Returning after several years of hiatus

As the topic says, I am returning to play GW after quite some time of not even touching the game.

I am posting here, cause I am looking for make a new character, but unsure where to start. I am positive of two things:

1. I won't make a Warrior cause tanking in this game is just dumb. I don't feel like fighting my PUG and enemies.

2. I won't make a healer cause I don't want the lives of people on my shoulders just yet.

I love all the classes. They each have something special I like, I just don't know where to start. Ranger is where I started before, interupts and traps are tons of fun. Necro and Mesmer are both fun playing high dps and denial. And Ele was pretty fun doing AoE as well as group buffs.

To be honest, I only played each to 15 or so, cept the ranger, which I maxed out. I haven't even touched Factions or Nightfall classes and plan on starting in Proph again.

So any input I can get?

I think you answered your question yourself:
Pick whatever you feel like that day.

In PvE there is no 'better' class. Hero/Henchmen substitute for your characters inefficiencies. And don't worry about PuG'ing, (almost) no one is doing that anymore these days. Again Hero/Henchmen substitute the lack of PuG's or if you are lucky a friendly Guild/ Alliance.

Enjoy!

Do whichever you find interesting mate PUGs are replaced by heroes, with an exception of elite area farming really and PvP. But here I'll list a few professions and their benefits and some downfalls, pugging and non pugging PvE:

Assassin: You don't like tanking, well good assassins can't tank lol so it requires some skill there so you don't get instant killed. One of the most versatile professions, you can be anything from a melee, sin caster, nuker or even a healer after witnessing today (no sarcasm intended...it was better than our healer monk) Assassin is the generic team farmer prof lately, like dungeons, UW speed clears etc etc for high end items. Downfall: Make a sin to farm if you ever feel it, just like every 9/10 talent-less players who have sins with Obsidian Armor. I'd stay clear of this profession outside of you actually enjoy them or heavy farming, which seems to not be something you'd enjoy I think, at least the PUG aspect.

Ritualist: They made an update a few months back which increased their spirit spamming abilities extremely useful and even overpowered. A basic 5 spirit, spirit spammer with Signet of Spirits is used in almost everything now, from speed clears to farming solo to titles and probably more things I can't remember. Definitely a must look into profession, as it's highly useful in both pugging and non pugging. There's lots to do. Downfall for spirit spamming: After you cast your spirits, which all cast roughly 3/4 seconds each, you sit there moving them around until they need to be re-created again. Might not be the action you seek quite yet haha. But the spirits damage is quite high, then again it might not be too bad.

Those are just 2 comparisons, there is no 'best profession' in this game, as they are all useful in their own unique ways. My advice: Make some pvp characters, try out each profession and their attributes (like ele has fire, earth, air, water etc) try em all out. It's initially what we all did when we started anyway, trying them out at first

Edit: These are the 2 unique Factions professions though. If you said you enjoyed ranger the most, I'd start back with a new ranger. My main is mesmer and it's interesting to create new build combos all the time. Choose something you'd like to make builds for I say, ranger has LOADS of builds to start from even it's amazing.

Yea, its just, I don't even know what I want to do anymore... Well, guess thats not entirely true. I think Ranger or Mesmer fits what I want; Interrupts and utility. Makes my life much easier than handing that job to henchies/heroes (from the little I played Nightfall). I just don't trust them. -.-;

Now, from some things I've read, Rangers just blow now and Mesmers actaully have decent PvE utility. Is this true. Any other classes that really fit the bill of interrupts and utility, possibly Ele, which I wouldn't object to I spose.

PS. Not that I hate tanking. In most other MMO's I play a tank, just this games aggro bubble tanking is annoying and hard to control imo. Mayhaps I just be them there unskilled tanks in this game.

you can always put the two together---ranger/mesmer or mesmer/ranger (my husband has the first---was his first character and I have one of the 2nd and I enjoy playing her immensely)
You can always make a character, play it for a while and delete it if it doesnt feel 'right' for you---no stopping you from making and recreating characters.
Its a game, play around, there is no right answer, have fun ---that is what it is for!

Red, just my two cents. Start in Nightfall instead. Cracking good story and a very well done chapter. The starting island is very pretty and will take you to level 18 and a tad before you hit the mainland. And heroes too!

Go all the way through. You will thus get a full set of heroes.

You no longer need a PUG for the most part ... or even at all if you read up on the missions on wiki. With your heroes you can do Prophecies and Factions in style! You will have a lot of heroes to choose your 3 from, more than twenty. The henchmen have been revised and are now pretty darn good! So, this can be a solo game if you want it to be. Your party of 8 can consist of yourself, 3 heroes, and four hench. You can flag your party back, and they will follow you when you run much better than they used to.

Find a good guild if you like, or don't. Your call.

Me, I play Ranger mostly these days. A Ranger can also be a pretty good farmer using a spirit spamming build after you finish Nightfall and have plenty of money to spend buying the Ritualist skills.

Warrior is fine if you don't PUG with it, don't tank with it. Just use it for heavy damage. And Warriors can do a fair job of farming as well. Or PvP, Ranger and Warrior do well.

You can change your build anytime, as much as you want, save builds and reload them with a couple mouse clicks.

I would just like to point out some things:

1. Heroes and henchmen are better at interrupting, although they don't wait for certain skills.
2. Since you were here last, henchman skillsets have been improved.
3. Tanking doesn't really exist in GW due to enemy AI looking for squishy targets. Warriors are better at taking out monster casters.

Tanking as in keeping all the aggro on you and using all your skills on +armor, blocking, self heals and stuff like that is a waste. Never ever do this on a Warrior (and only on other professions if you're farming). Prot Spirit and SoA is basically invincibility anyway.

Tanking as in balling the enemy to take advantage of AoE is a good thing. All melee characters should know how to do this to at least some extent.

Warriors are better at taking out anything. AL and health doesn't matter much when you're doing 100-200 DPS.