Guild Wars 2

So I gave up on wow after 6 years of playing it and got into this game instead.

So far its great I have managed to get 3 characters to around level 30 to see what I enjoy and I really enjoy playing both Ele and warrior.

So far I have only done personal story, clearing maps and following the queensdale train killing champs to get levels. I see that there are more stuff I can do but im a little bit lost on how things work, I just recently discovered my LFG tab which had dungeons and something called fractals in it, I have really no idea what fractals are except what it said on the discription but I gave it a try pressing “join” on a group who was looking for a “level 27+” me being level 29 atm gave it a shot, I got in a party and 5 seconds later I was kicked and I have no idea why.

Me being an old pvper on wow I wanted to give a go to the structured pvp here, I have played enough to earn rank 5 but I feel its just a big mess all of it. There is zero communication in teams and its just going in spamming damage and sometimes do a roll or two to evade attacks and I have no idea what they are attacking with. In wow you really have control over the BG you can clearly see whats happening and you have alot of tools to make a situation epic, right now I fail to see the enjoyment in this pvp.

Any old wow pvpers here who have found joy in this kind of pvp? Im probally just to fresh to find comfort in it.

There is alot of currencies in this game and im abit afraid to spend it now on anything because maybe im getting more use for it on higher levels, I got about 20 laurels and 40k karma is it green to spend it now or would it be wiser to save it up for later? Same with mystic forge mats.

It just sounds like im just having troubble but I do really enjoy this game, im just abit lost:)

One last thing.. what the heck is “kitten”? I know what it really is but I see it everywhere.

Dungeons start around your level currently, fractals are for lvl 80 – but they have an internal level, which is what they were referring to (so you start doing fractals and the more you do your level goes up and you can do more challenging fractals etc).

(Edit: It seems I am wrong about the character level for fractals… some stuff has changed recently too, but I’m pretty sure they were not looking for a character lvl 27)

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dungeons

I don’t know much about PvP but I would recommend you try out WvW, which is maybe more what you are thinking about in terms of battlegrounds (but WvW is not short term matches).

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/World_versus_World

Save your karma and laurels for later.

Kitten is the swear filter here on the forum. So if you say a bad word it will be changed to kitten.

Thanks! Www sounds awesome after reading on it, I gave it a shot a while back on my warrior, I came up against a guardian who looked experienced, my numbers were showing on him that I actually did damage on him but his health bar didnt move a inch while mine went down pretty fast even thou I dodged a few attacks, I came to the conclusion of me being to low geared even tho being scaled to level 80 and never came back. I would mind joining thos e zergs tho :p

Welcome to GW2!

Marcus.6198:

So I gave up on wow after 6 years of playing it and got into this game instead.

So far its great I have managed to get 3 characters to around level 30 to see what I enjoy and I really enjoy playing both Ele and warrior.

So far I have only done personal story, clearing maps and following the queensdale train killing champs to get levels. I see that there are more stuff I can do but im a little bit lost on how things work, I just recently discovered my LFG tab which had dungeons and something called fractals in it, I have really no idea what fractals are except what it said on the discription but I gave it a try pressing “join” on a group who was looking for a “level 27+” me being level 29 atm gave it a shot, I got in a party and 5 seconds later I was kicked and I have no idea why.

Regarding Fractals, it’s actually mostly a max level thing. It’s a special dungeon that gets harder every time you do it. This difficulty is measured in scales, sometimes called Fractal Levels or just levels by players. When that group was asking for “level 27+”, they were actually asking for players who wanted to run Fractals with a difficulty scale of 27 or higher. A level 29 player would get creamed in seconds in a scale 27+ Fractal, though imo they ought to have explained first, seeing that it can be confusing for newcomers.

The first dungeon you’ll be able to run will be Ascalonian Catacombs Story Mode, which is available at level 30 and is located in the Charr starter area, the Plains of Ashford. You will need to discover the Plains of Ashford first, as the LFG system in GW2 only serves as a listing- it does not port you into the dungeon. Also, a lot of players like to speedrun dungeons with max level groups, but you should be all right if you make your own LFG explaining that you’re level 30 and looking for someone to teach you, or if you go with guildmates or friends.

Dungeons in GW2 are a big step up in terms of difficulty compared to open-world PvE, so expect to be disoriented when you first go in. It gets much better with time and practice, though.

Me being an old pvper on wow I wanted to give a go to the structured pvp here, I have played enough to earn rank 5 but I feel its just a big mess all of it. There is zero communication in teams and its just going in spamming damage and sometimes do a roll or two to evade attacks and I have no idea what they are attacking with. In wow you really have control over the BG you can clearly see whats happening and you have alot of tools to make a situation epic, right now I fail to see the enjoyment in this pvp.

Were you doing hotjoins/random group arenas? Hotjoins and random groups tend to be messy. However, guild PvP groups and tournament arenas will have a lot more communication, and it makes a world of difference.

I’m not involved in tournaments or most structured PvP, but I’ve done my share of 2v2s and duels. Paying attention to your enemy and using your skills actively is very important, especially with counterplay classes like mesmer, which focus on interrupting and countering attacks. Two players can use the same build and do very differently depending on their awareness and personal skill.

As with dungeons, it’s something that gets better once you’ve had some experience and understand how combat works.

There is alot of currencies in this game and im abit afraid to spend it now on anything because maybe im getting more use for it on higher levels, I got about 20 laurels and 40k karma is it green to spend it now or would it be wiser to save it up for later? Same with mystic forge mats.

Save your laurels- you can buy top-tier accessories with them later. If you want a legendary weapon, save your karma, but if not, spend it as you see fit. As for Mystic Forge mats, your bank can store 250 of each, so you won’t lose anything by just sitting on them.

Fractals are actually okay for a lv29 assuming you are doing fractal levels 1-9. There is also currently a bug with one of the fractals where it doesn’t apply upscaling so that can be a problem if you happen to get that one. On the other hand at the lower levels 4 people can finish it anyway.

Thanks, another freshy question, I see that you can buy invaders gear with badge of honor in www zone, can I buy and use it since im scaling to level 80 when entering zone or does it apply to “real” level?

Marcus.6198:

Thanks, another freshy question, I see that you can buy invaders gear with badge of honor in www zone, can I buy and use it since im scaling to level 80 when entering zone or does it apply to “real” level?

No. Level requirements are based on your real level. Imagine what would happen when you walk out of WvW.

The upscaling already applies multiplers to your stats. There are also additional gear you can buy from those vendors on a lv80. They don’t show up on lower level characters.

Marcus.6198:

Thanks! Www sounds awesome after reading on it, I gave it a shot a while back on my warrior, I came up against a guardian who looked experienced, my numbers were showing on him that I actually did damage on him but his health bar didnt move a inch while mine went down pretty fast even thou I dodged a few attacks, I came to the conclusion of me being to low geared even tho being scaled to level 80 and never came back. I would mind joining thos e zergs tho :p

If you are looking for coordinated groups taking control over large structures via siege weapons, give WvW a try. Look if there is a commander on the map (will show up with a blue icon on the map, you might have seen it in the Queensdale Champ train) and follow the large group to learn the basics. You are also safer there.
The Guardian you encountered was probably max lvl, but that wasn’t the problem. The way you described it my guess is it was a retribution guard. Meaning he was insanely tanky built, he takes minimum damage and sacrifices damage output. BUT he keeps the buff retribution up, which gives you a part of the damage back that you do on him. Basically, you killed yourself with your own attacks. That is what hit you.
Max lvl is nice for WvW but not required, there are a ton of twinks running around there. Happy hunting =)

Meluna.1764:

Marcus.6198:

Thanks! Www sounds awesome after reading on it, I gave it a shot a while back on my warrior, I came up against a guardian who looked experienced, my numbers were showing on him that I actually did damage on him but his health bar didnt move a inch while mine went down pretty fast even thou I dodged a few attacks, I came to the conclusion of me being to low geared even tho being scaled to level 80 and never came back. I would mind joining thos e zergs tho :p

If you are looking for coordinated groups taking control over large structures via siege weapons, give WvW a try. Look if there is a commander on the map (will show up with a blue icon on the map, you might have seen it in the Queensdale Champ train) and follow the large group to learn the basics. You are also safer there.
The Guardian you encountered was probably max lvl, but that wasn’t the problem. The way you described it my guess is it was a retribution guard. Meaning he was insanely tanky built, he takes minimum damage and sacrifices damage output. BUT he keeps the buff retribution up, which gives you a part of the damage back that you do on him. Basically, you killed yourself with your own attacks. That is what hit you.
Max lvl is nice for WvW but not required, there are a ton of twinks running around there. Happy hunting =)

That is not quite correct. The name of the boon is Retaliation.
The damage it deals is not not based on how much damage you deal, it is based on the Guardian’s Power attribute.

Khisanth.2948:

That is not quite correct. The name of the boon is Retaliation.

Shoot >_<
Since I don’t have my interface in english, I always mix that one up. Should have wikied it, my bad. Thank you for correcting. =)

I would be more than happy to help you out in game! ^^

My Skype username: DreamyAbaddon

feel free to add me!

Slight correction on getting to the dungeon — it’s good to explore to the front door, but if one member of the party is at the door and the others are in the zone (e.g. somewhere in the Plains of Ashford), everyone gets the option to enter from wherever they are. On exiting they return to their point of origin.

Donari.5237:

Slight correction on getting to the dungeon — it’s good to explore to the front door, but if one member of the party is at the door and the others are in the zone (e.g. somewhere in the Plains of Ashford), everyone gets the option to enter from wherever they are. On exiting they return to their point of origin.

Joining a party that way and walking out the dungeon is also a quick way to grab the WP in front of the door.

Nope, you get tossed back to where you were, not to the door. On the other hand, using this function lets you sit next to a bank or crafting station for quick bag clearing after you step out.

Donari.5237:

Nope, you get tossed back to where you were, not to the door. On the other hand, using this function lets you sit next to a bank or crafting station for quick bag clearing after you step out.

Not if you turn around and walk out the door. It only puts you back where you were if you use the exit instance “button” or if the instance owner leaves party.

Jesus this game is so confusing. I feel like I’m getting nowhere! :<

Marcus.6198:

Me being an old pvper on wow I wanted to give a go to the structured pvp here, I have played enough to earn rank 5 but I feel its just a big mess all of it. There is zero communication in teams and its just going in spamming damage and sometimes do a roll or two to evade attacks and I have no idea what they are attacking with. In wow you really have control over the BG you can clearly see whats happening and you have alot of tools to make a situation epic, right now I fail to see the enjoyment in this pvp.

Any old wow pvpers here who have found joy in this kind of pvp? Im probally just to fresh to find comfort in it.

Im a former top tier arena and RBG player (former glad and multichar/season hero). I stopped playing wow completely since i prefer GW2s combat system and core mechanics.

One of the first things you mentioned is a big part of getting used to it. You have no idea what other classes do and hit you with. What their weaknesses are, what “big attacks” you need to avoid and how and when to counter them.

I would compare GW2s combat system a bit with boxing. You need to read your opponents moves -> dodge/blind/block -> potentially counter them. Without knowing those moves it will be quite confusing. In wow its a bit more straightforward and if you screw up a healer might safe you.

The only way to get rid of this is by gaining some experience. By playing a lot yourslf and/or talking to experienced players. I can guarantee you that it will get a lot better once you do get the hang of it though. Mind that there is an area with practice NPCs of each profession in the back of the Heart of the Mists.

One of the biggest things that you shouldnt underestimate is the impact of builds (properly combining traits with runes and sigils) on your character and playstyle. Most people i know run with personalized builds adjusted to their own playstyle. Picking the wrong or right traits can drastically change the way a class plays. Playing around and adjusting your spec to fit you is one of the most important ways to learn to play this game in my eyes.

As far as spvp goes i would highly recommend avoiding 8v8 hotjoin since its far to chaotic and zergy. Especially for new players like you its impossible to figure out whats going on. Go to the pvp list/menu and create a filter for 5v5 only. They are working on making 5v5 the standard go to format if you click “join now” (probably before the end of the year).

Im not sure if you are aware yet that there is a way to queue up for rated games. There is a solo option that will queue you up with and against other soloplayers. And there is a teamqueue option that will try to set up premade teams of equal MMR against eachother (like wow RBGs).

As a new player i would avoid rated games untill rank 15-20 at least or untill you feel comfottable and somewhat knowledgeable vs other classes.

5v5 and especially rated games feel a lot less zergy and mindless once you know what youre doing. Where in wow RBGs winning is mostly done by outmuscling your opponents (even at the top of the “legit” ladder) in GW2 its more about your own personal “skill”. About assiting the right teammates at the right time.

Mind that there is a quite some new stuff inc for pvp. We have a new balance patch on the 10th of december and they are working on new gamemodes. They will post a blogpost about all new pvp stuff midway through next week if i heard it correctly.

Jasper.4786:

Jesus this game is so confusing. I feel like I’m getting nowhere! :<

You can whisper me in game if you need any help/advice.

I think youre dutch right, judging by your name? Im dutch myself so you can ask your questions in dutch even.