I have had a weird relationship with GW1. I purchased it on launch, and each expansion on their launches, but I have never finished a single campaign. I've stopped at Glint, the start of the Jade Sea missions, and just after acquiring Zhed Shadowhoof in Elona. I enjoy the game but I am awful at wrapping my head around the optimal skill/attribute/henchie build, and never fully understand why one group of mobs will wipe the floor with me and why others won't. My head is not built for GW1, so I often quit after playing a week at a time. However I've always wanted to finish a campaign (all of them) and am aiming to try for at least 27/50 (if I can even manage that, its gonna cost hundreds of platinum) in my Hall of Monuments for the lovely GW2.
TL;DR: I'm noob at GW1, trying to beat the three campaigns (I did manage to beat EotN).
That being said, are there beginner build guides for each profession? Whenever I go to PvX to look up an optimal build so as to not die so much, it seems like there's always one or two skills (or more) per build that are very, very far out of my reach. In far away story areas, etc. So are there any guides that feature powerful/serviceable builds you can make from early on in the game? A build centered around an elite found in the Fissure of Woe sure would be handy, but it won't help me get to the FoW in the first place, lol.
Semi-related note: What is optimal henchman composition, or are all henchies more or less equal?
Are There Beginner Build Guides?
TheZoobler
Lyv
Well, you have some profession guides in this very forum ( http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/campfire-f17.html ), I don't know if you checked these, they are quite informative and generally well written.
If skills are a problem, you can unlock them through pvp (farming zaishen elite is easy) and buy tomes to learn them on your character.
About henchmen : it really depends on the skills they have. Iirc, the wiki has the builds for each hench with their advantages and drawbacks, it can be a start. But since you have access to heroes, you won't use henchmen for very long (heroes are far better since you can give them optimal builds, or at least decent ones).
If skills are a problem, you can unlock them through pvp (farming zaishen elite is easy) and buy tomes to learn them on your character.
About henchmen : it really depends on the skills they have. Iirc, the wiki has the builds for each hench with their advantages and drawbacks, it can be a start. But since you have access to heroes, you won't use henchmen for very long (heroes are far better since you can give them optimal builds, or at least decent ones).
Dar Drakor
Why dont you just buy the skill packs (real world money)? May not help you directly but will take care of all your heroes. With the right hero builds it minimizes how fancy your own build is. Also with the skill packs applied you can get the skills you yourself need by simply buying (in game gold) skill tomes (you can buy any pretty quickly in kamadan). I suggest this to people that arent hindered by lack of real world funds (which seems to be the case with you) and for folks that tend to lose interest quickly. Really is the best (quickest) way to get around the "getting skills" obstacle.
Relyk
Unless your heroes have really crappy skills, you won't be using henchmen. If you do want to use henchmen, only use the elementalists and the monks. You can obtain skills that you can only buy from skill trainers way later on by unlocking them with Balthazar faction, this allows you to buy them from any skill trainer. You also have hero skill points for getting hero skills so you don't have to get them yourself. Look under variants on the pvx bars for skills you can obtain early on. Most of the key skills in the bar are easy to get, just fill any skills you don't have with stuff that might work.
If you really can't get into the game or learn all the nuisances, the best thing to do is ask someone for help. There are plenty of people willing to do so.
If you really can't get into the game or learn all the nuisances, the best thing to do is ask someone for help. There are plenty of people willing to do so.
TheZoobler
Thank you all for the tips! 
You know, I just realized that the only difference between Nuisances and Nuances is two letters, lol.
That being said, I'm more than willing to learn I've just been trying to figure out how to start. I guess I just don't know how to look at the game yet, how to get a perspective on what I'm doing wrong and how I can improve. I can see why an interrupt build is powerful or a farm build or a tank build or what have you, individually, but I am awful at seeing the big picture. It really is the nuances that get me haha: I can't see them yet. And I don't know how to learn.
But for now I'll check out some more of these hero forums/guides, consider the skill unlock packs, and keep asking people questions. Hopefully something clicks!.
I truly enjoy this game, and want to play it, I just need to learn how to analyze it/improve on it! It can be very hardcore haha. And hardcore is fun. (omg super meat boy)
EDIT: If I were to pick a skill pack to purchase, is any one of them superior to any of the others?
If I want to make platinum for HoM things like armor and minis, is farming pretty much the only way to grind up cash solo? (Have a Dervish feather farm going on atm, but its slow going)
EDIT 2!: I am thinking of just purchasing the Nightfall skill unlock pack, due to the fact that it would unlock skills for all 10 professions, whereas a Core, Prophecies, or Factions unlock pack would overlook professions I might want to play at some point. Or is the Core the most valuable skill unlock pack since it is, well, the Core pack lol. (but thus contains no Assassin/Dervish/Paragon/Ritualist skills... all of which I play as, with the exception of Paragon)
On the other hand, maybe I should just buy the pack that benefits a powerful hero setup the most, as the heroes are the ones that will gain instant access to the skills, whereas I still have to throw away plat.
You know, I just realized that the only difference between Nuisances and Nuances is two letters, lol.
That being said, I'm more than willing to learn
I've just been trying to figure out how to start. I guess I just don't know how to look at the game yet, how to get a perspective on what I'm doing wrong and how I can improve. I can see why an interrupt build is powerful or a farm build or a tank build or what have you, individually, but I am awful at seeing the big picture. It really is the nuances that get me haha: I can't see them yet. And I don't know how to learn.But for now I'll check out some more of these hero forums/guides, consider the skill unlock packs, and keep asking people questions. Hopefully something clicks!
.I truly enjoy this game, and want to play it, I just need to learn how to analyze it/improve on it! It can be very hardcore haha. And hardcore is fun. (omg super meat boy)
EDIT: If I were to pick a skill pack to purchase, is any one of them superior to any of the others?
If I want to make platinum for HoM things like armor and minis, is farming pretty much the only way to grind up cash solo? (Have a Dervish feather farm going on atm, but its slow going)
EDIT 2!: I am thinking of just purchasing the Nightfall skill unlock pack, due to the fact that it would unlock skills for all 10 professions, whereas a Core, Prophecies, or Factions unlock pack would overlook professions I might want to play at some point. Or is the Core the most valuable skill unlock pack since it is, well, the Core pack lol. (but thus contains no Assassin/Dervish/Paragon/Ritualist skills... all of which I play as, with the exception of Paragon)
On the other hand, maybe I should just buy the pack that benefits a powerful hero setup the most, as the heroes are the ones that will gain instant access to the skills, whereas I still have to throw away plat.
Cancer777
For time's sake sure skill packs work...
Why do you think you are short of skills? at both points on the campaigns you mentioned you should have access to many skills used in the "meta builds".
Best advice I can give you is search for "Hero team builds" this would be builds for heroes that compliment each other, this will be your "goal" buy or cap the skills that you need and replace any skill that you can get with a similar skill until you can the correct ones.
This is a good place to start looking choose one and buy as many of the skills as you can (remember you will need to change professions to buy skills different form mesmer and necro) http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/h...t10474776.html
other source for builds is http://www.gwpvx.com/PvX_wiki
Edit
If you want to know where you can buy skills use the wiki -> http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page just type the skill name in the search box and it will tell you where you can buy the skill and which NPC. If its an Elite Skill it will tell you which monster has it and where it is.
Why do you think you are short of skills? at both points on the campaigns you mentioned you should have access to many skills used in the "meta builds".
Best advice I can give you is search for "Hero team builds" this would be builds for heroes that compliment each other, this will be your "goal" buy or cap the skills that you need and replace any skill that you can get with a similar skill until you can the correct ones.
This is a good place to start looking choose one and buy as many of the skills as you can (remember you will need to change professions to buy skills different form mesmer and necro) http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/h...t10474776.html
other source for builds is http://www.gwpvx.com/PvX_wiki
Edit
If you want to know where you can buy skills use the wiki -> http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Main_Page just type the skill name in the search box and it will tell you where you can buy the skill and which NPC. If its an Elite Skill it will tell you which monster has it and where it is.