Guild Wars 2

I just logged on after awhile, and I was gifted a instant level 20 boost. My character was level 2. I thought it was nice, but I barely have any good gear, and the first quest involved a level 8 and I almost died. I am still very new. I got some gear from level rewards, but not much, and not really good enough. Any advice would helpful!

how interesting

the way scaling works, you need to keep your gear within 5-10 levels of your current level, otherwise the game will get pretty hard and youll feel weak.

heres what i would do:
for now, avoid your personal story quests. do a few yellow heart quests in open world to make a few silver and karma. you might get some relevant gear drops from just killing mobs.

then, in every city there are always vendors that sell white power based gear. theyll have a sword (weapons) or a shield (armor) icon on your map/minimap. fill in whatever you dont have with the silver you make from the hearts.

if you dont wanna spend silver, since its good for waypoint costs… the karma you get from events and hearts can be used in your home server’s borderland citadel — there is a vendor there named “karma trader” that sells blues scaled to your level (push b for wvw UI, the server with the house by it is yours, go to that borderland, and walk due south for about 5 seconds after you spawn into the map, when youre done buying push b again and theres a leave button on the bottom right).

use the trading post
Or go around killing random lvl 2 enemys they will drop lvl 2 and and your toons lvl gear

Go back to the start, the level 2 heart, and go from there. As you play you’ll get gear drops in your level and and you will also learn how to play. Some heart merchants also sell gear, though at that level it’s mostly trinkets.

When you’ve gotten gear from drops or buying them and you know how to play better you can move into a higher level area.

So let me get this straight…

Your character’s level 20 with all the gear from level up rewards and you’re having trouble with a level 8 creature (one?). This, then, has nothing to do with equipment or stats.

Mind revealing your character’s class and what were you fighting where?

Umh. The levelling reward equipment by lvl 20 does not fully outfit a character. Not even close.

I have not checked just now but blue lvl 20 gear is usually quite inexpensive.

The gear you get from drops and level up is actually good enough that you don’t need to buy anything. It does come down to knowledge and experience though (I have done a new account from zero to 80 recently).
Don’t try to take on mobs above your level until you are more comfortable with your play style.
Travel around the various starter zones, nothing is stopping you and you get a lot of experience.
Find a mob you know you can kill and learn dodges blinds, whatever. If you are not taking damage from that go up in difficulty.
GL

I stumbled upon this because I too am a boomerang (haven’t played since GW2 launch) and found an instant-20-token waiting in my mailbox.

So now I’m on my level 20 engineer, in my starting area, with no clue what to do/where to go.

It’s not about being a bad player but MMOs can be overwhelming when you first login. Takes hours to even figure out the UI.

So the most logical choice if you are fresh level 20 with no gear, in the level 1 zone, is…

1. Buy level 20 gear from vendors and
2. Go to level 20 zone and start doing hearts

Correct?

(Thanks from a newbie!)

Hateface.8315:

I stumbled upon this because I too am a boomerang (haven’t played since GW2 launch) and found an instant-20-token waiting in my mailbox.

So now I’m on my level 20 engineer, in my starting area, with no clue what to do/where to go.

It’s not about being a bad player but MMOs can be overwhelming when you first login. Takes hours to even figure out the UI.

So the most logical choice if you are fresh level 20 with no gear, in the level 1 zone, is…

1. Buy level 20 gear from vendors and
2. Go to level 20 zone and start doing hearts

Correct?

(Thanks from a newbie!)

Not really.
If you want to learn you can go to any zone even the starter zones. You level is adjusted to the area. Like I said above learn dodges and damage mitigation and it will ’ve of huge benefit to you for the rest of the time you are playing.
Take it slowly, what you learn early will have a huge impact layer on.
Buying from the trading post is generally cheaper that merchant equipment as well.

If you want to buy equipment, I’d recommend the Black Lion Trading Post over NPC vendors. That way you can guarantee that your character is fitted with the correct stat prioritisation, i.e. a Power build won’t have worthless Condition Damage equipment, etc.

As far as what to do for leveling, even with the Level 20 token, here are my suggestions:

1) The slow and steady
Make sure the Personal Tracker (Options > Gameplay) is set to All and complete (100%) each new map. Switch to the Personal Story quests when available (every 10 levels) since those give pretty good rewards.

2) The I-wanna-be-80-yesterday
Hope into Eye of the Mist and follow any groups you happen upon, eventually merging into the massive zerg.

Don’t fight enemies that are 2 or more levels above you when you are still below level 80. Even playing with level 80 characters, you would notice that enemies that are level 82 and above seems to have a lot more HP than enemies at your level. Keep in mind that it’s not only your character level you have to look at, your gear level as well is important. Keep your gear updated as often as possible (every 5 levels atleast).

insanemaniac.2456:

how interesting

the way scaling works, you need to keep your gear within 5-10 levels of your current level, otherwise the game will get pretty hard and youll feel weak.

heres what i would do:
for now, avoid your personal story quests. do a few yellow heart quests in open world to make a few silver and karma. you might get some relevant gear drops from just killing mobs.

then, in every city there are always vendors that sell white power based gear. theyll have a sword (weapons) or a shield (armor) icon on your map/minimap. fill in whatever you dont have with the silver you make from the hearts.

if you dont wanna spend silver, since its good for waypoint costs… the karma you get from events and hearts can be used in your home server’s borderland citadel — there is a vendor there named “karma trader” that sells blues scaled to your level (push b for wvw UI, the server with the house by it is yours, go to that borderland, and walk due south for about 5 seconds after you spawn into the map, when youre done buying push b again and theres a leave button on the bottom right).

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you! In hindsight, since I am extremely new, I did not realize the affect of instant leveling to 20 would have on my gameplay. Personally, I can get carried away with instant gratification. I appreciate your help a lot!

Ojimaru.8970:

So let me get this straight…

Your character’s level 20 with all the gear from level up rewards and you’re having trouble with a level 8 creature (one?). This, then, has nothing to do with equipment or stats.

Mind revealing your character’s class and what were you fighting where?

The question was answered, but I want to explain myself better. Yes, I did get gear. However, the gear wasn’t even close to what I needed for a level 20, and I only got a few items. Weapon/ring/ cape and one other. There were 2 level 8 creatures, but one of them nearly killed me with a whirlwind attack in about 3 to 4 hits. This character is a Necromancer, and I was doing a level 10 personal quest.

Do all the 1-15 maps ( map completion), then all the 15-25, then all the 25-….. you get the idea.
Go back and do personal story when you are 10 lvls above what the story is asking for.
You will always be ahead that way. Keep your armor up to your lvl and add the enhancements to them. Mine everything as well, break down the armor, weapons you don’t use or want. Sell unwanted stuff to vendors and tp if possible. If you are lvl 20 using lvl 8 gear—-you will have your hat handed to you.

As a light armour character, necromancers tend to be rather squishy, especially if you haven’t quite mastered the game mechanics or figured out your play style yet.

Regardless, no matter what level you are, the first 3 combat rules of GW2 are: dodge, dodge, dodge. Don’t stay rooted in one spot, thinking you can take the hits, even if your gear is fully up to spec.

Since you are a necro, try to use your minions for extra help. Shadow Find is pretty good and has a blind skill to help you out in tough spot. The devourer minion is ranged and does decent damage as well. As soon as your elite skill unlocks (at 30, I think), equip the Flesh Golem, he’s a huge help in sticky situations.