Any PvE content that an old GW solo player might like? FoW, UW, 55 Monk farming etc

[Ayr.5204]

Think it's been 12 to 15 years since I used to play GW and it was my first MMO.

Whole thing seemed incredible to me, you know the skill synergy. and creating spammy builds that could end your death in one hit if you didn't maintain an enchantment or whatever. And then taking that stuff and farming those dungeon areas.. that stuff really captured my imagination. I always played on a rubbish work laptop back then so group stuff, especially PvP was pretty horrible. All this time later I've got a small break and thought, why not give the sequel a shot. Been playing around and it's nice, still has a lot of the original feel to it.

Umm, so I'm not really up for running around getting involved in WvW. etc on my 13inch MBP. But it hit me.. only thing I really want to do is create those whacky solo builds and go farm high end content. Master some weird little niche.

Not really sure GW2 has that sort of thing. There's definitely loads of soloing, but I can't tell what the builds feel like. Is there anything out there that reminds legacy players of that spammy, on the edge but uber powerful soloing we saw before? I know that stuff was controversial back then, but it was so clever and fun, and so hard to master some of those dungeons.

I made a Guardian. Seems easy enough for a new guy like me to pick up so far. I haven't got the time or dexterity these days, but what I enjoy hasn't changed much. I remember loving some weird Necro/Monk build back in the day too, and even did a little ranger trapping in the newer content dungeons - they had some fun stuff. Remember Kannaxai or so? Loved that place, so dark and moody. And the wooden sort of area with the tree thing. Forget it all now but it's coming back as I type. Is GW2 dark and moody too in endgame?

Sorry for the stream of consciousness, got hit with a a spot of nostalgia there!

[maddoctor.2738]

You can solo almost everything in the game, only exception is the instances that absolutely require multiple players to succeed at a mechanic. Even high end dungeons and raid bosses have been done solo (very few Raids, but still). And in the open world you mostly play solo with other players around you, but rarely need to join their group for anything. Unlike GW1 where your build carried you through harder content, in GW2 player skill is the important factor that determines which content you can do solo, and in that regard the sky is the limit. If you are good enough you can solo most content, including challenging instances, if you are bad, no build can save you.

good luck

[skarpak.8594]

what maddoctor said, with added tactic to skill depending on the class or enemy you are facing. ofc you can be the the best speedrunner with a lot of skill, dodeing / kiting every single attack while in melee, maintaining high dps. but you can also do it a tad slower and simply exploit the loopholes...for example spamming all your phantasms on some enemy, then kiting like mad and do the same again after the cd's are over. or for example some enemys have such a slow and not far reaching melee attack, that you simply can kite out of it in a straight line, then back in to deliver some hits and kite out and in again.

nearly every mob in gw2 has such little details you can find out and "exploit" to get damage in without getting your ass beaten, discovering that also takes a bit of skill.also classes are relevant, since some are a bit more self sustaining in terms of buffs, blocks and other defensive mechanics....or simply how much aoe + crowd control they can spam.

one of the best videos as showcase in those terms is a mama kill from roul on guardian (will post a link). it probably reflects best what you are facing when soloing stuff. for starters you probably want to try it out in dungeons to get a feel for dodgeing and your class. everything storywise can also be done solo easy, you can see that as a big ass tutorial. ;Dusually when you really want to test your skill stuff like open field lupicus, challenge mode skorvald or mama are the bosses where you can test your skill in terms of dodging and descition making (you can find lots of videos in those terms, or anything else when searching for stuff like: gw2 solo, record, speedrun). knowing / finding patterns is also always good for pve stuff.

...but in general, stuff like tanking away everything like in gw1 and then using splinter armor or 55 / 600 hp builds no not exist at all in gw2. the whole thing got simplified and gw2 is more of a action combat game then a classic mmo.

[Ayr.5204]

Thanks guys and since posting that I've played around a little in a place called Twilight Arbor and toyed with. the mobs there. They are brutal, even thought I'm 80 and they're maybe 50! I'm using a core Guardian skill bar I found. It's not very interesting but it's listed as being good for dps.

I saw this video and the Guardian's build looks more fun than mine with better survivability, but my eyes can't make out the skill bar, any idea what they're using?

I took my build from here and using greatsword. Haven't tried another weapon type yet as my greatsword is orange coloured and the best I've got. Need to learn how to get new good weapons too to try them I guess.http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Guardian_-_Power_DPS

Many of the builds have a speciality in there. Maybe I'll try to unlock specialities today with my gametime but it did feel great to be back in a dungeon again, even if it's a low level one and I'm wiping. Definitely feeling what you guys are saying about the game being less tanky and more movement based. That's fun too, I played AION for years after GW and many of the encounters there need a lot of moving around to avoid damage, though this is my first time using a roll type move to dodge. Going to watch that video now, cheers!

[Linken.6345]

@"Ayr.5204" said:Thanks guys and since posting that I've played around a little in a place called Twilight Arbor and toyed with. the mobs there. They are brutal, even thought I'm 80 and they're maybe 50! I'm using a core Guardian skill bar I found. It's not very interesting but it's listed as being good for dps.

I saw this video and the Guardian's build looks more fun than mine with better survivability, but my eyes can't make out the skill bar, any idea what they're using?

I took my build from here and using greatsword. Haven't tried another weapon type yet as my greatsword is orange coloured and the best I've got. Need to learn how to get new good weapons too to try them I guess.http://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Guardian_-_Power_DPS

Many of the builds have a speciality in there. Maybe I'll try to unlock specialities today with my gametime but it did feel great to be back in a dungeon again, even if it's a low level one and I'm wiping. Definitely feeling what you guys are saying about the game being less tanky and more movement based. That's fun too, I played AION for years after GW and many of the encounters there need a lot of moving around to avoid damage, though this is my first time using a roll type move to dodge. Going to watch that video now, cheers!

Dragonhunter (hot elite spec) with staff to clear blooms at start then scepter/focus and greatsword. at the wurms.Seem to be 1 trap stand your ground and bane signet utility with feel my wrath elite and the litany of wrath heal ( the more damage you do under its effect the more you heal)No Idea about what other traitlines he got other then the dragonhunter tho.EditImo its a very squishy build untill you learn to play it well.

[Ayr.5204]

Ah cheers! Alright I'll start farming hero points and work on dragonhunter. Just did a search after you typed that up and it seems that a lot of people say dragonhunter is great for soloing. I'm prepared to wipe a bit to get the hang of the build, but if it's above my ability I'll look for something else, just want a build goal for now!

[Ronan.9518]

@Ayr.5204 said:Thanks guys and since posting that I've played around a little in a place called Twilight Arbor and toyed with. the mobs there. They are brutal, even thought I'm 80 and they're maybe 50! I'm using a core Guardian skill bar I found. It's not very interesting but it's listed as being good for dps.

snip

Just a little reminder, there isn't such a thing like outleveling an enemy, as your stats are always scaled down to the level area you're playing in. The only advantage a high level has in low level areas is more available traits/skills and maybe slightly higher stats.

[Justine.6351]

Just would like to point out that there isn't really a lot of loot grinding that is meaningful like gw1 had. It's like 99% vendor stuff not rng looting.

[Ayr.5204]

@Justine.6351 said:Just would like to point out that there isn't really a lot of loot grinding that is meaningful like gw1 had. It's like 99% vendor stuff not rng looting.

No ecto farming or anything to incentivise a player to master a build and instance for example? At the moment it's fun being in such a well executed MMO, but I'll need purpose, and quite soon too.

[Ayr.5204]

@Ronan.9518 said:

@Ayr.5204 said:Thanks guys and since posting that I've played around a little in a place called Twilight Arbor and toyed with. the mobs there. They are brutal, even thought I'm 80 and they're maybe 50! I'm using a core Guardian skill bar I found. It's not very interesting but it's listed as being good for dps.

snip

Just a little reminder, there isn't such a thing like outleveling an enemy, as your stats are always scaled down to the level area you're playing in. The only advantage a high level has in low level areas is more available traits/skills and maybe slightly higher stats.

Ah, that would explain a lot, including why my HP always changed!

[Justine.6351]

@Ayr.5204 said:

@"Justine.6351" said:Just would like to point out that there isn't really a lot of loot grinding that is meaningful like gw1 had. It's like 99% vendor stuff not rng looting.

No ecto farming or anything to incentivise a player to master a build and instance for example? At the moment it's fun being in such a well executed MMO, but I'll need purpose, and quite soon too.

You could maybe solo farm open world champs for their loot bags and try for exotic weapons that still hold some gold value.

World bosses,https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Treasure_Hunter

Champions,https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Exotic_Hunter

I think heart of thorns and path of fire have similar type drops from open world but I don't know them.https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mordrem_weaponshttps://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Named_Sunspear_weaponsThese few sets I found don't seem to hold much value anymore so idk.

[Henry.5713]

It depends on what you are looking for in solo farming. ArenaNet made sure that there are a very few reasons why anyone would want to solo group content. The loot system pretty much puts you at a loot disadvantage from the get go as you are much slower than a fast group would be while each of them still receives the same amount of loot you do. Thus you are usually better of going with a full group or squad.The exceptions to that rule are Open World bosses with their upscaling on the number of players present. Some of them are far easier with a small group of competent players over a map blob of people who do very little. But again, you'd rather do them with a small group but not solo.

In short, solo dungeons and Fractals are okey if you are seeking solitude and especially if you are a looking for a personal challenge but you will not get rich doing so like in other games.

[Ayr.5204]

Yes, reading your comments and watching more videos I'm starting to get it a little more. I see a lot of comments about dungeons being dead content, so maybe I need to rethink where I'm going with my playtime. If I don't have a really solid incentive, the challenge aspect of soloing just isn't enough for me, I need to feel that the effort will have a reward.

This is a bit off-topic, but is healing a thing in GW2? I thought when GW2 was coming out ANet said they didn't want a healer, but I've seen videos that look like people are very healing focused. Pretty much full healing specs in raids and things that remind me of traditional MMOs. Is there a such thing as a ranged healer that just spends their time healing the group? Can you target a player in a group and heal that player specifically?

[Ronan.9518]

Well it's been a time since i played fractals (which replaced dungeons )and never set a foot into raids, but back when i played fractals it was usual to have a healer (druid(ranger spec)) and a buffer/boonshare (mesmer).Today i know there are other viable specs especially when it comes to buffing, but think druid is still one of the most used healers (because he can bring unique buffs as well). Another good option could be firebrand (Guardian spec)), which is in WvW even more common.(Scrapper (engi spec), tempest (ele spec) and scourge (more a prevent dmg via barrier (necro spec)) have a healing build as well but are probably the least used)What all those have in common though, is that none of them really is a ranged healer, but rather that they heal in an area around/directly in front of them. The heals normally affect up to 5 player (druid up to 10 i think) so the healing is always aoe and never targeted to one player.In Open World content healers are rarely (if at all) used.

Maybe another one who is still doing that kind of content could answer better though

[sokeenoppa.5384]

@Ronan.9518 said:

@Ayr.5204 said:Thanks guys and since posting that I've played around a little in a place called Twilight Arbor and toyed with. the mobs there. They are brutal, even thought I'm 80 and they're maybe 50! I'm using a core Guardian skill bar I found. It's not very interesting but it's listed as being good for dps.

snip

Just a little reminder, there isn't such a thing like outleveling an enemy, as your stats are always scaled down to the level area you're playing in. The only advantage a high level has in low level areas is more available traits/skills and maybe slightly higher stats.

There kinda is tho. Go to low lvl arena with max lvl character and your damage is still way too powerful mostly because you can stack raw dmg % mods and downscaling won't affect those.

Lets take power DD for example: 5% dmg from scholar runes, 5% from sigil of force, 3% from sigil of impact, 2%-20% more damage from Exposed Weakness, 10% more damage against crippled foes and 52% or 59% dmg increase from other traits + some stat boosts aswell which will get downscaled tho.

Those mods more or less increases your dmg 75-95% already plus you have way more critical hit chance and critical dmg than low lvl player aswell.