Guild Wars 2

So I completed the 1st Norm story and Im currently level 12. I see I cannot start the next story until level 20..

Questions – what besides viewing vistas, getting Wps, and generally exploring will get me 8 levels so I can continue my personal story ? Or is that what I need to do is just run around and level the best I can until level 20 …

I cant seem to afford anything in the game. Cant upgrade anything so Im lost on how to aquire gold.

Does the game start at level 80 – kind of like Gw did at max level ??

You can do hearts in any of the starter zones: Caledon, Queensdale, Wayfarer Foothills and Plains of Ashford to get the needed levels.

As someone mentioned, you can get to lvl 80 just strictly staying in starter zones if you really wanted to. But you aren’t really forced to do other content or go into higher level zones just to level up. Or even crafting if you have the funds for it.

Your primary means of leveling up is exploring the world. Check your world map and look for a little telescope icon. That’s a scout, and he will point out various tasks in the area that you can complete (the yellow hearts on your map).

Most tasks give you the option of performing a variety of combat and non-combat activities, but I would recommend focusing on the combat-related activities to fulfill the task objective since you’ll kill two birds with one stone — getting experience from completing the task itself as well as all the monsters you kill to fulfill the objectives of the task (and you’ll get loot from the monsters too).

As you’re traveling from task to task, look for dynamic events along the way that you can complete. The best events for leveling are the ones that involve defending an area from hordes of monsters (like in the norn staring area, there’s one where a horde of dozens of minotaurs stampede through the area). Use your area-effect skills to blast as many monsters as possible and you can rack up experience very quickly.

Also visit any nearby vistas, way points, points of interest and skill points as you’re moving between tasks and events.

If you run out of tasks and get bored with the events, head to your racial capital (Hoelbrak for the norn), travel through the Asura Gate to Lion’s Arch, then take another Asura Gate to a different racial region and start playing through the tasks and events there. Also keep in mind that events in the lower-level areas tend to recycle fairly quickly. So if you find a rewarding event, swing back by that area in 5 to 10 minutes and you can probably catch it again.

I believe new accounts now give you 10 experience boosters in a starter pack. Don’t be shy in using them, especially when doing those events with hordes of monsters.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey!

You get experience from pretty much everything you do.

Enjoy the leveling. I know for me it was the most awesome experience in GW2. I don’t enjoy Dungeons or Fractals so “end game” for me is PvP or achievements (and Living Story, I guess).

To answer the other part of your question most things in the game will seem very expensive at low levels when you don’t have much gold. (Some will seem very expensive even when you’ve been level 80 for a while.)

But there’s also not much you need to buy while you’re levelling. You’ll regularly get equipment from level up rewards, story rewards and drops from enemies. If you do need to buy any I recommend using karma rather than gold because karma has less uses. (Karma gear can’t be sold or salvaged after you’re done with it, but it can be thrown in the mystic forge to make something you can sell).

mXz.4512:

You can do hearts in any of the starter zones: Caledon, Queensdale, Wayfarer Foothills and Plains of Ashford to get the needed levels.

And how do I get to these different starter areas ?? Im stuck in Nornville and cant seem to find any of the other areas….

Look for a pink circle on your nornville map (at Peeta’s Gate east of Trade Commons). It’s an Asura Gate. Walking into it will send you to the Lion’s Arch city, right in front of many other Gates to the different starter cities. You can tell what city they lead to by looking at the 2 guards in front of them.

Also at lv 12 you can try to go to lv 15-25 areas. You shouldn’t have much trouble unless you’re outnumbered.

A lot of initiative there Hellswrath. This game does not run you on rails or push you out of a zone you are too low of a level. Open up your map and take a look. There are three exits out of that map, one to the Norn City where you can get a gate to Lion’s Arch and from there the other race’s cities and two exits into Level 15-25 maps.

Now since you are level 12, you can look for little telescopes on your map and go to them, they are scouts and can direct you to what passes as fixed quests in this game. But really this game sort of requires you to be motivated to explore the map and find things to do on your own.

Behellagh.1468:

Now since you are level 12, you can look for little telescopes on your map and go to them, they are scouts and can direct you to what mm

perhaps I don’t know wtf im looking for?? I pres M and look at the map but I don’t see any telescopes… thanks for the info though ///

If you are “only” lvl 12 I would wager you have not yet finished the exploration of the Wayfarer Foothills. You’ve probably unlocked several waypoints (blue tilted squares on the map), so open the map, find one in the Wayfarer Foothills (it’s the area east of Hoelbrack or “nornville” as you put it, click it to fast travel there and start exploring around.

As said, the best source of experience are the Dynamic Events. You should be pointed towards any that are close to you, by a message and an arrow in the upper right corner of your screen.

Especially for the lower half of the Foothills map, you are pretty safe to explore it all. Look around, there are hidden stuff everywhere you go. Keep your eyes open and just go see that interesting building in the horizon.

Exploration in GW2 is rewarding and fun. You’ll never want to go back to the lead-by-the-nose questing of other MMOs once you discover the GW2 way.

God, I wish I could wipe my mind and go back to when I first started GW2.

Go to all the home cities and Lions Arch and clear those maps (only Points of Interest and Vistas).. You will get about 5 levels doing just that.