Looking for a class.

Hi all,

How's it going? I am considering getting into Guild Wars but have one or two questions. The first is whether I need the expansion to play, or can I just use the original copy and play only in Tyria (spelling?)? I ask only because my friend has a copy of the game and code (I hope) I can use, but that wont mean much if I need the expansion. So, do I? And if I don't get it will that mean I'm alone in the old continent?

Ok now as for my class I'm not sure what to be. I always have troubles in these games and am glad they let you change it around. I quite like the idea of Rangers in this game, specifically bow based rangers? I think they all are that but more an emphasis on archery over beast control, for example. Assuming I do take a Ranger as my primary class what is my best bet as a supporting profession. I like the sound of elementalist, not for the damage but for the potential CC? Is that more a Mesmer skill set? I read that there is water magic that helps control the flow of the battle so how true is that? These are all general questions so if your kind enough to answer.

Outside of the Ranger is there any particularly fun class to play? I'm not looking for flavor of the month because those have a tendency to get schooled by dev's, but I don't need to go out of my way to be different, just a good solid build.

Thanks alot all!

PS. I posted this in another forums and it was moved but I figured I could get answers here. Cheers!

Okay, let me see. If you only get the original, yes you can only play in Tyria. Cantha will be off limits. However, your friend's key won't work to let you on. You can borrow his account, (type in his email and PW), but a key can only be used once. You can also buy only factions, and have access to only Cantha. I would lean more towards that option, as you get 2 more classes to play with.

Rangers are always fun, for me at least. Elementalist is a good choice for secondary, though water magic may be somewhat iffy? A dedicated ranger can somewhat emulate the effects of water magic, though maybe on not such a large scale. I think what you read before about water magic was in referene to the snares and skills that limit the movements of your opponent.

Let me see if I can give you an idea of what you could start off with- and "start off" are the key words! You should always try to make your build better no matter how perfect you think it is.


R/E
Glyph of Energy {E}
Conjure Frost
Read the Wind
Maelstrom
Serpent's Quickness
Pin Down
Dual Shot
Res Signet

R/E
Conjure Frost
Melandru's Arrows {E}
Penetrating Attack
Savage Shot
Deep Freeze
Favorable Winds
Distracting Shot
Res Signet


R/E
Kindle Arrows
Conjure Flame
Dual Shot
Quick Shot {E}
Penetrating Attack
Res Sig
Favorable Winds
Tiger's Fury


I haven't played Guild Wars in forever, so forgive me if these aren't killer super original builds. Especially the last one. That's what most R/Es do. I always did have a spot in my pant.. er... quiver for Melandru's Arrows.

The best way to find a build you like is to just play the PvE game and see what all the skills do. I once knew someone crazy who used a R/Mo with smiting.. and only for one skill.
Oh, and I'm not one to ask on what's fun, because I really enjoy playing all the classes. The only one I'm not particularly attracted to at the moment is assassin, because there are so many others I'd just rather not be associated with. Try everything, you can always remake and give it another whirl. =)

Each class has it's own style, and each is good in their own way. Choosing your primary class is all about what you want to do in the game. Before I get into that I'll address Factions. You absolutely do not need Factions (the 'expansion', which is actually a stand-alone game) to play Prophecies (the original game) well, and enjoy it even in PvP. The games are balanced in a way that you can still be competitive in PvP even if you only have one of the two games. Of course having both gives you more options, but nothing game-breaking.

Here are the Classes you have to choose from, and a bit about each:

Rangers: They have moderate armor, so they're not "soft" targets like the casters, and are more self-sufficient. This is good for playing through the storyline of the game. Rangers have decent damage output, and it's ranged so they aren't close enough to get hurt as much as a warrior would be. Rangers can do many things well, such as trap, interupt, and can also have a pet, which can help almost as much as another player in some cases. It's what I chose as my first character, and in my opinion it's great to learn the game dynamics on.

Elementalists: "ele"s are great at first glance due to the massive damage output. Though they're good at mindless spamming of damage, they generally don't really offer much in the way of strategy, and I wouldn't recommend them for your first character. This isn't always true of course, as an experienced player can use eles with great strategies, but as a new player I'd recommend something else.

Monks (my favorite): Fairly self-explainatory, they heal and protect their allies. As such, they're everyones favorite friend, since most players like doing damage and just expect others to keep them alive. This ensures you a spot on any group, as all groups (think) they need at least 1-2 monks to be successful. They're usually right.

Mesmers: Mesmers are very fun to play, because their whole existance revolves around stopping others from doing whatever it is they wanted to do. Most of their damage is passive, and requires the enemy to trigger it in some way. They can be very effective in this regard, dropping casters and melee-based opponents with humiliating efficiency. Mesmers are a harder class to understand at first, due to their limitless complexity, but are very fun because of it. A problem with mesmers is that most PvE players don't understand why they're so good, and it may be difficult to find parties when doing missions/quests.

Necromancers: necros are similar to mesmers, but... different. They have a very unique set of skills, which is also very complex, like the mesmer. Necros are extremely powerful, much moreso than the elementalist (when applied correctly) but also slightly underrated. Lately necros have been given more respect however, and you shouldn't have a problem getting into a group as one. The Blood line is also great for self-preservation, which is good for the early stages of the game.

Warrior: Everyone's first character , it's just as you'd imagine, you hit things with pointy sticks. Theres not a lot of thought to playing a warrior for the most part (in PvE,) so it may be a good thing to warm up on while you learn the basics. The most useful thing about warriors is their high armor level, which makes them less vunerable to attacks. In PvE they're often used as "tanks" that sit and absorb damage, while the rest of the team kills.

Well I play an elementalist main, and it's basically my first character. I like it because like the previous post said, you can do big damage. I enjoy that. Also, I personally think Elementalists are one of the easiest classes to level through the game. I've had no problems whatsoever getting to ring of fire using only henchman for all but two missions (Frost Gate and Sanctum Cay). Because you can do big damage, you can make up for the meager damage that your henchman will be doing in lower levels, etc. Also, elementalists have pretty flexibility in my opinion. They can be all about big area wide damage (fire magic), all about bigger damage to single targets (air), all about defense (earth), or a more strategic type player using water magic. So you can mix it up depending on what you're doing, etc. Just figured I'd give you some reasons why elementalists are nice!

Well I play an elementalist main, and it's basically my first character. I like it because like the previous post said, you can do big damage. I enjoy that. Also, I personally think Elementalists are one of the easiest classes to level through the game. I've had no problems whatsoever getting to ring of fire using only henchman for all but two missions (Frost Gate and Sanctum Cay). Because you can do big damage, you can make up for the meager damage that your henchman will be doing in lower levels, etc. Also, elementalists have pretty flexibility in my opinion. They can be all about big area wide damage (fire magic), all about bigger damage to single targets (air), all about defense (earth), or a more strategic type player using water magic. So you can mix it up depending on what you're doing, etc. Just figured I'd give you some reasons why elementalists are nice!