Questions Regarding Expansions, Mounts, and Mastery System from Returning Player

[SummerRayne.4672]

Hi all!

TLDR at the bottom!

I primarily played from the first closed beta and through the first year after launch. I quit while Living World Season 1 was still going. I absolutely loved the game, but burned myself out. Over the years I have logged on here and there, but haven't really put much time into it until recently. I just returned a couple weeks ago and am having a ton of fun playing my necro and other characters.

I didn't buy the expansions until a couple weeks ago also, which leads to my questions. Originally I was holding off on buying them because I wanted to complete all of the core Tyria (base game) content before moving on. I really get into the lore in games, so that is important to me. I'm also a bit of a completionist. Basically, this is what I am trying to decide. Even since buying the expansions, I haven't done any of the Heart of Thorns or Path of Fire content to unlock masteries, get gliding or mounts. What I have been wanting to do was continue to play the game as it was intended when the content was relevant. Like no mounts or gliding while completing the base game as an example.

I have been considering doing the first part of Path of Fire to at least unlock the mastery system and get the raptor mount. I primarily don't want to do this since I want to play the content as it was originally intended as I said. But I see my necro at 80 getting tons of xp that could be going towards masteries being wasted. I have also started running into a bit of an issue in Living World Season 2 content that is becoming a bit annoying. A number of the chapters are taking me to different zones where my objective isn't instanced content. Now, I love that part actually. But what is becoming annoying is that some of these are tied to events in the world. I will talk to the NPC that will start the event, he or she marks it on my map and it's far from where I am. Since you have most people on fast mounts now in core Tyria content, the objective is swarmed by players who got there way before me and the mob or event is over. That is actually becoming quite frustrating for me. I had this happen in two parts of my story since yesterday.

So I'm now especially considering at least getting the raptor mount so I won't be getting frustrated trying to do these events tied to LW Season 2.

TLDR: So my questions are, considering how important lore and immersion is to me in this game, how much would it ruin it for me lore wise if I started Path of Fire to at least unlock the mastery system and raptor mount at the least? Or what do you all recommend for a player like me?

Thanks in advance!

[Taril.8619]

Unlocking the mastery system early is pointless. Since you can only progress each expansions masteries while doing their content (I.e. You can only get PoF mastery experience in PoF/LW4 zones)

Getting the Raptor mount, you only need to do the first mission of PoF, so I'd basically recommend going AFK during the "Prologue" in Lions Arch which talks about things that have happened, zip through the quest without doing any of the optional talking and getting your mount and then leaving until you get around to playing through PoF where you can then listen to all the dialogue without any spoilers.

As far as "Playing as intended" honestly, so long as you don't cheese Vistas and JP's (Where possible) with Mounts/Gliders you pretty much get the original experience. Spending an hour walking to the other end of the zone is not the biggest part of the experience (Especially when even back in the day, you'd have Teleport to Friend items that could be used to insta-travel to various waypoints)

[SummerRayne.4672]

@"Taril.8619" said:Unlocking the mastery system early is pointless. Since you can only progress each expansions masteries while doing their content (I.e. You can only get PoF mastery experience in PoF/LW4 zones)

I was reading about this on the GW2 wiki. But wouldn't I at least be unlocking masteries in core Tyria content as I was still doing stuff there? It shows I have 15 mastery points in the "Central Tyria" section of the mastery section of my hero panel. So unless I was misunderstanding, I thought that while I was still in Tyria, I would able to be working towards those while doing content there. I have the points, of course just can't do anything with them until I unlock masteries.

Getting the Raptor mount, you only need to do the first mission of PoF, so I'd basically recommend going AFK during the "Prologue" in Lions Arch which talks about things that have happened, zip through the quest without doing any of the optional talking and getting your mount and then leaving until you get around to playing through PoF where you can then listen to all the dialogue without any spoilers.

This is what I have been leaning towards, but been really trying to avoid it. But after the frustrations of trying to do some episodes of Living World Season 2 the last couple of days, I'm leaning much more towards doing this. It's hard to make it to the events in time when you have players speeding to them on raptors and quickly flying to the event. Many times the event is done before I can even make it there.

As far as "Playing as intended" honestly, so long as you don't cheese Vistas and JP's (Where possible) with Mounts/Gliders you pretty much get the original experience. Spending an hour walking to the other end of the zone is not the biggest part of the experience (Especially when even back in the day, you'd have Teleport to Friend items that could be used to insta-travel to various waypoints)

The walking is part of the experience for me though oddly enough :) While I like mounts in games of course, and love the way GW2 went with their mount system, I'm not the type of player who is in any rush. I enjoy taking my time and just enjoying the game. Good point though that it could be helpful to get me to areas faster at least, but avoid using it to make vistas and jumping puzzles easier!

Thanks for your response Taril! I really do appreciate it. I'm heavily leaning towards doing just that first part of Path of Fire to unlock the mastery system and get the mount to avoid frustrations.

[Taril.8619]

@SummerRayne.4672 said:I was reading about this on the GW2 wiki. But wouldn't I at least be unlocking masteries in core Tyria content as I was still doing stuff there? It shows I have 15 mastery points in the "Central Tyria" section of the mastery section of my hero panel. So unless I was misunderstanding, I thought that while I was still in Tyria, I would able to be working towards those while doing content there. I have the points, of course just can't do anything with them until I unlock masteries.

Central Tyria masteries should already be unlocked. You need to select one to start earning mastery experience towards it then when it's full spend the mastery points to attain it and unlock the next level.

HoT and PoF content only unlocks their specific masteries. I.e. PoF first quest will get you the Raptor mastery and obtaining the Springer, Skimmer and Jackal will unlock their relevant masteries.

@SummerRayne.4672 said:Thanks for your response Taril! I really do appreciate it. I'm heavily leaning towards doing just that first part of Path of Fire to unlock the mastery system and get the mount to avoid frustrations.

It's definitely worth it. Also, you'll still be spending a fair amount of time running around even with the Raptor, it's not like it's the Roller Beetle which is super fast.

Especially if you plan on doing 100% map completion in Central Tyria... It's a big place...

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

@Taril.8619 said:

@"SummerRayne.4672" said:I was reading about this on the GW2 wiki. But wouldn't I at least be unlocking masteries in core Tyria content as I was still doing stuff there? It shows I have 15 mastery points in the "Central Tyria" section of the mastery section of my hero panel. So unless I was misunderstanding, I thought that while I was still in Tyria, I would able to be working towards those while doing content there. I have the points, of course just can't do anything with them until I unlock masteries.

Central Tyria masteries should already be unlocked. You need to select one to start earning mastery experience towards it then when it's full spend the mastery points to attain it and unlock the next level.

HoT and PoF content only unlocks their specific masteries. I.e. PoF first quest will get you the Raptor mastery and obtaining the Springer, Skimmer and Jackal will unlock their relevant masteries.

@"SummerRayne.4672" said:Thanks for your response Taril! I really do appreciate it. I'm heavily leaning towards doing just that first part of Path of Fire to unlock the mastery system and get the mount to avoid frustrations.

It's definitely worth it. Also, you'll still be spending a fair amount of time running around even with the Raptor, it's not like it's the Roller Beetle which is super fast.

Especially if you plan on doing 100% map completion in Central Tyria... It's a big place...

Core Tyria Masteries won't be unlocked until one enters the expansion and completes the first story episode.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery#Unlocking_the_mastery_system_and_its_blocks

[SummerRayne.4672]

@"Taril.8619" said:

Central Tyria masteries should already be unlocked. You need to select one to start earning mastery experience towards it then when it's full spend the mastery points to attain it and unlock the next level.

I'm in the game now and checked. Central Tyria masteries are locked until I unlock masteries it says. There's a lock next to them and it says "After unlocking masteries, travel to any location in Central Tyria to unlock these Mastery tracks," when I mouse over them. Maybe something recently changed? It says I need to complete either "Torn from the Sky" in HoT or "Sparking the Flame" in Path of Fire. So I'm guessing if I do the first part of Path of Fire, it would unlock the mastery system for me to start training those masteries in Tyria instead of having all that xp wasted and also get my raptor. Hoping I'm right lol.

It's definitely worth it. Also, you'll still be spending a fair amount of time running around even with the Raptor, it's not like it's the Roller Beetle which is super fast.

Especially if you plan on doing 100% map completion in Central Tyria... It's a big place...

I have been slowly working on 100% map completion while doing the Living World story, so I could definitely see it being helpful. You are right, it is a big place for sure. Thanks again for your help Taril! I really do appreciate it.

[SummerRayne.4672]

Core Tyria Masteries won't be unlocked until one enters the expansion and completes the first story episode.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mastery#Unlocking_the_mastery_system_and_its_blocks

Thanks Inculpatus!

I was skimming over that page some yesterday but had not read all of it. I'm thinking I might at least do the very first part of Path of Fire to unlock the mastery system and get the raptor mount. The more I play in Tyria seeing my character gain all this wasted xp, it's starting to feel silly to me not to at least unlock the system to put that xp towards something.