Any tips for a returning player?

I haven't played in YEARS. I want to return but....It's actually kinda intimidating? I have no idea wth I was doing with gear or builds, my inventories a mess, I missed most of the LW. I don't know where to start to fix things.

Any tips on how to get back into it?

The game is radically different from when you last played it . . . depending on when you left. Honestly? I recommend starting a new character and redoing everything from the beginning. In this way, you'll see the new changes in the game as well as the new tips and progression method. Other than that, save all your materials if you intend to craft. Otherwise, sell all the materials you find.

You'll need the gold later and welcome back. :)

When i'm getting back into a game after a long absense, i always create a new character, and "kinda" start over from fresh so i can relearn things.Then when i'm reacquainted with the game i go back to my old characters and update them.

Hmm yeah, making a new character would probably be best. I will resist the temptation to use scrolls to level.

Well I did play HoT before I left. Vertical maze like maps are something I like. Meta events that you can't do without massive amounts of players, having to wait around for ages to get into a decent map and getting booted at the end of an event that took like an hour (still salty about that, happened more than once) is less fun.

If I remember right part of the reason I got badly burnt out was because of trying to get ascended gear (some people I played with were pushing for it), it made the game feel like a chore. especially since I have a lot of alts and like trying you new builds.

Edit: Oh hey, infusions now have a material slot. Thank God for that.

For now I'd recommend leaving your bank and existing characters alone and (if you have a spare characters slot) starting a new one to level up naturally. Not because you need to start over but because it's a good way to re-familiarise yourself with the game and learn about what's changed.

If you want to know what to do with stuff in your bank and inventory you can either look it up on the Wiki or ask here. Some items might be useless now, but others could be more useful or valuable than when you left. If you left before the wardrobe system was introduced you've probably got a lot of items you were saving for the skins which can be moved over to the wardrobe rather than keeping them in the bank.

That reminds me - even if you don't want them any more make sure you log into every character at least once to check what they've got equipped and in their inventory. Also take them to speak to a Black Lion Trader (Armorsmith) to convert any town clothes they have into outfits or tonics. The tonics can be sold (the gem store ones are actually worth a lot) or converted into outfits.

For now I recommend just focusing on core Tyria - level a character, explore the open world, play the personal story if you want to, and decide if you do want to commit to the game before you think about expansions or even the Living Story. But if you do want to do the full story in order it goes: Personal Story > Season 1 > Season 2 > Heart of Thorns > Season 3 > Path of Fire > Season 4. Season 1 (as you might remember) was designed to be temporary and that's never been fixed - the best we've got is a video that recaps a few key points. Season 2, 3 and 4 are permeant. There's a release period for each episode in which it's free to unlock if you log in - we're in the Season 4, Episode 1 release window now so if you've logged in you'll have that one on your account. Any you've missed can be purchased from the gem store for 200 gems per episode, or there's a bundle of all the ones you don't have together for a 20% discount. (And don't forget you can buy gems with gold, so if you're willing to save up you don't have to spend real money on them.)

Expansions cannot be purchased with gems, you have to spend real money to get them. Even if you don't care about the story you might want to get one or both for the new mechanics like gliding, mounts, masteries and the elite specialisations (trait lines). You'll likely hear good things and bad things about both expansions and all I can say is do your best to find out what they're like and make your own decision on which one/s you want.

HoT seems to be one of those 'you love it or you hate it' things. The problem is that it was designed to be noticeably harder than the base game - enemies do more damage, have better AI and many mobs have to be handled in specific ways. On top of that the maps are a lot more complicated - they're all on multiple levels and you can't just go straight to your destination - you often have to go up and back down (or down and back up) or around it, or a mix of both. Some people love that and some absolutely hate it. Oh, there's also a series of interlinked events (called a meta-event chain) for each map and it's progress makes areas easier or harder to get into so if you want to access the whole map you often have to join in with it.

By comparison PoF is incredibly simple. The enemies are still harder than in the base game, but only because they have more armour and do more damage. The maps are pretty flat and easy to navigate - especially with mounts that let you go over cliffs and other obstacles, and any events and things are completely optional. It's simpler, easier and you get more choice in what you do and how you do it, but some people seem to be finding they get bored with it much sooner (even some of those who hated HoT).

Also it may be worth joining a guild in-game. There are quite a few who are dedicated to helping new and returning players learn the game and others who aren't specifically focused on that but still happy to take in new people and show them around.

If you have any questions you can ask your guild, ask here or simply ask in map chat. You may not get a complete answer in map chat but at least for simple things like "what do I do with [object]?" it can be the best choice.

@"Lord Kreegan.8123" said:Personally, I'd suggest not bothering coming back...

Sounds like you just don't enjoy the game. "Vertical Mazes" are part of the uniqueness of this game. Most of the metas don't take too long to complete.

Have you tried PoF? It's less maze-y ? But most likely you're ready to move on.May I ask why you deleted ALL your characters, just to grind them ALL out again? That would be....disheartening. And also unnecessary, unless levelling over and over again was enjoyable to you?

I would disagree with telling someone to not bother.

This game fits the bill for many people. And if they only get 40hours joy out of each expansion, it's still money well spent. Most solo mainstream games don't tend to have more than 20 odd hours.And there's always a chance one will enjoy thousands of hours in gw. That's money and time well spent (if it's fun).

And to many people it is.

I don't grind out metas, I randomly do events on whatever map I feel like, if I land in a meta map, all the better...but I enjoy it even if I don't. I like exploring.

I also love the mastery system. Although getting mastery points can be a real pain in the kitten.

@Demented Sheep.1642 said:Well I did play HoT before I left. Vertical maze like maps are something I like. Meta events that you can't do without massive amounts of players, having to wait around for ages to get into a decent map and getting booted at the end of an event that took like an hour (still salty about that, happened more than once) is less fun.

If I remember right part of the reason I got badly burnt out was because of trying to get ascended gear (some people I played with were pushing for it), it made the game feel like a chore. especially since I have a lot of alts and like trying you new builds.

Edit: Oh hey, infusions now have a material slot. Thank God for that.

Ascended gear can really feel like a grind.

I know it was part of my problem when I left before HoT released.You only NEED ascended for fractals. Some people may say you need ascended for raids but you really don't.

I would aim for the correct exotic gear for your spec, when you're level 80. Which is much cheaper and easier to get and you'll get by just fine in most content.

I'm working on ascended again now. But only when I think about it. I don't want to feel like I have to do x amount every day to get my armor asap. If it takes me a year...so be it. I'm here to have fun, not grind.

Don't be intimidated. GW2 is one of the most (if not the most) catch-up friendly MMOs you'd ever play. The lack of a gear treadmill and easy stat swapping on ascended gear (and cheap exotic gear) means you can shift to a new build relatively easily, in the case where you'd want to adjust to a new meta.

As for inventory sorting, it might be worthwhile to just create a mule character to dump a whole lot of collected items into for sorting later. That way you can get right into the swing of things without feeling cluttered.

As for what to do first, I'd recommend looking at completing the story, either by starting fresh, or picking up wherever you left off when you took a break from the game. Playing the story in order will systematically introduce you to whatever new areas or mechanics you are unaware of and let you get into the game at your own pace, while also still earning some nice rewards/gear/exp/masteries at the same time. It also gives you context for what you are doing, or where you are doing it, which can help when it comes to familiarizing yourself with what is going on.

I would take it as a new game. Start slow. I would even recommend starting a new character. The new player experience has been modified while you were away and slowly walks you thru features as you level. Other thing is find some helpful guilds. Find people that you think you might enjoy and that can lend a hand. Clean up your existing toons and gear once you are more comfortable, they have been waiting for you this long, they won't mind waiting a bit longer. So take it at your pace and have fun and explore. Wiki on this website no doubt has had even more information updated in it so visit it early and often for additional items.

That said, Welcome Back!