Guild Wars 2

Hi, I’m new to GW2, just have one level 8 toon so far. Coming from Runes of Magic, dungeon/instance runs were my favorite thing to do, but the population is way too dead in that game now, so hoping a new game like GW2 will have more PvE dungeon runs for me. I’ve read a few of the threads here and am left with these questions:

1. Is GW2LFG.com always so dead? Seems like prime-time playing time right now (Sunday evening) and there is only 1 current LFG post on that website for all US servers. If so, has something else replaced it, or do people just not run dungeons, or only as guilds?

2. What level should I start looking for dungeon runs? I’ve read that lvl 30 is when you get mail and can enter the first dungeon, is this still the case (those threads were about a year old)?

3. What else do I need to do besides level (and obviously learn how to play) before I can start dungeons? Do I need certain gear, or just whatever I find along the way around my level?

4. Is there anything else that has a team aspect, like dungeons, that I should explore in this game? I’ve taken part in world events, but they are a bit too random for me.

I prefer PUGs over Guilds, because I like meeting new people, and not just doing the same thing over and over with the same people. I feel like guild groups usually get exclusive over time, and I also don’t like that, feeling bad for the others in the guild that don’t get invites.

Playing on Yak’s Bend.

1. Press Y, look on the left. There is an in game LFG tool now. That website was used before the tool came out.

2. You could start at around level 30, but since you will be much weaker than level 80s (yes, there is a system that downlevels the 80’s to 30, but they will still be much stronger due to having more traits/better gear) you should just wait until level 80 to start running dungeons.

3. You should have at least most of your professions weapons, so you can swap them out as the situation calls for it. Don’t worry about the stats on the gear to start out, but be informed that any decent group will want you to be wearing berserker gear, or in the case of mesmers, assassin gear.

4. World v World also has a team aspect to it, especially if you hop on your servers teamspeak and run with an organized group. And of course PvP has a team aspect, since you’re on teams, competing against another team.

Welcome to Guild Wars 2!

Thanks Stompy. For #3, where do I get my gear from? I understand in a lot of MMOs people buy gear from auction house/trading posts… but if like other games, don’t others have to get that gear from dungeons? If so, seems silly to buy gear just to run a dungeon where the gear comes from?

Hoping that isn’t the case with this game… obviously someone must have run the dungeon before they had the gear that came from it

TinySam.6914:

Thanks Stompy. For #3, where do I get my gear from? I understand in a lot of MMOs people buy gear from auction house/trading posts… but if like other games, don’t others have to get that gear from dungeons? If so, seems silly to buy gear just to run a dungeon where the gear comes from?

Hoping that isn’t the case with this game… obviously someone must have run the dungeon before they had the gear that came from it

Endgame in GW2 is purely cosmetic. So items of the same rarity/level/type will give you the same stats. So you can get exotic equip with stats of your choice without setting foot into a dungeon, but if you want skins from that dungeon (and possibly one of the three associated stat combinations each dungeon offers) you have to run it.

A lot of items can drop everywhere though and aren’t bound to a certain dungeon, instance or whatever, so you can freely buy those in the trading post. There are also crafted armors and weapons which offer the exact same stats.

If you find an armor you like, possibly even with stats you like (berserker is the best you can use in pve, but takes some time to get used to), you can simply buy rare lv80 gear and slowly replace it with the exotic dungeon gear you can buy for tokens you get after each path you’ve done per day.

First unlocked dungeon is AC story where mobs are level 30. There’s no hard cap, I did arah with level 15 chars or so, but since you’re 65 level less than the mobs, well you’re getting one shot. ( That was the funy story part) At level 30, you could do your first dungeon, but especially since the last update, low characters have low access to fitting utilities and it’ll be far more tedious than with 80 char. I don’t know if yak’s bend is EU or NA, but if it’s EU, i can run ac story with you.

At level 80, and provided you want to be useful for your team, the best gear are all dps oriented ( berserker-assassin) since support come from traits and dps helps you killing faster. 80 exotic are not BiS, but ascended is really costy for a small damage increase, so aim for exotics first.

All parts of gw2 are team oriented ( but you can still succeed solo), try WwW or PvP. I guess it’s all about tastes but I love playing with my guild ( they kinda hate me though), you could find like-minded people to play with you. The LFG tool has been moved ingame as stated Stompy, remember to read carefully the description before joining to avoid any problem.

Welcome!

Sounds like I have a while to figure out the rest of the minor details. Thanks for all the info. I think I’m going to enjoy this game a lot. So far I am impressed with the graphics and how smooth everything is (I still find myself toggling the map on/off just for the warm fuzzy feeling of how cool it looks).

The game has a built-in LFG that you can use. It’s inside your Contacts list interface. Everyone stopped using gw2lfg once the game got its own LFG.

Welcome to dungeons. :)

At level 30, if you want to experience running a dungeon path now, post an in-game LFG and run Ascalonian Catacombs Story mode.

I’m not sure if it’s just me but I usually run dungeons with friends and fill 1-2 people with random people in pugs but after running 1 or a few paths with them, that’s it. I don’t contact them anymore. But maybe you can make friends.

There has been extremely few dungeon changes for two years: so a large percentage of people just want to do their daily dungeon runs as fast as possible and get them over with. Best keep that in mind when looking for a group.

Lord Kuru.3685:

There has been extremely few dungeon changes for two years: so a large percentage of people just want to do their daily dungeon runs as fast as possible and get them over with. Best keep that in mind when looking for a group.

Also as a first timer, be sure to start your own group, and specifialy say that you are new. You’ll find much more forgiving and helpful players that way. Also check with your guild for their resident dungeon mentor and go that route rather that using the LFG tool.

While it is recommended not to start running to till you hit 80, I run dungeon all the time, matter of fact it’s my preferred way of leveling. Best thing i can say is start on story mode, run it a few times so you can get some of the mechanics of the game down. Most people on the server that i’m on say in the lfg post what they are looking for, everyone once in a while you will find a group that just doesn’t care if it’s all lvl 80’s or not. Just fyi my highest lvl char is lvl 77. I do have a question though for anyone who would like to answer, what lvl is recommended to start running fractals, can’t find a definitive answer?

WikedJack.2731:

While it is recommended not to start running to till you hit 80, I run dungeon all the time, matter of fact it’s my preferred way of leveling. Best thing i can say is start on story mode, run it a few times so you can get some of the mechanics of the game down. Most people on the server that i’m on say in the lfg post what they are looking for, everyone once in a while you will find a group that just doesn’t care if it’s all lvl 80’s or not. Just fyi my highest lvl char is lvl 77. I do have a question though for anyone who would like to answer, what lvl is recommended to start running fractals, can’t find a definitive answer?

Basically you can run fractals with any level as you get upscaled, but you should reach 80 beforehand, especially if you want to run 10+ due to agony you can’t avoid at the boss fractals.

WikedJack.2731:

While it is recommended not to start running to till you hit 80, I run dungeon all the time, matter of fact it’s my preferred way of leveling. Best thing i can say is start on story mode, run it a few times so you can get some of the mechanics of the game down. Most people on the server that i’m on say in the lfg post what they are looking for, everyone once in a while you will find a group that just doesn’t care if it’s all lvl 80’s or not. Just fyi my highest lvl char is lvl 77. I do have a question though for anyone who would like to answer, what lvl is recommended to start running fractals, can’t find a definitive answer?

Recommended level for fractals is level 80. Although you are scaled up to level 80, you won’t have access to a full set of traits and level 80 armor. Thus being a bit weaker than a level 80 would. However, at level 77 you shouldn’t have too many issues, but it will be a bit more difficult. Also you won’t be able to use any of the ascended equipment you may happen to find until you are level 80.

So since I’m pushed up to lvl 80 am i able to use lvl 80 weps and gear then, only reason i ask is because i have a lvl 80 greatsword on my lvl 55 guardian.

No, you’re not.
You are scaled up to 80 and your equipment is scaled accordingly. But you are still level 55 and can’t use anything that requires a higher level. Be it equipment, runes and if I remember correctly not even consumables for higher level characters.