Guild Wars 2

I bought Guild Wars 2 awhile ago, and I WANT to like this game, which may sound odd. I need a little insight, I asked some people on twitter, but I would like some more explanation, so I thought why not here?
I know there is the story line quest, and quest hubs, but I always feel like i’m a level behind, a step behind if you will. I even bought a strat guide for the game at a local GS, but the weapons confuse me, and I really can’t get a good grip on the mechanics of the game. I’ve never had this problem with an MMO before, but I cannot get a firm grasp. I just feel like i’m a huge step behind. Example: I’m level 4, and I do the quest hub for level 4, and the next one is 5-6, and I’m still level 4, and i’m doing them two levels behind, so when i hit 5-6, the quest hubs are already gone, I’ve explored the main city, got XP from way points and etc. Any information would be awesome. I’m really confused behind anything i’ve ever been. Thanks in advance. -Josh

Hi Josh,

There are other ways to level up in GW2, the below are some of the options;

-Crafting: The problems is mats as well as gold requirement
-Gathering: Good profit
-PVP: Use glory points to buy tome of knowledge which gives 1 level
-WvWvW: Look out for zerges in the map

If you need help with anything else send me an ingame mail

Any class you would say would be good for a newbie? I tried warrior, and guardian so far.

Make sure you do all the events on the way between each quest hub. The leveling curve assumes you are participating in dynamic events and gathering in addition to the hearts.

There aren’t any newbie-unfriendly classes, but Warrior, Guardian, and Ranger are solid choices for newbies imo.

In between hearts its always best to do events, that will get you that extra xp to bump you up some, and that extra karma isn’t bad.
If you find yourself a couple levels behind, its best to venture off into another starting level around the world. This game was made for the player to venture off and explore, so feel free to do so. Once you’ve completed the second starting level, go back to your previous path of zone if you wish, that way you’ll be ahead of the level game.
Goodluck.

I think it’s best to do Renown Hearts and a little exploration in the areas of your level, as well as any events that pop up. Keep in mind that event chains are repetitive and after a short (or long, in some cases!) while they will start again.

Take into account that you are not stuck to your race’s starter area! You can go to the capital of your race (Hoelbrak, The Grove, Divinity’s Reach etc.) and there you will find an Asura Gate that will take you to Lion’s Arch, which is the main city of the game. There you will find Asura Gates that will take you to all the capitals, and from each capital you can get to that race’s starting area and you can begin doing renown hearts and events and exploration there. If you want to play and have more people around, I suggest that you favor the human starting area, Queensdale, since there are a lot of players doing stuff in that area.

Another tip is to immediately buy gathering tools (Logging Axe, Mining Pick and Sickle) and equip them. There are plenty of resource nodes to be had all around and, besides giving you resources which can be sold for cash on the Trading Post, they will also give you XP for each gathering.

If you want to level a bit faster, you can also buy food that you can use at your level and that gives you a certain bonus for a limited period of time. The bonus is not that relevant (although you might want something that does help you), but each such food also gives you 10 additional XP per each kill, and this can help a lot if you are looking to level faster.

For food, I would recommend talking to either of these merchants located in Queensdale:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Farmhand_Paris
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Farmer_Eda
From Eda you can buy with karma (you need level 5 to use her food, though), from Paris with coin (no level requirement) – see whichever you preffer.

As for weapons – they are not that relevant until you hit level 80 and you can actually prepare a proper build. Just use the best weapons you get as drops, they should suffice – it’s what I did when I started playing and had no issues. You can also buy weapons from Armorsmiths and Weaponsmiths, and also Renown Heart merchants after you complete their renown heart. You can read about weapons on the wiki and see exactly what you want when you hit lvl 80.

You should also be sure to complete the daily and monthly activities, these will give you some nice XP and goodies.

I hope this helps.

Cheers!