Guild Wars 2

Hello. I started playing PvP rather recently (a month or so), and I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m of some use to the team.

It was explained to me that hotjoin it not an accurate representation of the “traditional” PvP experience, and apart from getting my feet wet it was not going to teach me that much about the correct way conquest is played.

How did you decide it was time to take this step? Any tips?

Go for it.

I honestly went from roaming in wvw to the old ranked solo queue straight away with only a little adjusting to conquest mode needed. I actually watched quite a few streams so I knew the maps. As long as you know map mechanics than unranked is good.

Imo, its time to play unranked when you´re familar with your character/build/spec. Hotjoin is like getting used to your spec, its not about winning the match/competetice evironment(see 4on5´s, winning team joiners, etc. etc.). If you want win orientated gameplay/improve your gameplay, go unranked. Theres no other place to do.

Just do your best to win the match/understand the gameplay, and everyone should be fine with you. If you´re not even used ro your spec, better go hotjoin. You won´t help your team if your skillbar is taking all your attention.

Just be aware that unranked has lots of bad match ups where your inexperienced team will face coordinated teams that will often crush your team. Try to observe and learn how they do it.

I’d like to touch on builds just a tiny bit since someone mentioned it. Please for your sake do not play minion mancer or turret engies or other AI based builds. That will only do you harm in the long run.

Asap.

Hotjoin learns you the wrong things.
Except for getting used to the maps and build, which you can perfectly do in unranked.

I would firstly make sure that:

• I know my character well and how my build works
• I know weak points of my build/class and how to avoid it’s exposure
• I know how to play on each map (hideouts, shortcuts, ground composition, etc.)
• I know the best use of my character for each map

o.O

Good luck

Thank you all for answering

I’m gonna practice some more, and get more familiar with my build, but I’ll definitely get into unranked

Along with that, here are a few other very important notes to remember:

• 1. Don’t Stay on a Point another is Safely Capping (I.e no nearby enemies in sight). You’re not speeding up the process and are basically wasting space. At the start of each match, as an effect of this, only 1 Should go “Home”, as the node is called.

• 2. Pick up the Basic Terminology. Basically Home is the closest Node to your base, Mid is self-explenatory and Far is the one closest to the enemy camp.

• 3. Never sit on a Point, even as a Bunker. Check the map and your team’s healthbars, go where you’re needed.

• 4. Don’t rush into 3v1 or 4v2 if your team is losing. Feeding won’t do your team any good and will just frustrate you. Go elsewhere for free caps or kills where they’re outnumbered.

• 5. Don’t pursue a fleeing enemy Off Point for long. Try to kill him for quick points, but if that takes longer than ~5 seconds, you’re wasting valuable time you could be using Reinforcing Mid or Decapping Far. Don’t needlessly engage in fights off points, unless you’re doing it to keep them away from your point.

• 6. All of the above are situational and may or may not apply to any kind of situation you will find yourself in while playing sPvP.

• 7. Learn the maps.

I would add to the above post, learn all the classes and the meta specs, and know your own role. Don’t push a point as a bunker, don’t bunk home as a burst class, etc. if you find yourself losing to a particular class and build, play it for yourself and learn what it does.

You can’t go very wrong if you’re playing a good build, go mid, fight on point when necessary, and communicate. Along with all the above stuff.

I would completely recommend going into unranked. Sure, avoid ranked until you’ve fulfilled all of the above, but IMO unranked is exactly where you should be. If you’re worried, feel free to add me and we can q together so you can at least have some back up if the trolls start a’ raging!

Some people take unranked far too seriously – if you’re annoyed by new players in unranked, go and play in ranked and get annoyed with them there…

i would say jump into unranked now, you wont be the worst player there trust me on that. Unranked is going to teach you better then hot join for the most part and is probably a bit more fun.

If somebody rages at you in unranked just right click and block. Expect rage in ranked tho, thats just the nature of a competitive queue.

Thank you all for the advice.
I did make the jump shortly after my latest answer to the this thread.

The first days I mostly ended up in one sided matches (either in favour of my team, or against it), but lately there have been a lot of more balanced matches.
Now if there is a really big difference in the score it is because someone in the loosing team messed up badly (I noticed that a lot of people completely ignore teamchat).

Unranked PvP turned out to be a lot of fun, so thanks for the encouragement.