Guild Wars 2

Hello, brand spanking new player here, haven’t even finished downloading the 8.2 million files yet. I’m doing some reading, obviously looks cool since I paid for the game without trying it.

I don’t want to know any grand secrets that I should really discover on my own.. but a bit of advice on what world to select and what sort of characters/races are well-suited to newbies would be helpful.

Are there any classes that are especially in demand? That might help compensate for me not having a lot of wealth/gear at the beginning. I tend to prefer caster-types, though I realize the GW2 classes are somewhat unique and in particular there are no “healer-types”.

Thanks!

Welcome to Tyria!

Regarding server choice, I feel this thread sums it up pretty well: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/players/PvE-Servers-Which-is-best-for-beginners/first

Regarding class and race, race is cosmetic. There are no stat or hitbox differences, and racial skills are balanced to be deliberately weaker than class skills, as well as unusable in sPvP. Though there are a few things to consider:

-Jumping puzzles are harder on charr and norn due to their camera height and body size/running animations. I mained a charr for the longest time, to the point that jumping with her feels almost more natural than jumping with my sylvari, but that came after months of gameplay and falling deaths.

-Each race has different cultural armors exclusive to them, and some armors will look different on different races- there are some people who can’t stand cloth and metal on sylvari, others who don’t like asura because their size makes it difficult to see armor detail, and others who fret about clipping on charr. For this, I’d recommend making a character of each race and going to the sPvP lobby to try on different armors. You can also check out http://argos-soft.net/GW2ArmorGallery/index.php

Class-wise, try anything that appeals to you. In GW2, you can move while fighting and dodge to avoid all attacks- doing both is important in staying alive. Warrior, guardian, and ranger are the most newcomer-friendly in that they have more raw survivability and are forgiving if you don’t dodge or move a lot; however, in difficult content, you will have to learn to move and dodge no matter what your class is. Elementalist, engineer, thief, and mesmer are considered the more difficult beginning classes- they have steeper learning curves and are more dependent upon movement and using skills actively to counter attacks, and thus will die faster if you don’t stay on your toes.

Regarding demand, every class can be played effectively in dungeons. In dungeons, people favor high DPS builds. Warriors, mesmers, and guardians are the basic classes- more advanced groups will ask for elementalists and thieves, who provide strong niche and offensive support abilities and higher damage, but are harder to play. However, the meta changes a lot and classes are constantly rebalanced- it’s more important to find a class you like and play well than to jump from flavor of the month to flavor of the month and not enjoy any of them. I will emphasize also that any class can be played effectively in groups that coordinate and understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. My best advice regarding dungeons is to find a good guild/static group of people you know, like, and work well with. It makes dungeoning a lot more fun than with PUGing.

In any case, though, try every class you’re interested in, and don’t get discouraged by people saying that this and that class is too hard and such.

I won’t be around in-game for much of today and tomorrow, and you won’t be able to send PMs for the first two days as a new player, but if you ever have questions or want to talk, you can PM me in-game by typing /tell Falunel in chat. You are also free to message me on these forums at any time. Happy gaming!

Honestly, I would suggest browsing the wiki and all other forms of info on the professions. Find ones that seem interesting to you. Then create them. Once you finish your opening quest, click the cross swords icon on your screens top/left portion. It will open a screen and select the button marked “enter the mist”

Once here your character is scaled up max level and has access to all your traits. You can test a lot here, and us this to get a feel for what classes you like and feel how they play.

Falunel’s post should be stickied and every person that ever asks for profession choosing help should be referred to it, imo!

There’s no substitute for trying them out, though. Before beta, I figured Guardian would be the one class I’d never play and Thief and Engineer my faves. Thief still is my RP main and he has world completion so he does all the go-here-no-here-no-there-no-back-to-the-first-spot world stuff. But for dungeons, my Guardian is pure awesome. Mesmer likewise struck me as a “pet class” but it’s actually a caster with some long-lasting spells and choices about when to make and break the spells. And it’s so fun I got a Mesmer to 80 without any RP for her at all, which is a first for me in many years of MMO play.

Though any of the harder classes such as Elementalist and Mesmer will seem more fun once you have the basics down. It’s sort of like driving a stick — I learned to drive automatic, got all the rules of the road down, -then- added in figuring out how to make the car go with a clutch. Try a few on for size, the first few levels don’t take long at all. Then see what keeps you eager to see what skill you get next, and work on that one.

Falunel kindof said it all, but I’d add that, if your worried about holding back any harder core players with a Pug (pick up group), just start up an LFG tool entry of your own. (LFG can be found under the Contacts [two little upper torsos] ) Just put something like “casual, <mode -story or explorable>,all excepted” or whatever variant you can make from that and you should be able to collect plenty. Add something like “mentor requested” or something, and its possible that a more experienced player looking to help will jump it. They’re usually pretty understanding from my experience.

You should have some time before you have to worry about dungeons though. Enough time to know if you like the class. If you do stick with it. If not try something else. I thought I’d love the mesmer and get to make it work for myself in beta but found the leveling a little too dry and their illusions not to my personal taste, but when I tried Guardian I started enjoying myself a lot more. (I’m thinking of retrying Mesmer or making an Engineer, which looks pretty fun too.)

Other than that I hope you have fun!

races and professions are gonna be a matter of personal preference and experimentation.

What will probably make a difference when you start, is to begin in a busy server.
That means, when you select your world, pick any of:

- for North America

• Jade Quarry
• Sanctum of Rall
• Blackgate
• Tarnished Coast

or for Europe

• Seafarer’s Rest
• Piken Square
• Riverside
• Vizunah Square
  (note that those last two have high German/French populations).

One of the most magical things I recall from beta, was how new & busy everything seemed. So I’d recommend starting in a busy server.
There are other more practical pluses and minuses to stacked servers, but it’s easier to transfer to a quieter server later, if you prefer, than vice-versa.

Thanks for the replies, all!

I went with Tarnished Coast since it seemed pretty busy but not the busiest, and that was before I noticed Falunel was there also and her post was very helpful.

The mesmer interested me the most because I’ve always wanted to see a class like that in a game and I’m impressed that GW2 was willing and able to tackle it.

I started playing and completed the first little encounter. There’s all these skills and traits and attributes and weapons.. it’s super-confusing and I have absolutely NO idea what I am doing, lol.

Which is great! The last game I tried, I had pretty much figured the whole thing out in a day and was bored within a week.

I am still having trouble getting a handle on what my attacks/spells/whatevers are and how they work but I guess I’ll figure it out in time.

And it wouldn’t hurt to read this stickied thread for a number of helpful hints.

Mesmer eh? Good choice, one of my favourites.

You don’t say if you are more interested in the PvP (WvW) or PvE aspects of the game?
They are pretty well chalk and cheese as far as advice goes but one general suggestion is to get hold of one of each possible type of weapon (as cheaply as possible) and try them all out until you unlock all the skills on them and can begin to get a feel for which you prefer.

Either way, you won’t get bored in a hurry. It’s a big world out there. Probably much bigger than you realise at the moment.

Mostly PvE. I’ve traditionally hated PvP but I think that’s because the ones I’ve tried have suffered both from being simplistic and having rather.. immature.. people involved in them. I’ll definitely try again here. But mainly I’m a PvEer.

I went to the WvW area briefly and was even more lost. And then had to ask someone for help to get back to the newbie area, lol.

I did read that sticky and will reference it.

I’m still having a hard time understanding skills and how they work, but I guess that will come.

You should be aware that Mesmer is considered a profession that doesn’t really shine until level 40 when you get some good traits. Until then it’s can be one of the harder professions to level.

When I was leveling my Mesmer I stuck to greatsword and staff, keeping lots of distance between me and mobs. Using greatsword for attacks and staffs mostly as defensive. It wasn’t until I reached level 80 that I switched to greatsword and sword/focus. Before then I was just too squishy to melee.

For me, this game is all about WvW (I am Mesmer too).

If you’ve had experience of PvP in WoW for example, this game is utterly different socially. It’s far more co-operative and friendly.
It’s also complex – there’s a LOT to learn.

Most important advice I can offer you in WvW is to look for the Commander (blue icon on the map and over his head.) Wait for him to come close to you, then follow him.
When a fight starts, hang back at the rear and make sure there are always other players between you and the enemy.

As a point of interest only, I run Greatsword with sword/pistol – both have long-range and powerful ‘illusions’. I let them do the fighting and if they die, I run away

A mesmer eh? Good choice, but try not to take on too many mobs at once at early levels until you know how to lead them by their noses.

Thanks for the warnings. I’ve already learned about squishiness the hard way.

“Oh, that mob’s level 3 and I’m level 2, seems about right.” Oops.

That said, I did just manage to take down some level 5s at level 3 when I wandered into them.

I’m utterly confused about weapons and how they work and the wiki isn’t helping a whole lot. Why on earth would a caster use a greatsword? I know the game is flexible that way but it doesn’t make much sense.. especially since Astral mentioned it in the context of keeping distance between mobs.

Also, are there any relatively easy (but not too “meta”) ways of earning gold at low levels? It seems to disappear fast.

Thanks.

Hi Qaelyn! Welcome to GW2, and welcome to Tarnished Coast!

Weapons in GW2 are fantastic, because they can change the entire feel of your chosen class. The first 5 skills on your toolbar relate to the weapon you’re using. Greatsword is awesome on a mesmer because it becomes, essentially, a really big wand with some well-loved attacks on it. I don’t know if it still is (because I know sword is really popular right now) but when I started, Greatsword was the be-all, end-all mesmer weapon.

Mesmer isn’t the easiest class to start with, but at least it’s not elementalist. :P It was my second class to 80 and I love mine.

Earning money: You can gather from any node, regardless of your crafting skills. Get gathering tools, go forth, and harvest like you’ve never harvested before. Nodes are individual, so you’re not stealing (or being stolen) from anyone else. Sell your items on the trading post, but make sure you look at “projected profit” and compare it against the vendor value. If it’s not worth more, then you should use a salvage kit to break down the items into materials. Your crafting materials will build up more quickly than you know, and some of those sell quite nicely.

You should be picking up unidentified dyes now and then. Those sell on the TP for around 20s. If you’re like me and can’t resist checking on the color, you may get lucky and get an exceedingly rare color. Some of those sell for upwards of 20 gold.

Money will build up if you do events and complete hearts. Killing champions is a good way to get some good loot/money. Have a blast! Feel free to whisper me in game.

At low level, your ways to earn money are limited. It took me a long time to earn my first gold. (I still remember it. Soooo shiny!. Oooohhh ^^)

1) harvest EVERYTHING! You can buy harvesting tools from with karma from various heart merchants. Sell for best price you can get on the trading post.
2) check the prices in the trading post on armor drops. Sell or salvage (you can buy salvage kits with karma from various heart merchants) depending on which is better.
3) try to do the big meta events in the low level zones. They give good level appropriate loot and if you do the lead up events, good exp. These events are the Jungle Wurm (Caledon, Sylvari area), the Maw (Wayfarers, Norn Area), The Shadow Behemoth, (Queensdale, human area) and the Fire Ele (Metrica, Asura area. Just as an aside, this one is the hardest with fire traps everywhere and fire elementals and you can die here easily).
4) try the Champ run in Queensdale when you get a few levels. There is usually a group of people (a zerg) killing them in a circuit. You will need to learn the waypoints and the sequence. You can ask in chat and people will tell you where the zerg is and the sequence. It’s both good exp for leveling and decent level appropriate loot.
5) kill everything. They may drop something you can use or sell and the ones that haven’t been killed for a while build up bonus exp.

I think the mesmer/great sword combination is a connection to the lore of Tyria from GW1 where the mesmers were stage actors. The great sword being a prop.

Stick with mes for a while and your skills and attributes will all start making more sense. You will grow with your character.

Thanks for all the advice.

Cool about weapons changing abilities. I found one vendor that had all sorts of weapons and I now have a whole silver (lol) so I’ll buy a greatsword and see what it gives me.

Funny, I just logged in and the 4th thing I killed dropped an unidentified dye.

Qaelyn.7612:

Funny, I just logged in and the 4th thing I killed dropped an unidentified dye.

Worth about 20 silver as is on the trading post. :-)

Just a FYI, Tarnished Coast is the “unofficial RP” server. Doesn’t mean you have to have an interest in roleplaying though. I don’t, but I wouldn’t leave TC ever. Probably one of the nicest servers.

If you ever need help, just call out in map chat. Someone will help you. Whether you need help exploring, with an enemy, or just questions about game mechanics, people will answer. Benefits of a friendly server.

If you want to find events you can use this site.

http://www.gw2state.com/events.html#

You set your server and the map and it shows you ongoing events.

Cool thanks.

Can an unidentified dye be any of the ones on the TP? I just noticed some are staggeringly pricey.

Probably should just sell it unidentified as it will multiply my cash 10-fold.

While it can be one of the high priced ones, it’s unlikely that it is. The odds are much higher that you will open it and get one that is less than a silver. There are over 400 dyes that it could be and if the chance is equal, it’s a chance in 400 of getting an abyss for example. It’s also possible that the chances are not equal, and the odds are lower.

I usually sell mine but from the ones I’ve opened I’ve gotten the common ones repeatedly. I suspect the rare ones drop less frequently.

Which makes sense. Thanks. I did sell it.. and then another. I have about 50 silver now and feeling rich!

I have been experimenting with the abilities associated with various weapons and trying to unlock them. All of them seem pretty weak so far. The greatsword one seems pretty tough to use at least at this level, or maybe I just need more practice.

What would be a good/fun/lucrative crafting skill to focus on at the low levels? Artificing, Jewelry and Food seem interesting, but I have no idea.

Personally I wouldn’t recommend crafting before level 80. Any crafting is a money sink really. You can get any gear you need much cheaper than it would cost to level crafting to that level. Many people sell crafted gear below cost to get rid of it as they are leveling crafting and making gear they don’t need. Remember that any crafting takes mats, and it takes a LOT of them. you could either be selling those mats for money or saving them up for crafting later. Crafting can be useful for a level 80 character to make exotic armor and weapons and later ascended or a Legendary weapon. I can’t really recommend it for much else.

Of course if you want to craft your gear, go right ahead. It’s just not as cost effective as one should have wished.

Sorry, hate to rain on your parade about crafting.

If/when you do crafting I recommend this site: http://www.gw2crafts.net/

Thanks. I do understand, I’ve experienced the same phenomenon in another game.. the benefit of XP distorts the normal raw material / finished product cost / price relationship. It’s all good.

I’m going to poke around tomorrow in some of the other newbie areas… I’ve done much of Queensdale but I’m level 6, quite squishy and can’t really handle the rest of it right now.

I am also on TC and have 2 mesmers at 80. Tomorrow’s a holiday so once I’ve slept in and moseyed to the computer I’ll be in game. Feel free to hail me and ask for any suggestions. I’m not a min maxer theorycrafter, and I am used to explaining things in ways useful to newcomers. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have on weapons, traits, utilities, game play, etc.

It might be 1 or 2 pm eastern before I’m in game, to give you a ballpark idea. And I’ll have RP to do once a guildie is on. No reason I can’t have a /w chat on the side though!

The Greatsword’s big advantage is range. You can hit most things while you are out of their reach.

It also has one of the Mesmer’s most powerful Phantasms.
Here’s a simple way to use it:-
Pick your target from a looong way away. Move forward until the red bar under your #4 skill lights up – you are now in range. Press 4. Now move back and watch (not too far – the phantasm will de-spawn if you go too far).
The phantasm will attack then pause for a few seconds then attack again. It will keep doing that until it or the enemy is dead.
As soon as the cooldown on #4 clears, press it again – you now have 2 phantasms. Rinse and repeat.
If the enemy attacks you instead of the phantasm, hit #5 and run away.

Thanks Donari, hopefully I’ll find you sometime. Wouldn’t mind someone to bounce questions off, though I mostly do want to figure this out myself to the extent that I can.

Contiguous, I’ve tried most of the weapon combos so far. The main problem with the phantasms right now is that they get nuked very quickly by the mobs, which then go after me. This may just be because my gear is poor and I’m also fighting some mobs a bit harder than I probably should, simply because there’s not much I’ve found so far under level 5.

I can usually handle 1 mob at a time — and I’m practicing my dodging skills — but if I get swarmed, I’m toast.

As fun as the mesmer looks overall, I might have been wiser to have started with something a bit easier…

Qaelyn.7612:

Thanks Donari, hopefully I’ll find you sometime. Wouldn’t mind someone to bounce questions off, though I mostly do want to figure this out myself to the extent that I can.

Contiguous, I’ve tried most of the weapon combos so far. The main problem with the phantasms right now is that they get nuked very quickly by the mobs, which then go after me. This may just be because my gear is poor and I’m also fighting some mobs a bit harder than I probably should, simply because there’s not much I’ve found so far under level 5.

I can usually handle 1 mob at a time — and I’m practicing my dodging skills — but if I get swarmed, I’m toast.

As fun as the mesmer looks overall, I might have been wiser to have started with something a bit easier…

As I mentioned earlier, the Mesmer doesn’t really start to shine till level 40 when you are able to get some good traits and until then it’s considered one of the harder professions to level.

You have 5 character slots, if you want an easy ranged profession you could start with a ranger with a bear pet. For melee, guardian or warrior. If a profession isn’t working out for you, you can always drop it for a while, pick up something else to learn the game then go back later.

The great thing about greatswords (no pun intended) is that they are great for kiting, and can easily tear through groups of mobs in the hands of a skilled mesmer. You have an auto attack that hits up to 1200 units that isn’t a projectile, 2 is an unblockable projectile that bounces and gives might to allies it bounces off of while spawning a clone on the first enemy it hits, 3 is a small AoE that rips a boon off struck enemies while dealing respectable damage, 4 is possibly one of the most dangerous mesmer skills (it’s specially designed to punish moving targets) and 5 is an extremely reliable knockback that can quickly widen the gap between you and a group of mobs.

So yes, greatsword is your best friend when kiting. It doesn’t deal as much damage as a sword/sword setup (offhand sword phantasms hurt like hell to say the least), but for a 1200 range weapon it is particularly damaging compared to most other weapons of that range.

Yes, kiting is an important skill.
After a while it becomes second nature so you don’t think about it.

Simply put, you run away while still shooting. The easiest way to do that is to strafe sideways. You’ll find that if you just keep a finger on the sideways button and steer with your mouse, you will be able to keep the mob at a distance and burn it down with your Greatsword #1.

Practice that on easy mobs somewhere. Don’t go for high level mobs for no good reason – you don’t gain a great deal XP wise.

Thanks for the advice. I’m still experimenting… and dying.. a lot.

It seems to be really tough to level with this character, perhaps due to my inexperience. I find kiting or running backwards and shooting difficult because I’m 1/2 to 1/4 the speed of most of the mobs.

I have begun to think maybe a different character to start might be wiser. Something like Guardian is typical of the style I normally like, though I’m somewhat put off by what I’m reading suggesting half the game is Guardian right now.

Well, that and I don’t really want to give up on this one. I know I can come back to it later, but still.

I thought maybe part of the problem was my gear so I went on the TP and upgraded everything when I hit 11. Much better. Still need to try some slightly more difficult stuff but it’s an improvement.

Hey again, Qaelyn. Sent this via PM earlier, but it was probably missed (and it’s easier to click here, anyway). This guide helped me quite a bit with leveling my mesmer- know you’re not alone.

http://tcgw2.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=825

It’s ultimately up to you to try other classes or not, but don’t feel bad if you do. I tried every class myself before settling on elementalist, and it was a fun and interesting experience.

Also, here’s the Tarnished Coast server forums: http://forthetoast.com/ It’s mainly a WvW hub at the moment, but the people there are quite nice and helpful. Feel free to drop in and say hi anytime.

Thanks Falunel, useful stuff!

I am enjoying the mesmer more, though I find many of the abilities confusing and, based on what I know of the game, not that useful.. at least at this level. But I was warned about that…

I may roll myself a Guardian even though everyone and his brother seems to run one. It does seem like it might be a better way of learning the game, and of course I can play both at the same time if I wish…

Qaelyn.7612:

Thanks Falunel, useful stuff!

I am enjoying the mesmer more, though I find many of the abilities confusing and, based on what I know of the game, not that useful.. at least at this level. But I was warned about that…

I may roll myself a Guardian even though everyone and his brother seems to run one. It does seem like it might be a better way of learning the game, and of course I can play both at the same time if I wish…

Could you provide a few examples of the skills you find useless? Maybe we can explain some.

This is a great thread!

Myself i’ve only started 2-3 weeks ago. I levelled up a ranger so far but struggling in dungeons finding a supportive group to take noobs. Im finding ranger hard in dungeons because of the close proximity and relatively low dps (but constant).

There’s a little bit of catch-22 once you reach 80. Need better gears which seems to be from dungeons, but cant do dungeons because I lack experience / tactics.

I’m now exploring the rest of the map and trying the champ runs but most of the drops are green/blue, rare occasional yellows.

I’m also trying out a guardian, warrior and have a elementalist at lvl 30.

Pyrotek.8730:

This is a great thread!

Myself i’ve only started 2-3 weeks ago. I levelled up a ranger so far but struggling in dungeons finding a supportive group to take noobs. Im finding ranger hard in dungeons because of the close proximity and relatively low dps (but constant).

There’s a little bit of catch-22 once you reach 80. Need better gears which seems to be from dungeons, but cant do dungeons because I lack experience / tactics.

I’m now exploring the rest of the map and trying the champ runs but most of the drops are green/blue, rare occasional yellows.

I’m also trying out a guardian, warrior and have a elementalist at lvl 30.

For dungeon groups, use the LFG tool to make your own group. specify that you are new and looking for other new players or casuals.

You can get better gear by doing the SB, fire ele, and jungle worm.

Something that few people seem to be aware of is the WvW karma vendor in Citadel, who will sell you PVT weapons and armour suitable for your class and level.

Another thing, not generally known is that WvW is excellent for levelling (if you join the zerg) and the karma is bountiful. I level all my toons through WvW in preference to PvE.

I wouldn’t recommend a Guardian. It’s pretty well a support-only class. On your own you’re relatively weak and defenceless (against other players that is). That makes it a one-dimensional class that’s good only in a group setting. The low skill-ceiling makes it rather boring. Mesmer is much more versatile and entertaining.

I actually found the guardian too easy in a way. I’ll play with both but am right now back on my mesmer.

Engineers and elementalists also intrigue me somewhat.

Yes Guardian is easier, but suits me as a new comer to MMO an GW2 so i can learn, and have some fun doing dungeons and survive/catch up with zerg runs. Actually started as Ele and got to 30 when things seems harder (glass canon?). Switched to ranger mainly because I can observe what others are doing during combat from a distant and still contribute.

Now playing guardian and warr in parallel just to try out. Will take one max level to help me learn dungeon tactics.

Then I will move up to more challenging classes, ultimately I like mesmer/necro as they’re so different in GW2 and better implemented.

Prior to GW2 I played iOS games like OaC which arent even a smidget of this MMO. GW2 is vast, with so much to learn.

Roll a Thief and play World vs. World

For a new player there are some things to keep in mind

1. Everyone thinks their class is under powered if you read their forums; most classes are fine, shining in some areas more than other. (Elementalist is the only one I consider broken on a fundamental level but you can still even make that work) I suggest you really try a class and play around with it before choosing a main, and keep in mind not every play style works everywhere. PvE, PvP, WvW, and dungeons are require different play styles.
2. Consider the WvW rankings when choosing a server WvW earns your server serverwide buffs, it doesnt matter if you do it or not, as long as your server does in general everyone gets them. Stormbluff Isle or Jade Quarry would probably be good picks, they’ve been strong since release and are still strong, other servers seem to change with the tide but those two are almost always near the top. (I am on Jade Quarry which is how i’m able to watch the servers that are at the top, the listings arn’t posted anywhere i’m aware of)
3. Some people are try hards, they won’t like you because of your play style for some content Don’t get discouraged by these people, knowing how to play the build you pick of your class is better than playing some build someone says is better that you have no idea how to play effectively. I personally come up with all my builds myself, sometimes they’ll be exactly like an established build, sometimes they wont.
4. Don’t worry about classes in high demand, most classes can do everything, anybody who wont take you for a party because you’re x class is just a kitten anyway. (Also the forums censors any bad word to kitten so use your mind to fill in the blank)

Qaelyn.7612:

Cool thanks.

Can an unidentified dye be any of the ones on the TP? I just noticed some are staggeringly pricey.

Probably should just sell it unidentified as it will multiply my cash 10-fold.

Not quite any. The ones with a different background are special event dyes and had to be bought through gem store dye packs and were rare drops from them .

Thanks all.

So continuing my newbie saga…

First, I’m terribly impressed with how good a job this game does technically. A new build comes out and I can just update it when I want with basically no downtime? Nice.

The only issue I have is sometimes the game disconnects due to an Internet problem, and the game goes black and then just sits there. I have to restart the client. I know disconnects happen but I’m surprised that, in a game otherwise so polished, the client doesn’t retry regularly.

Meanwhile this new holiday event came out, obviously aimed towards level 80 players. I decided to follow the instructions and go talk to the event NPC, and despite the scaling got promptly owned by a couple of skeletons. I realize it only scales stuff like HP and damage, and not equipment, skills, traits, etc. Nor does it scale in-game experience. So I’m not too surprised, and I just left.

Later one of those doors opened near me in Shaemoor and I followed it to the Mad King’s Labyrinth. Had great fun in there! I died a zillion times for the same reason, but I was able to stay alive long enough to get some kills in on those insane bosses as long as I was in a group. I have lots of candy corn now, not even sure what to do with it but I believe it’s a crafting ingredient or I can sell it. Also got a ton of XP and Karma in there.

I was literally laughing out loud the first time I arrived at one of the bosses and saw the scrum of players, summons and effects going all over the place.. I couldn’t actually even see the boss!

Pyrotek.8730:

This is a great thread!

Myself i’ve only started 2-3 weeks ago. I levelled up a ranger so far but struggling in dungeons finding a supportive group to take noobs. Im finding ranger hard in dungeons because of the close proximity and relatively low dps (but constant).

You are going to find it a long haul to get accepted into a Dungeon group as a Ranger. The pet mechanic is NOT good in most Dungeons (Dead pets = not 100% effective) and groups will avoid you just on that fact alone. Not saying it’s fair, but it is an issue you need to be aware of.

There’s a little bit of catch-22 once you reach 80. Need better gears which seems to be from dungeons, but cant do dungeons because I lack experience / tactics.

There are dozens of other sources to get Exotic equipment from…..Crafting, WvW vendors, Laurel vendors, Trading Post, etc. Here’s a tip, gear up with Rare’s (Yellow) items first. You can get them cheaply off TP or other sources and they are a good alternative increase in gear until you can obtain Exotics.

I’ve never done any Dungeon instance (over 50% of the players haven’t either). If you want the Dungeon set skins, your MUST do the them however.

Another tip: DO THE DAILY ACHIEVEMENTS. If possible. In doing them regularly, you are nearly guaranteed to get the MONTHLY as well. Laurels (main achievement reward) are good sources of income and equipment later in the game….start hording them now. Also, the Achievement chests (one of the BEST updates to the game content, IMO) contain all sorts of useful items and are a great long term goal.

Careful with mummies. They are extremely slow but their punches hit HARD.

Everything hits hard in there, heh.

So a quick question about random items and scaling. In a nutshell, should I wait on opening up random items until I’m higher level? For example, the candy bags and trick-or-treat bags from the Halloween event?

How about the black lion chests? I got a key as an achievement award — will I get better goodies by saving it?

Thanks.

Oh, one more thing. Is there a limit of only 250 items for collectibles? My candy corn stack doesn’t seem to want to increase…