Returning player

Hi,

It has been years since I last played guild wars 2, mostly because I stopped PC gaming entirely for that period but I've recently got a new PC and I'm looking to return to guild wars 2.

I had several max level chars, one of each class at the time in fact so I could play whatever was needed in WvW at the time. Would you recommend starting again from scratch with a new char or picking up where I left off previously?

My preferred class previously was an elementalist, is that still viable in end game now or in PvP?

To keep it short and sweet. Keep all your old characters in your back pocket and start a new character. Once you feel comfortable with the new systems that have been added to the game and get your sea legs back take them off of the shelve and use them again. As for the Ele I know my WvW group likes to have them in parties. I believe they are using the elite specialization "Tempest".

To add to what Excursion said, you get birthday and anniversary presents based on character age, so I don't advise deleting any old characters. You eventually get nice dyes, armor, weapons, etc.

This last weekend was the first time I'd logged in for a very long time.Long enough that many of my characters had mails with 2-3 birthday presents. I'd been careful over the past few years to log in just enough to have stories unlocked, but not much beyond that.

Unlocked a LOT of new dyes yesterday with those presents...

Discovered the khaki outfit I'd paid for years ago was finally back as a werable I could keep on as much as I wanted, and now even in combat.

And picked a character that had been an 80 but not done personal story and went at it there.

To me that seems the way to do it - jump into some story so you can solo around enough to figure out the buttons and get over the insane EXTREME VISUAL CONTRAST THAT MAKES YOUR EYES HURT of this game... and then take on other things once you have some familiarity back...