New Guildwars Player

Hello,

I am going to be buying GW soon and would like some advice on character creation. I played Everquest on Sullon Zek (Sanctus Lumen represent!) and am an aggressive PvPer, but I don't want a main character who is concentrated on PvP. I want a primarily PvE character who I can also play effectively in PvP. I want to be a high priority for pickup groups and guilds; possibly a healer, something like an EQ Cleric maybe but less boring and maybe a bit stronger in offensive PvP. I want a character that stacks with other, similar characters, so not a main tank. Any advice?

Pretty much every class works well with every other class. PVE characters can also do PVP, but you'll want to stay to the lower level arenas (ascalon, shing-jea, yaks bend) until you hit level 20. That said, you can make a pvp character, that has access to everything your pve characters have unlocked. PVP characters are level 20 automatically and this will result in better acceptance in the higher level pvp areas. Depending on if you purchase the original guildwars, also known as prophecies, or factions, you'll have access to 6 classes or 8 classes. Each class has it's advantages and disadvantages, which you'll learn about by reading these and other forums. Don't take a single persons word though on whether or not a class is good or crappy, make your own judgement.

if you are getting factions it sounds like you would like the ritualist. it has good damage skills and healing abilities that are up to par.

I'd suggest trying a monk for your pve, while generally more difficult to play due to the abuse you're likely to get in PvE and the concentration it requires, it does have the ability to be an offensive character through smiting as well, there is also the second profession option that allowed you to use skills and spells from your chosen second prof (you can change your second profession in pve tyria in the desert by doing quests for each one - in cantha you can change secondaries at senji's corner). Monks - good ones anyhow are usually snapped up in both PvE and PvP

Be aware that PvP only characters have access to max equipment, weapons, mods and runes (mods and runes once unlocked through PvE or through Balthazar faction - earned through pvp) and can reroll their primary and/or secondary professions in a few minutes to suit the group build with runes weapons, offhands and spells. However certain items that can be hand for PvP can be gained as quest items in PvE that aren't available in the PvP character creation screen.

imo necro is one of the best all round chars available can act as a main dmg dealer (blood spike) support/dmg (curses) defensive (monk secondry+blood to keep u alive)

also the infamous minion master...most MMs are noobs but that u will find out yourself

Let me get this straight; the original GW = Prophecies, and there's an expansion called Factions. Do I need the original to play Factions i.e. is it an expansion like Kunark and Velious were expansions for EQ or is it stand alone?

Monks are like EQ Clerics I believe, right? Are they as boring as EQ Clerics? What is the difference between Ritualist and Monk?

Are the 8 classes referred to different from the 6 classes mentioned or is the 8 the 6 + 2 more? In EQ there were 14 or so original classes and Luclin added Beastlords. Is it like that or are there 14 total classes split into two different games, one with 6 and one with 8?

Each of the chapters prophecies and factions can be played as stand alone games, however only 'core' skills from chapter 1 are available in chapter 2 (factions) along with a few copycat skills renamed.

Afraid I've never played EQ so don't know much about clerics. I know I really enjoy playing healer monk in pvp and pve as it can be quite challenging, even though sometimes you can find yourself spending all your time looking at 8 little red health bars.

If you buy chapter 1 you get 6 classes warrior, monk, necromancer, ranger, mesmer and elementalist - these are considered core classes and will be included in all chapters. If you have factions you get 8. The core 6 and the 2 new professions Assassin and Ritualist

Factions is the second chapter in the game and is completely stand alone.

the 6 *CORE* professions from the first chapter carry over into all following chapters.

the 2 new professions introduced (8 total) are ritualist and assassin.

chapter 3 out in a few months will have 2 new professions to add to the 6 core professions.

you can move any character into any chapters content you have.

buy one ,all ,or skip one and buy another as you feel like it

The same character can play in both, right? Can you play a Ritualist in Prophecies?

I think Monk is what I want to go with, but I don't want to be a lame healing beech. What's a good secondary - especially a rare one that will make people go "you're the only Monk/XXX I know of" but without crippling the character?

What would a Monk/Ritualist be like?

if you bought both yes.

same for the upcoming chapter 3

I'd also like to be able to explore solo, so I need some versatility. Mobility would be nice too.

I know the Monk heals and has some sort of damage ability via Smiting, which I read somewhere was AE. I'd like a secondary that provides mobility, maybe perception boosts/divination and increased killing ability (especially against single targets if Smiting is AE), and all purpose versatility for exploring. I know you can't have everything, but what do you suggest? I enjoy pets but do not require them.

Just a friendly suggestion, Guild Wars doesn't work the same way Everquest does. For starters it's a team based game, and although there are certain areas that can be done solo or with a reduced party size, most of the game requires you to be part of a team.
Mobility is provided through some skills. Warrior, Ranger and to some extent Elementalist have skills that affect their movement speed. There are only a very few skills that affect attack speed. Warrior and Ranger are the classes with skills that have attack speed boosts IIRC.
Smiting can be both AoE and single target depending on which skills you bring. Only Rangers (Primary or secondary) can have pets. There is no perception/divination in this game, like I said it's not really like EQ. Also, I don't really think there are too many secondaries that are considered rare. I've seen just about every variation somewhere in the game. Some are definitely more common. Mo/Me, Mo/N, Mo/W you'll see more often since the secondary in these cases helps them fill a specific role. Really, it's a personal choice.

Mobility? You can instazone to cities... ^^ ( and don't forget, you have a minimum of 4 character slots, so whatever you make first..you can always create something else later )

Battlefield mobility is crucially important. Being able to port to cities is not quite what I meant.

Looking at the Monk, it looks a lot like an EQ Cleric with the same flaws. Boring, has offensive spells but shouldn't use them, etc. I'm getting a little turned off.

Oh well...I have time to think about it.

well a Mo/W would be good for mobility b/c the warriors bring skills that increase your running speed and stances that allow you to evade/take less dmg etc...

you could try E/Mo because the ele's primary trait in energy storage so u'll have more energy and they also have skills that improve speed.

E/Mo are more popular in PvP than Mo/W tho, PvP monks are usually either Mo/N or Mo/Me

I think you should play a Ranger if you want to learn a lot about the game early on, because there are many different uses for rangers, and they can fit in just about any team if you know what type of build to make. A huge thing about Guild Wars is that there are tons of different combinations for characters. Meaning, not every E/Mo is setup with fire nuking and a self heal or two. I ran a build that only took one Elementalist skill, and healed with everything else, which works well if you know what you're doing. R/Me's can be trappers or flagrunners or some weird combination of pet attacks and mesmer hexes! I would recommend you don't play a Monk as your first character though, since you will have to deal with 1) keeping people alive and 2) not knowing what the challenges are in each mission, which can be very bad when you don't know that for XYZ place, you REALLY NEED Mend Condition/Remove Hex/whatever.

R/W is kind of common, but until you get a ways into the game for Barrage, using some preparation, like Ignite Arrows with Frenzy and Favorable Winds (a spirit) is a great way to do high, fast, damage to one target. In addition to their "normal" roles, I find that my elementalist can sometimes save the day with wards, my necromancer can be a good anti-warrior defense, but my Ranger can load up on useful skills to whatever area it's preparing for. Interrupts, damage over time, spike damage, area damage, area denial (traps), gimmicks like Edge of Extinction, whatever I need I can make in a short time. I've even run a Hammer Ranger build which worked out well with Expertise allowing me to use attack skills almost constantly. Rangers are easy to learn, and I wouldn't say difficult to master, it's just that there are many different forms of possible rangers to know how to build.

Well, combat is a lot faster in GW than in Everquest, so I doubt monking ever really gets "boring". Farmers across the game will swear by Shield of Judgement, one of the Monk's offensive skills. Smiting (i.e. damage-oriented) Monks are starting to become quite popular in PvP.

Anyways, I would not really recommend Monk as a beginner class while you're still experimenting with how you like to play the game. Necromancer, Elementalist, Warrior, and Ranger all have some diverse skill options, so you can mess arround and figure out for yourself how you like to play.

Do E/Mo cast healing spells faster due to the E's Fast Casting Primary Attribute?

Elementalists have Energy Storage, allowing them to have more overall energy (capping at just over 100 i believe, which is a crapload). Mesmers are the ones with the Fast-Casting attribute, and Me/Mo builds known as "Rezmers" are used to cast Resurrection spells (which have long cast times) quickly to maintain even odds in a battle. Healing spells generally do not have a casting time long enough to merit the use of fast-casting, although many monks will take Mesmer as their secondary for energy management.

Hope this helps.

Sounds like R/mo or Mo/R would be a good starter for you. Mobility, pets, and healing.