So i decided to start playing again...

[Threash]

Actually i guess you can say i decided to actually give this a chance since when it came out i was really into the brand new wow pvp honor ladder and didn't really give GW a real shot.  Anyways, i need some starting tips... i rather not make a healer since i firmly believe the average mmorpg player deserves to die and i would just be getting in the way of nature taking its course.  I made a necro/monk, will i be able to solo ok? are there any guilds out there not filled with complete retards? and i guess is it really worth it if i dont plan to play more than a few times a week?  I'm assuming at least some people are still playing, hopefully you guys got some tips for me.

[tazelbain]

My suggestion is to make a monk/X.  X being the class you want to play in PvP.  You can speed through the missions to unlock the basic skills for X.  After you hunt down a few elites you, you can make a Class X PvP who will have access to those skills.  Fill in th missing skills with skill points and faction.

I think thats the easiest thing to do when you don't have a guild to run you to the end.

Also don't waste time in Pre-Searing, just do the first few skill quests and move on.  Anything past 4 is a waste, 3 is ideal but hard for someone new.

[Krakrok]

If your goal is PvE then just use the NPC minions and you'll be able to solo most of the game. It plays pretty much like Diablo. If your goal is PvP I'd just skip the PvE entirely and use a PvP monk char in the random arenas to unlock the skills for the classes you want to play. Though it is nice to run one PvE character through once just to get your monies worth. If a quest is sucking, skip it (unless it's the main storyline quest).

[Threash]

If your goal is PvE then just use the NPC minions and you'll be able to solo most of the game. It plays pretty much like Diablo. If your goal is PvP I'd just skip the PvE entirely and use a PvP monk char in the random arenas to unlock the skills for the classes you want to play. Though it is nice to run one PvE character through once just to get your monies worth. If a quest is sucking, skip it (unless it's the main storyline quest).

Can i unlock items just doing pvp?

[tazelbain]

That was back in August.  You get faction in PvP and there is an NPC in the arena to spend it.  Things unlocked this way can only by PvP chars even if it was from an RP Chars.  Make a pvp char and try it out.

use a PvP monk char in the random arenas to unlock the skills for the classes you want to play.

I agree but I think it is quicker to go through Ascension to unlock the basic stuff, plus many elites its easier to grab than earn the 3000 faction. Its over 1000 wins in the arena to unlock a class, its best to take advantage of the PvE.

[Mesozoic]

Is anyone else playing?  I need a guild for my R/Me and the people spamming guild invites in Ascalon City scare the shit out of me. 

[Modern Angel]

I can hook you up, generally unknown entity that I am. My guild migrated from SB and played the fuck out of the game before realizing it wasn't really a game you could play the fuck out of forever. We're slowly easing back into it in anticipation of the expansion pack. I doubt it's going to be more than a secondary game for most of us but it's great for low key play. We're hoping that the alliances thing solves what was the biggest issue for us and that was taking an interminably long time to set up a PvP group in house.

Right now it's just a little hopping on and farming or small PvP. If you don't mind a guild that's going to be a bit scattershot for another month, give Sister Necrophage a page next time you're able.

[Mesozoic]

If you don't mind a guild that's going to be a bit scattershot

Its the only kind I know.  Thanks.  But beware, I'm a nooblet - the best I ever did was an 11 E/Me.  I offer only witty dialogue.

EDIT:  Name is "Markane Hargos"

[Modern Angel]

Next time I hop on I'll friend you and keep an eye out.

[Samwise]

Is anyone else playing?  I need a guild for my R/Me and the people spamming guild invites in Ascalon City scare the shit out of me. 

You should hook up with loank.  I hear he unlock 100 skills.

[Mesozoic]

I would, but nothing he could ever say or do would match the high poetry of replies 5-7 of that thread.  Why be disappointed.

[Furiously]

Anyone want to log on and run me to the end?

[RyosukeFC3]

Yeah I've been thinking about playing again too, but...  Don't know, don't want to get consumed into anything, I used to play too much Diablo 2.

[Xanthippe]

OOOOOOOoooooooooh

Diablo 2....

[RyosukeFC3]

OOOOOOOoooooooooh

Diablo 2....

Yeah it was like a drug, just a pixel drug.

[Tige]

I got back into GW this past weekend. I forgot how good this game looks and you can actually play it with maxxed out gfx settings.  I started all over and got a few characters upto level 5, the only one I've taken a secondary profession is so far is Ranger/Elementalist.

I know you have to do certain quests to get to the other campaign cities but how do you get a second job across releases ie Dervish/Assassin or Ritualist/Paragon?

[tazelbain]

http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Profession_Changer
The Faction and Nightfall Profession changer are about 1/3 the way through their respective campaigns.  The Nightfall guy has all of them.  If you have  Nightfall or Factions, I wouldn't do the Prophecies campaign unless you have a burning desire.  Getting to Lion's Arch can be a real pain for new players.

[Tige]

Gracias. 

I picked up the last of the expansions yesterday.  Now it's just deciding which campaign/class to go with.  At release I was close to the end of prophecies but that character is gone so looks like I'll go with nightfall or factions first. 

[tazelbain]

If you have any interest in PvP, I'd muck around in Random Arena and Fort Asphenwood for a while to get a feel for what class you like to  play.  It's kinda pain to max out a class to realize you don't like playing it in PvP.  Like I did with Warriors.

[Llava]

I'd go with the Nightfall campaign, unless you decide you have to be a Ritualist or Assassin.  It's just better.

[trias_e]

I bought Nightfall.  The PvE in this game is still miserably boring.  I most likely won't be making it to 20 (due to boredom) to farm the skills I need in order to PvP.  Bleh.

[tazelbain]

I am not sure why the PvE is so boring(only mildly to me).  High solo factor: check.  Lot of skill options: check.  Lots of monsters to fight: check.  Low downtime: check.  It should be kick ass, but its not.

I think one aspect is that when traveling through the land, it gets repetitive.  You get a quest, which means go to the green dot on the map.  You have little choice but to run into a group of plants, then a group of lizards, then enemy humans, then another group of lizards.  You basically start going through motions and lulled to sleep after while.  Fundamentally it is hardly any different sitting at a camp spot and fighting 4 groups of enemies before the quest NPC shows up.

Farming skills isn't needed anymore. There is plenty PvE areas to play through to get enough skill points and cash to filled out a PvE char and PvP gives plenty of faction to make new PvP chars.

[pxib]

I am not sure why the PvE is so boring(only mildly to me).  High solo factor: check.  Lot of skill options: check.  Lots of monsters to fight: check.  Low downtime: check.  It should be kick ass, but its not.

I think one aspect is that when traveling through the land, it gets repetitive.  You get a quest, which means go to the green dot on the map.  You have little choice but to run into a group of plants, then a group of lizards, then enemy humans, then another group of lizards.  You basically start going through motions and lulled to sleep after while.  Fundamentally it is hardly any different sitting at a camp spot and fighting 4 groups of enemies before the quest NPC shows up.

Skill variety and selection is both a blessing and a curse. The fun part, figuring out what skills you need to fight the monsters, happens outside of town. You sit down and figure out what sort of abilities they have and what you and your teammates (or your heroes) need to do in order to defeat the particular groups of beasties between yourself and quest objectives. Once you've figured out what's necessary to get from point A to point B, actually doing it is just a matter of slogging through. A planning phase to get past a single group of monsters is fun... a planning phase to get past eight functionally identical groups of monsters is dull. In a game where you had access to every skill at all times, you'd experiment more in the moment. Guild Wars makes sure that you're stuck with whatever plan you've made until you go back to town. Get past seven groups of monsters and discover that the eighth is different and requires something you hadn't figured? You fail. Go back to town and start again.

That's not fun. All fun occurs in the planning phase.

[trias_e]

True that.  I have way more fun with GWFreaks (character builder) than I do playing the game itself.  I probably have messed it with for 20+ hours the last couple weeks coming up with singular builds and group builds.  Then I bought the game and realize all this planning is nothing I will be able to actually realize unless I go through the immense drudgery of the single player game.  I was hoping nightfall would make PvE better.  I don't know why its awful, but it is.  The PvP is very fun however.

I'd like to play PvP, but its tough to make a decent build, or have any fun making builds, with only 15 skills unlocked : /

[tazelbain]

Find a build you like(I usually steal mine from gw.gamewikis.com)  Find a pre-made PvP char that you don't mind.  Earn 10k faction with the premade and cut you teeth in PvP.  Unlock the skills for the build you want.  Unlock the extra stuff (runes, weapon mods) if you want.  Switch to your new build.  Then start working on more skills,rune,mods to flush out that build or start working  on another build.  I do this for all the classes except Ele and Monk which I have rpg chars for.  I'd do Fort Asphenwood or Alliance Battle since getting faction doesn't hinge on winning, but Random Arena works if you don't have that campaign.

I really hope GW:Utopia has more/better missions like Fort Aspenwood. It's just spiffy.

[Llava]

No reason you have to PvE to unlock stuff for PvP.  Give it a little bit.  As recommend above, pick what skills you want first and work on those.  Should be able to get them in one or two sessions.  Two would be if you're unlucky.

[trias_e]

When I start a PvP character I have 5 skills that don't really work with each other and a res signet.  When I get a secondary I get 5 more skills totally separate with no synergy whatsoever between professions.  So I have to play for a while with a total shit build?  I guess I will if I have to, but god I don't want to.  It's almost embarassing.

[tazelbain]

Wow, they really jacked up the pre-mades.  They used to pretty good.
The PvP guy can use all those skills you unlocked with your PvE guy.
PvP inventory menu has a button to customized you equipment.
Which class are you going for?

[trias_e]

I had a warrior in prophecies PvE campaign, so I have a few more warrior skills.  I made a mesmer for nightfall PvE campaign but didn't get anywhere before crushing boredom set in.  So I unlocked a few more mesmer skills but not many.

I'd like to have mesmer somewhere in my secondary/primary config.  And I have no desire to play a warrior of any sort.  D/Me or Me/D maybe.  I also like to play a monk in PvP because it generally leads to victory.  Maybe a D/Mo enchant based hybrid healer.  Or classic Me/Mo, or Mo/Me.

Also note, I've made plenty of builds I'd like to try out.  So builds aren't a problem.  Just getting to the point to use them is.  The PvP characters suck ass right out of the box horribly.

[Trippy]

They probably did that to get all the "all wanna PvP right now!" types to cough up the money to unlock the complete skill sets for the professions they want to play.

[tazelbain]

Pre-made monk then.  That's the easiest way to win in Random.
PvP chars can switch secondaries whenever.
With faction, you can buy skills,runes,mods for any class.  So all that faction you earn with a monk can go toward mesmers regardless.  So you could go Mo/W just leverage some of the Warrior tactics skills to make your monk a bit tougher.

[Llava]

Go to Zaishen Arena.  You can earn faction there.  Play  with henchmen, fight against the  Illusionary Weaponry team. They're extremely easy to beat.  Avoid the Trappers and IWAY Warriors, they're a tough fight without the right skills.