Inherent Qualms from an ex-WoW player

I have beef with Guild Wars but it may just be me, so here's hoping:


I'm a level 13 W/Mo with your basic Hammer build (H+7~/S+6~). I am at Yak's Bend in regards to my quest progression; I have the most upgraded armour I can get from Yak's Bend; my hammer is... purple and customized, courtesy of a guildie. I'm stuck though!

So far the quests have been fairly easy and solo-able with Alesia. There were a few tough times in which I partnered with someone else around my level (with Alesia) to help defeat the Charr.. But now I'm finding it an extremely difficult mission just to get from Yak's Bend to (just down the road) Traveller's Vale for a simple quest. I get half way and the huge mob of Stone Summit Scouts and Axe wielders coupled with The Judge and other adds devastate me and Alesia. They also devastate me, Alesia, Orion and Little Thom. I've never had to have 3 other henchmen in my party before!

I understand they want you to do some grouping at this point, so I grouped with a guildie, a level 20 Warrior (who was helping us) and his friend. Once we got a little strategy it went over easier, but easier is all we were given. We squeezed by with a hair and in the end I didn't even complete my quest, the other Warrior just zoned us into Borlis Pass and peaced. So now I have to go back to Yak's Bend without the "help" of this level 20 Warrior or my guildie or anyone else and hope for the best.

I just don't understand, the game was manageable with a couple henchmen with your odd battle here and there (for grouping). Now it seems like I can't even get by without anyone else holding my hand and that's not how I want to play. Don't get me wrong, I love to play with others and my guildies are always offering a helping hand but this is my first time around in my first campaign: I want to take my time and follow the storyline, I want to try out new attributes and skill builds. I don't like people waiting on me, so for this first time I just want to have fun with my henchies.

In WoW your quest hubs were very well-made and scaled to your level, am I just used to this "easy" questing?

Is this the way Guild Wars was supposed to be? Or is it just me? What can I do to retain my solo-questing? Or maybe duo-questing?

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I've done every quest pre-Yak's Bend so if I'm under-levelled tell me where I went wrong and what quests I missed. Otherwise, didn't realize GW was a grinding MMORPG.

Lots of people get stuck there. Been that way forever. Here's a couple of tips to help you get through that area. 1. -Only take one quest at a time, that way, you're not dealing with a huge mob of enemies. 2. Lots of Melee class players who are new to GW get pwned by Empathy. Try either getting a hex removal skill on your bar (Remove Hex or Smite Hex are two Mnk skills that come to mind) and don't take swings at enemies when you're cursed with it. GL & HF!

Wow that easy huh? Haha I was getting sooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrated to the point that I almost wanted to stop playing completely. Thank you so much for your advice, it's been really helpful. (I didn't know accepting all those quests spawned those extra mobs, I did notice Empathy however while I was in there so many times)

Very little in Guild Wars was designed to be soloed. There's a reason you fight large mobs - it's because you're supposed to be a large mob yourself.

Fill out your six-man team with henchies, including with Alesia. You'd probably also do better starting out with a sword or axe instead of hammer but I won't get into that. At level 13 you should either get through in a full team, or at least learn from the process to know what enemies are most dangerous and take them out first.

Welcome and good luck.

Also, please note that areas will get harder as the game progresses. Quite frankly, if you're trying to get by with just you and a lousy healing henchman, or a couple lousy henchmen, I'm amazed you got as far as you did. That being said - level 13 is maybe a bit low for that area but not outrageous. It would certainly help if you were slightly higher level. I think you can have 6 people total in a party starting at yak's bend - do so. It's silly not to. I would recommend alesia, orion, reyna, claude, and perhaps dunham. You would be the tank in that case. Pull one group at a time - don't gather a ton of enemies. Attack monks first, then other casters, then warriors last. imho - if the game continued to be uber easy to play, it would be boring and nobody would play it. It will get harder. You're not even halfway through the story yet.

@Zelgadissan: I was in a large mob. 3 real people (one of them max level) and the other Alesia/Orion. However, on my own I didn't have a six-man party, I only had four... I think it was the level 20 guy who had 6-man as he was the party leader. I'm still working on what build is the best for me, thanks for the advice though. =]

@crazybanshee: I realize my questions make it seem like I'm looking for easy gameplay. Mostly I posted because I was frustrated when I *did* form a group and we attempted to pull certain mobs (etc) it didn't work out the best. I only get a 4-man party though... so I don't know. As for being level 13... Was I supposed to grind then? Because I honestly did every quest before Yak's Bend and I'm level 13... I see lots of way lower-leveled people at Yak's Bend though. =s

Yaks Bend is a unpopular area for Guild Wars. More like a check point than anything else, nothing farmable or valuable in that area.
Because your still level 13 your still part of the tutorial. I can lend a hand if I'm not busy.
Whisper Zodiac Ele, or add me to friends list as I'm not always on that character.

Yep Yaks is the first main problem area and first time through I had all the quests active and got stomped.

I was a mesmer that time so generally took full support when I went out.
Eventually we quested through to the next town with no missions active.

Then took out the mob from the back starting from the next town working backwards to Yaks.

Since your playing style is solo or to take minimal support have you thought of having a bow as a secondary weapon.
That way you can pull small numbers of enemies and kill large mobs bit by bit.

It's all about the skills. You have to be familiar with your own skills of course, choose good combinations, use them at the right time and against the right enemies... but as in the Empathy example - you also have to be aware of the skills being used against you.

This can be tough as a new player, because the monsters won't all be warriors using the skills you're familiar with. But you can at least keep an eye on the conditions/effects they inflict on you so you can react or counter them.

When you have a "condition" or hex on you you'll see an icon... hover your mouse over it to see what it's doing to you. eg. "Blind" will make you miss with your hammer 90% of the time. So don't bother to keep swinging... remove the condition or wait til another player/henchman gets it off you (choose henchmen that can remove conditions or hexes), or dodge incoming attacks until the condition expires.

When you get hit by a big damage attack, you'll see another icon telling you what hit you. You might want to try dodging that skill or interrupting the monster before it can finish casting it. etc etc...

If you keep missing, maybe the enemies are blocking your attacks... use skills that can't be blocked, do something to remove their blocking stance/enchantment, or switch targets until their blocking runs out.

This is GW - it's more about the skills, than equipment or levels. If an area kicks your butt, figure out why/how and then take a more appropriate set of skills (or henchmen). And as Gremlin said above - controlling "aggro" is important. Pull small groups away from others, and deal with them in isolation... a longbow/flatbow is good for this - one hit from long range and they'll come running to you. Run a way a little if you have to, to make them chase you to where you want them.

Incidentally, I have exactly the same playing style as you do, down to the same character (W/Mo). As such, I know that it can be done with a minimal group.
Although remarks by previous posters are valuable, they should be combined to make the most of the game. Thus:
First, empathy (a hex) and blindness (a condition) are among the most annoying things that can happen to a warrior. So, bring hex and/or condition removal depending on the area. In this case, hex removal would be my bet. However, do not overdo it, as henchies and other players (primary monks especially) are usually better at removing stuff than you do. Your role should be: "to run around like a hyper-aggressive spastic rabid dog on speed" to blow stuff up. Healing/condition removal should be someone else his job.

Second, aggro management is crucial, especially in small groups. This means that you should not charge into large mobs, or stay in the path of moving mobs. Using a bow (longbow/flatbow) is always a good idea to pull enemies and partition the opposition. Aggro management also means that you position your monk outside your aggro bubble before luring enemies. That way, you keep all the attention on yourself rather than allowing monsters to target your monk. Read this. Finally, using Frenzy means that you get double damage, so use it carefully.

There you have it, a combination of skills, tactics and weapons to make it easier. If you have any more questions add me (Amon Lasul) to your friend list. I plan to be online coming friday (I'm in the GMT+1 timezone) and I would be happy to help you out.

As far as I am aware, there are two or three quests that cause more monsters to spawn in that area. With them all combined it becomes pretty difficult. Remember if you are grouping it only takes one person in the party with that quest to cause the extra enemies to spawn.

Always take the maximum amount of party members allowed for the area, there is no point in gimping yourself by only taking a couple of henchmen when you could take 5.

You are definitely not underleved for the area, if anything you are overleveled. Usually a good level is what the henchmen are +2-4 untill you reach level 20.

Although you have made it through that problem area, I would like to give an additional piece of advice using it as an example. Look for a back door to pull foes.

If you had taken the first left outside of Yaks, you would have come to a set of steps and a bridge. This was the first back door and would allow you to fight the Ice Golems with only a few Stone Summit and in small groups. After that you could continue on the path and enter the problem area from above. This would let you, again, pull small mobs.

So, the point is, when your quest arrow leads you into an impossible mess, look for different options than a frontal assault.

Although, from your posting time, you might be in a different time zone than I am, PM me in game, Darcy Sa Renn, for a free max hammer with useful mods. I like to encourage hammer warriors.


At level 13 you are not underleveled for the area. The level of the available henchmen is usually the minimum for the area.

I'de be happy to help too. I'll be on most of the day once I get home from school around 12pm eastern time. My name's Smity Smitington just pm me.

The way you're playing is a great way to play. It's fun and it really helps you learn the game. You don't have to wonder if it was what you did that was effective or what someone else did -- you know it's you.

The groups outside Yak's Bend are big and tough for a 13th level and that's part of the actual storyline. The Summit have taken over and they aren't allowing anyone through.

There are a couple of things you can learn now that will help you all the way through the game: Get a longbow and keep it in one of your weapon slots. You'll use that to pull the enemies to your staked henchies. Stand in an out of the way spot, not on the patrol path (you might have to watch the patrol for a bit) and flag your henchies there -- with your longbow equipped, and from outside the attack range, target the enemy closest to you and hit the attack button -- you'll move only close enough to shoot and draw aggro. Now back-up, slowly, to the point that your henchies engage and begin to join battle. Unflag. This will help insure that you only get one group at a time.

You don't have to grind. Doing the quests and killing the stuff along the way is enough to keep you at a good level. You probably won't be able to keep travelling with just Alesia though, because the enemy groups will be getting larger and more overpowering as your party size increases. Try taking two fewer than you're allowed for party size (that's what you've done up to this point, right? You were allowed 4 you had 2, now you're allowed 6 so take 4).

This is one of the toughest areas for going with small party size because the patrols can easily overwhelm you. If you decide to group with real people try to find those that are about the same level as you are so you aren't just being carried. It gives you a better feel for the game. It's supposed to be challenging, but not completely frustrating. Since you have Borlis on your map now you might want to try doing that mission and getting another level before going back to Yak's and working on quests.

Wow! Overnight I got lots of responses and help and even a leveling buddy, woohoo!

Thank you guys so much for all of your advice, it all makes so much sense and I feel silly when I read some of it (like the Summit being a force to be reckoned with is all part of the story, and using a bow, and creeping around mobs etc).

You've all really instilled the passion I had before in playing GW, thanks so much. =]

havent read the whole topic cuz for obviously reasons i never start a char in proph if u r gonna play GW for real u should buy factions nf and Eotn as well. with Eotn it gets real easy. go to eotn get the first hero's give them some ncie builds adn run through proph and factions ^^ adn i think its said before hammer kinda sux in pve cuz a lot of high lvled monster can't b knockdownd. and thats the only good thing about hammer warriors. + i played WoW for a while and the whole solo'ing thing there is way different than in GW where u grab a guildie or hero's and kill stuff. see yah around^^

for the love of god, ignore the post above me.

Play proph as it was meant to be played! Learn the basics, play the story, ENJOY THE GAME and then move on - by all means, get the other campaigns, and EotN, but not before you've beaten proph. Keep it pure, you'll love it more. its a great game, dont cheapen it. I also advise against getting runs your 1st time through, but you dont sound like the type who would.

You are on the right track, dont get misled.

Good luck and have fun

I would like to offer some more advice:

First, never leave the town without a full party. Guild wars is not a solo game, it's balanced around the idea of a full party entering the area. Who to take will differ, however, here are some suggestions:
-take two healers where available, to have a backup healer in case one goes down
-elementalist henchmen are probably the best second choice
-consider carefully whether you take any melee henchmen. While they are strong, they will charge in to melee, which will give you trouble with managing aggro

Second, really consider changing your weapon you use as a warrior. The hammer is a good choice, but at this stage, you have too few useful skills to make a good build with it. Axe or sword will have better skills at the moment. Also note that the hammer is NOT the damage king - the sword and axe will suit you better here. Hammer really comes into its own by knocking the enemy down to the ground, shutting him down completely for a second or two.

Third, as a warrior-monk, don't try to do a monk's job. You don't have the energy for it. Don't heal yourself - you are a warrior, a damage dealer. Use monk skills to remove conditions (you will learn to hate blind as a melee character, believe me) or to increase your offensive potential. Leave the healing to the monks - if you know how to play, they WILL do the job.

Fourth, don't forget that after a certain point in the storyline you will be able to change your secondary profession.

Fifth, don't stick to just one skill set - adapting to a specific area by using certain skills is the key to success in GW. Remember, you'll reach lvl 20 well before the end of the game (maybe at 60% of the storyline) - it's not the level, it's the skills that matter.

Sixth, basic aggro management of guild wars: never fight more than one enemy group. Flag your party a bit back, use a longbow to draw one enemy group out. Be careful not to aggro it when another enemy group is near it - if they are too close, the second group will also be aggroed. If you flag the henchmen extra far back, use the bow and DON'T MOVE, you can even focus all enemies on you alone, clustering them up for party's AoE attacks (and also focusing all of them on probably the best armoured party member).

Yes, I remember that area too...I died a bit there first time. XD It's really easy to get overwhelmed.

One wonderful thing to do, as others have mentioned, is pulling if possible. Master that and it makes a lot of things go much smoother.

Also, from my vague memory, Yak's was a 6 person outpost I think. Bring a full party. I don't see much of a reason to make things more difficult on yourself at this point. You can solo farm or whatever later on if that floats your boat. ;P

This is guild wars, not WoW. The game is designed to play with full parties. Unless you are farming, and at lvl 13 i highly doubt you are, there is absolutely no reason to not take a full party. The game is designed for it and if you don't bring a full party you are just making a bad choice to take less than the allotted amount.

eh, everybody says Hammers are so bad. In proph, at lvl 13, there's no reason not to use a hammer if thats what youre enjoying. Its kinda fun. Even my necro does that (I'll let you decide if I'm joking about that part).
Yes, the best part of Hammers are the many KD skills they get, and yes the sword or axe will get you a little better DPS, but not by much, and not enough to make the win/lose difference. Later, when you get in to the hard areas and elite areas, you may feel like every point counts, and want the most optimal of optimal builds, gear, etc. for now, just enjoy. Hit stuff with the hammer, its a good time.

I agree strongly with this, try all the weapons, pick the one you enjoy the most and go with it. Hammers can become increadibly powerful later in the game with mass KD's from the Earthshacker, Crude Swing, Whirlwind Attack, For Great Justice combo.
Where you may not be able to out damage the healing from a strong group, with a hammer you can knock the healer(s) down, stopping them from doing anything, giving your party a good chance to kill them before they get back up and the healing starts again.

Here, since I'm the first one who said you'd be doing better with sword/axe than hammer at this point, I'll defend my point of view:

Hammer skills you can get at Yak's or before - Hammer Bash, Mighty Blow, Irresistable Blow
Sword skills - Sever Artery, Gash, Hamstring
Axe skills - Dismember, Disrupting Chop, Executioner's Strike, Penetrating Blow, Swift Chop, Cyclone Axe

Melee attacks usable by all three - Power Attack, Protector's Strike, Wild Blow

Hammer does not have a Deep Wound, which every beginning warrior should be learning to love. The reliable KD causes loss of adrenaline, which to us may not be a big deal, but to a beginning warrior could be an issue. Axes in particular have just about every non-elite skill you could ever want to use by the time you get to Yak's. Also, swords and axes can use shields to help keep you alive while you're learning.

All that said, I do agree with one thing being said: find something you like and use it, because if you're not having fun there's no point in playing, right?

Hammers are not bad. But you don't have the SKILLS needed to make them work at the start of the game. That's all.

It sounds like you aren't taking the max ammount of people (human/npc) in your group.
I think i remember yakk has a 6 person group limit,so you should take 6 people.

Don't be afraid to take the max because you think that makes you less good,we all did it when we were new,once you get the hang of the game, and know what to expect you can go with fewer if that is your choice.

You war friend seems to just wanted to get you to the next town,but you seem to want to do the quest, which in my opinion is the way you should play it the first time thru.

If you need any help i'd be glad to help just add xenex xclame and/or ria bon alma (their two different accounts) and PM me if your stuck somewhere.