Halp! new etc. lots of questions.

hey all, i googled guild wars forums and found this place. I've read over alot of the topics but figured i'd post my own complete list of questions since i have many.

thanks in advance to those that answer. here is the tldr of this whole post. if someone has a really useful beginner's guide (not the wiki) please link it.

all the guides i've found are just descriptions.

First i purchased the complete box of ncsoft store. Is there any preference in which campaign to start? i hear various opinions. My main concern is skills, items etc will i miss out skipping anything?

second, skills. I have read over the wiki etc and the skill list is huge. Is there a guide to useful skill setups? I made a ranger on factions and all the skills i seem to find are kinda junk, just from the skill learner. Should i be doing something different there?

third, items. Im a wow player so naturally a purple dropped and i thought i was rich, only to find out i wasnt. I don't know much about itemization. I am wondering how and where do i find good armor? weapons seem to drop alot the only armor i can find is in shops. Is there crafting available or a better way to get gear?

end game. What exactly is endgame here? I know this is a pvp style game. What rewards do you get from pvp? Is there pve content as well for endgame? What can i expect from endgame. i can get to level 20 in factions relatively quick so i don't want to be bored.

characters. I keep making new characters getting them to level 10ish or so and stopping then starting. I feel like im missing a general grasp of the game. I love the graphics animation and believe it or not im a huge fan of instanced pvp, pve etc. can i get some tips on progression for my character how to not feel so lost?

salvage kits etc. What's not worth picking up adn what is worth picking up? my inventory fills up so quick and i have no clue what half the stuff is. i keep all the blue, purple etc items i find having no idea what's valuabl eand what is vendor trash.

enchanting. I have no idea what to do with inscriptions, enhancements etc.

i ahve alot more but im trying to read some info as well as play. thx again.

I recommend starting with Prophecies (unless you're content with your factions character). It has the slowest learning curve, so it's the easiest campaign to play when you're new. And, you unlock skills as you go along, which is nice.

Make sure you adjust your attributes to get the best effect from skills and make sure you have a nice balance of offensive and defensive skills. Also, try out different professions and see which one you like best.

Armor is only attainable from Armor Crafters in towns and collecters. It doesn't drop from monsters and you can't buy it from other players.

At the end of the game you get access to Hard Mode. Which is just a more difficult version of explorable areas and missions. You can also start PvPing and getting titles.

Well, you'll progress through levels much faster in Factions than the other campaigns. Basically, just find a profession that suits you and make sure to try different skills and combinations.

Most of the stuff in the beginning is just merchant food. But, if you find a weapon that's better than the one you have, then save it and use it. Some items can also be given to collecters in exchange for weapons, armor, etc.

Inscriptions and runes are items that you can apply to your armor for certain benefits, like increasing health, attribute level, or energy.

Welcome to GW.

tyvm for the quick reply

i made an elementalist in prophecies level 6. the leveling is so much slower than factions but i really enjoy the story and the missions.

First of all, Unfortunately the wiki is by far the best and really, only guide out there.

Chronologically, you could start Prophicies first, go to factions next and do Nightfall last. Eye of the north is an expansion for one you are level 20 and wish to further advance. But there is no right or wrong way to start the game. And you can take a character made in one campaign and play him in another.

Skill setups (aka "builds) can usually be formed into useful builds with skills that work with each other in a combination or some builds can just be plain random. This is another aspect of no right or wrong way to play the game.

White: Normal no mods
Cyan-Bluish: Normal plain mods (common)
Purple: Uncommon with at least one bonus, not the highest level of bonus.
Gold: Rare and usually has valuable/high tier bonuses.
Green: Unique and usually dropped by a named boss

Guildwars, unlike WoW, is a storyline MMO. Don't worry though, once you beat it, it won't make your character stuck at the end of the game like some single player console games. Like WoW you can always travel everywhere, just.. missions play a role in advanceing in the toryline to "beat" the game. At the end of each game (last mission) you can obtain an end-game item if you wish (of the Green [unique] category)

Stick with one character and level him/her up. Making multiple characters tend to make you a "weak jack of all trades" when you are first starting out.

If you want to make money fast, pick everything up (even normal whites) and identify them, then sell them. In the long run the cost of the ID key will be covered quickly before the kit runs out and you will make a profit. If you want to salvage materials for armors and such, use salvage kits on items that drop that say you can salvage from them. You CAN salvage from weapons as well (white) to get materials. You can later use an Expert/Superior/Perfect slavae kit to extract mods. The same goes for salvageable "armors" )which you cannot wear yourself as they are just items) that drop from monsters that have runes or insignias on them, which you can apply to armor you have crafted by an armor NPC for you.

Inscriptions are the middle upgrade for weapons (3 upgrade slots on MOST weapons in this game [also always replaceable upgrades]), preceded by the Prefix mod and succeeded by the suffix mod.

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Prophicies (2005) was made in a day when leveling and accomplishments meant something. Steady leveling, and eventually nearing the late-game you would get your final attributes from two quests. Once factions was released (and nightfall seemed to follow the same path) everything was basically given to you on the islands. Basically, in one day you could level to 20 and have all attributes from the attribute quests before you reach the real meat of the game and basically, begin.. (main land) I know for factions you genuinely hit lvl 18-19 before the mainland.

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Also, items and armor all have their limit on how good they can get. People with the "best" skins on weapons and the "best" elite armors have no advantage over you than the max armor and weapons with basic skins have.

1) Start in tyria. You'll take longer than if you did factions/nightfall, but you'll get the smoothest introduction. If you're really impatient and can get help from more experienced players, try nightfall. I do NOT recommend factions as a starting campaign. Try prophecies first.

2)http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Your builds depend on what you are fighting, what you are wearing. Sometimes terrain is taken into account. Sometimes you need to run a very specific skill set because someone else is running something that works well with what you might run. It varies insanely. Making builds is what separates many good players from inexperienced ones.

3) Weapons in GW are now based more on looks than stats. There is a finite limit to damage, and it's very easy to find those max damage weapons once farther in game. You can modify weapons to give them good mods as well. The most expensive weapons will be certain unique (green) weapons, which almost always have perfect stats and sometimes nice skins, or certain gold weapons modded nicely with nice skins. It's a very visual game. Same goes for armor, but it's customized to characters, so you can't sell it. Runes/Insignias are crucial for armor, and bought off of a rune trader (for the most part). Most runes don't exceed 1.5 plat, but superior vigor costs a whopping 20k. Can be frustrating.

4) There is an end to the storyline of all the campaigns, but keep in mind this is an MMO. There is no "end" to the gameplay. It all depends on what you want to do. Many people switch from PvE to PvP after beating all the campaign, farming titles, etc, because it simply gets boring and eventually unrewarding. PvP is...hectic, changing, and requires a better mastery of skills than PvE does. Also requires some connections in order to do some serious PvP.

5) Just trudge through it. Once you get to level 20, ascend, beat the game, whatever, you feel better about playing the game to be honest. Just beat one campaign, and start the others, they have fairly creative story lines. Just don't skip the cinematics or you only get half the story =)

6) This is all personal preference. If you want other opinions, I'll tell you what I do. I generally sell all golds that don't have a worthwhile mod on them, or that don't have a "highly salvageable" inscription to the merchant. This assumes there isn't a good skin on it either. I salvage anything below that (generally) for materials. Armors, make sure the rune/insignia isn't worth anything before salvaging or selling. Generally pick up everything, decide what you want to sell and what you want to salvage. Materials are good for armors, weapons, and consumnables (Eye of the North only). You'll only get a better understanding of what you need through experience. You'll learn what is worth more.

Yeah, about inventory space, just take everything, and always replace a better item with a worse item. Since you can't always take everything, try to take the best possibly inventory away, no?

7) Mods. Hmm. This GREATLY varies with what you are doing, running, etc. A warrior using a general PvE setup with some damage and whatnot would want a +15% damage while health is above 50% inscription, perhaps a sundering (armor penetration) hilt and a fortitude (+health) pommel. Casters generally want energy and increasing enchantment durations or decreasing spell casting times. This you'll have to know specifically what to run. Most elemental mods are worthless. You can use them in some areas in a good way though. A fiery mod is great for the snowman dungeon accessible through Umbral Grotto.

I know it's alot to read through, and it's only my 2 cents. There's a ton of stuff to do in the game, as well as a ton to learn. I've had the game for 4 years and I still have never done certain dungeons/areas/quests that I would really like to, or obtained certain items I would like to have. Just play the game, have fun with it, and quit playing when you get bored and find a new game. Or get on with other real life things. Hope I helped at least somewhat =)

to add a little to the helpful post above

As you have been rolling at 10ish this in effect means you are still on what is commonly known as..Training Islands or some other names also.

You have not begun to experiance the skills as you get basic ones till you leave there.

Its worth knowning that as you on your Ele once you come off the island go to Keiang center .you can obtain maximum armour there and also a skill npc..

At that point you can visit Nightfall and proficies from there with your Ele as long as level 10 and above.

If you plan to take the Ele go to proficies first and when you arrive in Lions Arch .... then go to Nightfall.... (thats the easist route for faction chars who wish to move to other campaigns.)...

Factions if you new and unprepared it may give you a little shake lol as its easir to level yes but the curve is steeper there..

The main thing is Enjoy the game thats what it is about and play what you enjoy /playstyle not going by others who say this is best ect.

Please check the Campfire section where there are subforums for each primary profession. Each subforum has a stickied "basics" thread that explains the ups and downs of the profession, the value of each secondary profession and goes over some roles that profession plays in the game.

For eles, there is a set of one-campaign builds in section 9 (post #2) that should help you put together something useful.

thanks for all the great replies.

i started with the factions someone said get 20 on that first. i got to 18 and felt lost. i then made a nightfall went to eotn and felt even more lost.

im sticking prophecies now , the game is awesome and i feel like im playing a great console action/rpg with people around. I'll stick with prophecies and enjoy the storyline, cinematics etc.

i just feel extremely lost seems theer is so much to learn but i think it had to do with starting later in the game.

im an elementalist , necro. i don' tknow if its a good start or not but a nuking, demonologist seemed to sound pretty fun to me. i also have the /bonus thingy with the pet. my alst question which im sorry to ask is about teh "requires 8 fire" does taht mean in order for the weapon to even work i need 8 in fire attritbutes. prolly a stupid question im just assuming that's the case.

#edit

ty darcy just read your post as i posted this. im reading through all the forums and stuff now

when you wanna do full damage with your weapon (not including any skills), you need to get the req it wants. and the req doesnt have any importance for mods on the weapon, only the damage

Same goes for off-hands shields as well. When a weapon's damage, an off hand's energy requirement, or a shields armor requirement have requirements to be met to use that benefit, you must meet that requirement to get full effects. When it comes down to weapons i believe the higher you have into an attribute further than the requirement I believe you do slightly more damage guaranteed or something. But that is a whole other story and a large discussion about game mechanics.

Basically with requirements, if you attack with your weapon, make sure you have that many points in it. Often meet the requirement for your wand/staff doesnt matter much if you are a caster as you barely attack with it anyway. If you are using an attacking weapon (sword/scythe/bow etc) you should always meet the requirement, and the same goes for shields and focus items so you can get the extra armour/energy.

It applies only to the attribute next to it. On weapons, that's for max damage. On foci, you need it for the +energy. On shields, you need that requirement for the +armour and so on.

However, it doesn't affect things like additional modifications. If you have a Hale Bo Staff of Fortitude, you'll still get the +30 from the Hale staff head, and +30 for the Staff Wrapping of Fortitude, even if you don't meet the minimum requirement for the staff damage - you just won't deal as much if you're trying to wand something to death.

Also, if you're still in non-max level areas, it's more than likely that the stuff you pick up is vendor trash. You may come across useful runes and mods, though - I suggest you check the wiki on those, and check it against what you need. I mean, if you find a minor energy storage rune (which is pretty expensive), you just saved the cost of buying that from the rune trader, yeah? Those can only be salvaged with expert or superior salvage kits, though.

Chronologically, don't Prophecies and Factions take place at the same time? Maybe its' because I wasn't playing when Prophecies was the only game out, but it sounds annoying: longest game, longest time to get all attribute points, no heros, no inscriptions. I so agree with the no right or wrong way thing though.

I wasn't that experienced at all, but I really liked starting in Nightfall. Yes, the intro is EXTREMELY short, but the areas you first explore (Plains of Jarin, Zehlon Reach), are VERY forgiving. So even if you are thrown in fast, the AI aren't super tough. Yes, it's also ahead of the other games, but I really liked Nightfall as my first game. I think prophecies is maybe hyped a little too much lol.

Hmm... have you ever considered playing PvP? I know it's probably too soon but I find PvP really fun. PvP characters are like anything you want them to be or do... no time is spent getting things if you have unlocked stuff.

What I like to do is this: can I use it? (yes/no?), could my heros use it (yes/no?), if both are no, check with a rune trader NPC. I usually let my runes build up and then check all at once.

[QUOTE=Chrisworld;4763554]http://pvx.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Your builds depend on what you are fighting, what you are wearing. Sometimes terrain is taken into account. Sometimes you need to run a very specific skill set because someone else is running something that works well with what you might run. It varies insanely. Making builds is what separates many good players from inexperienced ones.

I agree, the best builds are ones you make. Even if they aren't as efficient or creative, what you make you usually can play. I think it is better to be a better player at your thing than clueless with some advanced build. But it is nice to look.

thx a bunch for all the advice.

i rolled a warrior and think i may stick with that for now until i get alt fever again.

im going much slower than i was before taking my time to enjoy the story and explore the npc's and the collectors. i think i just rushed to quickly in factions and ended up almost cap level wondering what to do.

anyways, thx again for everything you all have been great.