Starting Storyline

Hi i have all 4 versions of Guildwars and was wondering which of the 3 starting campaigns would people suggest to start in as a noob. I have played several other MMORPG's e.g. WoW, LOTRO , Runescape etc. but have dedcided to stick with guild wars as it is free and seems to have several concepts i like e.g. the dual class's. I assumed the best story to start with was prophecies (the original i believe) but got told by someone i know they were told that nightfall or factions is better and so wanted to check before i start fully playing the game. If this is the wrong place to post this tell me where i should be posting it and i will gladly do so as i was unsure where to post a question like this.

Right i just found the question and answers section of the forums. Got the link from a friend who linked me straight to the riverside inn and hadn't discovered the other sections until now so will post question there ignore this post or delete at will.

well i see you havent posted your new thread yet but ill answer your question and i think best place to start is nightfall. you can get a run from spamadon to the docks to get 1k "max" (ie its not elite armor but its the highest armor rateing ie for a war its 80 armor vs starter which is like i dont know 10?) lvl armor and can go to any campaign right at the start so if you have gwen and you want your first toon to be a survivor you can start in nightfall then go to factions do some more of the higher xp reward quests then at lvl 10 go to eotn then get to gunnars hold really easy and then brawl your way to r3 survivor. also the other advantage you have starting in nightfall is heros right at the start and heros+pve=pro

While i also think he should start in NF i disagree that heroes + PvE = Pro when he just starts the game, he will have no skills for said heroes to use, let alone elite skills, or any idea on how to put together a good build. The skill system in GW is not like any other MMORPG so his exp there wont really help.

Also calling it spamadon, not Kamadan, will also likely not help a person who has never even logged on. Telling him to get a "run"(should be a ferry btw) to the docks and having him skip important story aspect, which his question was about which has the best story, goes directly against what he asked. Getting max armor will be way to expensive for him just after creating a character. It is his first time playing the game no reason he should be trying to "brawl" his way o r3 survivor, let him settle into the game before giving him a grindtastic goal like that.

He could follow your route, in fact i have done that same thing on many characters, but i would not advise it for a fist time player. All in all i say start in Nightfall, because the heroes you gain will eventually be your best friends, but take it slow at first, focus on buying skills for yourself, then you healer heroes. after that the game will be much easier for you.

I think I will play the devil's advocate (can I say this if this is really whatI think) and say you should start in either proph or faction.

Prophecy is the most relaxed of the three, has the most teritory (and quest) to see outside of the main story. While we could argue, it has the best storyline. You will see more lore by just going through the story than the other 2. It has that best beginning area (pre searing if you've heard of it). If you are not rushing throught the game, this is the game that will remind you most of other MMOs both in game play and in "taste". That is always : if you do not rush throught.

Faction is short, leveling is incredibly fast (or the other will be incredibly slow), but if you look around, there is enough bits of lore in there. ANd being asian themed, it has that little something to it (tengus, cherry petal falling from nowhere in a paradisiac scene, those kind of things).

Then night fall has... desertic scenery, hero right from the beginning (hint : you do not really need them early). An engaging (or claustrophobic) story line, personnally I like the back lore but not the application. ON teh bright side it has some breather part where the game ask you to be a certain lvl before you can continue, allowing some gameplay more in the line of "ok, I,m stuck here, lets see what quest I can get here and there". If you played other MMOs, that should not bug you too much.

I would recommend starting in Prophecies, myself. It is much slower and friendlier to a completely new player, plus there are many quests that give free skills as rewards. That campaign was designed before heroes came along, so using henchmen for the missions will not be a problem if you don't have friends to play with.

Once you are about 1/3 of the way through the Prophecies story line, you will have the chance to visit Nightfall and/or Eye of the North to pick up some starter heroes without getting deep into those stories. Then you can easily finish Prophecies and Factions with those. In fact, I only got the first three heroes from EotN, which were quite sufficient for the rest of Prophecies, though Factions would have been a little easier if I'd had some NF heroes too.

As Elmindreda said, take it slow and enjoy the game. Don't get caught up in going after titles right now, or bypassing the story line to get better armor sooner, etc. You will get everything you need to have at the time you need it by playing the game as it was designed. Using runners and the other tricks mentioned are useful to experienced players starting new characters, but not a good way to learn the game or follow the story.

Yup, start in proph, and QUEST, it gives you free skills which cost a rather large chunk of money when you gotta buy them. Besides that the learning curve isn't overly steep .

Play then in order in which they were released.

Please do not follow this awful advice. This is the worst thing you could do as a new player.

Any of the campaigns is fine for your first time, but by all means, play through the content. You'll have a lot to learn about game mechanics and skill interactions, not to mention getting your bearings in the storyline. I would start by picking a class that looks fun to you, and then going from there.

You'll have plenty of time to rush characters through down the line, but there's no reason to rob yourself of the game's content on your first character.

You are aware of the fact the OP just started playing Guild Wars? New players don't need max armor 5 minutes after they've created their character. They need to get their ass handed several times, severely frustrated because they find out their build doesn't work, not get the invincimode key handed to them by us 'veterans'. Let people develop their own playstile, let them venture through GW by using the trial and error concept. They'll be a far better player afterwards.

That said, start in Prophecies. It has the smoothest learning curve of the campaigns. Or just try each of them for a day, and decide what class/campaign appeals to you most.

When i saw that word, i decided to not give any advice.

I would say start at the beginning with one char and take that one through all 4. Proph, Factions, Nightfall then EotN.

After that then play around with starting new chars in the latter chapters.

Welcome to the GW community don't let the haters on the fan sites and jerks in the towns get you down, find a guild that fits your play style. Take your time and enjoy the game, and you'll get more out of it.

I favour starting with Proph, because you can actually unlock some skills without spending copious amounts of money on them, thanks to skill quests. Plus, the pace is slower so you can also spend more time learning. Factions and NF expect you to be level 20 by the time you hit the mainland.

And you can't start a character in GWEN anyway, you need to be at least level 10

This is why there is so many bad players in GW. Veteran players giving horrible bad advice. First thing out of this guys mouth to a new player is get a run...unbelievable.

because of its smooth curve and decent story line i would say that Prophecies is the best campaign to start on as a new player, or at least it would be if half of the missions there were not almost entirely deserted forcing you to take a full group of henchmen which really just isnt fun. Nightfall would have to be the runner up because it still has a decent learning curve (compared to factions at least) and introduces you to heroes which you can level up and use for stuff like, oh say Prophecies.

I do not recommend factions at all for any new player. It is basically the speed leveler campaign and once you get off of "noob island" you will be thrown to the dogs to get torn apart repeatedly by the inflicted and more if you don't know what you are doing.

If you have a bunch of friends that would be willing to help you get through your first campaign (maybe they can start new characters as well to go with you or something) then by all means i recommend prophecies without a doubt. Otherwise though the curve and experience is just not worth being forced to work with henchmen throughout most of the game.

Start with Prophecies. Pre Searing is a great starting area. As people have already said, take your time and do the quests and read the dialog. This is one game you won't want to rush your way through the first time.

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I agree with starting in Prophesies first. Don't get caught up in the take this first..its faster??? This is a game, to be enjoyed, NOT a job you want to get done with.

Once you are about 1/3 of the way through Prophesies you can, ( as suggested by several players) visit the other campaigns from Lions Arch. You can take quests there to get to EOTN..and pick up heros, NPCs that you can customize skills and armor for. Take the Cantha quest to get to an area where it will be easier to get to Nightfall to pick up several more heros. Go back and finish Prophesies at this point. The heros will be handy in the high end missions.

That said, you will prolly pop a char here and there on the other campaigns...just to see . This is a good thing as it will open extra slots in the in game storage.

The Prophesies story line is great..Game of the year stuff and is imo the best story line.

Have fun, and welcome to GW!

Prophecies probably has the best leaning curve for one to start on.
But I, Personally, like Nightfall's tutorial best. It all really depends how quick of a learner you are..

Remember to also PVP alot and unlock skills that aren't of your profession for heroes to learn. And join a GOOD guild willing to teach you the basics of the game. GW will seem overwhelming at first, but once you learn the basics, it really is more simple than it seems

Oh, and remember that the key to winning in Guild Wars is SKILL SYNERGY!
Try and strategize builds with skills, rather than placing random high dps skills.
An example would be using Earth Shaker combined with Pulverizing Smash

I believe too, that you should start with prophecies and take ur time in pre.. =]

welc0me to gw and gwg, and have fun xP

You want to play the story line right start with Factions then Prophecies and finally Prophecies as that is the order it goes in.Then you get EoTN for coming back home.Mhenlo brings back WoH back to Tyria as well as traders and xunlai.

prophecies the best storyline to start from [only fun when u play it once] when your a newby, good times merching black dyed and dieing millions of times
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LIABILITY INSURANCE DICUSSION

If I could start an Assassin, Ritualist, Paragon or Dervish in Prophecies, I'd gladly do so... but alas, it is not possible...

I'd recommend starting out in Prophecies. It's the longest, and in my humble opinion it's the most fun of them all. On top of this, you will unlock a lot of your skills by playing through Prophecies first, since quests will reward you with skills that you will likely want to make use of. The downside of this, is that you will not have heroes right away, so you will either have to group with really dumb henchmen, or other players.

Friendly tips:
-Don't dye low level armor unless the dye is cheap, as you will be replacing this armor often.

-If someone asks for money before they run you to a location it's a scam.

-If you do decide to play Prophecies first, you will not be able to get the full 200 attribute points until near the end of the game (unless they changed it). Just thought I'd point this out, as in other campaigns the attribute quests come at the beginning of the story.

Basically, I'd say play Prophecies if you are intending to play any of the 6 core classes. If you want to play a Dervish, or Paragon go with Nightfall, and if you want to play Assassin or Ritualist you will have to play Factions. Hope this helped.

Avoid Prophecies, it's overly long, half-assed in execution ( it takes 2/3 of the way into the campaign to get an 8-man party and lvl 20 henchies), and the rewards suck (pretty much experience and more experience, with the occasional skill that should have been given to you in Pre. No quartermaster items or gold or anything)...

Prophecies, it has a better learning curve for beginners. Enjoy Pre!


remember his words:

Thanks for all the helpful replies never did get chance to post on the other forum realised i was late for work so had to run and returned from work and then gym so knackered i just collapsed on bed and slept for the rest of the day. I think i'll start on prophecies and do as most people seem to be saying swap at about 1/3 of the way through to EN or NF for henchman just one other question when will i know i'm about 1/3 of the way through (dumb question i'm sure) cheers all and hope to see ya all in the game.

Oh yeah as a response to the person who commented about runescape and any others who are thinking similar played that about 15 years ago whilst in school as it was the only game that could bypass the school's proxy. Never really liked it hust did it as it was the only fun thing (and i use the term loosly) i could do in school as a game with my mates.

If you are new, start in Prophecies and mess around in Presearing for a while.

If you think you can handle it, start in Factions (imo best campaign by far for a starting character). Don't start in NF. Its noob island portion is long, boring and a just 1 gofer quest after another.

Most stupid post ever DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!

Prophesies definately.

Some say Factions but I think it gives a really bad flavour of the game to new players, once you hit the city, chances are you will give up playing if its not your thing. I know several people who did that and it took me ages to persuade them to start playing again afresh using prophesies.

ANet market these games as stand-alone chapters, but really the game evolved over (nearly) four years, you are not going to experience a lot of the rich gameplay progressin if you do it in a different order. You want to start off basic and advance, not hte other way round

No, it isn't a dumb question, since you have no way to know how far you have to go without having finished the campaign on at least one character.

You will eventually reach a city named Lion's Arch (LA), which is the main port city on Tyria. You will do 7 of the 25 Prophecies missions on the way there if you follow the storyline, so it's about 1/3 of the way through the game. The quests to unlock travel to other campaigns are given in LA. You won't be able to miss the travel quests, because a box will pop up in the middle of the screen reminding you about them every time you enter town until you've done them.

As others have said, Prophecies is the best place to start. It is slow, but difficulty curve is very smooth, and it also has the better presented lore of any of the three main campaigns (Nightfall comes in second). You won't be given your "final exam" until the last half dozen or so missions out of many - and it's still a much more gentle final exam than either Factions or Nightfall.

Once you reach the "hub city" in any of the three campaigns, there are quests that open up the ability to branch out into any of the other campaigns or EoTN, after that so much flexibility opens up to you. For example, in Prophecies, yes, the henchmen are not exactly super in later missions, but 15 minutes of your time visiting the first two locations of EoTN will yield you a fully customisable elementalist, monk, and mesmer. An hour or two of your time going to Nightfall will give you a fully customisable warrior, dervish, two more monks, necromancer, and either another elementalist or a ranger - and unlock Factions and you can add an assassin to your hero stable.

My personal opinion is never get run. If you've reached the point you can't stand to play these games at all, it's time to put them down. There's obviously plenty of people who will disagree with this, but I'm about 15 months into playing, have one of each character class, and am still enjoying myself because I limit myself to the "shortcuts" my own skill and opportunity affords me, not what a handful of plat and an hour or two of watching someone else play for me 'gains" me. Admittedly, I don't think I could stand to ever start a new character in Prophecies again (done three). But I've started and played each and every character as far as they've progressed (the ritualist is still a bit behind the times ), but that's a good thing. If I tire of questing, I can farm for collector weapons to improve my heros, if I tire of that, I can work on getting the masters level reward for all the missions in a given campaign with a given hero, or I can vanquish, or I can go back and finally get the rit off of Shing Jea Island. There is a LOT to do in this game, there's no need for shortcuts or tricking yourself as so many have done that there are areas you should avoid. Sure, you'll find parts in all the campaigns you dislike, but you can avoid or minimise them yourself without resorting to the braindead practice of getting a run.

Specifically addressing the post earlier about Nightfall and running for max armor, I just got around last weekend to getting one of my characters to L20 and out of Nightfall into Cantha, I just kept the starter armor until max armor was available to me. You hardly need max armor unless your intent is to get yet another run to somewhere - the game was not designed around fast forwarding to the last 15 minutes of the movie, and you will not be punished in any way for actually playing the game, nor will you be rewarded in any way for doing so, you'll just skip a lot of the content.

If you like lore/storyline, go with Prophecies and never get a run.

If you like taking your time, go with Prophecies.

If you like speeding, go with Factions.

If you like a medium pace with easy mode (aka Heroes), go Nightfall.

I personally go in order - Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, Eye of the North.

LOL, Factions to Prophecies to Prophecies? That is not the order, Prophecies occurs, then, in lore, Factions occurs pretty much RIGHT after for Foreign characters. It is believed that while our characters in Prophecies are in the Southern Shiverpeaks/Ring of Fire, the events of Shing Jea are starting to occur.

Of course, given no real time frame (aside from both Prophecies and Factions occur in the same year, and that Prophecies ends in the season of the Scion - the equivalent of Fall), this is hard to prove - as it seems like the Shing Jea events occur over a corse of a time - same with the beginning of all 3 campaigns (Nightfall was probably a few months, Prophecies was, after the two years, probably a month or so from Great Northern Wall to Kryta, Factions on Shing Jea was probably a couple weeks).