Few questions from a potential player

Hi,
I've recently heard from a few friends that Guild Wars is a great online game to play, so I come with a few questions.

1. I know recently a new Factions expansion has been released. Should I start with that or play the original first? I heard there are bonuses or something if I play the original first, is that true?

2. Since it's an online game, is it possible to play without high-speed internet? My internet is only a bit faster than dial-up.

3. The only other MMORPG I've played is Ragnarok Online. For those who are familiar with that game, would I like this game if I liked RO? Some similarities/differences?

4. Are there any beginner's guides to this game? Like, very very beginner's guide that doesn't assume you know certain acronyms and things other familiar players know. Starting from naming your character to how to level up etc.

Answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

here are a couple of starter guides for chapter 1.

back if i can find a manual as well.

if youlike constant leveling or ever more powerfull loot you wont line this game.

i PVE (player vs environment) only and have passed the 1000 hour mark for the years playing so it is all right for me at least.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...-10-id1195.php

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...lon-id1264.php

EDIT

here is an online game manual.http://www.guildwars.com/gameplay/

also it is dialup friendly so anything faster than dial up is even better

Yes, I think you will like guildwars if you like ragnarok online. However, when you go to leave the towns and are in the wilderness, each person and their party gets there own wilderness to fight in, so sometimes it can get lonely

There aree no bonuses for completing Chapter 1 first. The main difference is you can't start an Assassin or Ritualist in Chapter 1 area, and it could be said that the chapter 1 newbie area is more newbie friendly than Faction's newbie area. However, the # of players there might be reduced since people will be playing Faction's.

BTW, Faction's is both an expansion and a stand-alone product. You don't need the original GW to play Faction's - you can install and play Faction's by itself. You can also install and tie it with an Prophecies account and make it an expansion this way if you so want.

GW:P's storyline and character level advancement goes slower than GW:F's does, which does mean your stuck on lower level's for longer but also means you have more "time" to get used to certain skills, builds, etc at lower level's.

I play quite happily with Dial-Up. GW has been designed to be dial-up friendly.. so anything faster than dia-lup is a bonus.

I'd suggest going through the forums here to get a wealth of information about the game. Also try reading the guides that GWG has that can be found in the Guides section - lots of interesting information about builds, skills & gameplay is to found in them.

Articles & Guides -> http://www.guildwarsguru.com/articles-library-id31.php
Builds Directory -> http://www.guildwarsguru.com/builds-directory-id215.php
Faction's FAQ -> http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...d.php?t=106534
Mission Guides for Tyria -> http://www.guildwarsguru.com/mission-guides-id292.php
Creatures of Tyria -> http://www.guildwarsguru.com/creatures-of-tyria-id6.php

In my experience, the original (GW: Prophecies) had a lot gentler learning curve than GW: Factions - which may be a bonus for a new player.

I also found www.guildwiki.org extremely useful when first starting out - but the Factions content is currently quite minimal (seeing as it's only been out a few days!).

1. I would start with Prophecies
2. Some people even play with dial-up
3.
4. www.guildwiki.org

@ above post
I didn't see that you said guildwiki also.

The first chapter is defeinitely more new-player friendly. It has a nice area at the beginning to learn the ropes that can occupy you for a week or more by itself.

Factions sort of dumps tons of info on you, and rockets you to high levels at light speed compared to chapter 1. This is good for seasoned pros who don't want to relearn everything, but for a new player it may be harder.

Thanks to all for your help. I'm going to read up on all the links and then make my decision. Thanks!

I don't know if it matters to you, but the selection of faces and general look of the characters are different between the Factions and Prophecies campaign.

If I had my time again I'd have started with a cute female Canthan ranger ><, but I can't bear to delete my 9 month old Tyrian ranger.