Many people tend to over complicate leveling and make it a daunting task. Most players are able to level to 80 within 1 day because they have gold to spend on crafting supplies. But this is for players on a low gold budget or players who may have played the game at some point but want to start fresh.
Level 1-20:
When reaching level 20 it is pretty straight forward and only takes around 3-4 hours if you you really focus and grind. All you really have to do is do map exploration until you hit there. But don’t waste time getting 100% map area completion if you want it to go by fast. Just stick to the hearts and do any events you come across (never miss out on an even because you are doing a heart quest. Heart quests you can always come back to). You can eat food to help out as well and if you have some coin and access to the trade post a decent set of equipment will serve you well.
Level 20-40:
At level 20 you should be suit enough to begin participating in Edge of the Mists. But be sure to always do your Storyline. Edge of the Mists has currently undergone some changes. Instead of getting exp that goes towards your level you get WvW rank exp and Track progress.
The track progress is similar to PvP and you gain track completion points every 5 mins. With the tracks you are able to earn ToK (Tombs of Knowlege) about 8 per track. But that’s not the only way to earn ToK’s in Edge of this Mists. You gain 1 ToK each time you go up a rank. No I’m not entirely sure this is true for ranks 1-5 since I started off in the system at rank 5. But each time you rank you get a chest that consists of a ToK and this is where it is key to have EXP Boosters. You can get EXP Boosts from Laurel Merchants and they cost 1 laurel each. They give you +50% EXP gain in all game modes and last 30 mins. With EXP Boosts you should be banking with ToK’s. I would Typically get 3-4 per hour. Without exp boosts I got 2 and never more than that.
Levels 40-60:
40-60 should be your prime dungeon running levels. Not only are you changing your leveling method up every 20 levels but its also very efficient. Now EXP boosts may make the dungeon runs more rewarding but it is still possible to do it without them. You should have access to 2-3 different dungeons with different paths. Take the two lower level dungeons and divide each path to the next 10 levels (i.e. Path 1: lvl 40-43 Path 2: 43-47 Path 3: 47-50). You wont only gain experience but you may get some decent rewards such as special currencies to get armors and gold. If you find WvW as a quicker method you can go with that too for levels 40-60. Don’t forget about Personal Story!
Levels 60-80:
This will probably be the hardest part to push through from some individuals. You’re so close but you have been doing so much to get there and you just don’t feel like doing much. This is a good time to find someone your level or a friend that may play Guild Wars as well and to grind it out with you in WvW. Yes WvW is probably our sole way of leveling. It is very fast and efficient. Having a friend along side you allows you to enjoy yourself more instead of freaking out at the fact you are almost level 80 and how much you have to grind to get there. And time will fly believe it or not. I was at level 60 and I was playing with my friend and we were just talking and after 4 hours I had 10 ToK. Imagine if you were doing World Completion where its on average 1 level per hour. That cuts off around roughly 62-65% of your time. This should only take you less than 1 day. If I can do it you can do it. I spent about 30 Laurels and am quickly earning them back from daily rewards. And who knows you may just have Celebration Boosters sitting in your bank and you could end up saving your precious laurels.
3 Days is all it took me with average gameplay of 6 hours per day. Maybe even less on my first day. But break it down however you like and remember to be patient and don’t get caught in “the dream” of having a level 80 but instead push for the reality. Best of luck.
If you want to join me in game, follow me or mail me on any of my Characters.
Char: Katara Aldine, Quinn Aldine, Etheus Aldine,