New player with questions!

hi, I've decided to buy guild wars after I was intrigued by a friend, currently Im a level 8 mesmer/necro and Im really loving the story and the capabilities I bring as a mes/necro I just have a few questions.

- Is this high end, end game raiding like in WoW for example?
- Do you do these raids with friends or guildies?
- What is the PvP like, I used to be a huge fan of battlegrounds when I used to play WoW.

- Can you change the way the whole interface looks, like Addons in WoW for example.

sorry if I have so many examples relating to wow, but it is all I could think of.

thanks for the help!

1 & 2. No raiding like WoW, but dungeons with 8 or 12-man parties
3. PvP has low end with random teams or high-end with 8-man teams http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/PvP
4. no interface mods, but you can rearrange your interface

There are not any raids in Guild Wars.
The PvP differs in terms there are a few PvP options. Random Arenas for example puts you on a 4 man team vs another 4 with randomly selected players also playing in the random arena. Then there is Guild vs Guild which is 8v8 these are with Guild members Alliance members or guests of the Guild. There is also Codex Arena which limits each profession to a limited number of skills to choose from. Then there is also Heroes' Ascent this is also 8vs8 but differs from GvG which I will refer you to the wiki page for a better reference. http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Heroes'_Ascent

If you are looking for a game similar to WoW, this probably won't be it. GW and WoW are two completely different games.

As for high end raiding, there isn't much like that here. You have Fissure of Woe, Underworld, Urgoz, Deeps, and such like that. Those are considered endgame content here along with many others dungeons. You can get your max level gear and weapons early in the game for cheap, or you can buy the expensive stuff that is the exact same thing, just slightly prettier. You basically decide what is endgame content to yourself.

Getting in a guild is definitely a plus here. Good guilds will help you out with what you need and run alot of the good dungeons at specific times, allowing you to get into them without having to look for pugs. Plus most good guilds out there will actually want to do dungeons instead of just speed clears all the time.

As for PvP, I can't say much on that topic seeing as I don't do PvP here. I was a big WoW PvPer as well and the PvP here is extremely different from there. So hopefully someone else can enlighten you on how it works exactly here. :P

Interface wise, yes you can customize it, to an extent. There is player made skins for it and you can move your UI around and set it up how you want it in the options menu under interface. As for addons, there isn't anything like there is in WoW when it comes to Addons. Mostly everything like that for Guild Wars is basic mods used with Texmod.

Hopefully this helps, and welcome to Guild Wars. If you are trying to find a different experience and something new from WoW, this is definitely it.

However, you can use TexMod to change the texture.

Examples: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/g...t10297046.html
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/g...t10232579.html

There is a large collection of TexMod customisations here, including more than just UI ones: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Guide..._modifications

GW's premier PvP format is pretty hard to put in WoW terms. The win condition is that of AV (kill the opposing faction leader NPC), but the combat is more complex than in a 3s match - it's certainly not the faceroll that BG engagements or 5s are.

To see what high-end PvP is like, it's easiest to just observe it. Press 'B' in game, select a match and watch. Only GvG and Heroe's Ascent matches get into the observe mode, though.

If you're looking for something that's easy to get into and if you have Factions, look up Alliance Battles.

I was just meaning is there end game stuff I can do with friends.

I decided to play guild wars because it is more relaxed and friendly, thanks for the fast reponses and answers all!

GW has a different philosophy regarding levelling than other games. Essentially, you reaxh max. level quite quickly, and all the rest of the game is balanced for a party of lvl 20 players. Essentially, max. level is "adulthood", and you don't get more powerful by levelling. As such, 75% of the game is "end game".

You do have elite areas, 4 of them, which are meant for experienced players, and you could call these the PvE endgame content. They are still meant for teams of 8-12 players.

In principle, yes. However, GW is kind of an old game by now, so player base is much smaller than it used to be. Except for especially attractive parts of the game, you'll likely have to do much content with AI controlled NPCs (Heroes and henchmen).

Can't compare to WoW since I never played it, sorry.

Yes and no. Within the game, you can change what is displayed where. However, beyond that, you'd have to go for 3rd party modifications which Anet frowns upon, especially if they give you an unfair advantage.

As for other forms of PvP, Random Arenas is about what it sounds like - 4v4 annihilation matches with random teams.

Alliance Battles are the closest thing to random bgs - 12v12 teams comprised of three teams of 4 on each side, with the objectives being to control points on the map (like the flags in EotS).

Codex Arena is a pile of crap that should never be played

Heroes' Ascent is an 8v8 game mode with varying objectives (control points, annihilation, altar control, or ctf) that progresses you along a ladder as you win consecutive matches, with the team at the top having their name displayed worldwide - a bit like WG, except matches are every twelve minutes.

GW is very different from WoW and other traditional MMO's in many ways.

It's not gear oriented at all, you can get the max armor and highest damage weapons before you even reach level 20 - armor is something you buy, it doesn't drop from mobs.

There is no crafting or gathering in GW.

As you probably have noticed already the game is very storyline driven, it's more like a normal RPG than traditional MMO where you are asked to do something for no apparent reason.

PvP is also nothing like WoW, it's much more tactical and also you don't die in 2 hits in GW like you can in WoW.

For both PvE and PvP the focus (aside from damaging the enemy) is very much on preventing damage rather than healing by using abilities that negate/reduce damage.

Newb...

- Is this high end, end game raiding like in WoW for example?
Honesly you can be level 1-20 and get some of the rarest items in the game. I sugest going and doing PvE, people do Speed Clears of areas and have possibilitys to make Large amount of cash, Good Luck! :]

- Do you do these raids with friends or guildies?
Anyone that is worth your while!

- What is the PvP like, I used to be a huge fan of battlegrounds when I used to play WoW.
People kinda hit this one hard, I dont PvP, Although many people enjoy it alot

- Can you change the way the whole interface looks, like Addons in WoW for example.
Hit f11 and go to your interface Tab

Yes we have end game areas similar to raids in WoW. it is recommended you go with other people, since soloing doesn't work and 3 heroes isn't enough. the areas are for 8 people if you go to UW, FoW and maybe DoA? and 12 people are allowed in the factions elite missions: urgoz's warren and teh deep.

thanks for the quick responses everyone, very helpful and all!

and yes I do like how it is story driven more, and you feel like your actually contributing to the game world.

btw, is it possible to track how long my hexes are on the target,

e.g I use backfire, can I see how long it is lasting on my target?

edit, how do I install a UI like the glazed one?

You're hexes last depending on how high your attributes are in that particular attribute ex: Backfire lasts 10 sec but with more attributes in Domination Magic it does more damage, A better example of hexes lasting longer would be Empathy it lasts 5 sec with 0 attributes in Domination Magic but if you have 12 attributes in Domination magic it lasts 12 seconds. Keep in mind that enemies can remove hexes from themselves with certain skills.

you can't track them, but you can always use the recharge method, comparing the length of the hex to the recharge (assuming the recharge is longer than the hex duration) for instance, a hex that lasts 15 seconds but has a recharge of 30, will end when the recharge is halfway. (not counting half recharges, or any other recharge modding skills/weapons/cons)

You can install the glazed UI by downloading texmod, i'm pretty sure someone will link it somewhere on this page, so i won't bother looking for a link

On Texmod.

On the modifications.

Regarding hexes: When you cast a hex on something, a little pink arrow (pointing down) appears on the end of the targets health bar. This becomes useless when more than one hex is being thrown around, but it can give you an idea on whether the foe is hexed (to track whether the foe is getting hexes wiped somehow or if you need to satisfy a skill requirement).