Looking to Play GW

Im looking to start playing GW but im not too sure where to start 1st! Im comming from playing WoW (patch 3.2 was the last straw) since beta and Ive played FFXI to for about 2-3 years,both mmos i have attained max lvls. Is the game soloable in the starting areas or is the game heavily reliant on team play? Should I get the 1st,2nd, or 3rd chapter? I know you can buy 1 of the 1st 3 chapters and get EoN but how much will i miss out on if i do this? i will both PvP and PVE. How long till it takes to get to the 1st 20 lvls and also what is the max lvl ingame? i dont want to buy the game and have a crappy community! Im asking these questions cause I have been burned by games like Vanguard and Age of Conan and dont want to waste 50-80 usd investment.

If you don't have all campaigns, you won't be able to run a majority of the builds and you will be missing a lot of the "pizza"
Just buy eye of the north + the trilogy edition of guild wars
http://www.guildwars.com/products/gwtrilogy/

Max level is 20 and it can take either a day or over a week depending your campaign. You also have two 15 attribute quests that give you more attributes.

The game DOES use teamplay, however you can play with Ai you can command called henchmen. In nightfall and eye of the north, you get heroes, who're customizable henchmen. However, heroes are limited to only 3 currently, but there's a chance ANET will expand them to 7.

For PvP, you can create a character who is already maxed out, and all you need to do is unlock the skills and equipment with "Balthazar faction" which you get from pvping.
Once you've unlocked something, it's unlocked for your whole account. But you still have to buy it on your pve character, however, it will be sold from all skill trainers from that respective campaign the skill is from.

GW also has a WONDERFUL community, all qqing aside.

Though you will find GW is more about story progression in the style of a console rpg, rather than being put in an open world where the objective is to reach the max level.
In fact, GW isn't an mmo. Places with monsters are exclusive instances only to one's party. So no spawn camping and pking.

what he said.
the main thing that sets GW apart is probably the limitations on the number of skills you can have on the skill bar. in the early areas of the game, it is possible to solo them but it would probably be easier to use heroes or henchmen. tbh i dont know much about pvp cause its not really my area, but everything aside, gw has a great community besides all the crying about ANET and nerfs etc. etc.
The max level does not take long at all to obtain. the low max level makes GW a more skill oriented game rather than time invested into it.

Ok thnx another question to can you unlock the Heros right away or after a certain mission are they then obtainable?

Kain has summed most of it up, in terms of community, many people call the game dead. You will probably agree with them unless you join a decent guild. GW has 3 continents combining to a rather large map area, with many towns and since all explorable areas are instanced, you may not find many people around. If you join a nice guild you should be able to get a few people to tag along with you for the mission.

In terms of leveling, most experienced players could get level 20 in a day or two, depending on the campaign you start with it would take a first timer a week to a month or two to reach level 20.
GW isnt a levelfest game, getting to level 20 is more of a tutorial in how the gameplay works, after that you are trying to find a build that is effective for you, learning how to adjust it for each area, and becoming more skilled at the game.

EDIT: Heroes are unlocked by playing through the storyline, as you play you unlock more and more. Henchmen are a more basic version of heroes and are availible right from the start, except in prophecies, where they come in about 5% of the way through the game. Heroes are only for Nightfall and Eye Of The North (EOTN), Henchmen are availible in all campaigns.

In Nightfall, you get one hero immediately, and then two more after some quests. In The Eye of the North, you get two heroes as soon as you get there (you need to be level ten to enter the expansion)and one more once you go a few quests. There is also a hero that is available in any campaign, provided you own all three of the campaigns. This hero is unlocked once you reach level 10, and is available outside of the port towns.

1. Getting to the best level, obtain the best armor, wield the best weapon takes a week or two for a beginner. For an experienced players it takes about 4 hours.

2. As I said becoming the best in PvE takes a week, coming from a MMO that getting from level 1 to 60 takes 2-3 months, skills in this game is like a card game. Before you leave a town and face enemies you can pick 8 cards and you cannot change them until you enter another town or outpost. The cards (skills) can get stronger by adding attribute points, which, just like changing cards you can change the strength while in a town.

Link here on skills

I had a friend that came from WoW to GW and to his disliking it is not a WoW-clone. #2 is the major thing he had problems with on the MMO jump so I figured it may help to.

3) It is always good to start with some one that knows the game, if you get it, message Zodiac Ele, I am not always on that character so add to friends in order to see if I'm online or not.

You seem unsure if you will like the game from your OP, so be aware that you can get a free trial here. You won't get the best experience in the limited time you have, but at least you'll get a taste.

If you decide to buy the game, go with the Trilogy, and make sure to add the Account Key to your existing trial so that you don't lose your trial progress.

Also, I suggest starting with Prophecies (don't worry about getting your heroes), and progressing through Factions and Nightfall in succession. My friends that have recently bought the game have not had the best experience because they have skipped around, and you really only have one first play through, so don't waste it! Prophecies can be a little rough without Heroes if you are trying to play with Henchmen, but you can find a Player Group for many of the more difficult sections, and you should find a Guild you like that can give you a hand.

Not to really unsure. the game is skill based much like FFXI was and not so gear dependant so thats a plus in my book. Just want to find a new game alternate from WoW that has a helpful community and good play value and i think GW is where its at from researching and vids from youtube.Also thnx for your input guys/gals will give this a try with the trial and if i like it alot ill purchase the keys and everything will be 40usd.

+ for the trilogy. Easiest way is top buy it online, maybe a bit better deal is buy European complete edition which is all three campaigns plus Eye of The North, but not sure it is still for sale.

About first campaign - Prophecies or Nightfall. Prophecies is great start, just I would miss heroes much (yes, you can make short trip from Prophecies to Nightfall or EoTN and get few of them, but it will be hard to get skills for them unless they have the same profession as is your main or secondary).

You mean max armor and max weapon don't you? I play ele, best weapons costs about 6-8k (this all speaking about stats, not fancy look and taking into account you can get max weapon free at the begining of EoTN) , max armor 5k + materials + 2 minor runes about 2-3k and insignias ... well all in all you are talking about making at least 15k in four hours with new character - beg your pardon?

PS very strictly speaking best armor for most builds includes Superior Vigor rune but lets not to be too strict and settle for Minor Vigor rune you can get as quest reward early in Nightfall

I saw the complete collection in the shop in the weekend here in NZ. The package deals are the best buys, if you got the trilogy you could probably forget about EOTN for a while. If you do not wish to spend much money to begin with, you could buy the proph+EOTN box, you may regret having to spend extra money later down the road if you enjoy the game.

The best deals are usually found on online stores such as Amazon or newegg, take a look around and see who has the cheapest prices (watch out for shipping costs etc).

The people that I have seen who came to Guild Wars from a long stint at WoW did not enjoy the game and quit it quickly. Once the character and equipment was maxed they didn't really know what to do next. The lack of grind for the sake of advancement was a problem.

There is no crafting, and no skills like cooking or tailoring to learn. Once you ascend your character is the best it is going to be. Period. This will happen fairly quickly, then it is just a matter of increasing the player skill, not increasing the character strength.

You can't learn the game, get a synergized set of skills on your bar, and be really good at the game in the time that it takes you to max your character. But, if you are in a good guild and you are playing with other people then you'll still always be successful, because they can (and WILL) carry you -- you'll be able to convince yourself that you've mastered Guild Wars in a couple of months. And, from what I've seen, then you'll quit. If you're smart and you really want playability in Guild Wars you won't join a guild at all until you've at least ascended.

Play the quests with Henchies, play the missions with PUGs, learn that you aren't invincible, and learn what it really takes to do well without your buddies doing it for you; you'll find this is a great game. Take the time to read the quest dialog, watch the cut scenes, enjoy the beauty of the artwork. Don't travel with level 20 characters until you're level 20. Read the skill descriptions, read builds and usages on PvX wiki and see what makes some of the skills synergize well. Then figure out for yourself how to beat the doppleganger and ascend instead of using the wiki to tell you.

It makes a huge difference.

Just got home and im downloading as we speak! Ill let you know how it turns out for me.

New players always excite me. Like everyone has said, it's best that you take the path of learning yourself, and not using friends or guildies to carry you through the game the first time around, but I'd be willing to answer some questions here and there in-game whenever you're especially stumped.

My IGN is Christophe Van Fray. Also, friends and characters are account-bound in this game, unlock in WoW, so no worries about me being on another character if you try to add me. Just make sure you add before you try to send a whisper, because it won't work if I'm on an alternate.

Amen, by the way.