Less confusing way to level?
The mentality is definitely different than other games that I have played, (GW1 specifically).
The way I understand it, is there is the personal story that is going on, and outside of that, you have been asked by the powers that be, to lend your aid to your fellow citizens. So the “quests” has evolved into a, go explore the world, and lend your aid to those who need you. And by the way, your life is going on at the same time.
Adopting this mindset, that the hearts are all one big giant quest to aid my kingdom and its allies in its fight against Zhaitan has really helped me endure some of the randomness that is the hearts.
To balance the two, what I have opted to do, is go clear a zone or two, get roughly 10 levels ahead of my personal story, then blitz through 3-5 episodes at a time. I catch back up to level, I close the chapter of that personal story, and I clear a few more zones, readying myself for the next step. Not saying its the best way, but it is what I have found to be most enjoyable.
I leveled the same way as Brutus all the way to 80 except I also crafted quite a bit. I’m still not done the personal story though. Kind of forgot about it!
See where your personal story is , clear that map along with ur story , take a break to do some crafting , again go to the map for quests where ur personal story also is , this is the most effective and enjoyable way of leveling imo
There are more than enough zones to level in, if you find yourself under level in one zone, go to a different one.
There’s not much that can be done about the “running around the maps at random” feeling. That’s just how the game is designed, without a structured quest system. It’s not bad when you get used to it, though. If you want to be less random, though, you can look for the scouts on each map and let them reveal the hearts they know about. This will let you get an idea of where the hearts are and what levels they are, so you can make somewhat less random choices about where to go next.
Also, if you’re a few levels behind in questing, are you doing the Dynamic Events? Those are a great way to level up quickly, as well as completing hearts. I’ve spent quite a few enjoyable evenings doing nothing but getting caught up in a group of adventurers that run from place to place starting up and/or participating in the events. It’s amazing how fast you can level through events. They’re also a good way to earn Karma to buy gear, weapons, and items for your character.
This works for me, perhaps it’ll help you:
Let your personal story dictate which zone you’re in.
Let the hearts guide you through the zone. They’re numbered, so follow them in
sequence. Gather everything and do every event along the way.
Get 100% map completion before following your story to the next zone.
End each questing session with a crafting session, unless you prefer to sell your gathered materials.
You should level in a way you enjoy. If you need someone else to tell you what to enjoy, then maybe GW2 isn’t for you. There are plenty of options if you really just want a game that tells you exactly what to do with little to no other option when leveling *cough*TERA*cough*.
If you do want to stick with Guild Wars 2, then tap into your inner explorer and your inner curiosity. What zones look cool? What haven’t you tried yet? Are there any zones with lower level content that you haven’t tried yet?
Also, don’t get caught up in what level you are. If you’ve been playing MMOs for a long time, you probably have this pre-conceived notion that you have to level up before you can do any fun stuff, but you get this fun stuff right from the start in GW2. If you’re not digging your experience now, then don’t expect anything about being 80 to be radically different.