Guild Wars 2

New player here. I have a Sylvari Ranger. I completed the map in the first 1-15 zone at level 16.

Zooming out and looking at the connecting zones… it seemed obvious that I should go north – to Kessex … it says 15-25. But as soon as you zone into that place you are in a level 24 area. I’m guessing that the level 15 part of that zone is on the opposite end.

So I asked in chat and someone sent me to the upper left corner.. which doesn’t go into Kessex.. but goes into Brisban instead. That starts at level 17 – still not 15, but… OK. As a Ranger that was easy enough…

But… there is nowhere to advance within the level range. I’ve gone “up the right side” and “over to the left” and done the caves too. Always being 2-3 levels under the mobs. Which was “hard” but doable. But so very annoying.

Being always 2-3 levels under the enemies means not being able to do the events usually, and never being able to use the gear from drops or from Heart Vendors. I’m constantly holding gear to use it in a couple of levels. Painful.

My Norn had no such problem. Neither my Human. Their “next zone” works out perfectly. Which makes me wonder… am I just missing out on where I should have gone as a Sylvari? Brisban is terrible.

Thanks!

because you do not like either of those, i would suggest doing queensdale to gain those 2-3 levels your under then going back to kessex. Do all of the beginning areas (queensdale, plains of ashford, caledon forest) then move forward. This is the best way to level and to gain experience with your characters.

thanks! but.. not so much that “I don’t like them” except… when I walk in… it seems I’m at the wrong spot.

Humans and Norn just naturally walk into the next zone and the content is level appropriate. For my Sylvari… that hasn’t been the case.

So my question is really about “did I miss a turn or road somewhere?” Can I “just walk into the next zone” to a different zone and actually continue leveling like my Human and Norn characters did?

Or, do I have to do as you suggested… and go on a long run to find my way to some distant zone and find the right spot in that zone to start leveling again?

I just want to know if I’ve missed something

It doesnt sound like youve missed anything. Kessex would be the next place to go for map completion. The reason i suggested doing the starter zones is so that you can gain those extra levels since you are starting at the bottom of the map, which is in the 20’s. Theyre also not that far away :p just pop into wvw then use the lions arch gate to get to the hub plaza, and BAM…instant access to every zone.

IIRC, there’s a gate between Caledon Forest and Metrica Province (the Asura 1-15 starting zone) connecting the west-central part of the former and the northeast of the latter. The areas in northern Metrica are the higher-level ones, relatively speaking, including Thaumanova Reactor where a world boss is located, so if you go there you should be able to get the levels you need from the events and renown hearts in that part of the zone before moving on to Brisban Wildlands. If you go into Brisban from Metrica, in fact, you’ll start out, again IIRC, at the level 16 renown heart, which should help you in that regard.

Joe is correct about the gate to Metrica Province. This gate is at the Town of Cathal Waypoint. You can then exit Metrica to the north to enter the level 15 part of Brisban Wildlands

wow! there is actually a level 15 part of Brisban? Wow! I will check it out! I had completely lost faith in that zone

Thanks!

If you leave Caledon Forest towards Metrica Province (about halfway up the map on the west side), you will enter the Asura starter map at around the max level of that map. If you enter Brisban Wildlands you will enter a lvl 18 area (Brisban is hardest in the NW).

If you are “under-geared” , I would go to Metrica, clear the northern part and then exit to Brisban and do the south and east part of the map.
That would be the natural “foot path” without using Asura Gates much. But like others said, you can always use gates to LA and the other racial home towns and do starter zones to gain some more levels (especially if the fights are too tough due to crappy arms & armour).

travislaborde.9036:

So my question is really about “did I miss a turn or road somewhere?” Can I “just walk into the next zone” to a different zone and actually continue leveling like my Human and Norn characters did?

Yes.

GW2 is different from WoW this way. There’s no such thing as a ‘right spot’ for leveling or level gates on events- any character can level in any area. In higher level areas players get ‘upscaled’ to the correct level (although they don’t get the necessary traits, so they’re still weak) and in lower areas they get ‘downscaled’. Experiences, events and hearts aren’t limited by your level.

The level markings on the areas are there to let players know how hard an area should be, but if you want to you can stick to the starter zone until level 80, or head straight for Orr. Neither is the most efficient way to play, but they’re both options.

they dont get upscaled in normal world only wvwvw and the edge of the mist mate

Your level upon changing zones also depends a lot on what you did in the previous zones. Did you complete the Caledon Forest to 100%? Did you do a lot of events, or skip most of them (or were unlucky to always pass through the areas at times when events weren’t active)?

Due to dynamic events (which give good experience while leveling), the leveling curve may be totally different for different characters. If you are struggeling with mobs and events, backtrace to the areas you just left, and seek out events there. Unlike quest-based MMOs, this game puts part of the “burden” of accumulating experience on yourself. By actively seeking and taking part in events, you can gather a lot of experience, while just running through the area ticking off map exploration points will probably leave you short.

Lastly, don’t forget about extra sources of experience, like harvesting resource nodes (also good for some coin if you sell the resources at the trading post) or resurrecting dead npc. Those can also have a significant impact on the level you’ll reach before moving on to the next area. If you thoroughly explore the place and take part in events, you’ll easily be able to jump into the 2nd zone at lvl 17 or 18.

The Sylvari don’t have a second map like the other races have. Kessex Hills transitions nicely from Queensdale and the Brisbane Wildlands transition from Metrica Province. As a Sylvari you could use the portal in the west (not north west) of Caledon Forest to get to the Metrica Province.

“Where life goes, so too should you”.
My sylvari followed her storyline into brisband. One of my favorite zones.

Funny how no one seems to know that Caledon Forest links to Brisban Wildlands too.

Lindbur.2537:

Funny how no one seems to know that Caledon Forest links to Brisban Wildlands too.

That was the OP’s original complaint. Come on Lindbur you’re usually better than this :-P

I’m growing rusty >_>

Lindbur.2537:

I’m growing rusty >_>

Don’t believe that for a minute sir. We’ll just put it down to lack of coffee.

Straights of Devastation, OP.

The way i leveled up my first character was that when i would finish one 1-15 area (in my case, Queensdale), before moving to the 15+ areas, i would go to Lion’s Arch and use the Asura gates to go to the other races 1-15 starting zones. As playing content below your level still rewards you good amount of experience.

That way, i never ran in to problems with enemies being too high level for me.

I’ve always found that when I level I need to use various zones of the same level. Really, completing the quests in a zone should get you to the right level for the next area but truth be told if you focus on the quests (even with some events thrown in) you will always be a few levels lower than what you want. I suggest doing 2 zones at once, that way you tend to be above the level of what you need and you get more diversity

Don’t forget the capital cities. They give decent exp and tranny charges for completion. You can get to them through the asura gates in LA.