Levels, leveling, level caps, and level 20

Forget everything you have been conditioned to expect from an MMORPG and enter Guild Wars with an open mind. If you have ever played a game where there were no levels, such as Counterstrike or Quake, then you can get a rough idea of why the level of your character has less to do with the your performance.

- Iczer

Also, please use the search option, as has been previously advised for FAQs.

We have a FAQ posted to the top of this board. Please read it before posting anymore threads and make sure your questions are not answered there already.

I am going to be Test the BWE this weekend of April 15-17...but I have a question about lvling

1.Whats the highest level you can achieve?
2.How long does it take to level?
3.Is there a level restriction for pvp against other players?(If your lvl 13 and another player is level 50 can he fight you)

1 20

2 20-40 hours

3 no

Guild Wars, in contrast, is based around your skill as a player. Our maximum level is twenty, and you hit that very quickly, after about 20-30 hours of play. We call that 'The Point of Ascension'. Almost all of the content in the game and in the future Chapters is only available to Ascended characters, which means we don't have to worry about providing different levels of content. All the good stuff will be available to everyone. It's not our intent to force people onto the levelling up treadmill, so the level cap in Guild Wars is almost meaningless.

1.Whats the highest level you can achieve?
20

2.How long does it take to level?
cca 20-40 hours to level 20

3.Is there a level restriction for pvp against other players?
not realy, but there are some level restricted arenas


1. and 2. are asked a lot, you can find many many threads about this if you want more info.

So what your saying is it's pretty easy to reach lvl 20...and to surpass lvl 20 you have to buy the different expansions once released?

The level will likely not increase with expansions. There is no need to.

level 20 is it for all time including future chapters as stated.

You don't have to buy the expansions at all..... the game is going to be capped at level 20, regardless of expansions. The new chapters/expansions will just be more content, new monsters, and new professions.

So you pretty much beat the game after lvl 20? whats there to do other than pvp after lvl 20?

I am sorry for this question but I have been let down by a few MMORPG in the past due to being bored after finish lvling (Worlds of Warcraft)

Well, level 20 is not the end of the game, there are still a majority of the world to explore after level 20. And you DO keep getting skill points, it's just that your level will say 20+ instead of counting upwards.

read what the developer said in my earlier quote.

most of the game is AFTER you reach level 20 (both PVP and PVE)

it is just starting after you get to 20

taking off the training wheels so to speak

We call that 'The Point of Ascension'. Almost all of the content in the game and in the future Chapters is only available to Ascended characters, which means we don't have to worry about providing different levels of content. All the good stuff will be available to everyone.

Will it be possible to reach lvl 20 in the BWE or is there a limit?

No limits in the BWE, you can reach 20, although I don't think I've heard of anyone who's gotten there yet in one BWE. It gets harder to level, the higher up you get, more xp needed and all that fun stuff.

I've heard of it. I have gotten to lvl 15 in one BWE, and I don't spend all weekend playing GW, so if you really wanted to you could make it to lvl 20. But why since this is the last beta? You will just have to start new for release.

ok in every MMORPG i play everyone is stronger then me so im thinging i just pre-owned teh game so do u think ill be in teh top lvs?

Yes. Max level is 20... Doesn't take long to reach it.

Your english is very bad, so I can't exaclty understand what you're asking.
However, I think it is about leveling, the level cap and preordering. All of these topics are clearly addressed in the stickies at the top of the forum.

EDIT: Seems we got moved to the right place while I was posting.

i dont know what he s saying i know that i think he preordered a game without knowing what the game is about because he seems he has no clue about what he is sayin gwehn he says ilek this thx all cu lol

I'd make a wild guess and say he's asking whether he'll be good in GW or not.

I think this level 20 caps is awsome. As i hear. it seems i wont have to spend endless hours like on other games.

Well,I'm a Noob in Guild Wars.
When you have reached lv 20,
can you stilllearn new skills?

Yes, you can continue to learn new skills after lvl 20.

A question though, if leveling have no REAL effects, why even have the level system I mean... Can a level 1 stand up against a level 20? I'm really fine with the system from what I heard, just wondering what the deal is.

What's the point of leveling?

Every game needs a start / intro in which the player is safe - up to a point. In this period he is introduced to the abilities and little screws a game is made of.
for me - thats the point in leveling. Until i reach lvl 20 i will guided by the game through missions that become more and more challenging without intimidating me. To make it challenging i can't start with the health / energy / armor of a normal game character but i develop from low to normal.
My character is lvl 13 ( 3 BWE ) now and i am still learning how to target / support / attack / cast etc. which is basic stuff. I am a beginner.
But at some point in time i will have my playstyle or way to play the game. GW thinks that should be when i reach lvl 20 - well i'll find out.
The point is that after lvl 20 the game will not give me more power to be superior - it will be my playstyle that does (hopefully). The game just offers me new ways for the playstyle by offering for example new skills. But if i am happy with my play and don't need more skills, it doesn't mean i am not so powerfull.

in short: the leveling is the tutorial.

sorry got longer than intended

Yeah its like Bob Newbie in The Sims.

Em, yes.... Exactly like Bob Newbie...

:P Naw, alright thanks a bunch.

A thread on the subject of level 20 and many other subject for someone new to the game, you can also go to the FAQ

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...3&postcount=11

I hope this will suffice.

Why level? Level integrates with weapon and armour by the game's economy. When you start any game you usually know little about it, especially an rpg. You also have little if any money, what weapon? You might as well be using a stick! Where'd you get that armour JCPenny's?

In order to change that you need to train. As you train you gain exp and your level goes up. This is how these games have worked forever and it is based on real life to a loose extent. Anyway there comes a point-of-diminishing returns where you no longer level, and you also aren't getting enough gold for that armour you want, nor the items or materials you need to take to the crafter to make it. You must move on to more fiercesome enemies to get what you want or need. Of course when leveling your strength and other basic attributes changed by level do increase so you have more mana and more hp and can take more hits. Just one more good reason to level.

When you think about it leveling is gaining independence while finding a community of friends, teammates, a guild to help and help you become stronger--strength in GuildWars is becoming skill saavy, yet knowing there is a lot of random potential, no invulnerable God build that makes all other builds obsolete.

GuildWars leveling is not to wear the uber leet armour or sword or hat or wand or all of these or, pass some gate to talk to a fairy who gives you some power no one else has once you defeat the evil troll who has a 95% return vampyric touch he uses every 2 seconds and 50 anks of reincarnation with a hitpoint maximum of 350,000, oh and you must bring the fairy back a lock of his hair that you snip before his body turns into instantaneous ash, a scroll he has hidden in a forrest you can only see when all 4 of the moons line up with an invisible mushroom field that is north of the farthest southern point on the map and you must walk around to stumble into to find, and lastly she needs 4200 pieces of coal you must mine from an island no one knows how to get to and there are no boats, you have 6 minutes and 11 seconds to do this quest. --the fairy gives you a pair of shears.

Hope this was helpful.

WHAT?!

You mean ALL I get to do is make it to level 20 and spend whatever time I wish to spend on the game honing my skills and having some fun with my Guildmates and playing with other people I meet. I DON'T get to do the whole fairy, haircut, invisible mushroom, working in a coal mine, no boat, six minutes till you die thingy?.........well that blows....and here I thought I was going to get to wait around with 20 other people for hours and hours until the uber leet Boss who drops the "sweet" item every five times to apear only to have some "trunk monkey" who showed up 2 minutes ago luck into the kill and get the drop....ooooh those were the days

How long would an average experienced player take from level 1 to 20? I am just concerned because I played in the last beta event and got to level 11 after only 2 nights of playing. I can only assume from this that I can get to the max level in under a week?

Am I wrong in assuming the idea is just to give you maybe 10 hours of questing to build a character so you have working knowledge of it for PVP? Or is there some kind of epic questing around level 20 to balance the game out against PVP?

I understand that much of the game is geared towards PVP, but am dissapointed that the PVE part of the game is so short. Or am I wrong?

The estimated time to reach lvl 20 I hear the most is 48 hours of hardcore playing. So, If you played steadily for 2 weeks you'd be there, But if you play a lot, for the sole purpose of leveling, You could in just a few days.

I hear it is possible to hit lvl 20 in one BWE depending on how much you play. Please look at the stickies. They have all the info that new players could want.

I have not played the game first hand, yet (will be tommorow), but I have read that after you get to 20, your character build isn't "finished". After you ding 20, you still earn skill points and capture spells.

All you want to know and more is in this Sticky

I noticed there is also a sticky on this topic, but my question is not fully answered by it.

I suppose that a low level cap is not inherently bad, as long as there are still more quests and content after only 2 days of hardcore playing. Otherwise why not just give people the option to create a new character at level 20 and pick whatever skills and items you want just for PVP. I know you can do this in beta, but are they going to allow it for retail?

Also, I liked the PVP in the beta but it did not seem like it would hold my attention for a very long time. I know everyone says it is a "skill based game" but like every other MMO it still seems like whoever clicks first wins, with some team based strategy elements.

Actually even the PvE starts when you hit level 20, everything before that is just getting your bearings...

Ok well that is a good answer, just what I was looking for. Thanks.

Go here for answers. Also read this and this.

Not to mention that expansions will have loads more of stuff to add into the game when they come out, and GW is based on streaming technolodgy, which means it can be constantly updated. I also heard the expansions are supposed to have as much content on them as the game will when it opens up on the 27th (to pre-order buyers). All this leads to new zones, professions, quests, and maybe even races. The possibilities are endless .

Guild Wars, in contrast, is based around your skill as a player. Our maximum level is twenty, and you hit that very quickly, after about 20-30 hours of play. We call that 'The Point of Ascension'. Almost all of the content in the game and in the future Chapters is only available to Ascended characters, which means we don't have to worry about providing different levels of content. All the good stuff will be available to everyone. It's not our intent to force people onto the levelling up treadmill, so the level cap in Guild Wars is almost meaningless.