Guild Wars 2

So, this might be a somewhat obvious question, but I’m fairly new to this game and none of my friends who play have touched any of the PvP features.

I’m curious, since there’s a ‘cap’ on the number of people who can jump in to these (at least with WvW, to my understanding) is there any way to tell if new players are welcome or unwelcome at certain times / in a certain place? I guess I’m mostly worried about a big guild or a large group of friends doing this organized thing (like with teamspeak or something of that nature),who only want people in there that would cooperate with their ~secret strategy~, and then me showing up and ruining everything not knowing what I’m doing. And possibly taking up a spot that another one of their group members might want.

I’m guessing there’s no way for them to ‘claim’ an entire session for themselves, but I was curious if there was any sort of unspoken, in-game ‘manners’ about this or not. At the same time, this worry may be ill-founded, because the caps might barely ever be filled. But I just don’t know.

What I do know is when / if I join one of these things, I’m going to be flailing around like an idiot for a while trying to figure out what’s going on. Haha.

I don’t see how your wanting to enter WvW and try to learn the aspects of it should be a problem. I understand your not wanting to kind of undermine some unwritten rule and have people disappointed with you. However you have every right to enter WvW, PvP as everyone else.

There are already people taking up spots in WvW by setting up dueling areas where there isn’t really an attempt to play the actual WvW. It just happens to be the only place in the game right now where people can organize dueling. Although this is usually done in a rather benign area of the map, those engaged in the dueling even are taking traditional WvW spots. It is somewhat controversial and you can read more about it here:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Unofficial-Dueling-Area-in-WvW-Look/first

So I think if other players feel they have the right to do this then you have the right to jump in and participate any time you want. I am on the fence on the dueling issue myself but I don’t do much WvW.

I have seen a commander who would only accept join requests if the player was on teamspeak, but then teamspeak is not necessary anyway nor is being in a commanders group.

There are no unspoken manners about grouping. Stay with the group and do what they do, unless you don’t and then you are of course on your own.

There are some general rules about WvW that you haven’t asked about. Don’t take supply from towers, only supply camps in most situations. The towers need them for upgrades. I’ve seen a commander who was very upset that one particular player kept placing un-superior siege down and using up precious supply that could have been used for the superior siege that was, during that run, readily available and much better.

There are guilds who have been known to want to have a battleground all to themselves. Screw them.

You paid for the game and have every right to play as anyone else. Alot of the servers do have teamspeak or something and it doesn’t hurt to hear what they have to say. Depending on your class there may be requests to do a particulary thing once in a while but don’t feel compeled to comply. All contributions are appreciated. Having said that, as an Elementalist I will almost always play my staff during seiges to clear the walls and provide some healing for siege at the gates. It is a team event after all.

Thanks guys, both of these replies help.

Baladir, you said “Alot of the servers do have teamspeak or something and it doesn’t hurt to hear what they have to say.” Do you mean that the server itself has a public teamspeak channel somewhere, or is it more of a private, variable thing? Cause if there was a public spot that’s pretty cool, and I’d be curious where to find the info if that was the case.

And hah, if the dueling thing is happening, then I won’t worry so much. I’m not sure how I necessarily feel about that either, but it seems a lot more fair to jump in and try to play the actual WvW scenario, albeit being new / not in a guild and so on, instead of doing something else entirely.

I’m intending to read up on a lot of what’s on the forums and wiki about WvW before actually trying it, because I’d rather not be that guy that is screwing up all the battle plans out of sheer ignorance. (I’ll keep that supply thing in mind for sure.) I won’t know a lot until I try it, but I figured some more specific ‘common courtesy’ things to WvW might not be so explicitly stated, and difficult to just pick up without any friends in the know. Glad that it doesn’t seem there is anything more than the obvious. :>

Since class was mentioned, my main is a Mesmer, and I know that they have some particular abilities that are often considered useful, so there’s also that. I’ve picked up that portaling is a big one, but otherwise I don’t know much else off the top of my head. I’d really like to be useful for the team, just a matter of research and jumping in, I guess.

Get in there and ask questions!

Some people will inevitably be annoyed at a “noob,” but that will stand true no matter what. Most will be appreciative you are actively trying to learn, and will help you out with (mostly) anything you need.

With your mesmer, practice portal kiting. You can move your group/zerg from one side of the field to another in a flash. Most frequently though, people only use it to portal bomb.

Just know that some people get pretty freaked out when they see a portal, since they expect an incoming bomb. Kind of funny in that regard.

I rarely see portal being used to its full capacity, or even close to it. Just be aware that it is a PvP environment, and that means tons of whining, blame games, etc. It also means some of the best and most dynamic gameplay you can get.

Check out the WVW forum and find the match thread for your server. Ask in there if they have any advice, and you might find some people on your server willing to take you on a run in wvw to show you the ropes. Most servers seem pretty happy to have new players wanting to try out wvw. Good luck and See you on the battlefield

edited: Just seen your question on teamspeak. Most servers do have some form of voice comm. You can ask in your Lions Arch or in WVW and someone should have the info for you. Again, don’t be nervous just jump on in. Always keep supply on you, and listen to your team and you’ll be fine.

Thank you both. :>

I did some jumping around with portals yesterday, and it’s good to know the expectations involved there, haha.

I also browsed around the WvW forum some the other day, and I didn’t know that there were explicit threads for each server. That’s a good thing to know too. I’ll definitely check that out, and ask about the teamspeak also. It seems like it could be really fun, and even better if people are willing to help. :P

Dasair.4307:

So, this might be a somewhat obvious question, but I’m fairly new to this game and none of my friends who play have touched any of the PvP features.

I’m curious, since there’s a ‘cap’ on the number of people who can jump in to these (at least with WvW, to my understanding) is there any way to tell if new players are welcome or unwelcome at certain times / in a certain place? I guess I’m mostly worried about a big guild or a large group of friends doing this organized thing (like with teamspeak or something of that nature),who only want people in there that would cooperate with their ~secret strategy~, and then me showing up and ruining everything not knowing what I’m doing. And possibly taking up a spot that another one of their group members might want.

I’m guessing there’s no way for them to ‘claim’ an entire session for themselves, but I was curious if there was any sort of unspoken, in-game ‘manners’ about this or not. At the same time, this worry may be ill-founded, because the caps might barely ever be filled. But I just don’t know.

What I do know is when / if I join one of these things, I’m going to be flailing around like an idiot for a while trying to figure out what’s going on. Haha.

If you want to join WvW then by all means join the battle. Their is plenty for you to do solo, take camps etc. Or you can find a commander tag on the map and join or follow them. On my server their is a ts3 set up that any one from the server can hop into and be part of the action.

What server do you play on?

Bailey.6892:

If you want to join WvW then by all means join the battle. Their is plenty for you to do solo, take camps etc. Or you can find a commander tag on the map and join or follow them. On my server their is a ts3 set up that any one from the server can hop into and be part of the action.

What server do you play on?

Haha, I’m getting more tempted when I have the time.

I play on Ferguson’s Crossing.

Edit: Judging by the leaderboards, apparently they aren’t… the best server for WvW as is.

Dasair.4307:

Bailey.6892:

If you want to join WvW then by all means join the battle. Their is plenty for you to do solo, take camps etc. Or you can find a commander tag on the map and join or follow them. On my server their is a ts3 set up that any one from the server can hop into and be part of the action.

What server do you play on?

Haha, I’m getting more tempted when I have the time.

I play on Ferguson’s Crossing.

Edit: Judging by the leaderboards, apparently they aren’t… the best server for WvW as is.

I am on Dragonbrand, was going to say if we were on the same server I would be happy to run with you for a while show you what to do and such. WvW is the best part of the game imo.

If you do try to take a supply camp look for the guild claiming npc and make sure that they do not have righteous indignation on other wise it is going to be painful.

I will be interested to see how you like it, and if the WvW on your tier is more zerg or if their is a lot of smaller battles. Have fun!

I’m on Ferguson’s Crossing and you would be welcome no matter what time you show up.

Lots of new people just look for the blue commander icon on map and follow him around. Also known as the zerg. This may be a good place to start so you can learn a little bit about WvW.

And don’t judge by the leaderboards. We have a great WvW community. Not as populated as the higher tier servers so queues are rare and smaller scale fights more common from time to time. Our biggest ‘problem’ is 24 hour coverage. Like most other lower tier servers, we lack that. Our biggest coverage seems to be nightime EST. I believe we have a healthy supply of EST players on Ferg.

Yes, do not pay attention to the rankings of the servers. That is a whole other thing.

Oh, cool. That’s all pretty encouraging. Nevermind informative. :>

I appreciate the thought, Bailey, and thanks for the head’s up. haha

I’ve actually noticed some blue marked people around PvE maps… is that just someone who’s bought that ‘commander’ status, and shows up like that all the time (being in WvW, PvE, PvP, etc?), or is that a completely different thing? Possibly an unrelated question, but I’m curious. And also, is there a big party that people get invited to, or is it more like ‘follow the zerg’ kind of thing? It sounds a little bit like the latter, but just wondering, since parties are a lot easier to keep track of everyone in.

Everyone has a right to play WvW, and people that actually participate in World versus World instead of guild duel (because frankly, go to spvp server for that?) has even more right to do so.

Things to do if you’re a newbie in WvW: (NOTE: NEWB is NOT NOOB. Everyone is a newb at some point. A NOOB is a snot that thinks he’s the smartest and ignores the better people’s advice)

If you’re not powerful enough to fight (this is especially true if you haven’t unlocked Elite Skill yet), you can always contribute in other areas, such as:

1) Supply Runner. People may not like running supplies, but repairing the walls, doors or stuff will earn you gratitude. In war, everyone is important. Just make sure you’re not taking from towers or keeps or castle unless absolutely necessary. If in doubt, ask people on your server in map chat

2) Scout. Be the all-seeing eye of your beloved Motherland! Roam around and look out for enemy movements. Check their current position, where they’re going, how many are their numbers, what kind of professions make up their ranks, what siege weaponry they have. All this intel is very useful for everyone. A good scout makes all the difference between the allegiance of a tower! And will surely earn gratitude from your commanders

3) Join the fight anyway. Every person counts in battle. Even if you can’t kill just yet (your damage may not be enough), you can still use your skills, or be a meatshield that keeps your other, more veteran warriors alive (fill the slots in AoE cap). Heck, you can even get your first Badge of Honor!

Things to remember in WvW:
1) Obey your Commanders. They’re the guys with special blue icon on the map (not the usual bright blue dots, that’s your party members). Usually, only those who love WvW so much are willing to shell out 100g to get that honor. Do what they say, especially about tactics: when to retreat, when to push forward, etc etc etc. Not all commanders are good obviously), but a good commander makes all the difference, which will only be felt when you obey them.

2) Leave the supplies in towers/keeps/castle alone they’re there for defense upgrades. Only take supplies from camps. If you don’t know which are camps, they’re places without walls and has a tent icon on the map

3) Always take supplies if you encounter a camp. Supplies are needed everywhere, brining some will never hurt anyone

This is all really useful info, thanks. :>

I might go ahead and try to jump in over the next few days, just to see what’s going on, and I’ll keep all this mentioned in mind. It’s good to know what the people with more experience in this sort of thing would actually want the less experienced ones to be doing, in order to help.

WvW is more exciting than PvE when you’re heavily outnumbered, you’ll appreciate the bravery of the Russians during the earlier part of World War II

And witnessing the enemy retreating after they’ve breached your tower because of a great defense is a very pleasant moment