What happened when I went thru searing?

Is there some starter mission right when you go through the academy that puts you in a group automatically? I entered the academy, watched the little trailer, and then when I came out I was grouped and getting slaughtered by a PC group right by where you come in. After a couple of deaths they went away and me and the guy I was grouped with went on our separate ways.

Also, I spent my first night in Post-Searing doing some miscellaneous missions for Ambassador Yain (sp?) at the camp just outside the gates in Old Ascalon. The last one I did involved going and killing some lvl 6 named Charr that was hanging out by the eastern gate. Does this sound like reasonable behavior for someone new to post-searing, or should I be starting some other line of quests/missions? (I'm lvl 8.5 now). Kind of curious how what I'm doing now, fits in with all the talk of getting to Yak's Bend and Lion's Arch, where apparently is where things really start to heat up.

spend less time reading the forums. They're just going to confuse you. You're on the right path

Go with the flow, spam LFG in town until you get the hang of the game. You're high level you should have no problem finding a group and then you can all find your way pretty easily.

Missions take you to a new town, most quests that say primary next to them take you to the next town.

Yes, when you're entering the Academy you are being put on a random group with other human players and NPC henchmen.

You're on the right way. A good thing to do after having completed the Academy is to explore the Old Ascalon area, towards Sardelac Sanitarium (previously Ashford Abbey) and towards Fort Ranik. Do as many quests as you can find in that area. Especially find the quests that give you a skill reward.

When you're bored with quests you might consider doing the missions, starting with the Great Northern Wall mission.

I recommend you should be level 10+ when you first enter The Breach and fight your way to Piken Square. Or you need a strong party. Otherwise it'll be damn hard to hold your own against the Charr.

Thanks all. So I was supposed to actually try to win that fight with the group, rather than just stand there dumbly trying to figure out who was whom? I think I managed to maybe fire a couple random arrows just before my second death...

yup

your first mission is the great northern wall
see sir tydus and agree to defend the wall and he will send you on

that takes you to the mission area where you can pick henchmen or get a group together

hit the enter mission button and you are off

success takes you to the next area

He's now "Warmaster" Tydus..

how things change when you are having fun

thanks for the reminder