Guild Wars 2

I’m a converted WoW veteran. I’m enjoying this game a lot. Great art. Interesting combat mechanics. Generally having a lot of fun. Ferguson’s Crossing. Lvl 47 Warrior, Lvl 16 Ele. Really just getting started. It’s been interesting figuring all this stuff out and being a newbie. I’m wondering what I’m missing, and looking for pointers to helpful websites or fun/interesting aspects of the game I haven’t discovered.

I’ve been:

• leveling by completing hearts, nearby events, and personal story.
• keeping my gear current through karma purchases from heart vendors, and mystic forging soul bound items
• mostly salvaging items, collecting stuff for later crafting, and increasing my magic find
• sometimes going to other same-level or lowel-level maps when I run out of hearts, to get level-appropriate for the next map.
• trying different weapons combos and trait lines, and exploring the how to best use the combat system to my advantage while soloing. This is probably the most interesting and challenging part of the game to me… really learning to play my profession.
• map completion
• randomly follow the occasional large group of players around, zerging whatever champ they are after until my computer crashes from all the crazy spells flying around on the screen (MacBeta client isn’t, perhaps, fully ready for prime time).
• Dailies, when they overlap my other level activities
• representing a guild, although aside from guild chat, I’m not very clear what the benefit is of representing a guild vs. going guildless.

Some things I’m still unclear on:

• I mostly avoid the TP because I’m not sure what’s valuable enough to sell, and not sure what types of items are worth buying when leveling. Not sure if selling a weapon for 2s is better than salvaging and collecting crafting materials for the future.
• WvW … is … frankly, confusing. Big map, have trouble finding the action. When I do it, I wander around a lot, maybe checking my map for a “commander” or “squad leader” or whatever it’s called and try to join whatever zerg might be happening. Beyond that, I don’t think my world is doing super well in WvW and I’m not sure how best to contribute.
• I know you can get XP from crafting, but I have always avoided crafting in games like this until I’m level capped. Am I missing something fun/helpful/significant by holding off?
• I’m not sure what world events and other things are lvl 80 activities. Tower of Nightmares.. is that all lvl 80? Fractals? Is CM the only dungeon I can run at lvl 47? Is CM worthwhile? Are PUGs as much a nightmare in this game as they sometimes are elsewhere?

Am I missing anything interesting? Any pointers?

Loclay

I am glad you are having fun!

Hubby and I created our own guild so we could get the extra storage space for crafting supplies that we both can access. Most people join guilds because those guilds do something they enjoy such as dungeons, WvW, farming etc. Some are very social and have all kinds of activities so it is your choice what guilds you want to belong to. Some expect representation all the time so be sure to ask especially if you have multiple guilds or want to work on building influence on your own guild so you can get the larger storage…

It took me a while to get into the Trading Post. It depends on what you want to do in regards to salvaging. (right now I am going for luck and crafting mats so I am salvaging nearly everything though I do check the TP for the going price before deciding) If you are accumulating mats for eventual crafting you may want to salvage rather than sell. You can check what an item is going for on the trading post as well and decide what to do if it has a good to great resell price. Always check with the vendors to see if something is sellable – some stuff that appears to be trash or trophy can be sold to a vendor for a bit of extra copper or silver.

WvW is confusing at first. I got into it after my avie was Level 80 and I was trying for map completion on those maps. Check for forums by your server – (you said Ferguson’s Crossing) http://www.fcgw2.com/ and look for the WvW section. A lot of servers also use Teamspeak or some other communication app so find out which it is and get on and listen in to the chat. You can always ask in WvW chat and someone will let you know. It is a good way of figuring out what is going on and where folk are operating. Try this guide for an overview http://www.guildwars2hub.com/guides/world-vs-world You may find a guild that you feel compatible with as well. Follow the commanders you see and take note of the ones you like and their guilds so you can watch for them and try running with their group when you see them. Show appreciation to the commanders you like by sending them any siege you might have or learn how to make superior siege in the Mystic Forge and give that out as a thank you. WvW can be a lot of fun when you get a group with a lot of cooperation running around.

I enjoyed crafting from the start so you can start any time – you just need materials. Try this guide (there are others out there) http://www.guildwars2-crafting.com/crafting-guides/ If you level up enough you can make armor and weapons to use as you continue to level up.

I don’t run dungeons or fractals so I can’t speak for PUGs.

It sounds like you are well on your way in GW2.