Guild Wars 2

I want to start by saying that I haven’t been playing very long, so that may factor into things a little bit, but I feel like I’m hitting a wall rather fast. I don’t really know the best way to describe it.

I started off doing my story missions and renown NPCs, as well as random zone events. My story missions seemed to scale in difficulty rather fast. I found myself just roaming around the first zone grinding to 10 so I could continue my story. It seemed kind of odd, which is why I came here to ask what’s up.

I don’t spend large sessions playing this game, and try to ration it so I don’t get bored like other MMOs, but I still seem to be hitting the grind wall. Maybe this game isn’t as casual as I thought :P.

I took a stint with my newly joined guild into WvW, but didn’t fair much better. to put things in perspective, it felt like playing DayZ. Run around for a long time, find a fight, die, repeat.

I feel like I’m not gasping something here, and it’s the root of my problems. It seems odd that I should be experiencing this from what I believe is a great game.

I’d suggest to first explore your starter map.
It ranges from lv1 to 15 zones and if you pay attention on not getting in a lv10 zone while yo’re stil lv5, there won’t be a big problem.

If you’ve finished, go to your home city, take the portal to lion’s arc, take another portal to another city and explore another starter map.

There are 5 starter maps scaling from lv1 to 15 – one for each race and beneath their main city – and once you’ve completed them all, you should be around lv25 and able to go on more easily.

Make sure to explore to all the waypoints and points of interest as well, and get some cheap gathering tools so you can harvest every node you see. Maybe take up crafting once you have harvested some mats, there’s amazing xp to be had from that to fill in a level at need (but remember to level crafting by discovering new items to make, not by cranking out stuff you already have learned).

You also gain XP from reviving allies (NPCs and other players), and completing daily/monthly achievements also gives XP. Take part in dynamic events whenever they pop up as well.

Combat tips:
1. Knowledge
Make sure to read the stickied posts at the top of this forum, and in particular check out DreamyAbaddon’s videos about Damage, Control and Support.

Related to this is becoming familiar with weapon and utility skills and choosing the right tools for different encounters (eg. when outnumbered like in some Personal Story missions, bring AoE attacks).

2. Equipment
Make sure your equipment is kept reasonably up to date (at least within 5 levels of your character’s level), and that the stat bonuses are useful for the way you play. When starting out and getting familiar with the combat system, try and buy/craft Vitality boosting equipment (provides more health).

Runes are also useful at an early level. These are upgrades applied to your armour and if you equip a different Vitality boosting rune on each piece of armour you will get between 40-60 Vitality (400-600 Health) depending on whether you have shoulder/helm armour.

You might not have enough cash or crafting materials to get a set of armor or runes, but one thing that you can probably craft right now is a Rune of Life. This is the equivalent of +2 Vitality (20 Health) per rune.

3. Dodge
It’s much better not to get hit in the first place, but you can consider the Vitality boosting equipment to be “training wheels” until you become familiar with survival techniques in Tyria.

Aside from learning to dodge big attacks, you might find the following post useful (shameless self plug :-P):
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/players/Damage-avoidance-for-new-players/first

Depending on the profession you play, the weapons you use and the utility skills you have learned, you will probably have access to Blocks, Blinds and/or Evades. Become familiar with the effects and make use of them to avoid taking damage.

These methods work regardless of your level or stats so they are much more effective than loading up on Toughness or Vitality gear in the long run.