't believe in shopping at War-Mart so I won't encourage it.

Yes you will be gimped playing just Proph in PvP. I say do some ra and just see if you like how it is. With as far as only 8 skills and how to expect teams and what not. However take into mind there are bots and stupid people in ra. So really only use it to see if you like only having 8 skills and just like general play over the different classes. If you like WoW and want a better PvP I suggest(this will prolly get me banned) Age of Conan. Once they fix the last few bugs the game will be amazing.

As of this writing, I've been playing 404 hours, over 60 days. My P/W enjoys almost all of this time, (A Warrior, Assassin and Dervish also made for those 'interested' times,) I used to play a 60 Paladin and did the PvP bit too for about a year's worth, until I got miffed finding out the armor I wanted, required FAR too much time to invest in PvP to be worth it. The PUG nightmares also kept me away from MMO's for a good year plus, before I found GW.

Can't say too much about GW PvP so far, I only did a test run with those intro quests in the Great Temple of Balthazar, but little else. My time has been invested so far in PvE, and in so far that, I've soloed everything I've come across in all four campaigns. (Even beat the Great Destroyer Solo already.) This is such I could never do in WoW, as far as I knew the game, as far as soloing in that game went. The high end stuff I knew in WoW was never doable as such, and the PUGs I was stuck in too often... well.. I point back above as end result. (Colorful metaphors abstained as a result.)

So far, my 20 P/E semi-Imbagon, (missing SY! atm, but getting close,) has been so much more enjoyable than my 60 Paladin was. Yes, I still technically have to run with H/H (Heroes and Henchmen) but then I still technically haven't done a single run so far with another actual player either. My one wanting of a MMO realized, and the worry of PUGs essentially ended, (as far as Nightfall created characters go anyway.)

GW has been more enjoyable for me, than WoW was, with enough challenges in GW to make buying all four campaigns worthwhile. (Frustrating ones in more than a few places.) Running even one campaign missing (EotN the missing one early on, I found that one on sale in a local Gamestop. Yay,) made the entire game lacking. Having all of them, and not even begotten the nerve to really go after PvP yet, gives enough depth to this game, for me to pretty much exempt myself from WoW ever again.

Overall, the fun in the game, despite all the 'builds' and 'ways to go' around here, is to still find the fun in playing how one wants to. GW is in the end, a well enough made MMO to give it the nod over the mass market pay-per-month versions. The lack of depth even, in certain gameplay areas, is actually helpful in playing GW. (Not having to pay to repair armor after deaths caused by bad PUGs, is one WELCOME example.)

It's going to be hard for me to leave this game for another MMO, for some time to come. (The birthday gift at one year, bit, will assure this.) This is at least, my pathetic two bits concerning all this. Prophecies won't be enough, if GW grabs ya enough. Trust me there. =^^=

Well, back to the Desolation for me.

Just to add on your question about if having just prophecies will gimp you in PvP, it definitely will but not as bad as some people suggest.
There's some prophecies only builds here that'll help you get a rough idea of a good skill-bar.. Just don't take farming builds into PvP..

I will probably try each of the classes to Lv. 5 to figure out which classes I like enough to make a Primary. I do like GW because due to the low level cap, it seems a lot more casual player friendly than other MMOs. I should be starting a graduate school program in 2009, so GW doesn't seem a game where I'd be totally screwed if I had time to play only during the weekends.

^just so you know you can roll pvp only characters and start at level 20 with max gear and access to a few skills(every skill unlocked on your account). It's just the Roll playing or PvE characters that have to work up in levels, and you can get level 5 is about 15-20 minutes or less.

Basically in prophecies PvE they start you in a "newbtorial" area at level 1, give you some easy quests to do with some stater loot, the areas are balanced for parties of 1 or 2 at low levels. Then once you graduate from this area you move into an area balanced for level 5-10 I'd say with parties of 4. You'll start your first "missions" here too(a scenario with a goal and objectives). At this point if you have cash or friends you can get them to ferry you almost to the end game where you can get max equipment and a few "elite" skills, and level quickly, but this is frowned upon by a few players. Barring that the storyline of the game moves you into areas balanced for 6 man parties of level 10-15s, it stays at about this level for awhile till you hit the jungle, where you'll start getting near level 20. After that the game sets up for 6 man parties of level 20s in the desert, and there are the first of the elite skills that you can access(you use a certain skill near a dead boss to capture a skill). After that the game starts throwing enemies that are typically a few levels stronger then you, balanced for a party of 8.

The way it works is when you first start an account stuff is "locked", you have to unlock it either by PvPing and winning, thereby earning "faction" you can use to unlock PvP stuff on your account or you can play the PvE side of the game, and anything you "unlock"(skills you learn and capture, items mods you find and Identify, armor runes and insignia) will be available to your PvP character. This is also why people recommend a bit of PvE before trying PvP, in addition to getting a feel for the game you also get a few "free" unlocks.

if pvp is all you want, go to plaync.com, set up an account, and buy the "pvp access pack" for $20. that will give you 20 elite skills, 20 normal skills, and 20 item unlocks, all of your choice. that will get you competitive immediately with one role, and will allow you to unlock all skills and upgrades later on with balthazar factions. the only drawback: you can't play pve.