I took multiple year long breaks, so the last time I played this game was about a year or so ago. I only stay for a few days prior to taking another year long break so I imagine nothing catches my attention the last time. I still haven't finish HoTs. Should I skip that and go to PoF (haven't purchase yet - how does it compare to hots)?

Any advice, recommendations, information or changes i should know about or thoughts to a long time returning player?

Thanks for your time and any helpful tips you may provide to me and other returning players! As a small token of appreciation, I will give out (no idea how much 100 gold nowadays is so hopefully it's not embarrassingly low):

• 40g to the most helpful or insightful post
• 20g each to 3 random commentors based on RNG (I heard it's all the rage recently lol). Pick a # from 1-300 , 1 entry per person , will be using random.org to choose 3 matching or closest matching number (if tie for closest #, the one that is smaller than the generated number will be declared the winner).

Winners will be selected and annouced by 8pm Eastern monday. Please allow up to 2 days for prizes to be paid out (got some essays that needs writing hah).

Edit:PS: you can also assume, if you like, when giving out advice/tips/info that I don't really need to grind any content (and that gold is for all practical purposes, almost unlimited in my case) for purchaseable resources/gold unless the grind itself is the fun (but it's also helpful info to know for other returning players ofc).

My advice and it is free and no I don’t want your stuff lol.

Start working on your ascended gear. Do the leather farm at lake Doric and open the chests for leather. Salvage the hides from the lake Doric champs.

I recommend making heavy armor for your first ascended set. You can make it dire or whatever the other cheapest insignia is and then change the stats in the mystic toilet.

Use GW2effiency to craft. Create you an api for your account so the site can give you a crafting list.

Also make a level 20 and level 45 to 50 alt and farm silverwastes for the loot boxes and open the bags on these alts.

Do these things until you have all the gold and or mats you need.

I use to have the same problem when I first started playing and I'm just going to throw it out there I don't think you should rely on other peoples ideas everyone will enjoy the game in their own way me for instance since coming back I am all over the shop but I find a lot of enjoyment out of just randomly exploring the map I havnt got the best gear and I don't really feel a need to craft ascended gear for the things I do so my advice is just try a lot of different things you never know something might just feel right for you :)

@Drew.1865 said:My advice and it is free and no I don’t want your stuff lol.

Start working on your ascended gear. Do the leather farm at lake Doric and open the chests for leather. Salvage the hides from the lake Doric champs.

I recommend making heavy armor for your first ascended set. You can make it dire or whatever the other cheapest insignia is and then change the stats in the mystic toilet.

Use GW2effiency to craft. Create you an api for your account so the site can give you a crafting list.

Also make a level 20 and level 45 to 50 alt and farm silverwastes for the loot boxes and open the bags on these alts.

Do these things until you have all the gold and or mats you need.

Hey, thanks for the information, appreciated it!

You might as well pick a # too if you like. These are very negligible amount of gold for me, I had given away thousands of gold or equilevent already. The only thing I was good at in this game prior to taking multi-year breaks was making a boatload of gold.Maybe the reason I left in the first place is because everything is so accessible (I can buy anything I want that is purchaseable off TP or gem store via exchanged gem).

Ps: for other individuals you can also assume, if you like, when giving out advice/tips/info that I don't really need to grind any content (and that gold is for all practical purposes, almost unlimited in my case) for purchaseable resources/gold unless the grind itself is the fun (but it's also helpful info to know for other returning players ofc).

We have revolted against RNG in loot boxes from gemstore and you are offering gold using RNG. Inquisition is coming for you soul =) =)

Ok the thing is, Heart of Thorns was very enjoyable and fun, although you might not get that much help in those maps as Path of Fire maps are all abuzz right now. If you are a lore/story geek, then I highly suggest you go for it. You can buy Living World Season 3 on the gem store which basically wraps up Heart of Thorns and starts the Path of Fire story, thats if your willing to go the extra mile for the story as well (all the story since HoT has been such great quality, some would argue PoF is somehow better). But if you can't be bothered to finish the HoT/LWS3 story and you just wanna get those mounts, then just buy PoF, or wait for a sale which might hit soon because Living world Season 4 Episode 1 will be out in the next month, and normally there are sales before Living World Episodes. Really its all just personal preference for the story and how much your willing to pay. Living World Season 4 Episode 1 will be free if you buy PoF and log in between the release of episode 1 and episode 2, log in between episode 2-3 then you will get episode 2 for free ECT, as long as you have PoF! Only you can make the option on what to do so don't just listen to any strangers, research on if Path of Fire is really for you (if you can be bothered). :)

(also I choose the number 176 because I'm rlly poor atm from crafting the legend again because anet kinda messed up with a glitch which caused it to be sold for 1 silver :( )

In general, my advice is to spend some time trying a couple of different things, maybe 1-2 hrs each at story, new maps, playing around with new elites. Then, if you're really enjoying yourself (and don't get distracted again), buy PoF and work on that first. You'll miss some background, but I think you'll have more fun getting into the newest areas, with the most attention from vets and newbies alike.

If you do get distracted, then you haven't invested much into coming back, and can ask for suggestions about playing just an hour or two per week.

Should you buy PoF?

The main value in HoT or PoF for me:

• Both: new maps, new foes, new challenges
• Both: true autolooting
• HoT: gliding is a game changer; everything looks and feels different.
• PoF: ditto for mounts.
• PoF: Easier to gain enough HP for elite specs here; it has more soloable hero challenges than HoT (and you can apply them to either elite).
• HoT favorite elite specs: mesmer/chronomancer, ele/tempest, necro/reaper, guardian/dragonhunter, warrior/berserker, revenant herald, thief/daredevil
• PoF favorites: mesmer/miratge, guardian/firebrand, engineer/holosmith, ranger/soulbeast (might be fewer, but these are super fun)
• I think the story is easier to get into, easier to navigate, and easier to solo.

PS my advice is free. Save the gold to buy something nice for yourself.

Would suggest picking up any of the Living World season 3 episodes you may be missing as these will most easily open the new maps which were introduced during your breaks. While not essential, you may enjoy a change of scenery.

This would offer some casual enjoyment of the game/story without requiring any grind or ramp up while also allowing you to unlock any missing elite specializations you may still wish to. Consider it a casual, yet engaging way to see if you want to get back into the game.

I'm gonna opt out of the giveaway, but thanks! Good luck and enjoy.

Funny, I'm going to give opposite advice - for gear, get a coherent set if exotics and don't bother with more yet. When/if you play some LW3 maps you can get ascended trinkets pretty easy. Weapon is nice but no hurry. Don't bother w armor.

As for HoT vs PoF - that depends on you relation to the story.

Do you want to experience story chronologically? Then wait w PoF until you've played LW2, HoT, LW3 in that order.

If story isn't important and mounts seems interesting, then I'd recommend getting and starting PoF right away and progress until you have Raptor, Springer, Skimmer and maybe Jackal.

If neither Story nor Mounts is a strong pull, then choose based on how you like the maps:HoT is pretty compact with much verticality and map-wide meta events on timers, so you can always know when and where people are gathering to play. The LFG tool is sometimes necessary to reach a populated map, but there's always one running.PoF has a lot more open maps, some verticality but not the same layering HoT does, and events are generally less scheduled and rigidly organized.

Apart from "which expansion to play" I recomend looking at the styles the elite specs for your class has (like Thief - Daredevil is high mobility multi-target melee, Deadeye is more ranged single-target) and weigh that into your decision on when to get PoF.

Re: giveaway - heck I'll bite: 42But you really don't have to bribe people for advice generally ;)

Play how you like to play. It is healthy to take breaks. If you are into the story, finish HoT. If not, don't. My toons bounce all over the place. I have been playing consistently since beta. I have finished the story steps on just a few of them. I am not into the fashion, AP, and MP (never unlocked raids) wars. I do not have glittery auras (eyesore). I just play to have fun. If you don't want to grind, don't. PoF is fun and the maps are beautiful and nostalgic. You did not state enough of what you want for anyone to give you specific advice. If you just play the game, you will get what you need to succeed. Any other effort is up to you.

300. . .I'm just here for gold. . .

Do HoT first. There's plenty still doing map metas if you want to do those; simply check here: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Event_timers for times, and the in-game Looking For Group (LFG) for squads.

Also finish the HoT story if you want to. I'm not sure you'll have the Living Story Season 3 chapters, which come chronologically between HoT and PoF (and required you to log-in at the time to get them for free), but if you really like your story making some sense, you can acquire the chapters individually in the Story Journal, for 200 gems each (IIRC). This'll give you access to some more maps to complete, and for the most part, you'll find these relatively active as well.

And then there's PoF, which is worth it for the mounts alone (recent skin acquisition debacle aside). It's desert-based, which from the outset gives it a completely different feel to HoT's denser jungle setting. You might also find some of the mobs are easier, but they do have a zealous aggro range to be aware of. You'll find other players using LFG for the bounties on these maps, and the timer linked above will clue you in on the happenings in Crystal Oasis and the Domain of Vabbi.

You can play through all of this at your own speed, and with exotic armour and weapons. However, if you want to play raids or fractals, you might want to consider crafting ascended items for your chosen profession(s). Also, check out what builds are currently being utilised - although I'd always go with something you enjoy and have fun with first, keeping in mind you may well need to change it.

There's also been changes to PvP and WvW, but as you don't mention these, it may not be relevant.

Lastly, I don't think anyone's mentioned the cats yet. If you find yourself missing a glaring in your home instance, consider feeding the cats of Tyria today! Who knows, maybe some of them will follow you home and leave occasional presents for you! Pro Tip: do not mistake house cats for Charr. Neither species will thank you for it.

Oh, and how about 77? I'll go with that.

A lot of people complained about HOT being more difficult, but I really like that zone. I enjoy the metas, both before when the pres where really important and now when they are not. It is fun to have the community come together to do this big events. Since they have added additional events to those maps you also don't need to stay doing the meta, so there is that as well. Tangled Depths is still hard to get around, despite map improvements, although once you have the waypoints the meta is pretty easy to do. The HOT story was ok but not great, although I did have fun doing it on a sylvari character since there was some extras, like being able to hear Mordi. The living world 3 story stuff (which you will have to buy since you where not here when they where free) was...not that great in my opinion. I felt the story bounced around all over and just wasn't very cohesive. That being said the new maps that came with those stories are fun. They are also the best places to get ascended trinkets if you are looking to do that. A lot of people seem to have issues with Draconis Mons, but that is one of my favorite maps. You get to have and admittedly slightly buggy mastery where you can fling yourself around like spiderman.

POF except for a few group events is significantly easier, not only to get around it, but also the general events and hero points. Hero points for instance are not group content and instead us vets. That being said there was a resent update that made awards for some of the larger events far more worth doing, so you should be seeing those in looking for group. I love the mounts in guild wars, and having gliding while also having mounts makes getting around Tyria so much easier. I personally liked the POF story, but think some for the story chapters where rather long. The maps are fun to get around once you have the different mounts, and while you can solo everything, doing it in a small group is great. Generally this is a much more casual friendly area then HOT.

Like Tanner said, you really don't need to get ascended gear, and crafting it is certainly not worth it. You only really need ascended gear for fractals and raids. Like I said before trinkets are easy to get with living story 3 maps, and we now have a few legendary trinkets. You can get a legendary backpack from fractals, WvW, or doing rated PvP. The fastest one to get if you do is probably fractals, since you will need an entire season or more to get the PvP one, and need a commander tag and a high WvW level to get the WvW one. The other legendary trinket you can get is from doing stuff in season 3 maps and gives you a legendary accessory.

I do think POF is worth buying, especially since the living story 4 is likely to be connected to POF, like living story 3 was connected to HOT (you need HOT to open the story).

bacon Reaper, have you contacted ANET about that?

Guess I will go with 242.

My advice, save your money (plenty of people hear wanna help for free). Use it to craft some neat stuff. Ascended gear would be a good place to start (you don't need it really, but I would at least get some from the laurel vendor when you can).If that is not your cup of tea. Then get yourself into an active guild (if not done already) you will then probably be able to shuffle through HoT with buddy. It will help you a fair to to acclimate yourself to the gameplay (which you will need for PoF).

I would also recommend getting your hands on season 3 (another use for your gold). I found season 3 quite enjoyable and by converting some gold to gems to get it you will save some real world cash. Also story wise it will help with the build up to PoF, it flows into it quite nicely and have some nice loot and skins.

Heyo, nice to see a fellow returner to the game.I myself joined back about a month ago after a 3 year long break.So everything following is from my perspective and as a returning player -I myself finished HoT (along with all the LS) first then moved on to PoF as I wanted a proper continuation of the storyline.Having said that, I enjoyed the PoF story much more compared to the HoT one.PoF has a lot more flair but it is also comparatively easier.I had left when ascended gear had just come out, so first thing for me was to try and getfull ascended gear of my choice for my main - a ranger.So what I did was finish HoT storyline > get full asc gear > finish PoF.I was a little bit away from finishing a legendary weapon also when I came back,so in between from all the loot and mats I managed to finish that as well.Also higher tier fractals can be a lot of fun compared to the old dungeons.

What you do now is totally upto you. If you've been away for long then I'd imaginethere would be quite a bit of catching up to do as I did. Mounts can be a lot offun as well as gliders which are both game changing. If you are not finnicky aboutcontinuation you can skip ahead..get the first mount..then get back to HoT and powerthrough that. Also the meta's in HoT maps can be quite fun and actually somethingyou can partake in properly.

Cheers.

69

Playing this lottery is more thrilling than playing the game.

If you want to spend gold, give it to some poor newbies.

Ten gold per newb makes 10 happy noobs.

This advice is free, like advice from this community.

Hmm, lotteries are fun. 123

168

Add me if you want someone to play with if youre on NA

116

Back To home i will also post something about \○

Thanks for all the helpful information guys!

@Skyline Crash.6254 said:168

Add me if you want someone to play with if youre on NA

Sure, will do!

Hi there and welcome back!

One of the things that I actually enjoy about Guild Wars is the fact that you can leave for whatever reason and when you're ready to play it is right there waiting for you. It's one of the biggest selling points for me - because I have disappeared a few times (computer blowing up, injury etc etc), but like an old friend Guild Wars welcomed me back with open arms.

When my computer died - it was RIGHT before HoT released. I played a very little bit of it, realized it wasn't for me (jumping and vertical moves and I do not get along), but I truly enjoyed the Elites for it (Druid is epic imho as is Dragon Hunter). The gliding also helped in other areas. Another thing that put me off of HoT was the fact if you didn't have a group, you died a lot (or I'm just squishy). So it all depends on your game play and how you enjoy to play. I'm kind of a lone wolf, I try to play a game by myself and then when I need help - I turn to guildies or friends and go from there, so PoF is more suiting for me. If you enjoy big trains and groups, HoT may be worth delving into and finishing before hand.

PoF also offers up mounts - which is a pretty BA system. Not necessary outside of PoF, but.. Enjoyable none the less. And the Elites are cool, I like Soulbeast (I have a thing for Rangers, what can I say)

So in this regards, it's up to you as a player what your play style is and preference. I know, totally doesn't answer your question, and for that I apologize!

I concur with another fellow player who said find an active guild - but I will actually expand a little bit.

Find an active guild that is an all rounder sort of guild. It is involved in WvW, PVP, and PVE. If Fractals are something you're intrigued by - see if they have active groups within. Same with Raids. This guild will help you explore all that is available since the new expansions and during your absence. The guild should also be one that seems to have some lasting power - because life happens and you might have to take a break again (hopefully for not as long!), and these guild mates will be your connection to the game and help ease you back in without it being a shock to the system.

With so many changes since you have been gone, with professions etc etc - I would suggest perhaps giving a go with a few ones that might catch your eye. If you don't like them, worst case scenario is... delete.

Definitely echoing sentiments of buying the Living Season episodes if you haven't already - these will help give you not only an idea of what has been happening in your absence but also... ALSO helps give you Mastery Points, which these things are very very good things to have.

Also..Wintersday is coming - I suggest getting your Karma up ;) Wintersday will also help you farm exp by doing events etc (If I'm not mistaken, it's been a year.. and I've slept since then!)

I think it helps if you have someone to play with. Just even through the main storyline itself. And from there just set minor goals. That achievement, or defeating that boss, or getting all masteries or seeing if there is something in that hole over there.

The grind, the repetition never really catches my attention. Though I do like completing things, so that can put my attention on repeating something. The build play is a bother to me, cosmetics don't really catch my attention (I can only redress my character every so often without feeling like it barely matters)

What does catch my attention is mostly story and exploration. We have a small 5-man guild group that once a week progresses very slowly through Living story episodes. Just an hour or 2 once a week. With friends. Most of us also play normally but one of us just plays then.

Exploration for me is about doing most events, finding random chests and defeating whatever is on my way and taking in the environment, read NPC dialogue. (until I get bored with it then I just move on through) Achievements tend to guide my directions most of the time, as I discover them when I go through them. I play it pretty much like a single playergame with the chance of finding other players.

So the only advice I could give is to set a goal first. What do you like? exploring, completing, challenge or just story? And then try to get the most out of that. GW2 does very often leave me with a feeling of, what to do now? At that point it's very good to just space out and kill the first thing on your way and find an event to do, or other activity (PoF has races, HoT mostly adventures, and there's always achievements)

Definitely don't rush to complete. The game is there the next day and the next. If you get bored, read up on what other people do, see what they do. WoodenPotatoes is very good at making everything sound very exciting, and that sometimes leaves me wanting to log back into the game right away. Keeping in touch with the game and the updates and having familiar people (guild, friends) to return to helps a great deal in any game imo.

If you want a number I'd pick 125. Just because. Gives me more ways to entertain my guildies I suppose.

Do not skip HoT (even though PoF's story is much better written, and overall the first playthrough is a lot more exiting than HoT's). The reason you should definitetly go for HoT is that most of its Elite Specializations are much better designed and powerful than PoF's.

Of course, PoF has mounts, which make navigating the world a lot easier. But in the end, it is up to you to decide what content you prioritize.

P.S. Helping other players should always be for free. ;)

I love how everyone's so helpful when gold is in the picture. So many wall of text posts explaining every intricate detail. :smile:I'll bite for the lottery so 177.

As for the advice...Before you buy PoF, play the game a bit to see if you're into it. That's what i did when i came back, and join a guild if you're not in one already. Perferably some high level guilds that have taverns and resource synths in their guild halls, that's always helpful, even if the guild is not very active.

Then play what you already have and see how it goes, do you like the core mechanics, do you like doing events, etc.If you like it, set a goal for yourself. I wanted to do fractals. So i watched some youtube videos and started to do fractals. Now i'm at T3, fully ascended, and i have more than enough agony resistance for now. Use gw2efficiency for crafting steps and guides, it has really everything you need. It also has resource farming routes. Pretty handy.

In the meantime, i did collections (got Horologicus - you have to play a lot of HoT expansion for ascended elite specialization weapons), did meta events on HoT maps (which are always fun for me), especially when people get together and do Dragon's Stand. And slowly but surely i got my chrono shield.Next was the bloodstone visage skin collection. I wanted red eyes. That required some specific bosses to spawn so gw2timer.com helped with that.After that, i got Veilrender ascended mirage axe from Path of Fire.Now i'm doing WvW because i wanted a change and i don't have a lot of time to play GW2 so i have some fun there.

There's lots of stuff to do in GW2 so setting a goal and working towards it is what GW2 is all about. Otherwise you'll just get lost, frustrated and probably quit again.

If you want to experience the story chronologically and not have to wonder "who those people are" like i did, then play Personal Story - LW season 2 - Heart of Thorns - LW season 3 and only then Path of Fire. Although, LS3 isn't as story important, you won't miss much from there to PoF, the same characters are still there, they'll just spoil the events of LS3 for you if you haven't played it. :tongue: There's some cool trinkets and gear you can get in LS3 maps so that's another thing to work towards.

So yeah, good luck, try something out, get a goal to do, and play the content required to get it. That way you'll always have something new to do.