Guild Wars 2

I’m level 16 right now so I have a few decent abilities (I know I need better levels to use stronger weapons and Elite/etc).

But I for some reason cannot grasp the concept of WvW…
Everytime I log in, it saw I have 7 Waypoints, but I usually only see two that I can use.

My main question I have though, well two things are:
1)Do we basically just follow the blue leader? Other than that, I have absolutely no clue where to go or what to do.

2)Are there fast ways to get to places that I don’t know about? Usually if I die, it takes me a *really long time to get back or even near the group because it is over a whole map. I feel like other people are getting back faster than I do..

I’m mainly wanting to play WvW as a way to level up while having fun. Because the storyline has huge gaps in the level required for each mission, so I want to do WvW to fill the gaps and help with my monthly task.
Is this a bad idea? I’m not sure exactly how to get a lot of exp in WvW..

(Summed up, I’m basically a complete newb who would love some help lol)

1) Following the commander is a good place to start. Ask every once in a while if anyone has a spot in group (in /say) and try to get in with a guild. Once in a guild, start asking questions about what you don’t understand.

2) Using waypoints will get you there faster, but otherwise you just have to run. Some classes have access to speed (short duration mostly) through abilities or run speed signets.

3) Karma trains are great for xp, it’s basically just a group that goes around flipping objectives for the xp and karma bonus. If you see one advertised in chat, go follow them. Use food as it gives you a +10%xp bonus. If you’re looking for something cheap, try searching the trading post for “buttermilk biscuits”. (for other foods, look here: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Food )

Many guilds will have bonus xp up on the weekends, xp banners if there’s a gathering, guild events, willingness to teach, etc. Look for open recruitment posts in Lions Arch when you;re there and give them a try. If you don;t like their style, politely bow out and try another.

Good luck!

Welcome to WvW! The best part of GW2!! Don’t be embarrassed about having questions. It’s a complicated game that takes months to learn the ins and outs of but it’s extremely fun and rewarding. Neeho has a lot of good points. Here’s my 2 cents:

1) Objectives: The goal of WvW is to conquer control points on the map and hold them for as long as posable. The longer you hold them, the more points you can gain. That’s the + number on your screen. That + number shows how much points you stand to earn for your total score. Total score is everything. There are 5 types of control points. Sentries, camps, towers, keeps, and castles. Sentries are the little flags and they are basically just a dude standing there. These are the easiest to capture. As a new player, you can always attack and cap these for XP and to help your team. As you gain in rank you will be able to solo these guys. No idea what to do? Kill sentries or yaks! If you are getting attacked, run to a friendly sentry to get back up. Camps are next and they are extremely important because they generate the currency of WvW: Supply. Supply is EVERYTHING. It allows you to build siege, to repair walls / doors, to set traps, and holding camps allows yaks to deliver supply to your towers for upgrades. Camps always need to be captured and defended. If you are sick if following a commander, party up with a few other players and go capture / defend camps. Even if you can’t hold an enemy camp, by flipping it you will disrupt their supply flow. When attacking a tower, always capture the nearest camp before so your Zerg can load up on supply while also starving the tower. Try to always take your personal supply from camps, NOT keeps or towers. The supply in keeps and towers must be saved for upgrading or emergencies. Towers are larger objectives that require larger groups to take. They are important because they are worth a good deal of points and also because Trebs can be built on them to attack other towers at range. Keeps are your home base. The keep MUST NOT FALL! If it does your team will be in shambles and deeply humiliated. Capturing an enemy keep us the ultimate victory because they are often extremely well defended. WP’s will disappear and have to be rebuilt if keeps are lost. Castles, like SM, are the ultimate capture point of value but often very hard to hold onto without the numbers. The main thing to remember is that you are a small piece in a big picture, but everything you do can help the big picture. Following a commander is great, but there are always things to do on a smaller scale. Take back your camps and sentries. Defend your land.

2) Maps. Keep an eye on your score. ALL the maps in WvW matter. There are 4 maps. 3 borderlands and 1 mutual battleground (EB). If you are doing well in EB but lose your BL, your score will really drop. This may require you to switch maps depending on what needs the most help. A good defense is the best offense.

3) Be a good scout. Intel is everything. If you see something going down, call it out! Write in both /map and /team. Make sure to enable /team chat in your chat window. That’s the red one. The crossed swords over objectives will inform you as to what is being attacked.

4) Use the NPC races. The grey crossed weapons will indicated a neutral race like the hylek, dredge, or ogres. Do a solid for them like eliminating a foe and they will join you and defend a camp while attacking an enemy position. If they are a color it means a team owns them. You’ll need to flip them then to make them neutral. It’s important to cap them ASAP when the grey weapons are up. Sometimes you can solo a camp if you run with the monsters as they attack after they are capped.

5) Siege weapons: Siege are war machines that can be built in order to attack /defend points. They are powerful and extremely useful. Well placed siege can win a battle. When someone throws something and you see a wooden scaffold, run over and hit “F”. You will then start to build that siege with the supply you gathered. There are rams (for knocking down doors), Arrow carts, canons, balistas, catapults, trebs, golems, and mortars. Anyone can use siege by getting close to it. The first moment of real fun I had was getting on a canon and wasting a whole Zerg. Try it, but stay away from golems and trebs till you know what you’re doing. You can buy siege from siege merchants.

Lastly, as to your question about travel. You are gonna be running a lot. This is where speed buffs really help. But you don’t always have to get back to where you were. If you are killed, and WP at spawn, see what can be done around where you are.

In terms of leveling up, you want to be there when points are captured. Get in that colored circle!! That will net you a ton of XP. And kill players. Kill em dead. And save your badges and Karma for level 80 armor.

Also, learn the lingo. There are a bunch of abbreviations folks use to save time. And Here are a few:
INC=incoming enemy forces
ZERG=large group of players
SUPPS=Supply
CAP=Capturing
TAG=Commander Blue Icon

Also learn the names of the control points. Instead of folks saying “Big group of enemy DarkHaven forces marching into Pangloss Mine” they’ll just type “inc pang DH Zerg”

If you need more information you can give this thread [The Basics of WvW guide and more] a read. It’s stickied at the top of the WvW Discussion Forum and contains a lot of useful info.

At level 16 (or even 60) you have almost no chance to survive against another player.
That means you have almost no chance to cross even a small part of the field alive.

But don’t despair.

What you need to do is find a nearby tower or castle and grab yourself one of the siege weapons. An arrowcart, canon or mortar. The sit and take pot-shots at anything you see.

If you are lucky, a ‘zerg’ will attack your tower and you’ll be able to mow them down in droves, piling up loot bags and XP to your heart’s content.

The you’ll die.
Just make sure you pick up the bags before that happens

Also, use AE abilities when fighting multiple foes… the more people you tag (do damage to), the more xp/karma/loot you will get.

You’ll be upleveled to lvl 80.
Your gear will uplevel correspondingly – but if it’s not at the same level as you, it won’t be upleveled to 80-equivalent, which is gonna hurt your performance (and you).

Keep your gear at the same level as you, as much as possible.