New player questions!

Merry Wintersday to all!

So I finally got the 2 x expansions for wintersday after levelling my Thief to 75 and a ranger to about 45. thief was fun and while i love the flavour of jumping and teleporting from enemy to enemy, i found i was kiting and using p/p for most of the tougher content and story line stuff. makes up for being undergeared, i guess.

i have 2 x boosts to use now.

some quick q's i've been listing:

when and how is the best use of the mystic forge?

i've been saving all my chests which can contain items until i hit lvl 80. was this a good strategy or will the items be the level i received the chest at? like the whispers chest and such?

do i try to get every crafting trade up on one character or focus each character on a specific few? does crafting even lead to cool stuff at higher levels? like, is it even relevant?

what classes use a 2-hand hammer at end game? they look cool.

big question: what classes should i use my boosts on?

engineers look cool but the forums look like they're maybe the red-headed step child of gw2? scrapper isn't viable end game - by the look of it - which would have satisfied my want to use a hammer.

once i use my lvl 80 boost, then what? will i have all the points to fill out my skill point lines? will i be given rare or exotic gear or what? where do i go to next to progress my gear? to progress my character? presumably, i want my mounts?

anyone on or know of an aussie guild with space for a gw2-noob, but long-time mmo player?

when and how is the best use of the mystic forge?best time to use it imo is when the mystic forge daily is on, as for how to use it, if you're the gambling type, you can flush exotics down that toilet and pray to rng for a precursor, otherwise might I refer you to the wiki for some of the things you can craft in the mystic forge.i've been saving all my chests which can contain items until i hit lvl 80. was this a good strategy or will the items be the level i received the chest at? like the whispers chest >and such?personally, I just open those and salvage them or flush them down the mystic forge.do i try to get every crafting trade up on one character or focus each character on a specific few? does crafting even lead to cool stuff at higher levels? like, is it even relevant?all your characters (toons) are limited to 2 crafting professions that you can expand by purchasing licenses from the gem store up to a maximum of four in total.what classes use a 2-hand hammer at end game? they look cool.define endgame, pvp, wvw, or pve? War can pull off hammer in pvp, scrapper is decent in wvw and pvp if you know what you're doing (though power crept by holo and the other new specs), dh hammer is a safe bet in open world pve, back-line power rev is a thing in wvw zergs.big question: what classes should i use my boosts on?It's really up to you and how comfortable you are with the mechanics of the class and of the combat system of the game in general.engineers look cool but the forums look like they're maybe the red-headed step child of gw2? scrapper isn't viable end game - by the look of it - which would have satisfied >my want to use a hammer.which endgame? Engi is one of the high skill floor classes of the game along with ele and mes, of you know what you're doing with them, you'll do great with them, if you don't you'll crash and burn. Hard. They're fine for solo roaming in wvw and are decent as either a core condi or holosmith in pvp , and they're good in pve if you know what you're doing with them.once i use my lvl 80 boost, then what? will i have all the points to fill out my skill point lines? will i be given rare or exotic gear or what? where do i go to next to progress >my gear? to progress my character? presumably, i want my mounts?you'll have enough points to fully unlock core traits and skills and you'll have to unlock the elite specs yourself. Each hero point in hot(heart of thorn) and pof(path of fire) maps are worth 10 points each. The boost will give you exotic gear. There is no real gear progression in the game, exotic works for all encounters except t4 fractals. You can buy/craft/earn exotic gear of any other stats you want or work towards ascended if you want to do t4 fractals. PvP uses the amulet system and gear doesn't matter there, and wvw is more about skill than gear (though gear does play a part). I'm not sure what you mean by progressing your character. And you get mounts by playing pofanyone on or know of an aussie guild with space for a gw2-noob, but long-time mmo player?try the looking for section of the forums.

thank you!

i suppose i meant how to earn ascended gear next. i believe this game is like gw1 where the points cap out and we are just working for aesthetics at some point(?) i know there's a tier above exotic though.

so i can't just jump straight to a holosmith then?

i don't mind the high skill cap characters - so long as the reward is worth the effort. i use a many-buttoned mouse and one of those extra keypad things for my left hand with a thumb stick and stuff.

for contrast, what are the easiest skill cap classes?

Holosmith in my experience is all about high risk/reward. Scrapper is more of getting in your face and smashing it while surviving your smashes. The new especs kinda made it hard for scrapper to do do either though in a pvp scenario, in pve, they've always been decent at best. As for how to earn ascended, your 1st ascended armor and weapons have to be earned from crafting. There are some achievements that give you ascended armor/weapons but not enough for a full set as far as I know. An example would be the espec collection. You can also do the caladbolg quest after finishing hot story to get 1 free ascended weapon, your choice of dagger, sword, gs, shield, or scepter. Additionally if you own living world season 3, that offers easy access to ascended accessories of core and hot stats. But again, for the most part, exotic works.

so i can't just jump straight to a holosmith then?No, you have to earn the hps to unlock it in pof/hot maps. Its been said that the pof maps have easier hps than hot maps. This goes for all classes and their especs.for contrast, what are the easiest skill cap classes?from a pve perspective: necro, ranger, war, hammer dh(dragonhuner (guardian's hot spec)).

@"MrMojoRisin.7364" said:Merry Wintersday to all!

when and how is the best use of the mystic forge?

The Forge is always a gamble unless you are changing attributes on Ascended armour/weapons or infusions. Make of that what you will.

i've been saving all my chests which can contain items until i hit lvl 80. was this a good strategy or will the items be the level i received the chest at? like the whispers chest and such?

Most Chests/bags determine loot at the level you open them, not when you got them. You can search the Wiki for ones you’re unsure what to do with.

do i try to get every crafting trade up on one character or focus each character on a specific few? does crafting even lead to cool stuff at higher levels? like, is it even relevant?

You can learn all crafts on one character, but only have 2 active. You’ll pay a small fee at the master crafter to change your active crafts. It won’t mean you lose progress on inactive crafts.

what classes use a 2-hand hammer at end game? they look cool.

Warrior, Guardian and Revenant can use Hammers, Engineers Elite Spec Scrapper can too. I like Scrapper, it is fun, but having a range on Rev with hammer is also ok.

big question: what classes should i use my boosts on?

Players choice, try out all professions in the Trial before you commit to using it. There’s a video link at the bottom of this wiki page to introduce the booster and how you can try before using.https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Level-80_Boost

engineers look cool but the forums look like they're maybe the red-headed step child of gw2? scrapper isn't viable end game - by the look of it - which would have satisfied my want to use a hammer.

Use whatever you enjoy. There’s no stopping you. You aren’t stuck playing Scrapper, endgame is very fluid. Sure if you’re in t4 Fractals it won’t be optimal, but you can switch between optimal and fun for open world anytime you like.

once i use my lvl 80 boost, then what? will i have all the points to fill out my skill point lines? will i be given rare or exotic gear or what? where do i go to next to progress my gear? to progress my character? presumably, i want my mounts?

See the link above for what you get in the boost.To unlock masteries, you must first complete the first story step for either HoT or PoF.Many players make do with Exotic gear. Ascended is a long term goal, get into playing and learn what you like before making long term goals.

anyone on or know of an aussie guild with space for a gw2-noob, but long-time mmo player?

This I can’t help with. I am an officer of a high rank quiet social Guild based on EU though. We have all Enhancements at the Tavern and gathering nodes at the Workshop. You’re free to message me in game, we’re a no obligation Guild, no rep rule, no requirement to be talkative or anything. If people are online though, most are very helpful.

@Haleydawn.3764 said:

@MrMojoRisin.7364 said:i've been saving all my chests which can contain items until i hit lvl 80. was this a good strategy or will the items be the level i received the chest at? like the whispers chest and such?

That varies between types of chests/bags. Most given from story will have predefined items in it, including level. The mentioned Whisper's Chest lets you choose one lvl 30 weapon, no matter when it's opened.

The Forge is always a gamble unless you are changing attributes on Ascended armour/weapons or infusions. Make of that what you will.there are other predefined recipes in the mystic forge, to name a few: mystic coin weapons, feast of foods, certain ascended back items, legendary weapons/armor and their gifts.

@"Sephylon.4938" said:

The Forge is always a gamble unless you are changing attributes on Ascended armour/weapons or infusions. Make of that what you will.there are other predefined recipes in the mystic forge, to name a few:

mystic coin weapons

,

feast of foods

,

certain ascended back items

, legendary

weapons

/

armor

and their

gifts

.

Of course. As a new player though, it’s not worth delving into the Mystic Forge until you know what you want out of it.

@"MrMojoRisin.7364" said:when and how is the best use of the mystic forge?

This is the best use of the mystic forge:https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mystic_Salvage_KitIf you haven't made one yet, go ahead and make one now.

Also, note that the mystic forge can also be used to upgrade your lower tier materials into higher tier materials.