So I bought at release but just getting back into game...any tips to help me finish personal story?

Any tips. I'd like to finish up this personal story. I have gotten to retribution story part and have lvl 80. But I never seem to get it done. Any tips or tricks?

You should be fine with doing it on any proffession but Mesmer , really. Just go and do it. Reason for that is the low amount of damage Mesmer has, making it take extremely long compared to any other proffession!

Normaly there should no problems with it to do it solo. What class do you play? What problems you have with finishing it? Generally dodging out of hammerattacks from the risen undead makes surviving much easier. Also condiremoval could be a nice thing to have.

It's hard to know what to suggest really. What problems have you had completing it?

Either try the story mode missions first and then check the wiki if you're stuck, or go straight for the wiki - getting through story mode alone is more achievable than it's ever been. I'm sure you'll be quicker and more successful than I was! If you're running the missions through first time, enjoy them. You'll rattle through them on your other characters so you might as well enjoy the ride first time. :)

Edit: The good thing about going through the personal story at this stage is that most of the content has been tweaked to balance it and make it more achievable to those of us who have had time away or are less... practised.

yeah I am a Ranger and picking up at mid level without all the supports of the low levels teaching me to dodge and the like is a little challenging but I guess I just need to jump in and finish it

Make sure your gear is level appropriate, as that can make a big difference. :)If the wiki isn't enough assistance, I recommend using the LFG system (push 'Y' in game), ask fellow guild members (if you have one) to join you, or even just ask in map chat for a few people to come help you out. It's a very friendly community, and a lot of veteran players are dedicated to assisting new and returning players.Without some specifics of the difficulties you are having, it's hard to give clear advice, but I hope this helps~

The wiki article is right here: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Retribution

Where exactly in the mission are you having problems?

Edit: Okay, looks like I was slow. If you're level 80, you can see about improving your gear which can help a good bit. Also, staying at range can help you avoid attacks (easy for Rangers with long bow), and stay out of the poison fields. Try to bring condition removal such as your Healing Spring skill or the Signet of Renewal, as that will help remove the conditions that can make the fighting difficult.

If you're on NA servers, message me (Vahkris.6847) and we can try to coordinate helping out.

Ahhh edittime is over so new post:

if you want some helping hand, and you are playing on the european megaserver you can write me a massage ingame at SunTzu.4513 and i will help you out.

General Ranger Tips:

1. Take the Bear for personal story stuff. He's a tank.
2. Take another pet that's tough...or can deal a lot of damage. (I personally like the Jaguar for the stealth it gets. "Sick 'Em" pairs well with it.)
3. Longbow is your friend. Trait appropriately. :) (Use skill 3 to stealth and reposition as needed.)
4. Ranger Runes are arguably the best choice for a Ranger. (and they are not too expensive on the TP)
5. As said before... Dodge, dodge, dodge...and then dodge.Happy Adventuring!

I like the Brown Bear and Hawk combo for leveling. The Brown Bear is the best tank and will help you stay alive while in the thick of things, and the hawk gives a nice speed boost when combat starts that aides in positioning and re-positioning yourself, as well as having a fast attack.

Most pets have a niche that you will get used to with time. For getting on with the job though, try some drakes for their durability and cleave. Even if you're running around trying not to get hit, at least drakes will kill stuff. Bears, not so much.

If being unfamiliar with the game is an issue it might be worth playing in the open-world for a bit, or even creating a new character to go through the low levels and re-learn how everything works (a lot has changed since launch so even stuff you remember may be different).

But some things, like dodging, can be just as easily practiced within the story.

It's definitely worth experimenting with different weapons, pets and traits, not just to find out what you prefer but also to see what works in each situation. Some fights become much easier if you change how you approach them even slightly and being aware of your options makes that much easier to do.

Hey, as personal story is older content I recommend you check your gear to make sure you have Power not Condition Damage. A lot of the original GW2 content had items (doors etc) to break down which were not effected by conditions or critical damage. Perhaps a mix of Power/Precision/Toughness (Knights) Power/Vitality/Ferocity (Valkyrie) would serve you well while you get used to the game again. Although I would recommend choosing Power/Precision/Ferocity (Berserker) weapons. (Longbow/Greatsword for Power builds!)

Also picking up some Mango Pies can help encounters go smoother. They give constant health regeneration and some vitality.

Lastly, pick your pets wisely. Bear is a great tank whose F2 gives condition removal. However if you fancy mixing things up a bit you could head over to gw2timer.com/pets for a handy map covering Juvenile pet locations. It will allow you to see what's in areas you've already travelled as well as what's close by.

Good luck and welcome back :)

The other tip or trick that you can use to get through the story is to use the Looking For Group tool to see if someone will come with you to help. I know that it was always easier for me to have my friend come with me if I needed help, and maybe you can get someone who knows what they're doing to come help ease you into the game again and answer some questions along the way. Either that or just go into a starter zone and ask for someone to help you out. The community here is so friendly and helpful that you're bound to get someone who would come and help you out, even if it's just for a step or two.

Except maybe for Claw Island. That one is long ;)

Best of luck to you!

Thanks All, my lynx got me through this time, I just picked up a asset of Aidens armor (Exotic) mostly because he has the ranger in GW prophecies. I am not sure what stats that armor has but it was cheap and that made a huge difference compared to the level 67 ish stuff I was wearing.

Now on to the level 70 ish stuff. Didn't the story use to unlock about every two levels? That seemed to guide development better...:(

The Personal Story now advances every 10 levels you reach. This forces players to explore and do things in the Open World to level their character more before being able to continue the story. You also get a lot more in terms of gear, tooltips, and unlocks as you level up now to help familiarize you with your character, but you won't experience this unless you create a new character.

@Keldros.2087 said:The Personal Story now advances every 10 levels you reach. This forces players to explore and do things in the Open World to level their character more before being able to continue the story. You also get a lot more in terms of gear, tooltips, and unlocks as you level up now to help familiarize you with your character, but you won't experience this unless you create a new character.

Or you are really slow at leveling alts like me :)

Have you considered doing some open world events and finishing some maps so you reach level 80 first, can get level 80 exotic gear and then go through personal story? You can also create LFG party for specific story step and sometimes other players who are doing same instance, or just want to help, may join you.