Guild Wars 2

Hey guys!, so… sad story here. I left a little while back after getting 2 levels shy of level cap for another game, and it was a terrible decision. Im thinking of returning, but with GW2 end game is a bit different than other games as in Living World. Im going to hit cap right after i return, but Living world is going to be far into its progression. Is there a way for me to enjoy anything out of the earlier episodes, and if not is there a decent way to jump into the story without the earlier episodes being completed?

Also, I remember being a bit disconcerted with end game gear, meaning once you hit cap and collect a suit of dungeon gear thats it for gear progression. I can live with that, but am curious if there have been any advances on that front?

You can’t replay Season 1 of the Living World but you can replay Season 2.

If you have not unlocked Season 2 content free of charge through logging in when that release is active, however, you will need to pay 200 gems per episode to unlock it on your account.

To come back to your statement about gear progression – we have Ascended gear now. I don’t know if you know about this. Exotics are fine, on the whole, however if you did want a higher tier of gear to grind for, Ascended is available now.

Starting with the 2nd season of the living story, everything was made permanent. As long as you login within the 2 week period of the story’s release, you get to unlock it for free, otherwise it costs gems. It’s basically an extension to the personal story now, except repeatable. The 1st season of the living story (Scarlet) was temporary however, so if you really want to know what happened, you’d have to read about it. The wiki probably has everything.

As for gear progression, Ascended gear was added a while ago which was specifically meant for people that wanted to grind a little bonus. It’s definitely not required, but it’s there. Occasionally, they also add new runes/sigils to the game which can also act as minor gear progression, since they may be better for someone classes/specs.

There is ascended gear, but gear progression is something the game is meant to steer clear of and that is deliberate and hopefully the way it will always be with the game.

You can currently start from the beginning of Season 2 of the Living Story (at a cost of 200 gems per chapter – although each chapter will be free if you log in for it’s first 2 weeks).

Season 1 is lost to you I’m afraid. By it’s nature it is not something that can be added retroactively without major reworking, which is not on the immediate cards, but it is hoped for the future.

Welcome back, hope you enjoy your second time around!

edit: I was beaten to it by the above posters!

Heck, i dont mind gemming out the episodes, least i can do. I mean, the differences between the community here and the community where i thought the grass would be greener…are simply staggering. I’ve never seen something so toxic in my life. Just seeing two honest and informative responses to a general question is a breath of fresh air.

Hi!

You can enjoy previous episodes of Living Story by purchasing them in the gem-store for 200 gems for each episode (Season 2 only). If you log inwhilst an episode is airing, you obtain it for free and can replay it any time you like (so it’s worth checking in every couple of weeks to get free content rather than having to pay for it at a later date).

There is ascended gear available now. Ascended weapons and armour can be crafted once reaching 500 in the appropriate crafting profession and you can also receive chests that contain ascended weapons or armour (although these are very rare). Stat increase between exotic and ascended is very minor, it’s the infusion slots that ascended gear has that makes it worthwhile. Infusion slots can be infused with Agony Resistance, which means you are able to complete high level fractals which require high Agony Resistance.

Ascended backpieces are also available to craft through the mystic forge, scavenger hunts and regular crafting.

Ascended accessories can be bought with laurels and guild commendations and these give quite a considerable stat boost.

Hope I’ve helped!

I’d like to add, that the 2 new zones that came with Season 2 do not need any additional purchasing. They are open to play, along with all of their dynamic events, for everyone – old, new, returning, etc.

Beyond that, if you have friends that have the Season 2 episodes unlocked, you can play through the story of season 2 with them, so long as they replay it and they lead. No need to purchase it, unless you’d like the instances for yourself to get the story progression and for the associated achievements.

Ooo awesome info about the Stats/infusion slots and their usefulness with fractals, along with the rest of the ascended info. Thanks CC!

You can also join a friend’s instance to replay S2 of living story with them, if you just want to see/experience it. You won’t get the rewards, but that may or may not matter. Welcome back!

ETA: Lanfear beat me to it! Ah, well. I’ll leave it here with the welcome, anyway.

Aaeras.7814:

Heck, i dont mind gemming out the episodes, least i can do. I mean, the differences between the community here and the community where i thought the grass would be greener…are simply staggering. I’ve never seen something so toxic in my life. Just seeing two honest and informative responses to a general question is a breath of fresh air.

Hello and welcome back. Generally you will find the community here to be helpful and engaging. Like in real life though there are spoiled immature brats and trolls here and there too. Far and away though GW has been the most helpful and thoughtful community I have ever been apart of, since the the betas for GW1 years ago.