Guild Wars 2

Hello!

I picked up Guild Wars 2 a few days ago and I’m wondering if somebody would mind helping me out with understanding the current state of WvW and server population and how this all works. I’m a long time WoW player and a huge fan of PvP. GW2 caught my eye the other day when I started to read about world versus world….and it sounded awesome.

I ended up choosing Blackgate as my server since it seemed like the general recommendation for PvP-focused players is to pick an active tier 1 server. I got to level 10 on my first character and figured I’d queue up for WvW just for the heck of it to see what it was like….and proceeded to sit in queue for about 25 minutes before bailing.

I guess I’m maybe rethinking the server choice…was Blackgate a bad idea? Is it better / more fun to pick a tier 2 server? Are queue times usually high for WvW?

Sorry if these questions are asked a lot around here. I did some searching but was only finding old topics and I wasn’t sure how relevant they are.

I had pretty high hopes that pvp would be fun in this game. WoW is killing me with the endless CC chains and 15+ minute queue times for BGs in my battlegroups.

The whole concept of “pick a world and that’s the only one you can play on unless you pay money to transfer” in GW2 is pretty foreign to me. I’m all paranoid that I will pick the “wrong” one. lol. I figure since I’m only level 10 I can at least delete my character and start over with only losing a few hours of playing

Thanks for the help!!

/Edited 12:35 – rephrased something that was worded poorly

Season 2 of WvW is making queues longer than they would normally be. 7 more week of the crap.

Blackgate is probably the most populated server at the moment, so it might not be your best interest to be on this server if you’re an American player. You also entered during a tournament season of WvW, so queues are artificially high compared to the ‘off season’. Also keep in mind there are 4 maps to choose from (Obsidian sanctum and Edge of the Mists sort of, kinda, don’t really count)

Tier 1 and Tier 2 have different mindsets when it comes to WvW though, so do a bit of reading and research and decide which tier you want to be in.

Anyway, not recommended to enter WvW at level 10. You’re lacking traits/runes/sigils/utilities to be able to compete well, especially since you’re new to the game. Try out the sPvP mode first to learn your class’ mechanics and builds. Basically any class can instagib you at that level because of all the utility/elite skills and all the defensive traits that you don’t have.

Also, CC chaining is also the name of the game here. It’s just a lot easier to get out of with cleansing/stun break/stability/dodging

Welcome to WvW. Blackgate is the top server in the America’s so you are going to have large queue times during peak usage. If you want to pop some WvW without queue times then go for the Edge of the Mists. Just hit the “B” button to bring up the WvW menu and enter that map. That will send you on a instanced map with other random joins. Also go for the Borderlands for your opponents or Eternal Battlegrounds. Normally your home Borderland (most important) is always full.

You can transfer to a lower tier server but there is a cost, yes. My recommendation for straight PvP is to also go to Heart of the Mists. Either way, for a new person Edge of the Mists and Heart of the Mists should be your first stop to learn PvP.

Reverence.6915:

Blackgate is probably the most populated server at the moment, so it might not be your best interest to be on this server if you’re an American player. You also entered during a tournament season of WvW, so queues are artificially high compared to the ‘off season’. Tier 1 and Tier 2 have different mindsets when it comes to WvW though, so do a bit of reading and research and decide which tier you want to be in.

Anyway, not recommended to enter WvW at level 10. You’re lacking traits/runes/sigils to be able to compete well, especially since you’re new to the game. Try out the sPvP mode first to learn your class’ mechanics and builds

Also, CC chaining is also the name of the game here. It’s just a lot easier to get out of with cleansing/stun break/stability/dodging

Right, but any recommendations as to what to read / research to get some good info? As I said, a lot of what I’m finding is old.

And yes, I was just getting into WvW at level 10 to see what it was like. Not to compete.

I’m hoping that CC chaining isn’t as garbage in this game as it is in wow…or at least as garbage as wow will continue to be until they remove some instant CC and reduce the diminishing return categories in 6.0.

Thiefz.3695:

Welcome to WvW. Blackgate is the top server in the America’s so you are going to have large queue times during peak usage. If you want to pop some WvW without queue times then go for the Edge of the Mists. Just hit the “B” button to bring up the WvW menu and enter that map. That will send you on a instanced map with other random joins. Also go for the Borderlands for your opponents or Eternal Battlegrounds. Normally your home Borderland (most important) is always full.

You can transfer to a lower tier server but there is a cost, yes. My recommendation for straight PvP is to also go to Heart of the Mists. Either way, for a new person Edge of the Mists and Heart of the Mists should be your first stop to learn PvP.

Thanks for the advice!

It depends on what you’re looking for.

The following are broad generalizations which only apply to my personal experience; others’ mileage may vary.

High population servers, as you’ve discovered, will have long queues to get into WvW at prime time (and even non-prime time). You’ll have maps full of players. You’ll likely never want for a fight, but those fights are going to be massive groups fighting other massive groups. Consequently, individual contributions will often mean less and combat may frequently lag.

Lower population servers will rarely have queues or their queues will be at prime time and comparatively short. If matched against similar low population servers, there will be less opportunity for massive three-way fights of scores and scores of players. On the other hand, if matched against a higher population/higher ranked server (the matching algorithm can be funny that way some weeks), it can be discouraging to get steamrolled by superior numbers for seven days. However, you’re less likely to experience lag as often and your individual contribution counts for more as there are fewer of you on the map.

I’m in a middle-of-the-pack server. I almost never have queues; only occasional lag; there are more opportunities for roaming and small scale fights; and out-strategizing an opponent often counts for as much as outnumbering them.

Good luck in your choice of server.

Solafein.3528:

Reverence.6915:

Blackgate is probably the most populated server at the moment, so it might not be your best interest to be on this server if you’re an American player. You also entered during a tournament season of WvW, so queues are artificially high compared to the ‘off season’. Tier 1 and Tier 2 have different mindsets when it comes to WvW though, so do a bit of reading and research and decide which tier you want to be in.

Anyway, not recommended to enter WvW at level 10. You’re lacking traits/runes/sigils to be able to compete well, especially since you’re new to the game. Try out the sPvP mode first to learn your class’ mechanics and builds

Also, CC chaining is also the name of the game here. It’s just a lot easier to get out of with cleansing/stun break/stability/dodging

Right, but any recommendations as to what to read / research to get some good info? As I said, a lot of what I’m finding is old.

And yes, I was just getting into WvW at level 10 to see what it was like. Not to compete.

I’m hoping that CC chaining isn’t as garbage in this game as it is in wow…or at least as garbage as wow will continue to be until they remove some instant CC and reduce the diminishing return categories in 6.0.

Fair enough. Tier 1 (Jade Quarry, Tarnished Coast, Blackgate) tend to play the ‘PPT’ (Points Per Tick) game, which involves trying to score as many points as possible within the week long rotation, whereas Tier 2 claims to be (I don’t play there so I can’t confirm) more about trying to seek fights. Skill wise, I’ve found that each server is similar in terms of hardcore guilds vs casual pugs.

GW2 doesn’t have diminishing returns on CC, but there are many ways you can negate CC. Different classes have different mechanics for that.

Check out Blackgate’s WvW community: http://gw2blackgate.com/

To elaborate, sPVP is good because you can get a sense of what build you like since you can update your armor and stuff for free. In WvW and PvE you will be working towards your custom build and many have a WvW build vs. a PvE build (less squish). You may find that the ladders don’t balance well but the key is to learn mechanics, down state, and abilities. You also can spec your traits as much as you want (wiki is really good for theory craft and other sites for building)

Also there are specific forums for classes and you can search them for build help. Oh and welcome to Guild Wars.

If you’re looking for an excellent WvW experience, then you should find a guild on your server, (unless the queues in Blackgate are a gamebreaker) who is open to new players and help you to learn what makes WvW fun. It’s a very complex, and fun when you get to the advanced level.

Good luck with your search

Blossom.4875:

Season 2 of WvW is making queues longer than they would normally be. 7 more week of the crap.

The feature patch will kill season 2 instantly as everyone go hunting bunnies for new skins to play dress-up in the wardrobe.

Yea, you need to figure what kind of pvp you enjoy and then research the servers from there. WvW tends to be players grouping up into large zergs and the server rankings are a general reflection of population. On the higher tier servers these zergs are more numerous than on the lower tier servers. Because of this, you’ll find smaller scale fights get a bit more action on lower tiers while the upper tiers tend to have more large scale fights.

If you enjoy a more structured pvp game mode, 5v5 conquest in the Heart of the Mists, which server you are on doesn’t really matter. Neither does your server matter for PvE content.

Chaba.5410:

Yea, you need to do figure what kind of pvp you enjoy and then research the servers from there. WvW tends to be players grouping up into large zergs and the server rankings are a general reflection of population. On the higher tier servers these zergs are more numerous than on the lower tier servers. Because of this, you’ll find smaller scale fights get a bit more action on lower tiers while the upper tiers tend to have more large scale fights.

If you enjoy a more structured pvp game mode, 5v5 conquest in the Heart of the Mists, which server you are on doesn’t really matter. Neither does your server matter for PvE content.

Do keep in mind that Bloodlust is a huge part of T1 meta and more or less determines the winner of that week, thus roamers/havocers in T1 have become the most important factor in winning the matchup. It’s not all zerg fights up here.

I didn’t say it was all zerg fights. I said zergs are much more numerous. That fact alone tends to result in less roamers/havockers than on lower tiers, which also have zergs, just not as numerous.

Reverence.6915:

Chaba.5410:

Yea, you need to do figure what kind of pvp you enjoy and then research the servers from there. WvW tends to be players grouping up into large zergs and the server rankings are a general reflection of population. On the higher tier servers these zergs are more numerous than on the lower tier servers. Because of this, you’ll find smaller scale fights get a bit more action on lower tiers while the upper tiers tend to have more large scale fights.

If you enjoy a more structured pvp game mode, 5v5 conquest in the Heart of the Mists, which server you are on doesn’t really matter. Neither does your server matter for PvE content.

Do keep in mind that Bloodlust is a huge part of T1 meta and more or less determines the winner of that week, thus roamers/havocers in T1 have become the most important factor in winning the matchup. It’s not all zerg fights up here.

While that’s true, From what I’ve experienced of the T1 style of Bloodlust points is that you are only going to be effective if you are running with 2-3+ people. The solo roaming aspect of bloodlust kinda falls apart when you are getting ganked by groups of 3+. Solo roaming around the rest of the map is great because there is a lot more space and a lot more people running around. But the center of the map is being dominated by small group right now.

But if OP has a good group of friends to hang out with then that might be a valuable option.

Solafein.3528:

You can transfer to a lower tier server but there is a cost, yes.

There is still a way to avoid costs: If you do not have a charackter in your account (deleted your level 10 char) you can choose any server for free, as you did initially.

So look around and lvl if you like it or restart on a different server or your choice.
Lvl 10 so far isn’t a big deal, 1h if you know what you are doing (and the money in your stash stays).

In my opinion if you want to experience the full WvW experience as ANET intended it to be (as in competitive server vs server match with focus on ppt) you should try to stay with one of the T1 servers (blackgate, Jade Quarry, Tarnished Coast). There is a misconception by lower tiers that roamers/havoc groups have no place in Tier 1 matches when in fact it is the opposite due to the bloodlust mechanism. In T1 matches contribution by roamers/havoc groups is one of if not the most important factor to server winning, at least during the current WvW season time.

In tier 2 servers (Sea of sorrows, Maguum, and dragon brand) it’s less about helping your servers winning the match but more about individual guild’s skill. They are more focused on the guild vs guild aspect of the game than the server vs server “PPT” game.

I have no personal experience about T3 and lower tiers so I can’t comment. The queues are a bit long right now due to the WvW season, but I find myself rarely need to wait more than half hour. There is always a map with relatively lower queues you can join. Also it would be a good idea for you to join your server’s forum and TS. For blackgate it is at www.gw2blackgate.com

If anything, server hop a bit, you can even pop into WvW at level 2 and try to run with the commander or try to get a feel for the community. As other people mentioned, don’t expect to contribute any, but it’s an easy way to get a general feel. Since it appears you are NA, check out this site for world rankings: http://mos.millenium.org/na/matchups/

Every 3 ranks makes up a tier, so rank 1, 2, 3 are T1, 4-6 are T2, etc. Jump around and see what it’s like and if anything, pick a mentality that you enjoy most and maybe return to the forums to get a feeling for what servers share that mentality. Good luck to you!

Awesome, you guys all rock! Thanks so much for all the help!

I’ll have to do some reading about the different worlds and maybe check a few out. I didn’t realize that they have their own sites. I’ll also have to do some reading on Bloodlust….not quite sure what that is yet.

Excited to be a part of the game….can’t believe I slept on this one for so long. It sounds awesome

I agree with the poster who said you should server hop.

When I read the posts from the upper tier guys about bloodlust, I just read it as “small group is limited to bloodlust capping”. Sounds boring to me. Just my opinion.

I got a buddyo n TC, from what he was waying TC’s queues are longer than BG!, then reading the forums here sounds like there are people with double the queues compared to BG! We’re seeing about 80-125 in general when I go in (about 6-7 pacific). Takes me about 45-1hour to get in usually.

Yes, queues are long, but you don’t have to sit in that. Edge of the Mists while you wait, or PVE stuff, or walk away and check back every couple minutes till you get close. Toss the queue up and find something else to do. Hell even when I don’t necessarily want to do WvW right then I’ve started just throwing the queue up as in an hour I might be down and then I get to make a choice.

I’ve sat in the queue almost every night, but while I do me and my guild grind dungeons or fractals or something, then queue pops, hop in, and go.

I really wish it would let you log to alts for the queue though… would be SOOOO nice.

Chaba.5410:

I agree with the poster who said you should server hop.

When I read the posts from the upper tier guys about bloodlust, I just read it as “small group is limited to bloodlust capping”. Sounds boring to me. Just my opinion.

You are right to a degree that in T1 small groups are usually limited to bloodlust, camp flipping, yaks, sentries, and tagging towers/keeps to create diversion. However those things contribute to a huge degree to T1 server’s winning (50% or more of the points) so roamers/small groups are super important to a T1 server. Also you have to remember there are tons of actions in the bloodlust area in T1 matches as every server is sending its roamers to defend or cap them constantly, so it’s a quite fun experience.

If your expectation as a roamer/havoc group is to actually capture keeps/towers etc then you are right that you probably will be better off in lower tiers. I am not sure about how important those small groups play to lower servers’ winning though.

Information is all over the place.
For the intended WvW experience probably t1 or t2 would be what you want to go to.
For T1: Blackgate is probably the worst choice in terms of queues, TC is the 2nd highest populated server in t1 and JQ is right behind (JQ is more off-peak hours so queue’s aren’t horrible in NA prime time).

As far as getting a bit of an idea about the game, you can see a little bit of it in Edge of the Mists map (press B and then select “join Edge of the Mists”).

I recommend you make the server decision first, then find a guild geared towards WvW/PvP. Then go to EotM and join your guildmates some in WvW to get familiar with it. Then you will be good to start roaming and enjoing WvW.

I played WoW for 7 years so I can tell you that the transition will be fun. Combat is more free-form which is my main liking of gw. And I don’t have to worry about a discipline priest/ resto shaman with resistance through the roof just trolling for hour long battles.