Guild Wars 2

Hey guys,

I’m returning after a year+ break, and finding myself wondering wtf is going on with my sub-80 characters.

Looking through a dozen threads I see there’s something called NPE, and claims that it should do this; claims that there’s misinformation being spread about that; and suggestions by producers that it’s broken anyway.

I’ve just trying spending the afternoon playing various toons and I’m really not enjoying it very much – some skills seem to be locked (gated I guess), but others aren’t…I’m guessing if you have them already they stay, if not you’re stuck with the gate.

I get that games need to attract new players to enjoy a long, healthy life, but please spare a thought for returning players. I understood the old game, and I liked it – it just needs more to do. At the moment, I have to do more (or the same, it looks like), with less to do it with, and I’m not putting money in a slot for that.

Whatever comes about (assuming this stuff is subject to change), please consider putting up a guide for returning players, because your New Player Experience needs an Old Player Tutorial. :/

I mean this with the warmest of respect.

Some of the NPE as it applies to veteran players is reportedly bugged, with a fix incoming sometime this week.

As of late last week, weapon skills are unlocked by leveling, not by killing mobs. You’ll have all five by level 10. Utility skills have been moved back in the leveling process. You get 1 at 13, 1 at 24 (?) and one at 35, with the elite at 40. Leveling speed from 1-15 has been increased. The idea was that the unlocks would come at ~ the same time as before, even though the level number is different.

Traits were changed this past April (i.e., not part of NPE). Instead of unlocking at 11, they unlock at 30 (you get five trait points at thirty, then every six levels you get 5 more. At high levels, acquisition speeds up. Master traits unlock now at 60 and Grandmaster at 80. You can now change your traits anywhere, no cost, as long as you aren’t in combat.

Both the April trait changes and the recent NPE were accompanied by mobs being made easier at lower levels to compensate for less being available to players. Whether this means the leveling experience is the same depends on the player.

this game will be GTA-like by 2016