Guild Wars 2

hey guys

so i just picked the game up to play some pvp.

Im finding it massively overwhelming at the moment as to setting up my class/character , I wanted to know if there are any good vids / series that can help me. Also are there any leader boards / something similar to wow armoury so I can see what builds are popular for my to try out?

Thanks for any guidance i feel ive been dropped in at the deep end of a pretty in-depth customisation system!

Thanks for your time and help!

Generally any builds pulled off of the twitch.tv streamers are a pretty safe bet to be competitive.

thanks, ive been watching them. how can i see peoples builds? also any class advice? i was thinking necro but apparently they arent great?

InfernoUk.5867:

thanks, ive been watching them. how can i see peoples builds? also any class advice? i was thinking necro but apparently they arent great?

Necros are fine, you can do well with ANY class if you are willing to spend the time to learn your own class AND all the other ones, don’t listen to people on the forums who say that certain classes are either completely broken and useless or overpowered and overused. Yes there are classes that perform certain roles better than others, but that is the case in any game.

ok, everyone on twitch is a mesmer but i think i might give theif ago since i like stealth etc

Most players post their builds in the description below; I have seen most classes except ranger and warrior streaming

Dont pick necro, go with mesmer thief guardian or war

ok cool, ive gone theif and copied a build, do boons, effects, conditions etc setup automatically?

Ive seen them listed

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-cFRV;1Rw-_0T53PFd0;9;4OT;0E27-20A;44;0INk3;2G3G3G3G35Bx

there for example, but cant find a way to set them in game? Im using that build so hope its good!

The boons, effects, etc are just showing what that build is capable of putting out.

Just be careful, that build is very good but also has low hp and defense, so be careful

right ok so i dont need to set them up. im trying my first game and im just getting constantly trashed over and over and over. not fun at all. resorted to just using a bow and standing way back as i just get smashed in melee : /

Xom.9264:

Dont pick necro, go with mesmer thief guardian or war

lolololol
predictably bad poster making bad post, no way!

also guys with the pvp reword chests i can buy, whats the point when i buy one open it and get a load of stuff that looks the same as i could have got off the vendors for free? is it best to just stack the points until i can get higher level stuff? I know its all cosmetic but is it really a random chance of getting something usable on ure class that looks good?

InfernoUk.5867:

right ok so i dont need to set them up. im trying my first game and im just getting constantly trashed over and over and over. not fun at all. resorted to just using a bow and standing way back as i just get smashed in melee : /

haha, sounds like the first couple weeks or so for me too. It took some getting used to for me. I personally prefer to play with a good set of defensive abilities to stay alive longer (sacrificing dmg). Dodging is important as well which took me some time to get used to. The burst builds require you to get in pop burst cooldowns and then get out and play defense as best u can.

also guys with the pvp reword chests i can buy, whats the point when i buy one open it and get a load of stuff that looks the same as i could have got off the vendors for free? is it best to just stack the points until i can get higher level stuff? I know its all cosmetic but is it really a random chance of getting something usable on ure class that looks good?

At every level (rabbit/deer/etc) you get like 3 or 4 different types of stuff – see this link:

http://www.guildwars2guru.com/topic/56825-a-general-how-to-on-crafting-pvp-gear/

So basically, I get some pvp salvage kits and a bunch of chests and salvage the stuff that comes out that I already have.

You can do a preview on each gear using the pvp locker – that way I will go look for something that looks sorta cool and then just craft it if it isn’t showing up in the chests.

ok cool so you salvage the stuff you get in the chests then use the loickers to craft good stuff?

Is there a specific good theif spvp build i can use to learn and get good with thats forgiving for a beginner? I know people said copy twitch top players but obviously thry can get away with playing with less health etc…

Thanks for the help guys!

If we had a kitten 1v1 system…I bet you could find someone willing to jump into an empty server and teach you the basics. Reading and copying builds is like 1% of the work. Watch as many streams as you want to, but that’s not going to make you good. It’s all about muscle memory and reflexes. You might want to build something really tanky and just practice dodging for a game or two. Maybe find a good combo online and try chaining everything together…don’t worry about the damage just yet. Just try and land everything.

yea i want a build that can kill well without me getting smashed for me to practice with basically, a good trade off. seems everyone uses these double dagger backstab builds?

Try going for guardian with healing symbols (30/0/0/30/10) and use greatsword because those give retaliation. It’s quite easy.

InfernoUk.5867:

yea i want a build that can kill well without me getting smashed for me to practice with basically, a good trade off. seems everyone uses these double dagger backstab builds?

That build is very squishy, sure you can go in a 1 shot someone, but if they have backup you will never be able to finish them and will usually get killed by random AOEs.

ok thanks, any suggestion on an alternative?

InfernoUk.5867:

ok thanks, any suggestion on an alternative?

You could go a condition build with caltrops and plenty of stealth, I will make it for you hold on a minute.

thanks i have no idea what im doing still so i just need something that i can learn the game with until i have enough knowledge to play the high dmg low health builds

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQNAoYVlUmKPHdy9E95EB3Dnq0m6f4r9M4qVB;TsAgyCuo8xAjAG7MOfkzsWYEwMAA

You may need to copy/paste the link if it doesn’t work, this build relys on applying as many bleeds as possible to enemies using caltrops on a capture point, death blossom, or cluster bombs exploded in mid air. All of these apply bleeds in an aoe. When you are low on initiative you have several ways to go stealth to cure condtions or heal some hp or regen your initiative.

If you’re willing to put the time in, you should probably hit up a skill builder, and read through every classes skills for every weapon (gw2skills.net/editor/en). You’re going to want to pick out the ones that seem like they’d be a problem, make the class yourself, and see what the animations look like. You could also find some “How to fight X class” videos on youtube.

It sounds like alot of work, but if you’re just starting, you’re going to get mauled. I’ve been playing since head start, and its obvious within 2 seconds if I’m fighting a newer player – they’re overwhelmed, they have no idea what I’m doing, what skills I’m going to use, how I’m going to respond to their skills, etc…

The first 2 weeks I played the game, I was just about ready to quit every time I logged out – I had no idea how to spec my class, how to play it, how to fight other classes, and every death felt like a cheap shot (I didn’t play much in the betas). Once I learned what to watch for, some of the more common specs of other classes, and how to use my own skills to their fullest potential, it became exponentially more fun.

ok so im not actually slashing at anyone to get kills? just aoe stuff?

InfernoUk.5867:

ok so im not actually slashing at anyone to get kills? just aoe stuff?

Yes as it is a condition build your main source of damage will be stacking bleeds on the enemy, if you are in a 1v1 fight sure you will have to use your auto attack some part of the time but the best thing to do right now is to stick with a build you like, it doesn’t necessarily have to be condition bleeds but i gave you this one since it has much higher survivability than the Backstab build with all the dodge rolls, Death Blossom evades and stealth.

If you want to get better stick with one build and learn what all of your traits can do, experiment around with utilities until you find something that works for you.

ok thanks for the help!

InfernoUk.5867:

ok cool so you salvage the stuff you get in the chests then use the loickers to craft good stuff?

Is there a specific good theif spvp build i can use to learn and get good with thats forgiving for a beginner? I know people said copy twitch top players but obviously thry can get away with playing with less health etc…

Thanks for the help guys!

Not exactly, when you purchase a chest and open a bunch of stuff will go into your bags. Then, if you do “Deposit Collectibles” any of the PVP gear or waeapons you received that are not ALREADY in your pvp locker will get transported there (similar to what happens to crafting materials and how they go to your bank). Then, any of the pvp stuff LEFT in your bags means that they already are in your locker, so it is just a duplicate of what you already have – those are what I salvage.

Then, go to the PVP locker and using that thread I posted, you can basically go look at what each piece of gear available at your current rank looks like on you by right clicking them (whether you actually have the piece or not) and doing “Preview” if it looks like you can think about crafting it – again, see the thread I linked. To craft you need to go to the mystic forge, just north of the gear/weapon vendors in the mists, and combine the materials to craft the gear.

I personally am using a condition build – it doesn’t do a ton of damage but it’s easy to escape and stay alive. Really, what you want to do is play with a bunch of different builds until you identify one that you like. I use this – the shadow arts and trickery trees give a lot of healing and vigor for lots of dodge rolls and survivability. The damage is based on spreading bleeds with caltrops and death blossom (although may people use pistol/dagger instead – it requires a lot more kiting i think). I didn’t fill in the sigils or runes but pretty sure I"m using geomancy and energe and also maybe using 6/6 runes of undead but there are other viable choices – you want to focus on condition dmg and maybe duration (duration more if you use a pistol build i believe):

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fYAQJAoYlUmKP3ey7E95EB3Dji0m6p4rjtTBXtKA

EDIT: realizing I forgot to fill in the 2nd weapon set – i almost always use crossbow as the 2nd weapon – it’s just really good.

Another suggestion, which helped me a ton when I was learning to play thief, go check out rainythief channel on youtube. He has a ton of useful instructional thief videos. It really helped me figure out pvp in gw2 in general and also provides a lot of build options for the thief.

Hey there OP, glad to see you doing some PvP!

Some tips I’d like to add:

1. If you don’t want to get blown up in about 2 seconds, don’t run the backstab thief build. Or really any glass cannon for that matter. Take the time to learn how balanced / tank builds work, they’ll teach you more about game mechanics simply by surviving longer.

2. Watch streams, youtube videos, etc. and get a feel for how some good players out there (and bad, for reference) like to play and how fast they react.

3. DON’T neglect your defensive utilities. Make sure you have at least one “Stun Break” utility. When using it, if you’re stunned or knocked-down, it will break you free.

4. Learn how to dodge appropriately. This comes with experience, but like stun breaks can save you from a world of hurt.

5. Take advice on playstyle and builds from your respective class’s sub forum. A lot of players there are pretty experienced, and getting a solid build from people who know what they’re talking about is step 1 to success.

Lastly, practice. Keep playing constantly. It’s the only way to truly get better. You’re going to die a lot, people will rage and trash talk you. Just ignore it and keep going. It wasn’t till around rank 20ish that I really started to improve by a lot, so keep that in mind.