How do I begin PvP?
I think you misunderstand something.
you have access to everything in pvp ( heart of the mists). you have all trait points unlocked in pvp, something you would only have as lvl 80 in Pve.
your given a starter gear for pvp, but it can be changed easily and for free.
traits, utility skills, weapons, sigils and runes is free from npc vendors . you can change everything the way you want them for free as many times as you want.
if you have problems knowing what traits to use, then look for a pvp guide for your profession.
there is 2-3 different modes you can play pvp. you have the tournament mode, where you can join with a party or alone ( that makes 2), talk to the npc near the mystic forge. tournaments can not be quit once started. even if you log out or exit the game and come back.
Then there is the custom area. to the left of the purple lions arch portal there is another npc with a lot of servers open for you to join. you can come and go here as you want.
Take your time in the mist, you can fight against NPCs that have specific armor stats, NPCs that resemble specific professions and so on.
GuildWars 2
Currently playing Heart of Thorns.
Currently playing Heart of Thorns.
Are there more PvP modes that allow me to use my own playstyle and participate, and how do I go about accessing them?
What the above poster said is all true and accurate however you can also join WvW (the castle symbol) you are also scaled up to 80 the only difference is your gear, traits and everything stays the same and you can play with a lot more freedom ’’roaming’’ the world alone in a small group or in a big army taking castles camps points and generally epic fights.
Ah, I see. I was hoping they’d have some sort of capture the flag/defend point mode. Awesome.
Thank you for the advice on where to get the gear. Since I was able to get on my hands on d/d I am actually killing some people.
Thank you all for your advice and time.
the pvp in heart of the mists is the same regardless of custom or tournament. you have to capture 3 points and defend them. you get points for holding the points and for killing enemies and on one map 2 mobs. the maps is slightly different, but as i said, its mostly about getting the points. you also get different kinds of buffs or other things to play with on the different maps.
if you want another type of pvp, then there is wvw mentioned by another person. here you use your pve gear and is limited by your level on what you can get in traits and gear. However, wvw is very different from heart of the mists.
It’s worth knowing that the gear you use in PvE is useable in WvW and vice-versa.
And that you can buy level-appropriate gear in the WvW zones for karma.
That can save you a lot of gold – especially since WvW is an excellent source of karma itself.
Also, low level gear and your own stats are uplevelled to 80 while you are in WvW so you are not too badly disadvantaged against lvl80 players.
You got comprehensive enough answers, so I’m just going to add two little corrections:
NPCs that resemble specific professions and so on.
First, the NPCs you can fight only resemble the actual professions in very rough outlines. They’re very stupid (in AI terms), but make up for it by cheating wildly. For example, most of those classes have stats no player could have, blatantly ignore cooldowns/initiative regain (the Thief bot is known to spam skills, such as blinds, nearly infinitely), and will often pull completely random skills that class should never have (such as dual pistol thieves, hammer wielding warriors and longbow rangers suddenly and repeatedly pulling 3 second long full blocks).
As such, they in no way represent what those classes when used by players. Think of them as bots that fight back, with no real relation to the “real” classes.
Also, low level gear and your own stats are uplevelled to 80 while you are in WvW so you are not too badly disadvantaged against lvl80 players.
Secondly, this is correct but misleading. You are upscaled, so you aren’t in such a big disadvantage as, say, you’d be in WoW with a similar level difference (where you’d just get one shot), but you ARE at a disadvantage. Massive one most of the time. You’re lacking proper gear, traits and skills for the most part, which really makes a world of difference.
That’s ok, you level fast enough.
In sPvP (i.e.: the form of PvP that isn’t WvW) this doesn’t happen. You’re instantly a full level 80 with all benefits attached. Additionally, your build and gear in sPvP is completely separate from PvE and WvW, so feel free to experiment and do different things.
Goodluck.
Also, low level gear and your own stats are uplevelled to 80 while you are in WvW so you are not too badly disadvantaged against lvl80 players.
Secondly, this is correct but misleading. You are upscaled, so you aren’t in such a big disadvantage as, say, you’d be in WoW with a similar level difference (where you’d just get one shot), but you ARE at a disadvantage. Massive one most of the time. You’re lacking proper gear, traits and skills for the most part, which really makes a world of difference.
I wouldn’t say it’s misleading. There’s a difference, true but my point is that it’s not so bad, providing you keep your gear current (ish). In fact the WvW karma gear goes a long way to even out the difference.
You’ll be lacking traits and some valuable utility skills but you can even that out by playing more defensively and not rushing to the front of a zerg swinging your axe at a sea of red nametags.
I’m trying to say, it’s not as bad as people make out, certainly not ‘massive’. I levelled a guardian from about lvl10 all the way through WvW and had a real blast doing it. Many other people have done the same thing.
If you’re ‘in’ to PvP, and can’t stand PvE, it’s definitely the way to go.