How important is PvP...and diversifying?

You were all so helpful with my question about returning to Kryta, so I'm going to hit you up again for input.

When I joined GW a few weeks ago, one of the very attractive aspects of it for me was that it could be done single-player if one so chose. So beyond partying up with my husband and best friend for a few missions and general exploration, I've done most of it by myself or w/henchmen.

When I gained access to The Battle Isles, I went to the Great Temple of Balthazar and poked around. A friend I met in-game showed me the thing with getting keys, and I even went on a tour of a guild hall. My guild is just my husband and best friend... we're all the independent player types, so we didn't go seeking an established guild to join.

However, after looking things over outside the GToB, looking at the various Zaishen missions/bounty/etc., becoming aware of factions... it seems like there may be some compelling motivations for engaging in PvP battles.

Unfortunately, I didn't really know about any of this when I was still a lower level - so I'm way beyond being allowed access to training arenas, and too nervous to go diving in with my lvl 19 toon. People seem to expect things of those at higher levels... I'm only such a high level because I had great fun wiping out charr again, and again, and again (!!!!) in pre, and thus came into post already a lvl 12. The majority of leveling I've done since then has been almost entirely quest-earned, or from the fact that I've repeated a few missions when I'd first done them myself and then went along to help my husband or friend.

So yeah, I'm a lvl 19 - but not a particularly "good" one (I don't think), and not very diverse... I rely heavily on fire. My points are split between fire & energy, with an odd one dumped in beast mastery for my cat.

I'm kicking around going back around Ascalon and trying out builds with the other elements... yes, I only just found out about being able to save various skill setups and such. LOL So I expect that will help me make my toon a bit more well-rounded.

But what can I do to learn PvP? Do I even "need" to? I'm wondering if it would be smart to bring up a new toon, at a lower level, and take her into the training arenas so I can learn how it all works? Would that have any consequences for my existing lvl 19 toon? I'm not always clear on what things affect ALL of your characters (like guild, storage, etc.) and what are unique to each one individually.

And are there clues I'm missing that would let me know what sort of build would be best suited against various monsters? How do I know what they're resistant to, or have counter hexes against? Is that just something I learn on the Wiki or is there some way of "viewing" a monster's skills and such immediately before engaging them?

You should start with random arena but you can't pvp until you're lvl 20 unless you make a pvp character which comes as a lvl 20.

Create a new PvP character for playing PvP.

Unless you have lots of money to buy all the weapons and runes you need, your PvE character will be weaker and less flexible than a PvP character (who can get all gear, weapons and runes for free).

The "training arenas" in ascalon and yak's bend are completely abandoned, nobody goes there anymore. If you want to practice at PvP: roll a PvP character and go practice in Random Arena or talk to the Luxon/Kurzick diplomat i GToB to take you to Jade Quarry or Fort Aspenwood. JQ and FA are pretty casual and more newbie friendly than RA, so I'd suggest going there to get a feel for PvP.

Don't forget to spend your Balthazar faction to unlock important runes like superior vigor.

I may not be much help, but PvP isn't a requirement. It can be a lot of fun, and other times frustrating. I don't really even consider the PvP content of GW to be PvP (to me Dark Age of Camelot has real PvP, the fighting other real people in this game is closer to the game title in that it's centered around 'very' limited skirmishes - if that's the right word here or Guild Battles).

There is no need to feel inferior in any aspect of the game (as there are PvE elitists as well). If you have an urge to kill other players (minus driving to their houses) go for it. Your help may be greatly appreciated over the large numbers of players who get into a battle (whether it's Random Arena, Jade Quarry, Alliance Battles or what have you), and than just complain, stand there afk or leave.

I would suggest reading the official wiki to get some basics down as PvP in GW is more about taking shrines and holding 'objectives' than outright killing people (although this happens). So knowing where things are and how it will go will help your performance.

The key is to not worry about what anyone else thinks...so, if you are having a fun time doing your best to help your side win...that is all anyone should hope for. The more you play and know the better you will get.

As far as the training arenas, I wouldn't. They are, last I checked and it's been a while, populated by people with max armor who are looking to prey on the unknowing new people. And, besides the correct skill usage, armor can be everything at low levels.

I would just try different things, read the wiki some, and have fun playing. It IS just a game after all.

Levels 1-19 are essentially training levels anyway. A significant amount of PvE is designed for level 20 characters so don't think that just because you're about to make it to level 20 that you're supposed to be a master of the game.

Focusing on one element and EStorage is generally the way to go. Pets tend to be useless though.

*You don't ever need to PvP.
*Feel free to make as many characters as you like. They will not affect each other other than things that are shared like storage and titles. It's not like you can screw anything up so if you feel like making a new character to mess around with, go ahead.
*Look at this if you want to get a feel of PvP with your current character: http://guildwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Guide
*I really don't recommend trying to get into PvP without completing at least one campaign first. PvP has little room for error so if you don't know the game mechanics, have good builds, know how to counter builds the opponents are running, recognise key skills immediately and react appropriately, have appropriately modded gear, etc. If you're serious about PvP it's generally easier to make PvP characters.

You can look them up on GuildWiki beforehand. Thats the only way to know in advance (unless someone tells you). Other than that, you can watch them to see what they do when you fight them, make judgements (It's a safe bet that ice elementals will be resistant to cold damage but weak to fire damage). You can also watch your effects monitor and damage monitor to see what kinds of things are being thrown around.

I'm glad I asked the question... the answers are a relief. LOL

I'm not really that keen on the idea of PvP, I just couldn't quite figure out if it was somehow necessary to the general progression of the game or not. I'd rather stick to killing AI controlled monsters... I'm pretty sure a human controlled toon would wipe the floor with me. *grinning*

I use the Wiki a lot, but I'm a bit of an information hound... I go to read on one specific thing, and instead I end up following link after link through the Wiki and by the time I'm done, 3-4 hours have passed and I've completely forgotten what I started to look up. *laughing* I'm at that point now where I've got so much information bouncing in my head, I'm confusing myself... but it's like each time I think I have a handle on what the game contains, suddenly I realize there are 5 more doors I haven't even noticed, let alone opened and walked through.

I think I need to focus on diversifying my builds and worry about what comes next, later. Trying to get to the Temple of the Ages from Bergen Hot Springs, I got creamed by all the Wraith/Druid/Hellhounds. It was pure chance that after all of my henchmen had been wiped for about the fourth time, I was able to dodge and duck and run enough to avoid the ghoulish hordes flush on my tail and duck into the Temple with about 10 in health left. LMAO

My offensive fire build was clearly NOT up to dealing with them... so yeah, I need to put some time into those builds and stop acting like an elementalist/ranger can also be a tank. LOL

The baddies are smart... they completely bypass my tanks and head straight for me and the other casters. Evil things. *grins*

Yes, the lack of "tanking" in GW confuses a lot of people who are used to it in other games. The AI in Guild Wars will attack the weakest character within range which includes calculations for health and armor. For a player to play "tank" it is necessary for him/her to engage the enemy while other characters are outside aggro range. Once the enemy is engaged the other players can move closer. You will still get some of the foes who will break aggro and go after the squishies.

Agreed with Marty. Generally, if you want to get into PvP, finish one campaign first and at least get one more (so that you can unlock more skills), then create a PvP char (or several, try out what you like to play there) and try it this way. All PvP-related achievements are account-wide.
If you ever have any quick question about PvP (and getting into it), elementalists in PvE or the game in general, feel free to pm me at Kyla Payne (hit N in game, add Kyla Payne to your friend list, so you always know if i'm online and what char i'm currently using).

It's always nice to see keen newcomers and, as usually, i'd love to help out as much as i can, especially that the beginnings may be a bit rough in such an old game as GW.

I never got into PvP. Maybe I'm just too sensitive but it always seems to stress me out more than just going out and blowing up monsters.

I'm not sure if you noticed, but you can reassign the attribute points anytime you are in an outpost. For instance, you can remove all your points from the Beast Mastery if you choose to not run a pet. The important thing: you should specialize, not diversify. Pick 1 thing your character should do well, then choose skills that either work toward that goal or support the skills that do, then assign attribute points to maximize the utility of those skills.

On topic: You don't need to PvP. If you find it fun, though, the best way is to roll a PvP character. That way you get level 20 and a maximum armor/weapon (you will still need to unlock mods for them). It's also the best way to find out if you like PvP or not.

If you have Factions, I'd recommend you team up with your 2 other guild members, pick one more person at random and play Alliance Battle. Read http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Alliance_Battle to find out what you are expected to do.

Yes, you will be very bad at first. Everyone was.

As has been said, PvP is totally unnecessary to complete the PvE game.
As a person who likes to go "solo", I'd advise getting yourself some Heroes. Since you've gotten to L.A., and if you have Nightfall or EotN, you could take some time out from Prophecies to pop over to one of them to pick up a couple of heroes - in particular, Olias is relative easy and quick to get, and setting him up as an MM would be good.
You can get a few Heroes quite quickly and then go back to Prophecies to finish it.

With regard to builds - as you probably already know, builds can be saved and reloaded easily, so don't be afraid to experiment. Fire for AoE damage, Water for slow downs, Air for spiking/blinding, Earth for.... well, I never actually did much with earth...
I can't say that /R is a particularly good secondary. I wouldn't bother putting much into any Ranger skills, but it is fun to bring a pet - as a blocker if nothing else - ofc, you only need to equip Comfort Animal and no points in any Ranger attribute, to simply bring a pet.