Guild Wars 2

I must be missing something here, what exactly is an alt and why do I see a lot of people talking about crafting to lvl them? They have a story and dynamic events too. The way people talk about them it would seem like they are completely different than just another character. Also I searched alts and alternates so if this has been discussed before my mistake, I couldn’t find it

alt = alternate character, not a player’s primary character

Crafting is a quick way of leveling that many people utilize if they have the resources to do so. Not everyone who goes through their first character is willing to take the long, slow, story route with characters that follow.

That makes sense, I think I just forgot about WvW and PvP when I was completely confused about this. Mostly I think I only see this game as a story. I’ve only been playing for a short amount of time, I haven’t yet experienced the things this game offers outside of the story. Thanks for clearing things up

You’re welcome. Oh and please enjoy the game whole-heartedly while you can. The whole “alt leveling” bit while fun on its own isn’t the same as that first character. IMO.

I’m really enjoying it. If I’m not at work I’m playing it. It’s been a long time since a game got me like this one. The only down side is there is a lot of time spent wandering around looking for events to lvl up with in between story quest. But now that I’m learning more about the game it’s getting way better

I don’t have alts. I have 5 mains.

That’s why there are hearts to do, gathering and just general killing and exploring while you are ‘wandering around to the next event’. There is always something to do. Gather everything, it’s free experience and materials. Kill as many ‘yellow’ mobs as you can. They give bonus experience (if you have not killed a ton of them recently).

Remember to gather all the materials you pass as you are wandering. That’s a big chunk of the total exp you can get clearing a map, and a good way to make money (or you can use it to craft which also gives you exp).

Also, talk to and/or observe any NPCs you see, some of them will start event chains. Many events lead into each other and end in a boss fight of some sort, but there is often a down time between stages where it can appear nothing is happening if you aren’t watching the incidental NPC dialogue. Running from one place looking for events can often take you away from events, if that makes sense.

The original designers meant for players to explore, interact with and participate in the world, not focus on the goal of leveling. That’s changed a lot with living story events and festival content like the current crown pavilion, but all the old content is still there in the open world (well, mostly).

There are several different games within the game. WvWvW, sPvP, open world PvE, world events, dungeons. They all provide ways to get loot and exp in various proportions related to your success.