Learning Curve?

I have heard of Guild Wars for sometime now and I am planning to get it the day it comes out. However, I have never participated on a Beta Weekend. What little I know about the game is info presented on the game review sites. Would I be at a huge disadvantage compared to other more seasoned players? I have play a few other MMORPGs before, btw. Any big tips from GW veterans? Thanks a bunch.

If you've played Diablo II + 2-3 MMORPG's, then it shouldnt be hard to pick up. Id guess it takes around 1-2 hours to learn. 5-8 if your new to MMORPG's. Id say the learning curve is "Medium".

take your time before entering the academy. you will learn the basics in the pre-searing region. everything else can be picked up as you move along to lvl 20.

It should not be a major problem learning to play the game. The first 19 levels are all about learning the game. The pre-searing ascalon gives you the basics. And once you go through the academy you start to learn how teams work. The game does a great job of slowly building up you skill and knowledge. The mobs use the same skills you do so you learn the effects of skills by fighting in PvE. The leveling up process is very much a long tutorial so you will be well versed in the game by the time you get to 20.

Best advice right there. Take your time in pre S ascalon before going into the academy. Enjoy it, its alot of fun, and you will learn the game well.

and read the nice guides posted on gwguru's guide section too... especially the game mechanics part.

And just to add my two cents, ... spend time having fun in pre-searing Ascalon, learning the game mechanics before joining the academy- like the previous posters said. But if you get to be around lvl 8-10 ish. Your going to want to start moving on so about that level range is- IMO when you should start to move on and join the academy.

levels in this game dont make a HUGE difference, i can handle the first few post searing missions just as easily at level 3 as i could at level 8, its more about the equipment salvage items and gold that you can get in presearing. at least thats the reason i stay.

Pre-searing Ascalon is the training area. Get at least level 6, better yet level 8. You'll learn the basics there. Take as much time ad you need. Once you're level 6-8 join the military/academy. This is where is all goes Apocalyptic. By level 6 you should have enough gold, spells/skills to do well in Post-Searing Ascalon.

Also, Pre-Searing Ascalon you can get more into the back story/Lore of it all. If you're a sci-fi/fantasy buff stay just absorb the lore. It's like reading Tolkien's Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales to get the backstory for Lord of the Rings.

well, the march beta, the first 2 or so hours i didnt have a clue what i was doin, in the April beta i won the HoH, its quite easy to learn.

I had never played an MMO before GW and I ain't too bad at it. I think I was pretty attuned on how to complete quests and what to salvage and how after two Beta Weekends. If you have a question about how to do something, you can always ask in game and there are plenty of nice people that will do their best to help.

Sort of yes, and sort of no.

Us beta players will probably know a great deal more about strategy and what skills work together well right from the start. What does this mean? You'll probably get your ass handed to you the first time you PvP (of course, there will be tons more inexperienced players as well). You'll pick up on that aspect of the game eventually. The part that has a very shallow learning curve is the skill system and how to use the interface and all that. You shouldn't have any trouble with PvE... Or... Not a whole lot of trouble with PvE... from being inexperienced.

I'm coming from L2 and have not played the beta yet.Did anyone who've played find leveling to be something that will not become annoying?

No, leveling is not the main point of the game. The cap is 20 levels.

As a vet of L2 DAoC and EQ2 I would say you can level all 4 character slots to 20 in the time it takes to get to 20 in any of those games

This is in response to the main question:

This is pretty much the first RPG ive ever played and it took very little time to learn. Maybe one hour tops before I understood the basics then another hour or 2 before I could do just about anything. Of course I still havent memorized all the key commands, but I have them printed out on my desk waiting for release. . For me, this game was easier to learn than was learning Halo 2 after playing Halo for so long, that conversion actually got my physically ill for a couple of days.

Basics: Pre-seared ascelon will give you the ability to try everything out. Straighforward and fair to get your feet wet.

Seared Ascelon is a lot more challenging and demands more of your abilites. So dont go into the academy unless you feel comfortable with the handling of the game and the character you are playing.

Overall learning curve: Moderate

Except playing pre-searing Ascalon doesn't put you to sleep like the Silmarillion does...

Yeah, I'd say if you've played anything like Diablo 2, Dungeon Siege, Neverwinter Nights you should have no trouble playing this game. The skill and strategy required to become good take more time to learn, but the game leads you in that direction pretty well.

The problem with all those other games is that they do the same thing everytime. Find someone on Guild Wars Guru that died rez'd and was able to do the same exact thing... Saying that, tell me do you belive that being a level 20 in the GW world will make that big of difference in a battle PvE or Solo? Better yet, tell me that a Level 20 can take on a level 15 and NOT lose? (God I sound like Morpheus) The possibilities are endless.