Guild Wars 2

First of all, hello to all current players. I’d been wanting to play this for some time and just recently got the computer I needed to run it properly.

Secondly….this game doesn’t feel like an MMO somehow. But that’s not a bad thing. I’m coming from WoW and I’m not completely sure what to do with myself. Logged in, made a character, immediately began searching for quests to get out of the starter area. I figure that’s not how it work here.

So…few questions.

1. What’s the average leveling speed? I’m not looking to powerlevel, but are you rushed in any way to get to max? It’s been a couple hours and I haven’t hit level 5 yet.

2. My damage feels a bit low. I’ve tried a Ranger and a Thief, both using shortbow, and neither of them seem to do a whole lot of damage. Maybe I’m just used to oneshotting things at level 2?

3. I’m a sylvari – when and how do I get out of my starter city?

I don’t know what server you’re on, but there are most often many players who are willing to help out newer folk- asking in mapchat is an easy way to get a bit of help… but besides that, I’ll try to answer a few of your questions:

1. This varied, for me, as there are professions that felt “easier to level” than the others… I really enjoyed necromancer, guardian, mesmer and ranger. They fit me better, I suppose, than the warrior, thief, elementalist, and engineer. My suggestion is to give them all a try, and see what works for you. (btw, engineer got a lot more fun for me when I went shield/pistol and for traits I went into potions… my leveling went a LOT faster for me, and I loved it.)

2. Same thing as #1 above in the sense that some of your weapon skills and chosen skills 6, 7, 8, and 9 can work together beautifully; i.e. use skill button that puts a condition- like vulnerability on the enemy and then use a skill right afterward to hit them for a lot more than you would if you just used the skill to hurt them. Also, rangers have the benefit of making their own “combo” shots, i.e. use a torch/axe… with torch put down a fire ring (don’t recall the name of it) and then throw axes through it at an enemy = more damage than you would have caused than just throwing the axe.
There are other great combo fields you can use, and take a good look at the various weapon skills, and then at the skills you can “buy” with skill points… it’s a great way to be an effective player.

3. Ok, I’m assuming you’re in Caldeon Forest… go into The Grove which is the “main city” of the Sylvari, and there will be portals you can take to Lion’s Arch, which houses more portals that allow you to go to each of the main cities of the norn, charr, human, and asura.

feel free to add me as friend- if I’m on, I’ll be happy to answer as many questions as I’m able.

Firstly, welcome

1. My only advice is do everything. Hearts and the Personal Story alone won’t level you up fully. You need to do Events as well. Gathering and crafting also grant XP.

2. Yeah, damage will be low. Melee damage tends to be higher than ranged, although it won’t be all that noticeable yet. As well as this, when you’re levelling, don’t go upgrading your gear every 2 – 3 levels – the stat difference isn’t worth it.

3. Your starter zone caters to levels 1 – 15.

I don’t mean to sound rude but if you’re coming to the forums already asking questions and you aren’t even level 5 yet. This game isn’t for you.

Peetee.9406:

I don’t mean to sound rude but if you’re coming to the forums already asking questions and you aren’t even level 5 yet. This game isn’t for you.

Sorry to tell you, that sounds extremely rude.

GW2 is a lot different from a traditional MMO in a lot of ways. If you’re used to WoW and other games where leveling is an obstacle to actually playing the game, it can be a bit of a shock. It’s better to ask questions from people who have already gone through it than to get confused and give up because it’s not what you’re used to.

Peetee.9406:

I don’t mean to sound rude but if you’re coming to the forums already asking questions and you aren’t even level 5 yet. This game isn’t for you.

‘I don’t mean to sound rude…’ is usually followed by something rude.

I’m trying to wrap my brain around the logic of a game not being for someone simply because they’re new and they’re asking questions because they’re unsure of things…

Welcome to the game!

1: Levelling in Guild Wars 2 isn’t quite like levelling in most other MMORPGs. Just killing random monsters is a very poor way to gain levels. Participating in Dynamic Events when they appear, completing Renown hearts, and just exploring the world are all good ways to progress. It’s not like the older games where you’re given set quests and automatically level up once you’re done them and so on (well, beyond the introductory scene for your chosen race, which puts you to level 2).

2: Your damage will improve as you level, but some of that is just that the shortbow simply isn’t a high-damage weapon (for a thief at least, I can’t speak for ranger). Melee tends to outdamage ranged in Guild Wars 2. Grabbing a sword or dagger for your thief, or a sword or greatsword for your ranger, should see your damage output rise. Also, try to ensure that your weapon isn’t more than 5 levels or so beneath your level, so that you don’t fall behind too much in damage. The rest of your gear can lag behind farther, but your weapon is more important.

Of course, at level 5, that’s not really too big a concern for you now.

3: You’ve actually probably not even set foot in your starter city yet! The Caledon Forest zone is the Sylvari ‘newbie zone’, for players levels 1 to 15. Your home city, The Grove, is to the south of Caledon Forest near where you were first born. That’s where you’ll find the bank, crafting stations and probably progress for your Personal Story at some point.

From The Grove, you can venture through the purple Asura Gate to reach the central hub city Lion’s Arch, and from there take other Asura Gates to reach the other racial cities and their own newbie zones, so if you don’t like the layout of Caledon you can try the snowy Norn areas or the militaristic Charr areas for variety. You need to be over level 15 to have a chance in zones besides these starter zones, with the Brisban Wildlands, Kessex Hills, Diessa Plateau and Snowden Drifts areas all being for levels 15-25. You can reach both Brisban and Kessex from the northern areas of Caledon Forest when you’re high enough level.

@OP:

1. The leveling speed depends on what you’re doing. If you’re killing mobs to gain xp, it may take awhile to level. As such, you’re advised to do Renowned Hearts and Dynamic Events when you come across them. Leveling at different levels are pretty linear in terms of speed, i.e. takes about the same time to level even on higher levels. If you wish to take a break from the PvE world, you can also level up in WvW.
2. Depending on what you mean by low damage, it’s almost certain that you won’t be one-shotting stuff anytime in the game because when you do visit a lower level zone later on, your level will be adjusted to match the zone level you’re in. If I remember correctly, Ranger and Thief does have pretty poor damage using shortbow. This is also because of the fact that you won’t have any trait points to invest until you hit level 10 and won’t have a plethora of skills at your disposal. As you advance upwards in level, your damage will get better (but not necessarily exponential).
3. You can go to other places (e.g. Human starter zones) without traveling too far by first getting to Lion’s Arch. You can do this by visiting any of the maps in WvW, and taking an Asura Portal from there. In Lion’s Arch, there is an area which has portals to the cities of all races which you can then use to visit other places. My advice is that you stick to zones that are not too far above your level.

Hope this helps.

Drejlord.5806:

1. What’s the average leveling speed? I’m not looking to powerlevel, but are you rushed in any way to get to max? It’s been a couple hours and I haven’t hit level 5 yet.

The leveling speed is more or less the same here at all levels, so you are maybe used to a system where the first levels go really fast but the later levels take forever. Here the first level seem to be a little slow in compare, but you maybe don’t need longer for 79-80 than from 4-5.

However leveling speed also has to do much with how many events you do since they give most of your exp.

Once you’re used to GW2 it may prove very hard to tolerate other game systems. I have some guildies who tried out the new Final Fantasy and reported their dismay on realizing they’d kill-stealed because they went to help someone else fight a mob.

You might want to look through
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/players/OMG-If-you-only-knew-this-tips-for-new-players/first
to get a lot of info on how the game works. It’s stickied in Players Helping Players.

Beldin.5498:

Drejlord.5806:

1. What’s the average leveling speed? I’m not looking to powerlevel, but are you rushed in any way to get to max? It’s been a couple hours and I haven’t hit level 5 yet.

The leveling speed is more or less the same here at all levels, so you are maybe used to a system where the first levels go really fast but the later levels take forever. Here the first level seem to be a little slow in compare, but you maybe don’t need longer for 79-80 than from 4-5.

However leveling speed also has to do much with how many events you do since they give most of your exp.

There’s also dailies and monthlies which give good xp and if you can get dynamic events that are in the same area as heart quests you can get a double reward of xp. My first and main toon I took a lot longer to level up than my alt’s. First time round I was looking under every rock and behind every tree etc. but by the time I was on my 3rd alt. it was steamroll time. Best just to enjoy it rather than worry about how fast you get to 80 on your first toon.

Go to the world map M in game that’ll show you zones connected to your starting area and the recommended level. You can also go to Lions Arch from where you can get to the starter zones for Asura, Human, Charr and Norn for a change of scenery.

Thanks for all the responses!

I actually created and deleted a good 20-something characters before I finally settled on the one I wanted to make as a main. I’m indecisive like that. ><

Currently leveling a ranger. It took me two days to figure out (after some extensive reading) that the game doesn’t seem to be all about specialization like WoW. Definitely not used to having so many weapon options for classes.

Another quick question though – I don’t seem to do very well when the mobs are one level higher. I’ve got to be at or above the level required for the area or I’ll get zerg swarmed and killed almost instantly. Does this get a bit better at higher levels? Currently at level 6 with my new (and final!) character.

@Peetee, I figured it’d be better to do it now than to get to level 50 and realize I’ve been doing it all wrong. Had to switch over to a more populated server, too. Definitely maing things easier.

It does get better, but you’ll also find that alts you make later find the content simpler because the game mechanics become instinctive to you. I can zip along in any profession from the start now and do pretty well even a level or two above my own. I always have an escape plan, though, such as stealth or swiftness or rooting foes while I flee in fear, and I try to unlock the nearest waypoint before diving into tough combat.

You don’t want to take on a pile of mobs that outrank you. You want to pull the singles and pairs from the edges and work your way slowly. Some NPCs will help, so if you can pull near gate guards that reduces your pain.

The way the game works, level difference between player and monster does make a large difference in effectiveness. A lower level player attacking a higher level monster will do less damage and get an increased number of “glancing blows” that do half damage. When it’s a higher level player fighting a lower level monster the opposite is true, though the level scaling system should ensure that players are never more than a few levels above the monster they’re facing. There’s a few areas in the game where you can be 4-5 levels higher than the monsters, and it’s very noticeable, they’ll die in only a few hits.

That effect of level disparity is used by the game to increase challenge in several areas, particularly with dynamic event scaling. In an end-game area like Orr, you might find a level 80 event where various monsters will attack a point and you’ll need to defend it. But if lots of players are present to help, the level and total number of attacking monsters will increase to up to level 84, four levels higher than any player can get themselves, ensuring that the event is still challenging.

Keep in mind, OP, that the world that you’re experiencing now, is what you can expect at 80. Your gear will be better, but you will still be scaled down to the appropriate level for a specific zone. Nothing is really different at 80, except that you will be pigeon-holed into a specific gear set up, and one of a few cookie cutter builds in order to maximize your effectiveness.

Welcome to GW2

There is nothing I could really add to what’s already been posted above as it’s all extremely good advice. Please feel free to add me in game as I’d be happy to help you out with questions or leveling or whatever and if you’re on the Tarnished Coast server I even have a guild set up mainly for those new to the game.

Dark Catalyst.1028:

Keep in mind, OP, that the world that you’re experiencing now, is what you can expect at 80. Your gear will be better, but you will still be scaled down to the appropriate level for a specific zone. Nothing is really different at 80, except that you will be pigeon-holed into a specific gear set up, and one of a few cookie cutter builds in order to maximize your effectiveness.

Begone troll. OP the game is whatever you choose to make it. Grumpy here is talking about a specific subset of the player base. Coming from WoW you’ll know the type when you see it.

You will be scaled but as you level up you will also unlock skills to pump up your power level a little vs a true level x. There are lots of helpful people in game, just ask around a bit.

Basharic.1654:

Dark Catalyst.1028:

Keep in mind, OP, that the world that you’re experiencing now, is what you can expect at 80. Your gear will be better, but you will still be scaled down to the appropriate level for a specific zone. Nothing is really different at 80, except that you will be pigeon-holed into a specific gear set up, and one of a few cookie cutter builds in order to maximize your effectiveness.

Begone troll. OP the game is whatever you choose to make it. Grumpy here is talking about a specific subset of the player base. Coming from WoW you’ll know the type when you see it.

You will be scaled but as you level up you will also unlock skills to pump up your power level a little vs a true level x. There are lots of helpful people in game, just ask around a bit.

Nah, not really. I tried a variety of builds for both my thief and mesmer, as well as different gear setups. Only one or two builds standout for each, and I chose to use what is most effective. I don’t even bother trying anything else out because this game has very poor build variety.

Why would you knowingly handicap yourself?

Basharic.1654:

Dark Catalyst.1028:

Keep in mind, OP, that the world that you’re experiencing now, is what you can expect at 80. Your gear will be better, but you will still be scaled down to the appropriate level for a specific zone. Nothing is really different at 80, except that you will be pigeon-holed into a specific gear set up, and one of a few cookie cutter builds in order to maximize your effectiveness.

Begone troll. OP the game is whatever you choose to make it. Grumpy here is talking about a specific subset of the player base. Coming from WoW you’ll know the type when you see it.

You will be scaled but as you level up you will also unlock skills to pump up your power level a little vs a true level x. There are lots of helpful people in game, just ask around a bit.

lol @ grumpy but to be honest he has a point and I wouldn’t call him a troll simply for telling it how it is for many players. I’ve been using the same gear/build on my main that I was 8 months ago because with having alt’s it’s too expensive to play around with different gear for me. But that is me and I suppose if I’d focused solely on one toon things would be different but I’d also have gotten bored and no doubt quit by now in this scenario.

Dark Catalyst.1028:

Basharic.1654:

Dark Catalyst.1028:

Keep in mind, OP, that the world that you’re experiencing now, is what you can expect at 80. Your gear will be better, but you will still be scaled down to the appropriate level for a specific zone. Nothing is really different at 80, except that you will be pigeon-holed into a specific gear set up, and one of a few cookie cutter builds in order to maximize your effectiveness.

Begone troll. OP the game is whatever you choose to make it. Grumpy here is talking about a specific subset of the player base. Coming from WoW you’ll know the type when you see it.

You will be scaled but as you level up you will also unlock skills to pump up your power level a little vs a true level x. There are lots of helpful people in game, just ask around a bit.

Nah, not really. I tried a variety of builds for both my thief and mesmer, as well as different gear setups. Only one or two builds standout for each, and I chose to use what is most effective. I don’t even bother trying anything else out because this game has very poor build variety.

Why would you knowingly handicap yourself?

The fact you think an “off” build is a handicap pretty much makes my point.

Why does it matter if you are enjoying it?

@ the OP:

Welcome to Guild Wars 2!

1. You asked about leveling speed… In general, I find that I can put a level on my characters in about an hour and a half, if I work at it. Sometimes it goes a bit faster, but sometimes it goes a bit slower, depending on my mood, and the content at the level I happen to be at. The cool thing is that it takes about the same amount of time to level from 79 to 80 as it does to level from 10 to 11. The content and leveling process makes it a flat leveling curve rather than taking progressively longer to level as you get higher.

2. You damage will feel low no matter which profession you try until you unlock your traits at 11. The exception is Great Sword Warrior, as it tends to steamroll everything in PvE until at least level 40 or so. Since you have said you are playing ranger, check out the ranger forums. There is a lot of good information there. Sometimes you have to search for it, but it is there.

3. Technically speaking, there is no level limit on “getting out of” your starter zone. You can physically go to any zone in the map at any level…but I wouldn’t recommend it. Any mob 5 or more levels above you are terribly difficult to kill, and many of them will tether to other mobs, so you get more than one at a time. My best advice would be to wander around the starting zone and become familiar with your character. When you get to level 14-15 venture into the next level area. If you finish all the content in the starter zone before you’re high enough level to go on, go to the Grove, and take the Asura Gates to Lion’s Arch, and from there to the capital cities of the other races, and then go to the lower level zones for each race. The content will still be challenging, and you’ll get to see the world in the process.

A couple minor things I have learned that may help you:

1. Learn to dodge! It may save your life, and at higher levels, it will save your life.

2. Don’t worry about armor too much. You’ll outlevel it fairly quickly. Others may do it differently, but I get new armor about every 10 levels. I get new weapons every 5.

3. Ignore the trolls. They are everywhere, and they will do everything in their power to try to convince you that GW2 is not fun, or has too many issues, or doesn’t give them everything right now, etc… Yes, there are some issues, but make your own decisions and let them blather on.

4. Save crafting for when you’re a bit higher level. Yes, it’s a good way to gain experience, and yes, you can make your own stuff for leveling, but it gets expensive pretty quickly, and there are some ingredients that can only be gained from certain places. In the case of Cook, there are some ingredients that can only be gained from Karma vendors (the heart-quest NPCs that turn into vendors when you complete the heart.) I recommend that you be around 20 before you start crafting, unless you’re rich.

5. Don’t let what a character feels like at level 12 define what it will be at level 80. Some professions are vastly different at level cap than they are at low levels.

Good luck to you, and if you need help/advice/conversation, add me to your friend list and give a yell. Chat is cross-server.