Your favorite Start Up Routine for New Characters

Hi guys!

I'm an old player of GW and just recently got back after a 2 year hiatus. I'm really shocked by how some of the classes have changed (i.e Dervish craziness and checkpoints against runners)

I just wanted to know if some of you could share with us your personal/preferred start up routine for new characters... I remember before we used to do some sort of trick to be able to get the EOTN heroes early on to plow through the middle levels of the game, but i can't exactly remember how we did it or if its still possible.

I'd really appreciate some enlightenment on how experienced players now quickly start up their chars


Cheers!

Don't think there is much of a "trick" you just need to be level 10 to start the EotN questline that will give you the heroes.

Step 1: Start a character in Nightfall

Step 2: get a run to Consulate Docks and thus Great Temple of Balthazar

Step 3: Profit....by getting max armor and any mercenary heroes you may have bought. You don't have to be level 20 on a character to get the mercenary heroes, only for adding said character as a mercenary.

I just did this last weekend, started a new necromancer, got max armor, and 3 level 20 heroes and am leveling up to 10 so I can head to Eye of the North.

I actually think it's a lot faster to start from Factions. You'll get to Kaineng Center relatively fast and then, when you go to Nightfall, you'll have all the heroes at once (Koss, Dunkoro, Melonni, Tahlkora, Jin/Sousuke) and you won't have to get Sunspear (7) in order to continue through the storyline.

You could start from Nightfall and get a run from Kamadan to Consulate Docks but you'll miss all your heroes and you'll still have a low level. Cantha allows for a much faster leveling progression.

I always start in Factions. Level 20 in an hour or two = awesome. Definitely the fastest start, by far.

Startup Routine?
Based on where I start... (never start in Prophecies, only did for my LDoA, or do so if you're really new and need refreshing on the game)

Factions:
1. Do ALL quests on Shing Jea Island and reach as close to level 20 as possible (normally I barely reach level 20) before leaving for the mainland.
2. Run to Kaineng Center from the Marketplace, get the Max Armor.
3. Go to NF/EotN grab all the heroes you get by just starting both campaigns.
4. Run through NF/EotN storylines and pick-up all heroes, as well as get the best rewards in the end-game area. It's easier if you get a run to all the outposts of the respective campaign before starting, see here for charge-free runs!: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/n...t10468283.html
5. Run through a few Factions quests (they give the most exp) to get all my "Experience-deterrent-heroes-I-picked-up-at-the-end-of-NF" leveled.
6. After that, everything is based on a per-character basis and what you want to do with them.

Nightfall:
1. Get a ride to Consulate Docks and pick up max armor
2. Ride through the beginning of the campaign, do ALL quests on Istan (this takes a LOT more time than in Factions), get to level 20.
3. Go through the campaign, stop by EotN if you want.

Factions is by FAR faster than NF, easily get a level 20 in 4-5 hours if you learn how to pick up as many quests as possible.

Oh, and Factions scenery is a LOT nicer at the beginning than NF's (then Proph triumphs all at the beginning...).

I always start NF, would rather level up the heroes I need for quests there as I get them.

I have immediate access to GTOB and menagerie. (note to above poster.. you do NOT have to get to Consulate to map to GTOB). I get a vigor rune from a noob quest.. and enough gold to open my storage the instant I get there. I have access to two NF free chests early, and also the attribute quests just "happen" while playing. I don't usually pay to get to Consulate.. but that is also a bonus to starting in Kamedan. The EoTN quest is available the moment I reach level 10, no having to get to LA or KC and I can get max armor at Boreal Station. I do every quest and keep bounties up till level 10, then head for EoTN to pick up Gwen mostly and then return to get through the required missions.

While Factions might be "faster" I find that NF gives me a more developed character and heroes far earlier..particularly attributes and "ascension" are far faster and easier.

I have a sin and a rit, so, I wont ever start in Factions again. The sheer annoyance level of that campaign is nearly unbearable. Togo, Togo, Togo then after, that hidious slum that is KC and more Togo Togo Togo. "Oh Student, Look, more Affricted!! Observe while I show you that it is possible to utterly fail as a Ritualist" aaauuugh!

Also, going NF spares me the joy of going into Vizunah Square and being joined by that level 15 ranger..with level 5 minions in tow.. and a pet.

Most of that is completely wrong. Canthan characters level up much faster than others from another campaign. Canthan characters gets level 15 heroes from Istan. Overall, the quests in Cantha are much fewer and far more rewarding than the quests in Elona, so Canthan characters get their last 30 attributes much faster than Elonians.

Now, in order to Ascend (which gives you the ability to change your secondary profession and enter the Realm of the Gods), it is arguably faster in Nightfall. But you're going to the Kurzick/Luxon lands (for the Allegiance skills, unless you already have at least rank 1 in an allegiance and then you can get the skills from your Guild Hall) and at least to the Gate of Torment (and get all the Hero Skill Trainers and Skill Trainers along the way). So I don't think it matters which one comes first since you're going to do them both anyway.

Also, I've never had trouble keeping Togo alive in Normal Mode. He's a level 20 Ritualist with Recuperation and Vengeful Was Khanhei...

It all comes down to preferences. I personally like the Nightfall face selection better than I like the Faction's options. Thus I have more Nightfall started characters than Factions ones.

Also, if all you want is level 10 to get to Eye of the North, the gate for Boreal Station is right outside of Kamadan, far shorter than Prophecies, and I dare say shorter than Factions, since there you have to make it to KC.

Prophecies is obviously going to be slowest to get where you want to be.
With the skill point quests taken into account, Factions and Nightfall are close enough speed wise, in my opinion, to make it a personal choice.

The OP asked "how experienced players now quickly start up their chars" and mentioned a "trick" that used to help players get EoTN heroes more quickly.
Also, the bit that I quoted earlier was indeed wrong, except for the part about Ascension which I considered to be debatable. You said it was "earlier", "faster" and "easier" which was not true.

People do this all the time. They talk about what they feel like talking and don't bother reading the OP. I just find it rather annoying, especially since this is the "Questions & Answers" forum where people come looking for advice.

I always:

°Start in Factions.
°Do the primary quests and two missions, putting you at level 10.
°Run to Kaineng.
°Run to EoTN; pick up Gwen.
°Do the two attribute point quests.
°Work my way to Naphui Quarter, and ascend.
°Go back to Istan, start NF.
°Finish NF.
°Start EoTN, Norn<---Vanguard<---Asuran<---Deldrimor.
°Get an ATFH run.
°Turn in the book.
°Profit!

Is it most effective? Probably not. Does it get the job done? Yep. I got my newest character to DoA in less than 18 hours from her creation.

I just found it a simple way to pwn, I've rushed 18 characters to DoA across three accounts.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.

I'm seeing that most of you are either saying either :

1.) Start in NF, get the run to consulate docks, get max armor, get level 10 then EOTN for the heroes

OR

2.) Start in Factions, get to Kaineng center really fast (and get to level 17-20 in the process), then jump to EOTN, NF and LA to get the heroes..

Anyone have any ideas on Prophecies based characters? (I like how Prophecies has really Pale skins and in a game like GW, appearance sometimes counts for almost everything i think hahaha!)

Someone said something like getting the run to LA asap as soon as you're level 10, then do the same as #2.. Except getting to level 10 in prophecies seems takes quite awhile as compared to NF or Factions.

Level 10 in Prophecies isn't too slow, can be done in pre in an afternoon.

Make your character, get only your primary's skills. Kill all the level 3's in Wizards Folly until you are almost level 9. Try all the secondary quests, saving the one you want until last. Do all the rest of the quests. You should be level 10 and ready to go to post. Get run to LA. Pick up quest to go to Factions, also grab MOX outside LA. In KC, get your max armor, grab a group of henchmen and go to NF. Get your heroes and go to Eye. That will give you 9 heroes to get you going. You can go back to Factions to level everyone up to 20 fairly quick or stay in Eye.

I think you will have to return to Prophecies at some point to ascend and to get the last 30 attribute points.

@Perkunas

Can't I get the 15 attribute quests from NF or Factions if I start in Prophecies? :P the 15 attrib quests of Prophecies is so far off :P

No, you have to do the 15 attrib. quests from the campaign your character is born in.

I start in Proph, but I have 2 accounts, with runners on each one, so I burn through pre, getting a tapestry shred and doing the minimum to get to post, then run myself to LA and then D'Alessio Seaboard. If you enter that city and no one else is there, then the first wave of undead rushing to death at the gate will give you experience. Keep empty district hoping until you are 10 then go to EotN for heroes and you can then also access the other two campaigns for more heroes or leveling up and max armor options. It is also very easy to ascend in Factions from this point if you don't need the 50k exp bonus from ascending in the desert for the first time. (Just get to Vizunah, do that, 2 more short quests and you're at Nahpui.)

If you then get a desert tour and a drok's run and run/fight your way to copperhammer mines, you can then do the 15pt attrib. quests for Proph. pretty easily.

Once you're at drok's it's a quick trip to Ice Caves, which is a pretty easy mission to Iron Mines and now you're infused and ascended and in THK and just 4 missions and one quest away from Proph. completion.

Consider buying a makeover pack. I no longer worry overmuch about appearance of my chars, regardless of the chapter I start in. I only start grooming them once I'm about to get max armor, which is when I also visit the Anatomical Engineer in GToB. The makeover usually gives more options than the character creation process anyway, because it mixes attributes from all the chapters.

I tweak the appearance of every character at least once upon unlocking GToB, and usually have some makeover credits laying around. Some of the chars have gone through two or three makeovers; some of them complete changes, some just touch-ups. I'm probably obsessing a bit too much about this but I think it's nice to be able to change the way chars look every once in a while, gives more realism to the game, a more powerful immersion. People change in real life, why not toons as well.

Sure, no problem. But let me say in advance that, unlike others, I'm not in a super hurry to get the game over with.

So, first I decide what class/gender I want. Then I create the character in whatever campaign that gives me the "look" I feel like having (very important).
Then I basically only do the primary quest/mission line in the newbie area of which ever campaign it is. If it's not started in Nightfall, I go to Kamadan/Docks as soon as I get to L.A. or K.C., to get some heroes.
(Incidentally, I always have good looking, max weapons for the class, and materials for armor, in Storage for the new character before I start.)

After picking up a few heroes, I do whatever strikes my fancy from then on.

Btw, if it's a Prophecies character, I will usually leave Pre as soon as possible. Also, I travel from Temple of the Ages, south to Sanctum Cay, to bypass the Maguuma Jungle.