*cough* casual gamer, started exploring Heart of Thorns expansion area...

I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

Heya, just a few tips, I think. . .

Usually by the time you finish the personal story and LWS2 episodes you'll have some Exotic (orange colour) rated armour and/or weapons which will help more than just Rare (yellow), or even lower Masterwork (green). If you don't have at least Rare armour (helm, shoulders, chest, gloves, leggings, boots), some Rare Trinkets (backpiece, 2 accessories, 2 rings, and an amulet) and your weapons (preferably Rare or more), then you'll have a much bigger challenge, yes.

However, it also depends on your class and the Stats of the armour, weapons, trinkets. If you're running full Berserker gear (Power, Precision, Ferocity) and have no Toughness or Vitality, you'll probably die a lot, yes. Same goes for something like Sinister (Condition Damage, Power, Precision). Having mostly Offensive gear can really help take down enemies fast, but if you don't know what you're doing and are just casually exploring a new zone with deadly monsters, you'll want to be better equipped for the journey.

One last thing I'd suggest is getting some practice in with tough enemies in zones before Heart of Thorns maps. Those that come to mind would be the wildlife in Dry Top and the Mordrem in the Silverwastes. Some of the Risen group events and/or bosses/roaming bosses in Orr are also difficult and will help test how long you can survive, depending on your class and how you fight (spamming any skill off a cooldown, never using a skill because ya forgot - happens to us all).

All in all, don't worry about dying a lot to the plant monsters; we've all tasted blood from them at one point. :)

If you need Rare or Exotic gear, I'd do what you said and use the Black Lion Trading Post (aka the black market XD) and just buy the ones with stats you want. Usually a mix between offensive and defensive stat helps, but you can just experiment for now. :)

Just a tip, anything that costs over a few Gold is probably selling just for the Skin of the item and not the stat itself. Some skins costs dozens and even hundreds of gold! Wouldn't want to waste your money on something you may not have even wanted. XD

Good luck saving Tyria!

Welcome to jungle, it gets worse :) But we love it

@"Okami Amaterasu.9237" said:Heya, just a few tips, I think. . .

Usually by the time you finish the personal story and LWS2 episodes you'll have some Exotic (orange colour) rated armour and/or weapons which will help more than just Rare (yellow), or even lower Masterwork (green). If you don't have at least Rare armour (helm, shoulders, chest, gloves, leggings, boots), some Rare Trinkets (backpiece, 2 accessories, 2 rings, and an amulet) and your weapons (preferably Rare or more), then you'll have a much bigger challenge, yes.

However, it also depends on your class and the Stats of the armour, weapons, trinkets. If you're running full Berserker gear (Power, Precision, Ferocity) and have no Toughness or Vitality, you'll probably die a lot, yes. Same goes for something like Sinister (Condition Damage, Power, Precision). Having mostly Offensive gear can really help take down enemies fast, but if you don't know what you're doing and are just casually exploring a new zone with deadly monsters, you'll want to be better equipped for the journey.

One last thing I'd suggest is getting some practice in with tough enemies in zones before Heart of Thorns maps. Those that come to mind would be the wildlife in Dry Top and the Mordrem in the Silverwastes. Some of the Risen group events and/or bosses/roaming bosses in Orr are also difficult and will help test how long you can survive, depending on your class and how you fight (spamming any skill off a cooldown, never using a skill because ya forgot - happens to us all).

All in all, don't worry about dying a lot to the plant monsters; we've all tasted blood from them at one point. :)

If you need Rare or Exotic gear, I'd do what you said and use the Black Lion Trading Post (aka the black market XD) and just buy the ones with stats you want. Usually a mix between offensive and defensive stat helps, but you can just experiment for now. :)

Just a tip, anything that costs over a few Gold is probably selling just for the Skin of the item and not the stat itself. Some skins costs dozens and even hundreds of gold! Wouldn't want to waste your money on something you may not have even wanted. XD

Good luck saving Tyria!

Thanks for the tips, i "naturally"(Grinding) leveled up my main Guardian to level 80. um, i just got regular gear or the green one you mentioned. Haven't done lws2, i will get to it. yeah, mostly focused on Ferocity, power and precision. will update for defense with Vitality and toughness. Actually i did have problems in the silverwaste and the area where risen are mostly at. After one of the updates while i was off(good couple of months)

The Fact, after returning my thoughts were "Wait , what do these skills do?... wait, why did i set it up like this?... wait, why do i have this gear?" didn't help.

thanks again for Tips i honestly didn't know this stuff,nervous laugh

sees Youtube Video Yes!!! That's exactly what has been happening to me in the maps.

Because GW2 doesn't have a 'gear treadmill' of ever more powerful equipment (there's only 7 tiers in total) the answer if you're struggling is almost never to look for more powerful equipment. It is a good idea to get a full set of exotic/ascended equipment if you haven't already (people often use exotic weapons and armour and ascended trinkets from the laurel vendor) but what's more important is picking stats for it which compliment your build and playstyle.

There's no one right answer for everyone. A lot of people will recommend beserkers - power, precision & ferocity for everything, and that's fine if you're good enough at using active defenses to keep yourself alive, but a lot of people really struggle with that and will benefit from adding vitality (health) or toughness (armour), and of course if you're using a lot of conditions you may want Condition Damage instead of one of the direct damage stats. There's lots of builds you can find online for all the professions, or you can pick your own stats based on what you've put together.

Another thing which helps a lot, especially in Heart of Thorns, is taking the time to get to know the different enemies and what their strengths and weaknesses are. For example Pocket Raptors hit hard but they're individually weak, the problem is there's lots of them and they attack in groups. So Area of Effect attacks do well because then you can hit them all at once. A lot of the roaming mordrem groups have a healer with them and if you kill them first the rest go down quickly. Smokescales can't be hit while they're standing inside their mist effect so you either need to apply conditions before they cast it, use AoEs or pull them out of it.

It's never going to be as easy as the base game, but it's definitely possible to learn to survive in HoT maps, and without spending ages grinding new gear.

Exotic equipment is fairly easy to get in end-game and pretty much a requirement for any level 80 character. Ascended equipment comes beyond that and is absolutely no requirement anywhere except fractals. Also elite specs make your character a whole lot powerful. You don't even need to look up meta builds to be surviving in HoT, just aquire a set of exotic gear that kinda fits your profession, line up some traits, and you are good to go.

And HoT maps are usually built all around the meta events that are happening a few times per day in there. So usually you get your completion in that map with a whole lot of other players who are doing the same meta event as you and then you burn through all the enemies in no time. Also running away from enemies is a thing people mostly do, because enemies are tougher in those areas, they also take longer to kill than regular mobs. And if you are going to where you want to be, killing enemies is just a waste of time. Solo'ing Hp's in HoT you should perhaps not even try at all, there's HP trains pretty much anywhere where a commander helps a group of people get all the hero points in 1 area without any difficulty.

There is also a huge spike in enemy mechanics from core to HoT. Enemies suddenly have abilities to use and learning telegraphs and how to counter/avoid them is a big part of the game starting from there

@Danikat.8537 said:Smokescales can't be hit while they're standing inside their mist effect so you either need to apply conditions before they cast it, use AoEs or pull them out of it.

And of course GS guardians must remember that Whirling Wrath aka Spin-to-Win, attack 2, is a 360 degree cleave, not a point-blank AoE, so it, too, can't hit misted smokescales. (It's not the only skill like that - Warrior main-hand Axe 2 and off-hand Axe 5 spring to mind.)

I consider myself still new. I have a guardian also that i played through HoT. I'll give you some tips that I learned through playing because until recently the same was happening to me.

1. The game is not like wow or other mmo's where you can facetank open world mobs. In other mmo's there is no learning curve to monsters whatsoever in the open world. Even the silver mobs in wow are just basically an interrupt here and there and then you just stand there pressing skills. In guild wars 2, mobs blind you, confuse you, knock you down, have massive telegraphed damage that needs to be dodged, and a lot more. You need to understand that combat in guild wars has more meaning than most , even against baby raptors that you can't see on your screen that show up in groups and take off 90% of your health in 5 seconds.

2. The l2p aspect. I actually made a thread about this like a week ago. I really had to re-think how i play guild wars 2. Ultimately, i focused on just fighting and farming in HoT, PoF etc.. I did some fractals and people from my guild helped me understand things a little better. There is a use for everything on your skill bar and every action. Read your abilities, things like retaliation, stability, condition removal etc.. It's really important to focus on what's happening in combat to understand what you should be doing.

For example, my guardian was dying alot. I did a ton of damage but i just couldn't handle much damage at all. I was getting used to dying, to everything. I copy pasta'd a guide and thought i could just mindlessly whack stuff and it'd die. I learned that my build had a focus on retaliation , so i learned how to use that. Most fights, i am negating damage through my rotation. Now in HoT, you can be fighting one mob and 3 more show up and this happens frequently. Sometimes, you'll get overwhelmed and it's best to just run.

3. gear wont' make you a better player but I'd suggest maybe, what i did that helped a little. My main gear was all beserker, but my trinkets were switched to beserker/valk mis (power,vitality, ferocity). This helped a lot if i was caught off guard with more than i could handle. I either had a bit extra health to survive , or enough health to run away. Now that i understand my class better, i removed the vitality gear and focused on damage. I don't take much damage on my guardian now due to understanding how to mitigate the damage better.

Even with all the advice, i'll say , compared to other mmo's and guild wars 2 core. Heart of Thorns is not for people that just want to walk through content without challenges. The monsters are tough and the maps are tough. HoT is very vertical and it took weeks for me to really just grasp the flow of the first map. So , take your time and meet some people along your way to help. Feel free to add me and i'll try to help in any way i can.

If you don't have Path of Fire, get it for the mounts. Get the raptor and the bunny. Then go back to the HoT zones. This will allow you to move around the maps more easily, avoiding many fights that you don't need or even want to be in.

@jishi.7568 said:I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

Hi Jishi,

I feel your pain and went through the same. I have sent you an in-game message but as others have mentioned gear really does help and gear with toughness and vitality is likely best. Check your mail in-game and feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

Cheers,

@jishi.7568 said:I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

Your experience as a first-timer in HoT mirrors my own. It takes a little practice to get the hang of handling these enemies. Gear improvements help, to a point. But GW2 isn't like other MMOs where you can continuously improve your gear to trivialize open world content. You'll have to overcome these enemies with build (i.e. traits, weapons, etc.) and strategy.

The good news is that the combat system gives you all of the tools you need to do this. With the right build and strategy, nearly anything is possible! Even many things that probably seem so impossible that you hadn't even considered that they could be done solo!

It’ll seem difficult at first as you probably weren’t playing during LS2 when they started increasing the difficulty by giving enemies mechanics. Once you learn them, it’ll become much easier and really not all that much different from core Tyria.

For example, the veteran Vinetooths in Auric Basin can be killed fairly easily due to the terrible AI. They do a scripted attack sequence and only change directions inbetween. If you time it right, you can simply walk through it and attack it from behind without ever getting hit.

@Tatwi.3562 said:If you don't have Path of Fire, get it for the mounts. Get the raptor and the bunny. Then go back to the HoT zones. This will allow you to move around the maps more easily, avoiding many fights that you don't need or even want to be in.

This is great advice. HoT without mounts sucks so hard; HoT with mounts merely sucks.

@TheAgedGnome.7520 said:

@Tatwi.3562 said:If you don't have Path of Fire, get it for the mounts. Get the raptor and the bunny. Then go back to the HoT zones. This will allow you to move around the maps more easily, avoiding many fights that you don't need or even want to be in.

I really regret getting my mount for first play through. It kind of ruins the story.

@Tehologist.5841 said:I really regret getting my mount for first play through. It kind of ruins the story.

It would be helpful if you were to elaborate on the places in the story where you felt using a mount ruined the experience.

Especially since most of the actual story bit takes place inside instances that would not allow you to use mounts...

Starting path of fire is a huge spoiler for all of living season 3. Just like HoT would kind of ruin season 2. For first time through would definitely recommend playing in order.

@jishi.7568 said:I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

So say we all.

HoT is harder. It was the developers' response to community feedback about the game in general being too easy.

We can't answer questions about your gear, because we have no idea what you are using, if you feel like posting what gear you are using, we can all offer targeted feedback on this.

That said some of the common things are:

1. Learn to Dodge - The base game teaches you what dodging is but doesn't make you use it enough.
2. Check your build and your gear - Until you have some experience, that full damage build you are probably using just might not be helping you cope. Get some mitigation going with some extra Vit, toughness, condi-cleanse, evades invulns ect.
3. Bring a friend or two - The jungle was designed as group content. Most of the maps will have a few hero points that will be really challenging/impossible to solo. Running around Verdant Brink at night can be especially brutal without someone else to help spread around the damage. The maps can certainly be soloed, but not easily.
4. Learn what a Breakbar is and how to break it - Breakbar mechanics start to matter a lot more in the Jungle than the places where they were retrofitted into core.
5. Avoid pocket raptors

HoT is a real punch in the face after the lack of challenge in core. We've all felt it.

If you're not doing the story right away, my suggestion would be to skip Verdant Brink and go the next map. Use a port to friend if you have to. IMO auric basin is much more forgiving and easy to navigate than VB (as long as you stay away from the western corridor). Also running down to stick your nose into the third map, just to unlock the mastery track, might be a good idea. Even if you want to save the map itself until later, the Nuhoch masteries can open up a lot of useful things.

@Steve The Cynic.3217 said:

@Danikat.8537 said:Smokescales can't be hit while they're standing inside their mist effect so you either need to apply conditions before they cast it, use AoEs or pull them out of it.

I'm Guilty of this.

@"Tatwi.3562" said:If you don't have Path of Fire, get it for the mounts. Get the raptor and the bunny. Then go back to the HoT zones. This will allow you to move around the maps more easily, avoiding many fights that you don't need or even want to be in.

I will buy it soon, didn't think of that.

We can't answer questions about your gear, because we have no idea what you are using, if you feel like posting what gear you are using, we can all offer targeted feedback on this.

That said some of the common things are:

1. Learn to Dodge - The base game teaches you what dodging is but doesn't make you use it enough.
2. Check your build and your gear - Until you have some experience, that full damage build you are probably using just might not be helping you cope. Get some mitigation going with some extra Vit, toughness, condi-cleanse, evades invulns ect.
3. Bring a friend or two - The jungle was designed as group content. Most of the maps will have a few hero points that will be really challenging/impossible to solo. Running around Verdant Brink at night can be especially brutal without someone else to help spread around the damage. The maps can certainly be soloed, but not easily.
4. Learn what a Breakbar is and how to break it - Breakbar mechanics start to matter a lot more in the Jungle than the places where they were retrofitted into core.
5. Avoid pocket raptors

HoT is a real punch in the face after the lack of challenge in core. We've all felt it.

1. Still learning, i panic sometimes trying to learn to just press "V"
2. I was given new gear that focuses on Power/Toughness/Vitality With Runes that has mix of all stats boost; the rings/amulet that focuses on ferocity/precision/power. (Thanks again)
3. I will try to have my brothers help me with this or go on LFG(Should've thought of this)
4. I will read up on them
5. Yeah, they're pretty savage... Cute growl noises though,lol.

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:If you're not doing the story right away, my suggestion would be to skip Verdant Brink and go the next map. Use a port to friend if you have to. IMO auric basin is much more forgiving and easy to navigate than VB (as long as you stay away from the western corridor). Also running down to stick your nose into the third map, just to unlock the mastery track, might be a good idea. Even if you want to save the map itself until later, the Nuhoch masteries can open up a lot of useful things.

I will do, thanks for advice.

@Zushada.6108 said:

@jishi.7568 said:I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

Thanks again (Zushada/Maliha/Centavia) :) The New armor, runes, rings and Amulet. helped A LOT... and i mean A LOT. Found Weapons to match stats and together it makes it better to survive. There was moments i thought, death awaits but manage to survive by a few health points. Once, again many thanks.

Thanks everyone for the advice, i read and posted onto wordpad and saved for future reference. i will try to adjust my way of playing more to what you all suggested thanks again.> @mindcircus.1506 said:

@jishi.7568 said:I'm getting my butt handed to me, am i required to buy new armor/weapons or can i go by just with the armor i can buy with gold on black market?

Like holy shot, i suck at this,lol. I'm getting killed by all the monsters, but wow is the area chaotic, awesome and beautiful.

I feel, it just means, i'm too soft,lol. I will sharpen my gaming prowess.

HoT was designed to encourage group play. It's really just a matter of learning which mobs you can reasonably expect to solo, and when it's better to run for your life. It helps a lot if you have mounts. But if you go to HoT maps, it's probably best to find events and join others as opposed to wandering alone.

1. Still learning, i panic sometimes trying to learn to just press "V"
2. I was given new gear that focuses on Power/Toughness/Vitality With Runes that has mix of all stats boost; the rings/amulet that focuses on ferocity/precision/power. (Thanks again)
3. I will try to have my brothers help me with this or go on LFG(Should've thought of this)
4. I will read up on them
5. Yeah, they're pretty savage... Cute growl noises though,lol.

-The best way to learn dodging and how to properly use it is probably by doing fractals. There are other ways, but the mechanics in fractals are very well suited to learning this I feel.-Your gear is "Soldier's" then I would think. So really the problem may be that you are lacking the damage to put away the mobs comfortably. You are playing with a stat set that might be crippling your damage. Start replacing your Soldier's gear with some Marauder's(assuming you are using a power build), you may notice a difference. As you become better, you will eventually want to move towards more damage anyways. Start now, see if it helps.-LFG is probably not the best place to find small groups doing general stuff. In LFG for the jungle maps, you will usually only find Meta groups and hero point trains. If you are looking for small groups and your brothers arent around/interested you might benefit from joining a guild.-re:Breakbars Do it. People who don't make the effort to understand this basic mechanic of the game are generally doing more harm than good in groups.

@Biff.5312 said:HoT was designed to encourage group play. It's really just a matter of learning which mobs you can reasonably expect to solo, and when it's better to run for your life. It helps a lot if you have mounts. But if you go to HoT maps, it's probably best to find events and join others as opposed to wandering alone.

@"mindcircus.1506" said:

1. Still learning, i panic sometimes trying to learn to just press "V"
2. I was given new gear that focuses on Power/Toughness/Vitality With Runes that has mix of all stats boost; the rings/amulet that focuses on ferocity/precision/power. (Thanks again)
3. I will try to have my brothers help me with this or go on LFG(Should've thought of this)
4. I will read up on them
5. Yeah, they're pretty savage... Cute growl noises though,lol.

ok, i will try Roam area for groups and look to find a guild that's ok with casual players(I'm gone sometimes for a good while). I will look into the fractals, Yeah, i mostly had Ferocity,Power, precision gear. Thanks, i will study up on the Breakbars.