Guild Wars 2

I’m a veteran MMO player including GW1 but I’m only about a month into this game. Wondered if I could get some advice. With this patch I’m not sure if things I’ve researched are still viable.

I played with a few classes and have ended up with an 80 Warrior and Ranger. I like playing the Ranger more for most things. I’ve always liked the archetype and enjoyed it in GW1 also. I know this game is mostly melee, and I have no problem playing Ranger that way, but I do want to have a longbow based build for WvW roaming. It’s probably my favorite thing to do and playing a Ranger this way is nostalgic for me.

I plan on most likely fully going with Druid when it’s released because I love that type of play too (if it ends up playing how I think it will) but for now would lobe to roll full archer style in open world. My question is, will going full zerker be good still? I know I’ll be squishy but if the damage is enough I can deal with that. But I have very limited game time and therefore limited resources. I can afford to buy a full karma set now but won’t be able to farm enough karma to re-do that any time soon. I start police academy in a week and after that I’ll be playing this for basically an hour or so here and there. I did some grinding to get set up but I have essentially one shot to gear up right for now.

I’m actually currently in full Soldiers gear with Dolyak runes… my damage obviously isn’t high. I was told that would be good for Wvw zerging but I like smaller fights and 1v1 type stuff I’ve been getting into while roaming.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thank you both for your input. You both mentioned Thief and I did quite enjoy that, though recently I have been playing Warrior in sPvP and finding myself quite successful with that. Granted, it’s supposed to be the easiest class in the game, so perhaps I would be much better with another class once I actually learn it. Still, I find the combat very satisfying for my personal play style. I like being extremely aggressive and sticking to my target like glue, dealing decent damage but sustaining myself through the duration of the fight.

Now what I’m not sure about is when I develop my skills and knowledge of the game, will something like Engineer, Thief, etc. give me that same feeling? I do realize Thief plays the in and out game, guerrilla tactics and has to play very thoughtful. I’m used to that in other games as well, though with the resource mechanic of the Thief I do get the feeling that its sustain is limited. As for Engineer, I haven’t given it a fair shake yet. I’m concerned with the lack of weapon choices, but I understand kits make up for that. Also, if Engineer does get the hammer in HoT that will be really nice. I enjoy using Hammer on both Guardian and Warrior (though I use it much more effectively on Warrior).

So is it just that I haven’t refined my skills yet that I don’t get the feeling of in-your-face visceral combat with decent sustain on classes like Guardian and Thief, or is Warrior really best suited for that type of gameplay?

Also, the mobility definitely doesn’t hurt on Warrior… but on the Thief if I want to escape I’m gone for sure. Guardian on the other hand… I’m in for the long haul. That really is one major drawback I can see for WvW roaming.

I’ve searched the forums and read everything I could find, even from years back, about certain classes and the input of the community. I’m a veteran MMO player who has typically focused on PvP, but I like all aspects of games. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to MMOs like I used to, with real life adult responsibilities.

I liked GW1 so I have been giving GW2 a try due to no monthly subscription and the possibility of slightly more casual play still being rewarding. So far, I’m really enjoying it. I have played around with a few classes; 30 Ranger, 20 Warrior, 20 Guardian, 27 Thief, 22 Necro. Tinkered with Ele and briefly Engi in PvP. Haven’t tried Mesmer.

I’m looking for guidance on what class I should main. I’ve had a feel for most of them through PvP, but I’m torn between a few classes because I also want a decent PvE experience. I don’t have time to have too many alts.

What I am looking for in a class is this:

1. I want to primarily focus on roaming, getting into 1v1, 1vX, smaller team fights. Zergball karma train seems like fun from time to time but I don’t think that will be my main focus. I also want to be able to casually play sPvP and still feel like I don’t rely completely on my team to have a good time (don’t have time to get too overly competitive for ranked in this game).

2. I would like to be able to experience the dungeons in this game somewhat casually, but not be limited to the lowest possible tier groups in the future. I don’t need to be top tier meta… but I don’t want to not be able to find groups for dungeons ever, except for groups so bad they can barely complete it.

3. I mostly play alone so I need to be able to effectively solo the vast majority of the content in the game without putting a ridiculous amount of effort into my build, specific rotations, etc. I would like to be able to jump in and faceroll PvE content with little thought (warrior style?) BUT I don’t mind taking a more thoughtful and calculated approach either (guardian style?) as long as every little thing I do doesn’t require a huge amount of setup and movement (engineer style?)

4. I would prefer to have high mobility, though this isn’t a top priority. But if I can’t escape or chase, I tend to get frustrated in open PvP environments because fights start to feel like they are on the other guy’s terms. I like to be in control if I can.

5. I want to be able to have a SOMEWHAT high skill ceiling available to me, but not a ridiculously high skill floor either. I would like to be able to be effective without having to be really great, so if I’m off I can still have fun… but I would like to know that when my skills develop I can really make a difference instead of just going through the same stupid rotation and being limited by my class.

So I know that’s a lot of specifics but I don’t think general blanket statements can ever be made on class selection. I think every person has a class that best fits their needs based on how they want to play the game. So I know if you’re a Guardian main you may be biased towards that, or whatever, but if you more experienced players could tell me what you honestly think I would enjoy most in the long run based on what I’m looking for, I’d really appreciate that.

I think my main thing is I want to get into fights and stay relevant throughout. I don’t want to necessarily just do a ton of burst then get squished and have to haul my way back to wherever I was… I want to get in people’s faces, give them a hard time, get some kills, and stay alive… whether that’s by mobility or sustainability. Nobody likes to die constantly.

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.