Guild Wars 2

I have such a hard time sticking to one profession in this game. In other MMOs I have had alts but I always had a guy I knew I was gonna lvl first.

My question is NOT what to play. I seek tips from other Altoholics, who perhaps have found a way to figure out which char to stick with.

None of the profession sticks to me. I enjoy the game (story and the scenery of the maps)

I have a Guardian, Necromancer, Elementalist, Engineer, Thief and Ranger. Have played all those to 20+ some 30+ I have tried the Mesmer and the Warrior but they did not stick either so I deleted them for the others.

After I came home from a long day at work I wanted to sit down and game a bit, but I didn’t want to log in to any of my chars.

Any help is welcome, I don’t want to give up on this game as I enjoy it immensely but I need to find a fkn main.

I had the exact same problem. I think for me, the issue was the lack of skills available, which compared to other MMO’s I was used to, seemed a little pale in comparison.

So I ended up playing the Elementalist first, since by changing through the 4 different elements, gives you a much wider variety of skills to play with, which I liked. Of course, now that I have spent a lot more time in the game, I am now used the smaller set of skills, and actually really enjoy it.

After I got my ele to 80, I started on my Ranger and got that to 80 last night, which actually ended up being much more fun to play for me.

My next “alt” will be Thief or Warrior

I’m starting to feel the same way.

It does help to have at least one favorite that you level up because the storyline does progress. Doing several chars up to level 30 is really boring because the story 1-30 is very similar for any profession and it starts to feel like a grind.

For me the one I leveled was human Ranger, it was originally my last choice, but surprisingly I actually liked it best for long term play.

You may find a different class race more to your liking.

I just play whatever I feel like playing. Flavor of the week for me is the Necromancer. If you want to avoid replaying the same content, but still get in some variety, try doing sPvP on different classes and focus on progressing one or two through the story. I think I’m to the point where I want to progress my Necro/Mesmer/Guardian through the stories, and I unlocked enough slots to have one of each character to do sPvP or do a little story with here and there.

And yes, this game is a nightmare for alt-oholics. I’ve changed my mind about my “main” about once a week.

I’ve been in a similar way. I think a big part of the indecision is the lack of defined class roles most people are accustomed to, knowing right from the character select what you can expect and what can be expected of you.

I had planned to be an elementalist, and leveled one to 50, but as I leveled the class seemed to have an inverse growth, feeling weaker rather than stronger as you level up. I liked the complex playstyle, but at the end of it, it was putting in the extra effort for the same payout, all the while a metaphorical gorilla is constantly throwing barrels at you. I was a bit heartbroken after that, elementalist was the character I rolled with the longest in GW1, primarily as a PBAoE fire or earth, and loved it. So far I’ve tried engineer, thief, and guardian, but nothing has quite given me that buzz I used to get back then.

I think what has helped me is to think about my past experiences and identify exactly what it is specifically about a class and play style that makes me like it. Which has helped me get outside opinions to steer me toward what will hopefully be a better fit. So right now I’m trying a hammer warrior, still low leveled but seems like it meets the criteria of what I like in a class.

Basically, you’re kittened. This game is an altoholics nightmare. If you can set one class up 14 different ways (at least), and the same is true of every class, then what chance do we stand, eh? I haven’t had trouble settling on a main. I’ve taken the Engineer to the cap, even though it’s broken, but I’ve also played around reasonably seriously with 4 of the remaining 7 (anywhere from 15 to 40+).

As a dedicated altoholic and, I believe, a pretty good games-player, my considered opinion is that I’ll be lucky if I can main 2 classes & maintain competency on 2 more. It’s more than likely that, on 5 classes, I will be a one trick pony, able to play with one, maybe two, set-ups, and unable to fully appreciate / enjoy the power of all. Ain’ kitten Hell?

{edit} Oh dear. The profanity filter has gone overboard. The kitten should just be “it”. The missing letter after the apostrophe makes the first word “Ain’t”.{/edit}

I have one of everything and unfortunately, no useful advice. I started with a Ranger main, who I leveled to 80 in short order. At the same time as I started the Ranger, I also started four alts, who generally sat unused for the first couple of weeks. But after I capped my first two crafting disciplines, I decided that I had enough mats sitting around to jump start the disciplines for those alts, which in turn, started me on the leveling path for them.

Now I have one of each profession, all but the Ranger at varying stages of early play (between 15 and 32), all of which want my attention. My Elementalist has been getting the lion’s share of that recently, based only on the shallowest of rationales: she looks so cute in her crafted armor. I’ve found the armor for the others to be pretty lackluster so I’m just not as enthusiastic to see them. Yup, it’s that simple. Gameplay isn’t even a factor right now, it’s all eye candy.

Eventually I’m going to bear down and get leveled, but I’m not in that much of a hurry anymore. I was pushing for a legendary so I started off with mat hunting being a priority, but when I discovered the WvW requirement associated with it, my interest tailed off drastically. Now that I’m not focused on high level gathering anymore, I’m mostly just coasting with my alts. The only goal really is to get them out of their dull armor sets and into something spiffy and cool. Until then, they are largely interchangeable.

Maybe I’ll go home tonight and wake up my Thief. She’s been wallowing in rags for too long…

In my case, I started several characters, deleted some, restarted some, deleted more of them and started again. I couldn’t find one that really clicked. I was basing my “I like this character” decission on how it played with the default weapon, though.

On my later alts, I decided that I would do enough playing on each character to learn all the weapon skills (main hand and off hand) so that I could see how each weapon played. On the elementalist, I did every weapon combination with every elemental focus. Gaining experience with all the weapons helped me find out what meshed well with my play style, and I’m much happier with my characters, now.

My main is an elementalist using a staff. I typically use fire spells, but I’ve put a lot of points into water and earth so I have good defense and I can do a decent job of healing myself, since the elementalist takes a beating if anything gets close. My second favorite character is a mesmer using a greatsword. I’m kind of at a disadvantage in multi-mob fights, but I feel extrememly powerful in 1v1 fights. Besides, it’s just cool to throw a giant 2-hand sword at someone and see it bounce around 2 or 3 times. It makes me smile.

Spamming alts is a habit that needs breaking. I used to be the worlds WORST altoholic…..by FAR! I had like multiple max levels in WoW, I’m talking like 20+ on different servers, same classes. I was bad…And I hated myself for it, because I could not ever progress. Honestly I just got tired of it and promised myself never again.

I have no idea, but now I immediately know what I want and stick with it. And I rather surprised myself, when I got my Thief to 80, and my highest level alt was a level 6 Guardian…lol….everything fall in place for me, and I just make the decision to stick with it, and I did.

It’s a hard as crap habit to break though. But you just need to sit down, and do what I did, turn the game off, think about all the classes and how they will play into your game. You want something fun in WvW and sPvP right?

Would you rather be a tanky role that gives heals but don’t do much damage? Guardian

Would you want a frontline heavy armor profession that pumps out crazy melee dmg and AoE? Warrior

Stealther that also has ranged options with AoE, or melee options with bleeds or crazy single target burst specs? Thief

Master of kiting and AoE from range? Engineer

Good single target dmg from range? Ranger

Good AoE ability magic from range? Elementalist

Ranged damage with less dmg than Ele, but more utility? Mesmer

I don’t know much about Necro. But what I did, was just browse over all the classes forums, and read up on all of them, then I made my decision and stuck with it.

Hopefully you can do the same. Wish you the best of luck.

I just go with a much more simplier logic 3 Orders 3 mains, to get the account banners,

Priory - my Main Main Guardian for healing gear rewards and Cause Priory is has OP artifacts and gadgets. this storyline is the easiest

Vigil - Elementalist ( the mentor tanks for me)

whispers - Ranger or theif for their sneaky hit and run type missions

On other games I’ve never been much of altoholic. After playing this one for a few days and trying out a few different professions I was having a similar issue and couldn’t decide on a main. I had fun playing several different classes. So how do I choose? My answer was I didn’t.

There is no rule book that says I have to have a ‘main’ and work that one up first. I have five characters now and over the past few days have been leveling them up at relatively the same pace. The ability to travel to different starting locals and whatever area I feel like in this game is making it quite fun. I’m also leveling all the crafting professions at the same time and working my characters as a team. Need some mats to make a piece for one character? I just switch to another to gather what I need and explore and level at the same time. I’ve sent ones off to gather cooking supplies as they all aren’t found in all areas.

In doing this I’m seeing so much of the whole game rather then concentrating just in a small area. My ranger is a bit ahead of the crowd right now just because I was having fun and played it a bit more. I could say it’s my ‘main’ but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will stay that way if I just feel like playing in a different style. I could end up feeling like pushing one to 80 or I could not.

Playing this way it will definately take me a loooong time to get to 80 with any of them but who cares. I’m having fun and well…just playing which is the point of a game. lol

My point I guess is that there really is no reason or rule you have to choose one character and only work on one at a time. If your having fun playing one type one day and another the next then just play that way. This game is set up really well play this way in terms of available content. One may end up pulling ahead and becoming a main as you play or it may not.

I’m not really worried about having a “main”, so to speak. I’m a life-time member of Altoholics Anonymous, and plan to have probably one of every profession. I’ve already rolled a ranger, ele, necro, mesmer, theif and guardian. I stuck on the ranger until it hit 80, mainly because I find it easier to access every zone for farming with the pet. Since then, I’ve been bouncing between the necro, mesmer and thief for now. None of them are 20 yet, but I’m slowly getting a feel for how each plays. Eventually, all will be 80 and can then fill in for whichever role the guild dungeon runs need. I just play what I feel like playing on the day and not worry about who is going to get the most love.

OP here.

Nice to see all of your comments, I have read them all. I started out as a thief but stopped because of the Heartseeker ability and that there now were thieves everywhere. So my “main” usually has a certain name which is now on a char I dont want to play but wont delete because he is too high lvl.

I just converted enough gold to buy another char slot, and I started the Mesmer again.. Gonna give it another go… (Here we go again)

I dont want to join a guild until I can say who my main is, so I want to find one.

TY for the replies guys. It’s nice knowing others have the same “issues”, technically I would say that we might get more out of the game since we play everything but it is taking its told because I unlock all the maps I can on all chars.. I cant stop myself. lol

I think most guilds, decent guilds anyway, will not care about you bouncing around alts, and not having a main. I know I don’t. What matters is whether you’re a giver or a taker. No-one likes a leech! So I wouldn’t let that stop you looking for a guild. Apart from anything else, you’ll have a more immediate arena than the forum in which to ask the inevitable questions!

@ Raedwulf

You are probably right. Although I personally would not feel great about it. That is the factor holding me back. Might just say F it, and perhaps something will fall in place once I find a guild.

Quick everyone, this Alto-holic player here does need help!!
Hes talking crazy talk! About things like having a main!

A true Alto-holic does not have a main. I am beginning to worry about you!

Why do you want a main? What reason is there to just play one character?
What are you going to do when you reach lvl 80 with your main?
Do you really enjoy doing the same level cap content over and over again grinding away for gear, karma or whatever?
Isnt it more fun to have a variety of characters to choose from with different playstyles to do different content and personal stories of all levels depending on what your in the mood for?
Wouldnt it be boring logging in to the same character every day?

These are the questions you have to ask yourself!
Its all about what you find fun doing.

I swear, the first time i read the title of this thread, i thought the OP meant he was addicted to holding the ALT button on his keyboard…

I know i am.

Like Mythh says…if you’re leaning towards having a main, then you’re straying from the path of true “altaholicism”.

Be healed, my son! Come back to the Light!…ummm…Lights!

I set level goals, get all my alts to 15…25…30… etc. I sort of randomly cycle through them, stopping one when it gets to that goal, until they’re all there- then I start over again for the next goal. It works pretty well. I only have one of my alts doing any major crafting, too, so I don’t get lost on who’s doing what.

I have one character of each class that I take up 10 levels at a time everyone to ten then everyone to 20 then everyone to 30. it doesn’t take long to get to any ten levels in this game so it’s not so bad.

I was going to say I have the opposite problem because I found a perfect fit with my Mesmer, but then again I’m having trouble finding an alt to level because none besides that really engage me all that much.

i’m one of the people that needed to get a character to 80 immediately (completely irrational compulsion but i felt better after i did it). after that i was a lot more loose about what i did so i have just been playing different characters depending on what friends are online. i must like guardian because she’s 76 already. i think it’s probably a goodidea to play a single character for long enough to be able to come up with a build idea and start implimenting it. then you can switch willy-nilly and have a good time pushing the wrong buttons because i was used to playing another character.